Haim Releases Debut Album “Days Are Gone”

Haim released their debut album this past Friday, September 27th, titled “Days Are Gone.”  The Los Angeles based indie-rock trio is comprised of three sisters- Este Haim, 27, Danielle Haim, 24, and Alana Haim, 21.  Despite only recently gaining popularity, the trio has actually been on the scene for quite a while, starting out as a family band with their parents and Danielle drumming for acts like Jenny Lewis, Julian Casablancas, and Cee-Lo Green.  The fact that they write their own songs and can each play multiple instruments makes them different from your typical girl band nowadays.  Their vibe is edgy and effortlessly cool, and their unique sound makes you feel like you’re in an 80’s movie (in the best way possible).  Give their new single, “The Wire,” a listen below.

[soundcloud url=”http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/103092486″ params=”” width=” 100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]

CATCHING FIRE Advance Ticket Sales Start Oct 1st

Don’t forget, advance tickets to CATCHING FIRE will be available TOMORROW – October 1st! You can get your tickets at FANDANGO  and MovieTickets.com – you can purchase tickets for showtimes starting at 8pm on Thursday, November 21st and there’s also a special double feature screening of THE HUNGER GAMES immediately followed by  THE HUNGER GAMES: CATCHING FIRE!
As an added bonus to buying your tickets early from either Fandango OR MovieTickets.com, you will receive an exclusive free download of Phantogram’s ‘Lights,’ a track from the upcoming soundtrack. When you buy your tickets off of Fandango, you’ll also be entered into a THE HUNGER GAMES: CATCHING FIRE Sweepstakes! The grand prize winner will WIN A TRIP for them and a guest to the HAWAII! Buy your tickets TOMORROW for your chance to win!
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Final Poster for CATCHING FIRE

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THE HUNGER GAMES: CATCHING FIRE opens nationwide NOVEMBER 22, 2013!

THE HUNGER GAMES: CATCHING FIRE begins as Katniss Everdeen has returned home safe after winning the 74th Annual Hunger Games along with fellow tribute Peeta Mellark. Winning means that they must turn around and leave their family and close friends, embarking on a “Victor’s Tour” of the districts. Along the way Katniss senses that a rebellion is simmering, but the Capitol is still very much in control as President Snow prepares the 75th Annual Hunger Games (The Quarter Quell) – a competition that could change Panem forever.

THE HUNGER GAMES: CATCHING FIRE will be directed by Francis Lawrence, and produced by Nina Jacobson’s Color Force in tandem with producer Jon Kilik. The novel on which the film is based is the second in a trilogy that has over 50 million copies in print in the U.S. alone.

RECAP: 2 Broke Girls (S03E01)

The season premiere of “2 Broke Girls” opened with just as many jokes as we’d expect out of the show. Max and Caroline reopened their cupcake shop in the new room behind the diner and they had a “soft opening” Their first customer were a couple drunk British guys, or so they thought. One of them ate a bite of the cupcake and then fell and hit his head and died. They later found out he was a famous rock star who had dated Kate Moss. Needless to say, their cupcake business started to boom after that because of fans coming to mourn the death of their beloved rock star. Han gets upset because he told the girls they didn’t have to pay rent before they turned it into any amazing cupcake shop. So he steals the fans that are in mourning into the diner and tries to take all the money the girls are making. The girls turn the fans against him but then tell them to stop when they go to take him away. Afterwards, Han calls a truce and says the girls don’t have to pay him rent until the hit their cupcake goal.

We feel like this season is going to be amazing, which is one thing we love about the show, it keeps getting better every season. Be sure to catch “2 Broke Girls” tonight September 3oth on CBS at 9pm.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gKbjNmb92nM]

RECAP: Hostages (S01E01)

In the premiere episode of the new drama “Hostages” we were on the edge of our seat the entire hour. Even though we knew pretty much what to except from the first episode, there were still some unexpected things that happened. The show started out with the family being held hostage and then flashed back to 12 hours prior. When the flashback started we saw a bank being held hostage by 2 criminals and then one of them gets shot by the FBI. FBI Agent Duncan Carlisle (Dylan McDermott) says that he is now in charge and gives the last criminal a chance to release all but one of the hostages and he won’t shoot. Once the criminal comes out with a hostage, or what we think is a hostage, Duncan shoots at the supposed hostage and kills him. It turns out the criminal had switched places with the hostage and Duncan took a wild chance and shot and killed him. So at that moment we realize that either Duncan is an amazing FBI agent or something isn’t quite right. Meanwhile, Dr. Ellen Sanders is giving a speech at a press conference about a surgery she will be performing on the President tomorrow. While Ellen is giving her speech, we see Duncan going to visit his wife that is in the hospital with cancer. After he leaves the hospital he takes his daughter to her grandfather and the grandfather asks if he’s sure he wants to do this, so whatever he’s about to do the grandfather is aware of it. Back at Ellen’s house we see someone that has snuck inside the house and is installing security cameras. Ellen decides to come home from work early and cook dinner for her family. Once the entire family is home, Duncan and his team decide to make their move. Once they have the family surrounded in the living room, Duncan takes Ellen in another room and tells her exactly why they’re holding her family hostage. He tells her that when she performs surgery on the president tomorrow she will assistant him and he gives her something to inject into his blood. He tells her that if she cooperates they won’t harm her family but if she doesn’t then they’ll kill her family. The next day comes when Ellen is supposed to operate on the President and her husband tells her that she needs to do exactly what they say, and he’s only changing his tune now because they have dirt on him that he’s been cheating. Ellen goes to the hospital per usual and goes into the Presidents room to go over his procedure with him again. While going over the procedure with him she switches the vial that’s on this bedside table. So you start to wonder, is that what’s going to kill him?? Back at the house they’re watching the news to see if she went through with it, when a breaking news report comes on and says that the President was accidentally given blood thinners so the surgery is unable to be performed today. As Helen leaves the hospital she gets stopped by reporters and asked about the surgery and responds “I don’t give up that easily”. The ball has been dropped and the game is on!! “Hostages” is so full of suspenseful and dramatic moments where you just don’t want it to end! We can easily say that this one of our favorite new shows of the fall and we can tell we’re going to be addicted to it! We need to know more!!

Catch an all new “Hostages” tonight, September 30th on CBS at 10pm!

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VCS075YEgXY]

RECAP: Mom (S01E01)

“Mom” was a new comedy that premiered on CBS this past Monday and we feel like it’s going to be a hit. The show started off with Christy (Anna Faris) having an emotional meltdown during her shift at the restaurant she works at. When she gets home she sees her daughters boyfriend sneaking out the window and she tries to have “the talk” with her daughter. Then she goes to AA a few days later and runs into her mother which is the whole reason she went to AA in the first place so she didn’t turn into her mom. She goes to lunch with her mom and finds out her mom has actually been talking with her daughter the whole time they haven’t been talking and her daughters told her everything, from how she’s sexually active and Christy’s sleeping with her boss. Christy decides to try and make amends with her mom for the sake of hoping her daughter will respect her more. She comes home from work one night to find her mom at her house and her children thrilled that she’s there. Her mom has a date with their waiter from lunch the other day, but as she’s leaving she throws a curveball and tells Kristy that her daughter, Violet thinks she’s pregnant.

We can’t wait to see what the rest of the season has in store for us, this show has won us over! There were so many laughs and even some sentimental moments. Be sure to catch an all new “Mom” tonight, September 30th on CBS at 9:30pm.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8UpV7V-bIIk]

SPOTLIGHT: AAHSFF Official Selection Filmmaker, Victoria Guillem

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As press partners with the All-American High School Film Festival, we thought it would be an awesome idea to interview a few of these talented young filmmakers whose films were chosen for the AAHSFF Official Selection. We are spotlighting these filmmakers one by one, day by day. We’re now into the second week of posting our spotlight interviews on the finalists in the AAHSFF – check out all the ones we’ve posted so far here. Find out what inspired their short film, who they aspire to be, where they see themselves in ten years, and more!

Name: Victoria Guillem
Film: Pink Noise

What inspired you the most when making your short film?

I feel very fortunate to have all of my senses and I spent a lot of time thinking about how some people are completely blocked out from certain experiences such as music or art because of their disabilities. I began to do some research and realized that there is a whole deaf culture about which I was not aware. I wanted to portray the idea that people will always find a way to make do with what they have. I found that the strongest way to show this complex idea would be through a simple story. On a deeper level I wanted to illuminate the euphoria of discovery. Consequently I built a narrative about a girl who finds a way to “hear” in an unpredictable way; showing that music and art can be accessible to anyone.

Who do you look up to or aspire to be?

I aspire to be like the Irish writer Colum McCann because his passion really shines through his work. He always writes about subjects that are important to him and that also can relate to others who have had different experiences. I admire his use of “radical empathy”. McCann writes fiction novels but he often will write from the perspective of a real person accounting real events. He has been known to be able to portray the feelings of an individual very accurately without knowing them very well at all. Some of the people he has written about – such as Philippe Petit and Senator George Mitchell – have proclaimed that McCann had written their respective stories with uncanny familiarity.

Colum McCann’s storytelling is very clear and accessible to everyone. It is never abrasive. Despite his fame from his several successful novels, this writer stays humble. His writing award simply hangs from one of his bookshelves, and he writes in an old closet in his apartment. Yet he is still quite proud of his work. He displays mementos in his home to remind himself of some of the stories he has written.

What’s your fanspiration?

Currently my fanspiration is the Japanese director Yasujirö Ozu. My favorite films of his are “Floating Weeds” and “Tokyo Story”. I admire his use of “mise en scene” and how he always uses the frame in the best way possible without exploiting too many special effects. His strong use of detail has also been particularly inspiring to me. I see his stories as a wonderful clash of simplicity and complexity. The wallpaper on my computer is a collage of stills from a few of his movies containing similar imagery. Ozu’s style is very distinct. To me, a big part of being an artist is finessing your style, establishing where you stand and determining what kind of message you want to bring to the world.

If you could remake any film, what would it be and why?

I would remake the movie “Stranger Than Fiction”. I adore Will Ferrell and I loved this movie, but only for the first 30 minutes or so. Maggie Gyllenhaal’s character Ana was portrayed as a cliché known as the “Manic Pixie Dream Girl”. A character known to be gorgeous, manic about life and full of wacky idiosyncrasies. She had little depth. Ana dropped out of law school to be a baker who pays some of her taxes, but not all of them. She has tattoo sleeves but she also finds it incredibly depressing that somebody might not like cookies.

I have seen this type of character used constantly in films as a device to aid the protagonist in discovering something about himself. (Ana helps protagonist Harold Crick begin to play guitar, an old childhood dream of his) They are always very flat supporting characters that can get boring to watch after a while. It represents the author’s fantasy of women who seldom exist in such trite lives. As I watched, every new detail about Ana frustrated me because it was so desperately quirky. Her character did not develop and flourish as the plot did and it was distracting to be overridden with predictable details.

Woody Allen has used a similar form of this character in films such as Annie Hall and Manhattan. In my opinion he executes his use better because the women’s so called dreaminess has to do with their unique personality and ambitions. It is a much richer experience to observe the protagonist chase a three-dimensional woman than it is to be bombarded by the plethora of ironic details used in “Stranger than Fiction” to describe Ana.

Where do you see yourself in 10 years?

I would love to be networking, working on sets and becoming a part of the independent film community. I will be creating some of my own projects as well but also helping others bring their ideas to life. In 15 or 20 years I would like to see myself further up the ladder having directed, edited or shot a successful feature film, but I do not want to miss out on the unique process of incessant learning. I believe this comes from hard work and witnessing the fruits of your labor. I want to enjoy a portion of my life striving for my final goal without instant gratification. I am afraid that would cut off the natural learning process too early. When I do have the opportunity and resources to direct my master film I want to have years of experience, so that my film can reach its full potential.

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ABOUT AAHSFF
This year New York City is hosting the first annual ALL-AMERICAN HIGH SCHOOL FILM FESTIVAL, giving students a chance to showcase their short films on the big screen. There is an All-American Basketball Game, and many similar ‘All-American High School’ competitions but nothing for film – a genre young people are embracing at breakneck speed. The festival is the brainchild of award-winning filmmaker Andrew Jenks. His films have been distributed by HBO and ESPN and his critically acclaimed documentary series, ‘World of Jenks’ is currently casting for season three. At age 16, Jenks founded a local High School Film Festival. Ten years later, his initial idea has turned into an opportunity for young filmmakers to showcase their talent. We have received nearly 1,000 amazing submissions from over 40 states as well as Japan, South Korea, South Africa, Canada, United Kingdom, Netherlands and France.

Danielle Bradbury (“The Voice”) to Film Cameo on “Hart of Dixie”

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Danielle Bradbury, the latest winner from NBC’s “The Voice”, heads to The CW’s “Hart of Dixie” set for a season three cameo! According to The Hollywood Reporter, the young singer will appear in episode 8, where she will perform her single, conveniently titled “The Heart of Dixie.”

The track peaked at No. 58 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 16 on the Billboard U.S. Country Songs chart. The official music video, which was released Sept. 23, has already garnered more than 663,000 YouTube views.

Check out the music video for the song in the video below:

[youtube http://youtu.be/BylRObFjmaE]

“Breaking Bad” Finale Episode Hits All-Time High

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Last night was one of the biggest night’s for TV. “Breaking Bad”, the Emmy-winning Best Drama series, said its final goodbyes in its 75-minute series finale. For many Americans, “Breaking Bad” has always been that show that we’ve heard EVERYONE talk about and we’ve said countless times that “we need to watch that.” Ironically enough, my first episode of watching “Breaking Bad” was last night’s finale and let me tell you, it was super confusing and anti-climatic. In my opinion, the show should’ve gone out with a bigger bang. Revenge is sweet, yes, but what kind of ending is a peaceful death? Come on writers! I’ve heard from my “Breaking Bad” fanatic friends that over the past five seasons, the show has shocked, destroyed, and captivated its audience. Don’t you think they should’ve deserved an ending with more closure than it gave them?

Something unique that happened on the business side of the “Breaking Bad” finale was the price tag AMC executives put on ads running during the finale. What is this, the Super Bowl? According to Deadline, some 30-second ads went for $400,000! As a marketing major in college, this utilization of a record-breaking AMC crowd is absolutely genius; however, I’m not so confident about the ROI. The exact number for how many people really tuned in last night to watch the closing of Walter White’s tale has yet to be released, but many experts are saying it’ll hit close to 8 million viewers.

LISTEN: Panic! At The Disco “Too Weird To Live, Too Rare To Die”

Panic! At The Disco is back in our lives with two new singles and a new album coming out on October 8th! One thing we love about Panic! is the fact that each album they put out sounds completely different from the last and how they reinvent themselves with each album. We are loving this album and can’t get enough of it! Check out the album in it’s entirety below!

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tGE381tbQa8&list=PLTM1QGY6CxK8oJQRCxjVt0N-yio0Ltimd]

The track list for the album is as follows:

1. This Is Gospel
2. Miss Jackson (feat. Lolo)
3. Vegas Lights
4. Girl That You Love
5. Nicotine
6. Girls/Girls/Boys
7. Casual Affair
8. Far Too Young To Die
9. Collar Full
10. The End Of All Things

Be sure to pick up “Too Weird To Live, Too Rare To Die” on October 8th, and if you buy it at Target you’ll get TWO bonus tracks!