Another day, another take on the Miley Cyrus’ “Wrecking Ball.” But this one isn’t a hedgehog parody . Instead, it’s a legitimately impressive version of the singer’s number-one smash and it comes to us from British artist James Arthur. The Middlesbrough is accompanied below by only a piano – and his own terrific vocals – as he puts a unique spin on Miley’s latest single. And he does it while remaining clothed and not licking a single sledgehammer. Watch now: James Arthur – “Wrecking Ball” Arthur isn’t the first crooner to take on “Wrecking Ball.” Take a look now at a variety of Miley Cyrus covers and tributes .
Another day, another take on the Miley Cyrus’ “Wrecking Ball.” But this one isn’t a hedgehog parody . Instead, it’s a legitimately impressive version of the singer’s number-one smash and it comes to us from British artist James Arthur. The Middlesbrough is accompanied below by only a piano – and his own terrific vocals – as he puts a unique spin on Miley’s latest single. And he does it while remaining clothed and not licking a single sledgehammer. Watch now: James Arthur – “Wrecking Ball” Arthur isn’t the first crooner to take on “Wrecking Ball.” Take a look now at a variety of Miley Cyrus covers and tributes .
The American Idol Top 8 took their act to Detroit this week, covering songs by artists who hail from the Motor City. Did this variation on Motown Night pay off? For some, yes. Janelle Arthur broke out her guitar and broke down “You Keep Me Hangin’ On” in very impressive fashion. See for yourself:
In the spirit of March Madness, now we can get serious about American Idol Season 12. That’s because we’re down to the Elite 8, following this week’s elimination of Paul Jolley . How would we rank the remaining contestants? THG presents our very first Power Poll of the season below, and then we ask readers to vote on their favorites… 8. Lazaro Arbos : Nice guy. We feel bad about his stuttering and his reaction to such a poor performance on Wednesday. But clearly should no longer be here. 7. Devin Velez : Quick, name his most memorable performance so far. Sorry… time is up! Doesn’t bring much to the table. 6. Angie Miller : Might be ranked higher in past years, but let’s face it. This is a REALLY strong season for the women. 5. Burnell Taylor : Tough song choice on “Let It Be,” a track that has been done to death over the years. But the only chance the men have to keep their winning streak alive. 4. Janelle Arthur : We’ll show some love for country. Expect Arthur to stick around for awhile.3 3. Kree Harrison : Absolutely adored her version of ” With a Little Help from My Friends .” She’s basically even with the top two. 2. Amber Holcomb : REALLY, seriously adored her rendition of “She’s Leaving Home.” Has been improving each week. 1. Candice Glover : Our favorite since day one. You heard it here, folks: no WGWG is winning this season! Your turn. Who do YOU think will win American Idol Season 12? Burnell Taylor Devin Velez Lazaro Arbos Janelle Arthur Candice Glover Angie Miller Amber Holcombe Kree Harrison View Poll »
Breezy and John Legend actually have a lot in common, don’t they? Legend and his fianceé Chrissy Teigen were spotted watching Andy Roddick play in the US Open. Roddick is married to model Brooklyn Decker, who like Chrissy, flosses her bangin’ bawwwwwdy in ‘kinis for Sports Illustrated. Looks like the couple was sipping some Moet while they cheered on ol’ boy. Here’s a look at a full body shot. Chrissy is looking very Labor Day weekend in her all white, isn’t she. Do you practice the no white after Labor Day rule, or is that old fashioned to you? Hit the flip for more shots of the happy couple, as well as Breezy and Karrueche!
Please vote for me every hour here: www.artistsignal.com You can log in with Facebook and it takes 2 seconds, THANK YOU I hope you enjoy my cover of Justin Bieber’s “As Long As You Love Me”! I love his new album “Believe” and this is one of my favorite songs off of it. Let me know what you think! TWITTER twitter.com FACEBOOK www.facebook.com MERCH / WRISTBANDS! ArthurGarrosMusic.com TUMBLR http BLOGTV www.blogtv.com BUSINESS INQUIRIES inquiries@arthurgarrosmusic.com http://www.youtube.com/v/eu_lwDT5Au8?version=3&f=videos&app=youtube_gdata Read more from the original source: Justin Bieber – As Long As You Love Me ft. Big Sean (Cover by Arthur Garros)
Still feeling nihilistic ? So’s Michael Musto ! “Apparently, you pay Scientology, and they help your career big time. But in the old days, the studios closeted you for free! … I’d rather read an old Pauline Kael review of a movie than watch the actual movie. … The film biz should pick one day out of the calendar year and declare it ‘No Fart Jokes or Car Crashes Day.’ … And how about ‘No Pretentious, Scenery-Chewing Oscar-Grubbing Month’ (and let’s make it December)? … Every important film from an auteur bloats in at exactly two hours and 20 minutes. One second less would obviously be a creative abortion. … Today’s stars should never do historical epics. Chin implants and pillow lips look funny in the Middle Ages. … Opening credits have become ridiculous. ‘Dingdong Films, under the auspices of Crapola Productions, in association with FilMagic, Cinema Paradise, and Rutgers University, along with Kazilloscope Matters Inc., and Hempstead Futons, Presents an Ashton Kutcher Joint …'” [ Village Voice ] [Photo via Shutterstock ]
In strict dramatic terms, almost nothing occurs in the Dardenne brothers’ The Kid with a Bike . Some characters show a lack of empathy, even cruelty, but there’s more than enough kindness elsewhere to make up for it, and the terrible things you fear might happen simply don’t. Those qualities make the movie seem slight, almost inconsequential, as if the merest breeze would blow it off-course. But the real strength of The Kid with a Bike is the cautious but generous warmth of its storytelling. Not much happens in The Kid with a Bike , but it leaves you grateful that the worst doesn’t happen — with these characters, you might not be able to bear it. The Kid with a Bike starts out as your standard child-at-risk story. Cyril (played by the fine young actor Thomas Doret, in his debut) is an 11-ish redhead with a buzz cut who’s in perpetual movement from the movie’s first minute: Peripatetic, quizzical and persistent, Cyril is obsessed with reconnecting with his father (played by Dardennes regular Jérémie Renier), who has essentially abandoned him to a local home for displaced or problem kids. Cyril also wants his bike back — he believes it’s still in the apartment his father has recently also abandoned — and with the help of a quietly compassionate hairdresser he meets by chance, Samantha (Cécile De France, in a relaxed but extremely focused performance), he does get it back. Recognizing, in some basic, primal way, that he’s found someone who might be able to give him the care and affection he needs, Cyril latches onto her, figuratively and even at one point literally — he clamps his arms around her in an ironclad, monkeylike embrace. He also makes a bold request, asking her outright if she’ll let him live with her on the weekends, even though she barely knows him. With no hesitation she agrees. But even under Samantha’s guidance and care, Cyril is still something of a lost kid, which causes him to fall under the spell of a local hood, who hopes to enlist him in a life of petty crime. On the basis of previous pictures like The Son or L’Enfant , you might think Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne would lean heavily on the suspense card: The Belgian writing-directing duo aren’t exactly the cheeriest guys on the planet, and if they were to follow their more dour instincts, they might have fixated on the question of whether or not Cyril would succumb to thuggery. But they’re after something more delicate here, and if it doesn’t completely work — the movie is so muted it comes off as being a bit wayward in its emotional and narrative focus — there’s still something admirable in their outright rejection of desolation and despair. (The picture won the Grand Jury Prize at Cannes last May.) The ending of The Kid with a Bike holds out a very real possibility for redemption. It doesn’t hurt that the picture, set in an unnamed provincial town and filmed in some gorgeously bucolic parts of Belgium, is also beautifully shot (by DP Alain Marcoen): The images have a clean, crisp, no-nonsense look that’s almost a metaphorical counterpart to Cyril’s confident physicality as he whizzes from here to there. Doret, for all his preternatural confidence in this role, is still an unassuming and sympathetic presence. With that strawberry-blond perpetual-summer haircut, and a reckless scattering of freckles across his nose, he looks like the kind of kid you’d see on a ’50s bread wrapper. But his face is solemn and purposeful, and his mannerisms are too: When he makes or takes a call on his cell phone, he conveys information with just-the-facts-ma’am efficiency. His body is gangly and puppet-like in that pre-adolescent way, but every movement is resolute: When he chases after the various kids who, repeatedly, try to steal his precious bike, he throws off sparks of grim determination, like a single-minded marathon runner. Maybe, in the end, he outruns the movie. But it’s hard to take your eyes off him as he sprints into the distance. [Editor’s note: This review appeared earlier, in a slightly different form, in Stephanie Zacharek’s 2011 Cannes Film Festival coverage .] Follow Stephanie Zacharek on Twitter . Follow Movieline on Twitter .
What is the color of democracy? Would you believe brown? At least that’s what it looks like here at Movieline, where our inaugural Soily Awards for the worst in cinema roll on today with the distinguished Brown Note — the totally free, 100-percent reader-generated prizes now open to your vote. While certain other, more over-the-hill awards want to charge you as much as $40 for the “privilege” of voting for the cinematic fails of 2011, the Soilies not only charge nothing, but also solicit write-in votes for noteworthy crap not recognized by our esteemed Brown-Ribbon Panel. The polls are open immediately and and will remain so for a week, until March 21 at midnight EDT/ 9 p.m. PDT . The first-ever Soily winners will then be announced on March 23 . Have a look back at the six voting categories and official nominees reprinted here, and vote away below that. And please spread the word! Check out the Soilies on Facebook and campaign for your Soily favorites with the #Soilies hashtag on Twitter. Thanks! The Soily for Worst Picture of 2011 The most appalling, misconceived and/or unpleasant-to-watch film of 2011. The more ambitious/pretentious, the better. Take Our Poll The Soily for Achievement in Bad Directing The director of the most appalling, misconceived and/or unpleasant-to-watch film of 2011 — or maybe just most appalling director? (NOTE: The award will be named after its inaugural winner.) Take Our Poll The Soily for Achievement in Bad Acting A unisex award recognizing the worst and/or least inspired performance by any actor in any film in 2011. Take Our Poll The Brown Paycheck Achievement in Bad Acting A unisex award recognizing the most lopsided ratio of salary to quality. Take Our Poll The Shart Prize A film that seemed like it might be bad but turned out much, much more aromatically awful than anyone could have imagined. Take Our Poll The Shit-the-Bed Award Arguably the most prestigious Soily, this honor goes to the movie that, despite its pedigree and everything it had going for it on paper, nevertheless resulted in a massive failure to move the cultural needle or achieve anything remotely resembling entertainment. Take Our Poll PREVIOUSLY: Introducing the Soily Awards, Movieline’s Inaugural Tribute to Cinema’s Worst Follow S.T. VanAirsdale on Twitter . Follow Movieline on Twitter .
