New Music For Monday – RED – Until We Have Faces

For some reason Christian hard rock as a genre has always seemed somewhat of an oxymoron and while Christian music is its own genre, it is commonly is stereotyped and therefore overlooked by mainstream audiences.  So, in some respect hybrid classifications are necessary in order to reach target audience.

RED is a Grammy nominated Christian hard rock band from Nashville, Tennessee that was established in 2004.  Their third album “Until We Have Faces” releases Feb 1^st from Sony.  Early reviews of the album by Christian publications have given the album 4.5 of 5 stars, while music publications outside the religious realm peg the albums at 3 of 5 stars. 

You can be the judge as the album is available to listen to now on AOL by clicking here or you can copy and paste the following into your web browser: http://music.aol.com/new-releases-full-cds/#/5

American Idol Season 10 - The Top 40 Spoilers

This is my first American Idol post of the season and it contains spoilers, so if you want to be surprised don’t read any further. 

So, by now Idol fans know the routine, auditions occur in cities around the US during the summer and fall, the judges make their picks and the contestants get their “golden ticket” to Hollywood.  The infamous “Hollywood Week” usually occurs in December and when the show starts in January the finalists have already been decided. 

This year is no different and Hollywood week kicked off back on December 6^th in Pasadena (not Hollywood).  The cuts have been made and the unofficial list has been leaked out.  

If you can’t put a face with a name then just Google them, most of these kids have video on YouTube or a Facebook page.

The top 40...

Aaron Sanders

Alexander Ryan

Ashthon Ahmirr' Jones

Brett Loewenstern

Brittney Mazur

Casey Abrams

Chris Medina

Clint Jun Gamboa

Colton Dixon

Deandre "Kamele" Brackensick

Erin Kelly

Haley Reinhart

Holly Cavanagh

Jacee Badeaux

Jacob E. Lusk

JamesDurbin

Jerome Bell

Jessica Cunningham

Jimmie Allen

John Wayne Schulz

Jordan Dorsey

Jovany Barreto

Julie Zorrilla

Karen Rodriguez

Kendra Chantelle Campbell

Lauren Alaina Suddeth

Lauren Turner

Lakeisha "Keisha Renee" Lewis

Miss Jackie Wilson

Naima Adedap

Pia Toscano

Paul McDonald

Rachel Zevita

Robbie Rosen

Scott McCreery

Stefano Langone

Ta-Tynisa Wilson

Thia Megia

Tim Halperin

Tiwan Strong

FYI – This guy is the early favorite to win the season…

The 27’s – Orish Grinstead 1980 - 2008

Part 38 in a series on “The 27’s” – notable musicians who have passed away in their 27^th year.

702,  was a founding member of the R&B group 702, which included her twin sister Irish, sister LeMisha 'Misha' and lead singer Kameelah Williams.  The group was named after the area code of their hometown of Las Vegas, Nevada where they were discovered by the comedian Sinbad. 

LeMisha and Irish were students at the Las Vegas Academy of Performing Arts and would occasionally sing in the lobby of Caesars Palace.  It was here that they met Sinbad who went to their home in order to convince their parents to send the trio to Atlanta for a convention and music competition.  Sinbad suggested they use the name "Sweeta than Suga" and the trio placed second in the competition.   Michael Bivins saw the trio at the competition and agreed to work with them.  The sisters were briefly joined by their cousin Amelia Childs and together they recorded their first single, "This Lil' Game We Play."  After the single was released Amelia dropped out of the group and was replaced by Kameelah Williams who LaMisha and Irish knew from school.  Orish recorded with the group for their first album and then left the group as well. 

Orish died on Sunday, April 20, 2008 from kidney failure. According to friends Orish had been very ill for a long time and at the time of her death also suffered from other medical complications, which included cancer that had yet to be treated.

Top Albums for the Week

Here are the album sales for the week ending 01/23/2011

THIS WEEK RANK	ARTIST	TITLE	THIS WEEK SALES
1	Decemberists	The King Is Dead	93,567
2	Kidz Bop Kids	Kidz Bop 19	70,017
3	The Script	Science & Faith	49,310
4	Social Distortion	Hard Times And Nursery Rhymes	45,615
5	Gregg Allman	Low Country Blues	35,968
6	Bruno Mars	Doo - Wops & Hooligans	34,223
7	Katy Perry	Teenage Dream	32,507
8	Taylor Swift	Speak Now	30,848
9	Nicki Minaj	Pink Friday	28,428
10	Mumford & Sons	Sigh No More	26,505

2011 Academy Award Nominations

Get out your score cards, the 2011 Oscar nominations are in.

Here's your list...

 

 

 

BEST FILM

Black Swan

The Fighter

Inception

The Kids Are Alright

The King's Speech

127 Hours

The Social Network

Toy Story 3

True Grit

Winter's Bone

ACHIEVEMENT IN DIRECTING

Black Swan  - Darren Aronofsky

The Fighter - David O. Russell

The King's Speech - Tom Hooper

The Social Network  - David Fincher

True Grit - Joel Coen and Ethan Coen

BEST ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE

Javier Bardem - Biutiful

Jeff Bridges - True Grit

Jesse Eisenberg - The Social Network

Colin Firth - The King's Speech

James Franco - 127 Hours

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Christian Bale - The Fighter

John Hawkes - Winter's Bone

Jeremy Renner - The Town

Mark Ruffalo -  The Kids Are All Right

Geoffrey Rush - The King's Speech

BEST ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE

Annette Bening - The Kids Are All Right

Nicole Kidman - Rabbit Hole

Jennifer Lawrence - Winter's Bone

Natalie Portman - Black Swan

Michelle Williams - Blue Valentine

BEST ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE

Amy Adams - The Fighter

Helena Bonham Carter - The King's Speech

Melissa Leo - The Fighter

Hailee Steinfeld - True Grit

Jacki Weaver - Animal Kingdom

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE FILM

How to Train Your Dragon

The Illusionist

Toy Story 3

ART DIRECTION

Alice in Wonderland

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1

Inception

The King's Speech

True Grit

ACHIEVEMENT IN CINEMATOGRAPHY

Black Swan

Inception

The King's Speech

The Social Network

True Grit

ACHIEVEMENT IN COSTUME DESIGN

Alice in Wonderland

I Am Love

The King's Speech

The Tempest

True Grit

ACHIEVEMENT IN MAKEUP

Barney's Version

The Way Back

The Wolfman

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE

Exit Through The Gift Shop

Gasland

Inside Job

Restrepo

Waste Land

BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT SUBJECT

Killing In The Name

Poster Girl

Strangers No More

Sun Come Up

The Warrior Of Qiugang

ACHIEVEMENT IN FILM EDITING

Black Swan - Pamela Martin

The King's Speech - Tariq Anwar

127 Hours - Jon Harris

The Social Network - Angus Wall and Kirk Baxter

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM OF THE YEAR

Biutiful (Mexico)

Dogtooth (Greece)

In a Better World (Denmark)

Incendies (Canada)

Outside the Law (Hors-la-loi) (Algeria)

MUSIC WRITTEN FOR MOTION PICTURES (ORIGINAL SCORE)

How to Train Your Dragon -  John Powell

Inception - Hans Zimmer

The King's Speech - Alexandre Desplat

127 Hours - A.R. Rahman

The Social Network - Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross

ACHIEVEMENT IN MUSIC WRITTEN FOR MOTION PICTURES (ORIGINAL SONG)

Coming Home from Country Strong - Music and Lyric by Tom Douglas, Troy Verges and Hillary Lindsey

I See the Light from Tangled - Music by Alan Menken Lyric by Glenn Slater

If I Rise from 127 Hours - Music by A.R. Rahman Lyric by Dido and Rollo Armstrong

We Belong Together from Toy Story 3 - Music and Lyric by Randy Newman

BEST ANIMATED SHORT FILM

Day & Night

The Gruffalo

Let's Pollute

The Lost Thing

Madagascar, carnet de voyage

BEST LIVE ACTION SHORT FILM

The Confession

The Crush

God of Love

Na Wewe

Wish 143

ACHIEVEMENT IN SOUND EDITING

Inception - Richard King

Toy Story 3 - Tom Myers and Michael Silvers

Tron: Legacy - Gwendolyn Yates Whittle and Addison Teague

True Grit - Skip Lievsay and Craig Berkey

Unstoppable - Mark P. Stoeckinger

ACHIEVEMENT IN SOUND MIXING

Inception - Lora Hirschberg, Gary A. Rizzo and Ed Novick

The King's Speech  - Paul Hamblin, Martin Jensen and John Midgley

Salt - Jeffrey J. Haboush, Greg P. Russell, Scott Millan and William Sarokin

The Social Network - Ren Klyce, David Parker, Michael Semanick and Mark Weingarten

True Grit  - Skip Lievsay, Craig Berkey, Greg Orloff and Peter F. Kurland

ACHIEVEMENT IN VISUAL EFFECTS

Alice in Wonderland

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1

Hereafter

Inception

Iron Man 2

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

127 Hours - Danny Boyle & Simon Beaufoy

The Social Network - Aaron Sorkin

Toy Story 3  -  Michael Arndt

True Grit - Joel Coen & Ethan Coen

Winter's Bone - Debra Granik & Anne Rosellini

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

Another Year - Mike Leigh

The Fighter - Scott Silver, Paul Tamasy & Eric Johnson

Inception  - Christopher Nolan

The Kids Are All Right - Lisa Cholodenko & Stuart Blumberg

The King's Speech - David Seidler

New Music For Monday - Iron & Wine - Kiss Each Other Clean

Samuel Beam is better known by his stage and recording name Iron & Wine.  Since 2002 Beam has released three independent albums, his first being “The Creek Drank the Cradle” which he wrote, performed, recorded and produced in his home studio.   His second album, “Our Endless Numbered Days” was recorded in a professional studio and the first time he included additional musicians.  The third full-length Iron & Wine album, entitled “The Shepherd's Dog,” was released September 25, 2007 and was voted one of the ten best of 2007 by Paste magazine. 

In addition to the three albums he has released numerous EP’s as well as music for television such as Grey's Anatomy, The L Word and House, M.D.. "Flightless Bird, American Mouth" was used in the film Twilight and included on the soundtrack.

Iron & Wine's next album, “Kiss Each Other Clean,” will be released on January 25. 2011 on Warner Bros. Records and marks his debut on a major label.

The album is available to listen to now on Spinner by clicking here or you can copy and paste the following into your web browser: http://www.spinner.com/new-releases#/1

Top Albums for the Week

 Here are the album sales for the week ending 01/16/2011

THIS WEEK RANK	ARTIST	TITLE	THIS WEEK SALES
1	Cake	Showroom Of Compasion	44,333
2	Cage The Elephant	Thank You Happy Birthday	38,692
3	Taylor Swift	Speak Now	35,381
4	Bruno Mars	Doo - Wops & Hooligans	32,409
5	Nicki Minaj	Pink Friday	31,939
6	Various	Country Strong (Original Soundtrack)	28,606
7	Steel Magnolia	Steel Magnolia	28,313
8	Rihanna	Loud	28,096
9	Mumford & Sons	Sigh No More	25,928
10	Kanye West	My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy	25,249

2011 Golden Globes Results

Here are the winners of the 2011 Golden Globes

Motion Picture Categories:

Best Motion Picture, Drama - The Social Network

Best Director - Motion Picture - David Fincher The Social Network

Best Actor in a Motion Picture, Drama - Colin Firth The King’s Speech

Best Actress in a Motion Picture, Drama - Natalie Portman Black Swan

Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture - Christian Bale The Fighter

Best Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture - Melissa Leo The Fighter

Best Motion Picture, Comedy or Musical - The Kids Are All Right

Best Actor in a Motion Picture, Comedy - Paul Giamatti Barney’s Version

Best Actress in a Motion Picture, Comedy - Annette Bening The Kids Are All Right

Best Screenplay - Motion Picture - The Social Network

Best Original Score - Motion Picture - Trent Reznor, “Atticus Ross” The Social Network

Best Original Song - Motion Picture - “You Haven’t Seen the Last of Me” Burlesque

Best Animated Feature Film - Toy Story 3

Best Foreign Language Film - In a Better World

Television Categories:

Best Television Series, Drama - Boardwalk Empire

Best Actor in a Television Series, Drama - Steve Buscemi Boardwalk Empire

Best Actress in a Television Series, Drama - Katey Sagal Sons of Anarchy

Best Televison Series, Comedy or Musical - Glee

Best Actor in a Television Series, Comedy or Musical - Jim Parsons Big Bang Theory

Best Actress in a Television Series, Comedy or Musical - Laura Linney The Big C

Best Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television - Carlos

Best Actor in a Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television - Al Pacino You Don’t Know Jack

Best Actress in a Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television - Claire Danes Temple Grandin

Best Supporting Actor in a Series, Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television - Chris Colfer Glee

Best Supporting Actress in a Series, Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television - Jane Lynch Glee

Overall on my picks I was 68% - not a great average, however in the motion picture categories I was 79%.  Television was my downfall – only 55% correct.

2011 Golden Globe Predictions

Here are my predictions for the the 2011 Golden Globes. 

Be sure to watch this Sunday night, January 16, 2011, live from the Beverly Hilton Hotel, from 5PM to 8PM PST and from 8PM to 11PM EST.

Best Picture (Drama)
Black Swan
The Fighter
Inception
The King’s Speech
The Social Network

Who Will Win: The Social Network
Who Should Win: The King’s Speech
The 411: The King’s Speech garnered the most nominations but “Social Network” has the momentum to get the needed votes. “Black Swan” is the dark horse in the pack so if you’re looking for an upset that’d be my pick.

Best Picture (Musical or Comedy)
Alice in Wonderland
Burlesque
The Kids Are All Right
Red
The Tourist

Who Will Win: The Kids Are All Right
Who Should Win: The Kids Are All Right
The 411: Based on the films nominated in this category “The Kids Are All Right” seems to have a leg up on the others. That said, if the Hollywood Foreign Press goes for “Black Swan” I’d look for “Alice in Wonderland” as my long shot.

Best Director
Darren Aronofsky (Black Swan)
David Fincher (The Social Network)
Tom Hooper (The King’s Speech)
Christopher Nolan (Inception)
David O. Russell (The Fighter)

Who Will Win: David Fincher
Who Should Win: Darren Aronofsky
The 411: This category is one of those if x then y variables. If “Social Network” carries the best picture category then you should see David Fincher win here, otherwise look for Darren Aronfsky to pull one out of his hat.

Best Actor (Drama)
Jesse Eisenberg (The Social Network)
Colin Firth (The King’s Speech)
James Franco (127 Hours)
Ryan Gosling (Blue Valentine)
Mark Wahlberg (The Fighter)

Who Will Win: Colin Firth
Who Should Win: Colin Firth
The 411: I’d say this category is a lock, it’s going to be difficult for any actor to overcome the momentum Colin Firth is carrying.

Best Actress (Drama)
Halle Berry (Frankie and Alice)
Nicole Kidman (Rabbit Hole)
Jennifer Lawrence (Winter’s Bone)
Natalie Portman (Black Swan)
Michelle Williams (Blue Valentine)

Who Will Win: Natalie Portman
Who Should Win: Natalie Portman
The 411: Of the category, Portman’s performance is probably the most memorable and it will be difficult for the critics to forget it when they cast their ballots. Jennifer Lawrence may have an outside chance, but the foreign press seldom go for films so uniquely American and dysfunctional.

Best Actor (Musical or Comedy)
Johnny Depp (Alice in Wonderland)
Johnny Depp (The Tourist)
Paul Giamatti (Barney’s Version)
Jake Gyllenhaal (Love and Other Drugs)
Kevin Spacey (Casino Jack)

Who Will Win: Johnny Depp
Who Should Win: Kevin Spacey
The 411: Foreigners love Johnny Depp, what else do I need to say. Kevin Spacey is the only other contender in this category, but Depp is the darling of the foreign press. No contest.

Best Actress (Musical or Comedy)
Annette Bening (The Kids Are All Right)
Anne Hathaway (“Love and Other Drugs”)
Angelina Jolie (The Tourist)
Julianne Moore (The Kids Are All Right)
Emma Stone (Easy A)

Who Will Win: Annette Bening
Who Should Win: Annette Bening
The 411: Annette Bening is a serious Oscar contender this year. Angelina Jolie has an outside shot at this as she’s a favorite oversees, but her performance was not that strong. Look for Bening to take home the trophy.

Best Supporting Actor
Christian Bale (The Fighter)
Michael Douglas (Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps)
Andrew Garfield (The Social Network)
Jeremy Renner (The Town)
Geoffrey Rush (The King’s Speech)

Who Will Win: Christian Bale
Who Should Win: Christian Bale
The 411: Christian Bale is the hands down favorite here, but should an upset occur look for Geoffrey Rush on the podium.

Best Supporting Actress
Amy Adams (The Fighter)
Helena Bonham Carter (The King’s Speech)
Mila Kunis (Black Swan)
Melissa Leo (The Fighter)
Jacki Weaver (Animal Kingdom)

Who Will Win: Melissa Leo
Who Should Win: Amy Adams
The 411: Amy Adams has had three nominations without a win, which makes her a sentimental favorite, however Melissa Leo has the momentum going into the awards and her performance was near perfect.

Best Screenplay
Danny Boyle, Simon Beaufoy (127 Hours)
Lisa Cholodenko, Stuart Blumberg (The Kids Are All Right)
Christopher Nolan (Inception)
David Seidler (The King’s Speech)
Aaron Sorkin (The Social Network)

Who Will Win: Aaron Sorkin
Who Should Win: Aaron Sorkin
The 411: Let’s just say that Aaron Sorkin will be difficult to beat.

Best Animated Film
Despicable Me
How to Train Your Dragon
The Illusionist
Tangled
Toy Story 3

Who Will Win: Toy Story 3
Who Should Win: Toy Story 3
The 411: “Toy Story 3” was the highest grossing film of 2010 and with talk of an Oscar nomination for best picture it will be difficult to beat.

Best Foreign Film
Biutiful (Spain)
The Concert (France)
The Edge (Russia)
I Am Love (Italy)
In a Better World (Denmark)

Who Will Win: Biutiful
Who Should Win: I Am Love
The 411: “I Am Love” is reportedly a much better picture than it’s getting credit for being but “Biutiful” has the star power to pull off the win here.

Best Original Score
Alexandre Desplat (The King’s Speech)
Danny Elfman (Alice in Wonderland)
A.R. Rahman (127 Hours)
Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross (The Social Network)
Hans Zimmer (Inception)

Who Will Win: Alexandre Desplat
Who Should Win: Hans Zimmer
The 411: Desplat has been nominated five times before in this category, so look for him to be the favorite. Zimmer, the workhorse when it comes to musical scoring, could pull off an upset, but look for Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross if you really want to bet on a long shot with a chance.

Best Original Song
“Bound to You” (Burlesque)
“Coming Home” (Country Strong)
“I See the Light” (Tangled)
“There’s a Place for Us” (The Chronicles of Narnia)
“You Haven’t Seen the Last of Me” (Burlesque)

Who Will Win: “You Haven’t Seen the Last of Me”
Who Should Win: “You Haven’t Seen the Last of Me”
The 411: It’s Cher, what else do you need to know? If you’re looking for an upset then go with “Bound to You.” Why? It’s Christina Aguilera…

Best TV Series, Drama
“Boardwalk Empire”
“Dexter”
“The Good Wife”
“Mad Men”
“The Walking Dead”

Who Will Win: “Boardwalk Empire”
Who Should Win: “Mad Men”
The 411: “Mad Men” had one of its best seasons to date and looks to continue to be strong going into next season, but it has had its run of awards in the past so look to newcomer “Boardwalk Empire” to win here.

Best TV Series, Comedy
“30 Rock”
“The Big Bang Theory”
“The Big C”
“Glee”
“Modern Family”
“Nurse Jackie”

Who Will Win: “The Big C”
Who Should Win: “Modern Family”
The 411: Globe voters like big stars so look for “The Big C” to pull in their votes despite the solid ensemble cast and performances of “Modern Family.”

Best Actor in a TV Series, Drama
Steve Buscemi, "Boardwalk Empire"
Bryan Cranston, "Breaking Bad"
Michael C. Hall, "Dexter"
Jon Hamm, "Mad Men"
Hugh Laurie, "House"

Who Will Win: Jon Hamm
Who Should Win: Steve Buscemi
The 411: Here again is the “if x then y” formula… If “Boardwalk Empire” pulls off the win for best drama series then look to John Hamm here, otherwise it’s Buscemi with the trophy.

Best Actress in a TV Series, Drama
Julianna Margulies, “The Good Wife”
Elizabeth Moss, “Mad Men”
Piper Perabo, “Covert Affairs”
Katey Sagal, “Sons of Anarchy”
Kyra Sedgwick, “The Closer”

Who Will Win: Julianna Margulies
Who Should Win: Elizabeth Moss
The 411: Both Julianna Margulies and Kyra Sedgwick have won a globe for their roles before and while “The Closer” did not have as strong a season as “The Good Wife” or “Mad Men” so look to Julianna to repeat or Elizabeth Moss for the upset.

Best Actor, TV Series Comedy
Alec Baldwin, “30 Rock”
Steve Carrell, “The Office”
Thomas Jane, “Hung”
Matthew Morrison, “Glee”
Jim Parsons, “The Big Bang Theory”

Who Will Win: Jim Parsons
Who Should Win: Jim Parsons
The 411: “Glee” burst onto the TV scene with instant success and numerous guest stars where “The Big Bang Theory” has slowly and steadily built a following based on solid and reliable performances, look for Jim Parsons to be rewarded this year.

Best Actress in a TV Series, Comedy
Toni Collette, “Unites States of Tara”
Edie Falco, “Nurse Jackie”
Tina Fey, “30 Rock”
Laura Linney, “The Bic C”
Lea Michele, “Glee”

Who Will Win: Laura Linney
Who Should Win: Tina Fey
The 411: Tina Fey and “30 Rock” have won numerous awards in the past, look for the foreign press to give the award to the biggest star who hasn’t been here before.

Best TV Movie or Mini-Series
“Carlos”
“The Pacific”
“Pillars of the Earth”
“Temple Grandin”
“You Don’t Know Jack”

Who Will Win: “The Pacific”
Who Should Win: “Temple Grandin”
The 411: “Temple Grandin” picked up a lot of Emmy attention last year, but voters have forgotten about it in light of more recent releases, look for the globe to go to “The Pacific.”

Best Actor in a Mini-series or Made-for-TV Movie
Idris Elba, “Luther”
Ian McShane, “Pillars of the Earth”
Al Pacino, “You Don’t Know Jack”
Dennis Quaid, “The Special Relationship”
Edgar Ramirez, Carlos

Who Will Win: Al Pacino
Who Should Win: Edgar Ramirez
The 411: Edgar Ramirez has generated a lot of buzz for his performance as Carlos the Jackel but look to the foreign press to reward the big star, whoo-ah!

Best Actress in a Mini-series or Made for TV Movie
Hayley Atwell, “Pillars of the Earth”
Claire Danes, “Temple Grandin”
Judi Dench, “Return to Cranford”
Romala Garai, “Emma”
Jennifer Love Hewitt, “The Client List”

Who Will Win: Claire Danes
Who Should Win: Claire Danes
The 411: Claire Danes’ performance here was too good to be forgotten about, look for her on the podium.

Supporting Actor in a Series, Mini-series, or TV movie
Scott Caan, “Hawaii Five-O”
Chris Colfer, “Glee”
Chris Noth, “The Good Wife”
Eric Stonestreet, “Modern Family”
David Strathern, “Temple Grandin”

Who Will Win: Chris Colfer
Who Should Win: Scott Caan
The 411: Scott Caan makes the re-worked version of “Hawaii Five-O” work, that said, “Glee” has garnered a lot of press this year but will be ignored in the other categories so look for it to win the consolation award here.

Best Supporting Actress in a Series, Mini-series or TV Movie
Hope Davis, “The Special Relationship”
Jane Lynch, “Glee”
Kelly McDonald, “Boardwalk Empire”
Julia Stiles, “Dexter”
Sofia Vergara, “Modern Family”

Who Will Win: Sofia Vergara
Who Should Win: Kelly McDonald
The 411: If Sofia Vergara does not win this category and Jane Lynch does then look to Eric Stonestreet to win the supporting actor globe. This is all about rewarding shows that aren’t going to win elsewhere, the real loser here is Kelly McDonald who has gotten high praise for “Boardwalk Empire” this year.

The 27’s – Valentín Elizalde 1979 - 2006

Part 37 in a series on “The 27’s” – notable musicians who have passed away in their 27th year.

Valentín Elizalde was a popular Mexican banda music singer known by the nickname "El Gallo de Oro" (The Golden Rooster). He began performing professionally at a young age and recorded his debut solo album, “Regresan los Mafiosos,” in 1999. Releasing a record per year for the next several years, Elizalde slowly worked to establish himself as an important figure in the norteño genre. A high point in his career was reached in 2006, when he was featured on the soundtrack for the Mexican film “Al Otro Lado” with the song "Sobre la Tumba de Mi Padre."

On November 25, 2006. Elizalde and two companions, Mario Mendoza and Raymundo Ballesteros, were gunned down in an ambush in the city of Reynosa, twenty minutes after performing at a local fair. There were theories circulating that the murder had occurred because Valentin was somehow involved in trafficking, but with the capture of Raúl Hernández Barrón, known as El Flander I, in 2008 it was revealed that Valentin had been killed because Barrón thought the song “A Mis Enemigos” was about him and Los Zetas, a mercenary force employed in the Mexican drug trade.

Valentin’s murder was viewed as a tragic loss by his fans. Many posthumous releases and dedications have been released to honor his memory.

Top Albums for the Week

Top album sales for the week ending 01/09/2011

 

THIS WEEK RANK	ARTIST	TITLE	THIS WEEK SALES
1	Swift, Taylor	Speak Now	52,028
2	Minaj, Nicki	Pink Friday	38,642
3	Mars, Bruno	Doo - Wops & Hooligans	38,175
4	Soundtrack	Tron Legacy	34,333
5	Eminem	Recovery	33,417
6	Rihanna	Loud	33,387
7	West, Kanye	My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy	33,240
8	Mumford & Sons	Sigh No More	31,005
9	Aldean, Jason	My Kinda Party	29,362
10	Various Artists	Country Strong (Soundtrack)	28,450