andPOP - Pop Culture With Substance

Had enough of vampires? Too bad. If you’re not a fan of Twilight, you’re a clear minority these days.

The Twilight Saga: New Moon soundtrack has been propelled to the Number One spot on the Billboard Top 200 after one week on the shelves and digital services, reports rollingstone.com.

The album sold an additional 153,000 copies this week – a 33 per cent increase over its debut week on sale. Tim McGraw’s Southern Voice debuted at Number Two and Michael Buble’s Crazy Love dropped to Number Three after a two-week reign at Number One.

According to current estimations, however, New Moon’s time at the top of the charts will be short-lived. Another, and perhaps even more hyped, soundtrack is expected to take New Moon’s place: Michael Jackson’s This Is It.

The soundtrack that coincides with the documentary film of the same name is estimated to sell 300,000 to 350,000 copies, giving the late King of Pop his sixth Number One album on the Top 200, and his first since Invincible from 2001. While Jackson’s 2003 greatest hits album Number Ones is the year’s bestselling album with 2.2 million copies sold, it was not eligible for the Top 200 when it was taking the top spot in sales following Jackson’s death on June 25.

READ MORE »

I haven’t listened to ‘rock’ music for years, but there’s something about Band of Skulls that I can’t get enough of. Baby Darling Dollface Honey has the same rawness and musicality of a White Stripes record, but with a unique and irresistible charm. Add to that a very attractive female bassist and I’m sold. Band of Skulls is featured on the new Twilight soundtrack alongside some of my other favourites like Thom Yorke, Bon Iver, and Grizzly Bear, so clearly they’re doing something right.

Lauren Conrad’s spotlight may be gone from reality show, The Hills, but she has deftly redirected it to her newest movie-making endeavor.

Conrad has decided to work with the executive producers of Twilight, Marty Bowen and Wyck Godfrey, to turn her novel, “L.A. Candy,” into a film.

“I mean, you can’t do much better, right?” she remarked to MTV News at the launch of her Kohl’s LC Lauren Conrad clothing line.

According to mtvnews.com, she went on to explain that the book was never meant to be a movie. Instead, Conrad had envisioned it as a TV show. The former Hills star knows a thing or two about TV. “Originally, when people started talking to me about turning the books into television, I was really excited,” she explained. “Then we got approached about the movie and I wasn’t really sure it would work. The story is supposed to take place over a couple of years and it’s hard to do with a movie.”

READ MORE »

The New Moon soundtrack listing is now available. Is it everything Twilight fans hoped?

1. Death Cab for Cutie – Meet Me On the Equinox

2. Band of Skulls – Friends

3. Thom Yorke – Hearing Damage

4. Lykke Li – Possibility

5. The Killers – A White Demon Love Song

6. Anya Marina – Satellite Heart

7. Muse- I Belong To You (New Moon Remix)

8. Bon Iver & St. Vincent- Rosyln

9. Black Rebel Motorcycle Club – Done All Wrong

10. Hurricane Bells – Monsters

11. Sea Wolf- The Violet Hour

12. OK Go – Shooting the Moon

13. Grizzly Bear – Slow Life

14. Editors – No Sound But the Wind

15. Alexandre Desplat – New Moon (The Meadow)

On the red carpet for the 61st Annual Emmy Awards, E! News kicked off a campaign to get Twilight’s Robert Pattinson a hosting gig on Saturday Night Live.

“We would love to get Robert Pattinson,” said Seth Meyers. “How dare you tell me he’s the hot guy from Twilight, like I don’t already know! We’re actually hoping if he’s not available, at least his hair will come by and host.”

“Oh yeah, he’d be great,” said Kristen Wiig.

READ MORE »

We have the trailer for New Moon which debuted at the VMA’s on Sunday. Will it be as big or even bigger than Twilight? Probably. Expect to see more visual effects, werewolves, motorcylce stunts, and a whole lot more!

If you haven’t heard of “Band of Skulls,” you will very soon. These UK rockers had the first ever global iTunes “Single of the Week” back in April for their debut song “I Know What I am,” and they just keep taking the rock world by storm.

The trio were voted Best Live Band at Toronto’s NXNE festival in June and are fresh off Lollapalooza. Twi-hards may already know “Band of Skulls” has been confirmed to be included alongside Radiohead and Muse in the upcoming “New Moon” Soundtrack, out in November.

READ MORE »

The now-infamous cast of Eclipse, the Twilight sequel have been spotted throughout Vancouver where the third installment of the series is currently filming. It will be a prime time for some snooping too, as rumours have been flying about romances between a number of duos on the set.

Lead actors Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson arrived just days ago, Stewart still clad with a mullet from her title role in the Joan Jett biopic Runaways. They were sited a few nights ago getting cozy at a Kings of Leon concert in Vancouver Aug. 15, with photos of them practically making out appearing on RadarOnline.com and Just Jared. This comes after the two attended Comic-Con, an international and now celebrity hot spot comic book convention in San Diego, where they were practically joined at the hip according to the Los Angeles Times.

READ MORE »

Twilight series author Stephanie Meyer, has confessed, in a new exclusive video from E! News, that Blue October was the inspiration for her book New Moon. See below for the interview!

Just like many “Twilight” fans out there, Rachelle Lefevre — the Canadian who plays the evil red-headed vampire in “Twilight” and “New Moon” — was just as shocked to find out her character Victoria has been recast.

“I was stunned by Summit’s decision to recast the role of Victoria for ‘Eclipse,’ ” said Lefevre in a statement released Wednesday (July 29). The statement was released less than 24 hours after Summit Entertainment announced the Canadian actress would be replaced by “Lady in the Water” star Bryce Dallas Howard in the third “Twilight” installment.

READ MORE »