Thursday, October 23, 2014

Avengers: Age Of Ultron First Trailer

The first trailer for Marvel's highly anticipated upcoming blockbuster Avengers: Age Of Ultron has been released. It doesn't give too much away, but offers the first glimpses of Ultron (James Spader), Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen) and Quicksilver (Aaron Taylor-Johnson). All of the returning heroes from the first Avengers are back as well.

Avengers: Age Of Ultron is out May 1, 2015.

Thursday, October 16, 2014

Hear the Foo Fighters New Single: "Something From Nothing"

The Foo Fighters have released the first single from their upcoming album Sonic Highways (titled "Something from Nothing"), which is out November 10. And before that, the HBO series with the same name begins airing Friday October 17th in the lead up to the release of the album, showcasing the music of different American cities, which is where the influence from each song on the album came from.

"Something From Nothing" is the first single, and it represents Chicago. The nearly 5 minute track builds up from a slow burn into a loud release, with Dave Grohl eventually screaming fuck it all, I came from nothing. It should easily please every fan of the band, with a gripping sound from the start, and it even gets a little bit funky.

Friday, October 10, 2014

Landon Donovan Retires

Landon Donovan has retired from the United States Men's National Soccer Team at just 32, still in his prime. He became the most recognizable male soccer player to ever come from the USA, doing for them what Mia Hamm did for the Women's Team, providing a spark in being able to both score goals and set others up with assists, a quality that isn't found often. His late goal against Algeria in the 2010 World Cup to save the US will always be remembered as one of the best goals of all time.

He didn't have the best relationship with current coach Jurgen Klinsmann, who left him off the 2014 World Cup roster. However, considering he's taken breaks from soccer before, it was clear he has other interests outside of the game. People saying he retired just because of Klinsmann are off base. He'll also be retiring from the LA Galaxy in Major League Soccer (MLS).

As for the future of the Men's National Team, the excitement continues to build off of 2014. It's now at a place where just getting out of the Group Stage will no longer be considered a success. Looking at the team since the 1994 World Cup they've done quite well:

1994: Lost in Round of 16.
1998: Last place, Lost in Group Stage.
2002: Lost in Quarterfinals (with an awful non-called handball against Germany).
2006: Lost in Group Stage.
2010: Finished top of the group, lost in Round of 16.
2014: Lost in Round of 16.

They've gotten out of the Group Stage enough to where the stakes are now raised. Its time to finally equal or better that 8th place finish at the 2002 World Cup.

Monday, October 6, 2014

The Walking Dead & U2

AMC released two new trailers for The Walking Dead with "The Troubles" by U2 featuring Lykke Li off their new album Songs of Innocence as the soundtrack to both.

It helps build up the tension nicely, with the haunting song a perfect fit for the vibe of togetherness we get from our survivors as they face their toughest task yet. The trailers don't offer up too much in the way of plot, but some great footage is spliced together giving it a theatrical feel for a show that thrives on details. The Walking Dead season 5 premieres Sunday October 12 while the deluxe non-free version of Songs of Innocence hits stores October 14.