Daily Noise Blog | SPIN.com

Movie Review: 'New Moon'

Matt Kiser — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 12:07:54 -0600

It's probably a little early to speculate but here goes: New Moon might be the best film this franchise has to offer, and here's why: The first Twilight movie, based on the series of books by Stephenie Meyer, thrived off the unrealized sexual tension between vampire Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson) and ordinary mortal Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart).

Sure, if they were to do it, he might kill her -- but there was something unrealistic about a hot-for-each other duo (whose lust carried on, delightfully, offscreen, as well) steering clear of any carnal action.

In New Moon, Edward dumps Bella. Yes, it's for her own protection, but it's a romantic plot twist that's infinitely more interesting. And it's Bella's newfound freedom (and Stewart's much stronger performance) that imbues the series' second film with a more robust pulse and liberates the film's director and screenwriter from sticking too closely to Meyer's often prudish text.

The darker subject matter suits Stewart well. Having reigned in some of her distracting mannerisms, she continues to make Bella the realistic and complex character that her pagebound counterpart was not. Her brooding expression conveys as much about heartbreak as her dirty sweatpants. Director Chris Weitz (About a Boy, The Golden Compass) observes Bella's despondency without protracting it. As the post-breakup months tick by, the camera spins around Bella's bedroom where she sits, listless, listening to sad songs by Lykke Li.

MORE Twilight:

Click to enlarge

MORE ON SPIN.COM:
>> Q&A: 'Twilight' Star Nikki Reed
>> 'New Moon' Premieres in L.A.
>> 'New Moon' Stars Kick Off Mall Tour

Meanwhile, R Patz -- whose character is less central to this film's plotline -- isn't exactly missed, either, no doubt a disappointing realization for Team Edward (aka Twilight fans who prefer Pattinson's character as the lead male protagonist). Stewart and Pattinson's cagey public behavior -- a response to rumors of a real-life romance -- only underscores the occasional ridiculousness of their characters' obsessive attachment. The chemistry that propelled the first film is fading and Pattinson seems stymied by its absence.

Those who saw Twilight might remember the first time Edward caught a whiff of Bella and fought the urge to devour her: Pattinson's nostrils flared, and he appeared somewhat constipated. That's how he looks all the time in the sequel. It's not entirely the actor's fault -- as a character, Edward is a relentless killjoy, an ice-cold ball of suppressed desire. But for whatever reason, Pattinson cannot summon genuine emotion without looking like he just smelled something awful.

So Bella turns to Jacob Black (Taylor Lautner), her Native American best friend, for consolation, hanging out on his reservation, where none of the boys wear shirts (including Lautner, who added 30 pounds of chiseled muscle for the role), adrenaline tends to be contagious -- oh yeah, and everyone's secretly a werewolf. Before long, she's zooming around on motorbikes and diving off cliffs, but not just for the hell of it.

Flirting with danger brings her closer to Edward; she hallucinates his ghostly apparition whenever she takes life-threatening risks. This is a classic example of the wish fulfillment that defines the Twilight series: In real life, acting suicidal doesn't win anybody back. But, then again, in real life, dudes don't dump you because they love you too much.

Lautner's Jacob is refreshingly amiable. He offers Bella what she can never have with Edward: a good time. This dichotomy develops over the rest of the series but it works better in New Moon than it ever does again. For the audience, if not for Bella, there's a certain satisfaction in knowing that true love is never far away -- so why not live a little first?

Meanwhile, Weitz, who replaced Twilight's Catherine Hardwicke, and returning screenwriter Melissa Rosenberg seem energized by the events of the second book, which they remain faithful to. But Rosenberg has a little more fun with the source material this time, like when Bella joins her high school friends for a movie, and they choose between purposefully absurd titles like Love Spelled Backwards Still Spells Love and Face Punch. Also, Up in the Air's impressive Anna Kendrick, who reprises her all-too-small role as Bella's friend Jessica, goes on an amusingly indignant rant about zombies.

By the time Bella takes off to Italy to stop Edward from sparkling in public and incurring the wrath of the Volturi (the vampire governing body -- just roll with it), a lot has already happened. I would have been resistant to the special-effects-heavy showdown if actors Michael Sheen and Dakota Fanning didn't relish their evil roles so delightfully.

And even as the reunited lovers rush to sacrifice themselves to save the other (groan), there's levity from the rest of the Volturi, who behave like an ancient vamp version of a Project Runway panel. Meyer never had the savvy to wink at her audience like this.

One Dead In Miley Cyrus Tour Bus Crash

Matt Kiser — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 11:06:41 -0600

Virginia State Police report that one person was killed Friday morning when a tour bus belonging to Hannah Montana star Miley Cyrus overturned. The 16-year-old singer was not onboard, The Associated Press reports.

According to Sgt. Thomas Molnar, the bus crashed around 8:15 A.M. on Interstate 85, 40 miles outside Richmond, VA. People reports that it was the bus driver Bill Douglas who died. Recordings of 911 calls obtained by TMZ, show that the 53-year-old driver may have been suffering from a cardiac arrest, which would explain why the bus drifted off the road for a long stretch before overturning.

In a post to her website, Cyrus addressed the tragedy:

"We are deeply saddened by the loss of Bill 'Uncle Bill' Douglas," read the statement. "Members of our tour are like members of our family. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family in the midst of this tragedy. He will truly be missed."

A source from the Dinwiddie, VA, Fire and EMS has told TMZ that the bus had been carrying Cyrus' concert production crew, while a rep for the singer said there were 14 passengers onboard. "It was one of our tour buses, but not Miley's," the pop star's manager said. "It was one of our buses that transported our lighting crew." One other passenger was hospitalized with minor injuries.

Cyrus' concert scheduled for Sunday in Greensboro, NC, will not be canceled, and the singer will tour throughout the Southern U.S. into December.

Cyrus -- the daughter of country star Billy Ray Cyrus -- is currently supporting her latest release, The Time of Our Lives EP. Its lead single, "Party in the U.S.A.," has become Cyrus' highest charting single, debuting in the No. 2 spot on the Billboard Hot 100. The song, released in late August, is currently in the No. 8 position.

WATCH: Miley Cyrus, "Party in the U.S.A."

Hot New Band: Fanfarlo

Peter Gaston — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 09:57:52 -0600

Discussing literature isn't something bands are known for doing in their down time -- and that's fine with Fanfarlo. "There's not a lot of beer-can smashing with us," says Simon Balthazar, 27, lead singer and main songwriter for the London chamber-poppers. "Our favorite activity is to read a novel and talk about it. We're intellectuals. That's an unpopular thing for bands to say, but we're not interested in doing things just because that's what other people do."

Standing out is a familiar theme for the quintet, which takes its name from a Baudelaire novella. The band was formed in 2006 after the Belle & Sebastian–loving Balthazar moved from his home in Gothenburg, Sweden, to London and found himself dissatisfied with the city's copycat music scene until he connected with some kindred spirits: multi-instrumentalist Cathy Lucas, 23, keyboardist Leon Beckenham, 34, drummer Amos Memon, 36, and bassist Justin Finch, 27. "We all bonded over not wanting to be another London band that sounded like it came from Brooklyn," Balthazar says.

They don't. Early singles, such as the piano-and-strings-led "Talking Backwards," won notice from David Bowie, who praised their "delicious melancholia" in London's Sunday Times ("I was high on that for a week," says a beaming Balthazar). A further boost came from a spot on NPR's All Things Considered, while the surging "Ghosts" was heard on Grey's Anatomy.

There's more for the Thin White Duke to rave about on Reservoir (Canvasback/Atlantic), Fanfarlo's full-length debut. A ramshackle symphony of folkie guitars, mandolins, and woodwinds -- not to mention musical saw and tin cans -- the album takes its emotional cues from Balthazar's reedy voice and allegorical lyrics, which use real-life stories as starting points.

To that end, the mournfully rising and falling "I'm a Pilot" is based on the life of Howard Hughes, while Italian exorcist Pellegrino Ernetti figures in "The Walls Are Coming Down." "And there are plenty of other true stories on the album," says Balthazar, whose band embarked upon its first proper North American headlining tour in November. "But I don't want to give too much away." Restraint? That's a novel idea.

Q&A: 'Twilight' Star Nikki Reed

Peter Gaston — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 08:05:21 -0600

Name a song that you've listened to in the past 24 hours.
"She's Only Happy in the Sun." It's nonstop Ben Harper in my apartment. My first boyfriend played me this song when I was 14 because my life back then was all about going to Venice Beach. Luckily, we didn't have a bad breakup, so I don't have any painful memories attached to the music.

On that note, what song do you associate with your first kiss?
D'Angelo's "How Does It Feel" was playing at the time -- in my head. Honestly, the most memorable make-out sessions I ever had were in [the 2003 movie] Thirteen. Those were hardcore.

Who would you like to portray in a rock biopic?
Rickie Lee Jones. Last year I went to see her at the Largo [in L.A.] on Valentine's Day by myself. She seems eccentric. She started telling stories about her childhood, and I was thinking, "Oh, maybe this is the night when she wants to make this a personal experience." But it turns out she does that all the time.

What's the first album you bought with your own money?
The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill. I liked her in Sister Act 2. Also, I grew up in an area where I was a minority, so it was culturally diverse.

Do you have a go-to karaoke song?
I don't drink, and karaoke is something you should only do drunk. But I'm obsessed with Adele. I put on "Chasing Pavements" and sing it in my apartment. The great thing about Adele is if you put her on top volume, you actually sound like her while you're singing. I've gotten a few complaints from the neighbors.

What's the most prized T-shirt in your collection?
[Friend and New Moon star] Kristen [Stewart] and I share a lot of clothes, so I wear a lot of Joan Jett shirts.

Kristen is playing her in a movie.
Yeah, Joan made replicas of the ones she used to wear in the '80s and gave them to us.

What's the last concert you attended?
I saw the Dead Weather in Vancouver, where we're shooting [the third Twilight film] Eclipse. I got really into Jack White two years ago because of my friend Sage. She quizzes me on rock music, asking me things like "Who's your favorite Beatle?"

So who is your favorite Beatle?
I guess Paul McCartney. This is going to be a controversial thing to say, but I don't really understand the Beatles. If Kristen were here right now, she would slap me across the face. Then again, if I ask her, "What's the first line of Biggie's 'Juicy'?" she wouldn't know. Why don't people sit around and talk about Ol' Dirty Bastard the way they do the Beatles?

Terrific Twitter Trio of the Week

Matt Kiser — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 07:54:03 -0600

Lots of musicians tweet -- but all that Twitters is not gold.

That's why you'll want to check out SPIN.com every Friday to see whose tweets we're reading this week -- then update your TweetDeck! (Obligatory Self-Promotion: …while you're at it, be sure to follow @SPINmagazine!)

This week's winners:

Who: Alicia Keys (@aliciakeys)

Why You Should Follow: This multi-platinum selling songstress has worked with everyone from Jay-Z to Pharrell Williams to Jack White, but when it comes to making important musical decisions, she turns to her Twitter followers. It's not uncommon for Keys to ask her fellow tweeters to help name a song or pick a holiday tune to sing on Oprah. Not only that, but she seems to read nearly every response she gets and frequently tweets back at fans. When she's not tweeting about her work, she posts fabulous Twitpics of Dior shoes, rooftop video shoots, harpsichords, and hot air balloon rides. As she gets ready to release her next album, The Element of Freedom, on December 15, expect even more Twitter action from Keys!

Best Tweet of the Week: On finishing up her last night in the studio: "Feelin the relief of reliefs & the excitement of excitements!!!I CANNOT WAIT until u hear this music, every single part of it! & so it begins"

Who: Death Cab for Cutie's Chris Walla (@Jumex)

Why You Should Follow: Thanks to a little song called "Meet Me on the Equinox," the first single off the Twilight: New Moon soundtrack, Death Cab for Cutie is every tween girl's new favorite band. But when they attended the film's L.A. premiere this past Monday, it was guitarist Walla who was starstruck. "EDWARD!" he tweeted excitedly from the red carpet. The Twilight fan and Twitter addict couldn't break away from his phone during the premiere, texting in updates like "I think I just met a head of state. #New Moon Premiere" and raving about the film and its cast. On days when he's not fawning over Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart, his tweets are still witty and charming. Expect talk of politics ("Man, I just can't find enough four-letter words for Joe Lieberman"), fashion ("Juicy suits and Uggs are really here for the long haul"), and, er, that time of the month ("I can tell I've started my man-period when I come home from the grocery store with $40 worth of frozen pizza and deli case cake").

Best Tweet of the Week: "This plane is tiny and it smells like barf. United: It's Time To Fly."

Who: Flight of the Conchords (@fotc)

Why You Should Follow: It's about time the Flight of the Conchords got their own Twitter page! Jemaine Clement and Bret McKenzie, who bill themselves as "New Zealand's fourth most popular guitar-based digi-bongo acapella-rap-funk-comedy folk duo," may be done with their popular HBO series, but that doesn't meant they're fading into oblivion. The pair just released their second album, the hilarious I Told You I Was Freaky, and now they're getting ready to take over the Twitterverse. Their page is brand new, so it's hard to know what to expect, but judging what they've posted so far, their tweets are going to be just as wacky and ridiculous as their songs.

Best Tweet of the Week: "Bret and Jemaine are planning their own solo tours.To save costs they'll perform on the same stage, at the same time,singing the same songs."

Exclusive: Tegan and Sara's SPIN Shoot!

Eric Nowels — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 06:09:52 -0600

See great outtakes from the sisters' recent L.A. photo shoot. Plus: Enter to win a special autographed prize!

Aerosmith: Steven Tyler Back on Drugs?

Matt Kiser — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 05:40:14 -0600

The relationships between Aerosmith's five members are playing out like a soap opera, and guitarist Brad Whitford has a theory as to why: singer Steven Tyler is back on drugs.

"This guy has a tremendous history of drug abuse, and you have to be suspicious that this is something that is probably going on with him," Whitford told Rock Radio. "I think that that's got to be a part of this irrational behavior." (Tyler has denied any recent drug use.)

Irrational, indeed. Since Tyler's fall from the stage in South Dakota in August forced the band to cancel their U.S. tour, the frontman has been estranged from the band, and even said he plans to leave the Boston fivesome to focus on "something Steven Tyler: working on the brand of myself -- Brand Tyler." Guitarist Joe Perry soon Tweeted that "Aerosmith is positively looking for a new singer to work with," only to be surprised just days later when Tyler arrived unannounced at Perry's solo gig in New York to perform "Walk This Way," and tell the crowd that "I'm not leaving Aerosmith."

While it seemed all the hubbub was a big misunderstanding, that certainly wasn't the end of Aerosmith's dramarama.

MORE ON SPIN.COM:
>> Aerosmith to Replace Steven Tyler
>> Update: Steven Tyler Not Quitting Aerosmith

After the gig, Perry claimed the band's issues were far from over, as Tyler still planned to take two years off to pursue solo endeavors. Whitford, mirroring Perry, said the band are still considering moving forward with a new singer.

"We all know that there's really no way to replace Steven, but we want to continue touring together," Whitford said. "We even have a 40-year anniversary coming up and it's a milestone. We want to be able to celebrate it together and there's millions of fans out there that are dedicated to us."

Elaborating on Tyler's potential slip back into drug abuse, Whitford added: "Historically or statistically, the majority of people in that situation don't make it. I have a feeling we might be looking at, you know, someone who's just really struggling very badly with this."

Can Aerosmith continue with a new singer? Tell us what you think in the comment section, and then read SPIN's suggestions to replace Tyler.

Jason Segel Performs With Swell Season

Matt Kiser — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 05:06:29 -0600

Folksy duo the Swell Season aren't exactly known for their comedic chops.

Whether we're talking about their Oscar-winning music in the tearjerker film Once, or their recently released follow-up, Strict Joy, this band makes a living on bummed out balladry.

And that's part of the reason why the cameo appearance by actor Jason Segel (Forgetting Sarah Marshall, How I Met Your Mother) onstage at the band's L.A. gig this week was completely surprising -- and pretty hilarious. Watch the video below!

Segel, whose character in Sarah Marshall composes music for television -- and writes an adorable musical about Count Dracula, staged by Henson-esque puppets -- sat at Swell Season member Markéta Irglová's piano, and talked about how she gave him some pointers on writing love songs. "Just write a song from the heart and include as much personal information as you can," she told him.

Backed by the entire Swell Season ensemble, Segel sang about whether "it would be wrong for me to use my celebrity status to make love to a Swell Season fan tonight," and offered up his cellphone number as the song's chorus. It's 315-329-6673 if you'd like to give him a buzz.

Aside from encouraging the ladies to bring a friend -- "Whoever said that three's a crowd, they can go to hell," he sang -- he reminded fans about his special endowment: "Remember when I showed my penis in Forgetting Sarah Marshall? There were no special effects, so if you like what you saw, that's exactly what I'm working with."

WATCH: Jason Segel with the Swell Season

Up-And-Comers Meese Share Favorite Book

Matt Kiser — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 05:04:40 -0600

Denver rock band Meese has been relentlessly touring for the past few years, most recently since the release of their new album, Broadcast, in July.

That means the four musicians and their crew spend a lot of time holed up in a moving van, often searching for ways to pass the time. Guitarist Nate Meese discusses the best way to make time fly -- reading.

And while he's not afraid to admit to plowing through the Twilight books -- and to "nerding out" when he met the series' author, Stephenie Meyer -- Nate recalls one recent book that stood out: Mark Haddon's critically acclaimed and award winning novel The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, a heart-warming tale of an autistic teenage boy in Britain.

How did you come across this book?
My mom is in love with Terry Gross on NPR. I was home for the summer and we were driving around and she was listening to NPR and Terry interviewed Mark Haddon. The book sounded interesting and it was a really good interview so I bought the book. The cover is also really appealing to the eye.

So you judged a book by its cover?
Yes.

Can you describe the premise of the book?
It's told through the eyes of a kid who has autism and he doesn't understand social situations but is a number genius. The author really nails that -- making you fall in love with this 15-year-old kid who has a horrible disease but is really clever. Someone kills his neighbor's dog and he tries to figure out not only who killed the dog but also important stuff about his life. I think I just made it sound like CSI or something. It's touching.

What about it struck a chord with you?
I got really invested in it. There's a lot of stuff about family. There's a lot of universal themes that I didn't expect at the beginning of the book, where he's just trying to figure out who killed his neighbor's dog. There's some emotional stuff. And I'm an emotional guy. I'm in touch with that side of me so this book really affected me.

To whom would you recommend this book?
I would say reading it is on the same plane as watching a really good movie. It's good for an escape but you also really end up caring about the characters. I watched The Diving Bell and the Butterfly recently and I could really relate the two. You end up with this sense of catharsis that you didn't expect at the beginning.

Do books affect the songwriting you guys do as a band?
I think the overall themes and human emotions -- there they are again, emotions -- come through in the music. Not beyond that, really. When we were writing our first EP we were all reading Kurt Vonnegut a lot. Pat [Meese], who writes all the lyrics, loves Vonnegut.

Do you often all read the same books at the same time?
This summer my drummer and I read all the Twilight books together. We were in the van for two months and our label actually gave me the first book. They were totally awesome. When we were out with the Fray we actually met Stephenie Meyer and I totally nerded out. We read in the van a lot. Our tour manager and sound guy were both reading Atlas Shrugged, which is a lot deeper than Twilight I think. It's a very eclectic mix, the Meese traveling library. If our fans want to bring us books on tour that would be awesome.

Just tween romances or other stuff too?
I think we have that area pretty much covered. What don't we have? We have Atlas Shrugged, some Stephen Hawking books and Twilight. So they can bring us pretty much anything.

WATCH: Meese, "Next In Line"

Friday's Music Roundup

William Goodman — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 05:02:08 -0600

[Updated: 4:24 P.M.]

NEWS:

New INTERPOL Album Due In Early 2010

Paste Magazine

MARTHA STEWART, JAY-Z Celebrate DIDDY’s 40th Birthday In NYC

MTV

EMINEM to Release 'Relapse: Refill' December 21

Relapse

Eminem

LEMONHEADS' EVAN DANDO Announces U.S. Tour

CMJ

SPOON Plot 'Transference' Concerts

Pitchfork

GREEN DAY Record "21 Guns" With Cast of 'American Idiot'

21st Century Breakdown

Green Day

IGGY AND THE STOOGES to Play 'Raw Power' at ATP New York 2010

Superfuzz Bigmuff

Pitchfork

THEM CROOKED VULTURES Plotting Second Album

NME

DEATH CAB's New Album Influenced by WILCO

New Moon

MTV

One Dead In MILEY CYRUS Tour Bus Crash

Hannah Montana

Daily Noise Blog | SPIN.com

Movie Review: 'New Moon'

One Dead In Miley Cyrus Tour Bus Crash

Hot New Band: Fanfarlo

Q&A: 'Twilight' Star Nikki Reed

Terrific Twitter Trio of the Week

Exclusive: Tegan and Sara's SPIN Shoot!

Aerosmith: Steven Tyler Back on Drugs?

Jason Segel Performs With Swell Season

Up-And-Comers Meese Share Favorite Book

Friday's Music Roundup

NEWS:

MP3s & VIDEOS:

Sex, Shrugs & Rock'n'Roll at Woodie Awards

PHOTOS:

Cloning Elvis, Dating Courtney

Stone Temple Pilots Nix Tour to Finish Album

R. Kelly Wows His Hometown Chicago

PHOTOS:

Early Lady Gaga: New Clip from 2005!

Baroness Rock D.C. on Opening Night

PHOTOS:

MORE BARONESS:

New Vampire Weekend Clip: "Cousins"

Thursday's Music Roundup

NEWS:

MP3s & VIDEOS:

John Mayer Plays to the Cameras in NYC

Mark Hoppus' Pick of the Week: Ladyhawke

Ladyhawke

BUY: