andPOP - Pop Culture With Substance

Unveiling 24 more songs to Guitar Hero 5’s massive 85 song list (not including new songs added for download in the future) Activision gives a taste of their variety in this upcoming title by announcing such hits as Iron Maiden’s “2 minutes to midnight”, Rush’s “The Spirit of Radio” (an exclusive live recording), No Doubt’s “Ex-Girlfriend” and much much more.

That’s not the big news that excites me however as not only will GH5 feature the unreleased single “Medicate” from AFI’s upcoming album Crash Love (available in game before the album’s release) but also Two legendary acts will join forces for the greater good of the global gaming… group. READ MORE »

The American Film Institute has unveiled its list of best genre movies, and snagging the No. 1 spots are such classics as “The Wizard of Oz,” “Vertigo” and “To Kill a Mockingbird.”

The organization announced its picks for the 10 best films in 10 different genres in a three-hour CBS special Tuesday night.

“AFI’s 10 Top 10″ was voted on by a jury of 1,500 film artists, critics and historians, and the results were presented by such celebrity hosts as Clint Eastwood, Quentin Tarantino and Jessica Alba.

“The Wizard of Oz” (1939) topped the list for fantasy, ahead of runner-up “The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring,” while “Vertigo” (1958) and “To Kill a Mockingbird” (1962) took the top spots for mystery and courtroom drama, respectively.

Charles Chaplin’s 1931 silent film “City Lights” was a surprise win in the romantic comedy category, topping popular and more modern flicks including “Annie Hall” (No. 2) and “When Harry Met Sally …” (No. 6).

Here are the other No. 1 movies:

- “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” (1937), animation
- “The Searchers” (1956), western
- “Raging Bull” (1980), sports
- “Lawrence of Arabia,” (1962), epic
- “2001: A Space Odyssey” (1968), science fiction
- “The Godfather” (1972), gangster

The earliest film on the list was 1924’s “The Thief of Bagdad” in the fantasy category, while the most recent was 2003’s “Finding Nemo” in the animation field.

Alfred Hitchcock was the most represented director with four of his films making the cut; Steven Spielberg and Stanley Kubrick followed with three each.

AFI’s “Decemberunderground” debuted at the No. 1 spot on the Billboard 200, making it the band?s first chart-topping album and ending the Dixie Chicks two-week run at the top of the chart.

AFI scored its best one-week tally with 182,000 copies sold, nearly double the opening sales figures for their previous album ?Sing the Sorrow,? according to Nielsen SoundScan.

The Dixie Chicks maintained strong sales of 175,000 to land at No. 2.

The Top 10 was rounded out by the debuts of rappers Yung Joc and Ice Cube, ?High School Musical,? the Red Hot Chili Peppers, the debut of the ?Cars? soundtrack, Rascal Flatts, Rihanna and ?Now 21.?

Other notable debuts included Miami’s DJ Khaled’s ?Listennn … The Album? compilation at No. 12 and two tour collections, ?Blue Collar Comedy? at No. 19 and ?Warped? at No. 27.

At 9.5 million units, overall CD sales were up 3 per cent from the previous week and down 14 per cent compared to the same week a year ago, reports Reuters. Sales for 2006, at 241.2 million units, are down 3 per cent compared to 2005.

Meanwhile, Shakira’s ?Hips Don’t Lie? sold 165,000 to stay at the top of the track-download chart for a second week. Track downloads are up 77 per cent over last year, bringing the year-to-date total to 247.8 million.

“It’s a Wonderful Life” was named by the American Film Institute as the most inspiring film of all time, E! Online reports.

The top 100 choices were revealed on a three hour special airing last night on CBS and CH in Canada.

The Jimmy Stewart tear jerker was followed by “To Kill a Mockingbird” at number two and “Schindler?s List” at number three.

Films made prior to Jan. 1, 2005 were eligible to make the list. The director who had the most films on the list was Steven Spielberg. Other films of Spielberg?s on the list besides “Schindler?s List” included “E.T.,” “Saving Private Ryan,” “Close Encounters of the Third Kind,” and “The Colour Purple.”

It was so outrageous, so taboo and so frowned upon in its time that it almost never made the film.

But on a CBS special Tuesday night, Rhett Butler’s “Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a damn” was named the most memorable quote ever by the American Film Institute (AFI).

Butler’s timeless last words to Scarlett O’Hara in Gone With the Wind beat the second place quote, Marlon Brando’s “I’m going to make him an offer he can’t refuse,” which was uttered in 1972’s The Godfather.

Brando’s “I coulda been a contender” speech from the 1954 film, On the Waterfront, also made the top ten, coming in at third place.

The AFI polled 1,500 people in Hollywood for the top 100 quotes of all time. The winners were picked out of 400 contenders.

Voting criteria included the quote’s ability to invoke its film and the level of its cultural impact.

“They get into our everyday language,” AFI director Jean Picker Firstenberg said of the quotes. “They become a common language that we can all relate to and empathize with.”

Of all movies, Casablanca had the most top 100 entries with six. Its star, Humphrey Bogart, had the most mentions on the list with 10 quotes.

Also featured in the top 10 were:

-”Toto, I’ve got a feeling we’re not in Kansas anymore” from The Wizard of Oz (No. 4).

-”Here’s looking at you, kid” from Casablanca (No. 5).

-”Go ahead, make my day” from Sudden Impact (No. 6).

-”All right, Mr. DeMille, I’m ready for my close-up” from Sunset Boulevard (No. 7).

-”May the Force be with You” from Star Wars (No. 8).

-”Fasten your seatbelts. It’s going to be a bumpy night” from All About Eve (No. 9).

-”You talking to me?” from Taxi Driver (No. 10).