Today's Pick

When it comes to relationships, there's one singer out there that has had her thumb on the heartbeat of love and heartbreak over the years. Dominating the charts with hits like "Foolish Games," "You Were Meant For Me," "Pieces of You," and "Who Will Save Your Soul," the country crossover artist Jewel is ready to add a new song to her collection of hits. The latest from the country superstar is an upbeat celebration of love just in time for St. Valentine and the new film "Valentine's Day." Jewel just released the official music video for her first country chart single "Stay Here Forever," a lighthearted dedication to romance serves as the lead soundtrack for the new romantic comedy "Valentine's Day," as well as the lead-off single to Jewel's upcoming second country album with Valory Music Group, which the Nashville and Texas vibes have found their way into the music for sure, and will likely be out in June.
It's so nice to have Jewel back. She has received three Grammy Award nominations and has sold more than 27 million albums in her career, which began in 1995. Jewel came out in 2008 with her own brand of country music and while it didn't deviate much from what she's always done, Jewel didn't become as big a star on the country charts as many suspected she would. If people are familiar at all with producer Nathan Chapman, they'll recognize the similarity of this song to something that might have been on a Taylor Swift record sonically. Lyrically the song follows a romantic path that is pretty obvious from the title alone. The melody is purely out of the Taylor Swift songbook but that vocal is completely chock full-o-charm and at times I hear some Pam Tillis in this cute and playful romantic romp. In other words, this song could very well be Jewel's big mainstream country break while also being perfectly suited to be featured in a rom-com.
"Stay Here Forever" is a country ballad, backed primarily by percussion with occasional fiddle fills. Jewel talked to EW about her new single she contributed to the mix. "I heard the soundtrack folks were looking for one more song, and I submitted this one and they fell in love with it and made it the lead single," Jewel says. "That's pretty cool. I wrote it for my husband, Ty, and used how I feel for him as inspiration. It's about being in love and how going on a great adventure is fun, but sometimes staying home with the one you love is even better."
Jewel portrays a florist in Peter Zavadil-directed music video for "Stay Here Forever", while she is singing and arranging flowers, scenes of the various couples from the highly publicized and anticipated romantic comedy "Valentine's Day," features a star-studded line-up, has more stars in one movie than any I've seen in years, hit theaters Friday for St.Valentine's Day weekend, and has already topping the box office. Happy Saint Valentine's Day!

Sugarland, the award-winning duo of Jennifer Nettles and Kristian Bush gained more national exposure and takes the country by storm once again in this busy week with release of their live concert "Live on the Inside":(1) Aired Monday night as a network TV special on ABC; (2) An expanded version of the performance was released on Tuesday as a budget-priced CD/DVD package for sale exclusively at Wal-Mart; (3) It's finally set to debut in movie theaters for a limited theatrical run ONLY today! The band has taped an exclusive greeting to fans that can only be seen in movie theaters, such as Monaco Pictures. Please check here for detailed.
For Sugarland, success clearly doesn't just happen! The country duo works for every minute of their success. Nettles and Bush exploded onto the music scene in 2004 with “Twice The Speed Of Life” and haven’t looked back since. After years of creating thoughtful music and struggling to make ends meet in a business that seems to reward mediocrity, Sugarland was from relative unknown trio from the Atlanta area to the most popular and successful duo in country music (or any other genre for that matter). They’ve sold close to 7 million records, received trophies from the Grammy, American Music Awards, Academy of Country Music, CMT Music Awards and the Country Music Association. "Love on the Inside" is their 3rd album released last July.

This DVD features the extended version of the concert that was filmed at Rupp Arena in Lexington, Ky, and packed with the band's 16 hits, over an hour of live performance footage, and a few surprises. The CD includes 3 original songs and 7 covers. This is a release that fans will want to check out. In a world of overproduced-studio magic talent, it is nice to see a duo who can actually deliver the goods live and seem to be in music for the enjoyment of making music.

For anyone wondering how Ashley Tisdale is charting her post-"HS Musical" career, all they have to do is look at this week. Tisdale not only has a new album, "Guilty Pleasure," hit shelves Tuesday, but also a new flick from the 20th Century Fox, "Aliens in the Attic," out Friday.
"They are both so different," she told MTV News about her music and her movie. "I want them(fans) to hear one and see the other. They are completely different. My music career is being who I am and connecting with the fans in that way." If you think it's a lot of pressure to have two big releases out in the same week, think again. The 24-year-old Actress/Pop Media princess said in interviews that "I don't put pressure on myself, and I don't like working under pressure. Listening to what I did, putting all that hard work in, I'm really proud of it. I think it's important for me to be happy with what I did." If fans really like "Aliens in the Attic" and "Guilty Pleasure", maybe Tisdale could end up at the top of the box office and the Billboard albums chart all in one week.
Tisdale's new sophomore album, "Guilty Pleasure" breaks out of 'High School' mode, and aimed at a more mature audience. The New Jersey native says she's taking her career to the next level, and the album was set on an edgier rock vibe. The cover features her in a tight black skirt and semi-revealing top, and her inspirations for the album's music. "Guilty Pleasure" might be "American Idol." Not only has Tisdale talked about her obsession with "Idol," but several of the songs on the album show a strong Kelly Clarkson influence.

“Funny People” the latest from director Judd Apatow, will implement more dramatic elements than seen in his previous hit comedies “Knocked Up” and “The 40-Year-Old Virgin”, is all it's cracked up to be, and has its share of crude jokes about body parts. At its heart, though, is a somber story about a famous comedian, Adam Sandler stars as George Simmons, whose personal life is sorely lacking. He cheated on his one great love, Laura (Leslie Mann), and spends his middle-aged days — and nights — pursuing a string of meaningless dalliances. A medical diagnosis prompts him to take stock of his unexamined life. George is by turns funny, imperious, engaging and self-obsessed but always compelling. It is easily Sandler's best and most multi-faceted performance.
"Funny People" may not be Apatow's funniest movie, however, and more interestingly, it's his best film, deep and rich and unexpectedly honest while still being remarkably funny. It is a true brass ring effort, a reach for excellence that takes big risks. Adam Sandler and Seth Rogen, takes a decidedly less funny path to storytelling at times when talking about the mortality of its main character. We know that comedy can always lead to drama and vice versa, so we explore some of the funny people who've traversed the invisible thread between the two genres, and comment on their journey.

Everything went according to plan this weekend... The 3-D "G-Force", an elite squad of guinea pigs has worked its own brand of magic at the North American box office, taking the #1 spot with $32.2 million from boy wizard "Harry Potter"($30m) over the three-day weekend at 37 international locations, according to studio estimates Sunday. The Walt Disney release from producer Jerry Bruckheimer, with its mixture of live action and computer-generated animation, is a "Mission: Impossible"-style adventure. This is the 1st live-action Disney film to be produced in Disney Digital 3-D. It was released in the US last Friday.

The story is about a team of specially trained secret agent guinea pigs that takes on a mission for the US government to stop a diabolical billionaire, who plans to taking over the world with household appliances. According to Paul Dergarabedian of Hollywood.com, the strong run of "G-Force" has benefited from a "great marketing campaign and a premise that had people scratching their heads while simultaneously grabbing the family." The number was a slightly greater 3-D share than "Up" and "Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs" had in their debuts.

Devastated by the tragic loss of their unborn child, and struggling to regain some semblance of normalcy in their lives, the couple decides to adopt a child. At the local orphanage, both find themselves strangely drawn to a young girl named Esther. But when an alarming series of events begins to unfold, leading wife, Kate to believe that there's something wrong with Esther ... Can you keep a secret? You'll never guess her secret ... don't even try it since it may be too late ... for everyone.
Dark, edgy, effective, clever, intense, and blackly comic - one of the best evil-kid movie with a fresh, inventive twist, and the most terrifying horror endings. The experience becomes more entertaining because of what we don't see coming. It's so strongly and brilliantly cast - Vera Farmiga and Peter Sarsgaard are top-notch as usual, and 12-year-old Isabelle Fuhrman delivers a title performance so unsettling that it's left Warner Brothers convinced that it has a sleeper hit on its hands. With all that said, "Orphan" proved to be one of the more entertaining movies of the year, though not, I'm afraid, for all of the reasons the filmmakers surely intended.

From British director Shane Meadows (This Is England), who takes the helm for this monochromatic childhood drama, "Somers Town" follows 2 teenage boys Tomo and Marek, both newcomers to London, adrift in an adult world, who develop a mutual trust and acceptance through an unlikely friendship over the course of a hot summer, and their efforts not to turn out like their aimless fathers - but it's only a matter of time before Marek's dad discovers what's going on...
Shane hits the spot with this short but sweet slice of good natured comedy, surprisingly, as it’s essentially an extended black & white advert for a train station. It is proof that there are all sorts of teenage lives going on in Britain, and sometimes, their most magical moments take place on dead-end streets. "Somers Town" is one of the most charming coming-of-age films in years, everything about this film says "gentle and tender," from the friendship between the two boys -- I've to use all kind of words to say that "Somers Town" is a charming, hilarious, witty, uplifting, heartwarming, and funny gem with a heart of gold.
"Somers Town" released by Film Movement, and opens at Film Forum in Manhattan on last Wednesday, through July 28. The DVD will be available to subscribers on August, and available to the public on December 8, 2009.

"Watchmen", Zack Snyder's big-screen version of Alan Moore's beloved graphic novel gets the broad strokes right, telling a sexy, blood-spattered story about a band of discredited heroes who reunite to solve the murder of one of their own. The film is set in a gritty and alternate 1985 America, the glory days of costumed vigilantes have been brought to a close by a government crackdown, but after one of the masked veterans is brutally murdered, an investigation into the killer is initiated, which begins to lead to a much more terrifying conclusion. The reunited outlaw heroes -- including Dr. Manhattan (Billy Crudup), Silk Spectre (Carla Gugino), Rorschach (Jackie Earle Haley) and Nite Owl (Patrick Wilson) -- unite to defend themselves, and to prevent their own destruction, but in doing so discover a deeper and far more diabolical plot.
Comic books and movies both tell stories with pictures, but "Watchmen" demonstrates that the animating spirit of a rich, fully realized graphic novel may be as hard to transfer to the screen as that of any other type of successful literary work. "Watchmen" shows it's time for the superior superhero. First "The Dark Knight", now the even darker "Watchmen" - is the serious side of comic book heroes the future for movies?
The new "Watchmen" DVD is no change in popularity this week, with Director’s cut, boasts an additional 24 minutes of footage not previously seen in theaters as well as a second disc loaded with special features.

What do you do when you’re struggling to get by and you realize your boss is about to fire you? Well, check out the new original movie "Labor Pains", premieres on ABC Family tonight. The plot is that a *clueless* secretary, Thea (Lindsay Lohan) is stuck in a dead-end job at a military publishing house that she can't afford to lose. When her evil boss starts hinting that he’s about to fire her, in a panic, she quickly makes up a lie that she’s pregnant. The word gets out quick and now she's milking her one big lie for everything it's worth.
Whatever her press, Lindsay Lohan (was born in New York City, on 2 July 1986) delivers a great performance in "The Parent Trap", "Freaky Friday", "Mean Girls", and now "Labor Pains". This is a REALLY smart and funny film -- well worth seeing and far better than the usual comedic maternity genre. Rest of cast is excellent as well. I'll say Lindsay's new comedy "Labor Pains" may not be a blockbuster comeback, but hey, she showed up, there were no major scenes, she finished it and though there have been mixed reviews, most critics say her strong performance is the best part of the movie. I think its gonna be great for Lindsay!

“Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince”('Harry Potter 6') is the 6th fantasy-adventure film series based on J.K. Rowling’s books, opens in more than 4,200 U.S. and Canadian theaters today at 12:01 a.m., and may take in $155 million in its first five days, estimates Jeff Hartke, an analyst at Los Angeles-based Hollywood Stock Exchange, which forecasts film performance.
The 6th movie was originally scheduled to open last November, but was pushed into this summer to fill in the gap left by last year’s Writers’ Guild strike. That created a two-year space between films that has been the longest of the series. Unlike the books, “Half-Blood Prince” is not the next-to-last movie. For the final installment, “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows,” the filmmakers are going back to their old idea and splitting the massive book into two movies coming in 2010 and 2011. Interestingly, after two PG-13 movies, “Prince” is rated PG, but from the looks of the new trailer, it stands to be as action-packed and emotional as any of the previous films.
As Harry Potter begins his 6th year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, he discovers an old book marked mysteriously "This book is the property of the Half-Blood Prince" and begins to learn more about Lord Voldemort's dark past. Voldemort is tightening his grip on both the Muggle and wizarding worlds and Hogwarts is no longer the safe haven it once was.
How Crazy Are Harry Potter Fans? Do you really need me to answer that question? Do you still remember the 1st film in 2001? Actually, the Harry Potter books might have ended two years ago, but as the Harry Potter Alliance illustrates, its rabid fans aren't going anywhere... I'll say that 'Harry Potter 6' is possibly one of the only, if not the only, movie in the series that stays true to the novel on which it is based.

Nicolas Cage stars as a college professor at MIT, who uncovers a dark, startling secret in a time capsule buried at his son's elementary school. It contains a coded document accurately predicting the details of every major disaster of the past 50 years, including 3 cataclysmic events that have not yet occurred. With time running out, he sets out to prevent these deadly prophecies from coming true.
Overall, the movie "Knowing" was a thought-provoking action movie. With twists and turns around almost every corner, proyas really gave us something different than the norm. I would recommend this one as a rental as it’s not so much a “theater” film. Take it at face value but there is some truth to it. The beginning and end don’t necessary match up.
I like Nicolas' movies, and please check out the movie trailer.

"Public Enemies" is a superstar action-thriller, and incredible true story, about the Feds try to take down notorious American gangsters John Dillinger (Depp) in an attempt to curb a rampant Midwest crime spree during the 1930s. Based on Bryan Burrough's non-fiction book, "Public Enemies: America's Greatest Crime Wave and the Birth of the FBI, 1933–34."
Obviously, there is never any guarantee about whether or not a movie will fulfill your expectations, but there are certain movies that, based on the talent involved, just look too good to doubt, and Public Enemies looks like one of those movies.
Humboldt Park native Michael Mann's new film Public Enemies is a grave and beautiful work of art, and has made an impressive film of great formal skill, one that inescapably has a brooding dark-night-of-the-soul quality about it, and one which portrays the life and death of one of the Chicago's most notorious criminals. And you can be sure that thousands of Chicagoans, eager to see their city—or at least bits and pieces of their city—up on the big screen will be packing the theaters. So make yourself comfortable, sit back and allow your mind to travel back to that infamous, warm summer evening in downtown Chicago when events were not quite what they appeared to be.
Click on above image for film's Official Website.

We make choices in life every day, and you should make a choice and see this movie. "My Sister’s Keeper" is a novel by Jodi Picoult, and was published on April 6, 2004. The book is about a young girl who sues her parents for the right to make her own decisions about how her body is used when a kidney transplant is planned in order to save her older sister's life.
Everyone knows from the movie trailer (click on image) that the story is about a young girl who has cancer. You would think that it would be a depressing movie, but you would be wrong. It is a story of some of the choices we make in life. As with all choices, there are consequences. There are many very hard choices in life and in death that we must make, and this is a good movie to show you the way. Diaz as the pragmatic lawyer who was fighting to the very end for her daughter lost focus on life, and the rest of her family. I believe that this is Diaz's best part and performance as an actress. This is a good movie to see with your loved ones.