Music:

Scala
Sometimes listed as Scala & Kolacny, the Kolacny brothers are the pianists that accompany this award winning all girl's choir from Belgium that sings cover songs in English, French, and German, have new music on iTunes and YouTube. Like The Vitamin String Quartet, they have a lot of material, so you can pick and choose your own songs and make a mix. Here's a sample of them singing a cover of Damien Rice's song
The Blower's Daughter which appeared in the movie Closer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eFYYkNacjaw
 
Lynyrd Skynyrd: God and Guns
I've only heard one song off this album so far, but a fan on Amazon.com says: "LYNYRD
SKYNYRD'S new release "God and Guns" is their first album of new material in over 6 years, and after listening to it in its' entirety, I now believe it just may be the first album of really"new" material to come out of a classic Rock and Roll act since the early 1980's. Every song on this CD stands alone - I'm serious - there are no duds, no clunkers, no fillers - it is amazing from the opening riff to the closing note. Not only will it satisfy fans of the band and classic rock in general, it will also appeal to country music fans and (believe it or not) Metal fans as well." One fan that had a negative opinion thought that the guitar riffs weren't long enough! The two-disc special edition has some live versions of their old hits.
 
Over The Rhine has a new two-disc live album available on their website http://www.overtherhine.com/ as well as their first ever songbook from the bands twenty year history. This will be the twenty third disc I have by them when it arrives. Quality music!
 
Just Like Heaven: A tribute to The Cure
Since it's been three decades since their first hit, it's only fitting that The Cure is getting yet another tribute. This one is actually pretty good, being from the same label that produced Cinnamon Girl: Women Artists Cover Neil Young For Charity. Just Like Heaven features sixteen classic Cure songs and showcases the talents of a couple of the artists who were on the earlier Neil Young Benefit CD. 

Shakira: She Wolf
Shakira's new album will finally be in stores later this month. If you didn't want to wait, you could probably get an international CD, since it was pre-released in some other countries before it's US debut.

Movies:
 
The Tale of Despareux
From Amazon.com "It looks a little like Shrek. The storytelling and animation draw on everything from Ratatouille and classic fairytales to Shakespeare, Jonathan Swift, Indiana Jones, and, in its action sequences, even Bourne and Bond. But this movie stands on its own; too dark and violent for very young children, perhaps, but for the most part it’s exciting and funny, and it delivers a message about bravery and forgiveness that is relevant to us all. Voiced by Matthew Broderick, the title character is a little guy, even by mouse standards, with enormous ears and an imagination to match; much to the dismay of his elders, he "never cowers, won’t scurry, and refuses to be taught to be scared" (he’d much rather read a book than eat it, a pursuit that fills his head with visions of valiant knights, damsels in distress, and a life defined by "courage, honor, and decency). That leads to his being banished from Mouseworld to the realm of the rats, where, it is presumed, he will be eaten."
 
The Red Dwarf
This strange and moody film by Belgium director Yvan Le Moine has been honored at nearly fifty film festivals around the world, and received a 15 minute ovation in the Cannes' Director's Fortnight category. Shot in black and white, this bleak, black humor film with an ending that surprises many tells the tale of a troubled circus performer who teeters on the brink of insanity. A fan from Idaho writes: "Interesting yes, but after two
viewings it still left me wondering what is this movie "really" about? Its done well, but utterly confusing as to what exactly the director was trying to get across." One from California adds: "It is well done, but definitely for adults only (most of them will miss the point?)." 
 
Star Trek Captain's Log Fan Collective
This five disc set contains lots of bonus features and interviews for Trekkies, as well as two favorite episodes from all five Star Trek Series, one picked by each Captain, and one by the fans via internet.
 
Queen Margot (Le Reine Margot)
This dark film based on a book by the author of The Three Musketeers is a tale of power, murder, revenge, courage, and passion. It also won the Cannes Film Festival Jury Award, and received lots of critical acclaim.

If you can catch a repeat of Urban Youth Poets, Quest for the Voice - Minneapolis edition on PBS, it's kind of interesting...