Survivor, KISS, Eddie Money and Bon Jovi - this is the musical world of Paul Blart: Mall Cop. Throw in Shakti, Rasheeda, Barry Manilow and ELO, and you have a strange but good soundtrack. Certainly better than the muzac that typically hear in the mall.

There are 14 songs in the movie. Here’s the complete list from Paul Blart or you can watch the videos and snag the downloads here.

Notorious tells the life story of Notorious B.I.G. through 44 songs, including more than 20 Biggie Smalls classics.

I was super stoked to find out that they were producing a movie about the life of Notorious B.I.G. Big Poppa, Hypnotize, One More Chance, Juicy - so many good songs. Damn shame he was only on the scene for a bit less than a decade.

Notorious tells the story of his rise and fall of Christopher Wallace (aka Biggie Smalls). Jamal Woolard plays Biggie and sings a bunch of his songs in the movie; Derek Luke plays P. Diddy and adds a few of his own.

Here's the complete list of songs from the movie. The downloads from most of the songs are below. You can watch the videos for them and download the tunes at Reelsoundtrack.com.

Songs from the movie:

Extra songs on the album:

There are 21 songs in the movie Bride Wars, including music from Duffy, Estelle, Colbie Caillat and Natasha Bedingfield. There also are some classic (and classical) bridal songs, including Richard Wagner's Bridal Chorus, Bach's Jesu Joy and Vivaldi's Spring.

But the movie also includes a few songs I would not expect, including Get Ready for This by 2 Unlimited and Give It to Me Baby by Rick James. Throw in a mix of The Submarines, Technotronic and Eve, contrasted against Natalie Cole and Ryan Shaw, and you have an interesting soundtrack.

If you want to jump straight to all the videos and downloads from the movie, click here.

Call it a battle between wedding standards and reception hits that goad you to the dance floor, plus some sappy goodness thrown in to boot (the songs playing during the maid of honor's toast or a father-daughter dance).

You'll recognize The Submarines song You, Me, and the Bourgeoisie from the iPhone 3G commercial. And you cannot go wrong with a throwback to Natalie Cole. Here's This Will Be (An Everlasting Love). Maybe songs that are prominently featured in commercials is the subtext for the movie soundtrack.

Or maybe you prefer a little musical sunshine and happy days from Colbie Caillat. All of her songs sound like sunrise in Santa Monica. You can't help but think today is the day for a bit of goodness. Here's Somethin' Special.

Quite a few people are looking for the song that plays around the wedding scene featuring a female vocal that starts with the words "I was a little girl." The song is Dream by Priscilla Ahn. She has a gorgeous voice.

You can find the videos and downloads for the songs at here. Here’s the complete list of songs from the movie. with notes on most of the scenes. Here they are:

Towelhead tells the story of a 13 year old Arab-American girl who is discovering herself and her traditions while living with her Lebanese father in Houston, amidst racial tensions and in the complexities of coming of age.

The music of Towelhead is a brilliant cross between late 80s, early 90s alt radio and traditional Lebanese music, and exemplifies the contrasts in Jasira's life. Thomas Newman provides a score that channels the latter, including the end title theme Jazira Maroun. The soundtrack album is very good and captures the score well. Unfortunately, it does not have any of the alt rock songs from the movie.

You can find the videos and downloads for all the songs at here Here are the songs from the movie Towelhead (downloads are in bold):

There was a lot of great music in movies this year. (See post about the best soundtracks of 2008). But there were also some good tunes in movies most people missed, such as Charlie Bartlett, The Wackness and Slumdog Millionaire. The first two are already out on DVD and the third is still in theaters, so you have no excuses for checking them out. If you love them, add your feedback here. If you don't, let us know why. Here are the highlights.

Charlie Bartlett

A lot of people compared Charlie Bartlett to Ferris Bueller. Both featured smart alec teenagers who stayed one step ahead of the system. But we will have to see if Charlie Bartlett achieves the cult status of the latter. It is certainly funny enough to do so, but most people missed the movie when it came out in the theater.

The music fuels the movie. (Here's the complete list of songs), with the highlight being five songs from Spiral Beach, a local band from the Toronto area, where the film was shot. They also star in the party scene toward the end of the movie. You can never go wrong adding a couple Eels songs to the mix too ("Hey Man" and "Mr. E's Beautiful Blues"). Cast members Anton Yelchin, Hope Davis and Kat Dennings also belt out a number of songs, ranging from "Yankee Doodle" and a couple versions of "If You Want to Sing Out, Sing Out" to the Theme Song from All in the Family - "Those Were the Days."

The Wackness

Sixteen songs to tell the tale of early 90's New York through the eyes of a good-hearted drug dealer trying to find his way in the world alongside Ben Kingsley the psychiatrist who trades advice for dime bags of dope.

Nas kicks off The Wackness with "The World Is Yours," an ironic anthem for a shy teen whose extant ventures take him to exotic places such as Queens and Brooklyn but no further. Raekwon's Heaven and Hell sets the tone for the party, where Lucas finds and loses the girl of his dreams. In another funny twist, Method Man the actor talks about Notorious B.I.G., while listening to "The What," a song that Method Man the rapper recorded with Biggie in the early 90s. Not surprisingly for the period, the love song features Faith Evans and the love scene is told through R. Kelly's Bump N' Grind. But it doesn't stop there. A walk through the park features a sample of Lou Reed's Walk on the Wild Side, from A Tribe Called Quest's "Can I Kick It."

The two most random songs on the soundtrack are the doctor's picks - first on the jukebox - "Season of the Witch" by Donovan; and then on his mixtape - Mott the Hoople's "All the Young Dudes." Yet both are perfect picks and the latter is particularly appropriate, given that Ben Kingsley spends the movie longing to be a young dude and passing on the wisdom of an old, not quite sage.

For these reasons and many more, The Wackness may be the best soundtrack of the year. For me, it is the rap equivalent of Garden State: music was as essential to the telling of both stories. In fact, even though High Fidelity was all about mixtapes, the mixes in The Wackness were far better and more telling than the former. That is why I can say without reservation that, as Stephanie, the psychiatrist's step daughter would say, "The Wackness is the Dopeness."

Slumdog Millionaire

If there was one song that seemed to pop up everywhere in movies and movie trailers this year, it was Paper Planes by M.I.A. There are two versions of the song in Slumdog Millionaire, as well as another song by M.I.A. that opens the movie, O Saya, with A.R. Rahman.

A.R. Rahman delivers one of the best scores of the year in easily one of the best movies of the year too. Throw in a half dozen other tunes and you have an energetic, engaging soundtrack that takes you for a ride, from the slums to the mansions of a city that evolves along with the discarded children who struggle to find happiness and each other as their lives take them on different tracks.

You can find the videos and downloads for the songs from Slumdog Millionaire at here.

Role Models is a damn funny movie. And with a bunch of songs from KISS, plus Cool Kids and a cover of Rock You Like a Hurricane, how could you go wrong? Not to mention Paul Rudd is one of the most consistently underrated funny guys in movies. Throw in Bobb'e J. Thompson (of That's So Raven fame) who actually made me do a couple spit takes with his Miss Daisy and Ben Affleck comments and you've got a hilarious movie.

There are 18 songs in the movie plus a couple that are played twice. It doesn't look like they are going to release a soundtrack album for Role Models, but the videos and downloads for the songs are at Reelsoundtrack.

Here's the complete list of songs in the order they appeared in the movie, with notes about the scene they appeared in. For those that are available, DRM-free Amazon MP3 downloads are in bold.

Song discussed in the car - Rock And Roll All Nite by Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley (KISS)
10 year anniversary party - Rock You Like a Hurricane by Studio K
Mistaken song at Sturdy Wings - Love Take Me Down (To The Streets) by Joey Curatolo, Amy Miles and Charles Gansa
Ass Butt Song by Bobb'e J. Thompson
Ladislas of Liesure by Peter Salett
My Ain Hoose by Allie Stamler
Pinball game at Wheeler's House - Love Gun by KISS
Camping - Kumbaya by David Wain
Campfire - Danny Boy by A. D. Miles
Beach and games - Mr. Blue Sky by Jeff Lynne
Party song - Chedda by Big City
I'm Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How To Dance With You by Black Kids
Second party song - Best Believe We Got High by Pete Rock
88 by Cool Kids
End of friendship - Broken And Bent by Peter Salett
Call Me The Breeze by Lynyrd Skynyrd
Battle - Detroit Rock City by KISS
Serenade - Beth by Paul Rudd
First credits song - Love Gun by KISS
Second credits song - Love Take Me Down (To The Streets) by Joey Curatolo, Amy Miles and Charles Gansa

Original music for Role Models by Craig Wedren

Here's the video for Love Gun by KISS from the Rock Honors:

The usher at the Arclight said he was not allowed to say the full name of the Zack and Miri movie when he introduced it. Management told him he had to replace the word "porno" with "adult movie." Let's hope Google doesn't similarly punish me by classifying Reelsoundtrack as such.

It would be a shame, because this movie was damn funny and the music was really good. Here's the list of songs from Zack and Miri in the order the appeared in the movie. The videos and downloads for the songs are here. (links to downloads for the songs are in bold below):

Opening song - Wynona's Big Brown Beaver by Primus

Coffee shop background - Smile, I Think She Likes You by James L. Venable

First song at reunion - Let Me Clear My Throat (Klassic Cool Original Version) by DJ Kool

Reunion, with Bobby Long - Sex And Candy by Marcy Playground

Reunion, talk to Roseanne - Steal My Sunshine by Len

Reunion, with Justin Long - Smalltown Boy by Bronski Beat

Reunion, last song - Just Like Honey by Jesus & Mary Chain

Bar/dream - New Frontier by Donald Fagen

Star "wars" movie shoot - Fett's Vette by MC Chris

Zack and Miri movie scene - Hold Me Up by Live

After Zack and Miri scene - Dreaming by Blondie

Party at their house - Party Up (Up In Here) by DMX

Second party song - Hey by Pixies

You And I Are A Gang Of Losers by Dears

Make-up - I Love You by Climax Blues Band

Closing credits - We Don't Have To Take Our Clothes Off by Jermaine Stewart

Here's the video for my favorite song from the movie: Fett's Vette by MC Chris:

Update/aside: Justin Long is hysterical in the movie as Bobby's boyfriend. If you think he's funny in the movie itself, you must wait for the mini-movie in the middle of the credits. He just keeps going and going and going there. Hilarious. Total commitment. Gotta love it.

There were 23 songs in High School Musical 3 but only half of them are on the HSM3 soundtrack album. Here is the complete list of songs from HSM3 with videos and downloads for the songs from the movie. I also compiled a list of the most memorable scenes from the movie with the songs that played during the scenes:

Basketball game - Now or Never by High School Musical Cast

Party song - Like Whoa by Aly & AJ

Second song at party - Freaky by Jesse McCartney

Tree house - Right Here Right Now (Troy and Gabriella) by Zac Efron and Vanessa Hudgens

Lunch - I Want It All (Sharpay and Ryan) by Ashley Tisdale and Lucas Grabeel

Waltz on roof - Can I Have This Dance (Troy and Gabriella) by Zac Efron and Vanessa Hudgens

Prom preview - A Night to Remember by High School Musical Cast

Piano song - Just Wanna Be With You (Ryan, Kelsi, Troy and Gabriella) by Lucas Grabeel, Olesya Rulin, Zac Efron and Vanessa Hudgens

Junkyard - The Boys are Back (Troy and Chad) by Zac Efron and Corbin Bleu

Balcony song/after pizza picnic - Walk Away (Gabriella) by Vanessa Hudgens

At gym at night - Scream (Troy) by Zac Efron

Stanford - Can I Have This Dance (Troy and Gabriella) by Zac Efron and Vanessa Hudgens

First song in show - Last Chance (Kelsi and Ryan) by Olesya Rulin and Lucas Grabeel

Second song in show (Ryan sings) - I Want it All (Ryan) by Lucas Grabeel

Third song in the show - Just Wanna Be With You (Sharpay, Jimmy, Troy and Gabriella) by Ashley Tisdale, Matt Prokop, Zac Efron and Vanessa Hudgens

Fourth song (battle with the understudy girl) - A Night to Remember (Sharpay and Tiara) by Ashley Tisdale and Jemma McKenzie-Brown

Graduation - We're All in This Together (Graduation Mix) by High School Musical Cast

Final song - High School Musical by High School Musical 3 Cast

Credits - Just Getting Started by Stan Carrizosa

Here are a couple of the songs: "We're All in This Together (Graduation Mix):

Notting Hill was on Bravo this weekend. I always forget how much I like this movie. Julia Roberts plays the biggest movie star in the world, who falls for the owner of a travel book shop played by Hugh Grant (no, we don’'t have Dickens: we only have travel books).

The characters are lovable: particularly his roommate and sister, whose oddities lend a charm to the movie that is missing in most. And the music is brilliant. The complete list of songs from Notting Hill, plus videos and downloads, are all here.

And here's a taste:

How Can You Mend a Broken Heart by Al Green
Gimme Some Lovin by Spencer Davis Group
She Moved Through the Fair by Elvis Costello, and
In Our Lifetime by Texas

But the most perfect song from the movie is when Ain't No Sunshine by Bill Withers plays. The scene moves through the seasons, but the heartbreak remains the same. However sad, it is a perfect scene, made so by the perfect song.

Here it is:

The bees aren't the only thing with a secret life. Evidently, the producers of The Secret Life of Bees wanted to keep the soundtrack to the film a secret too. Despite having 16 good songs in the movie, they did not release a soundtrack album. Not to worry, you can find all the songs from the movie here. Here's a sneak peek at the more memorable ones:

Beautiful by India.Arie
Come See About Me by the Supremes
Doncha Know (Sky Is Blue) by Alicia Keys
I'm Alright by Little Anthony and the Imperials
Hippy Hippy Shake by Swinging Blue Jeans
It's All Right by The Impressions.

These are just a few of the songs from The Secret Life of Bees that deserve a listen. The movie seems to have underperformed at the box office, but for those who have seen it or are thinking about going to see it, here’s a trip down musical memory's lane: The Supremes with Come See About Me

I have wanted to see Max Payne ever since I saw the commercial featuring If I Was Your Vampire" by Marilyn Manson.

Unfortunately, the song is not in the movie. Instead, there are four songs from Metsuo and the score from Marco Beltrami and Buck Sanders. None of them are on the soundtrack album; however, you can find the downloads for the songs on here.

The video for If I Was Your Vampire awaits:

The Express is a movie that deserves a real soundtrack. The original score from Mark Isham is fine and dandy, but how can you tell the tale of Ernie Davis without the tunes that set the stage for the movie? We're talking Muddy Waters, Nat King Cole, Big Joe Turner, Ray Charles and Elvis, just to name a few.

There are 18 songs in the movie The Express: The Ernie Davis Story. Not a single one is on the soundtrack album. No Shirley & Lee, no Frankie Miller, no Muddy Waters. It's a shame.

Occasionally there are movie soundtracks that reaffirm why I spend time tracking down the songs in movies so that people can download the songs directly, and not have to rely on the studio to release an album of the songs from the movie. This is one of those times. Check out the music and videos from The Express .You will not be disappointed.

Here's Ray Charles singing What'd I Say:

I finally got the chance to see Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist. Although the reviews were mixed, I really enjoyed it. The music delivered as promised, with a playlist, that although not infinite, was brilliant in all its 37 songs. Only 15 on the soundtrack album but you can find the videos and downloads for almost all of them on the movie's page here.

I compiled a list of the music in some of the most pivotal scenes in the movie. Spoiler alert on some of the tags: they might give away a bit of the movie.

First song - Speed of Sound by Chris Bell
Opening credits - Lover by Devendra Banhart
Club - Screw the Man by Jerk Offs
Blue light/dream/flashback - You Don't Have to Say You Love Me by Dusty Springfield
First kiss (in the club) - Xavia by Submarines
Taking drunk girl out of the club - Middle Management by Bishop Allen
Mix in the car - Fever by Takka Takka
Cab makeout - Our Swords by Band of Horses
Escape van - Go Deep by Silas Hite and Mark Mothersbaugh
Ring tone - Boys Don't Cry by John Enroth (originally by The Cure)
Lost Caroline - All The Wine by National
Train station sandwich - Just The Way You Are by Billy Joel
Train station bathroom - Wannabe by Spice Girls
Heading to Brooklyn - After Hours by We Are Scientists
Dance at BK pool - Lover by Devendra Banhart (second time in the movie)
Christmas review - 12 Gays of Christmas by Lorene Scafaria
Return to the Yugo - Baby You're My Light by Richard Hawley
Girlfriend dances - You Sexy Thing by Hot chocolate
Radio announces Fluffy - Riot Radio by Dead 60s
Studio kiss - How to Say Goodbye by Paul Tiernan
End - Last Words by Real Tuesday Weld
Closing credits - Ottoman by Vampire Weekend

Here are a couple of more for good measure. Islands, Shout Out Louds, Raveonettes, Pinker Tones, Playboys, Army Navy, Modest Mouse.

Update:Jen Johans at BlogCritics has a great write-up about the music in Nick & Norah's.

And a preview of the tunes: "Our Swords" by Band of Horses:

Damn this is a good song.

And another: "After Hours" by We Are Scientists:

I cannot decide if the music to Beverly Hills Chihuahua is blatant and uninspired or just predictable enough to be campy and good fun. I guess you could say the same thing about the entire movie, featuring a talking Chihuahua who loses his way in Beverly Hills and finds herself in Mexico.

I guess if you are going to make a movie about talking Chihuahuas, then there is no sense in reigning anything in. So when it comes to music, you are almost required to include Low Rider by War, Hot Hot Hot by Buster Poindexter and Hero by Enrique Iglesias. But you would also be remiss not to include Bad to the Bone, something from Right Said Fred and Los Lonely Boys, as well as a slew of Latin and Tejano tunes juxtaposed against Gwen Stefani, Kylie Minogue and the Whistle Song, just to ensure that the fish out of water, doggy out of daycare message sinks in.

That probably sounds more sarcastic than I mean it. The movie is filled with 22 feel good songs that could easily be turned into a top 10 Now That's What I Call Chihuahua mix. Unfortunately, the movie's producers did not release a soundtrack album for the movie, but you can find the videos and downloads.

And here's Bad to the Bone:

Caliente by Los Pericos:

Eagle Eye is a cross between Enemy of the State and War Games. Can the FBI listen to what you are saying by tapping into your cell phone mic even if it isn't turned on? Is it possible to get off the grid? Who is really in control?

Shia LaBeouf, Michelle Monaghan, Billy Bob Thornton, wicked car chases and the omnipresent eyes of the technologies we take for granted are the stars of the movie. Brian Tyler's score is manic and energetic, suiting the frenetic pace of the movie. There's only one other song in the movie: Sometime Around Midnight by The Airborne Toxic Event.

Nights in Rodanthe is another adaption of a Nicholas Sparks book (see also Notebook, Message in a Bottle and A Walk to Remember). This time Richard Gere and Diane Lane star as his pairing.

The song is not in the movie itself; however, there are some good tunes. The soundtrack to Nights in Rodanthe is a throwback to another era - with jazz, blues and early Motown music from Count Basie, Dinah Washington, Brook Benton, Ruth Brown and Glenn Gould. The music also has a bit of twang to it as well. There's Like a Hurricane by The Dillards and the title track, In Rodanthe by Emmylou Harris.

You can find the videos and downloads for Nights in Rodanthe at Reelsoundtrack.com.

Here's the video for Gavin Rossdale's Love Remains the Same:

I loved this movie. It may be the best film I have seen this year. Too many movies have teased with intriguing previews this year, only to fall short when it comes to the actual film. Thankfully Ghost Town delivers on the promise.

The details of the movie cracked me up: the fact that Greg Kinnear took his BlackBerry with him when he crossed over; the sheer size of that massive beast of a dog and his, that Jordan Collier (aka Bill Campbell) played the boyfriend, that spray tan smells like good dirt, and so many more.

The music was as perfectly cast as the actors themselves. Here are the pivotal songs from the movie.

The movie opens with the Beatles singing "I'm Looking Through You."

The next memorable music moment comes with they set the date to meet at 4 PM, while Brendan Benson's "What I'm Looking For" guides the scene.

The hail storm is blanketed by Citizen Cope's song "Sideways."

Before the good dentist goes to the museum, "Which Way Your Heart Will Go" by Mason Jennings is playing.

The climactic scene with the second bus features Wilco singing "Please Be Patient with Me."

>As the final credits roll, "The Heart of Life" by John Mayer plays.

Here are a couple of the videos from the movie. The rest of the videos and downloads from Ghost Town are at Reelsoundtrack.com.

Here are a couple of the videos from the movie.

Sideways by Citizen Cope:

Please Be Patient With Me by Wilco:

They did not release a soundtrack album for Lakeview Terrace, which is a shame, because the music is the best part of the movie. Note: You can find the downloads for the songs here.

There are two songs from Wu-Tang Clan (Shimmy Shimmy Ya and Gravel Pit), plus RZA's We Pop. There's also music from Public Enemy, Destiny's Child, Black Sheep, Curve and Boy Kill Boy (Killer and Shoot Me Down).

The videos and downloads for the songs from Lakeview Terrace are here.

And here are a couple videos from the movie to snack on. We Pop by RZA:

And Gravel Pit by Wu-Tang Clan:

Jason Biggs is in love with Kate Hudson, but she's in love with somebody else - a handsome funny guy, with an off-kilter nose: Owen Wilson. No, that was real life. Dane Cook. Yes, Dane Cook. Thankfully, the movie My Best Friend's Girl ends better than real life. No Us Weekly covers for this dalliance. It also has a better soundtrack.

We're talking 40 songs in the movie, including Malbec, Nena, Duffy, Tom Petty, The Kooks, Teddy Thompson covering Journey's "Separate Ways," and of course, The Cars with "My Best Friend's Girl."

This is a great soundtrack, only a quarter of which is on the soundtrack album that was released for the movie. Not to worry, the videos and downloads for almost all the songs are here.

Here's a preview - "Mercy" by Duffy. Love this song. The world can survive without Amy Winehouse after all:

And of course, Ric Ocasek of The Cars singing My Best Friend's Girl. She used to be mine...

Based on the previews of Burn After Reading, I was expecting a light movie and a playful soundtrack to go with it - more like the bowling scene in The Big Lebowski than Javier Bardem blowing a stag hole in somebody's forehead in No Country for Old Men. Maybe it was the Brad Pitt tracksuit that had me thinking powder puff. But you never know with the Coen Brothers, so I had to sit back and listen.

The soundtrack from Carter Burwell (who also did A Knight's Tale, In Bruges, It Could Happen to You and Fur to name a few)has quite a bit more heft to it. The tracks are suspenseful, engaging and tense. Listening to the album, I could just as well be watching a noir spy flick or scenes from No Way Out - even the next Bourne movie - minus the Moby track that always plays at the end.

The Women is all about the power of female relationships. Both the actresses in the movie and the singers who grace the album define a world where friends gather together to rally when one of them discovers that her husband is cheating.

The movie is chalk full of famous actresses. The soundtrack album to the movie is similarly arrayed. There are songs from Annie Lennox, KT Tunstall, Feist, Goldfrapp and Angelux among others. There are 26 songs in the movie, 12 of which are on the soundtrack album.

Here are a couple of the videos from the movie. You can find all the videos and downloads here.

Womankind by Annie Lennox:

And Happiness by Goldfrapp:

I tuned in and out of the movie College, kind of like auditing an 8 am organic chem class. I kept on being distracted by the chicken little looking kid from American Idol, Kevin Covais, so forgive me if my overall impression of the movie is a bit off.

The only redeeming element of the movie may be the music. There are 29 songs in all, including an original score by The Transcenders, a couple by Ben Kweller and Supagroup as well as a few by artists who sound like the siblings of famous acts - Tracey Amos and Carvin Knowles. Interestingly, a number of the songs are from the same artists as Disaster Movie (released on the same day) including Sizzle C, Earl Earl and King Juju.

Here's Penny on a Train Track by Ben Kweller:

And Let's Get Wasted by Supagroup:

What happens when you mix Shavo Odadijan from System of a Down, RZA from Wu-Tang Clan, Kinetic 9 from Killarmy and Reverend William Burke into a Molotav cocktail of a good time? You get the self-described heavy hip hop band Achozen - and the soundtrack to Babylon A.D.

Full disclosure: I was kind of hoping the soundtrack to Babylon A.D. would be kitsch enough to include a track by the eighties 80s glam band by the same name. But my wish was not Vin Diesel's command. Their movie stardom will remain relegated to Peter Weller’s magnum opus Robocop 2, which featured a screaming rant by Sam Kinison from the song The Kid Goes Wild. Maybe they can work it into the Robocop reboot slated for 2010.

In the meantime, the music is a driving force of the movie Babylon A.D., propelling it with raw, explosive fervor. In addition to seven songs from Achozen, there’s one each from Quiet Riot and Sepultura. But just like the story itself, the movie Babylon A.D. contrasts good ole fashion action with a story of redemption and resurrection. Similarly, the soundtrack features classical music from Felix Mendelssohn and Franz Schubert, as well as Notre Puissance by Les Choeurs de L'armee Rouge.

And Dead Embryonic Cells by Sepultura:

I have not seen Hamlet 2 yet, but I saw the original Hamlet twice, so does that count? I am a bit divided about seeing it. I think South Park is hilarious, but the previews for Hamlet 2 are a bit wanting.

The soundtrack is fairly intriguing though. There are 18 songs in the movie Hamlet 2, two of which are one-time hits: What It's Like by Everlast and The Look of Love by ABC. But most of the songs are originals by Ralph Sall, including the much talked about Rock Me Sexy Jesus and the less talked about (so far) Gay as the Day is Long. The movie is all about shocking sensibilities, so it's not surprising that a song called Raped in the Face is on their too. There are also three songs by All Too Much.

You can check out the videos and downloads for the songs here.

Here’s What It's Like by Everlast:

And The Look of Love by ABC:

Rainn Wilson's character Robert "Fish" Fishman had it all and was on the verge of rock n roll stardom, when his band dumped in to get a record deal. Twenty years later, he has an opportunity for redemption. Throw in prom and a YouTube viral vid and a funny movie you get. The Rocker has more hair band references than Rock of Love, but somehow pulls it off.

There are 26 songs in The Rocker, including seven from Teddy Geiger, who plays Curtis in the movie. Geiger also adds another two songs to the soundtrack album: I'm So Bitter and a cover of Poison's Nothin' But a Good Time. Rain Wilson's 80's movie band Vesuvius contributes two songs to the movie - Promised Land and Pompeii Nights. The soundtrack also includes Twisted Sister, Cinderella, Foreigner and Europe. Now that's a lot of Aquanet and man makeup. But there's also Peter Gabriel, The View, Hairbrain, Kinky and MuteMath (recently featured in Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2).

The soundtrack album has about half of the songs, but you can find the videos and downloads for all 26 here. Here are a couple hair band classics for your listening pleasure. The Final Countdown by Europe:

And Nobody's Fool by Cinderella:

Anna Faris is back without another outlandish comedy - The House Bunny - and she pulls it off per her usual. This time she is joined by Colin Hanks as she takes on the charity cases of a failed sorority after being booted from the Playboy mansion. Some very funny scenes and a mighty fine soundtrack ensue.

There are 26 songs in House Bunny but they did not release a soundtrack album for the movie. It's a shame. The music in the movie deserves an album. Not to worry, the videos and downloads for the songs are all here at ReelSoundtrack. It's a good mix of bubblegum pop, including The Pussycat Dolls, Vitamin C, Avril Lavigne, Rihanna, Boys Like Girls, Metro Station, Ashlee Simpson and The All-American Rejects.

Here are a couple of the videos. First, "When I Grow Up" by The Pussycat Dolls:

Followed by Rihanna singing "Take a Bow":

Not to be confused with David Carradine's 1975 movie Death Race 2000 in which the cross country deathrace was all about running down pedestrians in what qualified as the national sport of the future now eight years passed. Nor to be confused with the numerous Death Race 2000 albums by bands as random as La Muerte and the Dayglo Abortions. This is Death Race - plain and simple - Death Race.

This time it's Jason Statham and Tyrese taking on the penal system in a death race between convicts: the winner is set free. Joan Allen plays the bad guy - yes that's right. She is one bad mamma jamma.

While there is not a whole lot of music in the movie, what there is is quite good: 5th Set by Spiderbait, Grown Woman by Mary J. Blige, Click Clack by Slim Thung (produced by Pharrell Williams), and Maybe Tomorrow by The Stereophics. The videos and downloads for the songs are here at ReelSoundtrack.

Vicky Cristina Barcelona has a great soundtrack filled with 11 songs, including Barcelona and La Ley Del Retiro from Giulia y Los Tellarini as well as Gorrion and Entre Las Olas from Juan Serrano. The Biel Ballester Trio also team up with Graci Pedro and Leo Hipaucha for the songs When I Was a Boy and Your Shining Eyes. Check out the videos for the songs. The album is slated to be released soon.

Tropic Thunder was very funny. One of my favorite parts of the movie was actually the very beginning - just as / before the it started. There were a number of fake previews for movies featuring the characters of Jack Black, Robert Downey Jr. and Ben Stiller. The lady next to me was huffing and puffing about them, complaining about the ridiculous number of previews that are shown before movies nowadays, before realizing that these previews were actually part of the movie itself. Could not help but laugh at that one.

There are 23 songs in Tropic Thunder, including Crystal Method, Ludacris, Flo Rida, Rolling Stones, Enigma, MC Hammer, Steppenwolf, CCR, Quiet Riot and the Temptations. That's quite a mix. The videos and downloads for all here. Unfortunately, only half of the songs are on the soundtrack album.

Here are a few of the more notable music moments from the movie Tropic Thunder:

Preview for The Fatty's Fart Two - Cum On Feel the Noize by Quiet Riot and Brick House by David Way

Faux preview for Robert Downey Jr.'s movie Satan's Alley - Sadeness Pt. 1 by Enigma

Helicopter ride into the jungle - The Name of the Game by Crystal Method

Heading to the river - Run Through the Jungle by Creedence Clearwater Revival

Bird steals Jack Black's "jelly beans" - The Pusher by Steppenwolf

Ben Stiller goes through the jungle alone - Sympathy for the Devil by The Rolling Stones

Tom Cruise dances - Low by Flo Rida featuring T-Pain

After Simple Jack performance - For What It's Worth by Buffalo Springfield

I have been looking forward to Pineapple Express for a while. The great irony is that one of the main reasons - the song Paper Planes by M.I.A. - is not even in the movie. But Pineapple Express does have a good soundtrack.

There are 21 songs in the movie, including Cypress Hill, Bel Biv Devoe, Bob Marley, Public Enemy, Bone Thugs N Harmony, Robert Palmer and Falco. Of course, you cannot overlook the totally random inclusion of Shaquille O’Neal's monster non-hit (I Know I Got) Skillz or the title song Pineapple Express by Huey Lewis & The News.

And here's Paper Planes by M.I.A.:

This is a total guilty pleasure. I secretly loved the first Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants movie, and the second installment holds up too. All the girls are back together again for a new adventure. It's a year later, freshman year of college is finishing and the girls are once again going their separate ways. But life has a way of bringing friends back together when they need it most. Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2 does it with style and one hell of a soundtrack.

There are 29 songs in the movie, plus the original score by Rachel Portman. It is quite a selection, from the not so surprising Regina Spektor, Michelle Branch and Cyndi Lauper ("Girls Just Want to Have Fun" of course); to the same but with a bit of an edge from Hot Hot Heat, Noisettes and Dollyrots; to songs I would not quite expect, including Talib Kweli, Mutemath, Aqualung and the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Plus, there are a fair number of Greek and other international songs, including tracks from Anestos Athanasiou, Rhani Krija and Ahmet Senyuz.

The soundtrack to Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2 is a varied as the girls themselves and ties the movie together very well. I highly recommend taking a listen. Only 11 of the 29 songs are on the official soundtrack, but you can find the videos and downloads for all of them here on Reelsoundtrack.

For your musical pleasure, here are a couple of the videos from the songs. Enjoy!

Here's Stop by Against Me:

MuteMath’s You are Mine:

And Better by Regina Spektor:

I am a political junkie, so it is safe to say that I will see Swing Vote this weekend and will probably like it, even if it is not very good (Disney does politics?). I hope it does not get too schlocky. Maybe that's too much to ask; after all, it is based on the idea that one voting machine in one precinct flubbed a single vote, and that will make the difference in who is the next president. I'm not saying it's impossible for this to occur, but it would be highly unlikely that in such a situation, there wouldn’t be lawsuits and countersuits and a whole hell of a lot of other people who would come out of the woodwork with stories of how they were equally or more sinisterly disenfranchised.

But HBO just made that movie/documentary, Recount, so I will suspend political reality completely and focus instead on what really matters - the music.

The soundtrack to Swing Vote is quite good actually: 23 songs in the movie, including classic country (Willie Nelson and Marshall Tucker Band), Tejano (including Bertin y Lalo, Xocoyotzin Herrera and Mariachi La Estrella) as well as a host of other styles. There's "In Spite of Me" by Morphine, "Ten Years Ahead" by Soundtrack of our Lives and even a little David Gilmour of Pink Floyd fame. It wouldn’t be a movie without a Moby song, so you can throw "Flower" into the mix as well. There are four songs from Kevin Costner's band Modern West as well. By the previews, it looks like they may take center stage for parts of the movie. If he gets any writing credit for the film, it will be for finding creative ways to cross-promote his band. (Heard that last year he agreed to attend a showing of Field of Dreams at the original cornfield it was filmed in, if they would let Modern West play a set at the event.) Whatever it takes. Their music suits the movie, so there aren't too many objections here.

You can find the videos and downloads for the songs from Swing Vote here. Hope you enjoy the tunes - and the movie too. For your listening pleasure, here is Always on My Mind by Willie Nelson:

And another: Flower by Moby:

The new X-Files movie was alright. It wasn't as scary, freaky, weird, mind-blowing or curious as the series was. I know the first movie had its critics, but I liked that one a lot more than X-Files: I Want to Believe. Like many other fans, I wanted to believe that the sequel could deliver, but it really couldn't.

(SPOILER ALERT)The best moment of the entire deal was when Skinner was the guy Scully called in after she told Xzibit he didn't have the juevos to get the job done. Where was the crazy twist? Where was the truly supernatural? Where were the giant questions? This was a bit blah.

The soundtrack was just as mealy as the movie. Besides UNKLE's version of the X-Files theme, there were only a couple other songs: Dying 2 Live by Xzibit, Memories Child by Jamison Young, Ooh La La by Deborah Poppink, Broken by UNKLE and the theme to the Jeffersons.

The original movie was certainly more of a musical spectacle. While there were only three songs actually in the movie - by X, Foo Fighters and Noel Gallagher (of Oasis fame) - the soundtrack album also featured songs from Filter, Tonic, Ween, Sting, Cardigans, Better Than Ezra, The Cure, Bjork, Soul Coughing and the Dust Brothers. That's quite a collection. Somebody was definitely trying to sell some albums.

In comparison, you can easily skip the soundtrack to I Want to Believe. If you want to pick off any of the individual songs, you are welcome to watch the videos for them and/or download them directly from ReelSoundtrack.

Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly strike again with another hilarious movie - one of those that I will have to see a couple times to remember all of the ridiculous lines that will most certainly become part of the popular lexicon.

Step Brothers is a riot and the soundtrack actually is really good too. Where else are you going to find LCD Soundsystem and Q-Tip, Billy Joel and Dilated Peoples, Set the Control and The Kinks, or Hall & Oates and Vanilla Ice (that one sounds like a Ben & Jerry's flavor)? Not to mention a nice throwback to the Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Montell Jordan and Brenda Lee.

There are 28 songs featured in the movie. They did not release a soundtrack album for Step Brothers but you can find the videos and downloads for the songs here. Seems like they should have because I have received dozens of questions about the songs in particular scenes of the movie.

Here is a quick rundown of the most popular questions. The videos and downloads for these and the other 22 songs from the movie are all at ReelSoundtrack:

--Opening movie title song - North American Scum by LCD Soundsystem
--High school flashback song - Ice Ice Baby by Vanilla Ice
--Job interview song - Live on Stage by Dilated Peoples
--Catalina Wine Mixer song - Por Ti Volare by Will Ferrell (originally sung by Andrea Bocelli as "Con Te Partiro")
--Last song of the movie - The Impression That I Get by Mighty Mighty Bosstones
--Rock song during the credits - Derby Day by Cheeseburger

Here's the video for Andrea Bocelli's version of Con Te Partiro. Will Ferrell actually does pretty good justice to the original.

The year was 1994. Giuliani was clearing the New York streets of drug dealers, hookers and the homeless. Teens were snorting Ritalan, Kurt Cobain had just put a shotgun to his face and pagers were the easiest way to communicate on the go. If you wanted to play video games, you probably had to blow on the Nintendo cartridges to make them work and 90210 was must see TV.

So go the temporal references of The Wackness. That, and the music. Oh the music. Notorious B.I.G. was first breaking on the scene, Will Smith was the Fresh Prince, bringing us Summertime tunes, and R. Kelly was bumping and grinding but had yet to take lewd pictures (at least that we knew of).

So goes the soundtrack to The Wackness. Sixteen songs to tell the tale of early 90's New York through the eyes of a good-hearted drug dealer trying to find his way in the world alongside Ben Kingsley the psychiatrist who trades advice for dime bags of dope.

Nas kicks off the movie with "The World Is Yours," an ironic anthem for a shy teen whose extant ventures take him to exotic places such as Queens and Brooklyn but no further. Raekwon's Heaven and Hell sets the tone for the party, where Lucas finds and loses the girl of his dreams. In another funny twist, Method Man the actor talks about Notorious B.I.G., while listening to "The What," a song that Method Man the rapper recorded with Biggie in the early 90s. Not surprisingly for the period, the love song features Faith Evans and the love scene is told through R. Kelly's Bump N' Grind. But it doesn't stop there. A walk through the park features a sample of Lou Reed's Walk on the Wild Side, from A Tribe Called Quest's "Can I Kick It."

The two most random songs on the soundtrack are the doctor's picks - first on the jukebox - "Season of the Witch" by Donovan; and then on his mixtape - Mott the Hoople's "All the Young Dudes." Yet both are perfect picks and the latter is particularly appropriate, given that Ben Kingsley spends the movie longing to be a young dude and passing on the wisdom of an old, not quite sage.

For these reasons and many more, The Wackness may be the best soundtrack of the year. For me, it is the rap equivalent of Garden State: music was as essential to the telling of both stories. In fact, even though High Fidelity was all about mixtapes, the mixes in The Wackness were far better and more telling than the former. That is why I can say without reservation that, as Stephanie, the psychiatrist's step daughter would say, "The Wackness is the Dopeness."

Here are a few of my favorites from the movie:

Can I Kick It by A Tribe Called Quest

And The Wu-Tang Clan's "Tearz":

I have a confession to make. I'm secretly (or maybe not quite as secretly as I think) a huge ABBA fan. I may not own every album. Okay maybe, I only own the greatest hits. But I have plenty of the individual songs. And my Pandora channel boasts my fan-dom well.

So Mamma Mia is a musical field day for me. The cast of Mamma Mia recreates ABBA admirably. I suspect that there will be many people whose curiosity will be piqued enough to dip past the soundtrack album and into the original music. Let me also hazard a guess that there will be a healthy number of really bad karaoke performances and American Idol auditions of some truly good pop songs in the coming year.

The soundtrack to Mamma Mia does not disappoint though. Eighteen of the 21 songs from the movie are on the album. There's one extra song - The Name of the Game, that is on the album but was not in the movie. I imagine it will be in the director's cut.

Here are the videos and downloads for all of the songs from the movie. And here's one of my favorite ABBA songs: Waterloo.

There are many reasons I want to go see The Dark Knight, the latest installment in the Batman franchise. Christian Bale resurrected the character in Batman Begins and I am very curious to see how he follows through. Plus I am intrigued by the lack of green screen for some of the major scenes - particularly because Christopher Nolan shot the movie in IMAX - making the visual experience potentially much richer.

Even though I am addicted to movie soundtracks, I don't think the tunes are what's going to stand out for this movie. True, James Newton Howard and Hans Zimmer deliver an admirable score. But there are only two songs in the movie: "Scatterin Monkey" and "4 a Moment of Silence," both by the Boom Boom Satellites.

Perhaps Batgirl and Robin was just a step too far, but the soundtrack to Batman & Robin was actually quite good. Smashing Pumpkins, R. Kelly, Goo Goo Dolls, REM, Soul Coughing and Bone Thugs-N-Harmony is quite a crossroads for a movie soundtrack.

Perhaps the high point from a commercial standpoint was the Batman Forever soundtrack featuring U2's Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me as well as Seal's Kiss from a Rose, and track from Offspring, Flaming Lips and Brandy, as well as Massive Attack, Nick Cave, Sunny Day Real Estate, Method Man and even P.J. Harvey. That's quite a collection. And even though the soundtrack to Batman Returns was slim - featuring only two songs - the fact that Souxsie & the Banshees's Face to Face was in the movie (and on the album) says something.

In short, I am glad that Batman Begins and The Dark Knight are better movies, but couldn't Christopher Nolan or James Newton Howard find a happy medium and give music fans an opportunity to enjoy the movie in their own way too. Maybe that's too much to ask...When I have my own studio, or Kathy Nelson's job...watch out.

Just curious, if you were to add your own songs to the Dark Knight soundtrack, what would you suggest?

Here's one my favorite Batman movie songs, The Hunter Gets Captured by the Game, by Massive Attack, from Batman Forever:

The music from Meet Dave is better than the movie itself, particularly if you like soulful classics from the likes of Martha Reeves and the Vandellas - one of my personal favorites. While Wu-Tang Clan and Ludacris make an appearance, most of the music is from the likes of Meat Loaf, Cher, and Earth, Wind and Fire. As for Martha, she is still touring and is as fantastic as ever.

The studio album only is score from John Debney, earning it a paltry ReelRating of 7/100 (only 7% of the music in the movie is on the album). But the videos and downloads for all 13 songs are here.

And here's Martha singing Dancing in the Street from a classic Soul Train performance:

And for something completely different, here is Wu-Tang Clan's Protect Ya Neck:

Hellboy 2 was really entertaining. I enjoyed almost all of the movie (except for the awkward Hellboy as a boy scene at the beginning - it just kind of tripped me out). But it was funny, aggressive, visually stunning and enjoyable. The music also held its own. The "Can't Smile Without You" duet between Hellboy and Abe was priceless. Although I could have done without the big red shower scene (thankfully it was discrete), the use of "Beautiful Freak" by the Eels was perfect. I even enjoyed the surprising snippet of Travis's "All I Want to Do is Rock." The last song - Noir by Red is for Fire - was also fitting.

Too bad the studio soundtrack only has the score from Danny Elfman. A good score, but I would have appreciated even a few of the songs. It's a crime not to include the movie version of "Can't Smile Without You" on the soundtrack album. The album rates an 8/100 - only 1 of the 12 songs from the movie is on the soundtrack album. But at least you can find all of the songs from the movie, including videos and downloads for them, here. Hope you enjoy.

And here's Beautiful Freak by the Eels. It's only the song with the album cover as a visual - not really a video but the song holds its own.

I apologize for the delay in getting the Hancock soundtrack up - I was away on vacation with the family and could not snag the time to make it to the movie. It's up now.

And the music in the movie Hancock does not disappoint. It is a great mix of rap (Ludacris, Ice-T, Roots, T-Ray), blues (three songs from John Lee Hooker), reggae/zydeco (Doctor Alimantado and J. Geils Band) as well as Ryan Adams, Freddy Fender and others. There are 22 songs in all, but alas, the studio did not feel obliged to put any of the songs on the soundtrack they released. All score by John Powell.

Now don't get me wrong, the score is fine, but the movie is defined in a number of key moments by the music in it. There are hundreds of people asking questions about the following scenes, a sure sign that there would have been interest in a real soundtrack. Not to worry, you can find the videos and downloads for all the songs from Hancock at ReelSoundtrack.

Most asked questions about songs in Hancock:

Opening credits - Whammer Jammer by J. Geils Band
Sleeping on the bench - Highway 13 by John Lee Hooker
SUV chase scene - 900 # by 45 King
Prison scene - Colors by Ice-T
Hancock in his trailer -Water from the Same Source by Rachel's
End credits - Here I Come by Roots featuring Malik B. and Dice Raw

And here's a taste of the music from the movie:

Best Dressed Chicken in Town by Doctor Alimantado:

Colors by Ice-T:

If you saw Wanted, the song you are desperately trying to find is The Little Things by Danny Elfman. He also produced the score for the movie.

There were 8 songs in the movie, starting with Everyday is Exactly the Same by Nine Inch Nails. While there aren't that many songs, it is a bit of an eclectic mix. In addition to the harded NIN and Elfman music, there is opera from Andrea Bocelli and Rupert Holmes's Escape (Pina Colada Song), not to mention a few old standards performed by Harry Garfield.

Here's the complete list of songs, plus videos and downloads for them. The Little Things is the only one of these songs on the soundtrack album; the rest of the album is score.

Here's the video for The Little Things:

WALL-E is an instant classic. The music from WALL-E isn't quite classic lock into your brain forevermore, but is classic Pixar/Disney animated film music. It sounds very similar to Finding Nemo - all except for the first song - La Vie En Rose.

Here are all the songs from the movie, including Peter Gabriel, Bobby McFerrin and Louis Armstrong as well as Richard Strauss's adopted space anthem Also Sprach Zarathustra and a couple from Jerry Herman.

Don't Worry Be Happy by Bobby McFerrin:

There are 37 songs in the movie Love Guru, but only 11 of these songs made it onto the album released by the studio. While the movie and album have some pretty funny takes on 9 to 5, The Joker and More than Words, all done by Mike Myers, it misses out on some great songs, including Blur's Song 2, Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen (in a clever play on Wayne's World), and Baby Did a Bad Bad Thing by Chris Isaak (the scene will leave you scarred)...just to name a few.

For all the takes on Bollywood musicals, there is only one Hindi song on the album: Mere Mitwa Mere Meet Re by Lata Mangeskar and Mohd Rafi. The soundtrack also includes an extra song that was not in the movie - Matha by Danny Saber.

No reason to worry. Here's the complete list of songs from Love Guru, with videos and downloads for them. And for your immediate gratification, here's the video for Brimful of Asha:

Get Smart was funnier than I thought it would be. Unlike many comedies of its kind though, it did not carry itself with music to help deliver the film - except for the use of Ode to Joy by Beethoven, but that does not really count in my mind.

There were six songs in the movie. Some decent pop songs recycled from old, such as Christina Aguilera's Ain't No Other Man and Abba's Take a Chance on Me. Nothing really new or original for the movie. Madonna and JT take a turn during the end credits with 4 Minutes.

The studio only released a score soundtrack, but if you want each of the songs in the movie, you can find the videos and downloads for them here.

Here's 4 Minutes by Madonna and Justin Timberlake:

The Happening didn't happen for me. The concept was good, but the movie and the music were both lacking. M. Night Shyamalam seems to have the curse of George Lucas and the Wachowski Brothers. Perhaps he should develop the concept but rely on someone else to write and/or direct the movie.

James Newton Howard contributes an interesting score that keeps up the tension, but there are only four other songs, from Patrick Simmons, Marsha Thornton, Stephen Lang and Rada Lupu with Uri Segal. Regardless, here's the complete list of songs with videos and downloads from The Happening.

I would love to see Shyamalam go in a completely different direction with the storyline and the music the next time around.

The new and improved Incredible Hulk is far more smashing than the first, but the music - besides Craig Armstrong's score - is pretty minimal. Don't get me wrong, Amstrong does a fine job, as reflected in the two disc CD score soundtrack album released by the studio. But there are only five other songs in the movie: one each by Kaoma, Frenkie and Joe Raposo, as well as two by Joseph Harnell.

Here's the complete list of songs with videos and downloads for them.

I actually liked Ang Lee's The Hulk from five years ago, but it was a bit of a departure from the Marvel method. One of the reasons for a do-over was to line up the Hulk with the Iron Man franchise for a future Avengers pairings. Iron Man takes the Hulk in terms of tunes. I hope The Avengers takes a tack from Ramin Djawadi and the musical crew from Iron Man.

Here's a teaser of the music from the movie - The Lonely Man by Joe Harnell:

You Don't Mess with the Zohan is classic Adam Sandler: silly jokes, a bit of a romance and great music. There are 39 songs in You Don't Mess with the Zohan but they didn't release a soundtrack album.

The videos and downloads for all 39 songs are here, from Rob Base to Ace of Base, Stereo MCs to Armand Van Helden, Rockwell, Color Me Badd and Mariah Carey, plus Techtronic, Nu Shooz, Eek-a-Mouse and Human League. Plus a bunch from Hadag Nahash.

Here's Strip by Adam Ant:

Yes I went to the midnight showing of Sex and the City. Indeed, it was packed. There were even a few crews decked in Carrie, Miranda, Samantha and Charlotte party dresses. It was worth the extra boost of caffeine to make it through. Once the movie got going, it was propelled from the opening montage to the final credit by some great music.

In addition to these tracks, the movie also features original music by Aaron Zigman and the Sex and the City Movie Theme by the Pfeifer Broz. Orchestra.

Here's Labels or Love by Fergie:

And Click Flash by Ciara:

The Strangers will scare the crap out of you. And tomandandy create a score that will do the same even if you are listening to it in a sunny room in the middle of the day surrounded by your closest friends who are all packing some wicked heat.

The rest of the music in the movie is a truly eclectic mix, from the harp of Joanna Newsom to the country stylings of Merle Haggard, not to mention Billy Bragg and Wilco, as well as Gillian Welch. The soundtrack album to The Strangers is all score, but if you want to watch the videos for, listen to or downloads the rest of the songs, they're all here.

Sprout and the Bean by Joanna Newsom:

Mama Tried by Merle Haggard:

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull is set in the 1950s, so it starts out with some good ole fashion music from Elvis Presley, Bill Haley & the Comets and the Everly Brothers. The classic score from John Williams also is featured throughout the movie, plus a few random Russian dance songs.

The soundtrack album is only the score from John Williams, but all of the videos and downloads for the songs from the movie are here.

Here's Hound Dog by Elvis Presley:

With everyone going to see Indiana Jones, War Inc. is movie that will likely slip through the cracks. The reviews aren't helping much. It has an interesting mix of music though, from Hilary Duff and David Bowie to Wilco and Billy Bragg, mixed in with classical music from Mendelssohn and Strauss as well as traditional music from Amira Sagati, Alabina Ishtar and others.

Here's the complete list of songs from the movie, plus videos and downloads for them.

And a clip from Hillary Duff's "Your Phone Cut Out":

I have been looking forward to the release of Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian since I first heard they were making the second book into a movie. It does not disappoint. In fact, it is even a bit surprising - mostly in the musical vein.

I was shocked to hear Regina Spektor and Switchfoot in the movie. Who'd a thunk it. There is a lovely score from Harry Gregson-Williams of course, and a traditional song from Oren Lavie, but Switchfoot and Regina Spektor? I guess if Eragon featured Avril then I should not be shocked, but...

The Switchfoot video is featured below:

There are so many music inspiring racing scenes in other movies, the Wachowsky brothers were unimaginative on this one. A little Prodigy (a la the racing scene in Charlie's Angels) could have gone a long way here. Even Cannonball Run had a better soundtrack. Regardless - here are the songs, videos and downloads from the movie.

Note to the Wachowski brothers: we need a neo Neo or another V, not Revolutions, not Speedy redux.

What Happens in Vegas is what you would expect it to be - not too serious, not too brilliant, but a good escape and just funny enough to make it worth the price of the matinee. Not bad for a rainy day on the Eastern seaboard. You'll watch it. You'll tap your feet a bit to the tunes and walk out with an amused smile.

There are 35 songs in the movie What Happens in Vegas but the studio did not release a soundtrack album for the film. However, you can find all of them here, plus videos and downloads for each. That includes Mika, Junior Senior, Jet, Eels, Shout Out Louds, Buzz Junkies and many more.

Here's a sneak at one of the songs:

Tonight I Have to Leave It by Shout Out Louds (a little Robert Smith-esque, no?):

The music is eclectic and perfectly suits the various moods of the movie. However, yet again (I am seeing a surprising trend here lately), the studio failed to release a soundtrack album. Good thing but the songs, videos and downloads are here.

And for your listening pleasure, here are a couple videos from the songs featured in Baby Mama:

Talking Heads' Stay Up Late:

And Sean Paul's Get Busy:

The studio did not release a soundtrack for Made of Honor. It's a shame. There's some great music in the movie, including Dashboard Confessional, Oasis, Kanye West, Smash Mouth, Frankie Goes to Hollywood and some good Scottish tunes by Jimmy Shand, not to mention Battle Without Honor or Humanity by Tomoyasu Hotel, Smash Mouth's Walkin' on the Sun and Henrietta by the Fratellis. Twenty three songs in all - a good lot.

Here's Stolen by Dashboard Confessional:

And Stop Crying Your Heart Out by Oasis:

Iron Man starts with "Back in Black" by AC/DC and finishes with Black Sabbath's "Iron Man." In between, you get Suicidal Tendencies, Ghostface Killah, DJ Boborobo, the theme to Iron Man and a score by Ramin Djawadi.

Here's the complete list of songs from the movie (only 4 are on the studio soundtrack) plus videos and iTunes downloads for each.And for your listening pleasure, here's the video for Black Sabbath's Iron Man:

Forgetting Sarah Marshall is downright hilarious. The music also measures up, featuring more than 50 songs, including 311, Smiths, Sinead O'Connor, Junior Senior, Belle & Sebastian and Israel Kamakawiwo'ole, not to mention songs from the Dracula Musical (you have to see the movie to understand - good stuff).

Too bad the studio soundtrack only has a handful of the songs. Plus, they add a few more that weren't even in the movie. I don't think I need to here These Boots Are Made for Walkin' by the Coconutz. And I love Everybody Hurts, but I don't need to hear a cover version of that song either. Call me a purist. I just want to the music from the actual movie. So here are all the songs from the movie with YouTube videos and iTunes links for them. Check out Infant Sorrow's "We Got to Do Something":

And Move Your Feet by Junior Senior:

So I was suckered into Smart People (complete soundtrack here) because of Ellen Page. I loved Juno, and had high expectations for this movie as well. I liked it. Aptly titled: smart and funny it is. But the best part about it is that I am a bit smarter musically after having seen it. I learned that Nuno Bettencourt, whose music is featured prominently throughout the movie, was the lead guitarist in the band Extreme, famous for 90s rock ballads like "More than Words." That was certainly a guilty pleasure in its day.

Nuno's new music requires much less guilt. In fact, whether it's his duets with Suze DeMarchi or his original music played by Population 1, there are nine Nuno Bettencourt soundtracks in the movie. Add a few from the Baby Animals and Jennifer Paige, and you have quite a good soundtrack.

Too bad the studio did not release an album. But that's okay, because here's the complete list of songs from the movie.

And here are a couple videos from Nuno Bettencourt: QPD

And “Rest in Peace”:

So it took me a week to actually go and see 21, but I am glad I did. (Here's the complete list of songs.) The movie was pretty entertaining, even if it departed a bit from reality. The music was fantastic though. Young Folks by Peter, Bjorn & John will definitely make this week's playlist, plus Soulwax's remix of You Can't Always Get What You Want is everything I like about an old Rolling Stones remix. Reminds me of Dr. Dre;s take on the Rolling Stones's Miss You.

And here’s a sample of the music. It’s Young Folks. Most of the other videos are here.

Seth Rogen strikes again with another funny movie about awkward high school teens - Drillbit Taylor. This time they are picked on so much that they hire a two-bit bodyguard in the form of Owen Wilson. Some of the funniest scenes in the movie are when Troy Gentile (the fat kid) has a rabbit style Eminem rap-off with the school bully.

The music throughout the movie is great, if not a completely random mix. The movie starts with Chain Hang Low by Jibbs, ranges from Timbaland and Ghostface Killah to Weezer, Jet and even the Gin Blossoms, plus Crystal Method and a few covers from Adam Ho (All Along the Watchtower and Hero). There are 30 songs in all, none of which are on the soundtrack album because they did not release one. But they are all listed here.

Here's Chain Hang Low by Jibbs:

And here's the video for Photograph by Weezer - the song that plays during the credits:

Horton Hears a Who! is a good time - plain and simple. Jim Carrey, Seth Rogan and Steve Carell are all funny and you can't beat Dr. Suess for a great story for the kids.

John Powell's score, combined with Thomas Foyer and Gilberto Candido, is playful and well-suited for the film. Even the predictable concluding cover song sung by the entire cast is not so bad either - an update of REO Speedwagon's "Can't Fight This Feeling."

Check out the freaky video for the song with an extreme close up of a baby and some strange Bounce commercial under the bed with glowing teddy bears. Dr. Suess could not have dreamed anything more bizarre. Watching this, I cannot help but think that the director of the movie had to have had this particular video in mind when he chose the song for the movie:

The 10,000 B.C. soundtrack is exactly what you would expect. The score from Harald Kloser and Thomas Wander bounces between the dramatic deep bass of charging drums and the more quiet use of what the credits term as unspecified "ethnic instruments," "ancient instruments" and "ethnic wind instruments." For those who love sweeping scores, the music is certainly better than the movie - so you might want to pick-up the CD or watch the movie with your ears. Not that it's bad; it's just not particularly good.

The movie was shot in South Africa, Namibia and New Zealand. The music - at least that which captures the most attention - is more Namibian than anything else. Dessislava Stephanova and Joel Virgel offer lead vocals for the music, backed by Emmanuel Khumala, Rachel John, Andrew Hume and Irene Forrester.

Here's the trailer for 10,000 B.C., in case you have been living in a pre-historic cave and have not seen it yet:

Semi-Pro is classic Will Ferrell: a string of crazy funny scenes and ridiculous outfits buffered by some semi-comedic filler. The music made the movie. Semi-Pro starts with Will Ferrell as Jackie Moon singing Love Me Sexy. The rest of the music was straight-up good times seventies, including Why Can't We Be Friends, Mr. Big Stuff, Shining Star, Lady Marmalade, Love Rollercoaster, and even A Fifth of Beethoven done by Walter Murphy. There is also a trio of songs from Sly & The Family Stone: I Want to Take You Higher, Que Sera Sera and Dance to the Music.

Here's the complete list of songs from the movie.

Oh how brilliant the movie Once was. I watched it, I listened to it, I bought the album, I listened some more. A few times I just listened to the movie in the background with the TV not even on at all.

Now, against the onslaught of three songs from Enchanted and another from August Rush, "Falling Slowly" from the movie Once has won the Oscar for best original song.

Here's the complete list of songs from the movie, including Falling Slowly, When Your Mind's Made Up, The Hill, All the Way Down and If You Want Me.

And here's the video for Falling Slowly:

Dario Marianelli also won Best Original Score for Atonement.

Charlie Bartlett is drawing a lot of comparisons to Ferris Bueller. Both are funny, irreverent, teen angst turned prankster movies that are perfectly cast and have great music to boot. The comparison fits. But as much as I love Ferris Bueller, I might actually prefer Charlie Bartlett. Anton Yelchin is brilliant, Hope Davis is perfectly cast as his mother, Kat Dennings suits her part to a plain black tee and Robert Downey Jr. is Principal Rooney meets Less Than Zero.

The music fuels the movie. (Here's the complete list of songs), with the highlight being five songs from Spiral Beach, a local band from the Toronto area, where the film was shot. They also star in the party scene toward the end of the movie. You can never go wrong adding a couple Eels songs to the mix too ("Hey Man" and "Mr. E's Beautiful Blues"). Yelchin, Davis and Dennings also belt out a number of songs, ranging from "Yankee Doodle" and a couple versions of "If You Want to Sing Out, Sing Out" to the Theme Song from All in the Family - Those Were the Days.

This is easily my favorite movie of the year (I saw Juno in late 2007 so I don't have to pick between the two). Juno and Charlie Bartlett are the double feature equivalent of Ferris Bueller and Real Genius. You cannot go wrong there.

Here's Spiral Beach live from a concert last year:

And the Eels' Hey Man:

Not a bad soundtrack for a quick (90 minute), made for sequel movie. I'd pop in for the second one too. Hayden Christensen was certainly better here than in the Star Wars prequels. You could tell he was "inspired" by Rachel Bilson, in real life as in the movies.

For your listening pleasure, here's Tick Tick Boom by the Hives:

Sure it's formulaic, but who cares when the sick moves keep on upping the ante throughout the movie. The rain dance at the end tops all of them. This is how Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers would dance if they were raised in B'more's 410 and had to dance their asses off to make a living. If you ever had any doubt that the crew actually had some moves, it's erased by the time the credits start to roll.

And there are some outright funny scenes too. The YouTube prank by the MSA crew is hilarious. How many fish are people going drop in their frenemies vents in the next couple weeks? Plenty. That fish sticks guy in the yellow slicker better take the boat back out and catch some more.

But the movie is all about the dancing and the music. From Timbaland, Missy Elliott, Ludacris, Cupid and Pit Bull, to Cassie, Trick Daddy, Yung Joc and even Digital Underground, there's not a single person in the theater sitting still.

Here's the Flo Rida video for Low. Enjoy:

The 27 Dresses soundtrack is fun. Here's the complete listing of songs from the movie. Too bad the studio did not think it would be wise to release an album containing music from the movie - unless you count the album that contains the score from Randy Edelman. Don't get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with the score...but come on.

This movie wasn't about original music (or an original plot). It was about weddings and music and parties and music and bars and music. The scene with Benny and the Jets certainly sets the tone.

27 Dresses also includes Mark Ronson's brilliant cover of Valerie, featuring Amy Winehouse at her best. It also features Michael Jackson, Kasabian, Natasha Bedingfield, Ray LaMontagne and 20 other songs, including a few classics - The Turtles "So Happy Together" and an actual classic from Mozart.

All in all, a fun mix of music for a cotton candy movie that's worth a look. And for your listening pleasure, here is the video for Valerie. It is a concert scene that starts with a rap before it gets into the song. Don't be phased by the first 30 seconds. It's there, trust me.

Mark Ronson feat Amy Winehouse Valerie

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Cloverfield has been an enigma wrapped in a mystery for quite some time now. The movie is finally in theaters, so the great mystery is finally out. What is not out is a soundtrack to accompany the film. JJ Abrams and crew did not release a soundtrack for the movie, and that's a shame. There are some great songs in the movie Cloverfield - most of them from the early party scenes.

Here's the complete list of songs from the movie, including a couple from Kings of Leon, as well as Gorillaz, Moby, Bright Eyes, Sean Kingston and many more.

Here are the Kings of Leon singing Taper Jean Girl:

Juno - The soundtrack to a movie hasn't been so brilliantly fitting since Garden State. I loved both this quirky little movie and the music that came with it. I had to watch and listen to both a second time to catch all the subtleties of the humor. Funny the first time, but riotous the second time around.

The CD Soundtrack to Juno doesn't release until January - perfect for our little site. Plus, although the soundtrack contains a bunch of the songs from the movie, it misses one-third of them.

Here's the complete list of songs plus links to iTunes for each. Brilliant mix of songs from Kimya Dawson, Sonic Youth, Hole, Belle & Sebastian, Moldy Peaches and more.

And for your listening pleasure, here's the video to Anyone Else But You by the Moldy Peaches:

I am Legend was one spooky movie. At one point I even put down my nachos for fear I was going to toss them into the seat in front of me. James Newton Howard does a great job setting the tone with a suspenseful score. The juxtaposition of his haunting sounds with the cheery repose of Bob Marley makes for a fascinating combination. Should you fear for the night or try to find any remnants of humanity in the day?

Here's the complete list of songs from I Am Legend, including both the score and selections from Marley. We've also thrown in the video for Redemption Song for good measure:

It's been a couple months since I added any movies to the site. Coming back online and have a few DVDs and a few new movies on tap. The first is Martian Child. The movie got mixed reviews, but I enjoyed it. Perhaps that whole new baby thing had something to do with it.

But the music is good. Quite good. Satellite by Guster has been creeping into my life in the oddest of places - gas stations, the headphones of the person next to me on the train and now Martian child. It also features Mr. Blue Sky by Electric Light Orchestra and Don't be Shy by Cat Stevens. A few others: short but sweet.

Check out the soundtrack to Martian Child and my new old favorite song, Satellite by Guster:

Talk to Me stars Don Cheadle as Ralph "Petey" Greene, a convict turned DJ who helped bring Washington, DC through some of its toughest days, by talking to the city in terms it could understand and never holding back.

From the previews, I was expecting a movie that was a bit less serious, but the music certainly got me through. It has a brilliant soundtrack featuring the likes of James Brown, Al Green, Sam & Dave, Wilson Pickett and Otis Redding.

Here's the complete list of songs from Talk to Me.

Check out the classic, It's a Man's Man's Man's Man's World by James Brown:

So the movie is pretty boring, much less so than the series of books they are named after. Modestly interesting premise - looking for a common pattern between senseless deaths by questionably intelligent people, but it just did not come out very well.

The only redeeming factor is the music, which is actually quite good. There aren't many movies that would piece Wilco, Stevie Wonder, Metallica, Judas Priest, Billy Joel, Spoon and CCR together, but they work here.

Check out the complete soundtrack to The Darwin Awards and a live rendition of Metallica's No Leaf Clover:

Bourne Ultimatum is the best of the series. True - the plot is not the most sophisticated - but the action is ridiculously good. Best car chase and one of the best chase/fight scenes I have seen in quite some time.

As for the music, slim pickens, but what there is, is good. Moby's Extreme Ways always works well in the theater. And John Powell's score definitely keeps the action moving forward.

Here's the list of songs and folks who worked on the music for the movie.

And the video of Extreme Ways too:

By all accounts, Captivity is a pretty crappy movie. It is unnecessarily gory, unbelievably predictable and fairly uninteresting. At least Saw was somewhat innovative in its pretenses. If you have been a fan of 24 since the beginning, or more recently of The Girl Next Door, then you may enjoy the fact that Elisha Cuthbert leads this otherwise un-noteworthy film.

The only bit of enjoyment that I received from this film was the opening track from Kruder and Dorfmeister. I have always had a strange fascination with their take on Going Under Love and Insanity Dub. And it was used to the creepy extreme here.

The sound system at the movie theater blasted the hell out of the song, in the best of ways. I heard textures in the song that I had never heard before. It made me want to find a way to produce an Imax movie so that I could put all of my favorite trip-hop songs to the test of the world's greatest speakers.

That may tell you how interesting the movie was: I spent the 98 minutes of on-screen torture day-dreaming about a movie that will never be produced based on a concept that has no broad appeal at all. But hey, if Captivity made it to the screen, then maybe there's a chance. I would gladly spend an hour watching anything, as long as I could pick the songs that made it even the least bit bearable.

If I have not scared you off completely, the music in Captivity is not half bad. Here's the complete list of songs from the movie.

Here's the original Going Under by Rockers Hi Fi:

And for good measure, here is Kruder and Dorfmeister's take on Depeche Mode's "Useless". Enjoy:

I really enjoyed Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. True, there was a lot missing, but then again, it's hard to condense 900 pages to 2 hours. Still, the parts they picked to use in the film all worked well together.

I particularly enjoyed the end scenes when they finally square off. I can remember being ridiculously glued to the pages (at about 4 in the morning) reading the first time. And the casting was spot on again. Umbridge, Luna and Bellatrix were as disturbingly annoying and weird as I imagined them in my reader's mind.

As for the music in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, it keeps the pace and helps tell the story well. Nicholas Hooper provides the score, with original music from Dario Marianelli and songs by John Williams (Hedwig's Theme) and The Ordinary Boys (with Boys will be Boys).

Here's the list and iTunes links. And for good measure, here's "Boys Will Be Boys" by The Ordinary Boys:

License to Wed is a moderately funny movie that has moments of hilarity, including all of the scenes with the fake babies. Stay through the credits to see the funniest one. Robin Williams is kept in check, with only one MC Hammer reference and no true spazmodic moments. That serves the movie well. While it's predictable and a bit formulaic, some of the hijinks are genuinely new enough to keep you interested.

The music is a highlight with Madness, Paolo Nutini, Deee-Lite, Michael Franti and more. I believe this is the first Mandy Moore movie that does not feature one of her songs in it. She's working on her acting chops instead.

Here's the complete list of songs from the movie. And the video of "It Must Be Love" from Madness to boot. I love this song:

Or for those who are more inclined, here is Paolo Nutini with New Shoes. This song seems to be everywhere. Here's one more place:

Ratatouille is hilarious. Particularly when the rats come to roost and take over the show. It is endearing, and the music is sentimentally suited. There's only one song featured in the movie - Le Festin by Camille - but the score from Michael Giacchino is more than enough music on its own.

I don't really understand why the producers felt like they had to release a second album of songs that were not even in the movie, but they have. Those songs are listed here as well, but be sure to know that they may be inspired by the movie, but they certainly aren't a part of it.

Regardless, here's the complete list of music both in the movie and inspired by it.

The effects are incredible, actresses are hot and music is piping. Transformers takes me way back to childhood, but does it in a way that is completely up to date.

One of my favorite Transformers scenes is when Bumblebee uses a slew of songs to woo Mikeala to the car, including The Cars' Drive, Baby Come Back by Player, Sexual Healing by Marvin Gaye and I Feel Good by James Brown. Riot.

Here's the complete list of 17 songs from Transformers plus iTunes links.

And check out the old school theme song from the cartoon:

Yippee kai yeah muthah f@%$...I was definitely looking forward to this film. Not just because it was going to teach me how to kill a helicopter with a car.

Bruce Willis is back for another installment. Len Wiseman of Underworld fame is at the helm. It's an explosive combination. Marco Beltrami provides the score. The kid from the Mac commercial provides geek cred and a comic foil.

There are only six songs in the movie, but it is a good mix of music. There's Creedence Clearwater Revival's Fortunate Son all over the movie, plus the Subway's Rock & Roll Queen, Flyleaf's I'm So Sick and patriotic classics.

Here's a live clip of CCR performing Fortunate Son back from 1969:Here's the list of songs.

If you like The Office and Bruce Almighty, and are feeling in a generous mood, then you might want to see Evan Almighty. If you want to feel inspired by semi-divine music about the divine spirit, then listen to the soundtrack.

But at $175 million to make the movie, they are going to have to sell a lot of DVDs to make up for the lack of box office interest

Here's the complete list of songs from the movie and album, which are quite a bit different.

Proving yet again that some of the best soundtracks around come from animated movies, Surf's Up delivers with a brilliant soundtrack for summer.

It's a cartoon, but a surfing cartoon, so you have a bunch of surf classics and Hawaiian traditionals alongside Green Day, New Radicals, Sugar Ray, Pearl Jam, Incubus and Forro in the Dark.

And best of all Lauryn Hill is back with "Lose Myself," proving that it has been much too much too long since she was miseducated. Check out the video:

So if I did not have this website, Nancy Drew would most certainly fall into the category of a movie that I would not be lining up to see. I don't typically find myself in then tween target demographic. But in this case, there are 18 reasons to see the flick. Or at least hear the movie. You can rest your eyes but don't plug your hears, 'cause the music is actually pretty impressive.

Nancy Drew features songs from Spoon, Gorillaz, Liz Phair, Matthew Sweet, Rooney, Corinne Bailey Rae and Flunk's Blue Monday to name a few. Plus, there is a good cover version of Kids in America by The Donnas. So if everything else is sold out, it's hot as hell on the outside and you just want a cold, dark place to tap your toes, then this may be your movie. Just don't blame me if all you get out of it is a desire to be a Polyesther Bride or find that Romeo and Black Jeans you have been hunkering for.

Check out the complete list of songs from the movie here.

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(Spoiler Alert) So this is how The Sopranos ends - not with a bang but a whimper. And some classic Journey. Tony plays "Don't Stop Believin" on the jukebox as he sits down for dinner with his family. The power ballad's ironic lyrics serving as a foil to the implied impending doom.

The song has been used time and again on TV shows and in movies, including in the Wedding Singer, Monster, Scrubs, Family Guy and Laguna Beach. And Journey's music even served as the futuristic sonic charge of the movie Tron back in the early 80s. But rarely has a song, and its lyrics, been tied so closely to such a watershed moment in American pop culture.

Some have speculated that the last line of the song portends some future movie franchise: "Some will win, some will lose. Some were born to sing the blues. Oh, the movie never ends. It goes on and on and on and on." After the fierce reaction from fans who crashed the HBO server with complaints about the black screen and unanswered questions, I would say that there is certainly a rabid fan base - perfect for a crossover. We'll just have to wait and see.

Check out the music from The Sopranos series finale.

And for good measure, here's a live performance of "Don't Stop Believin":

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Ocean's Thirteen brings back the famous crew of pretty boy thieves for another run. And they look like they are having a lot of fun while they are at it. The movie does pretty well too. It's a fun ride with some quirky costumes and set-ups that will make you laugh.

The soundtrack is mostly score but there are a few decent songs in the mix. No gambling caper movie would be complete without a little Frankie Blue Eyes. Sinatra contributes "This Town". Plus there is a remix on the album. The music is rounded out by Henri Rene, Martin Blasick, James Last and Puccio Roelens. It's got a swing to it. If that's your thing then you'll be dually impressed by the flick. Here's the soundtrack.

From Afroman to System of a Down and Kings of Leon, the Disturbia soundtrack is far from disturbing; in fact, it is one of the most fitting soundtracks of the year. Plus, it has the most perfect use of the somewhat shrill "Lovin' You" that I have ever seen in a movie. Talk about music being used to send a message. It works beautifully.

You will have to see the movie to see what we mean. It's worth seeing, if you can still find it in theaters. We had to catch the single show at the random theater we had never been to before. At least they had chewy sweet tarts. It made the trip all the more worthwhile.

Check out the complete soundtrack listing here.

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"Once" is a rare gem of musical movie telling. Starring Glen Hansard of The Frames (he also played the guitarist in The Commitments) and Marketa Irglova, a 17-year old Czech pianist with a golden voice, there is good reason to declare that this could single-handedly change your opinion of movie musicals. For one, it is not a musical in the sense of an overly wrought chorus that keeps on regurgitating back on itself throughout the movie.

It is the tale of a street musician / vacuum repairman (Hansard) who meets a endearingly blunt Czech immigrant who asks too many personal questions for a person who doesn't know you that well. But what ensues is brilliant. From a broken vacuum cleaner that she trails down the street like a 14-year old dog, to an impromptu duet in the back of a music store and the birth of song lyrics over an old, beat-up discman during a late night jaunt to the store, I want to see the movie over and over again to revel in each scene.

The music is the real soul of the story. Hansard and Irglova met and toured together throughout Europe in real life. That friendship, chemistry and musical perfection is what holds the movie together. The released Swell Season together as well as the soundtrack to Once. Your musical sensibility, heart and pangs of all past losses would be lost without both. This is a sleeper that far too few will be awake for, but catch it you must. If you can't find anyone to go with, just name the time, place and theater. We will be there.

Check out the complete soundtrack to Once.

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Plus it has an eclectic soundtrack that keeps the offbeat comedy spot on the entire way through. If only I could find the version of "Baby Don't You Cry" by Quincy Coleman. I would only call for one substitution: the original version of "No One is to Blame" by Howard Jones, instead of the cover version by Emile Millar. Not that it's a bad cover, but the original is just too good to pass on. They probably had to for royalty reasons, but all the same. How much could Howard Jones be selling for these days? Maybe he would have bartered for a few of those tasty pies. Not since Twin Peaks has damn good pie been so damn good.

Check out the complete list of songs from the movie.

Venus is an odd movie about a former actor who is in his final days, but finds renewal in his days spent with the niece of his old codger friend. It is one part endearing, a quarter part perverted old man, but not too creepy, just lonely. They really do care about each other and relate to each other strangely well, given their 60 years difference in age.

The movie also serves as a vehicle for British darling Corinne Bailey Ray's music. She contributes six songs to the movie, including the imminently radio friendly "Put Your Records On," as well as "Like a Star," "I'd Like To," "Another Rainy Day," "Breathless" and "Choux Pastry Heart."

Here's the complete soundtrack to the movie.

The Invisible disappeared from theaters pretty quickly, but not before we got our trusty soundtrack hands on it. The movie is decent - like a good short story that doesn't quite play out as well on the big screen (See any recent Philip K. Dick adaptation). It's decent enough to catch on the flipside.

The best thing about the movie is probably the music. Death Cab for Cutie's "I Will Follow You Into the Dark" has always been one of my favorites. It is hauntingly appropriate here. Add a couple songs from Snow Patrol, Remy Zero and A Perfect Circle, and what more do you need to ask for. The soundtrack CD is a pretty good representation of the music from the movie - most of the songs are there, but it suffers from the addition of a track from 30 Seconds to Mars. No soundtrack is perfect. Well, at least very few are.

Check out the complete soundtrack to The Invisible.

Shrek the Third is pleasant enough. There are plenty of laughs to go around and a few good morals ripe for the picking. There's also the most brilliant use of a Led Zeppelin song in a while (as classic Sleeping Beauty whistling is transformed into "Immigrant Song"). The Eels are back, and the Ramones add some grit to the medieval version of Never Never Land's Rock and Roll High School. Fergie takes on Heart's "Barracuda," while Eddie Murphy and Antonio Banderas play up "Thank You (Falletin Me Be Mice Elf Again)."

It's worth a watch, and probably more worth a listen, if you are not expecting much. Just what you need for a summer escape from 100 and humid.

Check out the soundtrack to Shrek the Third.

Hot Fuzz is a romp of a good time - a mocku-action adventure American summer box office thrill fest explosion fest. The action is over-the-top, one might even say ridonculous, and the accompanying music suits it just fine. From the score to Lethal Weapon 3 (why you ask number 3, not the original?) to the sounds of Bad Boys II and a whole host of action movies, Hot Fuzz is fueled from the start. But the tunes also include Adam Ant, Dire Straits, XTC, T. Rex and the Kinks, a mix that reflects a wry humor about the mysterious deaths of characters throughout the movie.

For instance, (spoiler alert), Dire Straits "Romeo and Juliet" plays on the radio in a passing car after the stars of the local production of the play sit headless in an apparent freak road sign incident on the side of the road.

The movie may go a bit long, but there are plenty of hilarious scenes and great music to propel you to the end. If you loved Shaun of the Dead, then you have probably already seen Hot Fuzz. If you loved Hot Fuzz, well then get your Netflix on and move Shaun of the Dead to the top of the list. You will not be disappointed with either.

Click here for the complete soundtrack to Hot Fuzz.

Enjoy the trailer:

Amazon is going to start offering millions of songs in copyright free MP3 format for sale later this year. The Digital Rights Management-free (DRM-free) downloads will come from deals with 12,000 record labels, including EMI, which announced last month that it was opening its catalogue DRM-free for sale on iTunes. This came at the time that Steve Jobs posted an open letter about the benefits of eliminating DRM from digital downloads.

Removing DRM and offering MP3s means that the music purchased from Amazon will play on any device, instead of just proprietary players. Finally, people will be able to freely use the music they have paid for. It is about time the music industry realized that digital is their salvation, not their demon seed.

High quality DRM-free downloads is the smartest way to displace illegal downloads in the long run. Give people a better product and most will be willing to pay for it. Increase volume and the cost can come down. Capitalize on the long tail of inventory and you don't have to rely solely on the big megastars for your business model to work.

Thankfully they dipped back into their older material. Sure there have been highlights, but they have not been the same since Moon Safari. Or maybe it's just asking too much. After all, some albums are the perfect confluence of time, space and emotional palette - a four month stay in San Francisco, a rental car that bounded through late nights table topping the world, an uncharacteristically introspective stretch as the perfect foil to drum and bass fueled evenings. That's what Moon Safari was for me. Cheers for the memories.

And cheers to Kate Havnevik, who opened for them. I thought her album was good. But frankly, the recording engineer should be shot. It does not do justice to her brilliant voice. Shades of Bjork at her very best. And the backing band was truly ambidextrous, bounding between bass, accordian, clarinet and so much more. A lot for two guys. Catch her while you can still her in a small venue where her voice fills the room with sheer joy.

Okay, maybe we're getting a little carried away, but Unlucky You looks like a tragicomedy along the lines of Leaving Las Vegas. Smashed bottle by the pool anyone? I know it's designed as counter-programming for the big action thriller, but it actually needs to look interesting enough to counter. They can only hope for massive lines and nice weather at the Spiderman premieres so that people decide it's worth staying out for the second rate opening.

As for the soundtrack, Drew usually comes out well with the tunage, so that might be one bit of redemption. But everyone will have to wait a bit for the song listings to both: I am out of the country for a couple more days. Unless someone is kind enough to jot them down for us. Then we will gladly post them. Just email them here.

Killer slugs, giant bugs, prehistoric crocodiles, great whites and even menacing pirannha: horror films have been filled with beasts of wild. But never has a film focused on a giant rampaging pig. That is until now.

Lithium Productions is set to start shooting The Legend of Hogzilla in Blair Witch style with real people playing those terrorized by the big pig. In 2004, in a remote part of Southern Georgia, a giant beast roamed the countryside, destroying everything in its wake. Chris Griffin stalked the ginormous terror until he was able to fell it, saving the countryside and the world's supply of truffles.

Legends put the pig at 12 feet and more than 1,000 pounds, but in actuality it was a mere 800 pounds. Still, that's bringing home the bacon. Let's hope the movie is a campy good time, because this could certainly be a brilliant B movie if done horribly well.

But if that wasn't strange enough, they credit the relaxed, feel good atmosphere to the guilty pleasures brought on by MC Hammer parachute pants.

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Am I the only one who wishes Weird Al had been tapped to record the title track to Blades of Glory as a cover of Bon Jovi's "Blaze of Glory?" Bo Bice just ain't my thing.

Blaze/Blades of Glory would have been perfect for the scene where Will Farrell is gunslinging on ice. Still, the rest of the music in the movie suits me just fine: Where else are you going to find Billy Squire's "Stroke," Marvin Gaye's "Let's Get it On," and even a bit of the North Korean National Anthem for good measure. Not to mention Marky Mark, Foreigner and Farrell himself on rockin "My Humps" on the treadmill.

The complete soundtrack to Blades of Glory is here, including the songs not featured on the soundtrack CD. But just in case Bo Bice is your musical salvation, here is the video for "Blades of Glory," blue tux and all:

Don't know if you've checked out the new show The Riches yet. Quite interesting indeed. The combination of Minnie Driver and Eddie Izzard is just bizarre enough to work. They are gypsy crooks that play spit and polish with Southern elites in a sleepy little town. Intrigued? I know I was.

But what really got me was the damn Weepies song that I just can't get out of my head now: "The World Spins Madly On."

I first heard it on Scrubs last year, then it was in Because I Said So earlier this year. It's from an older Weepies album released in 2005 but it is being reborn anew. I love it.

You decide: Do you like the original video or the montage from Scrubs:

There was a perfect storm of boy band madness over the last couple weeks. And conspiracy theories abound. Or maybe I've said bye, bye bye to my sanity. It starts with this gem: What's Lou Pearlman up to now? A month after the founder of popular boy bands *Nsync and Backstreet Boys fled the country to avoid repaying $500 million in debt that he scammed from unwitting investors, all of a sudden MTV Tr3s announces a Menudo boy band contest in Florida. That's just a little too tidy for me.

Okay, maybe the chance of some serendipitous connection between the two events is less than the chance that you'd actually ever get me to eat a soup made of cow and/or sheep intestines slow cooked for a week, but still, it seemed awfully convenient.

Or maybe former Menudo star Ricky Martin is behind it all. It was only two weeks ago that he reappeared to very publicly talk about supporting up and coming artists of all stripes. Mario Vasquez anyone? The wanna be boy bander has been awfully public lately.

More likely, I have been watching too many episodes of 24. Keifer does have a band after all. Maybe he is branching out. He and buddy Lou Diamond? Actually, it was Howie D of the Backstreet Boys and boy band music manager Johnny Wright who were in Miami this weekend to host the auditions for an American Idol style show to pull together the next Menudo super group.

The rotating members of Menudo had a dozen English and Spanish hits in the 80s and 90s, including Hold Me, featuring a young Ricky Martin. They even released a movie: Una Aventura Llamada Menudo, an action adventure journey that involves all sorts of randomness, like replacing a typical plain ride to a concert in Ponce with a hot air balloon that crashes on the beach.

Unfortunately, we have not been able to watch the movie and write down the soundtrack. But we'll get on it. Does anyone have the list already? You could help a fella out and send it here.

We send our thanks in advance. Here's the 1984 video for "Like a Cannonball" from the movie Cannonball Run. Not the best movie soundtrack of all time, but it will do for a campy good time. So does the video. Enjoy!

I just hope that they will find a way to mix in some classic Queen.

Flash ahaaa. Savior of the universe.
Flash ahaaa. Will save every one of us.
Flash ahaaa. He's a miracle...
He's for every one of us.

I wrote a couple months ago about the upcoming spate of theatrical releases in 3D. It has been a while since a good 3D movie was released and technology has significantly improved since then. Could the studios finally use 3D as an extension of a good movie instead of a gimmick for a bad sequel in a fading franchise (e.g., Jaws 3)?

The rise of computer animation is the perfect answer. The technology make it reasonably affordable to release both flat and 3D versions of the same movie. And the proven success of premium pricing for movies released simultaneously in IMAX format provides a model to earn back the additional production expenditures. The marriage of art, technology and simple market dynamics is a beautiful thing.

No really, it's a beautiful thing. I went to see Meet the Robinsons this weekend. It is a pretty good at times, very good at times kind of movie - one I would have seen anyway. But the 3D option made it a must see. The pacing was a bit slow, but it did not matter all that much because even the normal scenes that were not playing on the 3D to the extreme were richer, fuller and more engaging because of the seeming depth in the screen.

In the first scene, rain appeared to be falling on your lap. The street lamp seemed to be just off to your right, as if in your peripheral. You did not need to have a monster chewing at you lower lip to be thrilled by the 3D. In fact, it was a simple scene such as a rainy night were the subtlety of the art form was at its best.

A good movie transports you into a different world. It suspends this reality for a couple hours and replaces it with something both fantastic and real. The promises of the Matrix Reloaded were hollow because the promise was too ambitious. You could clearly discern when Neo went digital.

The beauty of Meet the Robinsons is that you were already enmeshed in an animated world that looked and felt enough like the real thing that your brain did not have to selectively discern live action from clever but obvious animation. In other words 3D animation is more believable to me than a mix of live action with realistic anime models thrown in at particularly spectacular plot points.

Consider me converted. I am in for the 3D version of the Nightmare Before Christmas. And I just might make it to U2 3D as well. After all, at least I know the latter will have a good soundtrack. If the 3D blows, I can close my eyes and relive high school. Do you think they'll ever reverse engineer Rattle and Hum? Now there's a throwback. Eisenhower Middle School anyone?

It doesn't get weirder than this. We finally know why Keith Richards is still alive. He is channeling the dead - literally - right up his nose. When asked recently what is the strangest thing he has done while on drugs, his answer was that he once mixed the ashes of his dad father with cocaine and snorted it. Perhaps it was some strange totemic experience. But come on man, that's just disgusting. If there were ever a commercial for not doing drugs, it's a series of pictures of Keith snorting his dad.

This is a call out to Photoshop Flickr fans everywhere. Submit your best pics of dear old dad being snorted by Keith. Why stop there? Mother's day is coming up soon. How about some equal time for dear old mums? Do you think he would take just a snippet? What about a burnt up finger nail or a pile of smoldering hair? Perhaps the abhorrent smell would wake the reaper and smoke Richards once and for all.

Too good to pass this one up. It is hilarious. Alannis Morisette, the queen of the overly melodramatic song, has taken Fergie's classic "My Humps" and classed it up a bit, but with all kinds of campiness. I never thought she had it in her. I guess all the years on You Can't Do that on Television stuck with her. And here I thought Will Farrell's version from Blades of Glory was funny.

Compare it to Will Farrell 2 minutes into the Blades of Glory trailer.

My question is, can you find a way to only download games where the Astros win or the Cardinals lose? Now that would be a feature. Can I click past the uneventful stretches where nothing really happens and insert my own song during the seventh inning stretch? Can you figure out a way to stream it to me realtime? Now that I would pay for. Too bad iTunes doesn't do that. Maybe we'll just have to wait for the iPhone.

If this header means anything to you. If you've ever seen 24 Hour Party People, or if you happen to have spent a few years listening to college radio in the early 90s, then you are about to sing out Hallelujah and pop a few ephemeral happy pills til your belly aches because the Happy Mondays are back.

Seventeen years after releasing the landmark album Pills N Thrills & Bellyaches, Shaun Ryder and the Madchester club legends have inked a deal to release a new album on Sanctuary Records.

If you have know clue what any of this means, click here, take few looks at some of the incredible songs listed and realize that before they blew the $300,000 they were given to record what promised to be but never was a seminal album of our times, they defined an entire musical movement.

Click on some of the notes to the right of the songs and you will see what I mean. You can preview the songs on iTunes. Or just NetFlix the movie. It has one of the best soundtracks ever scratched together for a movie.

There was all kinds of hullabaloo about "Kinky Afro," but my favorite is still "Step on". Don't remember - here's a refresher. You're twistin' my mellon man.

Starbucks has signed music legend Paul McCartney as the first act in its new record label, Hear Music. The label is being launched with the help of Concord Records, who spearheaded the Starbucks release of Ray Charles's Genius Loves Company.

Starbucks, which has aims to open 20,000 more stores, may be worried that having two stores on every corner will cannibalize existing sales. So it created an entertainment arm that has marketed albums in its stores (including CD burning services in some stores), launched Hear radio station on XM, co-produced a movie and dabbled in all sorts of other entertainment properties.

There may even be TV properties in the works. But we're guessing they're not going to be sponsoring Heather Mills on Dancing with the Stars anytime soon.

Act fast while you can. For one week only the YouTube, Youtube, YouTube awards are here.

Vote for your favorite video in seven categories. But tou must act fast. After Friday you can still rate them, you will still be able to watch them, you can even imbed them or send a link to a friend, but you won't be able to declare yourself anymore.

(in really small letters) please no nominations for Viacom content, or they'll tighten another billion out of our wad. Thank you. Come again.

And don't forget to ask yourself, Will it blend?

A week after comedian Richard Jeni died from a self inflicted gunshot, some folks thought it would be clever to send him some comedic company, so they killed comedian and movie not quite star Sinbad - on Wikipedia.

Last Saturday, someone posted news that he had died of a heart attack. His daughter even called to see if the rumors were true. He answered the phone. They weren't. So Wikipedia pulled the entry, but not before hundreds of people had sent the cached link to their friends. Within a few days, the story of his Saturday night stay in Hotel California, and his miraculous attempt to get out even though you can never leave turned on itself again. Phone calls and emails started flooding in as the cached story made its way around the web. But some how, unlike his career, he survived again.

In his words: "Saturday I rose from the dead and died again."

So maybe he's kind of funny after all. I'll admit it. I've laughed at some of his jokes. And I certainly would not wish him any harm. Comedy is tough, even for guys who could be downright hilarious, like Jeni. May he find a stage in happier climes.

The box office is in. 300 is the largest March opener ever and third largest R rated opener in history, behind only Matrix Reloaded and The Passion of the Christ. 300 had the stunning special effects of the first and the historical drama of the second. I knew I was going to like this movie. I just didn't know how many other people would.

The incredible rendition of the epic Battle of Thermopylae intertwined fierce Spartan military technique with a feast of Xerxes' beasts. When we first meet the Persian god-king, I was afraid that he was going to be nothing more than a super-sized version of Stargate's Ra. But he was far more impressive, as was the contrast between the selfless discipline of the Spartans and the lavish excess of the Persian hordes.

300 proves that Frank Miller is for movies today what Philip K. Dick was over the last two decades: science fiction and fantasy at its very best. Sin City was brilliant - a stunning visual masterpiece. Never before has the color yellow been so deftly employed, or smidgeons of colors been so sparingly yet beautifully painted on screen. The movie proved that Ted Turner had it so very wrong when he fully colorized the classics. Perhaps he should have picked a smaller palette and merely accented the originals. Let us hope for more Sin City, Blade Runner, 300 and Total Recall, and for less Paycheck and Impostor.

300 is a must see, with a haunting, driving score that is as fierce as the action and evocative as the visuals. I left wanting more. The greatest battles of history retold.

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I knew American Idol was rough this season, but is it so tough that it could kill ya? That's exactly what happened to Frankie Laine. (Well, not exactly, but it is one hell of a coincidence.) Last night, Idol opened the show with 11,000 hopefuls singing Rawhide. This was recorded a couple months ago, but when it finally made it to air, it had devastating consequences. Upon hearing the rendition of the classic theme to the TV show Rawhide, Frankie Lane died of heart failure at Scripps Mercy Hospital in San Diego.

Now, for the rest of the story. Frankie Lane was the 1950s crooner who sang the original Rawhide 40 years ago. For 17 years, his voice opened one of TV's most popular shows by the same name. In the 70s, it was resurrected in Blazing Saddles, followed a few years later by Jake and Elwood's rendition in the Blues Brothers.

But at last, the prospect of 11,000 people butchering his classic was just too much to take. After half a dozen top ten hits and 100 million records sold, Frankie Laine asked for mercy and was granted his wish. He's now on his own mission from god. Say hi to Belushi and Ray for us.

"It's not rocket surgery." So says David Lee Roth about reuniting with Van Halen. Roth was hyping the possibility in last year's Rolling Stone. He followed up with more speculation on Howard Stern. Just a few days ago, the speculation started to sound a bit more like reality. Roth joined Eddie Van Halen and the rest of the band for a run through of 14 Van Halen classics that could be the start of a summer tour.

The band has been busy writing new material without a lead singer, after passing on Sammy Haggar, who has been playing with The Other Half, and former Extreme front man Gary Cherone, who flopped an album with Van Halen in 2002.

After 22 years apart, this time it might be for real. Bust out your spandex and Panama jump sequences.

Check out the movies and events that Van Halen's music has been featured in.

The Oscar nominations have been announced. No super big surprises in the mix - except Dreamgirls is not in for Best Picture. Letters from Iwo Jima made it to the top 5 instead. But Eddie Murphy and Jennifer Hudson did get nods in the supporting categories. And three songs were nominated in the best original song category. Sorry Beyonce, looks like clawing your way up from Austin Powers was too steep a climb.

Here are the nominees for best original score:

>Gustavo Santaolalla for Babel
>Thomas Newman for The Good German
>Philip Glass for Notes on a Scandal
>Javier Navarrete for Pan's Labyrinth and
>Alexandre Desplat for The Queen.

>"I Need to Wake Up" from An Inconvenient Truth, by Melissa Etheridge
>"Listen" from Dreamgirls, by Henry Krieger, Scott Cutler and Anne Preven
>"Love You I Do" from Dreamgirls, by Henry Krieger and Siedah Garrett
>"Our Town" from Cars, by Randy Newman and
>"Patience" from Dreamgirls, by Henry Krieger and Willie Reale.

Also, music legend Ennio Morricone will be honored with an honorary statuette for lifetime achievement.

Michael Eisner's Veoh internet TV venture is partnering with United Talent Agency (home to some of Hollywood's biggest stars, including Johnny Depp and Ben Stiller) to launch an online TV network dedicated to finding new talent. Aspiring actors, writers and directors will be encouraged to submit their work for broadcast. The company has already received thousands of submissions.

It's Project Greenlight meets Current TV with a dash of You're the One That I Want, all rolled up into a tasty YouTube. Let's just hope it's goes down easier than the latest crop of Idol contestants.

There has been a lot of speculation why Sacha Baron Cohen accepted his Golden Globe for best actor as himself, not Borat. See his acceptance speech here. My theory is that he realized that the smart move would be to leverage Borat as a segway into a more traditional comedic career as himself. After all, with the enormous success of the movie, there are few people that would be fooled by Borat again. Of course, if he were able to continue to pull it off, it might even be more brilliant.

News from Universal Pictures is that Cohen will star as another of his famous characters - Bruno, the flamboyant Austrian fashion reporter - in a movie along the lines of Borat but dealing with behind the scenes of the fashion industry. Rumor has a $40 million price tag on his role, which would make him one of the highest paid actors in film.

But Cohen may bolt on the idea in favor of a traditional scripted comedy. Maybe the weight of his co-star's golden globes resting on his chin for hours really is pushing him to find another gig.

Whatever he chooses, it will most certainly be hysterical. His role in Talledega Nights was brilliant, Borat was hilarious, the Ali G. interview with Becks and Posh was one of the funniest I have seen (here on Break.com). Whatever it is, I will be there, as will many others. High five.

The iPhone has everyone in a tizzy. Frankly, I don't see the big deal.

My Treo has served me just fine. It already has a touch screen, an intuitive interface, a music player, a camera and video recorder and an SD slot expansion that gives you 4 gigs of memory (equivalent to the base iPhone). You can even Slingbox your Tivo signal to it. Plus, you can push your Exchange emails, add your Yahoo, Earthlink and other mail accounts.

The iPhone website claims one of the breakthroughs is that you can point at a contact name and make a call. What's so revolutionary about being able to make a call by pointing your finger at a name? Treo's touch screen has been doing it for years.

Don't get me wrong - of course the device looks cool. But it is going to be super expensive and a lot of the kinks have yet to be worked out. Apple launched it branded as Cingular phone. Four days later, AT&T announced it is killing the Cingular brand.

Plus there already is an iPhone - a Voip phone released last year by Cisco's unit Linksys. Talks between the two companies over Apple buying the name from Cisco broke down when Apple refused to make its "iPhone" compatible with other devices, just as the iPod and Macs are notoriously stingy on compatibility.

Cisco wanted interoperability and a more open platform. Apple wanted hyper-control and incompatibility. Ironically, the Apple's company policies against open architecture and interoperability are starting to resemble the lock-step antagonists of the 1984 Super Bowl commercial that broke Macs onto the scene. Apple is held as the scion of creativity, yet its platforms increasingly stifle the very creativity they are credited for inspiring.

I call this a bunch of hype in a pretty package. But then it again, it will probably sell millions of units, so who am I? Someone who will choose to pass on the hype, that's who.

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The Pursuit of Happyness is the story of the American Dream lived through the eyes of a man and his son. Everyone has seen the trailers by now and Will Smith has been making the talk show circuit with Chris Gardner, the man who lived and later wrote about his pursuit of happyness in the book, turned movie, by the same name.

Smith says this signals the start of his acting career - everything else has been practice. He gives a dignified performance of a man who is ever more inspirational in real life. Smith gets some extra help from his real life son (who plays his son in the movie) and from a soundtrack that sets the tone for all that is to come.

The music includes a couple Stevie Wonder classics, a little gospel, Joe Cocker and even Roberta Flack taking on Paul Simon's Bridge Over Troubled Water. Recent father Seal's headlining song A Father's Way was even nominated for a Golden Globe for best original song earlier this week.

Check out all the songs from the movie here.

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Eragon may be slightly derivative but the visuals still take you on one hell of a ride: good thing too, because the pacing could use a snap or two. The effects mavens spent two years developing every last detail of the dragons, and it shows. The music also fares well. Patrick Doyle creates a mystical and adventurous ambiance through his score. Doyle, who is best known for Donnie Brasco, Secondhand Lions and - regrettably - Femme Fatale, performs admirably.

He is joined by songstresses Jem and Avril Lavigne, who each contribute a song to the movie: Once In Every Lifetime and Keep Holding On, respectively.

Check out the music from the movie. You can also find other songs by the artists featured in Eragon.

Jem has been quite prolific in movies and on TV, with songs featured in Closer, Win a Date with Tad Hamilton, The Prince & Me, The OC, The North Shore. Avril Lavigne's music has been featured in 17 programs, from movies and TV shows, to ads and video games. Karaoke Revolutions, anyone?

Let the award season begin. The Golden Globe nominations are in. The nominees for Original Score are:

-Alexandre Desplat for The Painted Veil
-Clint Mansell for The Fountain
-Gustavo Santaolalla for Babel
-Carlo Siliotto for Nomad and
-Hans Zimmer for The Da Vinci Code.

Nominees for Original Song are:

-A Father's Way from The Pursuit of Happyness (Seal)
-Listen from Dreamgirls (Beyonce)
-Never Gonna Break My Faith from Bobby (Aretha Franklin, Mary J. Blige and Bryan Adams)
-The Song of the Heart from Happy Feet (Prince
-Try Not to Remember from Home of the Brave (Sheryl Crowe).

In addition to the music categories, the musical Dreamgirls was nominated for Best Picture, Musical or Comedy and Beyonce Knowles, Eddie Murphy and Jennifer Hudson were each nominated for acting awards for their roles.

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We have scoured more than 35,000 songs from 3,000 movies in the ReelSoundtrack database and have found the 12 Christmas songs that have been featured most often in the movies from the last 60 years. All of them are Christmas classics, but the order may surprise you a bit.

White Christmas is the most played song of all time, but it barely breaks the top 10 in the number of times it has been used in movies. Jingle Bells and Jingle Bell Rock take the top two spots, followed by Silent Night and Winter Wonderland.

Check out the list and the movies they are featured in by clicking on the links below:

1. Jingle Bells

2. Jingle Bell Rock

3. Silent Night

4. Winter Wonderland

5. Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas

6. Santa Claus is Comin' to Town

7. The Christmas Song

8. Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree

9. White Christmas

10. The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

11. We Wish You a Merry Christmas

12. Sleigh Ride

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The Holiday is a chick flick - no question. But it also stars Jack Black as a movie music composer. His scat renditions of famous movie scores are hilarious. The scene in which he and Kate Winslet search for a movie to watch based on their famous scores is easily as funny as any scene in Tenacious D Pick of Destiny.

It's a brilliant mix of soundtrack scores (Chariots of Fire, Jaws, The Mission, etc.), holiday classics, including Winter Wonderland by Darlene Love and Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas by Ella and James Taylor. Plus they've thrown in The Killers and a couple songs from Imogen Heap for good measure.

The music in the movie is fantastic. It was not released on CD, and neither IMDB, Hollywood.com or Yahoo have the list of songs.

But none to worry, we have faithfully pulled all of them together here. Best of all, you can preview or download them on iTunes as well.

Check out the music from the movie The Holiday.

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Thirty years after the debut of the Bass-O-Matic, Americans have a lot more options for getting the daily recommended allowance of Omega 3 essential oils in their diet. Sure you could buy lemon-flavored fish oil pills or neatly filleted, farm-raised salmon. You can even eat 40 Omega 3-induced eggs, but nothing can touch the original Bass-O-Matic. The same goes for the show that spawned the spoof - Saturday Night Live.

The Fall 2006 TV schedule showcased three Saturday Night Lives on TV - maybe even four, five or even six. There's the original, extra crispy SNL, 30 Rock, a spoof sitcom about SNL, and Studio 60, an NBC drama about an SNL style in the form of a West Wing drama. Then there's Fox's Mad TV, the red-headed stepchild (and sometimes funnier kissing cousin) of SNL. There's also a host of other shows that were inspired by SNL - like half an hour of Weekend Update (Daily Show) and the further derivatives of that - the Colbert Report and the new Fox News comedy news show - always looking at the right side of life.

But for all its ups and downs through the years, for all of its questionable casting and skits that were recycled but still not funny, there's still only one Saturday Night Live. And to prove it, Lorne Michaels is releasing the first season of the groundbreaking season on DVD.

Sure we've all seen the Not Ready for Primetime crew in syndication on Comedy Central, USA and in those special Best of Chevy Chase SNL recap shows. But never have we seen them quite bundled all together like this, whipped to a frenzy in the Bass-O-Matic, and served with frothy goodness to the adoring masses of pesci-smoothie lovers everywhere.

The show was very much the same but somehow completely different back then. Gerald Ford's press secretary even hosted the show one weekend. Today we have TV Fun House. In season 1, it was a series of short films by Albert Brooks. But the more they change, the more we come to realize that "Generalisimo Francisco Franco is still dead" and SNL is still damn funny - even after all these years.

It's just too bad we never got a Bass-O-Matic in every home.

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Mary J. Blige, who sang away her life's demons with "no more drama" certainly left tragedy behind at last night's Billboard Music Awards. She won 9 awards total, including best R&B/Hip Hop Artist, Best Female R&B/Hip Hop Artist and best R&B/Hip Hop Album. She also tore up the place with a medley of her hits "Enough Crying" and "Take me as I am." Her album, The Breakthrough, has sold 2.6 million copies since it hit the street last December.

Chris Brown, a swaggering teen with a talent for owning a beat also had a brilliant night. He won Best New Artist, Male Artist of the Year and Artist of the Year.

Rihanna and American Idol Carrie Underwood also took home awards. (The cutaway shots were more forgiving to Faith Hill this time.) T.I. took home Best Rap Album and Nickelback closed the show with ZZ Top after scoring two awards: for Best Rock Album and Best Group/Duo.

The Billboard has spoken. With satellite and streaming radio, plus song-filled personal radio in the form of iPods and Zunes, does it still matter?

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10 Items or Less opened in theaters last Friday and will debut on the web in less than two weeks. It is the first feature film produced for ClickStar, Morgan Freeman's new digital movie download service.

The company is facing an uphill battle. More than 200 companies are already offering legal movie downloads. BitTorrent is being used on hundreds of other P2P sites to download movies in a not so sanctioned way. But with the backing of Intel and Morgan Freeman's good name (not to mention is Hollywood contacts), they might just make it.

It's the gold rush in movie download business: silicon before the crash (or the leak), search before Google, software before Microsoft, music before iTunes. No one player is dominating the market. Forces are lining up on more sides than you could count of 39 hands. It's the shootout at the OK Corral, a room of mirrors; a dohectogon of possibilities.

But then again it's Morgan Freeman and Paz Vega (of Spanglish and 15 Spanish films) starring in what looks like one hell of an entertaining movie. If you are going to launch a movie service, then this way is not half bad. In fact, I probably would have seen it opening weekend, but I'm willing to wait a couple more weeks to check out what the service is like. And I am sure others will too.

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When I think George Clinton, I envision long colorful dreadlocks and a grown man in a diaper. But there's also George S. Clinton, the composer who has produced the music for more than a dozen movies, including Beverly Hills Ninja, Scary Movie 2, Mortal Kombat and Austin Powers The Spy Who Shagged Me. He's back with the music to Santa Clause 3 The Escape Clause.

The soundtrack contains Christmas standards such as White Christmas and We Wish You a Merry Christmas, as well as a few new holiday songs, including Bryan Setzer's Santa Drives a Hot Rod. Martin Short - as Jack Frost - sings Come Meet Santa, The Christmas Song and New York New York.

We haven't seen the movie yet, but the past two have been surprisingly entertaining. Who doesn't love a Christmas movie? The addition of Martin Short certainly can't hurt. And Elizabeth Mitchell as Mrs. Clause is a gift unto herself. You might recognize her as the beautiful blonde Other Juliet, who toys with Jack in this season of Lost.

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The Nativity Story, a historical drama about the life of Mary and Joseph as they journey to Bethlehem for the birth of Jesus, opens today. It's the most famous story in history, but there is also some real life drama that has some people asking questions about the movie's star - Keisha Castle Hughes.

Hughes first found fame in the Whale Rider, a brilliant coming of age story about the struggle between tradition and modernity amid the Maori people of New Zealand.

You might say that her path the fame was accidental, or even meant to be. Her life has been full of surprises. One day, she was sitting in small schoolhouse in New Zealand and the next she was starring in a feature length movie. She even had to learn how to swim to play the role of the legendary whale rider. Later in the year, she was surprised again when the academy nomination her for a best actress Oscar.

Recently, she received a third surprise. Hughes, who is now 16, and is playing the Virgin Mary in the Nativity Story, is pregnant. But it's not so immaculate. Her "long-time" and much older boyfriend played an important role.

I'm sure the producers of the religious movie were caught by surprise as well.

So the question remains: will the audiences who flocked to see The Passion of the Christ or Love's Abiding Joy be turned off by the star's real life foibles? Or will her personal struggle inspire empathy that will draw people closer to her personal story and therefore her role in the greatest story ever told? It remains to be seen. Hopefully the quality of the movie will be the ultimate judge of the film's fate.

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Batman did it. So did Skywalker and Obi-Wan. Even Hannibal Lecter got in on the act. Hell, Young Indiana Jones almost took off until River Phoenix decided to taste tin. Bilbo Baggins is struggling to act on it too, if the studios will stop squabbling about how they will split their billions. Of course we are talking about prequels.

But perhaps most exciting of all is that the Star Trek franchise may soon go prequel as well. Rumors are that J.J. Abrams, of Lost and Alias fame, will chronicle the lives of Spock and Kirk during their academy days. Production is scheduled for 2008.

While fans impatiently await the news of an eleventh movie, we are privy to a new Star Trek video game from Bethesda Softworks. After a three year hiatus, veteran Star Trek writer Dorothy "D.C." Fontana has penned new adventures for the Star Trek crew. She previously contributed to Activision's Star Trek Bridge Commander, as well as Star Trek Legacy for Xbox 360, and Star Trek Tactical Assault for PSP. Fontana claims that the visuals in the new game are so stunning that they are on par with anything produced for TV or the movie screen.

The new game will span five generations of Star Trek series and will feature the voices of all five series captains. Players will be able to choose to command different starships for the adventure. The story itself involves a new Vulcan protagonist. Let us hope that the game really satisfies while we wait another 18 months for the big screen to arrive.

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Kim Jong Il, the North Korean dictator who starves his people while he and his cronies live in luxury is going to have to live with a few fewer gifts this Christmas. The U.S. Department of Commerce has banned the sale of a long list of Kim's favorite luxury items for import into North Korea. Most notably, Kim will no longer have easy access to iPods, Segway scooters, Rolexes, jet skis, cognac, Harleys, yachts or plasma screen TVs. Kim, who is obsessed with American pop culture, even while he spits venom at the US, will have to watch his movies on a plain old tube TV.

No word on whether Kim will have to return the Michael Jordan-signed basketball that Madeline Albright tried to bribe him with back in 2000. (The exchange was lampooned in a recent political ad by David Zucker that was too funny for TV.) And to think, if Jordan had stayed in the league, perhaps we'd be enjoying world peace instead of fending off the rants of a nuclear Napoleon with a serious Hollywood complex. He even tried to have Matt Parker and Trey Stone, the creators of South Park, assassinated because of his portrayal in the South Park movie.

Wal-Mart dominates the DVD industry, with 40 percent of industry's total $17 billion in annual sales. Now, the company is taking on the iTunes movie download program by bundling downloads with DVD sales. Wal-Mart will offer three video download options - for portable devices, PCs and both formats. They will be priced at $1.97, $2.97 and $3.97 respectively, on top of the cost of the DVD.

The first movie to be offered is Superman Returns. After purchase, customers will need to log onto walmart.com/superman, enter a promotional code, and select the desired format. Users will then create an account, download the video download manager, choose their desired format and download the movie. Sounds a bit complicated the first time around but should be easy for the follow-ons. Users will be able to start watching the movie as it downloads. No word on download speeds or actual output quality yet. We will keep you informed of any news.

With the supply of PS3 and Nintendo Wii already depleted, some retro gamers are going old school in search of a thrill. Suddenly unsatisfied with their Nintendo 64, PlayStation 2 or Xbox 360, they are fishing their original Atari 2600 or Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) from the recesses of dark closets. In fact, retro gaming is becoming so popular that events like the Classic Gaming Expo attract thousands. And websites like AtariAge and ClassicGaming attract tens of thousands of loyal fans.

My brother-in-law just built a stand-up arcade machine in his garage out of an old TV, a scrap computer and more than 400 old school games from 10 to 20 years ago. From Joust and Pitfall to Off Road and 720 degrees, the combination of good ole fashion nostalgia and downright addictive gaming hooked me so much that I almost missed my flight. Now if I can only find a way to sneak the machine out of his garage, into the oversized bin at LAX, on the Metro and down into my basement. Sounds like a packing job for Tetris.

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The Wyld Stallions promised to change the world through rock music in Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure. The future became of world where people were excellent to each other, guided by the wisdom of George Carlin. Now, Tenacious D - Jack Black and Kyle Gass - are promising to rock the world like never before, reshaping our very understanding of what it means to rock. Their lifelong friendship leads them to seek the Pick of Destiny from none other than Beelzebub himself. Their trek is guided my guilded rock music, primarily supplied by Tenacious D themselves.

The movie features a dozen Tenacious D songs, along with licks from The Who, Trainwreck, Dave Grohl and the Theme from A Clockwork Orange. The complete list of songs from the movie are featured on ReelSoundtrack.

A new study by the Pew Internet and American Life project found that the number of people in the U.S. who have downloaded and listened to a podcast almost doubled in the last six months, from 7 percent to 12 percent of those surveyed. Still only 1 in 100 people listen to a podcast on a daily basis. According to the study, men, and people who have been using the Internet for the longest, are those most likely to listen to podcasts or watch vodcasts.

The data suggests that podcasting is still in the early adopter phase, and has not yet crossed over to the mainstream, unlike individual music files being played on millions of iPods and other portable music devices. But if the laws of computer power apply to the adoption of such technology, it will not be long before podcasts will rival singles for time on the white earbuds.

We can understand not allowing George Lucas to make another Star Wars prequel, but preventing Peter Jackson from directing Lord of the Rings prequel The Hobbit is just sheer nonsense. But that nonsense is precisely what New Line is shilling these days. Just last month, MGM New Line COO Rick Sands said the studio would be thrilled to work with Jackson's production company Wingnut Films on the new project.

But now, New Line is refusing to play while they continue to dispute the royalties from The Lord of the Rings. They are even shopping The Hobbit and another LOTR prequel to new directors. Oh how lovely this movie BUSINESS is. Is a billion not enough? I guess we will have to settle for the animated Hobbit for the time being. It's far better than taking a perfectly good franchise and flushing it to Middle Earth.

We have a song for you New Line: Money by Pink Floyd as sung by The Rembrandts in the movie Greedy. Great song. Bad philosophy for entertainment.

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In a week that may become landmark in the community, Sony's PS3 launch Friday was followed by the kick-off for Nintendo's Wii on Sunday. While crowds literally fought over their PS3s, Wii fans were a bit more subdued. This had as much to do with the number of units available (400,000 for PS3 vs. 2 million for Wii) as fan fervor.

While some stores, like Nintendo's flagship in Manhattan had lines that stretched a block, other stores still had stock at the end of the day. Still, the triforce was out in full force for the launch. At MIT, Zelda fans even hoisted a triforce atop the dome of the campus's signature building.

Wii retails for half of what PS3 is going for, and includes a game with purchase. However, it does not include high-def graphics or a DVD player, options that Nintendo sacrificed to reach their low price point. But they are banking on the revolutionary motion-sensitive controller that can be wielded as a sword, a tennis racket or even a steering wheel, depending on the game. Let the new rivalry begin.

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Daniel Craig is not the only new addition to the James Bond franchise. Chris Cornell, the former frontman for Soundgarden and current leader of AudioSlave, sings the new Bond theme song "You Know My Name" in Casino Royale. Just as Daniel Craig is a leaner, meaner version of the original, Cornell belts the song with an edge that has been missing for years.

Cornell joins the ranks of Madonna, Tom Jones, Nancy Sinatra, Paul McCartney, Duran Duran, Garbage and Gladys Knight. Shirley Bassey is the most prolific Bond girl, having sung Goldfinger, Diamonds are Forever and Moonraker. Her signature style was later copied by Tina Turner for the title song to GoldenEye.

Click here for the list of songs from Casino Royale.

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RedOctane has returned with killer licks and three-fret notes, taking Guitar Hero 2 to the level of air guitar greatness. The playlist has expanded in range to include metal from Lamb of God, grunge from Nirvana, jams from Lynyrd Skynyrd, classics from The Rolling Stones, modern rock from Foo Fighters and much more, even songs from Rush, Motley Crue, Warrant and Matthew Sweet.

All in all, there's 64 songs, three new characters and new venues, including a Vans Warped Tour stop in Austin. You can even have a friend join the game to share the lead or add bass to the track.

Here's a list of all the songs from the original artists featured in the game, including a bunch of bonus songs. You can even download them through iTunes. Just click on the note to the right of each song.

Animated films used to be fool-proof in Hollywood, with some of the biggest box office draws of all-time, including Shrek 2 which made more than $350 million. But Dreamworks Animation is taking a bath on its latest animated feature Flushed Away. The film, which cost $150 million to make is expected to take in less than $50 million domestically. The movie is such a stinker that it will likely sink the relationship between Dreamworks and Aardman, the studio responsible for Wallace & Gromit and Chicken Run. Producers are already looking for a new distributor for their next film, Crood Awakening.

Dreamworks hopes to bounce back with a string of sequels to proven franchises including Shrek 3 and Madagascar 2. In the meantime, Warner Brothers is betting on Happy Feet, a dancing penguin movie starring Robin Williams, Brittany Murphy and Hugo Weaving. It opens today.

While most gamers have been patiently waiting their turn, some fans have become rowdy. One man was even shot outside a Connecticut Wal-Mart when a couple punks approached him in line and demanded his money. Those waiting in line outside a Best Buy in Kentucky were strafed with BBs shot from a car driving past the store.

It's not surprising then that some people chose to skip the line entirely, or use their influence to get a PS3 by other means. Former Senator and presidential hopeful John Edwards was caught in a flap yesterday when one of his staffers called a Wal-Mart manager in Raleigh, North Carolina to request that a PS3 be put aside for Edwards. This came one day after Edwards and Illinois Senator Barak Obama vehemently criticized the retailer for their business and labor practices. Oops. Wal-Mart headquarters got wind of the request and issued a pretty funny press release about it.

We understand his addiction to PlayStation, but Edwards is wealthy and he's not working these days. Couldn't he have just stood in line or paid one of his people to do so. He could have recited his two Americas speech to keep everybody warm and fuzzy through the cold Autumn nights.

We have recently updated the list of songs featured in Fox's hit medical dramedy House. The eclectic mix ranges from Elvis Costello and Yo Yo Ma to Goldfrapp, Damien Rice, Ben Harper and Gorillaz. Hugh Laurie even plays Bach, gospel and a bit of soul on his trusty piano, including a haunting rendition of "What a Friend We Have in Jesus."

As for the music that kicks off every show: that's Teardrop by Massive Attack. Click here to check out all of the songs from the first three seasons of House.

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More than 1.3 million people are living a Second Life, exchanging billions of Linden dollars as they build a world all their own. Cottage industries are developing around services valued by residents. Machinimas are hitting the big screen to packed houses of adoring fans. Pontiac is touting cars in an island dedicated to automobile culture, offering free land and customizable frames for Pontiac Solstice GXPs. Starwood even introduced a hotel line. And Edelman and the Electric Sheep Company are recruiting journalists to contribute to the Grid Review, a machinima format news outlet. They also are launching a business plan competition, the winners of which will earn exclusive access to a private island as well as generous Linden dollar cash rewards.

Not to be outdone, education institutions are establishing their own outposts in Second Life. Harvard, Dartmouth and 60 other schools are teaching classes at extension campuses in the realm. It's too early to tell whether the virtual classrooms are working, but early indicators are promising. The National Survey of Student Engagement, released earlier this week by the U.S. Department of Education, found that distance learning students often perform better their in-classroom counterparts, particularly in higher order, integrative and reflective learning. Other studies have shown that performance improves when online education communities are "well-designed" and aesthetically engaging.

Second Life may be a bit more distant than researchers had in mind, but it's also far more engaging than most online educational communities. We may be witnessing the future of education. I just wish they had Second Life when I was in school.

The People's Choice Awards nominees have been announced. Once again, the ever-changing award categories have lived up to their reputation for recognizing performances in some truly bizarre niches such as best remake of a song and Nice 'n Easy Fans Favorite Hair, as well as a nuanced list such as best action star, movie star, funny star and leading man. Fans can start voting online at www.pcavote.com on November 22.

While there are dozens of categories to vote for, producers have limited the nominees to three in each. If they truly wanted to give the people a choice, then they should open the nomination process to the "long tail" of all possible nominees - every actor, every artist, every show. There is absolutely no reason to limit the field so narrowly. What Chris Anderson has taught us is that when consumers are given unlimited choice, they make some pretty surprising decisions. So why not let the people choose? That way, the broadcast might break some actual news. It certainly would drive more people the website and likely to the show as well.

Most famously, "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington" chronicled the rise of the everyman, who sought to fight the money grubbing corruption in the capital for the benefit of the boys back home. In the nineties, Eddie Murphy took to the capitol as a conman turned Congressman with a conscience in "Distinguished Gentleman." This year, the everyman was played by Robin Williams, who runs for President in order to renew the government's commitment to the people, who have been neglected by professional politicians and fooled by flawed electronic voting systems – no joke. The movie, "Man of the Year," did not quite fill the seats, but it certainly tried to stuff the ballot boxes with pedantic populism one month before a real election. Despite predictions of doom and disorder, all was quiet on Election Day.

"All Quiet on the Western Front" chronicled a band of German soldiers who came to discover that the reality of war are quite different than the jingoistic calls to battle that got them there. The parallels to modern cinema are too many to list. Take your pick: the horror of "Apocalypse Now," a blow to the head in "Full Metal Jacket," Barnes shooting Elias in "Platoon," a Black Hawk Down followed by a President ordering retreat at the first sign of battle. Or more recently, Jake Gyllenhall in "Jarhead" begging for the chance to shoot his sniper rifle just once, to register a kill during 100 hours of non-combative combat in the first Gulf War. All these movies have been harshly critical of war, just as most movies today are also brazenly negative about the President and presidency.

The all but forgotten film "Gabriel Over the White House" was a movie about a Lincolnesque president who disbands Congress in order to restore a nation to greatness. It was so popular at the time that many in the political establishment were calling on FDR to take on the role of a benevolent dictator in order to sort out the dire straits of the Depression.

This is perhaps where modern movies differ the most. Today, movies rarely call for the President to take on more powers in order to protect the people. "American Dreamz" portrayed the president as a ventriloquist dummy appearing on America’s favorite TV show. "Love Actually" had the president as a lecherous cowboy who scoffed at the British Prime Minister even as he propositioned his assistant. "Dave" dared to ask whether the country was better off with an everyday doppelganger at the helm. In "Murder at 1600" the President was actually complicit in a murder at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. Not to mention Michael Moore's movies, which in no uncertain terms portray the actual president as a real life super villain. We have to turn to science fiction to find a heroic president - Bill Pullman as the fighter pilot in Independence Day. And the only reason he was allowed to be heroic was because we were being attacked by aliens bent on destroying the entire human race.

As Democrats take control over Congress and divided government is restored to Washington, it will be interesting to see whether the politics of cinema changes as well.

"Borat," currently the number one movie in America, is a hilarious romp that plays to the worst stereotypes about the American people. Ironically, it is selling out theaters everywhere in the world except in Russia, China, Iran, North Korea and the Middle East, where criticism of the U.S. may be at its very peak, but also where censorship and a lack of basic freedoms do not allow the film to be screened in theaters. Perhaps that's the very point of political cinema - to ask questions in a narrative so that more than 40 percent of the people answer in the voting booth.

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Cuban soldiers firing on teenagers who have holed up in the hills outside their small Colorado town. You can practically hear them chanting, "Wolverines!" as they fight back to free their friends and the American way of life. A Russian sub commander defecting to the US in the world's most advanced submarine. Or has he gone mad is about to launch a first strike? Starship troopers raiding a bug planet searching for the brain bug - capture and destroy. Doogie's in charge and he's playing all kinds of mind tricks with the hive. Retired Rangers chase one last dream as they leave the sleepy hollow of Lonesome Dove, Texas to drive cattle to Big Sky Country, with a few life-changing events in between.

These are the cinematic sounds of Basil Poledouris, who died last week after scoring more than 80 movies and TV shows. Though Poledouris has passed, his music and the movies that they layered will live on. From Red Dawn to Les Mis, Free Willy to The Hunt for Red October, his scores created an atmosphere of adventure that drove the action forward in a way that kept audiences eagerly awaiting what would happen next.

You can hear streaming compilations of his music CinematicSound. Hearing the many soundtracks together, you get a since of the adventure that we have lost.

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Will Ferrell is famous for over-the-top performances. He has mastered it in a way that Robin Williams perfected in his prime. Also like Williams, Will Smith and Tom Hanks before him, Ferrell wants to be known as more than mere comedian. "Stranger Than Fiction" is his first foray into more serious fare. His comedy is still prevalent in playing literal, by-the-numbers IRS agent Harold Crick, whose life is the subject of a novel being written by struggling, death-obsessed writer Emma Thompson.

Indeed, his life, and the novel, are perfectly predictable until he wakes one day to a voice that gives meaning to even his most mundane activities. The story that ensues takes him to a shrink, a lit professor and a baker, all with consequences for his real life and the narrator that is keeping tabs on him. Is his life a comedy, a tragedy or something else entirely? Is the protagonist a hero or a ham sandwich, a man or an amoeba, a golem or a government mule? Marc Forster and Zach Helm do a brilliant job of exploring a life worth living as we fight the inevitability of death and taxes, the only two things of which we can be certain that we want to avoid. But avoid them we cannot, and avoid this movie you should not. Enjoy a little fiction about reality that is both strange and true.

Lots of music news this week. Too much for as many stories, so we are cobbling them together as one:

Gerald Levert - R&B singer Gerald Levert passed away in his sleep of an apparent heart attack. He was only 40. He will be remembered for ballads such as "I Swear" and "I'd Give Anything."

Ed Bradley - Jazz music aficionado Ed Bradley, who was best known as an reporter on "60 Minutes," having spent more than a quarter century at CBS, also died, of complications from cancer.

Britney Spears - Post mortem was read for Britney Spears and Kevin Federline, whose two years marriage exposed the basest sides of both, particularly during a reality TV stint in which they broadcast their personal idiosyncrasies to the world via home videos and the WB. Just months after the birth of their second child, the divorce papers coincided with the death of K-Fed's career. His album sold 6,500 copies in its first week and promoters had to give away tickets at his latest shows.

Kylie Minogue - But there was also some good news. After successfully fighting and beating breast cancer over the last 18 months, Aussie pop star Kylie Minogue returned to the stage before 10,000 cheering fans, many of whom were bejeweled in just about anything and everything pink in honor of her battle. She is resuming the tour that she had to cancel after discovering she had cancer just before she embarked on a global tour nearly two years ago.

Faith Hill - Country singer Faith Hill is still reeling over backlash to her self-described "joke" about American Idol winner Carrie Underwood winning best female vocalist at the country music awards. She was caught on camera raising her arms, screaming what and storming off stage. What do you think? Should we believe her? SoundOff here.

At the end of Charlie Kaufman's film Adaptation, the world time lapses from primordial soup to SoCal in such and elegant way that Darwin and my eighth grade science teacher would be proud. The same concept has been applied to the history of modern music by composer R. Luke DuBois. He calls it "time-lapse phonography." The technique applies an algorithm to compute the average frequency of an audio sample, reducing a complete song into a one second sound clip.

DuBois then took the time-lapsed version of the 850 songs that have hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart since 1958 and rolled them into a 37 minute smorgasbord called Billboard. The song reveals some interesting trends. It shows a major shift from vocal melodies of the 1950s and 1960s, to the guitar-driven sounds of the late 60s and early 70s, the disco-inspired high harmonies of the late 70s and the punch of drums and later bass in the 80s and 90s. Even the shift from rock to hip-hop is audibly apparent.

The song bursts play for as many songs as weeks they were at number one. That means Bobby Darin's Mack the Knife plays for nine seconds and Macarena plays for a mind-numbing 14 seconds. That's a long time, even time-lapsed in triple Tivo-style fast forward with the thumb hovering over the mute button.

Google is teaming with 50 newspapers, including the New York Times, the Philadelphia Inquirer and seven Gannett papers, to offer its online advertisers the opportunity to extend their promotions to print. Google is adding a newspaper tab to its AdWords website as well as a simple tool to enable advertisers to create ads by selecting a size, uploading an image and posting text. The newspaper will cover the rest, working directly with the advertiser to finalize and place the ad in print.

Google has a base of hundreds of thousands of customers that could eventually use the one-stop service to align print ads with their web campaigns. The initial test is limited to a select few, namely Netflix, eHealth and eBags. But if all goes as planned, the program will open to other businesses in January 07.

In the 80s, Culture Club was all Benetton and no bluster. They were red, gold and green, the colors of pop music dreams, But recently, the colors have come to stand for something else entirely - red for the bloody feud between bandmates, gold for the chase to squeeze every shilling out of fading royalties and green for the vindictive jealousy that routinely snipes back and forth between.

Frontman Boy George left the band to pursue Broadway and other opportunities, but the rest of the crew still plays as Culture Club, albeit with a different singer (kind of like the E Street Band without Bruce). With a flop on stage and a recent arrest for filing a false police report, Boy George is spouting his mouth more colorfully than usual. He recently accepted a music award without saying anything to his old mates.

And he said the new 27-year old singer was nothing short of shite. Maybe he's just making a play to jump back in front of the mic, or perhaps that goopy make-up that dripped down from atop his head like a Technicolor egg stained his better senses. Either way, it makes for a good bit of fun. A second installment of Behind the Music can't be far off.

Tired of money in politics, or those pervasive negative ads? You will have to wait a few more days for some relief. It's one week before election day. Do you know where your candidates are? Probably stumping around the state, shaking hands, kissing babies and posing for everything with a red light, a flash or a pulse. Candidates are somehow omnipresent as well, always on TV, the radio, in print, online and in your mailbox.

Political candidates, special interest groups, independent 527s and party campaign committees are spending $3.1 billion on political outreach and advertising this election season, according to research firm PQ Media. That's 15 percent more than the 2004 election, when $1 billion was spent on the presidential election alone. Spending is up in 90 percent of media markets, with half going to TV ads, one-quarter to direct mail and the rest dedicated to radio, billboards and other media.

The most significant increase in spending is for gubernatorial races - up 700 percent from 2004. And spending in both the House and Senate races are up dramatically as well, 38 and 40 percent respectively, to $744 and $705 million. The most expensive race is for the New Jersey Senate, where candidates have to buy TV time in both the New York and Philadelphia markets to cover all of the state's voters.

And let's not forget all of the free advertising that the news media is giving the candidates, with negative ads being aired and re-aired on CNN, Fox News and MSNBC, as pundits endlessly debate whether this is the most negative campaign season ever. It only took LBJ's folks one broadcast of the infamous Daisy ad to etch it into the mind of every journalist, journalism student and poli-sci major. The producers at the cable news networks are engraining each new attack ad into are collective consciousness by sheer repetition.

No wonder the number of negative ads has increased. Knowing how much free air-time you get from them, I am shocked that the ads are as tame as they are. Where's the full frontal? When are we going to see outtakes from Political Deathmatch? The viewers demand it. Or at least news producers do. Snipers in Iraq, Broken Government, Splintered Borders, Crying Babies and the ever-present theme music. What's the sound of vote machines not counting votes? My vote is for The Sound of Silence by Simon and Garfunkle. What's yours?

Bob Barker?s final showcase showdown is just around the corner. The octogenarian is finally hanging up his mic after 35 years as the host of The Price is Right, one of the longest running shows on TV. Without Barker, lets hope the show won?t go the way of Family Feud, with second-rate comics and actors most famous for supporting roles on once glorious sit-coms taking over.

Even though Barker wasn?t the original host (Bob Cullen hosted in the 50?s and 60?s), Bob and the lovely Price is Right ladies are the icons of the show. Asked about his future, Barker said he is entertaining movie offers but is refusing to do nude scenes, no matter how much is offered. Legend have it that he wasn?t as shy with the ?Barker?s Beauties.? In fact, he even faced a few lawsuits for sexual harassment. There?s a pleasant image. Maybe he?ll take over for Bob Dole as the spokesman for Viagra.

Earlier this year, Kazaa paid the record labels and movie studios $115 million to settle a copyright infringement lawsuit after the Supreme Court ruled file sharing providers were liable for illegal activities on their networks. The payouts continue. Attorneys for the National Music Publishers' Association say they have reached an agreement for Kazaa to pay "a substantial sum" under a settlement.

NMPA is trumpeting the agreement as another significant victory for the legal music download business. Meanwhile, the President of Sharman Networks, owner of Kazaa, said he did not know anything about the agreement. With this kind of response, what everyone else knows for certain is that this guy is either clueless, out of the loop or in need of much better PR advice. The "I don't know" line doesn't work for very long. Particularly when you are talking about $100 million.

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Both MySpace and YouTube are suddenly feeling the simultaneous pressure to scrub thousands of files from their websites that contain copyrighted material. MySpace is using a digital fingerprint technology to block users from uploading copyrighted music. All uploaded audio files will first have to pass through Gracenote before they can be posted.

The announcement follows MySpace's recent launch of its own digital music store and mirrors YouTube's recent moves to delete clips from Comedy Central and other TV networks. This, in turn, follows aggressive approaches by record labels who have sued services that allow users to post copyrighted songs as the soundtrack to their personal websites. YouTube is choosing to share ad revenue with record labels instead of pulling songs from it site. With YouTube as a guinea of Google and MySpace as a nephew of News Corp., more big business corporate moves should be expected soon. We just hope the soul that has made each of these sites so fantastic survives the culture wars between old and new masters.

For audiophiles, Monster cable is a must, improving sounds and images to an alarming degree. But despite their beauty, they still create a ridiculous tangle of wires behind the stereo or TV. Up until now, options for wireless speakers or TV signals have been extremely poor. Good for a small backyard BBQ but not much more. That is until a dream team of electronic giants decided to develop a high-definition wireless technology that eliminates the need for all those twisted cables.

The Wireless HD Consortium consists of seven companies: LG, Matsushita (Panasonic), NEC, Samsung, Sony and Toshiba, as well as SiBEAM, a wireless startup. Rollout of the first products is expected in 2008. The technology is expected to interface with just about every electronic gadget through a 60 gigahertz radio frequency band with a range of about 30 feet. It will have the capacity to transmit uncompressed high-definition TV signals with the same image quality as its cabled cousins.

Pontiac is betting on the virtual world of Second Life to help sell real cars. The auto maker has purchased a swatch of land dubbed Motorati Island as a place for car aficionados to race, talk cars and even watch movies about cars. Second lifers will get free land on the island in exchange for building car-related attractions. They will also be given the opportunity to customize a Pontiac Solstice GXP the better to cruise the streets with. (The carefully packaged and elegantly executed ulterior motive.

Currently, more than one million people live in the Second Life world, with 10,000 to 15,000 typically there at any given time. It's growing at 20 percent per month. Players often use real money to build attributes in the virtual world. General Motors paid $7,500 to Second Life creator Linden Labs for the right to build Motorati Island, quite a steal, even compared to Detroit's depressed property prices.

The head of EMI music Alain Levy told a London audience of business students that the compact disc is dead unless music companies find a way to deliver additional material on the CD other than music. He cited a recent study which showed that even consumers who buy CDs don?t listen to the actual CD ? they put the disc in their computer and convert the songs to a digital format that they can use on another player. CDs still dominate music sales with 70 percent of the total music market, according to the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry.

But that is certainly changing. Digital music sales will easily top $1 billion this year. And the interplay between music and digital media only promises to get stronger. A number of record companies have signed content distribution deals with YouTube. EMI is holding out on such an agreement because of copyright issues. But ignoring the issue won?t slow down the medium. iTunes, MP3s and YouTube are here to stay. Both CDs and DVDs will be 8-tracked soon enough.

Millions of kids and big kids alike can barely contain their joy in anticipation of two new video game consoles in the coming months. Nintendo?s Wii and Sony?s Playstation 3 promise record sales this holiday season. Only a limited number of consoles will be available in stores starting next month (about 500,000 in the US), so the holiday season will be a mix of new consoles and old games. For those who cannot get their hands on Wii?s revolutionary new controller, which will allow players to effectively wield a sword while playing The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, you may have to fall back on getting your thrills from Final Fantasy XII for old standby Playstation 2. Xbox 360, which will try to make a good run against the new consoles, has Gears of War lined up as its it game of the season.

There?s good reason for all the excitement. By the end of 2006, analysts estimate that 4 million Wii units and 2 million Playstation 3 console will be sold. There are currently more than 100 million Playstation 2?s in play at homes from Tokyo to Tomball, Texas. And more than half of the $30 billion in annual video game sales takes place during the holiday season. Get your thumbs ready.

Three-thousand miles away from the capitol dome in Washington, DC, four students from Claremont McKenna College have found a way to turn their passion for politics into game everyone can enjoy. Building on the phenomena of fantasy football, fantasy baseball, and yes, even fantasy golf, Andrew Lee, Arjun Lall, Ethan Andyshak and Ian Hafkenschiel, have created Fantasy Congress (http://www.fantasycongress.org).

With all of the recent scandals, the name might conjure some less than stately imagery, but the intent of the game is to allow ordinary people to draft a team of congressman and play against their fellow citizens. Players score points when their members draft, refer and pass legislation. It?s not a complete picture of how Washington works (for example, where are the lobbyists), but it?s a good start.

Our only question is whether all legislation is created ? and therefore ranked ? equal. Do both the Patriot Act and the Mandatory Reporting Act of 1999 and to amend the swine reporting provisions of that Act get scored the same? Do members get penalized for pork barrel spending or earmarks for $250 million Alaskan bridges that lead to uninhabited islands? Would you give bonus points for statesmanship or rhetoric? Do members get penalized for skipping votes? What happens if your member gets booted from Congress for ethics violations? And can you choose to have Cheney on your team on the days where he is presiding over the Senate or casting tie-breaking votes? So many questions. Good luck Fantasy Congress. I hope you are better at answering them than the current set of politicians playing in Washington.

China continues to crack down on Internet freedoms, focusing on the anonymity that has driven open expression on the Web. The Internet Society of China has recommended that bloggers should be forced to use their real names when they register their blogs. The Society is a branch of a Chinese government ministry that has steadily been reducing online rights. The Ministry said the real name system is inevitable in order to standardize the blogging industry. The Chinese government has already severely restricted online discussion about politically sensitive subjects and has pressured firms like Google to restrict search results so that topics such as Tienanmen Square do not come up.

This comes on the heels of news that the Iranian government has banned broadband and is forcing Internet service providers to radically reduce the speed of networks within the country to no more than 128 kbps, making it more difficult to watch videos or hear audio online. These countries realize the incredible power of the Internet ? and they are fighting it with all their might. And to think, I complain when it takes more than 20 seconds to download a song. To paraphrase Bob Marley, these songs of freedom, they will never have. Certainly, there is something that can be done.

Microsoft is threatening the dominance of Apple's iPod with the introduction of Zune. Most insiders are saying that Microsoft does not stand a chance. But Apple may have just given them the opening they desperately needed. Thousands of new video iPods have been shipped with a computer virus loaded on them just waiting to wreak havoc on their new owners' computers. The viruses were inadvertently loaded on the machines during the testing process.

The virus, which first surfaced in June, spreads to all memory devices attached to a computer. It also opens a back door that can be used by nefarious hackers to infiltrate a person's system. The worm links to computer servers in China that are currently inactive. But that may change as news spreads. Users are warned to update their anti-virus software and run it before installing their new iPod.

As the RIAA scales back its legal push to strike fear in the hearts of illegal music downloaders in the US, the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) is getting more aggressive. This week they filed 8,000 lawsuits against file sharers who upload music for others to enjoy. (Actually, most of the lawsuits were filed against the parents of alleged downloaders)

The cases were brought in 17 countries, including the first in Brazil, Mexico and Poland. The IFPI paid particularly close attention to Brazil - South America's biggest country and largest economy - where it claims more than 1 billion songs were downloaded illegally last year, corresponding with a 50 percent decrease in album sales since 2000. All in all, IFPI claims that more than 20 billion songs were downloaded illegally last year.

After 33 years as the home of punk rock, CBGB is closing down. The homeless advocacy group that owns the building is giving the dingy bastion on punk rock lore the boot. Gone are the days of the Ramones, the Talking Heads, Television, and even Blondie, who truly was breaking musical ground back once upon a late night aura. Deborah Harry performed on Saturday, followed by Patti Smith tonight, for the last and final show. Fittingly, the club closes on Halloween, but I guess it may take a couple weeks to clean it up ? 30 years of punk can leave quite a lasting funk.

But it will not being dying. The owner is taking CBGB to Vegas. I cannot think of a less punk rock place but maybe that?s punk in a way of its own. No news on whether Kristal will keep the place at 300 capacity like before or enshrine the dingy bathroom where rock excess was perhaps at its raunchiest. It will be hard to replicate the raw energy and ruthless stench of the place too. But perhaps she?ll be able to do it ? better life through chemistry and all. Or maybe they?ll return to the original musical purpose ? to present a venue for Country, Blue Grass and Blues ? that the CBGB in CBGB. For now, its just GoodBye.

Mountain Dew ranks commercials by popularity on its website. Volkswagon dedicates almost an entire site just to the top 20 VW ads. MasterCard offers behind the scenes looks at the creation of its priceless ad series. These are just a few examples of companies who have learned that their ads, which may have been developed for TV, have a much longer life online. The question becomes, how much is too much? Do consumers care about "The Making of the Freedom of the Seas Television Ad" on the Royal Caribbean website? Or is it only the Budweiser and similarly humorous ads that will drive traffic?

The potential for free promotion is incredible. More than 20 million people watched Bud's Super Bowl ads on the company's website. The ads were posted on nearly 1,000 other websites as well. Some websites have learned the appeal of classic commercials as well. You can see the When I Grow Up Monster.com commercial on iFilm and hundreds of golden oldies at AdvertisementAve.com, not to mention the 45,000 commercials and parodies that pop up on YouTube

MySpace started as a site for bands to share music with their fans. Now they are taking a cue from Rock the Vote, trying to turn music into activism by getting people to Declare Yourself by registering to vote. MySpace is running ads on personal profile pages and linking to a page allowing people to enter in their zipcode and printout a voter registration card that they can mail into their state. Those who register receive a digital badge boasting that "I Registered To Vote On MySpace."

As the leading social networking site, MySpace is hoping that their efforts can drive thousands of young people to register. Election day is just over a month out and many states cut-off registrations weeks before election day. So MySpace may not have much of an effect this time around, but with young voter apathy at an all time high and young voter participation at an all time low, every effort helps. For more info, visit Declare Yourself.

On October 6, "Love's Abiding Joy" will become the first theatrical release of a new entertainment venture called FoxFaith. Building on the success of the Passion of the Christ, Fox studios will be releasing a dozen religiously inspired movies in the coming year, half of them for full theatrical release. "Love's Abiding Joy" is based on Christian novelist Janette Oke?s series Love Comes Softly. The venture will aim at drawing evangelicals who typically shun Hollywood movies because of rampant sex and violence.

Fox Home Entertainment is poised to capitalize on the evangelical network that it has been building with 90,000 congregations across the US over the last four years. The movies, which will be made for less than $5 million each, will be backed by an equivalent investment in marketing the features. The venture is promising.

How is it that a quirky show like Lost is ridiculously popular but other dark mysteries such as Point Pleasant or Surface never even make it through one season? Bravo is attempting to answer the question by pitting 24 new Fall shows against one another in an odds game to see which ones will be cancelled first. The contest is being waged at BrilliantButCancelled.com, an offshoot of Bravo's popular series by the same name, which brought brilliant but cancelled shows back on the air.

The odds don't look good for or Happy Hour (3:1) about a newly single man and his party loving friends or the Ann Heche vehicle Men in Trees (4:1). Both have already demonstrated some serious inability to generate an audience. Also on the shortlist is Jericho, a post-apocalyptic drama set in Kansas. Those poised for renewal even before the debut include Shark, starring James Woods, Smith, starring Ray Liotta and "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip" (with a whopping 277:1 odds) starring a whole of well-known actors in the latest Aaron Sorkin vehicle. Those who guess correctly can watch the limited runs of their brilliant but cancelled progeny on shiny new video iPods that will be given to weekly winners.

ReelSoundtrack is not usually the forum to delve into world politics, but this story is just too good (and too surreal) to resist. A new book - Enemies - by Washington Times reporter Bill Gertz exposes decades of true stories about spies who have infiltrated the US military and intelligence community. It contains a fascinating revelation about Kim Jong-Il, who is notoriously fond of Hollywood movies, despite his aversion to Washington policies. But lil' Kim did not take too kindly to the puppet movie Team America: World Police, produced by South Park creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker of South Park fame.

Team America portrayed Hollywood actors as active supporters of the North Korean dictator and being completely naive about his intentions for world domination. The movie had biting, blatantly offensive (and embarrassingly funny) caricatures of Islamic terrorists and Kim Jong-Il. At one point, Kim sings a ballad about being so lonely up in his distant palace. He feeds Hans Blix to the sharks and hosts a world summit featuring the best entertainment North Korea has to offer. It's not music to anyone's ears. Kim?s language is stereotypically slurred and he is portrayed as being insane - which he probably is.

Here?s the kicker - Gertz's book reveals that Kim Jong-Il was so upset by the movie that he ordered his agents to assassinate Trey Parker and Matt Stone. That's right, because they lampooned him with a maniacal puppet, Kim wants them dead. If this does not show him for the crazy little dictator that he is, then maybe I need to read Mein Kampf one more time. What's with these failed artists turning bad design into designs to rule the world? So you couldn't be an actor. So you couldn't paint for shit. How does that lead you to believe it's okay to kill a couple million people. I just found a new reason to get into movies - to piss off egomaniacal dictators with failing cults of personality. We should Noriega out of his Panamanian hideout with a little Van Halen. Maybe puppets can free the world of Kim Jong-Il. Doctors Without Borders estimates that 3 to 4 million people have died from starvation and perhaps a million more from torture and death camps in North Korea in the last 10 years. That's 20 percent of the country's population.

The conclusion was reached after evaluating the results of 200 surveys taken by randomly selected celebrities before they appeared on the Love Lines syndicated radio show. The study also concludes that the reason why there are so many narcissists in Hollywood is that self-adoring people seek the attention that celebrity will give them. They come to Hollywood because they have an over-inflated sense of self importance

Ages ago, America Online had these little terminals - not computers, but Internet machines - designed to help people get on the Internet without the expense of buying a computer. Computer prices dropped and the terminals become obsolete, but the idea has remained. Now people can get the Internet through all sorts of devices, even some refrigerators. But perhaps the most practical non-computer Internet application of them all has just been introduced.

The multi-room Sonos Digital Music System will allow you to stream music throughout your home without having to turn on a computer. The base will connect to your broadband but does not require a computer to be turned on as an intermediary. Currently, the company's ZonePlayer requires a computer connection, but a simple software update for the box will free the device from the computer. Now you can stream Queen's "I Want to Break Free" and watch your Sonos dancing with glee. Rhapsody is the first music service to sign on. Others are expected to sign-on soon.

The fairytale romance is over. Crack Barbie and Wifebeater Ken are calling it quits. No more "crack is wack" TV interviews. No more "Being Bobby Brown" on Bravo. No more super lost tribes of Israel trips to the Holy Land. What are the tabloids and TV audiences to do? Rumor is that Whitney is back in the studio for the first time since 2002. She was seen last week with Clive Davis. Maybe it's true. She has legendary pipes. But could they withstand years of abuse - from Bobby and herself?

Let us hope so. Because although we may be fascinated by train wrecks, straining to avert our eyes slowly enough to still get a clean view, we prefer to celebrate the beauty that was Whitney in her prime. I just hope she cleans up and because unwittingly becoming the poster child for the Truth campaign or "This is Your Career on Drugs" is not something that we would wish on anybody. Just say no Whitney. Just keep on saying no - to Bobby, to crack, to locking yourself in the bathroom for days at a time, to throwing it all away. Maybe give Costner a call. He rescued you once before. His career could use a little help of his own.

"It's okay to trick me, but only if you're not trying to sell me something." So say thousands of avid viewers who have followed the musings of Lonelygirl15 on MySpace and YouTube for the last couple months. When an investigative reporter revealed that Lonelygirl15 is a character, not a real person, people initially revolted, thinking she was a guerilla marketing ploy to promote a movie.

But the creators of the online videos have since come out to confirm Lonelygirl15 is just a character, but also to say that she is not hawking a commercial product. She is just an experiment in storytelling. As it often does, all of the publicity about the controversy is working in their favor. The number of viewers on YouTube has skyrocketed since the news broke last week. And just in time to capitalize, the creators are launching a website to continue to tell Bree's story. The site is associated with Revver. Perhaps there is a financial component after all. Will people care? Or will they simply care about a good story?

In the latest issue of O magazine, part of Oprah's mega-billion media conglomerate, Oprah and her best friend Gayle King tell readers that they are not gay. And by saying they are not gay, they sparked hundreds of stories asking whether Oprah was gay. Oprah's pretty much a media genius. So why would she make the statement, knowing that the media response would be to ask a barrage of follow-on questions. Perhaps she was just trying to shake up Stedman a bit. Or maybe it was her version of couch jumping. Who knows?

But what we do know is that Oprah and Gayle have been inseparable for 30 years while Stedman waits in the wings without a ring on his hand. If I were Stedman, I wouldn't stand for it. Gay or not gay, the man needs to know where he stands - second to Harpo, third to Gayle, fourth to her personal chef, fifth to her trainer, sixth to the producer who lost his partner in the tsunami, seventh to her protege Dr. Phil, eighth to her much vaunted holiday give away show, ninth to her book club. Stedman doesn't even make the top 10. But at least he doesn't seem to be threatened by all the fame and fortune. Not like Chad Lowe, who did not feel swank enough to stand next to Hilary anymore. Stand by your woman Stedman. After all, she is the most powerful woman in the world.

iTunes broke onto the scene by legitimizing legal music downloads on the way to dominating the market. A couple years later, it took on TV, and is leading the way for downloading TV shows to video iPods, computers and networked TVs. In the process, it resurrected The Office and challenged viewers of Lost to find carefully hidden clues on a miniscule two inch screen. Now the movie scene is on its scope.

While several other companies are already offering movie downloads, including MovieLink and CinemaNow (with various quality, usage rights and portability), iTunes promises to legitimize the market for this segment as well. Apple is still working out the details with the studios, but the companies track record and built in audience means that Apple has some leverage. The first iTunes movie was "High School Musical" which was offered at $9.99 last March and was billed as a promise of good things to come. We're not so patiently but dutifully waiting. We're also wondering if iTunes will ever change its name to something more multimedia friendly?

He was famous for saying "Crikey" as he narrowly escaped attack after life-threatening attack from 20 foot crocodiles and the world's most venomous snakes. But ultimately, it was a 220 lb bull stingray that surprised Steve Irwin and shocked the world, by piercing his heart with its barbed and poisonous stingray. All the more shocking, it was all caught on tape. He was filming a documentary at the time. His cameraman, and longtime friend, said that Irwin pulled the serrated barb out of his heart before going unconscious and dying. Even til the end, you could almost hear him say, "Crikey, now that's a buster," expecting him to pull at the barb, pick his teeth with it and keep on swimming. But alas, even the crocodile hunter is human.

We visited the Australian Zoo almost 10 years ago, and had the honor of spending the day with him. He was awe inspiring and passionate about his job, his life and conservation of animals, plants and the great wilderness that the world is losing acre by acre each day. There are those who say he was reckless, but he understood the risks and how to manage them. He knew the behaviors, the triggers and the responses of the beasts he dared to interact with - to teach us about. For him, wrestling a croc was like tickling a puppy for me or you. I for one, wish more people wrestled alligators instead of killing them. I wish more people were as passionate about their lives. And when I say more people, I mean me. Crikey! We lost a good one.

Jack Black hosted and Jack White performed. But not even this cataclysmic mix of time and space, darkness and light, could spark the energy needed to make the MTV Video Music Awards interesting. Disjointed performances, odd breaks with random backstage footage and Al Gore, does not an enjoyable performance make. But that is what MTV gave viewers last night. It starting out promising, with Jack Black in a moon man outfit that spontaneously combusted. But it quickly devolved into a mess. Britney and K-Fed in a dressing room with jokes about cigarettes up his tuckus and TaterTot driving away in a mini SUV comes to mind.

Not even Tenacious D could save the day. The Jackass guys were stupid drunk - no surprise - but at least we expect them to be funny. They weren?t. Producers kept on cutting off the Jack White and his Racenteurs. Christina Aguilera demonstrated her ridiculously good pipes but elicited a few yawns by the end - she should consider putting a few of those 17 piercings back in. Even Lil Kim was dressed tamely, as if she were at a country club or business meeting, instead of her typical cracked out style. Shakira's hips did an all too familiar shake and I felt lied to about the show actually being interesting. Maybe it will get better with editing. Word is they are dropping the Britney skit, so there is some hope. Maybe it will be more entertaining when MTV airs it the 100th time by next Saturday. Or maybe we should all just forget this little piece of televised tragedy. AFI - please find that Miss Murder of yours and do a little number before MTV gets a hold of another year's awards.

So this is not directly about movies or music, but I had to weigh in. Pluto is no longer a planet. So says the interplanetary scientific community. It is a "dwarf planet," no better than an average asteroid which has also been given this title. And some people are pissed.

Seven years ago, the interplanetary society tried to strip Pluto of its planetary designation, but they were scared off by the pleading letters of 30,000 elementary school students. The society waited for these idealistic kids to become cynical teens - stripping the planet of its designation while avoiding a similar embarrassingly lopsided battle this time. Who wants to say no to kindergarteners writing about their favorite planet in crayon?

But capitalism is now crafting a charge of its own. More than 2,000 pro Pluto products were offered for sale within days of the change in planetary designation. We'll see if the all mighty dollar can rescue a planet from proto status. Never before (in modern history) has a planet become de-planetified. It's like telling Zeus he can't live on Mt. Olympus; like telling Jupiter that he can no longer pal around with Mercury, Venus, Mars or the other Gods. Like playing baseball without the shortstop - sure he doesn't really cover a bag like the other in-fielders, but he is still important. Like Floyd without Richard Waters. Come on, It's just not the same, right?"

But the strangest part about it, is that it took the best and brightest of today's astronomers 75 years to fix a "mistake" that was so obvious to so many for so long. It turns out that Pluto never should have been named a planet in the first place. In fact, Indian astronomers determined 2,000 years ago that there were only eight planets in our galaxy. Pluto was not a planet.

So what should we do in such cases of intergalactic oops? Should we honor tradition or be true to science? Should myth and legend play as important a role as diameter, circumference and orbital trajectory? I, for one, like a little mystery in life. I think we should keep up the mystique?

I think Richard Branson should honor the pseudo planet with a trip from his Voyager. I think the president should adopt another dog and call him Pluto out of spite. I think I'll buy one of those t-shirts. And maybe even a magnet for the fridge. If you believe, we put a man on the moon. If you believe, Pluto is the planet is should be. Write Michael Stipe. It's time to pull a Lady Di remake, Candle in the Wind on this modern classic. Or maybe Gustav Holst was right. He did not include Pluto in his masterpiece, The Planets, Op 32. Maybe we should have listened to him all along.

The good news is that "people aren't barfing as much in planes as they used to." That's what Michael Boyd, president of an aviation consulting group, is saying. In fact, they have a really long shelf life these days. Maybe that's because the airlines are no longer serving their delectable meals. Or perhaps we are just more used to bumpy rides after the decade we have been through. But there they are, sitting in the back of an airline seat for months or even years before they are reached for in a fit of despair about the bubbling pit in one's stomach.

That's prime real estate. The side of that barf bag is just waiting for someone to put their logo or ad on it. US Airways to the rescue. They are hoping that the ads will squeeze out a bit more profit in these lean times. The company is in discussions with potential advertisers, focusing on tie-ins for motion-sickness pills and other similar products. A creative ad agency could have all sorts of fun with it. No telling if there will be different ads for first class, business class and coach.

There are two types of people in the world