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Archives for December 2009

Joe McElderry Gets His Number One

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Having missed out on the Christmas number one spot after a Facebook campaign to get Rage Against the Machine’s ‘Killing in the Name’ to number one was a huge success, Joe McElderry has now got the number one that he was after, and ‘The Climb’ is the last number one of the decade.

This week saw ‘Killing in the Name’ slip back to number two, and with sales figures having dropped for both singles, 196,000 sales was enough to see Joe McElderry take the top spot by over 130,000.

Joe McElderry may not have had the Christmas number one that he was hoping for, the young singer has still ultimately been able to claim the top spot however, and time will only tell as to how long he can remain at the top.

In just two weeks on sale, Joe McElderry’s ‘The Climb’ has now shifted 650,000 copies, a figure that should see the young artist claim the sixth most successful single of 2009.

The Beast Stalker Review

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Directed by Dante Lam, The Beast Stalker is a cleverly put together action thriller that most definitely provides for an entertaining viewing experience. It’s not perfect, and more could definitely be done to give us a greater idea of the character of Ann Gao (Jingchu Zhang); the film as a whole surely shouldn’t disappoint fans of Hong Kong thrillers however, and if you’re looking for a quality film of this sort then you can definitely do a lot worse than watching The Beast Stalker.

Drawing you in with a fantastically filmed car chase, the film then hits you with the accidental death of public prosecutor Ann Gao’s eldest daughter. Sergeant Tong’s (Nicholas Tse) world is rocked as he accidentally shoots the girl dead in the chase, and when Ann Gao’s other daughter is kidnapped by contract killer Hung (Nick Cheung), Tong then makes it his mission to bring the girl home safe.

All involved play their parts well in The Beast Stalker, were Ann’s character focused on a little more however then the development of her character could definitely help to improve the film a little more. Also, as much as I enjoy the way that Ann, Tong, and Hung’s storylines all come together in the end to show the chance crossover of their paths, the way that this is done is really quite farfetched, and although done well is not hugely believable. These are just small niggles, despite my minor issues with the film I certainly still hugely enjoyed watching The Beast Stalker however, and this is a film that I would still wholeheartedly recommend to others.

109 minutes in length, The Beast Stalker definitely does enough to keep you interested throughout, and the character development of both Sergeant Ton and Hung is excellent here, particularly Hung who truly is a hugely interesting character. Nick Cheung’s portrayal of Hung is sensational which definitely helps, and I for one was thoroughly impressed with the quality of his acting all throughout the film. Dante Lam once again demonstrates here his great quality as a director, and for anyone that has doubted him in recent times The Beast Stalker is certainly a film to look to.

The Beast Stalker is all set for UK release as a double-disc edition on January 4th 2010 through Cine Asia, and would be a worthy addition to any film collection.

Special Features:-

– Behind the Scenes (The Car Chase, Scaling the Sign, The Street Chase, Little Actors)
– Making Of
– Interview Gallery (Nicholas Tse, Jingchu Zhang, Mick Cheung, Dante Lam)
– Extended/Alternate Scenes
– Trailer Gallery

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Rage Against the Machine Wins the Race for Christmas Number One

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All week there has been great interest in the Official UK Singles Chart as Rage Against the Machine and Joe McElderry have been battling it out for the 2009 Christmas Number One spot. Rage Against the Machine had been ahead all week, with the physical release of Joe McElderry’s ‘The Climb’ the X-Factor artist began to start catching up however, leading to a very tense weekend where it could have gone either way. Rage Against the Machine has ultimately won the bottle, with ‘Killing in the Name’ officially revealed as the UK Christmas Number One 2009.

In beating off the competition from Joe McElderry, Rage Against the Machine’s ‘Killing in the Name’ has become the first ever track to reach the number one spot on downloads alone. ‘Killing in the Name’ amassed total sales in excess of 500,000 for the week, and the Facebook group ‘RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE FOR CHRISTMAS NO.1’ has been a huge success, not just in getting Rage Against the Machine to Number One, but also in raising over £70,000 for the Shelter charity.

This is the first time since 2004 that an X-Factor artist has not occupied the UK Christmas Number One spot.

Rage Against the X-Factor: Mid-Week Chart Shows ‘Killing In The Name’ to be Ahead

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With Rage Against The Machine ahead in the mid-week charts, Simon Cowell looks to have quite a battle on his hands in the race for this year’s Christmas number one. “F**k you, I won’t do what you tell me” seems to be the message to Simon Cowell here, with people fed up of being told what single to buy each year in the week leading up to Christmas.

‘The Climb’ from Hannah Montana the Movie was the X-Factor single of choice this year, and as Joe McElderry was the winner of the X-Factor 2009, his version of ‘The Climb’ was released at 12am on Monday December 14th as his first single as a solo artist.

The Facebook group ‘RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE FOR CHRISTMAS NO.1’ currently has close to 800,000 members, and the people behind it have been able to raise over £35,000 for the Shelter charity as a result of the group’s great success. Even if ‘Killing In The Name’ doesn’t reach Number One this Christmas then the group will still have done a great deal of good, and if you’d like to make a donation then you can do so here.

The Christmas Number One will definitely be an interesting one this year, and from 4-7pm on Sunday December 20th, I for one will most definitely be tuned into 98.8 for the Radio 1 Official Chart Show.

X-Factor Final Sees Joe Face Olly

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Olly Murs is up against Joe McElderry in the X-Factor Final 2009, and bookies favourite Joe may just have to step it up a gear if he’s to win the public over with his final performance tomorrow. Stacey Solomon was the unlucky contestant to just miss out and finish third, and now that Stacey is out of the running; the whole of Essex may just be getting behind Olly as he looks to beat off Joe and emerge as the X-Factor Champion 2009.

It’ll be a phenomenal achievement for former call centre worker Olly Murs if he is able to win the X-Factor, regardless of who wins the show tomorrow however Olly Murs’ life will surely be changed forever and a return to the call centre seems somewhat unlikely. Murs performed with Robbie Williams for the December 12th X-Factor show, and if Simon Cowell has his way then it’ll only be a matter of time before Olly Murs himself is a successful solo pop star.

Both Joe and Olly will be feeling the nerves as they prepare for the final show, they’ll both be aiming to channel any pressure into a positive performance though, and it’s not long now before we find out who will emerge victorious as the X-Factor champion 2009.

Miley Cyrus to Cover Poison’s ‘Every Rose Has Its Thorn’

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Teenage pop superstar Miley Cyrus wasn’t even born when Poison first topped the charts with ‘Every Rose Has Its Thorn’ back in 1988, that’s not stopping her from covering the track however as she looks to take a more rock-heavy direction with her music.

‘Every Rose Has Its Thorn’ is reported to be one of Cyrus’s all-time favourites, so here’s to hoping that she’ll do Poison proud when she puts this one to record.

We Are The Ocean – Look Alive EP

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We Are The Ocean - Look Alive EPThe ‘Look Alive’ EP is the latest release from London based post-hardcore five piece We Are The Ocean, and a very good effort it is from the band too. Lead singer Liam Cromby has an absolutely phenomenal voice, whilst chief screamer Dan Brown also pulls off a fine performance here in all four of these tracks. The contrasting voices of Brown and Cromby complement each other well, and from start to finish the EP is always an absolute treat to listen to. Not just vocally impressive, We Are The Ocean is a band with a great deal to offer instrumentally also, and not one single member of the band fails to impress here.

‘Look Alive’ kicks the EP off in style, and beginning with a bang the quality of this EP never once begins to drop. There’s enough variation here to keep you interested, and ‘Look Alive’, ‘(I’ll Grab You By The) Neck Of The Woods’, ‘Cutting Our Teeth’, and ‘Drag Me Down’ all have something unique to offer.

We Are The Ocean hints at what’s to come with the ‘Look Alive’ EP, and it’ll definitely be interesting to hear what the band serves up with debut album ‘Cutting Our Teeth’ when its released in January 2010. For fans of post-hardcore the ‘Look Alive’ EP is a definite must in the collection, and come January this band will undoubtedly be blowing us away with its first ever full-length release.

Label: Hassle Records
Release Date: November 16th 2009

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First Redemption Shows Since 2007

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Redemption
Los Angeles prog metal band Redemption has announced its first shows since 2007. Redemption will be playing a show at The Whiskey, Los Angeles, CA, on February 4th 2010, followed by a show at UB’s in Mesa, AZ, on February 5th 2010.

These shows are to be played in support of the band’s latest album ‘Snowfall on Judgment Day’, released through Inside Out Music on October 6th 2009.

More shows are to be announced in the next few weeks.

North Atlantic Oscillation – Cell Count Video

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The official video for North Atlantic Oscillation’s ‘Cell Count’, a track taken from the band’s ‘Callsigns’ EP. ‘Cell Count’ has been going down well with the critics and music fans alike, and was even given the award of Single of the Week over at Drowned in Sound.

Slade – Merry Christmas Everybody: Party Hits

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Slade Party HitsChristmas just wouldn’t be the same without hearing Noddy Holder shout ‘It’s Christmas!’, and that’s exactly why everyone should own at least one Slade album. ‘Merry Christmas Everybody: Party Hits’ is the latest compilation release from Slade, and comes complete with a total of twenty tracks from the band. Kicking off with the massive hit ‘Merry Xmax Everyboday’, the ‘Party Hits’ collection has all the tracks to get you in the mood for Christmas as it continues with ‘Santa Claus Is Coming To Town’ and closes with the ‘Okey Cokey’ and ‘Here’s To The New Year’. With plenty of entertaining tracks in between such as ‘Mama Weer All Crazee Now’, ‘Coz I Love You’, and ‘C’Mon Feel The Noize’, there’s much here to keep you interested and ensure that a very satisfying listening experience is provided.

The ‘Party Hits’ collection from Slade is an excellent album to purchase this Christmas, and if you know of any friends or family members that enjoy the music of Slade then what better Christmas present to provide them with than a copy of the ‘Merry Christmas Everybody: Party Hits’ album this December 25th. It’s absolutely brilliant value for the 20 tracks that you receive here, and not only does it contain some true Christmas classics but a number of Slade’s other big hits also.

Slade may not be together in its original form anymore, the fact still remains that this band has released a lot of great music throughout the years however, and that’s something that is displayed here with the ‘Merry Christmas Everybody: Party Hits’ collection.

Brighten up your Christmas with a bit of Slade and definitely do look to invest in this album.

The following is the full track listing for Slade’s 2009 ‘Party Hits’ album:

1. Merry Xmas Everybody
2. Santa Claus Is Coming To Town
3. Mama Weer All Crazee Now
4. Let The Good Times Roll / Feel So Fine
5. Coz I Love You
6. Gudbuy T’Jane
7. We’re Really Gonna To Raise The Roof
8. C’Mon Feel The Noize
9. My Baby Left Me
10. Skweeze Me, Pleeze Me
11. Let’s Have A Party
12. Hey Ho Wish You Well
13. Let’s Dance
14. I’m A Rocker
15. My Oh My (Swing Version)
16. Standin’ On The Corner
17. Do You Believe In Miracles
18. All Join Hands
19. Okey Cokey
20. Here’s To The New Year

Label: UMTV
Release Date: November 23rd 2009

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