New Official Taylor Swift Video - We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together

For all of you hardcore 'Swifties' or whatever Taylor Swift fans call themselves these days, the new official video for We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together is now available worldwide. The song was co-written by famed Swedish producer Max Martin and the video features Swift singing, acting and undergoing five speedy costume changes, all in one continuous take. There is much speculation regarding the actor who plays the ex boyfriend in the video, with some people comparing his appearance to Adam Levine.

 

 

New Taylor Swift Song With Video Preview - We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together

Something very strange has happened. Taylor Swift has a new song out... which I actually like. That's right. I was shocked too but if you listen to We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together, its actually catchy as hell and shows a new strength in Miss Swift, who has obviously started to mature in the wake of numerous break-ups over the past few years.

MTV VMA 2012. Best Pop Video: Who should win?

 

With only six days left until the VMA ceremony, we've checked best female and best male off our list. Today sees us taking a look at those nominated in the category for best pop video, an award that only started in 1999 when good old Ricky Martin picked up the award for 'Livin' la vido loca' and has been won three times by Britney Spears over the years, thats more then any other artist. So lets have a gander shall we?

Best Pop Video, here are the nominations:

MTV VMAS: Best Performances of the Last Decade!

With performers as diverse as Rihanna, One Direction and Green Day taking the stage this year, the 2012 VMAs are shaping up to be one of the most exciting in years. This time of year always makes me nostalgic for the performances that I saw on MTV as I grew up so I wanted to share with you some of the best VMA performances since 2001. They're not ranked in any particular order but I do have my favourites of course. Let me know what you think with your comments at the bottom.

Back to school: Top 15 school movies

If you're a student or teacher you will be clawing onto those last few precious days before you head back into the classroom. To help make this experience a little less painful and to remind you that good things do come from these establishments I have compiled a list of my favourite school based movies. Even if you stopped being a student several years ago there will always be something about a teen film that will drag your memories back to your loyal circle of friends that you swore in blood you would be BBF only to avoid them on facebook ten years later, that inspirational teacher (come on, there must have been one) who helped you 'see the light' or that teacher who you all made cry and refused to teach again because of it and not forgetting that all important first love which dominated 99% of your thoughts and your life would never be complete without them - ahhh, I love a teen movie.  

Just to warm your brains up before the hard work begins next week, take a look at these pictures and see how many of them you can name. Answers will be revealed next week.

Top 10 Nicki Minaj Guest Raps...Seriously, She's Done Hundreds! Numbers 5-1

Back again with the Top 10 Nicki Minaj Guest Raps, counting down now from 5 to 1. Click here to see what songs made it from 10-6. There's some recent hits in the top 5 as well as songs from earlier in Nicki's career. Let's see if your favourite cameos made the list.

Remember, many of these videos contain explicit language and so I strongly advise you to only click on them if you are of an appropriate age. Ok, let's get started.

I Love The 90s: Fashion.

The other day, I asked my brother in law what does he remember of fashion of the 90s? After a moment of quiet reflection he answered, ‘There wasn’t any.’  And he was right. From the high wasted white wash denim jeans and long skirts to the baggy shirts with horrendous brightly coloured patterns which would have been unwelcome in the 1970s, 90s fashion was just awful.

 

Pixar's Brave

Calling all parents! Pixar's latest has topped the UK box office for two weekends in a row now and I'm sure there'll be many parents out there at a loss of what to do for the last few days of the summer. If you have not taken your children to see Brave yet then you have to do it now before school starts! Otherwise, what else will they have to talk about in the playground???

MTV VMA 2012. Best Male Video: Who should win?

Yesterday I looked at the best female video and I made the choices of who I thought should win and who will win. Today it's the turn of the best male video, which has been won before by all but two of this years nominees. Who will win? who should win? and who should have been nominated?

Best Male Video, here are the nominations:

The Imposter and Other Documentaries That Mess With Your Head

Think all documentaries are boring BBC affairs narrated by David Attenborough? Think again. There are hundreds of incredible documentaries out there, examining subjects as diverse as American children competing in spelling bees, a British man struggling to understand why his girlfriends always leave him and the hikacking of a bus in Rio De Janeiro (Name each film and you get a sticker).

However, what I find particularly interesting about documentaries is how they are supposed to depict nothing but reality and yet, often show distorted views of the truth, manipulating the viewer (that's us!) into believing their version of reality. But is this such a bad thing?
With the release of The Imposter in cinemas, I wanted to take a look at some of the best documentaries out there that mess with your head but remain fascinating throughout. 

Top 10 Nicki Minaj Guest Raps...Seriously, She's Done Hundreds! Numbers 10-6

Before the multi-platinum selling albums, before the sell-out tours, before the Justin Bieber duet (???), Nicki Minaj made a name for herself with crazy guest raps on other people's songs.
 

 
Her unique blend of British accents, girly voices and super fast rapping was earning Minaj up to 50k a verse, according to her show-stopping rap on Kanye West's Monster.

 
Recently seeing her live (on TV - sad face), Minaj upped this claim to 100k and it's easy to see why. Often, I would youtube a number of videos by people I don't normally care about just to hear and see Nicki Minaj steal the show in sometimes less than 30 seconds.

MTV VMA 2012. Best Female Video: Who should win?

It's that time of year again when MTV celerbrate the last years best music videos. On Thursday the 6th of September, multiple moonmen will be handed out to the artists who have been voted as best Female, Male, Pop, Rock and many many more. But who will win? Who should win? Who should have been nominated? and why the hell have they been nominated?

Over the next few days, I'll take the top categories, pick who I think will win, who should win and who should have been nominated.

 

Starting with...

 

Best Female Video, here are the nominations:

I love the 90s - Hotties!

I love the 90s - Hotties!

Having spent my teens and early adulthood in the 90s the hotness of celebrities was of utmost importance to me. Although there were the obvious favourites; Brad Pitt, Pamela Anderson, Mariah Carey, George Clooney, Keanu Reeves, Heather Graham, Denise Richards, Leonardo DiCaprio. A-list celebs weren’t really for me (except Christian Slater). I tended to dream about TV hotties, you know, the ones that you were more likely to bump into in the street because they were ‘real people’ and obviously after that chance meeting they would ask you out on date. Dana Ashbrook who played bad boy Bobby Briggs from Twin Peaks featured highly in these dreams. Ahhhh, that floppy hair...

While waiting for that to happen there was no better way to spend time than with a friend, watching TV then discussing and comparing TV hotties and their merits. Here are some of my favourites.

My Top 5 Favourite Studio Ghibli Characters... Who Aren't People

Spirited Away. Howl's Moving Castle. Arrietty. My Neighbour Totoro. Anyone who has watched a Studio Ghibli film knows just how incredible they are. Full of depth with stunning animation, most of these films are not just for kids but are really adult animations that children can also enjoy, so if you're one of those people who say they don't like 'cartoons', you obviously haven't watched a Ghibli film before. Watch this clip below, which is like a trailer for almost every Ghibli film that has been released so far, up to Howl's Moving Castle.

Many of my favourite Studio Ghibli films were created by Hayao Miyazaki, who co-founded the studio in Japan with Isao Takahata almost 30 years ago. Here is Miyazaki.

Prometheus VS The Amazing Spiderman - 2012 Summer Blockbuster Stand-Off - Best Reboot, Prequel or Squeakquel.

So, the polls have closed and with an overwhelming majority (I hugely exaggerate this), the winner you voted in for Best Villain Who Is Not A CGI Transformers Reject was Charlize Theron as Ravenna in Snow White and the Huntsman. She wasn't my winning choice but you're right, she was amazing!
 

 
Anyway, onto our second award now for the 2012 Summer Blockbuster Stand-Off. In an industry that seems on the whole to no longer give a toss about originality, this award is for the Best Reboot, Prequel or Squeakquel. Unfortunately, neither Alvin nor the Chipmunks released a new film this summer so instead, first up is Prometheus, which was easily one of the most eagerly anticipated films of 2012. For fans of the Alien films or just sci-fi in general, Ridley Scotts' return to the universe he helped create was just wet-your-pants-and-have-to-buy-a-mop exciting, made all the more thrilling by perhaps one of the best trailers I have seen in years.  

 

I love the 90s. School Trends.

I love the 90s. School Trends.

I loved Pogs! They were the in thing while I was at primary school and everyone played, whether it was for friendly or keeps, and only the hard core played for keeps. Looking back at the 90s got me thinking about Pogs and all the other trends that swept the world by storm in the decade where everyone had to have a Buzz Lightyear, beanie babies and a polo neck jumper. (Why?)

New Nicki Minaj Video - I Am Your Leader

Nicki Minaj has just released the 5th video off the Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded for the track I Am Your Leader and it has all the kooky weirdness that made me fall in love with Minaj in the first place. I wish the Pound The Alarm video was as crazy as this! Check out the video below but be warned, it has explicit language so only click on it if you're of an appropriate age.

I'm actually in love with her crazy faces and ridiculous hair!

This track is from the hip-hop half of the album, while other hits such as Pound The Alarm are in the second, more dancey and commercial half. Minaj was very clever to market herself like this, effectively hitting two target audiences in one album but this disappointed me slightly as it left the CD overlong with too much filler. Don't get me wrong; I love Nicki Minaj and the album has so many good tracks but its hard to listen to it all in one sitting. Perhaps two smaller albums, one of each genre would have been the way to go.

Nicki Minaj hasn't confirmed whether I Am Your Leader will actually be a single yet so if this just turns out to be a promo video, I would love her to release Roman Holiday next. I can't believe it wasn't the lead single. I would love to link her performance of the song at this years Grammys on here but its extremely hard to find an unaltered version but here's a pic below. If you did see the performance, can you imagine how incredible a proper video could be!

 

Failing that, I beg you Minaj, release Roman Reloaded ft Lil Wayne, Whip It or Marilyn Monroe!

Agree? Disagree? Love Minaj? Think she's a Lady Gaga wannabe? Tell me what you think below!

I Love the 90s. Films

I love the 90s Films.

Do you remember when going to the cinema didn’t cost more than a fiver? When you didn’t have to wear those stupid 3D glasses? When summer blockbusters were original ideas and not just a faceless sequel or remake? When a film was either a 12 or PG and there was none of this silly 12a nonsense?

Ah, the 90s. A decade of cinema that brought us some classics from some of the greats, like Steven Spielberg’s’ Jurassic Park and Schindler’s list, both released in the same year. Let’s not also forget the last film release from iconic British director Stanley Kubrick, Eyes wide shut. And we were also introduced us to a new generation of talent, including Quentin Tarantino, Kevin Smith and Kevin Costner, wait what?

More K-Pop...Gangnam Style!

I have to apologise. My recent post about K-pop neglected to mention one of the biggest songs to come out of South Korea in a long time. This song reached number one over there upon release and the video features a number of Korean celebrities, including two members of BigBang dressed up as old men playing chess. It has even been parodied randomly on the US chat show Chelsea Lately and the dance is more addictive than crack. If you're not into all the boybands and girl groups that K-pop is so fond of, or even if you love them, then either way this is the song for you.

Yes, this is Korean rap... Gangnam Style!

Eden of the East - Bizarre anime series I love!

Ok, first off, Eden of the East is an awesome anime series that I've just discovered and wanted to share with you guys. However, I must prepare you straight off; very little of it makes actual sense. Watch the opening credits to see if you can understand what the hell is going on, because I sure don't still and that's after I've watched all 11 episodes!

Stephen Kings' 22.11.63 - Confirmation that David is right (sometimes)

I’ll let you into a secret...unlike David, I don’t like Stephen King books. Too long, too descriptive, I’m all about pace. However, after receiving the doorstop 22.11.63 for my birthday and rave reviews from David I promised to give it a go. And he was right – you don’t have to be a King fan to enjoy it. It has everything; time travel, clever references to a particular clown that spent years terrorising my teenage dreams, the concept of changing the course of history, fantastic characters and even love. If like me, you are put off King by the countless pages don’t be. If I could I would still be reading it now.

I Love the 90s. Friday Night TV.

I love the 90s and It might be  my age, or it might have something to do with the fact that the 90s just rocked in general. Now I’d like to take a moment to reflect on what I love most about the decade that brought us the Spice girls, Dolly the sheep and Blossom!

Friday Night TV.

Growing up in the days before Sky plus gave us endless channels of enjoyment you could record, fast forward and pause live TV, we poor children of the 90s were cursed with only 4 channels, I know right? These where indeed dark times, and this affected your life more then you realised, for example; I want to go out and see friends and play Pogs, but hold up it’s Friday night and Friends is on followed by Cybill, followed by Caroline in the city, followed by Frasier followed by Eurotrash!

K-Pop...Fantastic Baby!

A few weeks back, I went to South Korea on holiday and within one day, I was hooked on K-pop. Thank you BigBang.

WOW! FANTASTIC BABY! How insane is this video? Between the slow-mo dancing, crazy hair and that random owl, what is there not to love about it???

Here's another one;

What I love about Monster and most K-pop in general is how random words or sentences are sung in English, in between all of the Korean. And the hair. You have to love the hair.

Alanis Morissette - She's done more than just Jagged Little Pill!

Alanis Morissette (so hard to spell!) has a new album out on 27/08/12, called Havoc and Bright Lights, preceded by the single Guardian. Like many people, I have loved Alanis since Jagged Little Pill smashed every record in the 90s but unlike lots of people, I've continued to be a huge fan of her work, right up to her last release, Flavors of Entanglement. In this post, I want to share the best songs that Alanis has released which people might not have heard i.e. weren't on Jagged Little Pill.   

Top 5 Stan Lee Cameos

Stan Lee, the undisputed god of comics and creator of such famous heroes as Spiderman, the X-Men and the Avengers, has recently spoken up about the Marvel films that disappointed him in recent years, such as Daredevil and the Hulk. Fair play to him I say. After all, they are his creations. Read more about this here: http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=40630

As I'm sure you know, Stan Lee is also something of a Hollywood film star, appearing in pretty much every single Marvel film that has been adapted to screen in recent years. With the upcoming release of Avengers Assemble on DVD and the recent success of The Amazing Spiderman, I thought it would be cool to look at the top 5 Stan Lee cameos of all time.

Aaliyah 11th Anniversary RIP - Most Underrated Songs

It's been 11 years since Aaliyah died but she's still being talked about, with a new film coming up based on her life and controversy over Drake trying to use samples of her voice, against the wishes of Timbaland and Missy Elliott.

Aaliyah's music was groundbreaking at the time of release and to commemorate her anniversary, I thought I would share some of her best songs with you. However, instead of looking at the singles that received the most airplay, I thought I would highlight five of her best album tracks and lesser-known performances. Enjoy!

Every film poster should be an Olly Moss poster!

Anyone who has bought Empire magazine in the last year or two will have fallen in love with the striking posters that Olly Moss creates for new and old film releases. I've chosen my favourite 10 to share with you guys, including some from his web site, where there is a much wider selection of prints and posters that also incorporates video games and more general culture. Enjoy and check out his web site at http://ollymoss.com/

1. Awesome propoganda style poster for Captain America.

New music videos you should check out! Brandy, No Doubt, Nelly Furtado, Pink & Mariah!

Brandy ft Chris Brown - Put It Down
Loving this video with all the random lights and effects. Brandy is looking hot and sounding fantastic. Give her a chance people. She's back! Shame about Chris Brown being involved though :(. Give me more Monica duets any day!

Loki VS Ravenna for Best Villain in the 2012 Summer Blockbuster Stand-Off

Summer is drawing to a close; the days will soon be getting shorter, the temperaturewill be dropping and people everywhere will fall victim to Seasonal Affect Disorder so what better way to cheer yourself than recapping the best and worst films of the blockbuster season!? Hey, it beats buying thermal vests. So let’s get started.

 

Our first award is for Best Villain Who Is Not A CGI Transformers Reject (Cheers Michael Bay).

Bad luck Megatron!

 
So that’s the aliens in Battleship out instantly. And goodbye Lizard. Bane was good but not as good as the Joker so who does that leave then?
First up, in the sexy bitch corner, we have Charlize Theron as Ravenna in Snow White and the Huntsman.

Ted review

Ted went off to a good start, with a great Patrick Stewart voiceover which set the scene. If you are unaware of how funny Patrick Stewart actually is, please watch this clip from Family Guy now.

22.11.63 - Stephen King

Ok, the first thing you need to know is that 22.11.63 is a bloody long book. For those considering buying it in hardback, you may need to inject steroids into each arm just to hold it up. I read it on and off during a 12 hour flight to Korea from England and I only got about a third of the way through!
But don't let that put you off. Despite its mammoth length, 22.11.63 keeps you gripped throughout. The book is quite a departure for King in some ways, as he has toned down some of the more horrific elements he is known for in favour of a time travel story based around the assassination of JFK. 

 

I would definitely recommend 22.11.63 to people who don’t normally enjoy Stephen King buts its also brilliant for die-hard fans like myself who will spot subtle links with his other books, including the mention of a certain creepy ass clown who lives in the sewers! It's a genuinely unique take on time travel but still asks the reader to seriously consider what you would do if you had the chance to change history.
Give it a chance. If you're lazy and can't hack carrying the weight of this book then.. well, thats what the kindle is for I suppose. Although the kindle sucks. Go old school.
5 out of 5 jitterbugs (read the book, it'll make sense, I promise!)

HAIL IRA LEVIN!

I’m a little bit in love with Ira Levine right now after reading‘The Stepford Wives’ and ‘Rosemary’s Baby.’ Though both books differ in tone,with one being classed as a horror and the other a thriller they both share onestrong theme, a very, very, VERY paranoid woman, and in both cases with goodreason. I had watched the 2004 remake of 'The Stepford Wives' starring Nicole Kidman,so you could see my concern at reading book; I mean, can it be better than the movie? The answer is yes, yes it can.

Magic Mike review

One day, you will be able to pause, zoom and even rewind in the cinema. This is the film such technology was invented for.

The Dark Knight Rises

The Dark Knight Rises is an exciting and extremely well made film but while I loved Anne Hathaway's take on Catwoman, ultimately there was no way the film could have ever bettered its predecessor.