Post by Talon Karrde on Jan 22, 2006 0:16:25 GMT -5
Every week, G-POP.net strives to bring you a variety of entertainment. Here's what's new for this week:
Pray For The Soul of Betty - Remember the American Idol sensation Constantine Maroulis? This is his band's cd, reviewed by Justine Manzano.
Excerpt: "I had never watched American Idol in my life on the day that my colleague Jon Minners came over to my house and commandeered my television, forcing me to watch what was the fourth season of a show that I despised for killing my favorite television show, Angel. Not a damn soul stood out to me…not even Carrie Underwood, who eventually won the famed title of American Idol. Nobody that is, except for Constantine Maroulis. One might be shocked to learn that the episode I caught was the one containing the oft-mocked rendition of “I Think I Love You.” But, pink scarf and all, my attention was caught and it didn’t take long for me to stumble upon the information that before his time on American Idol, this man fronted a band. I couldn’t help but investigate."
Hoodwinked - the new animated movie revealing the truth behind the story of Little Red Riding Hood, reviewed by Melissa Minners.
Excerpt: "So you think you know the story of Little Red Riding Hood and the Big Bad Wolf, eh? Well, brothers Cory Edwards and Todd Edwards beg to differ. They have chosen to tell us the story you might know if you “just read between the lines” of the age-old fairy tale. This is the premise behind the animated film Hoodwinked. There is “trouble in the hood”, or so the movie tagline goes. Some fiend, cleverly dubbed the Goodie Bandit, has been stealing the recipes of goody shops throughout the area. Seeking to keep Granny’s goody recipes safe from the bandit, Red (AKA: Little Red Riding Hood) travels to Granny’s house, high up on the mountain, recipe book in tow. Of course, as the story goes, Red walks in to Granny’s house to find a wolf in Granny’s clothing. Suddenly, the closet bursts open and out jumps Granny, wrapped from head to toe in rope."
Juror 13 - the latest from the manga marvels at TOKYOPOP, reviewed by Jon Minners.
Excerpt: "For the most part, manga usually contains stories that need to be depicted over several volumes and it is often rare to see a one-shot manga that provides a riveting, emotional rollercoaster ride of an adventure like that seen in the pages of Juror 13. How the writer was able to perfectly pull together such an enticing piece of literature in only 177-pages is absolutely amazing. The story follows the arrival of a mysterious jury summons that thrust’s a man’s life into a dizzying downward spiral. Jeremy’s fiancé has left him, he is having real problems at the auto insurance claims department he works at, and his best friend is suddenly acting mysterious, vanishing and seemingly plotting against Jeremy. With the jury trial approaching, anxiety overcomes Jeremy, as he finds himself in a world of backstabbing, deceit and a crime he may take the fall for. It leaves Jeremy on the outside looking in, wondering who he can trust, what move he should make and how he is going to make it out of it all safe and sound. The tag line states that Juror 13 follows one man’s fight for sanity in a world dripping with paranoia. It’s a tale that will open your eyes, but can you trust what you see?"
Yonen Buzz - manga from Christina Plaka, distributed by TOKOYPOP, and reviewed by Jon Minners.
Excerpt: "It is not often that you feel bad disliking material you are asked to review, especially when you originally made a name for yourself tearing apart products you felt were unsatisfactory to be mass marketed to the public. After reading Yonen Buzz from TOKYOPOP and by Christina Plaka, I felt horrible. I expected something so much more and yet, I was so disappointed by what I read..."
Dragon Head - manga by Minetaro Mochizuki, didtributed by TOKYOPOP, and reviewed by Jon Minners.
Excerpt: "Whoa! Wow! I’m speechless. TOKYOPOP has done it again. Now that Battle Royale is almost over, I have found the series that will keep my interest for the next year to come. In time, Dragon Head will have everyone talking. This is the best manga series I have read since TOKYOPOP captured my attention with the story of students forced to fight to the death. Ironically, this is a story about three students forced to find a way to survive when death is all that’s at hand."
Jim Brickman: The Disney Songbook - a compilation of Disney movie music favorites reworked by Jim Brickman and guests, reviewed by Melissa Minners.
Excerpt: "On October 4, 2005, Jim Brickman brought his musical talents to Walt Disney Records. The partnership produced an amazing album entitled, Jim Brickman: The Disney Songbook, a compilation of Disney movie tracks given a new twist by the talents of Jim Brickman and singers such as Kimberly Locke, Wayne Brady, Lila McCann and more. To say that Brickman is a talented pianist does not sum up his contribution to the World of Disney. Anyone who can take a medley of Mary Poppins songs like Chim Chim Cher-ee, Feed the Birds, Let’s Go Fly A Kite, Stay Awake and Supercalifragilisticexpealidocious and turn them into classical music is absolutely amazing."
Master - a horror / romance novel written by Bridgette Morrow and reviewed by Ismael Manzano.
Excerpt: "A widely known fact amongst my close knit circle of friends—but probably unbeknownst to you, my loyal fans—is that I love vampire books, vampire comic books, and vampire movies. If it’s in some media-friendly form and it’s about vampires, chances are, I’ll read, watch, or whatever it. I’m not always happy with what I’m exposed to, but I keep looking for it anyway. So when I saw Master, by Bridget Morrow, in PublishAmerica’s web page, I went for it and crossed my fingers."
Fahrenheit 451 - a Turn Back the Clock review of Ray Bradbury's novel written by Melissa Minners.
Excerpt: "What is Fahrenheit 451? The temperature at which book paper catches fire and burns. I first read Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury when I was in Junior High School. At around the same time, I read George Orwell’s 1984 and Animal Farm. All three novels were about censorship and although I loved Animal Farm, Fahrenheit 451 had the most impact on me. As a lover of the written word, it’s painful to imagine a world in which books are outlawed material. A world where the burning of books is justified – even welcome – is a world in which I would hate to live. Years later, after reading the 50th Anniversary Edition of the novel, I can honestly say that it still has the same effect on me."
Random Acts of Ismael - the newest addition to our column section. For those of you who are wondering what a random act of Ismael is, here's an excerpt: "You ever think that sperm banks would make a killing if they accepted donations over the mail? Think about it; how many more people would send their supply to a daddy bank if they didn’t have to face the embarrassment of going into an office and doing their business to readily-provided video or pornographic pictures? What? You never thought about it? Patent pending, so don’t get any ideas."
And don't miss the latest updates of our other feature columns, Minners Commentary Corner: Things You Never Forget IX - The Games We Played and Badseed's Bottomline: TNA - What Have You Done?!
Pray For The Soul of Betty - Remember the American Idol sensation Constantine Maroulis? This is his band's cd, reviewed by Justine Manzano.
Excerpt: "I had never watched American Idol in my life on the day that my colleague Jon Minners came over to my house and commandeered my television, forcing me to watch what was the fourth season of a show that I despised for killing my favorite television show, Angel. Not a damn soul stood out to me…not even Carrie Underwood, who eventually won the famed title of American Idol. Nobody that is, except for Constantine Maroulis. One might be shocked to learn that the episode I caught was the one containing the oft-mocked rendition of “I Think I Love You.” But, pink scarf and all, my attention was caught and it didn’t take long for me to stumble upon the information that before his time on American Idol, this man fronted a band. I couldn’t help but investigate."
Hoodwinked - the new animated movie revealing the truth behind the story of Little Red Riding Hood, reviewed by Melissa Minners.
Excerpt: "So you think you know the story of Little Red Riding Hood and the Big Bad Wolf, eh? Well, brothers Cory Edwards and Todd Edwards beg to differ. They have chosen to tell us the story you might know if you “just read between the lines” of the age-old fairy tale. This is the premise behind the animated film Hoodwinked. There is “trouble in the hood”, or so the movie tagline goes. Some fiend, cleverly dubbed the Goodie Bandit, has been stealing the recipes of goody shops throughout the area. Seeking to keep Granny’s goody recipes safe from the bandit, Red (AKA: Little Red Riding Hood) travels to Granny’s house, high up on the mountain, recipe book in tow. Of course, as the story goes, Red walks in to Granny’s house to find a wolf in Granny’s clothing. Suddenly, the closet bursts open and out jumps Granny, wrapped from head to toe in rope."
Juror 13 - the latest from the manga marvels at TOKYOPOP, reviewed by Jon Minners.
Excerpt: "For the most part, manga usually contains stories that need to be depicted over several volumes and it is often rare to see a one-shot manga that provides a riveting, emotional rollercoaster ride of an adventure like that seen in the pages of Juror 13. How the writer was able to perfectly pull together such an enticing piece of literature in only 177-pages is absolutely amazing. The story follows the arrival of a mysterious jury summons that thrust’s a man’s life into a dizzying downward spiral. Jeremy’s fiancé has left him, he is having real problems at the auto insurance claims department he works at, and his best friend is suddenly acting mysterious, vanishing and seemingly plotting against Jeremy. With the jury trial approaching, anxiety overcomes Jeremy, as he finds himself in a world of backstabbing, deceit and a crime he may take the fall for. It leaves Jeremy on the outside looking in, wondering who he can trust, what move he should make and how he is going to make it out of it all safe and sound. The tag line states that Juror 13 follows one man’s fight for sanity in a world dripping with paranoia. It’s a tale that will open your eyes, but can you trust what you see?"
Yonen Buzz - manga from Christina Plaka, distributed by TOKOYPOP, and reviewed by Jon Minners.
Excerpt: "It is not often that you feel bad disliking material you are asked to review, especially when you originally made a name for yourself tearing apart products you felt were unsatisfactory to be mass marketed to the public. After reading Yonen Buzz from TOKYOPOP and by Christina Plaka, I felt horrible. I expected something so much more and yet, I was so disappointed by what I read..."
Dragon Head - manga by Minetaro Mochizuki, didtributed by TOKYOPOP, and reviewed by Jon Minners.
Excerpt: "Whoa! Wow! I’m speechless. TOKYOPOP has done it again. Now that Battle Royale is almost over, I have found the series that will keep my interest for the next year to come. In time, Dragon Head will have everyone talking. This is the best manga series I have read since TOKYOPOP captured my attention with the story of students forced to fight to the death. Ironically, this is a story about three students forced to find a way to survive when death is all that’s at hand."
Jim Brickman: The Disney Songbook - a compilation of Disney movie music favorites reworked by Jim Brickman and guests, reviewed by Melissa Minners.
Excerpt: "On October 4, 2005, Jim Brickman brought his musical talents to Walt Disney Records. The partnership produced an amazing album entitled, Jim Brickman: The Disney Songbook, a compilation of Disney movie tracks given a new twist by the talents of Jim Brickman and singers such as Kimberly Locke, Wayne Brady, Lila McCann and more. To say that Brickman is a talented pianist does not sum up his contribution to the World of Disney. Anyone who can take a medley of Mary Poppins songs like Chim Chim Cher-ee, Feed the Birds, Let’s Go Fly A Kite, Stay Awake and Supercalifragilisticexpealidocious and turn them into classical music is absolutely amazing."
Master - a horror / romance novel written by Bridgette Morrow and reviewed by Ismael Manzano.
Excerpt: "A widely known fact amongst my close knit circle of friends—but probably unbeknownst to you, my loyal fans—is that I love vampire books, vampire comic books, and vampire movies. If it’s in some media-friendly form and it’s about vampires, chances are, I’ll read, watch, or whatever it. I’m not always happy with what I’m exposed to, but I keep looking for it anyway. So when I saw Master, by Bridget Morrow, in PublishAmerica’s web page, I went for it and crossed my fingers."
Fahrenheit 451 - a Turn Back the Clock review of Ray Bradbury's novel written by Melissa Minners.
Excerpt: "What is Fahrenheit 451? The temperature at which book paper catches fire and burns. I first read Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury when I was in Junior High School. At around the same time, I read George Orwell’s 1984 and Animal Farm. All three novels were about censorship and although I loved Animal Farm, Fahrenheit 451 had the most impact on me. As a lover of the written word, it’s painful to imagine a world in which books are outlawed material. A world where the burning of books is justified – even welcome – is a world in which I would hate to live. Years later, after reading the 50th Anniversary Edition of the novel, I can honestly say that it still has the same effect on me."
Random Acts of Ismael - the newest addition to our column section. For those of you who are wondering what a random act of Ismael is, here's an excerpt: "You ever think that sperm banks would make a killing if they accepted donations over the mail? Think about it; how many more people would send their supply to a daddy bank if they didn’t have to face the embarrassment of going into an office and doing their business to readily-provided video or pornographic pictures? What? You never thought about it? Patent pending, so don’t get any ideas."
And don't miss the latest updates of our other feature columns, Minners Commentary Corner: Things You Never Forget IX - The Games We Played and Badseed's Bottomline: TNA - What Have You Done?!