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September is set to be a huge month for albums, both in hip-hop and indie/rock. Well established artists such as The Roots, Jay-Z, Frank Turner, Basement Jaxx and Q-Tip vie with newbies Kid Cudi, Wale and The Big Pink. Read alot more inside...

Hip-Hop

September 11th
Jay-Z-The Blueprint³
Hugely anticipated 11th album from one of hip-hops greats, released exactly 8 years after The Blueprint. A huge amount of material has been made for this, with productions from Timbaland and Swizz Beatz expected to add to the wealth of tracks Kanye has produced. MGMT, Mr Hudson and Drake will be among the guests. No tracklisting as yet, but don't expect anything we've heard (except DOA and Run This Town); i'm pretty sure Jocking jay-z, history and brooklyn go hard wont be there. Dont be surprised if Jay-z creates another classic album to further promote his credentials as the Greatest Rapper Ever.
Sample Track: Jay-Z-Run this town feat. Kanye West and Rihanna
Excitedness rating: 10/10

September 14th/15th
Q-Tip-Kamaal/The Abstract
After 1999's Amplified, Q-Tip made Kamaal/The Abstract set for a 2002 release date. Arista then decided not to release the album because of it's lack of commercial appeal due to its alternative nature. Q-Tip later complained that what he was doing on Abstract was the same sort of thing that Andre 3K did on The Love Below (released on Arista 2 years later). Long story short, Q-Tip has negotiated the rights and will release Kamaal/The Abstract next month. I wonder if this will sound as alternative/new as it would have done in 2002, rap has changed a hell of a lot since then. Still, its a (sorta) new Q-Tip album, so i'm excited! Tracklisting here.
Sample track: Do U Dig U?
Excitedness Rating: 9/10

Kid Cudi-Man on the Moon:The End of Day
I had almost lost all faith in Cudi before Make Her Say; it had been so long since his 2008 Mixtape A Kid Named Cudi, that I had almost forgotten how much potential he has. Alot rides on this album, not just for Kid Cudi who goes up against fellow newcomers Wale and Drake in Autumn 09, but for mentor Kanye West. No official tracklist yet, and release date could well change, but expect productions from Mr West, Will.I.Am, Dot da Genius and Just blaze and features from MGMT, Clipse and Snoop Dogg. Not sure how MGMT are gonna fit into rap songs on both this and the blueprint 3, we will see.
Sample Track: Make Her Say
Excitedness rating: 8/10

September 21st
Dizzee Rascal-Tongue 'N' Cheek
After 2 (nearly 3) UK number 1's this could well be the album that cements Dizzee at the top of the Radio 1 Playlist, and the charts. Whilst a good dose of artistic integrity may have been lost, he still retains every bit of his energy and cheeky appeal that contributed to the fantastic Boy in Da Corner. Having led British grime for the last 6/7 years, he is now leading the recent wave of grime "sell-outs", far ahead of Tinchy Stryder, Chipmunk and even Wiley (whose last 2 albums, released within 7 months of each other, have both been very poor). Even if he is unashamedly poppy now, Dizzee Rascal is almost impossible to dislike. Tracklisting here.
Sample track: Dizzee Rascal-Holiday (feat. Chrome and Calvin Harris)
Excitedness rating: 7/10

Wale-Attention: Deficit
After being the next big thing for the last 2+ years, Wale finally releases his debut in September. He has released a mixtape every year since 2005, culmintating in the critically acclaimed "Mixtape About Nothing" in 2008 and "Back to the Feature" in June this year. This album promises alot, as Wale is probably the most talented newcomer around, and, whilst possibly lacking the raw energy of Kid Cudi, Wale is a better lyricist by a long shot. First single "Chillin" with Gaga is pretty diappointing, mainly due to the surprisingly awful Cool&Dre production. Kanye, Ronson, Q-Tip and 9th wonder are expected to join the duo on production duty for the album.
Sample Track: Wale-Nike Boots
Excitedness Rating: 8/10

September 28th/29th
The Roots-How I Got Over
In between being Jimmy Fallon's house band, the Roots have made their 9th studio album, How I Got Over. Black Thought has described the new album as more upbeat than their last 2 records, reflecting the band's relief at the end of the Bush administration. Guests are set to include Beanie Sgel, Chrisette Michelle and frequent collaborator Dice Raw. They have performed with a huge number of artists since they began on Jimmy Fallon, I am very keen to go and see them when they next hit Europe!
Sample Track: ">How I Got Over (live on Jimmy Fallon
Excitedness Rating: 8/10

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2009 has been slightly underwhelming music wise so far. The rest of the year (especially September!) promise a huge amount though....all the releases I can think of that I'm excited for, with release dates and info for all.

August
Amanda Blank-I Love You (August 4th)
After collaborating with Spank Rock, Ghostface Killah, Santigold, M.I.A. and a fair few more, Amanda Blank is ready to release her debut. Expect production from Diplo, Dave Sitek, XXXChange and more (most likely Switch, Sinden etc).
Sample Track: Might like you better
Excitedness rating: 6/10

Simian Mobile Disco-Temporary Pleasure (August 17th)
Their first album was excellent, although overshadowed by Justice's superior effort, and after first single Audacity of Huge I have high hopes for their 2nd record. Tracklisting has been released already;the album is set to feature Chris Keating, Beth Ditto, Gruff Rhys, Jamie Lidell, Alexis Taylor, Young Fathers and Telepathe.
Sample Track: Simian Mobile Disco-Cruel Intentions (feat. Beth Ditto)
Excitedness Rating: 7/10

Arctic Monkeys-Humbug (August 24th)
Arctic Monkeys release their third studio album the monday before they headline Reading and Leeds, with a change of sound again. After the brilliance of their first 2 albums, Humbug has alot to live up to, but with the songwriting talents of Alex Turner and the exciting production offered by Josh Homme and James Ford, this could well be another album of the decade. A US tour has already been announced for the autumn, I can't wait for some UK dates! tracklisting already released, titles include Dance Little Liar, potion Approaching and Dangerous Animals.
Sample Track: Album now leaked
Excitedness Rating: 10/10

Noah and the Whale-The First Days of Spring (August 31st)
I was not a fan of their first album but, only 1 year later, they have already created at least one song that is better than the whole of their debut put together. The title track is outstanding, and gives me great hope that NatW will step up significantly for their second effort. Tracklisitng here. Blue Skies is the new single, and is also very good!
Sample track: Noah and the Whale-The First Days of Spring
Excitedness rating: 7/10

Nas and Damian Marley-Distant Relatives (unknown date)
The 2009 Rock the Bells headliners combine hip-hop and reggae on this Africa inspired album. Guests are set to include K'Naan, Young Jeezy (wtf?!?!?), Stephen Marley and Stevie Wonder and predicted track titles "Africa Must Wake Up", and "Count Your Blessings". I look forward to K'Naan (Somalia) showing Nas (Queens) and Damian Marley (Kingston, Jamaica) how to rap about Africa.
Sample Track: As We Enter-sample on myspace
Excitedness Rating: 8/10

September coming soon!!


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its pretty hard to decipher from the above picture, but ABC have confirmed the above as:
Faraday, Boone, Miles, Michael, Ana Lucia, Charlotte, Shannon, Desmond, Eko, Kate, Jack, Sawyer, Locke, Ben, Sayid, Libby, Sun, Jin, Claire, Hurley, Juliet, Charlie, Frank, Richard, Bernard and Rose
I am so fucking excited. Round up of Lost, Heroes, Fringe, Doctor Who and Torchwood's panels below...

LOST
Beginning with the best, the Lost panel was pretty revelatory.
In short (from DarkUfo):
1) Parallel with S1 and S6 - DL confirms many characters from season one!
CC: Says there is a way of discovery that they will have in play in S6
2) Faraday confirmed for S6!!
3) Will we see flashbacks to characters' childhood? CC says S6 will be different. CC won't describe what that point of difference is.
4) Richard Alpert's backstory is "involved"
5) DL: Juliet WILL be in final season.
6) Q: Is Man in Black's name "Esau?" Emerson: Might be too literal--but I like the way your mind works.
7) Food drop in S2 finale might be covered... DL: "Something we'll try to address."
8) We won't see much DHARMA in S6
9) Jacob has NOT appeared as another character on the show.
10) Dominic Monaghan appeared on the panel!!!!
Read Doc jensens write up here

The major talking point was of course the virtual confirmation that Charlie (and I suspect all the characters in the above poster) will be in Season 6. I am so excited to see how this is going to work and how major their roles will be. I think Season 6 is going to be epic beyond all proportions.
Emerson, Garcia and Holloway were all at the Panel, and from the clips I've seen, were all on top form. Emerson even read a fake script from Heroes and declared "what the fuck is this?". Legend.
Here is the death reel that preceded Monaghans appearnce:


Heroes
In comparison, the Heroes panel was pretty dull...
here is a promo for season 5, Redemption:

looks like they are going ti create some new mythology again with the stupid compass thing. Gurnberg and Qinto are far too good for this show! I hope Sylar breaks out of Nathans body early on so I dont have to watch Adrian Pasdar "act" for too long.

Fringe
What we learned:

• Kirk Avecedo (Charlie Francis) will be on season 2 extensively
• Leonard Nimoy will return in the premiere to play William Bell
• Pinkner virtually admitted the original plan to make the show very accessible to all audiences was now out the window. :D

That's pretty much it!!

Doctor Who

• John Simm will return as the master in the Christmas special(s)
• Donna and Wilf will also return!
• River Song will return next season, in some of Matt Smiths first few episodes.
• New Waters of Mars preview clip! watch here
  

Torchwood
Nothing much, just general talks about CofE's excellent reviews/reaction both UK and USA. I reckon the fact they're even having a panel suggests there will be another season.

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1. how good is this!?
2. how different was the world in 1995! "time to get paid, blow up like the world trade", weird to see the crowd loving that line...things would be very different today...
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get excited. now. more to come soon...
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First official single from Blueprint 3. This could well be Jay-Z's first chart hit in the UK for a long time. It is very very very good. As pitchfork says, Kanye does kinda walk away with it...best verse I've heard from him since Graduation. mp3 below

Jay-Z-Run This Town feat. Kanye West and Rihanna

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From RapBasement:
"So who inspired Jay-Z to declare the "Death Of Autotune" Turns out it was none-other than Kanye West who used Auto-Tune for his entire "808s & Heartbreak" album. "He actually sparked the idea," Jay-Z says. "When he heard the beat he said, 'Man, this is just so hard! This has to be against everything -- no auto-tune, none of that type of stuff!' He didn't know what I was going to do or where I was going to take it, but it was actually his fault."

Jigga's says it's hip hop's job to set trends, not follow them. "In hip-hop, our job is once a trend becomes a gimmick, to get rid of it. We've done that since the beginning of time...Now people are using auto-tune even in Wendy's commercials, and it's like, 'Oh no! That has to go!' It's become part of main culture. It's the same thing like when the old lady in Oregon starts saying, 'bling, bling.' It's like, 'I'm never saying that again.'"
D.O.A. has grown on me so much since it's initial leak, Blueprint 3 is, along with Humbug, my most anticipated album of the latter half of 09. If you havent heard the chase and status remix yet, you can below...


I was there when Zane Lowe world premiered it at Glasto!
In other Jay-Z news The Game seems to be baiting him into some lame hip-hop feud. Over the last few weeks the Game has been dissing Jay AND Beyonce on pointless diss tracks/mixtapes...aparently he wants a lyrical battle...I have no idea why, Jay-Z is a more talented rapper whichever way you look at it. The Game should concentrate on making proper music and not pointless tyrades as he is very capable.

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First good material Kid Cudi has released since A Kid Named Cudi mixtape. Features Kanye west and Common and samples Lady gaga.
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"i never die, coz death is the cousin of sleep" ah awesome.dload below

Beastie Boys-Too many rappers ft. Nas (mp3)

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"you're just limiting all the possibilities" huge. listen here. dload below.


From the upcoming Scars,
Basement Jaxx-Saga ft. Santigold (mp3)

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Its taken me a very long time to write this, too long. Lost season 5 was epic beyond all proportions. I think if I go on about it too much I will run out of superlatives for one of the, if not the best tv program of our. Season 5 managed to continue the flawless character development that is consistent throughout the show and combine it with fantastic action scenes, twists galore, a surprising amount of answers, and of course an overwhelming number of questions. The acting as usual was outstanding, particular praise should be reserved for Elizabeth Mitchell who managed to turn a character round completely in the space of only a few episodes. It is up there with Seasons 1 and 4, and the wire seasons 3 and 4 as the best piece of tv i’ve ever seen. Below I write a short bit about each character, a few awards...and a few ideas for Season 6 (the last ever season of Lost :’( )


Jack (Matthew Fox)
People complained about him being underused, but that wasn’t the case at all. Matthew Fox gave his best performance of the series, and kind of surprisingly, I was sympathetic to his cause by the end. Jack started and ended the season as a broken man, in both cases with a plan...albeit a pretty crap one. It is strange to think I always thought it would/should be Jack/Kate right up until this season. My mind has been changed majorly; there is surely no chance for them now. Jack has now essentially become Locke, and Kate can’t stand that. Upon his return to the island, Jack makes a feeble attempt to assert his authority, in that first scene by the coast with Sawyer, but fails. The leadership dynamic between the 2 is fantastic from Namaste onwards.
Character Development: A
Best moment of the season: Conversation with Kate after Faraday’s death, basically telling her he wants to erase any memory of ever knowing her.
Kate (Evangeline Lily)
I have always loved Kate, but Evangeline Lily was never one of the best actors on the show. That changed dramatically this season. Off island Kate annoyed me for the first few episodes, she was very different from the all action heroin we had seen on the island. But the old Kate returned, and almost returned as the moral centre of the show, taking the lead in the efforts to save young Ben, and being the leading faction of the “stop Jack” crew. Special mention has to be given to “Whatever Happened, Happened”, in which Evangeline Lily gave the performance of her life. A welcome return to the traditional flashback/flashforward format, the episode showed the chain of events leading to Kate giving up Aaron, in what was a pretty heartbreaking scene.
Character Development: A
Best moment of the season: The scene where she says goodbye to Aaron.
Sawyer (Josh Holloway)
Nobody on Lost has developed the way James Ford has. Sawyer has become a true hero. I thought maybe this season Josh Holloway would get the recognition he deserves with an Emmy nomination but alas not. Sawyer was the most consistently brilliant character of the season, both pre-Dharma, encapsulating the audiences confusion in the time flashes, and especially as Jim LaFleur. His struggle in the latter half of the season to protect all the losties in Dharmaville was fantastic. Special mention should go to the episode “LaFleur”. I was so sceptical when I heard the Juliet/Sawyer spoilers, before I knew of the 3 years time jump; I thought it was a point less plot device. However, due to immaculate performances from Holloway and Mitchell, Sawyer and Juliet became a believable, great couple. After just 1 episode, they were considered the best of the quadrangle couples on a poll on DarkUfo. Dynamics between Sawyer/Kate/Juliet in the finale also brilliant.
Character Development A*
Best scene: Sawyer putting Jack in his place in Namaste.
Juliet (Elizabeth Mitchell)
Juliet has always been a good character from her “good cop” days with the others on Hydra island, to her betrayal of the others and her flailing relationship with Jack. I always expected her to die soon, and until season 5 would not have been too bothered. How times change. Who would have thought Juliet would be the hero of the season 5 finale? Mitchell’s portrayal of Juliet, especially in the last half of the season, was epic. The audience watched as Juliet witnessed the life she had built fall apart around her. On the island that Ben had kept her on, she was finally happy...until the o5 returned. Whether she’s dead or not (i think she is), Juliet’s story is ultimately tragic. On the sub, she is ready to finally get away...and then Kate turns up. Her performance in the finale was just immaculate and very very upsetting. I never thought I would be so upset by her death. Her flashback in the finale (notably not involving Jacob), the look she gives the sub as it disappears as if its her last chance of freedom, her conversation with Sawyer about how they were never meant to be, falling down the hole and the final scene banging on the bomb, were all heartwrenching. I think we will see some of Juliet in season 6, but I would be surprised if Mitchell were a regular.
Character development: A*
Best scene: Falling down the Swan hole.

Hurley (Jorge Garcia)
Over the years I have grown to love Hurley, and many believe as the only “good” person on the island. Garcia still knocks the emotional scenes out of the park (The Lie), and for comedy there is none better. Hurley and Miles interactions in Dharmaville were one of the highlights of the season.
Character Development: B
Best scene: Hurley explains the last 4 seasons of Lost to his mum in the Lie.
Sayid (Naveen Andrews)
After a season 3 demotion to a lesser role and a season 4 revival, Sayid shrunk into the shadows again for most of the season. He’s Our You was a fantastic episode, and gave us more great Sayid scenes than the rest of the season combined. In the Incident, Sayid seems resigned to death; he believes he has sinned too much to be forgiven. I would put alot of money on Sayid dying next season.
Character development B
Best scene: Sayid shoots young Ben
Sun (Yunjim Kim)
Very underused, not alot to say about her this season. Jin and Sun need to be reunited! I think they will be soon.
Character development C
Best scene: “Do you have any alcohol?” to Richard Alpert
Jin (Daniel Dae Kim)
Similarly to Sun, not much to say about Jin, except he’s alive! And he can speak English now!
Character development C
Best scene: Discovers Sayid in the forest and has to pretend not to know him.
Ben (Michael Emerson)
A third consecutive Emmy nomination says it all. Benjamin Linus is still one of the most interesti ng, complex, ambiguous characters in Lost. His performance in The Life and Death of JB was flawless, and Dead is Dead was out of this world. From having Locke round his little finger for 3 seasons, upon his return to the island Ben was bossed around and trodden on by the man he thought was Locke who eventually persuades him to kill Jacob!!! Dead is Dead was terrifying. I hope he joins with Jacob’s team next season, but i fear he will continue with Flocke.
Character development A
Best scene: Ben kills Locke
Locke (Terry O’Quinn)
Before his death, i really liked season 5 locke. After his death, he was one of the most terrifying characters i’ve ever seen. His determined, condescending, manipulative nature was alarming and when Ben told Sun “the thing that is about to come out of the woods is dangerous and I can’t control it” or something along those lines and Locke walks out, it was very disconcerting! O’Quinn gave a sterling performance, especially as Flocke, right up there with Holloway and Emerson.
Character development B
Best scene: As FL-kicking Jacob in the fire, As locke-falling down the well
Miles (Ken leung)
Finally Miles got a centric episode in Some Like It Hoth, showing the origins of his ability, how he first met Naomi, and strange interactions with Bram. His relationship with Chang (his father) was so well done!
Character development A
Best scene: All the scenes with Hurley
Faraday (Jeremy Davies)
A tragic death for a character I thought would last it til the end. Turns out his whole life has been manipulated by bitchface Hawking so he went to the island and was eventually killed by her. When the island was flashing all over the place, he acted as our guide, and vitally planted the idea of detonating the bomb in Jack’s head. One of the best additions to the show in season 4, he will be missed.
Character development A
Best scene: opening scene of the season, with Chang in the Orchid
Charlotte (Rebecca Mader)
Sad death, but mainly because of Daniel’s reaction. Good character, but it was her time to go.
Character development C
Best scene: Her death
Desmond! (Henry Ian Cusick)
He was barely in this season at all! Im praying he will be in season 6 majorly, I think he is still important and as Hawking said “the island isn’t done with you yet”. Desmond is a legend!
Character development B
Best scene: Saves Penny from Ben
Other characters:
Ilana-great addition, could be very important
Jacob-yayayayayayyay we finally saw who he was! Not some crazy old man, but a now deceased young one.
Jacobs nemesis-very scary, very disconcerting. Very important
Frank-so glad he came back, “We’re not going to Guam are we?”
Penny-Great as usual, don’t think we’ll see alot of her in s6, she has a starring role in FlashForward.
Bram-too soon to say
Radzinski-complete and utter dickhead
Horace-weak and feeble
Phil-best.death.ever.
Alpert-LEGEND

Awards!
Best character: Sawyer
Best actor: Micheal Emerson (Ben)
Best actress: Elizabeth Mitchell (Juliet)
Best episode: The Incident
Best couple: Sawyer and Juliet
Best death: Juliet

Getting ready for season 6
• Comic-con is next week, Jorge Garcia will be there with Darlton, as will a special guest, Dominic Monaghan anybody?
• Jeff Jensen has written this awesome piece on 4 potential paths Lost could now take. Read it here
• Countless rumours are going round about old characters returning. Read about the latest one here if you dare (link). I can’t help but thinking that particular one isn’t true. I could see Charlie, Shannon, Eko, Boone et al returning in some way or another, but not Arzt! Unless everything is reset and the plane either lands at LAX or they relive the crash...
• I think alot of the major characters will die next season. Ben, Jack, Sayid, Miles, Ilana, are all goners imo.
• Claire will be returning for definite, can’t wait to see what shes been up to!!!
Only a few more months to go now.....

The Shape of things to come?

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This is exactly the sort of song I shouldn't like, but theres something about it reminiscent of Usher back in the day. Read the lyrics below and have a good laugh, and dload the mp3.

"First, I'm gonna take a dive into the water deep
Until I know I pleased that body (body)
Or girl without a broom I might just sweep you off yo feet
And make you wanna tell somebody (body) how I do"
erm lol...
Jeremih-Birthday Sex (mp3)


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30 rock gets 22 nominations! Big success for 30 rock, which will be looking to retain the "Best comedy" award it has won for the last 2 years, and the best comedy actor/actress awards won by Alec Baldwin and Tina Fey last year. I have watched season 1 over the past few weeks and it is the best US comedy made for a long time. Lost did well, gaining 6 nominations, including outstanding drama series. Jermaine also got nommed for best comedy actor!! Heroes notably lacked any major nominations, and despite its revival Scrubs was also largely ignored. Read the nominations below, and who I think will win!

Italic=who i think will win, bold=who i want to win
Major categories only:
Outstanding Comedy Series
Family Guy
30 Rock
Weeds
How I Met Your Mother
The Office
Flight of the Conchords
Entourage

Outstanding Drama Series
Mad Men
Breaking Bad
Lost
Damages
Dexter
Big Love
House

Lead Actor in a Drama
Bryan Cranston - Breaking Bad
Hugh Laurie - House
Gabriel Byrne - In Treatment
Michael C. Hall - Dexter
Jon Hamm - Mad Men
Simon Baker - The Mentalist

Lead Actress in a Drama
Elisabeth Moss - Mad Men
Glenn Close - Damages
Sally Field - Brothers and Sisters
Mariska Hargitay - Law and Order: SVU
Kyra Sedgwick - The Closer
Holly Hunter - Saving Grace

Lead Actor in a Comedy
Jim Parsons - The Big Bang Theory
Alec Baldwin - 30 Rock
Steve Carell - The Office
Charlie Sheen - Two and a Half Men
Tony Shalhoub - Monk
Jemaine Clement - Flight of the Conchords

Lead Actress in a Comedy
Toni Collette - United States of Tara
Tina Fey - 30 Rock
Julia Louis-Dreyfus - The New Adventures of Old Christine
Sarah Silverman - The Sarah Silverman Program
Mary-Louise Parker - Weeds
Christina Applegate - Samantha Who?

Best Reality Competition-dont care
The Amazing Race
American Idol
Dancing With the Stars
Project Runway
Top Chef

Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Series
The Colbert Report
The Daily Show With Jon Stewart
Late Show With David Letterman
Real Time With Bill Maher
Saturday Night Live

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series
William Shatner - Boston Legal
Christian Clemenson - Boston Legal
Aaron Paul - Breaking Bad
William Hurt - Damages
Michael Emerson - Lost
John Slattery - Mad Men

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series
Rose Byrne - Damages
Sandra Oh - Grey’s Anatomy
Chandra Wilson - Grey’s Anatomy
Dianne Wiest - In Treatment
Hope Davis - In Treatment
Cherry Jones - 24

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series
Kevin Dillon - Entourage
Neil Patrick Harris - How I Met Your Mother
Rainn Wilson - The Office
Tracy Morgan - 30 Rock
Jack McBrayer - 30 Rock
Jon Cryer - Two and a Half Men

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series
Kristin Chenoweth - Pushing Daisies
Amy Poehler - Saturday Night Live
Kristin Wiig - Saturday Night Live
Jane Krakowski - 30 Rock
Vanessa Williams - Ugly Betty
Elizabeth Perkins - Weeds

Outstanding Miniseries
Generation Kill
Little Dorritt

Outstanding Made-For-TV Movie
Coco Chanel
Grey Gardens
Into The Storm
Prayers For Bobby
Taking Chance

Outstanding Actor, Miniseries or Movie
Kevin Kline - Cyrano de Bergerac
Brendan Gleeson - Into the Storm
Ian McKellen - King Lear
Kevin Bacon - Taking Chance
Kiefer Sutherland - 24: Redemption
Kenneth Branagh - Wallander: One Step Behind

Outstanding Actress, Miniseries or Movie
Chandra Wilson - Accidental Friendship.
Shirley MacLaine - Coco Chanel
Drew Barrymore - Grey Gardens
Jessica Lange - Grey Gardens
Sigourney Weaver - Prayers for Bobby

Outstanding Supporting Actor, Miniseries or Movie
Ken Howard - Grey Gardens
Len Cariou - Into the Storm
Bob Newhart - The Librarian: Curse of the Judas Chalice
Tom Courtenay - Little Dorrit
Andy Serkis - Little Dorrit

Outstanding Supporting Actress, Miniseries or Movie
Marcia Gay Harden - The Courageous Heart of Irena Sendler
Jeanne Tripplehorn - Grey Gardens
Shohreh Aghdashloo - House of Saddam
Janet McTeer - Into the Storm
Cicely Tyson - Relative Stranger

How Elizabeth Mitchell isn't nominated I will never know.

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3 weeks after an amazing festival, i recap my top 5 performances, other highlights and big misses.

my top 5 in no particular order...
1. The Maccabees @ Guardian Lounge

I was so excited about this performance after missing them on the Other Stage earlier in the day (due to a horrific Regina Spektor clash). I have seen the maccabees three times before and they were great all 3 times, but on the Guardian lounge they exceeded my expectations. Wall of Arms is my favourite album of the year, and all the new stuff they played was awesome...but it was 2 oldies that stood out somehow in what was one of the best live performances i've ever seen. Precious Time was just out of this world, so special, and after giving into crowd requests, Latchmere was immense (made probably even better by Orlando forgetting the words, and someone from the crowd going onstage and singing!). With Wall of Arms, The Maccabees have built on Colour it In both musically and lyrically and it is so abundantly clear that they are way ahead of the indie bands who broke through at the same time. The Maccabees are up there with the best.
watch their set on the other stage
(mp3)The Maccabees-Precious Time
2. Blur @ Pyramid Stage

Blur were outstanding. The band looked so happy to be back at the best festival of the year, back together as a band, and it was reflected in their immense performance. Turns out Tender is a huge festival anthem...at least now it is. The whole crowd singing along was pretty spesh. Wouldn't be at all surprised if Blur didn't make any new material/play any more shows after this year...we will see.
Watch Blur perform Tender, taken by someone in the crowd
(mp3) Blur-Tender
3. Badly Drawn Boy @ Avalon Stage

Playing half on his own and half with a band, Badly Drawn Boy played a great set on the Avalon Stage, a place he calls the "real Glastonbury". He was so good in an intimate venue, strange to think he has played the Pyramid before! He played mostly classics from his first 3 albums...the only three i've heard, so for me it was a pretty much ideal setlist, as well as Stone Roses and Jackson 5 covers! The Shining, track 1 from the mercury prize winning Hour of Bewilderbeast, is one of the best songs ever written in my eyes, so hearing it live (albeit with just an acoustic guita, not the full orchestra) was very special. He is one of Britain's great songwriting talents, i'll definately be going to see him on his next tour.
Really good fan recording of A Minor Incident
(mp3) Badly Drawn Boy-The Shining

4. Q-Tip @ Jazz World

Of all the people I saw at glastonbury, Q-Tip had by far and away the best stage presence of the lot. The leader of possibly the greatest hip-hop group of all time, A Tribe Called Quest, is 39 years old, and very very cool. He played almost a perfect mix of tracks from 2008's the Renaiscance, his debut Amplified and Tribe stuff. The crowd went sick for all Tribe Called Quest, especially Scenario and Check the Rhime. Sucka Nigga was immense, that song is so intelligent. Q-Tip is real hip-hop, reminding the world along with a select few that hip-hop is not about Flo Rida, 50 cent, soulja boy and other successfull talentless stars. Hip-hop is about De La Soul, Mos Def, Jay-Z, Nas, Biggie, A Tribe Called Quest, The Roots and other intelligent artists. Q-Tip never seems to be mentioned when people talk about the best rapper ever, but in terms of lyrical ability and stage prescence he is right up there with Jay, Nas, Biggie and 2pac.
A Tribe Called Quest-Sucka Nigga
5. Regina Spektor @ Pyramid Stage

It wouldn't be too crazy to say she has the best voice in music ever. Live she is captivating and does not falter once. Playing alot from her new album Far, Regina impressed a crowd that mostly only knew Fidelity, the closer to a glorious set. Far is perhaps a bit lacklustre in comparison to the rest of her catalogue, but live it all sounds amazing. Poor Little Rich Boy was immense, as was Laughing With... but Us was my favourite; it is my favourite Regina song, and with a live string section it couldnt really go wrong...
(mp3) Regina Spektor-Poor Little Rich Boy
Other highlights:
Maximo Park
Peter Bjorn and John-Objects of my affection (mp3)
Mr Hudson-There will be tears (mp3)
Easy Star All Stars
White Lies-Unfinished Business (mp3)
The Streets
N.E.R.D.-Lapdance feat.Lee Harvey and Vita (mp3)
Lily Allen
The specials
Dizzee Rascal
The Gaslight Anthem-the '59 Sound (mp3)
The Temper Trap
Bon Iver-The Wolves (Act I and II)the (mp3)
Amadou and Mariam
Tom Jones!

Big Misses
2manydjs
Mumford and Sons
Laura Marling
Animal Collective
Bloc Party
Jamie T
Black eyed peas hahahaa

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Yes that title is about a remix of the David Guetta/Kelly Rowland banger. DJ Blame retains the summer feel, retains Rowlands awesome voice in this, but turns it into a dnb classic. wish i wasnt listening to this through my crappy laptop speakers...mp3 as soon as poss...epic stuff
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He cant be dead!!?!?!?!!!? Episode 4 was amazing....did not expect Ianto to die at all, its fucking sad. I have loved Children of Earth so far.
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Released last Monday, jamie T gives us even more reason to be hopeful for the release of his 2nd album, Kings and Queens.

Sticks and Stones is already one of the best songs of the year, and the new EP contains 3 brilliant new tracks St Christopher, On the Green and the Dance of the Young professionals. Missed his slot on the other stage at glasto, but caught him on Zane Lowes live show Thursday night, he was amazing, playing Sticks and Stones and Back in the Game.
Here is On the Green from the new EP:
(mp3) Jamie T-On the Green
He has just announced a tour:
1st - O2 Academy - Bristol
2nd - Guildhall - Southampton
3rd - O2 Academy - Birmingham
5th - Northumbria University - Newcastle
6th - Rock City - Nottingham
7th - UEA - Norwich
9th - Barrowlands - Glasgow
10th - Uni of Lancashire/53 Degrees - Preston
11th - O2 Academy - Sheffield
13th - Manchester Academy - Manchester
14th - O2 Academy - Leeds
15th - O2 Academy Brixton - London
23rd - Limelight - Belfast
24th - Whelan’s - Dublin
tickets on sale now
hes so damn talented

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watch/download below


Its not very Bloc Party, but I love pretty much any song with a piano loop. They are capable of more for sure, but I like this. They are like a machine for outputting new material, intimacy was released less than a year ago. Very interested to see how album no.4 will sound. Expect alot of remixes to come for "One More Chance".
(mp3) Bloc Party-One more chance

only 4 days gone in Juily so far, and i've already posted as much this month as I did last. :D
One More Chance is out August 10th on Wichita. Bloc Party play below Radiohead at Reading/Leeds.

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Dizzee Rascal returns to prove he is still the best grime-pop crossover artist out there. I dont even like Holiday that much, until the last 30 seconds when its awesome (even though thats Calvin Harris doing), but compared to the awful records Stryder and Chipmunk have had success with, its brilliant. Be prepared to hear this all the time, everywhere. If this doesnt go to number 1, I will eat my hand. "Tongue "N" Cheek" is out September 7th, 4 days before Blueprint 3...i wonder which will be better....here is the mp3
(mp3) Dizzee Rascal-Holiday feat. Chrome (prod. Calvin Harris)
and a classic
(mp3) Dizzee Rascal- 2 Far feat. Wiley
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Not only to you get to go and see one of the best live performers of his generation, you get to see him on this stage!! Aparently he's only playing 1h10m though, would be interesting to see the setlist. Wouldn't be surprised if he only played Through the Wire off TCD, lots of 808s methinks. Love Lockdown, Heartless, Paranoid, Amazing, Welcome to Heartbreak are almost guaranteed. Also, the rest of the line-up is pretty sweet. Q-Tip, Kid Cudi, Calvin Harris, Mr Hudson and Example are definately all worth catching. Tinchy Stryder and Chipmunk will probably be awesome as well, as much as they both annoy me. Kanye mp3 below.

Went to see the Hangover last night, and they played this Kanye track, reminding me of just how good he is.
(mp3) Kanye West-Can't Tell Me Nothing
In one of the final scenes, at a wedding the singer sings 50's Candy Shop as well. It is brilliant, go and see the film!

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For some unknown reason, the bbc decided to contradict itself with the new series of Torchwood. On the one hand the show has been promoted to BBC One, on the other it has been cut from 13 to 5 episodes, to be shown every day next week. I have never been particularly passionate about the show (can anyone really be?) but it should make a nice fill-in before the next Dr Who special airs in November time (the easter one was awesome). Oh and Owen and Tosh are dead (they were really annoying!) so that gives me pretty high hopes for next week! Below are a few tidbits from DigitalSpy and a trailer.

1. Children Of Earth has a slightly terrifying premise: all of the children in the world stop dead at exactly the same moment and begin uttering the message "We are coming." All of them. And all in English, too.

2. The "we" is revealed to be an alien race dubbed The 456, not heard from in over 40 years.

3. In addition to the children, there is one other person reciting the message - a psychiatric patient named Timothy White. What connection does this have to an incident in Scotland in 1965?

4. Captain Jack and Ianto are referred to as "a couple" on more than one occasion.

5. As the episode begins, Rhys is looking at new houses for him and Gwen. But by the end of the episode, she has a very large secret she needs to share with him.

6. Both Owen and Tosh make appearances.

7. We meet Ianto's sister, nephew and niece. How will he respond to confirmed sightings of him on a dinner date with a man?

8. We also meet Captain Jack's.... daughter. Yes, daughter.

9. By the end of the episode, both Jack and Gwen have something inside them. Both items will change their worlds forever.

10. The ending to the first episode is probably one of the most compelling cliffhangers the Whoniverse has ever seen.

i hope tosh/owens appearnces are short. and no. 10 is very exciting!
trailer

Torchwood: Children of Earth airs Monday-Friday 9pm on BBC One

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i guess ive completely lost faith in the show. after a strong start to season 3, it petered out to become (in the last few eps of volume 4) worse than the abysmal season 2. I hated pretty much every character except Hiro, and didnt care for their fate. The show relied too much on Sylar, who wasnt given enough interaction with the other major cast members, and even Zachary Quinto's acting couldn't turn awful writing into exciting action on screen. I began the year writing reviews every episode, that will not be happening next season. I will watch volume 5, but i wont look forward to it in any shape or form. There are a few minor spoilers below, taken from a nice article by DigitalSpy, rounding up character by character plotlines for the next season. Unless something dramatically changes, this could be my last ever post on Heroes. I cant believe it was ever considered Lost's equal.

From DigitalSpy:Here's what's happening with the major characters when the new season starts:

Claire (Hayden Panettiere): is starting college in Washington, D.C. Gets two roommates, Annie (Rachel Melvin) and Gretchen (Madeline Zima), but predictably, Claire's new life is far from straightforward. In the first episode, she discovers a body on the sidewalk, the result of a mysterious suicide. Meanwhile, she's dealing with the fallout from her parents' divorce process.

Nathan (Adrian Pasdar):... is Sylar. But that doesn't mean Nathan's going to be through and through bad next season. "I think there's going to be a good redemptive nature to his behaviour this year," Pasdar told Sci Fi Wire recently. "It's nice to think it might end a little lighter. It's nice to think it might end with a martyrdom kind of behaviour thing in order to sacrifice himself to save the world."

Peter (Milo Ventimiglia): has alienated himself from those cloest to him as he embarks on a one-man mission to save the world, one person at a time. Peter also finds a romantic interest in the form of a powerful woman. This is rumoured to be a hearing-impaired character called Emma, played by The L Word's Deanne Bray.

Angela (Cristine Rose): Talking about episode 3, Rose told E! Online: "I learned that 20 years ago, Angela made a decision that is going to come back to bite her in her rear end. Angela tries her best, but she keeps screwing up." Rose added that in the same episode, there will be a "huge change" for Mama Petrelli.

Matt (Greg Grunberg): is feeling guilty over the Nathan/Sylar affair but is trying to live a normal life with his wife and son. Grunberg has posted on his Twitter saying that he has been filming scenes where Matt "beats up on Sylar". Matt also gets a new partner ( Battlestar's Rick Worthy), an experienced LA cop who Matt turns to for advice.

Noah (Jack Coleman), Tracy (Ali Larter):... and Angela, among others, are forming The Company 2.0. But this time, The Company claims to have good intentions, with the aim of uniting heroes around the world. But there's also a new, sinister organisation on the scene - one that treats people with abilities in a "dangerous and potentially deadly new way".

Samuel (Robert Knepper): is a brand new character, described as a "charismatic and evil" man who will "veer into the lives of all heroes". Check back in with Tube Talk tomorrow morning for an exclusive interview with the ex-Prison Break star talking about his new role!
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i decided to watch scrubs when i got in last night at half 2, im rewatching season 2 at the moment...

even if you were never commited to the jd/elliott storyline, you have to admit this is awesome. season 2 is so brilliant, i think it might be my favourite season of scrubs ever.

on another note, im glad the show is moving away from the hospital and will have a new name, itll make it more like a spinoff than a continuation of the show.
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Jamie T remixes the most hyped artist of the year's new single. It is huuuuge. Mp3 as soon as i find one.

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As the whole world now knows, Michael Jackson died one week ago today. It was pretty surreal hearing the news at glastonbury, and the jokes came a little too fast i think. Its been pretty much mandatory across the blogosphere to post some form of Jackson tribute, whether blogging about hip-hop, metal, indie, dance, dubstep, punk, i guarantee at least 90% of blogs will have written something about the late King of Pop. I guess that shows, despite the scandals, he was a unifying figure, and no matter what musical taste or background everyone can appreciate his genius.

If you are sick of the gazillion articles/comments in the media about the case and just want to read a select few from the journalistic elite, look no further.
Firstly, Charlie Brooker comments on the media reaction to his death, he is genius as usual. (read)
Secondly, published in the Observer on Sunday, a review by John Peel of Jacksons "Bad" Tour. (read)
and finally, from an up and coming blogger (who just so happens to
be my sister) a short article on Jacksons celebrity in comparison to the "stars" of today. (read)

I was going to post the jail dance Thriller video, but anyone who has ever been on the internet has seen it, so here is Man in the Mirror from the 88 grammy's.

and of course a couple of my favourite mp3ssss
Jackson 5-I Want You Back
Michael Jackson-Don't Stop 'til you Get Enough

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MaximoParkMrHudsonReginaSpektorN*E*R*DTheMaccabeesWhiteLiesLilyAllenTheSpecialsTheStreetsQ-TipPeterBjorn&JohnDizzeeRascalTheTemperTrapBadlyDrawnBoyBonIverEasyStarAllStarsArtBrutAmadou&MariamTomJonesMumford&SonsBlur

full review coming this weekend!



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