Thursday, 25 May 2017
Netflix and Chill: A Roundup of 2017’s Best Netflix Shows & Films (so far)
Netflix have stolen the show in recent years, quite literally. Any series or film worth anything has been snapped up by Netflix, that is if HBO didn’t get there first. Regardless Netflix has become the most subscribed to distributor of television and film in the world, in 2017 it reached the milestone 100 million mark.
We’ve written a lot recently about some of the best shows and films to be featured on Netflix. Below is a roundup of the best shows you and bae should snuggle down and watch.
House of Cards
House of Cards season 5 is back. The new season looks incredible. Frank Underwood, played masterfully by Kevin Spacey, and wife Claire Underwood, played by Robin Wright, are sat pretty in the White House, ready for world domination. You can watch a trailer for it below, and find all five seasons on Netflix.
You have to stick House of Cards up there with shows that have defined their era, we’re talking The Wire, The Sopranos and Breaking Bad. Era defining and format affirming, they led the way in how television is created and consumed. House of Cards was the first major series to be released all in one go, and more to the point was written and created with bingeing in mind.
Peaky Blinders
This plucky British entry definitely deserves watching. It follows a gang of Brummie (that’s people from Birmingham in the UK) gangsters in the 1920s. Watch the ruthless Shelby brothers go about their mission of world domination against the backdrop of smoggy, industrial Birmingham.
Originally released through the BBC in the UK. Netflix bought the previous seasons and are airing them in all their territories. Peaky Blinders season four is about to launch at the end of May, while Netflix is about to launch season 3 to its international audiences.
If you liked the British gangster film Snatch this is likely to float your boat. Stylized, violent, gritty in its Britishness and with a heartthrob lead (Cillian Murphy) there really is little more you could want from the show.
Sense8
Sense8 is an odd one. It has been roundly panned by the critics, but seems extremely popular with the viewing. I mean, what do experts know after all? Now in its second season the show has confounded the critics. It is directed by the Wachowskis who are probably best known for the Matrix. Sense8 Season 2 looks to pick up where the first season left off, it is about a group of eight psychics who, while physically located all around the globe, can use their powers to effectively work side by side wherever they are needed.
Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt
Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt Season 3 was released in May 2017. The show follows Kimmy Schmidt and her unbreakable optimism. In 8th Grade she was kidnapped and, along with two other women, held hostage in a bunker by a man, Reverend Richard Wayne Gary Wayne (Jon Hamm) who believed Doomsday was nigh. On release Kimmy’s unwavering optimism takes her to New York and a new, modern life.
The show has been raved about from audiences and critics alike. The second season in particular is rated at 100% on Rotten Tomatoes. The first season hardly trails behind either with a rather impressive 95% rating.
War Machine
War Machine stands alone in this list as the sole film. But it is so much more than just that. This is Netflix Originals entering the big league. With an all star cast including Brad Pitt, Tilda Swinton and Ben Kingsley this shows the streaming network maturing into a serious player.
The film cost Netflix $60 million to buy, making it by a long way the biggest investment yet. This film and a more low key release, Okja, is getting the service booed at the Cannes film festival for their part in ‘ruining cinema’, whatever that may mean.
Oh yeah the film has content as well. It’s about a crazy American general spreading his particular brand of buffoonery around late aughties, War on Terror era Afghanistan.
12 Monkeys
12 Monkeys season 3 has been released to the US. But the international market has had to wait a little longer for it. The series is released through Netflix internationally. The first two series have already come out on Netflix.
This series is based off the 1995 released film of the same name. The series, like War Machine and House of Cards, has been distributed in an interesting way. It was originally released on the SyFy channel, where the 10 episodes of the latest season were released over the space of three nights. All so the series could be put out on streaming services such as Hulu (in the US) and Netflix (internationally).
Marvel’s The Defenders
Marvel’s The Defenders is what fans of Netflix’s Marvel series have been waiting for. Finally the four heroes are working together to save NYC.
The unit is made up of Jessica Jones, Iron Fist, Daredevil and Luke Cage. The season is unfortunately not out just yet, it drops in August 2017. But you can watch a trailer below:
GLOW
GLOW or Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling is a series about female wrestling, think less Olympics and more The Most Electrifying Man in Sports Entertainment History Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson. This show stars Alison Brie of American Gods fame as well as Yvette Nicole Brown who is slated to appear in The Mayor. The show is due out in June, but you can watch a trailer below:
Mindhorn
This final, slightly left of field choice is a quirky British comedy film. It is being distributed internationally by Netflix, but not in the UK. Starring Julian Barratt, who is a bit of a UK comedy cult legend and Steve Coogan who has an equally devout following in his role as peculiarly British oddball Alan Partridge.
Mindhorn is about a washed up old actor who brings his character out of retirement for one final hurrah and to overcome an international criminal mastermind.
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Will Lucifer Ever Meet Wonder Woman Or The Rest Of The Justice League?
The TV series of Lucifer is a massive hit and with DC finally hitting a stride with a good film thanks to Wonder Woman - at least according to the leaks we’ve seen. Could we start to see some interesting crossovers between different heroes? We looked at the for and against. To give you fair warning. Things are about to get nerdy.
For a Lucifer Crossover
The Arrow
The adventures of Oliver Queen/Green Arrow was the first TV show in the DC universe to get real attention. It’s now in its fifth season with a sixth confirmed. It’s had a few characters appear from other shows including the Flash.
Ra’s al Ghul has also featured (played by Matthew Nable) who was the main foe of Batman in Batman Begins. Liam Neeson was interested in playing the role in Arrow but sadly couldn’t due to scheduling problems.
The Flash
The pilot of the Flash was the second most watched premiere in the history of the CW and has just been renewed for it’s fourth season. The Flash has regular crossovers with Arrow, as well as introducing a wider audience to Earth-2 (a parallel universe version of earth).
When the characters in The Flash travelled to Earth-2 they saw a picture of Supergirl (played by Melissa Benoist) as well as a version of the Flash from the 90s TV show. This was taken to imply that both those characters are in different universes, eventually called Earth-38.
Barry (The Flash) accidentally ends up in Earth-38 in a later episode, helping Supergirl battle two of her foes before going home. To make things even more complex The Flash appears in the trailer for The Justice League although he is played by Ezra Miller.
Supergirl
Kara Zer-El (Supergirl) has had, we think, the most crossovers so far in the two seasons it’s had. Superman made an appearance early on or at least his shadow did before being played by a real human with a face, in the shape of Tyler Hoechlin.
The Flash appeared in episode eighteen (mentioned above) which was more impressive when you consider that The Flash is on CW and Supergirl is on CBS. The episode was such a hit that it was repeated a few times with even more planned. The Legends of Tomorrow have also made an appearance.
Gotham has been mentioned in passing a couple of times which opens the door to Batman, or at least a window and of course J'onn j'onzz, the Martian Manhunter is in the Supergirl TV series.
Batman Vs Superman: Dawn of Justice
This was not a good film, but it did begin the process of kick-starting the DC film universe with multiple superheroes appearing at the same time. Joining Batman and Superman was the new Wonder Woman who made her first appearance played by Gal Gadot and stole the show.
The Justice League
This film hasn’t been released yet but from the trailer we’ve seen Wonder Woman, Batman, Superman, Aquaman, Cyborg and The Flash. This appears to be a separate timeline from the TV shows but at least we’ve got the characters working together.
From all of this we can see that DC are happy to have characters invading each other's’ stories, including bad guys. There is hope right? Well before you get too excited about everyone’s favourite fallen angel appearing all over the place let’s look at the arguments against a crossover.
Against a Lucifer Crossover
Fox
Lucifer on FOX. The Flash and the Arrow are The CW and Supergirl is CBS. A crossover between those is a little bit easier because CBS co-owns CW, but Fox is an entirely different entity.
It’s not impossible for characters owned by different companies to meet. Spiderman is licensed to Sony and he turned up in Captain America: Civil War which was produced by Marvel but it is more complicated because of lawyers.
No one else is special in Lucifer
Lucifer is self contained, at the moment at least. One of the main themes of the show is almost no-one believes Lucifer when he says who he is. People would be far less skeptical about Lucifer being some sort of super being if Superman were already flying around saving the world.
We’ve also not heard any hints of other DC super creatures, which is weird given how much fun The Arrow, Supergirl and The Flash have had dropping names.
The Vertigo Universe
The DC Comics universe is complicated, even before you get to Earth-38. Traditionally Lucifer and other ‘adult’ characters existed in a parallel universe called Vertigo.
This was where stories with more grown-up themes happened with Batman and Superman jumping about in a separate universe. This rule has been shaken up for special events like the Flashpoint storyline so it’s not impossible but then little is when it comes to superheroes.
Lucifer isn’t the only character from the Vertigo universe to make it onto TV. Preacher is also in the Vertigo universe, but it’s made by AMC so has the same complications as Fox.
We wouldn’t be surprised if DC already have wheels in motion for this. Given how much buzz there is about The Defenders and Spider-Man: Homecoming.
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Watch ‘Stranger Things’ star take on Weezer’s ‘Buddy Holly’
Stranger Things actor Finn Wolfhard takes on Weezer‘s ‘Buddy Holly’ on this week’s episode of Lip Sync Battle US.
The episode airs later this evening on Spike in the US, but the network has shared a preview clip showing Wolfhard in action. Check it out below.
Wolfhard, who plays Mike Wheeler on the hit Netflix show, will be joined on Lip Sync Battle by his Stranger Things cast-mates Caleb McLaughlin (Lucas Sinclair), Gaten Matarazzo (Dustin Henderson), and Noah Schnapp (Will Byers). They’ll take on songs by LL Cool J, Train and Maroon 5.
Wolfhard, who is 14, has already established his indie credentials. Earlier this week he joined Mac MacDeMarco on stage to play guitar with the Canadian artist, having previously shared footage of him covering ‘DeMarco’s ‘Salad Days‘.
Wolfhard has also said that he “just wants to release an album“.
‘Stranger Things’ season two is now well into production and will be released on Netflix on October 31, 2017.
The post Watch ‘Stranger Things’ star take on Weezer’s ‘Buddy Holly’ appeared first on NME.
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Kevin Spacey On House of Cards Vs Trump: 'We Have Better Writers'
Kevin Spacey threw down the gauntlet on the Trump presidency saying, that House of Cards has better writers when he appeared on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.
Colbert quizzed Spacey about where they get their ideas from and the star of House of Cards made it clear that they don't look to real events for inspiration it's just a strange thing that happens.
'At some point between when we’ve shot the season and before it drops there are three or four or five things that we have dealt with on the show happen that end up happening in the real world.’ Explains Spacey. ‘And we go, everyone’s going to assume that we stole it from the headlines but in fact, we did it first.’
‘I have to say in all honesty, I think we’ve never been more relevant. I do believe we have better writers. I have to say, it’s been very entertaining.'
You can watch the clip below. It’s worth it just for Spacey’s impression of Christopher Walken.
Spacey has a bit of form when it comes to impressions. He’s previously done a very convincing Christopher Walken at the AFI awards. He also does a bit of bonus Jack Nicholson which is made even more fun because Jack Nicholson is in the room.
House Of Cards Release Date 2017
If you want more information on the show, we’ve got you covered have a look at our special House Of Cards page for the release date, who is in the new season and everything else you need to know.
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30 Classic Hip-Hop & R&B Jams for Your BBQ Playlist
There’s nothing better than getting together with friends and family on a sunny afternoon for a BBQ. The cherry on top is a great soundtrack, and for this week’s Throwback Thursday column, Myspace is helping you put together that soundtrack with 30 classic hip-hop and R&B jams.
The goal of any BBQ soundtrack is to keep people movin’ and groovin’, and keep the cursing to a minimum so the kids are all good. So put on your freshest pair of kicks, and get ready to crank up the volume, it’s time to get the season started right!
FYI – There’s a pretty cool bonus in the form of a complete YouTube playlist of every song in this feature at the end of the article.
DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince – Summertime
If you’re at a BBQ that doesn’t have this classic in its playlist, just leave. Lord knows what else they’re going to get wrong. They probably have something like quinoa burgers on the grill, and the blandest potato salad imaginable.
Shanice – I Love Your Smile
Breezy, happy, and with a hint of summer love, this hit will put a smile on everyone’s face.
Groove Theory – Tell Me
Who better to set the groove than Groove Theory? “Tell Me” is a timeless classic that provides the laid back vibe an outdoor gathering needs.
Digable Planets – Rebirth of Slick
When hip-hop and jazz met it was the beginning of a beautiful relationship that crossed generations. “Rebirth of Slick” will get everyone from grandpa, to the grandkids, talkin’ music.
Boyz II Men – Motownphilly
Boyz II Men didn’t have a lot of party jams, but “Motownphilly” has always been an invite to get up and dance.
Heavy D and the Boyz – Nuttin’ But Love
BBQs are a place where money doesn’t matter, as we all have “Nuttin’ But Love” for each other. Heavy D sets the tone perfectly with this one.
Rob Base & DJ EZ Rock – It Takes Two
Wanna see the old heads (yes, I’m qualifying myself as an “old head”) break out some classic dance moves? Throw on “It Takes Two” and see what happens.
Naughty By Nature – Hip-Hop Hooray
The anthem of anthems, and further evidence that Treach is the most underrated emcee of all-time, “Hip-Hop Hooray” has always been a feel-good jam that fits in perfectly with good weather, and good times.
Aaliyah – Are You That Somebody
Aaliyah was taken from us far too soon, but she left us with a plethora of incredible songs. “Are You That Somebody” has worked its way into the “classic” category, and has become a summertime staple.
Biz Markie – Just A Friend
Everyone, and I mean EVERYONE, will sing along when “Just A Friend” comes on.
Sugarhill Gang – Apache
BBQs are great places to break out old dances, and when “Apache” comes on you can expect a good number of people to “jump on it” and show their skills. I’ve even seen kids know this dance, which means the youth are not lost!
Tony Toni Tone – Let’s Get Down
Good, upbeat, danceable R&B is necessary at every BBQ, and while Tony Toni Tone are more known for their ballads, “Let’s Get Down” is a jam that still gets people movin’.
Bobby Brown – Every Little Step
Ignore the caricature Bobby Brown became, and focus on how fantastic his music once was. “Every Little Step” is a fun, happy, song that’s undeniably great.
De La Soul – My, Myself & I
Classic hip-hop is a staple of great BBQ soundtracks, and there’s nothing better than letting some members of the Native Tongues fam guide a section of your playlist.
A Tribe Called Quest – Award Tour
Speaking of the Native Tongues fam, A Tribe Called Quest is a necessity at every cookout, as well. Just make sure it’s a relatively clean Tribe song so your gathering is still kid friendly.
The Pharcyde – Drop
No matter where you are in the world, a BBQ should have a bit of a Cali vibe, and who better to provide that than Cali legends The Pharcyde? Don’t drop the ball, include “Drop” in your BBQ soundtrack.
LL Cool J – Loungin’
You’re loungin’ when you’re at a BBQ, right? Let LL’s “Loungin’” set the mood.
Mariah Carey – Fantasy (Remix)
There are a plethora of Mariah Carey songs that would be perfect for a BBQ soundtrack (no, not “All I Want For Christmas Is You.” Stop it!). The remix to “Fantasy,” featuring the legendary ODB, is our top choice.
Nice-n-Smooth – Hip-Hop Junkies
An all-time great hip-hop song that will get everybody in a good mood, “Hip-Hop Junkies” sticks in your head like good BBQ sticks to your ribs.
TLC – Baby Baby Baby
Everyone needs a little TLC at their BBQ (the R&B group, not the network that brought us Honey Boo Boo).
Us3 – Cantaloop
If you want to see people dance at your BBQ, playing “Cantaloop” is a can’t-miss way to make that happen.
Soul for Real – Every Little Thing I Do
While you wouldn’t want any (candy) rain to dampen your outdoor affair, “Every Little Thing I Do” will provide a great vibe.
112 w/ The Notorious B.I.G. & Ma$e – Only You
It’s tough to find a clean song with Biggie on it, but 112’s “Only You” comes as close as one can get, and it’s a classic.
Da Brat – Funkdafied
Remember Da Brat? She was DOPE, and “Funkdafied” will still get everybody’s head nodding.
Montell Jordan – This Is How We Do It
I mean, is it even really a party if “This Is How We Do It” isn’t spun?
Zhane – Hey Mr. DJ
Let the DJ get a little self-referential with this smooth classic.
Soul II Soul – Back To Life
“Back To Life” will have the older half of your BBQ reminiscing, while the younger half asks, “What’s this amazing song?”
P.M. Dawn – Set Adrift on Memory Bliss
Smoothed out hip-hop was once considered weak. Thankfully, we’ve grown past that ideology.
P.M. Dawn’s “Set Adrift on Memory Bliss” is a smooth hip-hop classic that will put everyone in a good mood.
Deee-Lite – Groove Is in the Heart
A booty shakin’ jam featuring a guest verse by Q-Tip, “Groove Is in the Heart” will reveal who the REAL dancers at your BBQ are.
Black Sheep – The Choice Is Yours
You can get with this, or you can get with that. An incredibly memorable lyric, and a choice you’ll have to make when you realize you only have room on your plate for one more side.
Full Playlist
Knowing that clicking play on 30 videos might be a bit of a task, we’ve put every song from this feature in one handy-dandy playlist, so just click play, and soak in the vibe (and occasionally curse out YouTube for the advertisements that temporarily interrupt your vibe).
Want more blasts from the past? Check out our #ThrowbackThursday page.
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Wednesday, 24 May 2017
Chris Cornell cremated at private ceremony ahead of funeral later this week
Soundgarden icon Chris Cornell has reportedly been cremated at a private ceremony, ahead of his funeral later this week.
The grunge legend, also a solo artist and frontman for Audioslave, was found dead in his hotel room last week (May 17). He was aged just 52-years-old.
While it was previously confirmed that he will laid to rest at a funeral at Hollywood Forever Cemetery on Friday May 26, now TMZ report that Cornell was cremated at the same venue yesterday in a private service attended by wife Vicky, brother Peter and friends Linda Ramone and J.D. King.
Soundgarden’s Chris Cornell
While Cornell’s death is being treated as a suicide, his family have claimed that prescription drugs may have contributed towards him taking his own life.
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Who is Brad Paisley? The songs, tours, videos and history of the ‘Today’ star
"It's a very smart, progressive bunch, these people that make country music," Brad Paisley told the Guardian in 2010. "They're not country hicks sitting behind a desk with a big cigar giving out record deals and driving round in Cadillacs with cattle horns on the front grille: it's a bunch of really wonderful, open-minded, great people down on Music Row that make this music."
And Paisley himself is head honcho amongst this new breed of Nashville sophisticates. Almost twenty years and 12 million album sales into one of the most glittering careers in modern country music, he’s one of the few country stars standing up for progressiveness rather than playing to the Tea Party heartlands – even as a self-proclaimed “apolitical” singer, he celebrated Obama’s Presidential term with a song called ‘Welcome To The Future’ tackling the history of racism in the south, and played at the White House. He’s also broken out of the country niche to win over the Billboard charts – five of his eleven studio albums have reached the Billboard Number Two – and become one of the few US country stars to break into the UK Top 40. But how did this Stetson’d heartthrob get here? Here’s all you need to know.
What’s Brad Paisley’s age and history?
Born on October 28, 1972 (he’s 44) Paisley was raised in Glen Dale, West Virginia, where his grandfather bought him his first guitar and taught him to play at the age of eight. "Pretty soon, I was performing at every Christmas party and Mother's Day event,” he said. “The neat thing about a small town is that when you want to be an artist, by golly, they'll make you one."
At 13 he formed his first band Brad Paisley And The C-Notes and wrote his first song ‘Born On Christmas Day’, which made him even more of a Glen Dale celebrity as he played it at local Rotary Club events and landed himself a regular gig on a West Virginia radio station. He graced the airwaves weekly for eight years, until his studies took him to his spiritual home of Nashville and the rest of America got to sample his talents. Hooking up with his future songwriting partners at Belmont University, Paisley was signed to EMI Music Publishing within a week of graduation and had his first single ‘Who Needs Pictures’ released on Arista Nashville by February 1999.
The next eighteen years were like a bronco-bucking rocket ride. His first album ‘Who Needs Pictures’ went platinum, spawned two US Country Number Ones and garnered Paisley his first of many Grammy nominations. By his second album ‘Part II’ he was luring the likes of Jerry Springer to make a guest appearance in the video for his breakthrough novelty hit ‘I’m Gonna Miss Her (The Fishing Song)’ – about his partner giving him a fishing-or-me ultimatum; he picks fishing – and by third album ‘Mud On The Tires’ in 2003 he was getting product placement sponsorship from Chevrolet to mention them in the Number One title track and the likes of Jason Alexander, James Belushi and William Shatner were cropping up in the promo for ‘Celebrity’, spoofing American Idol, Fear Factor and The Bachelorette.
Come 2005’s ‘Time Well Wasted’ he was singing with the legendary Dolly Parton, by 2007’s ‘5th Gear’ he was collecting his first Grammy and in 2009 he broke records with his tenth Billboard country Number One in a row. How big was Brad Paisley? Taylor Swift was supporting him.
What’s Brad Paisley’s biggest song?
2011’s self-explanatory ‘This Is Country Music’ featured a host of collaborations with stars such as Don Henley, Sheryl Crow and a whistling Clint Eastwood (no, really). But the album’s biggest hit was the Carrie Underwood duet ‘Remind Me’, a raunchy epic which hit Number 17 on the Billboard Hot 100, Paisley’s biggest mainstream hit to date. It racked up over 71 million views on Youtube and helped keep Paisley firmly in the public eye for the rest of the early ‘10s. Subsequent albums tackled more socially conscious topics such as xenophobia, spousal abuse, social justice, southern racism and religion as Paisley matured into his more established country lynchpin role.
What was the controversy over ‘Accidental Racist?’
Paisley ran into controversy over the song ‘Accidental Racist’ from 2013’s ‘Wheelhouse’ album, with critics taking issue with guest artist LL Cool J rapping lines such as “If you don't judge my gold chains, I'll forget the iron chains” and the song’s attempt to reappropriate the Confederate flag. Yup, Brad, too soon…
How did he get to ‘Today’?
‘Today’ is the life-affirming hit from Paisley’s most recent album ‘Love And War’, a record featuring major glitterati guest spots from Timbaland, John Fogerty, Bill Anderson and Mick Jagger – his collaboration with Demi Lovato didn’t make the cut. It’s a typically heartwarming Paisley ditty which arrived with a video full of footage of fans proposing onstage at his gigs and Paisley announcing the sex of couples’ unborn babies to arena crowds. Awwww.
Who is Brad Paisley’s partner?
In 1991, Brad took his girlfriend to see the film Father Of The Bride, starring Steve Martin and Kimberly Williams. Come 1995 they’d split up and he went to see the sequel on his own. Another six years later, he began dating the bride in question - "She seems like a great girl,” he told Good Housekeeping, “smart and funny and all those things that are so hard to find." In 2003 they married and now have two children. Talk about a Hollywood ending.
What is Brad Paisley’s net worth?
According to the Celebrity Net Worth website, Paisley makes between $20 million and $40 million per year and is currently worth a grand total of $95 million. That’s a whole lot of fishing rods.
Has Brad written an autobiography?
Darn right he has. 2011 saw the publication of Diary of a Player: How My Musical Heroes Made a Guitar Man Out of Me, the story of his youth and early career co-written with Rolling Stone’s David Wild. If you’ve any more questions, consider it your next stop.
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