Another week, another rom-com, though expect this one to be a little more raucous and naughty than recent offerings 27 Dresses and Fool’s Gold. Forgetting Sarah Marshall comes from the Judd Apatow stable of comedies that have tickled our funny bones with the likes of The 40 Year Old Virgin and Knocked Up, and sees one of Knocked Up’s supporting actors, Jason Segel assume centre stage. Segel (who also wrote the screenplay) plays Peter Bretter, a lovable guy who finds his world turned upside down when his beloved girlfriend the titular Sarah Marshall (as played by ex-Veronica Mars and Heroes star Kristen Bell) dumps him.
In a bid to recover from the heartbreak, Peter takes off for a holiday in Hawaii only to find Sarah is also there with her new man, outrageous lothario Aldous Snow (played by our very own Russell Brand). The comedy is typically rude and silly, but retains the heart and warmth needed for such subject matter. Superbad’s Jonah Hill, 30 Rock’s Jack McBrayer (receptionist Kenneth) and Apatow regular Paul Rudd all make appearances in this bawdy sex romp.
Check out the trailer below and visit the film’s official site for more information.
Heroes returns to BBC2 tomorrow night (9pm) with the eagerly anticipated second season. After much promotion by the Beeb, the sci-fi show proved a hit with viewers last year and became a cult phenomenon spawning video games, t-shirts and comic books. Now the show is back, though in a shorter series, having been hit by the Hollywood writers strike.
The end of season one saw Peter ‘go nuclear’ in his bid to save New York City, Hiro ended up in feudal Japan and Sylar was beaten but not dead. This season continues with the same full-on energy and unpredictable action while managing to introduce some new faces as well (look out for Veronica Mars star Kristen Bell). For those of you hooked on the heroic antics of Claire, Parkman, Mohinder and co. we promise not to give away any plot spoilers, however if you do fancy whetting your appetite, check out the American trailer for season two below.
All has been pretty quiet on the Nelly front for the past few years, but the rapper returns in some style with his new single, Party People, featuring The Black Eyed Peas’ Fergie. This is the first track to be released from his forthcoming Brass Knuckles album and sees the Hot In Here hitmaker back on top form. With its catchy hook and uptempo beat, fans are already eager for it to hit their local clubs.
Taking a peek at the music video (below) Fergie looks stunning, channeling a Moulin Rouge! vibe with her trapeze swinging, while Nelly looks like he’s been clocking some serious hours in the gym. The album isn’t released until June 23rd in the UK, but if you want to be first in line, pre-order a copy from play.com for only £8.95, until then enjoy the video.
After the UK and Stateside success of Katherine Heigl’s 27 Dresses, it seems that Hollywood might have finally regained its passion for passion, with another rom-com set to delight audiences on general release this weekend. They proved a winning combination in 2003’s How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, so Hollywood stars Kate Hudson and Matthew McConaughey have reunited for Fools Gold. The film is a mixture of high adventure, goofy comedy and playful romance and sees the perma-tanned pair cavorting about in very little clothes – a perk for fans of both stars!
McConaughey plays Benjamin ‘Finn’ Finnegan, a treasure hunter whose obsession with striking gold ruined his marriage to Hudson’s Tess, yet the pair are thrown together again as clues for the elusive 18th Century Queens Dowry promise untold riches. Also on the hunt is Finn’s nemesis played by one of Britain’s reliable bad guys for hire, Ray Winstone. The film is frothy fluff full of sun, surf and silliness but for those of you depressed by the gloomy weather and in need of a romantic getaway, why not?
The trailer is below, while for further information visit the film’s official site.
If we were to say Gorgeous George, who would you think of? Immediately your mind journeys back to memories of Dr. Doug Ross in ER, the suave Danny Ocean in Ocean’s Eleven and the two-time winner of People’s Sexiest Man crown. George Clooney sets hearts a racing like few other current male celebs and yesterday he exposed London to a little of his old-school charm. George was in town to attend the premiere of his new movie Leatherheads (and talk with Prime Minister Gordon Brown about the situation in Darfur), a film that opens in UK theatres this Friday.
Co-starring ex-lady friend Renee Zellweger and John Krasinski (from America’s version of The Office), Leatherheads is the third directorial outing for Clooney and is a romance, old-fashioned screwball comedy, underdog tale and sports movie all rolled into one. It might sound an unlikely mix and with the focus on American football, the 1920s-set film might not sound like a crowd-pleaser. Thankfully, there is far more to it than jocks in helmets with Clooney’s goofy antics reminiscent of his turn in Coen’s classic O, Brother Where Art Thou? Get your Clooney fix with the trailer below or visit the film’s official site for more information.
Pop superstar Madonna has been everywhere recently, hogging magazine covers and grabbing headlines in the most frenzied of media blitzes. And it has all been to promote this – the first single of her eagerly anticpated new album ‘Hard Candy’. The album isn’t released until 28th April, but here is the first look at the new song ‘4 Minutes to Save the World. The song is a duet with Justin Timberlake and also features the magic touch of über-producer Timbaland.
The song sees the Queen of Pop in typically untempo mode, once again unleashing one of those catchy hooks that you know will get stuck in your head for days. Seeing Madonna dancing with JT is an odd but fantastic sight, as two generations of pop music come together in such an energetic and fun way, one that works much more than her previous collaboration with Justin’s ex, Britney Spears.
‘Hard Candy’ is available to pre-order from Amazon.co.uk for only £8.98.
It’s his first music video release in the UK since the untimely death of his beloved mother, but acclaimed rapper Kanye West returns in style with the rousing ‘Homecoming’. The retro song continues West’s commitment to collaborating with varied contemporary artists, this time featuring Coldplay singer and Gwyneth Paltrow’s hubby Chris Martin. The new video (see below) features the rapper in Chicago and comes from the star’s best-selling third album Graduation.
The song has already had an interesting history, having been released for download only in February and reaching number nine in the UK singles chart. In contrast, the official video has only just been released via the star’s website on 1st April and it gives us a chance to once again enjoy Kanye doing what he does best. Martin also stars in the video, a glimpse of his musical pedigree before the release of his band’s long-awaited fourth album this year. To learn more about the talented Mr. West, visit his official site.
After Dreamgirls and Chicago made the successful transition from theatres to cinemas, this summer sees the arrival of Mamma Mia! in multiplexes. The hit musical which has charmed audiences on Broadway and in the West End, is based on the songs of Swedish quartet ABBA and promises to be a must see flick for us ladies. The plot is a generational mix focusing on the mother daughter relationship between Meryl Streep’s Donna and Amanda Seyfried’s (Mean Girls) young bride-to-be Sophie. Never having met her father, Sophie invites the three main contenders to attend the big event, these consisting quite happily of Pierce Brosnan, Colin Firth and Stellan Skarsgård.
Of course, this causes much comic confusion, romantic wrangles and soul-searching. Add to this the fantastic songs, a sunny island paradise and silly sidekick Julie Walters and Mamma Mia! looks set to be a huge girly treat for the summer. Take a peek with the trailer below or swot up on the film at the official site. All together now – “You can dance, you can can jive…”
Early single and download sales suggest that she’ll spend a second week at number one this Sunday with the fabulous song American Boy, but who is Estelle? Estelle (Swaray) is a 28-year-old Londoner. She launched her musical career with her debut album The 18th Day in 2004 working from her own record label Stellar Ents. She has since signed to US soul singer John Legend’s label Homeschool Records, through which she will release her second album, Shine next Monday.
Now establishing herself as a major new talent, Estelle is working with the likes of Legend, Kanye West (he features on American Boy), The Black Eye Peas’ Will.I.Am and Mark Ronson. She is confirmed to perform at this year’s Glastonbury Festival and so for those of you looking forward to donning your wellies for the event, watch Estelle’s video for American Boy below, or read up on her at her official site.
Grey’s Anatomy’s Katherine Heigl proved herself a bona fide movie actress in last year’s Knocked Up and now she is the entering more traditional rom-com fare with 27 Dresses. The concept of the film is pretty simple – Katherine as nice girl Jane is always the bridesmaid and never the bride and guess how many times she’s done this? Yep, a whopping 27! She plans the wedding of her sister to the man she loves (played by Ed Burns), only to meet a handsome stranger (Enchanted’s wonderful James Marsden.) Of course this being a rom-com, the ending seems pretty obvious – I suspect love and a happy ending, but isn’t that the charm of it all?
27 Dresses performed well in the US and is set to captivate romance-starved audiences here in Blighty when it opens this Friday. See the trailer below or head to the movie’s official site.
He’s been away for a while, getting married to Tameka Foster and starting a family but R’n'B star Usher is on the comeback trail. His sixth album Here I Stand is due out later in the summer, and as a tasty nibble here is the first single Love in this Club. The clip below is only the song as the official video is yet to be released, but it does provide all those eager Usher fans the first new material since 2004’s Confessions.
The song is a typical slice of the star’s saucy, sexy style and is so laidback and catchy that it’s already proving popular with fans online. The song features rapper Young Jeezy and is due for release here in the UK soon. For all your Usher needs (and we know that girls have them), head on over to the singer’s official website.
Nowadays Britney Spears seems to be more of a fixture in gossip columns than on the dance floor, but that could be all set to change with her single, Break the Ice. The third release from the Blackout album, Britney doesn’t appear in the video and instead vamps it up as an anime character. Whether the animated version actually resembles the star is up for debate, but with a catchy uptempo beat it does remind you more of classic Britney than some of her other recent efforts.
Fans have complained that the animation is too busy, that it doesn’t compliment the song and that it is too similar in style to previous Daft Punk videos. Similarly, those keen to see the star are disappointed at her absence and have accused her of laziness. Decide for yourself if the criticisms are valid with this look at the new music video for Break the Ice.
Madonna has been inducted into the prestigious Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The Material Girl was introduced to the stage by recent collaborator Justin Timberlake (the pair’s single Four Minutes to Save the World is out soon) who enjoyed a joke or two at the expense of Madonna wannabes such as his ex, Britney Spears. The honour was celebrated by punk band Iggy Pop and the Stooges who covered two of her singles Burning Up and Ray of Light, while the Queen of Pop turned the air blue with some typically outrageous language in her acceptance speech.
Artists are only eligible once their career has spanned 25 years – remarkable really to think that she’s been around so long. Well done and congratulations to Madonna. Check out the event in the below news clip.
Mike Myers seems to have vanished off our silver screens of late, preferring to appear as an animated green ogre, but the comedy brain that brought us Wayne’s World and Austin Powers has taken a break from hanging out with Puss and Donkey and is due to set sides to splitting with his new comic effort, The Love Guru. The film stars Myers as Pitka, the love guru complete with silly outfits, facial hair and accent.
Jessica Alba and Verne Troyer (Austin Powers’ Mini Me) pop up in supporting roles and just check out Justin Timberlake in his teeny-weeny shorts – a sure-fire way to attract female audiences, even if he does have a dodgy moustache! The Love Guru is out later in the year, but if you just can’t wait until then enjoy the trailer below or visit the film’s IMDb link.
She might have missed out at the BRIT awards, but X-Factor winner Leona Lewis looks set to secure another mammoth hit with her hew single Footprints in the Sand. It’s a rousing ballad that starts quietly only to build to an emotional climax and again firmly establishes the young singer as a warbler up there with the likes of Mariah Carey, Whitney Houston and Celine Dion.
It is the official Sports Relief song and will be a double A-side with Better in Time. It isn’t out until March 10th, but for those Leona lovers that need their fix now watch the new video below. Like Bleeding Love, it looks set to hit the top spot and nestle there for a good long while. See Leona’s website for more news on the singer.
