2012 has been quite a year for music. Alternative darlings broke out in a big way, taking over most of the radio. Giant albums from returning artists gave us critics something to lavish over throughout the year. 2012 was also the year that Youtube became a major player, helping push viral artists like Carly Rae Jepsen and Psy to the forefronts of the American subconcious. Without further ado, here is HST’s favorites of the year. [Read more...]
HST…Best Music of 2012
01/01/2013 by 3 Comments
Grammy Awards 2013: Nominees and Predictions
12/05/2012 by 1 Comment
It’s almost award season, and what better way to kick it off than a giant concert! That’s right, the Grammy Award nominations were presented last night (all five of them), and has shown a relatively strong year for alternative music. So what are we waiting for, let’s get right into the big four! [Read more...]
Looking Ahead to 2012 – Quarter 4 (October – December)
10/01/2012 by 2 Comments
Alright people, it’s almost the end of the year – which means some big releases are coming out. Some of the biggest albums, movies, and video games are slatted for release, making for one incredible last quarter in 2012. Enough of this, let’s get to our selections. [Read more...]
Review of B.o.B.’s ‘Strange Clouds’
04/29/2012 by Leave a Comment
B.o.B blew up a couple of years ago because of the power of two tracks; “Nothin’ But You (feat. Bruno Mars),” and “Airplanes (feat. Hayley Williams).” These two songs catapulted the ATL rapper into the pop music stratosphere, creating quite a big tear between hip-hop fans in the process. Some enjoyed him because of his energetic flow and his overwhelming success, while others ignored him as a rapper because of the immediate success and his weird collaborations (who else would put Weezer frontman Rivers Cuomo on a track?). [Read more...]
54th Annual Grammy’s LIVE: Winners, Performances, and Thoughts
02/12/2012 by 2 Comments
Hello people! Tonight is the 54th Annual Grammy’s on CBS, and I will be live blogging it here. Who will win? Who will lose? Will Adele win everything like I predicted, or will someone else take those trophies away from her? Will a surprise winner take home Best New Artist, or will it just be between Nicki Minaj and Bon Iver? How will the recent passing of Whitney Houston effect the mood of the evening? Keep it here to find out! (Starting @ 8/7 Central Time) [Read more...]
MTV Awards: Teen’s Dreams, But Critic’s Nightmares
08/07/2011 by Leave a Comment
When I was younger, MTV was my saving grace. It had some great programs, good music, and an overall cool vibe. But the best part for me, were the award shows. That was the time where musicians, comedians, and actors were able to step out of their serious roles and just have fun. I remember watching it in 1997 when Puff Daddy (now Diddy, for those who don’t know), along with Sting and Faith Evans did a tribute to one of the greatest rapper’s of all time, Notorious B.I.G.. Of course, at this time, I had no idea who Biggie Smalls was, but it was still a very touching tribute.
Now, I am older and bolder, and a hell of a lot smarter than I was back then. Now, I see both of MTV’s award shows as mere jokes. MTV uses this time to, not really celebrate the mediums it is representing that night, but is advertisements for its own productions. Every time I hear that “The cast of Jersey Shore” is going to present an award, all I can do is drop my head in shame. [Read more...]
Now Playing Review – Valentine's Day
02/16/2010 by 1 Comment
I still stand behind the fact that I am not a fan of this day, but Valentine’s Day has at least warmed my heart enough to be capable of acknowledging it as an acceptable holiday. But just this once.
In a nutshell, Valentine’s Day takes a group of characters that tie together in simple ways and depicts the relationships in their lives, whether they be familial, budding romances, friendships, till death do you part relationships, or what have you. The stories are all familiar and never veer from what is expected of them (except for one storyline), but the humor and the majority of the casting are enough to keep it entertaining and enjoyable. With the predictable stories the film also occasionally dips into the cheesier elements of the romcom genre, but it was at least not as sappy as the trailers that were shown prior to the film. [Read more...]
Review: Valentine's Day
02/12/2010 by Leave a Comment
Valentine’s Day is a bunch of good actors, looking pretty, and doing decent work in paint by numbers plot and unimaginative entry into the rom-com genre; whose formula has been done much better in a few films still fresh in the memory.
Now, this film is bound to bring in the bank for a number of reasons; lots of big name stars, appropriately timed release over the romantic holiday weekend, and its familiar plot lines a plenty being peddled in the film’s trailer. Now beyond this surface assessment people can make from the trailer and the poster, the film will gel with audiences once in the theaters because it offers up plenty of comfort food for the average viewer in a multitude of so obviously planned elements it is almost laughable. This is how I imagine some of the production meeting going on this film;
[Read more...]
