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THURSDAY, OCTOBER 4, 2012
MUSIC REVIEW
CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Kendrick Lamar, an upcoming rap artist, will release his first album, "Good Kid, m.A.A.d City," on Oct. 22 on Dr. Dre's label, Aftermath Entertainment.
New music yet to come for 2012
RYAN WRIGHT
rwright@kansan.com
2012 has shaped up to be, for the most part, a superb year for music. Artists are really putting out solid projects. Now that the leaves are changing colors, here's what to look forward to for the rest of the year across all genres.
Taylor Swift – “Red”: America’s favorite country superstar is back this fall with the release of her fourth LP “Red.” The album’s leading single “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together” has topped the Billboard Hot 100 charts for the last several weeks. Swift looks to continue singing about her personal favorite subject, love, but she’s taking a different direction with the music side by venturing out of country music a bit.
Kendrick Lamar – "Good Kid, m.A.A.d city": If you're one of those people who still believe rap music lacks substance, you clearly aren't
familiar with Kendrick Lamar. Lamar is fixing his major label debut with "Good Kid, m.A.A.D city" under Dr. Dre's Aftermath Entertainment. Lamar made it clear he's one of rap's most promising emcees with his independently released album, "Section.80." Ever since he's been making show-stalking guest features with everyone from Drake to Rick Ross. Even Lady Gaga is a fan, as she'll be featured on this album.
Ke$ha – “Warrior”: Love her or hate her, Ke$ha is back in 2012 with her sophomore album, “Warrior”. Ke$ha had a great year in 2010, releasing her EP “Cannibal” and her debut album, “Animal”, which spawned the mega-hit “Tik Tok”. Ke$ha looks to continue her string of dance-pop hits with this album.
The Weeknd - "Trilogy". Coming off an international tour and signing his first deal with Republic, the Weeknd is set to release his major labor debut. "Trilogy" is basically a
mastered version of the three mixtapes he previously released for free last year. The reason many fans are looking forward to it is he's adding new tracks to it. The Weekend has received high praise from many outlets such as MTV, who called him "the best musical talent since Michael Jackson." This fall, he'll try to live up to the hype.
Trash Talk - "119": California-native punk band Trash Talk is set to release their fourth studio album, "119," on Odd Future Records. Releasing wild videos directed by Tyler, the Creator with cameos from Wayne Brady, the group's album should be very interesting.
Those are just a few of the hyped albums releases for the rest of the year. With these — plus many more — this fall's selection of music is shaping up to make a strong finish for 2012.
- Edited by Sarah McCabe
MOVIE REVIEW
Dracula, voiced by Adam Sandler, and Jonathan, voiced by Andy Samberg, wear different expressions in this Sony Animation Studios still shot from the movie Hotel Transylvania. Selena Gomez also voices a main character in the film.
CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
Don't bother checking into 'Hotel Transylvania'
LANDON MCDONALD
imcdonald@kansan.com
At a time when films like "ParaNorman" and "Rango" are attracting younger viewers with heartfelt stories and thrilling visuals, focus-tested flotsam like "Hotel Transylvania" can come across as bland or even cynical in comparison. Nearly every aspect of this film, from its ready-made animation style to its voice-over talent, suggests the emphasis of broad appeal over a singular creative vision.
Halloween season is off to a ghastly start with "Hotel Transylvania," a shambling monster mash where prosocial life lessons are imparted by a flatulent Frankenstein (Kevin James) and a break-dancing, Yiddish-sounding Count Dracula (Adam Sandler). No, this is not a joke. A joke requires preparation, general competence and the ability to occasionally produce laughter.
The film's main concept is interesting but poorly realized. In a world where monsters have been driven into hiding by angry human mobs, Dracula is no longer the debonair neck-nibler we come to know and fear. He's a neurotic single dad who, in a bid to keep
his daughter Mavis (Selena Gomez) safe from mortal clutches, builds the Hotel Transylvania as a sanctuary for his family and friends to gather every year for Mavis' birthday. Trouble comes when hapless human backpacker (Andy Samberg) stumbles into their midst and sets off Mavis's118-year-old hormones.
This doesn't sit well with the Count and his posse, which includes other notables from the Universal Monsters canon, each unceremoniously saddled with a celebrity voice and his or her worst shitty tendencies. Frankenstein and his Bride (Dran Drescher) are loud, obnoxious and obsessed with bodily fluids. The Invisible Man (David Spade) is a sardonic jackass, while the Mummy (Cee Lo Green) has a penchant for launching into blustery soul numbers. The only highlight is Steve Buscemi's downtrodden Wayne the Wolf Man, cursed with a domineering wife (Molly Shannon) and their ever-expanding litter of yippy, ravenous were-kids.
"Hotel Transylvania" was last weekend's box office champ, setting a new record for September releases and more than doubling the gross
of the spectacular new time-travel flick "Looper." So who's to blame? Start with audiences starved for spooky family entertainment, who should have been saving their money for the original Universal Monster boxed set that came out on Blu-ray this week. Then move on to the film's five credited screenwriters, including Sandler's regular accomplice Robert Smigel, and finally its director, Genndy Tarkovsky.
Tartakovsky's involvement here is puzzling. As the Russian-American whiz kid behind Cartoon Network's "Dexter's Lab," "Samurai Jack" and the original Star Wars "Clone Wars" micro-series, one would expect his big screen debut to be a startlingly original vision, clear in content and assured in purpose, not a third-rate Adam Sandler kiddie flick abandoned by no less than five previous directors. Hopefully animation's former boy wonder will choose his next project with fewer reservations.
FINAL RATING
Edited by Laken Rapier
THE BEAT HIVE
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MUSIC PODCAST
'Idol' judges off to rocky start
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MCCLATCHY TRIBUNE
LOS ANGELES — "American Idol" has barely gotten underway and a purported feud between Mariah Carey and Nicki Minaj —
they've both denied the beef — has become a full-blown diva showdown, as seen in video leaked by TMZ on Tuesday evening.
Carey
In the clip,
http://bit.ly/QE8Q39
Minaj and Carey are in a heated argument that reportedly derailed auditions in Charlotte, N.C.
There's plenty of swearing and shouting in the clip, so it's hard to fully decipher the argument. However, Minaj called the pop diva "disrespectful" and
Minai
the pop diva replied by calling her
a word that rhymes with "itch."
Reports claim that the fight was over a contestant's performance and that Minaj threatened she was going to "knock out" Carey. All while poor Keith Urban, who is seated between the two, Randy Jackson and "Idol" producers tried to calm the situation.
I don't feel inadequate. You're the insecure one sittin' up there running down her resume every five minutes." Minaj yells at one point. "If you gotta ... problem then handle it. I told them, I'm not ... putting up with your ... highness over there ... figure it the ... out. Figure it out.
On "Idol" host Ryan Seacrest's radio show Wednesday morning, he confirmed the spat.
"There was a very heated, intense argument towards the end of the day after a contestant did a little bit of a performance in the room ... It did go too far, to the point where the producers said with just a few more contestants left, 'Let's call it a day,' he said.
Rumors that the two were
It was reported that Carey hung up on "Idol" producers after they told her that Minaj was in negotiations to join the show, bringing the panel back to a four-person one.
clashing surfaced the second the ink dried on Minaj's contract.
"Tension? What tension?" Carey joked with photographers when asked about the report of animosity between the two.
While the Internet is busy reacting — tweets, petitions to remove Minaj, etc. — the brass at Fox (and Seacrest) must be high-fiving one another and hoping the ratings-pumping drama continues. It's more fun to watch celebrity judges fight than contestants (just ask Paula Abdul and Kara Dioguardi).
"Idol," which is going into its 12th season in January, continues to stay a part of the conversation despite rival shows currently on the air.
An episode of "The Voice" aired Tuesday as news of the fight broke online. The high-quality Carey/Minaj video suspiciously surfaced soon after.