Fast & The Furious 4 – Official Trailer

I was so very disappointed with Babylon A.D. being a Vin Diesel fan, I was looking forward to seeing a new film with him in as he hasnt graced these UK shores in quite a while. I did do the unimaginable thing of reading the book prior to seeing the film, a sin in most movie goers eyes but in my defence I had read that book a few years back though.

I remembered enough to know that it was a thoroughly deep and thought provoking book that dealt with all manner topics none of which were really covered very well in the film. Its troubled production showed through in the final edit, the director was after a sci-fi action thriller but anyone who has read the book would tell you that the action was few and far between so it begs the question, maybe Babylon Babies should never of made it to the big screen after all?

Still, its not a bad romp through post apocalyptic Earth with the ‘package’ and a kung fu kicking nun in the shape of the wonderful Michelle Yeoh, a highly polished cast with just a piss poor screenplay and a director who pans his own film prior to its European release before buggering off to the Caribbean to escape the critcism!

Still, onto better Diesel news and the film I have been looking forward to seeing when its released next year and thats the 4th film in the franchise of ‘Fast And The Furious’ – theyve dropped the ‘The’ apparently – teaming Diesel with Paul Walker and its a sort of prequel to FATF 2 and Tokyo Drift.

Its the film that FATF 2 should have been in the first place but instead we got Walker fannying around the east coast of America as the boy wonder. The new film will bring back some old faces, Jordana Brewster playing Dominic Torretto’s sister, Mia and Michelle Rodriguez as Letty, release date has been pencilled in as a worldwide release of June 5th 2009.

When a crime brings them back to L.A., fugitive ex-con Dom Toretto reignites his feud with agent Brian O’Conner. But as they are forced to confront a shared enemy, Dom and Brian must give in to an uncertain new trust if they hope to outmanuever him. And from convoy heists to precision tunnel crawls across international lines, two men will find the best way to get revenge: push the limits of what’s possible behind the wheel.

The official trailer has already been released, you can find it showing on several cinema’s prior to the movie youve originally gone in to watch or you can watch it here:

Muse Complete First Tracks For New Album

New Album News

Muse have completed the first few tracks from their forthcoming album. Drummer Dominic Howard announced that some songs had already been written ahead of their slot at this year’s V Festival and the band are now taking a short break before returning to their studio in Italy to continue work on the new recording.

The album, which is the rock group’s fifth and has yet to be titled, follows the success of their Mercury nominated 2006 album Black Holes & Revelations

It is unclear when the release date for the new album might be, but Howard commented: “We’ve already done a few tracks and it sounds great, so we’re just working towards the future.”

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George Michael To Release ‘FeelingGood’ Cover – Muse Fans Sigh

George Michael to follow in Muse’s footsteps

Singer suggests he’s not retiring and reveals Christmas single plan

George Michael is set to follow in the footsteps of Muse by releasing a cover of ‘Feeling Good’ – the song that originally featured in the 1965 musical ‘The Roar Of The Greasepaint – The Smell Of The Crowd’ – and was later sung by Nina Simone.

The singer’s version of the song will be released as a free download on Christmas Day (December 25). Muse released their own cover of the song in 2001, and it is still a staple of their live set.

Michael revealed his plan to release ‘Feeling Good’ during a concert at the London Earl’s Court venue last night (August 24), reports BBC News.

He also revealed further single plans, hinting that he was not retiring despite billing the show, in conjunction with another tonight (August 25) at the venue, as his final gigs.

During the show Michael said he would release a new Christmas single this winter in addition to the aforementioned download, suggesting that while he may be stepping away from live shows he doesn’t plan to leave music completely behind.

Satellites…Smoke Walls & Huge Guitar Riffs – Muse @ V Festival

Muse played a spectacular headline show at the Chelmsford leg of the V Festival tonight (August 16).

The band utilised huge props, light and stage effects and played beefed-up, extended versions of their hits plus instrumental jams to create a crowd-wowing show that closed the first night of the Essex bash.

Anticipation for the show was high, with fans on site cheering the band’s name long before their stage time. Many texted pro-Muse messages to the screens sandwiching the V Stage, prompting more cheers as the audience read them.

Then, at 9:15pm (BST), six enormous satellite dishes that had been erected on and either side of the stage began spinning and glowing. They suddenly fired huge beams of light into the crowd as the band walked on stage and began playing ‘Map Of The Problematique’.

As frontman Matt Bellamy and co ended the song they began playing the riff from Led Zep’s ‘Heartbreaker’, then launched into 2006 hit ‘Supermassive Black Hole’.

During the song images of robots marching were projected onto the satellites with spectacular effect as Bellamy, wearing a striking red outfit, played an extended guitar solo.

Bellamy flitted between piano and guitar for ‘New Born’. Then, as he played the guitar outro to ‘Butterflies And Hurricanes’, huge bursts of smoke began firing from the front of the stage drawing gasps from many crowd members.

During an instrumental jam later in the set, Bellamy walked up the flank of the stage and began bashing his guitar against one of the searchlights.

Then, as ‘Take A Bow’ ended, another cascade of smoke dramatically enveloped the stage as the band headed backstage.

Muse returned shortly afterwards to play an encore of ‘Starlight’, ‘Plug In Baby’ and ‘Knights Of Cydonia’, releasing scores of white balloons then a massive wall of flame and sparks to close day one of V Festival in Chelmsford.

Setlist:

‘Map Of The Problematique’
‘Supermassive Black Hole’
‘Dead Star’
‘New Born’
‘Hysteria’
‘Butterflies And Hurricanes’
‘Feeling Good’
‘Space Dementia’
‘Invincible’
‘Time Is Running Out’
‘Stockholm Syndrome’
‘Take A Bow’
‘Starlight’
‘Plug In Baby’
‘Knights Of Cydonia’

4MUSIC BOLLOCKS – SHAME ON YOU!!

Well I must say that I am very disappointed in the live coverage that 4Music gave the headlining act at V yesterday, very, very disappointed. Having just gotten home from what was the best night of my life last night I was already inundated with texts and calls from mates unlucky to have attended to tell me the piss poor performance 4Music gave when Muse took the stage.

They showed 3 songs, the beginning, the middle and the end. For the launch of a channel, a music channel that promised us it was going to be showing the headling acts, this is a big letdown on their half.

I was told they mustve shown the Pidgeon Detectives whole set about 4 times, everything got a third and sometimes 4th airing but Muse only got 3 songs and that was it. One friend watched the entire 5 hours of supposedly live show thinking she was going to be seeing the Muse set but was upset and disappointed to be treated to play after play of the Prodigy and Stereophonics sets (who were both very good admittedly).

This isnt fair for those who couldnt get out to see Muse, this channel has been quite disrespectful to the artist as well, I thought the Beeb were bad when they left out the end of Muse’s set at the Reading/Leeds Fest but at least they showed the majority of the set from start to almost end.

4Music – Im giving you the middle finger salute – shame on you, it couldve been so much better!!

Anyway, for those of you unlucky to see Muse at V, here’s KOC at its ultimate best, its no wonder Muse have been crowned best live act for so many years!

Torchwood, 24 The Movie, Heroes

Russell T. Davies has revealed that Torchwood’s third season will be entitled ‘Children Of Earth’.

The mini season will run over five consecutive nights on BBC1 in Spring 2009 and be directed by Euros Lyn.

Davies exclusively told Torchwood Magazine: “More than ever before, this series of Torchwood will be director-led, and it will look absolutely amazing.”

Filming will begin in Cardiff on August 18 and details of casting are due to be released shortly. Freema Agyeman was expected to join the Torchwood team as Martha Jones, but her recent decision to join the cast of ITV1’s Law And Order has put her appearance in doubt.

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Kiefer Sutherland has confirmed that a 24 movie is likely to go ahead once the show is over.

The actor admitted that producers do not want his character Jack Bauer to hit the big screen until the programme itself has been cancelled.

“It’s certainly on the table,” Sutherland told Extra. “We would certainly be thrilled to make it, but we’re going to wait until the series is finished.”

Speaking in a separate interview, he added: “It’s always been a desire but we’ve always known that for the writers, it’s so hard for them to actually get through the series every year that we put the film on the back burner, that we would do it after the series was over, and that might be as soon as next year.”

In the meantime, a 24 TV movie, titled Exile, will air later this year. It will act as a prequel for the forthcoming seventh season, which premieres in January.

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Seth Green & Brekin Meyer are close to agreeing on a deal to star in the 3rd series of Heroes. The pair who write and star in Robot Chicken, will appear in a multi-episode arc in the forthcoming third series. The will portray Atlanta based comic book geeks who cross paths with and act as advisors to one of the shows lead superheroes.

Season 3 of Heroes is due back on UK screens in September on both BBC 2 and BBC 3, a few days after its premiere on the NBC channel in the USA.

 

 

Star Wars, Ghostbusters & Whedon

Rex Features

George Lucas has insisted that the Star Wars movies are not science fiction.

The franchise creator said science has little connection with the universe he invented for the films.

He is quoted as saying: “We look at it as a different dimension. The laws of physics are different here. Star Wars is not science fiction at all. It’s much more attuned to mythology, to psychology, to history than it is to science.

“It’s more of a parable about the way we are, rather than the way we’re going to be. That’s why it starts out as a fairytale – a long time ago in a galaxy far away – once upon a time.

“It deals with princesses. It’s purposely designed not to be about where we’re going. It’s about where we’ve been and what we can learn from the past in the present.”

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Paul Rudd has denied reports that he will star in a third Ghostbusters movie.

Rumours surfaced claiming that Steve Carell, Seth Rogen, Rudd and Romany Malco – the four male leads in Judd Apatow’s The 40-Year-Old Virgin – will suit up for a third instalment in the franchise.

Speaking to MTV, Rudd refuted the speculation but confessed that he would be open to the idea of becoming a Ghostbuster.

“I’ve heard this rumour,” he said. “A couple of days ago somebody asked me that and that was the first I’d heard about it. It’s incredibly flattering to be in a rumour.

“I would do it in a second with those guys. But do you think it’s a good idea to redo Ghostbusters? It’s a classic.”

When quizzed about which role he would want to play, Rudd joked: “I’d like to be Sigourney Weaver.”

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Rex Features

Director Joss Whedon has discussed his rejected plans for a new Batman movie.

The Buffy The Vampire Slayer creator claimed that he spoke to Warner Bros. about a project for the superhero franchise before Christopher Nolan began work on Batman Begins.

“Well, I actually did pitch a Batman film when [Warner Bros. began developing Batman Begins], and it wasn’t what they did but the vibe was very similar,” he told MTV.

“Mine was a bit less epic. It was more about the progression of him and it was more in Gotham City. He didn’t go to Tibet and meet cool people, but it was very similar in vibe.”

He continued: “In my version, there was actually a new [villain], it wasn’t one of the classics – which is probably why they didn’t use it. It was more of a Hannibal Lector type – he was somebody already in Arkham Asylum that Bruce went and sort of studied with.

“It was a whole thing – I get very emotional about it, I still love the story. Maybe I’ll get to do it as a comic one day.”

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Robert Downey Jr. has admitted that he is not a fan of The Dark Knight.

Downey Jr., whose Marvel superhero film Iron Man was the highest-grossing film of the year until Christopher Nolan’s sequel debuted, told MovieHole that he found the latest Batman movie too complicated.

He explained: “It’s like a Ferrari engine of storytelling and script writing and I’m like, ‘That’s not my idea of what I want to see in a movie’.

“I didn’t understand The Dark Knight. Didn’t get it, still can’t tell you what happened in the movie, what happened to the character and in the end they need him to be a bad guy.”

Downey Jr. suggested that the DC Comics adaptation was “highbrow” and required a “college education to understand”.

He added: “You know what? F*** DC Comics. That’s all I have to say and that’s where I’m really coming from.”

Sky1 To Air BSG Prequel – ‘Caprica’

Sky1 will air Caprica, the much-anticipated two hour prequel to Battlestar Galactica from executive producers Ronald D. Moore and David Eick.

As BATTLESTAR GALACTICA heads into its fourth and final season, CAPRICA will expand on the Galactica world and get deeper into the origins of the story whilst promising to deliver more of the passion, intrigue, political backbiting, family conflict and hardcore action that fans have come to love.

Set 50 years before BATTLESTAR GALACTICA, CAPRICA follows two rival families – the Graystones and the Adamas. Bound together by tragedy, their ensuing struggle will determine the fate of the 12 Colonies.

CAPRICA is a society rife with advanced technology. Little do they know they are trembling on the brink of the creation of the first CYLON (cybernetic life-form node).

The Graystones and Adamas come from different cultures and wildly different socio-economic backgrounds. Daniel Graystone (Eric Stoltz, The Mask, Pulp Fiction) is a computer genius and the leading businessman of the 12 Colonies. His wife, Amanda Graystone (Paula Malcolmson, Deadwood, ER) is an elite neurosurgeon. Joseph Adama (Esai Morales, NYPD Blue) is an immigrant, a lawyer with ties to the mob, and a father who is desperate to reconnect with his estranged son, William (Sina Najafi).

Their bitter rivalry will bring the end of life as they know it. Their children are the future.

V Festival Broadcasts – Muse Headline

I wont be here to add to the blog this weekend as I will be at the V Festival to see Muse play. However, for those of you not able to attend but not wanting to miss out on all the top acts due to perform at V then fear no more, highlights of the festival will be broadcast on Channel 4.

Saturday 16th August
23:10pm – 01:15am
Channel 4

This ultimately coincides with Channel 4’s launch of its own dedicated music channel which is tentatively called 4Music and replaces The Hits channel currently showing on Sky Channel 360, Virgin 330 and Freeview channel 18. This new channel will cover the V Festival exclusively and will be live the whole weekend that the festival takes place so youll be able to check the whole Muse set live on Saturday night.

Muse News

Matteo Tagliarol has just won the Gold Medal for Fencing.

Interviewed a few minutes later, he admits “I listened to Plug in baby, of Muse, just before entering the field. I’m going to put the disc close to the medal!”

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Kasabian: We are possibly one of the best live bands in England

In an article with the Liverpool Daily Post talking about their headlining slot at creamfields in august, lead singer Tom bigs up his band, while also praising Muse.

“We are a great live act. We are possibly one of the best live bands in England. If not the best, apart from Muse,” offers Kasabian frontman Tom Meighan.

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The Independant Newspaper reports – Live albums are dead!

It is time to say farewell to some of the greatest albums ever made, albums that made careers, defined genres, and celebrated the raw power of music. Because the live album, once a rite of passage for every act of substance, is dead.

Yes, some bands may still make live albums: Muse, in particular, have released three(*) live sets in a career of just four studio albums, but they are the exception.

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MUSE COMPETITION – Now Closed! Congrats To The Winners!

Muse play Marlay Park and the V Festival next week and as these will be their last shows in the UK and Ireland for a little while, we thought we’d run an extra special competition for those of you that are coming along. For each show there will be one winner who gets to bring along a friend. We will meet you at the show, give you some Muse goodies, take you for a tour backstage, let you go somewhere pretty special to watch the band for part of their set and, best of all, you’ll get to meet the band after the show.

The winners of this awesome prize will be the first people to email us with the following:

Your name.
Your age.
Your phone number (preferably mobile).
Which gig you are coming to (this bit is important as the three winners will be the first people to email us for each gig, if you get your email in first, but don’t tell us which gig you’re coming to, then you won’t win)!

Simple? Not quite… You see, we’re not going to tell you which email address you need to send your entry to. You’re going to need to work it out by solving the equation below. Good Luck!

(2/1 + 8/4 + . + @) – 8/1  =   email address

Hint: think alternative medicines…

TSP: Please note, you need to have your own ticket for entry to the show and the prize doesn’t include transport or accommodation. We will contact the winners by email and/or mobile and announce them on www.muse.mu on Monday 11th August.