Preview of All the Goodies to Come

1. J.J Abrams Star trek Cast Announced
2. Sequel to Shaolin Soccer (Yes!!!)
   

Chiranjeevi's Killer of a Song

For all those who know what this is.... watch it for the crazy subtitling a firang has done for this video.... for those who dont....eat your heart out... or else he will...ummm ok.....sorry....

Depp and Burton: Together Again

Now who the hell is Sweeney Todd....

Lets see now... a 1936 movie by the same name has gained 2000% more interest than it ever has in the past decade or so. Why? !!!##

To be fair, "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street" when originally released was considered to be the greatest British horror movie to have ever been released. Granted the fact that Ted Slaughter (I kid you not, that is his real name) is considered to be the greatest horror film actor of all time, none of these still explain the quintessential why for the sudden curiosity in this movie.

However what does explain this sudden rise in interest for the movie is a certain new trailer doing the rounds in Youtube. Tim Burton and the great God Depp have come together for a remake of the same movie and boy oh boy is this trailer incredible or what!!!! Nuff said



And heres some uber cool trivia*:

• Anne Hathaway was almost cast as Johanna but Tim Burton wanted a complete unknown for the role and settled with Jayne Wisener.
• Sam Mendes was originally attached to direct with Russell Crowe in the title role.
• This is the sixth Johnny Depp-Tim Burton collaboration. They previously made Edward Scissorhands (1990), Ed Wood (1994), Sleepy Hollow (1999), Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005), and Corpse Bride (2005) together.
• Johnny Depp suggested to Tim Burton that Tom Baker play the Gentlemen Ghost.
• Composer Stephen Sondheim, notoriously protective of his stage works, had long prevented any adaptation of this musical. Sondheim finally relented when pleased with Tim Burton's vision for the film, though the composer maintained veto power when casting the lead actors. Both Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter had to personally audition for Sondheim, who nearly rejected Depp, considering his vocals "too rock oriented."\
• Helena Bonham Carter underwent extensive vocal lessons and studied baking in preparation for her role.
• Annette Bening and Toni Collette both lobbied vigorously for the role of Mrs. Lovett, but lost out to Helena Bonham Carter.
• During its first month of production in London, Johnny Depp had to take a ten-day leave of absence when his daughter, Lily-Rose, was rushed to a hospital due to a severe illness (which was never disclosed by the media). To accommodate his absenteeism, director Tim Burton filmed scenes that didn't feature Depp's character.To prepare for the role of Adolfo Pirelli, Sacha Baron Cohen hired his personal barber as a consultant on shaving techniques, and took up to 16 hours to learn how to handle a razor.
• Cyndi Lauper and Emma Thompson were also considered for the role of Mrs. Lovett.
• Christopher Lee, a classically trained singer, was originally in negotiations to play one of the ghosts. However, after various script revisions and due to scheduling conflicts, the actor decided not to pursue the role.

*courtesy imdb

Heres some awesome new trailers you can feast your eyes on:

The Dark Knight



The Iron Man



Pixar's new Wall E



and finally the new Christian Bale and Russell Crowe starrer 3:10 to Yuma

Treading on Virgin Territories

For all those who thought I was dead and battling my load..... Guess who just crawled back from Pop Culture Valhalla.
Getting on with things cuz I have so much to get hoarse about (I walk before I crawl ppl).... I have been OD-ing on Virgin Comics.... And guess what.....All the dropping was worth the eaves! All the waiting was worth the while. I choose not to idle on Snake Woman cuz frankly....its boooooooooooooooooring.
In keeping with the spirit(s) lets Juggernaut our way into this Terabyte of a revolution we know as Virgin.

Here's some Wiki Ctrl C Ctrl V gyan for those who came in late:
Origins:

Virgin Comics LLC is a comic book company, which produces stories (many of which are Indian-culture related) for an international audience. The Company was founded by Sir Richard Branson and his Virgin Group, author Deepak Chopra, filmmaker Shekhar Kapur and entrepreneurs Sharad Devarajan, Suresh Seetharaman and Gotham Chopra.


And here's some lesser known gyan from the Deus Ex Machina we know as Google:

The Shakti line will be Virgin Comics' flagship line, featuring Indian mytholgy, art, history, classical stories, and other related themes. The Director's Cut line will feature film directors such as Shekhar Kapur, Guy Ritchie and John Woo creating comics, which have been described by John Woo as 'the ultimate storyboard'. The Voices line (formerly known as the Maverick line) will feature new talent, as well as actors and musicians. Additionally, Virgin Comics animators have worked on graphic novels, and the venture is linked to Virgin Animation.

The plot revolves around a British soldier by the name of James Jenson who finds himself to be the reincarnated form of a powerful sage from the past. The story primarily deals with the lessons that he has to learn so as to remove his connection with his current life. Currently being made into a movie starring Nick Cage (WTF---- Who casts that ass wipe as a superhero anyways? Now Bale hmmm).

On storyboard levels this comic is one of the best I have ever come across. The element of "What happens next" is taken to levels which I felt last while reading the great Jim Lee's "Hush". What really takes the writing to a new level is the profound asides of Jenson (SADHU.. duh!!)

What is a little disturbing is the lack of consistency which the Sadhu suffers from. The completely wild oscillations from absolute genious to trailer park trash is very disconcerting as one begins to fea if the whole series is turning out to be one massive let down. Add to that the sporadic nature of release dates and you have the ideal concoction of a great idea gone wrong.

But as a start this is by far more commendable than 90% of the comic books which are being released in the market currently.

Devi and Ramayana reviews coming soon!!!

3 Pirates 3 Featurettes

Well tonite is the big night. Sneak peak and all that jazz... Look out for a full fledged review tomorrow. Till then here's 3 of the best featurettes I could procure. Enjoy maadi!!!

Books In The Pipeline

All the rumours you heard about Tyler Durden (if you dont know what I am talking about...... DIE!!!!! The first rule of Fight Club is....) can be alluded to me. I sleep 2 hours, am a suit (read pinstripes and purple Armanis) by day and a vigilante 21st Century guru by night (ahem.... I have punched holes in my teddy bear. And my mom thinks I look good in my pink pyjamas). I would have loved to provide you with an hour by hour breakdown of my daily schedule. But knowing how much you guys are dying to know that information (read: sarcasm reaching Jerry Seinfeld levels!) I will skip that bit and give you a lowdown on the list of books I have lined up in my library labeled "soon-to-be-read".


1. Maus - Art Spiegelman

If not for my significant other I would never have even come across this piece of literary bravado. Maus: A Survivor's Tale is a memoir by , Art Spiegelman presented as a graphic novel. It recounts the struggle of Spiegelman's father to survive the Holocaust as a Polish Jew and is largely an account of his father's recollections of his experiences.

The book reflects also on the reverberations of the war on the relationship between a father and son on the run and how this strain is gradually perpetuated onto further generations within the family. The Satirical nature of the novel is very evident in Spiegelman's character sketching:

• The jews are represented by mice.
• The Germans are represented by cats.
• The Americans are represented by dogs.
• The Poles are represented by pigs.
• The Roma(Gypsies) are represented as gypsy moths.
• The French are presented by frogs.
• The Swedes are represented by reindeer.
• The British are represented by fish.
• The child of a Jew and a German is shown as a mouse with cat stripes.

With a preview of this magnitude, I cant help but wonder: it took 23 years of my measly existence for me to come across this book. Some Pop culture guru I am!!! Oh and did I mention "1992 Special Pulitzer Prize Winner". Yup. We do live sad lives.


2. Desperation : Stephen King

In my far from modest/humble opinion, one of the greatest pulp fiction authors of our time. Many have attributed him with words that are far from kind, calling him a "literary rogue", "airport read author" to say the least. All that I have to say to all these unbelievers is "Philistines, and pseudo intellectuals.... Get a life!!!". The man has written epics; mind you, I use the word "epic" with complete and utter moderation; epics, I tell you!

Now during my first read of IT ,which might I add, is a sheer genius piece of literature(so much for my contribution of genious lit... cant get one bloody sentence right), I was introduced to King's "Dark Tower Series" by a fellow guru (If you know who you are send your blog link for me to hyperlink because I obviously recieve more hits than you. ummm ...Please... My kids are starving and my wife wants a billion dollar alimony) King himself has admitted to it being inspired from Tolkien's world of Middle Earth. This automatically placed the series at the top of my Book Club list (I am a proud member. They offer delish cookies, great punch, and then some so there humph!) However, while reading Insomnia I came to know that a lot of King's works have Dark Tower references, which has made me temporarily postpone my journey into the Gunslinger's world (yup a gunslinger.... not a hobbit with hairy feet... its already in an ubercool level of its own. No offence Tolkien sir... am a huge fan).

K... Time for using the greatest fine skill known in civilization.... Ctrl C(ing) and Ctrl (v) ing....

" Desperation is the story of several people traveling along the desolate Highway 50 in Nevada who all get abducted by Collie Entragian, the deputy of the fictional ghost town Desperation. Entragian uses various pretexts for his abductions, from an arrest for drug possession to “rescuing” a family from a nonexistent gunman. The travelers quickly realize that something is very wrong with Entragian, as his bizarre statements and mannerisms soon escalate to brutal assaults and murder...." .........and therein, as the bard would say, lies the rub.

Updates on The Dark Knight

The leaks are coming in thick and fast. Brand new images on The Dark Knight front are up for grabs. And with the craze being built up for the new Joker, one can only try to anticipate the ubercool nature of the new look for The Dark Knight.

Yours truly, has some of the images of the new movie being shot with special IMAX cameras for an enhanced IMAX experience (I hear its for a special Joker backstory.... Aaaa wheres a time machine when you need one!!) . And if you look closely at the second image, you can see the new joker's reflection. The buzz surrounding this movie is electrifying!!!! I am getting goosebumps just sharing this dope on the blog. (The last time that happened was when I was opening the Charisma Carpenter edition of Playboy.... Yeesh!!!)

The Week Ahead

The season of blockbuster movies, great music and books to kill for has just begun. After the natural calamity we all know as Spidey 3(box office collections sky rocket while the movie comes a cropper. Colombia announces 3 more Spidey flicks to follow, however does not confirm if Sam Raimi or any of the cast is still on board. By the looks of it I wouldnt be surprised if they have Sanjay Leela Bhansali being considered as the heir apparent!), I have taken on the mantle of being the person who forewarns you about any such monsters who dive into your wallet and suck the last shreds of your salary from you (Why? Cuz I get free passes to all crappy flicks thats why!!). So hears a heads up on what the week looks like:

• A sneak peek at Pirates. Expect trailers, trivia and reviews. All you spoiler spilling buccaneers lay off bfore I gut ye spleen (A pirate I shall never be. Sigh!)
• The new transformers trailers
• Latest on the Tintin movieS! (Yes. Plural is right!)
• Latest on The Inheritance Triology
• His Dark Materials. (There is a movie in the offing, people!)
• The latest on the new Wachowski Brothers movies. (I know you love me!!!!)

We will also be having our usual Book, movie, music review, along with the DVD recom for the weekend and the next edition of The Best Songs Youve Never Heard.

Until then.... May the Farce be With You (I must be the worst blogger ever... May the FARCE!!! What was I thinking!!)

The Best Songs You Have Never Heard - 1

Its amazing how inspite of having Terabytes of music, there will always be a spectacular song that you people might not have heard of. Old Oriental caravan dwellers say that music is a contrivance of travellers to take others unlike themselves on a journey (ya rright!! Everytime I have profound statements to make I accredit them to these arbit characters. Caravan dwellers my ass!!).

Anyways I have compiled some songs…. All of which are viewable on YouTube (the genious who created it I tell you… I pray for his soul every single time I log onto the portal!) for our Visual and Aural pleasure. For cross genre appeal (and for more hits! I never eeeeeever claimed to have any dignity muah ha ha!), the selection comprises of music as diverse as diverse gets. For our discerning audience members who have a problem with this eclectic mixture of songs…… I request you to swallow it with a pinch of salt {Aside: Yes this is he… Aaah is the Rat Poison here yet?). No reviews this time around. Just music. I let you be the judge (and id like to thank the academy..................) of whether its good, bad or barfy.


Frou Frou - Let Go

God does Imogen Heap (lead vocalist) have an amazing voice or what! And she is oh sooooooo hot. I was making the oh so difficult decision of whether to give you this song or just her image. And me be being the benevolent bloke I am, decided, hey... what the hell.... Hows about both! So I give the movie Jeux d'enfants to the tune of Frou Frou's Let Go. As my good friend Don Vito Corleone would put it 'I just made you an offer you cant refuse (Yes! We will be using every single movie cliche. Yes! i am spineless.... bribe me.... pleeease!)

Al Otro Lado Del Rio (Carlos Santana and Antonio Banderas ver.)

It is so unfair that some people have all the right stuff. He is good looking, plays the guitar like a God and sings like an Angel. No not Carlos Santana you schmucks! Antonio banderas is what I meant. duh! Oh and did I mention this is from the soundtrack of The Motorcycle Diaries. Splendid movie, splendid song and splen(did) me in for 20 bucks. Ha ha ha .... thoo!!!! I should learn to quit while i am ahead.!

Please post your entries on whether you liked the songs. All comments are appreciated. Spread the word people. The Pop Chronicles are hear to stay! (barf!!!!!)

Blame The Druid! Long live Bats!

The Quintessential "To be or not to be" decision has been made. For a procrastinating junkie like myself, it has not been a mere hop, skip, jump and a whinny (huh wha!). Its been a leap of monumental proportions. But now that the dust has settled, my catatonic fingers and my near comatose brain have galvanized to form a machine which can be best personified by the rat fink cartoon.
Yes I am a rat on an OD of Speed. Yes I am a turbo charged monster truck on a kamikaze run. Yes Springsteen, I Am on fire. Yes, I am. I bloody well Am!!!!

Now for what I do..... I scour the internet to get you the best posts and info on movies, mini series (yes!! I am a hopeless addict of Lost & Prison Break) music, gaming and pop culture.

The image above represents everything this blog stands for. An image by Big Daddy Roth, one of the founders of the hot rod revolution (more on that later).

For my first piece of absolutely delish info... which I have been dying to share with all my Batman starved partners in crime.... I have for you 4 Awesmazing (Awesome and amazing on a grander scale, courtesy Urbandictionary) appetizers for the next in the Bats series of movies. I give you the posthumously named - The Dark Knight.

• The portal is up.... with nothing much on it (damn!) except for a giant Bat logo. http://thedarkknight.warnerbros.com/
• Hold on to your horses there mateys! Not letting you go that easily. The marketing geniuses at WB have started a viral marketing portal to create a "buzz" (oh how I hate that word) for the new film - http://www.ibelieveinharveydenttoo.com/. The portal previously had an image of a "Harvey Dent For Mayor Campaign" which gradually pixellated to form the first released images of Heath Ledger as the new Joker!! But before you start clicking on the link and going bonkers over the image, here is an anti climax. Its not there. But me being the generous soul that I am, have the screen shots right here only for you. Yes I love u that bloody much {sob!}

And finally...................................................................................................................................................

Ta da!



Relax guys. Just kidding! No Simpsons yet.... But watch the space for updates on that as well.

• And before you decide against clicking on the link. Think again. The current page displays a Page not found status. But press Ctrl A and lo and behold! Ummm... No spoilers here.... Find out for your own "holy curious cats batman" selves.
• And last and umm not the least (fine! a cliche'. So crucify me!!) news of a new teaser trailer is doing the rounds around rumorsville (thats about 20 km frm Smallville.... Go die!!).
  

  Black background, cards begin to fall in slow motion, the joker whispers things directed at Batman, the audience, the final card to fall is the joker, with also a picture of the bat signal on fire.

The last piece of information that I shared was acquired on a popular IM. The plausibilty of its authencity is something I leave to your discretion.

Well this was my first round, and just to give you a heads up.... I am inspired by Rocky Balboa. So you can sure as hell count on there being rounds till my dead body is rotting next to Stallone's "steroids, silicone anthrax.. U name it" stuffed dead body (U want a piece of me! Bring it!).

Please post your thoughts on this humble junkie's best attempt at what he does best. Talk a lot of bull!!!! Any and every piece of feedback will be read and carefully placed into a shredding machine.... for recycling of course. So now you know this site is eco friendly as well.

Anyways..... have fun and look to the skies.... Remember.... The druid is to be blamed.... For all thats good or bad (no clue!).