Get “Red”-dy
It’s Taylor Swift’s world. We’re just living in it. After taking over the airwaves with “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together,” that ubiquitous and unreasonably catchy smash, Swift has remained in the spotlight, sporadically releasing new songs from her new album “Red,” out Oct. 22.
Judging from the released previews, the album seems more musically diverse than her previous output, dabbling in dubstep (“I Knew You Were Trouble”) dramatic anthems (“Red”) and traditional country ballads (“Begin Again”). The Rolling Stone cover girl has confirmed in an interview she intended for this album to be a creative challenge.
NBC Strikes Again
The small but devoted fan base for NBC’s critically beloved comedy “Community” received yet another blow this week as the network announced that the show’s fourth-season premiere, originally scheduled for Oct. 19, had been pushed back to an unspecified date. NBC claims that the network hopes to air the show on a night with more ratings traction than Friday, but fans seem to be interpreting the move as yet another knock on their favorite show.
Following Sony Production’s unceremonious firing of the show’s creative maestro Dan Harmon over the summer, “Community” fans are a struggling bunch.
Halloween Comes But Once a Year
Oren Peli’s low-budget scarefest “Paranormal Activity,” produced for a miniscule sum of $15,000, shocked the film industry and influenced a host of knockoffs upon its release in 2007. That trailblazer’s low-budget approach, lack of recognizable actors and “found footage” aesthetic has been translated to box-offices triumphs like “The Devil Inside” as studios have been inspired by the idea of earning a massive profit while expending negligible production costs. “Paranormal Activity” has become a reliably popular franchise in its own right, spawning three sequels, including this week’s new installment to be released on Oct. 19, aptly titled “Paranormal Activity 4.”
Walk, Zombies, Walk!
Halloween season is upon us, which means that a new season of AMC’s zombie drama “The Walking Dead” has arrived to terrify the zombie-obsessed masses. While the first two seasons are rife with pacing problems and character inconsistencies, the show’s suspense, tension and production values are indisputable.
In addition to following the continued adventures of popular characters like Daryl Dixon and his famous crossbow, the show has added two new characters to further delight devoted adherents to Robert Kirkman’s comic series: Danai Gurira plays the katana sword-wielding Michonne, and David Morrissey will soon arrive as the terrifying Governor.
Austin City Limits
The 11th annual Austin City Limits Music Festival featured a number of notable acts performing in rainy but energizing weather last weekend.
This festival showcased a mixture of established legends, current titans and up-and-coming stars in rock and alternative music. Florence & The Machine brought its grandiose pop-rock during a wild Friday set, while hip-hop and late-night icons The Roots toyed with the audience, bellowing “Thank you and good night!” after every performance, just before launching into another raucous number. Jack White, who recently performed at the Virgin Mobile Freefest, brought his patented rock magic as well.
mlieberman@theeagleonline.com
