Roland Emmerich Doomed In '2012' Opens Today

There is a growing legend out there that the ancient Maya predicted the world would end on Dec. 21, 2012. It doesn't. But, as with other topics based on a whiff of truth and a hint of hysteria, Hollywood is all over it. The disaster-movie veteran Roland Emmerich has given movie watchers several apocalyptic sci-fi thriller films in the past in "Godzilla," "Independence Day," "The Day After Tomorrow" and "10,000 B.C.," and he offers another look at the end of the world in his latest exercise in global cataclysm that tells of the heroic struggle of the survivors "2012," opens theaters today.
People who view screenwriting as an art and don't particularly care about audience reaction to their films. But Mr. Emmerich , the hollywood's most successful one-trick pony, claims to favor "human stories" over spectacle, he has taken that very kind of formula writing and made a veritable empire out of it, returning every few years to destroy some corner of the earth and invent a handful of earnest heroes, wisecracking sidekicks and solemn old men to survive his newest take on the apocalypse. "2012" is crammed with state-of-the-art digital effects. A few teacups get chipped: California slides into the sea; Yellowstone Park blows straight up into the sky; disasters flattening Rio's Christ the Redeemer statue, St.Peter's Basilica and the White House; massive floods and fires; and a giraffe being rescued by helicopter. That's just the opening act.
In "2012," our premier Hollywood disastermeister Mr.Emmerich flips our entire planet on its head. Following an academic researcher who opens a portal into a parallel universe, making contact with his double in an effort to prevent the catastrophic prophecies of the ancient Mayan calendar from coming to pass. When a global cataclysm thrusts the world into chaos, divorced writer and father Jackson Curtis (John Cusack) uses his knowledge of the ancient prophecies to ensure that the human race is not completely wiped out. Chiwetel Ejiofor, Danny Glover, Amanda Peet, Thandie Newton, and Oliver Platt round out the cast of this thriller.
Mr. Emmerich claims that "2012" is his final disaster movie, unless "Independence Day 2" ever gets off the ground, and the movie is nothing if not an indulgent curtain call for the man who figured out how much we like watching cinematic portrayals of our own demise. It's all the reasons we've ever loved or hated his movies, but also a reminder of why it's high time to move on. Alternately eye-popping, brain-bruising, and certifiably insipid, "2012" will absolutely appeal to anyone who enjoys watching films ironically.

"An Education" Opens In Theaters Today

Danish filmmaker Lone Scherfig always has an easy touch with relationships, never overplaying the hand she's been dealt. She has adapted British journalist Lynn Barber's autobiographical memoir with screenwriter Nick Hornby, both come together bring a beautifully observed film for "An Education", opens today at theaters.
"An Education" is a British coming-of-age drama and fulfills its purpose as a light-hearted and captivating film. Set amid the post-war austerity of England in 1962, and centers around a suburban soon-to-be-17-year-old schoolgirl Jenny (played by Carey Mulligan) who is working hard to get into Oxford, until she meets the suave, thirty-something David (Peter Sarsgaard) who seduces her into his hipster world and shows her an a lternate future, for better and for worse. The ending of the film is particularly poignant, and confirms the theme that, even if you make mistakes, they sometimes turn into memories you'll cherish forever.
The film premiered at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival, gaining critical acclaim and won the audience award for best film and screened in the Berlin, London, Telluride, Toronto and Sydney festivals. The Danish director Lone Scherfig excels in establishing a rhythm of natural progression throughout the entire film, though highly predictable and at some times painstakingly obvious, this coming-of-age story interlaces an exceptional amount of comedy with the perfect amount of serious, life-changing situations to create a legitimately delightful film. The film is also powered by the strength of relative newcomer Carey Mulligan's standout performance. Mulligan has been praised for her breakthrough performance and singled out by critics as a potential dark horse for Best Actress in the upcoming Academy Awards race. The overarching theme of "An Education" never falls short of hitting its target, as it serves to be a redundant reminder of where life might take you.

Michael Jackson Debuts Single "This Is It" Online

Michael Jackson may be gone, but he isn't finished releasing new music. The star's first new track "This Is It" from the upcoming his music documentary was to make its debut at midnight Sunday at Jackson’s official Web Site, nearly four months after the King of Pop's death. The site says it is "a brand new song" that "marks yet another exciting moment in music history for one of the world's most revered artists; featuring backing vocals by Michael's brothers." The song is being be delivered to radio stations amid tight security.
The first drop in what might be a flood of unheard Jackson material is a song called "This Is It", which Sony had scheduled to send to radio stations on Sunday night. Based on a tape Mr. Jackson left behind containing only his piano and vocals, a full arrangement was built, complete with swelling strings and his brothers' backup vocals. The song is to run during the closing credits of the new Jackson film, perhaps not coincidentally called "This Is It."
The song is a mid-tempo ballad punctuated by light guitar riffs and rich orchestration. The track has the same name as Jackson's 50-date comeback concerts, which had been due to kick off in London over the summer, although the synergy is unclear. If "This Is It" is any guide, the provenance of leftover Jackson songs might be difficult to establish. It is not clear when the song was written or recorded, and Sony originally believed that the tape was made around the time of Mr.Jackson's 1991 album "Dangerous", but it could have been much earlier, perhaps even as early as the album "Off the Wall" from 1979. "I really have no idea what the origins of the song are," said Rob Stringer, chairman of the Columbia/Epic Label Group.
The song trails a two-disc album of the same name that will be available internationally on October 26, and North America on October 27 through Sony’s Columbia/Epic Label Group. The album will boast a 36-page, commemorative booklet featuring exclusive photos of Jackson from his last rehearsal. The album also contains music from a documentary film about Jacko's planned comeback, called "Michael Jackson's This Is It", which will have a limited two-week run in theaters from October 28 and will also be on DVD and Blu-ray.

Within Temptation Posts "Utopia" Music Video

Dutch female-fronted symphonic metal band, Within Temptation will release a new live album, "An Acoustic Night At The Theatre" on October 30 in Germany, Austria and Switzerland and November 2 in the rest of Europe. According to the rock band, the new acoustic live CD will feature many of their biggest hits, played live and acoustic during seated tour last year. "These were very special concerts, as we added an acoustic set to our live show, making our show more intimate," the group says. "Besides this we used film projections emphasizing the great theatre ambiance."
The band was founded in 1996 by vocalist Sharon den Adel and guitarist Robert Westerholt. The new live album will also contain a brand new first single on it, entitled "Utopia", which is a duet between Sharon, and a new guest vocals from British singer Chris Jones. Jones was also a guest vocalist on Armin van Buuren’s album "Imagine", performing on the track "Going Wrong." The single will be released on October 23. The single will also contain "Restless", recorded live at Within Temptation's 2007 show in Eindhoven, Holland.
Within Temptation has now posted a music video for the song "Utopia" on their official YouTube channel yesterday. The video shows a man walking around a city and witnesses a lot of people doing bad things, such as a man stealing a blind woman's wallet and a prostitute being picked up by an older man. He also saves a child from almost being hit by a car when his mother wasn't paying attention to what he was doing. The band is also seen performing in a run down building.

Boys Like Girls | "Love Drunk" (Video F/ Ashley Tisdale)

Boys Like Girls is an American rock band from Boston, and they gained mainstream recognition when released their self-titled debut album "Boys Like Girls" in 2006.
"Love Drunk" is the lead track taken from Boys Like Girls' upcoming sophomore same titled album, which is currently scheduled for release on September 8. The single was premiered on MySpace and was released via iTunes on June 30, and it was also sent to mainstream radios on July 7. The melody of the first lines in the song's chorus greatly resemble the chorus of The Killers' hit song "Somebody Told Me."
The new music video for "Love Drunk" began shooting on June 29, and features American actress and singer Ashley Tisdale. "Ashley was awesome! She played the lead girl," Martin Johnson, the lead vocals says. "We did this faux arcade set-up with the band as 'carnival' guys. She makes all the guys in the arcade fall for her and then it has a surprise ending."