Gremlins 3... please!

I was thinking about Gremlins 2: The New Batch the other day, and was recalling how it's a great, underrated sequel. It's a little different from the first one in that it takes a lighter tone and goes completely over the top, with the Gremlins taking over a Trump Tower-like building (owned by a Donald Trump-like character, played so well by John Glover). The New Batch was not a huge hit, but it's become a cult favourite beloved by fans of the Gremlins series.

I really wish they would make another sequel, perhaps to quench my thirst for an
'80s revival, which will start next month with the next chapter in the Indiana Jones chapter. I think another Gremlins film could still work, perhaps with a mix of the dark humour from the first film, and the pointed satire of the second.

Do you think a third Gremlins film could work, or am I just having a severe case of nostalgia?

Is American radio ageist or does it just hate Madonna?

Madonna's latest single "4 Minutes" from her upcoming album Hard Candy is becoming a huge hit around the world, and is a top seller on download charts. It is number one on both the American and Canadian iTunes singles charts, and the video has become a hot download as well. The song is doing exceptionally well on Canadian radio. Yet, on American radio, Madonna seems to be making little progress.

On the Billboard Hot 100, which takes into account both sales and radio play, Madonna is #3, mostly based on downloads. The number-one song is "Touch My Body" by Mariah Carey, which has received far more radio spins than Madonna's song, almost three times the amount. So, what is going on here? Why is Madonna's song, which is a top seller, getting such a chilly reception from American radio?

There seems to be a number of factors. Firstly, Madonna has not been a huge American radio presence in many years. Madonna's last big single on radio was "Don't Tell Me" from her 2000 album, Music. Madonna is now approaching 50, and American radio has always been a bit hesitant to play more established (read: veteran) artists, and it seems radio programmers are less likely to play a sexy uptempo track from an almost-50-year-old woman than the latest club jam from Fergie. Ageism is no doubt a factor here.

Secondly, Madonna's music has become increasingly European-influenced for the last decade or so, and European-style music has never been popular on American radio. For her latest album, Madonna has hooked up with hot producers Pharrell Williams and Timblaland to give the album a more American feel, which she hopes will put her back on the radio map. So far, it's been a struggle.

Thirdly, Madonna's political views and her move to England have no doubt helped distance her from American audiences. She bashed President Bush in her "American Life" video and in both her Re-invention and Confessions tours. This may also be a factor in why radio programmers are not keen to play her latest song.

Perhaps it comes down to the fact that America no longer cares for Madonna. Gone are the days of "Papa Don't Preach", "Like A Prayer" and "Vogue", when the release of the latest Madonna single on radio was an event. Yet "4 Minutes" is a huge hit on the U.S. iTunes, so obviously Madonna is still very popular in America.

Madonna may be pop royalty, and despite her strong sales, for some reason America doesn't want to set aside "4 Minutes" for the Queen of Pop.

Is George Clooney box-office poison?

George Clooney's latest film, Leatherheads, which he stars in and directed, took in a disappointing $13.5 million at the box office. Clooney may be critically-lauded and admired for his directorial efforts and offbeat choices in his acting career, but he hasn't exactly been setting the box office on fire lately. For every Ocean's 11, 12, or 13, there is a Solaris, Intolerable Cruelty or Michael Clayton. Some of these are decent films and some are even great. Michael Clayton was an excellent film that, despite receiving several Academy Award nominations, including one for Clooney for Best Actor, stiffed at the box office. Clooney's past directorial efforts, Confessions of a Dangerous Mind and Good Night and Good Luck, while critically acclaimed, were not huge box office hits.

Now that Leatherheads looks to be another stiff at the box office, many are questioning Clooney's ability to pull in an audience. His suave charisma and good looks work in films like Ocean's 11 and Out of Sight, and audiences respond well to those films, but when Clooney tries something a little more obscure, like Solaris, or more low-key, like Michael Clayton, audiences stay away.

As he nears 50, Clooney is at a point in his career where he can still enjoy leading-man status, like Denzel Washington, but can also settle into interesting character roles. However, unlike Washington, Clooney has always seemed a bit indifferent to being a big box-office star. His offbeat choices, including O Brother, Where Art Thou?, are not films that are designed to bring in huge throngs to the local mulitplex. He seems less engaged in films like Perfect Storm and Batman & Robin (well, who could blame him for the last one), which are designed for mass audiences, but he obviously does those types of films either for money or to reach a wider audience. However, I think he really does those films so he can do the smaller films that he enjoys making

Clooney reminds me a lot of Clint Eastwood, who would do Dirty Harry movies and movies co-starring apes to help finance his smaller films like Bird and White Hunter, Black Heart. But the difference between Clooney and Eastwood is that the films Eastwood stars in and/or directs are generally box office hits. Films like Unforgiven, Bridges of Madison County, Mystic River and Million Dollar Baby, all did fairly well at the box office.

Clooney may be on a critical streak but his box office powers are diminishing. This leaves him in an interesting position; will he continue doing offbeat projects or will he do more mass-appeal films? And will studios continue hiring Clooney even though he hasn't had a major box office hit in the past few years aside from Ocean's 13?

I admire Clooney and his commitment to making different types of films. But he's working in Hollywood, where money talks. Clooney is going to need another hit soon if he wants to keep making his pet projects.

Revisiting the Classics: Kylie Minogue's "Impossible Princess"

2008 marks the tenth anniversary of Kylie Minogue's polarizing Impossible Princess album (although it was released in some areas in 1997). I say "polarizing" because IP is one of those albums that people either love or hate. I, of course, love it and think that it's Kylie's finest album.

Kylie made IP when she was on the Deconstruction label in the '90s, following her massively successful run of hits with SAW (Stock, Aitken and Waterman). At Deconstruction, Kylie opted for a more sophisticated dance-pop sound than the bubbly, sugar pop of SAW. 1994's self-titled album (her first for Deconstruction) was a glossy dance-pop affair featuring enduring Kylie singles "Confide in Me" and "Put Yourself in My Place". IP was the follow-up album; a mix of brooding techno-pop ("Too Far", "Cowboy Style", "Breathe"), and rock ("Some Kind of Bliss", "I Don't Need Anyone"). Many refer to it as the "Indie Kylie" album, where she opted for a darker, less-poppy sound. While IP is a little darker and more brooding than the typical Kylie album, it is still, essentially, a pop album, albeit, with a darker edge. Songs like the sexy mid-tempo "Breathe", the snappy "Did It Again", and the pulsating dance track "Drunk" are as catchy as any song in Kylie's catalogue. The lyrics on this album are more introspective and obscure than say those on Light Years, Fever, or Kylie's lastest, X, which all aim to be classic pop-dance albums.

With IP, Kylie got her hands dirty and tried to create something a little edgier than her pop audience was used to. She branched out by working with the Manic Street Preachers, who provided the rock-style songs including "Some Kind of Bliss", which became a moderate hit (see the video below, as well as the fabulous video of "Did It Again").

While not a flop by any means, IP received a mostly indifferent reaction when it was released in the late '90s. This reaction pretty much motivated Kylie to return to her pop roots with 2000's Light Years. However, over the years, the album has become a favourite amongst fans, many rating it her best. In 2003, a special edition of IP was released adding b-sides and remixes. For me, the original album is all you need. It's a tight collection of 12 tracks, from the mysterious opener, "Too Far" to the haunting, stunning closer "Dreams" (a true fan favourite).

If you are a Kylie fan, but have never heard this album (which was never officially released in North America), you owe it to yourself to order an import copy or download it on iTunes. It's a true masterpiece.