A Weekly List of Top Selling CDs, audiobooks, and DVDs
We've done our research and compiled lists of top performing titles. Look for this new feature every Monday on New and Views.
DVD
1. Inception
2. The Twilight Saga - Eclipse
3. Toy Story 3
4. The Pacific
5. Despicable Me
6. How to Train Your Dragon
7. The Blind Side
8. Avatar
9. Beauty & The Beast (Special Edition)
10. Star Wars Trilogy
CD
1. Kanye West, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
2. Nicki Minaj, Pink Friday
3. Susan Boyle, The Gift
4. Taylor Swift, Speak Now
5. Jackie Evancho, O Holy Night
6. Rihanna, Loud
7. Justin Bieber, My Worlds Acoustic
8. My Chemical Romance, Danger Days: The True Lives Of The Fabulous Killjoys
9. Ne-Yo, Libra Scale
10. Glee: The Music, The Christmas Album
Fiction Books
1. James Patterson, Cross Fire
2. John Grisham, The Confession
3. Stephen King, Full Dark, No Stars
4. David Baldacci, Hell’s Corner
5. Stieg Larsson, The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet’s Nest
6. Clive Cussler and Dirk Cussler, Crescent Dawn
7. Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson, Towers of Midnight
8. Steve Berry, The Emperor’s Tomb
9. Ken Follett, Fall of Giants
10. Brad Thor, The Athena Project
Non-Fiction Books
1. George W. Bush, Decision Points
2. Sarah Palin, America By Heart
3. Mark Twain, Autobiography Of Mark Twain, Volume 1
4. Laura Hillenbrand, Unbroken
5. Keith Richards with James Fox, Life
6. Jay-Z, Decoded (currently unavailable on audiobook)
7. Glenn Beck, Broke
8. Jon Stewart and others, Earth (The Book) (currently unavailable on audiobook)
9. Stacy Schiff, Cleopatra
10. Edmund Morris, Colonel Roosevelt
Monday, December 6, 2010
Thursday, December 2, 2010
Grammy Nominations Announced In Grand Fashion
What do you do when no one cares about your award nominee announcement? Adding a little Bruno Mars is a good start.
For years, the announcement of nominees for the Grammy Awards, music’s highest honor, consisted of a few randomly selected artists, a podium, and a slew of reporters—all of which assembling at an ungodly early hour in Los Angeles. The artists would then read names from a card as photographers clicked away and giddy entertainment writers feverishly scribbled on their notepads.
The problem was that no one really cared. After all, the nominees would be up on the internet minutes after they were announced.
The National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, the driving force behind the Grammy Awards, recognized this as an opportunity. Last year, they decided to add a little pizazz to the proceedings by turning the event into an event—an hour long television special that intersperses live performances from top artists between nominee announcements for each of the major award categories. Think of it as a sort of dress rehearsal for the actual award ceremony in February.
With hip-hop legend—and multiple Grammy winner himself—LL Cool J retaining his spot as host, the second annual edition of the special aired last night.
Performers ranged from pop starlet Katy Perry to country sensation Miranda Lambert to rockers Train, but two standout performances of the unplugged variety—the aforementioned Mars’ stripped down rendition of his smash hit “Just The Way You Are” and Best New Artist nominee Justin Bieber’s heavy-on-the-guitar acoustic version of “Favorite Girl” (straight from the recently released My Worlds Acoustic)—were a step above the rest.
Mars would go on to pull double-duty, later performing the Record of the Year-nominated “Nothin’ On You” with rapper B.o.B, who himself returned to close out the show with “Don’t Let Me Fall.” Viewers may have witnessed the future of the Grammys as Mars and B.o.B., both in the infant stages of their careers, received a combined 12 nominations—and their performances certainly justified such accolades.
In between performances, nominees from five different categories were announced. Aside from a curveball or two, the nominations stuck fairly close to what the experts had predicted.
As expected, Eminem’s name was called more than once. The Detroit rapper picked up an Album of the Year nom for his comeback album Recovery and was also nominated for both Song of the Year and Record of the Year (in case you’re wondering, the Song of the Year award goes to the writer of the song, while the Record of the Year goes to the performer) for “Love The Way You Lie,” his revered collaboration with Rihanna. Em ended up with ten nominations in total by night’s end.
Other prominent nominees included a pair of “Ladies”—Antebellum and Gaga—each nominated for six awards, including Album of the Year. Jay-Z also picked up six nominations, including his song “Empire State of Mind” featuring Alicia Keys, which received a Record of the Year nom.
Surprises on the night included Ray Lamontagne’s “Beg Steal or Borrow” picking up a Song of the Year nomination, the Best New Artist category (which is generally reserved for pop acts) recognizing jazz bassist Esperanza Spalding, and Katy Perry’s Teenage Dream being nominated for Album of the Year despite being left out of most experts’ predictions.
A full rundown of the nominees can be found on our website by clicking the Grammy Nominees panel on our homepage, or by selecting the “Grammy Nominees 2011” collection in the Browse section.
Let the discussions begin—who should win? Who got snubbed? Who put on the best performance last night? Leave your comments below!
For years, the announcement of nominees for the Grammy Awards, music’s highest honor, consisted of a few randomly selected artists, a podium, and a slew of reporters—all of which assembling at an ungodly early hour in Los Angeles. The artists would then read names from a card as photographers clicked away and giddy entertainment writers feverishly scribbled on their notepads.
The problem was that no one really cared. After all, the nominees would be up on the internet minutes after they were announced.
The National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, the driving force behind the Grammy Awards, recognized this as an opportunity. Last year, they decided to add a little pizazz to the proceedings by turning the event into an event—an hour long television special that intersperses live performances from top artists between nominee announcements for each of the major award categories. Think of it as a sort of dress rehearsal for the actual award ceremony in February.
With hip-hop legend—and multiple Grammy winner himself—LL Cool J retaining his spot as host, the second annual edition of the special aired last night.
Performers ranged from pop starlet Katy Perry to country sensation Miranda Lambert to rockers Train, but two standout performances of the unplugged variety—the aforementioned Mars’ stripped down rendition of his smash hit “Just The Way You Are” and Best New Artist nominee Justin Bieber’s heavy-on-the-guitar acoustic version of “Favorite Girl” (straight from the recently released My Worlds Acoustic)—were a step above the rest.
Mars would go on to pull double-duty, later performing the Record of the Year-nominated “Nothin’ On You” with rapper B.o.B, who himself returned to close out the show with “Don’t Let Me Fall.” Viewers may have witnessed the future of the Grammys as Mars and B.o.B., both in the infant stages of their careers, received a combined 12 nominations—and their performances certainly justified such accolades.
In between performances, nominees from five different categories were announced. Aside from a curveball or two, the nominations stuck fairly close to what the experts had predicted.
As expected, Eminem’s name was called more than once. The Detroit rapper picked up an Album of the Year nom for his comeback album Recovery and was also nominated for both Song of the Year and Record of the Year (in case you’re wondering, the Song of the Year award goes to the writer of the song, while the Record of the Year goes to the performer) for “Love The Way You Lie,” his revered collaboration with Rihanna. Em ended up with ten nominations in total by night’s end.
Other prominent nominees included a pair of “Ladies”—Antebellum and Gaga—each nominated for six awards, including Album of the Year. Jay-Z also picked up six nominations, including his song “Empire State of Mind” featuring Alicia Keys, which received a Record of the Year nom.
Surprises on the night included Ray Lamontagne’s “Beg Steal or Borrow” picking up a Song of the Year nomination, the Best New Artist category (which is generally reserved for pop acts) recognizing jazz bassist Esperanza Spalding, and Katy Perry’s Teenage Dream being nominated for Album of the Year despite being left out of most experts’ predictions.
A full rundown of the nominees can be found on our website by clicking the Grammy Nominees panel on our homepage, or by selecting the “Grammy Nominees 2011” collection in the Browse section.
Let the discussions begin—who should win? Who got snubbed? Who put on the best performance last night? Leave your comments below!
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Free Webinar: Introduction to the Midwest Tape website
Start off on the right foot as a new user or obtain a refresher course with a free introductory webinar to Midwest Tape's website on December 8th at 1:30 p.m., hosted by Inside Sales representatives Elaine Schlagheck, Courtney Wolfe, and Lisa Smith.
In this 60-minute session, we’ll discuss the basics of our user-friendly website, including navigation, new features and tools, and our homepage. We'll also teach users how to search for products, create and build acquisition carts, and submit orders.
Click here to register for this free webinar.
What webinars have you found most beneficial? What topic would you like Midwest Tape to cover next?
In this 60-minute session, we’ll discuss the basics of our user-friendly website, including navigation, new features and tools, and our homepage. We'll also teach users how to search for products, create and build acquisition carts, and submit orders.
Click here to register for this free webinar.
What webinars have you found most beneficial? What topic would you like Midwest Tape to cover next?
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Do You Have the Most Notable (Audio)Books of 2010?
In their Sunday Book Review, The New York Times lists 100 Notable Books of 2010. Separated into two groups (Fiction & Poetry and Nonfiction), the concise list highlights the crème de la crème of this year’s publications, providing a valuable guide for library visiting and literary gift giving.
Some highlights from the fiction portion of this year’s list include Freedom, “a masterly portrait of a nuclear family in turmoil, with an intricately ordered narrative and a majestic sweep;” The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest, “the third installment of [Stieg Larsson’s] pulse-racing trilogy featuring Mikael Blomkvist and Lisbeth Salander;” and Room, the narrative of a five-year-old boy who knows no other existence than living with his trapped mother in an eleven-by-eleven room.
Biographies are prominent throughout the nonfiction portion of the list. Some noteworthy examples include Cleopatra, a stunning portrait of “the Macedonian-Egyptian queen in all her ambition, audacity and formidable intelligence;” Life, the autobiography of Rolling Stones’ guitarist Keith Richards; and Washington, a chronicling of the first American president’s many adventures.
These 100 notable books are sure to be in great demand, and to help you prepare, we’ve organized an audiobook collection of this year’s gems. To find this collection, click browse in the toolbar on the Midwest Tape website.
Select Audiobook and browse by collection and then scroll through the collections to find NY Times 2010 Notables.
You can also access the collection by following The New York Times 100 Notable Books of 2010 panel on our homepage.
Monday, November 29, 2010
Gleek your Library with Midwest Tape
Fox’s musical comedy sensation Glee is only in its second season but it is already a driving force in television. As a newly minted pop culture phenomenon, there is a high demand for all things Glee.
The Show
Glee follows high school teacher Will Schuester as he tries to resurrect McKinley High School’s less than favorable glee club, New Directions. Armed with funny one-liners and high school melodrama, the show delivers a story of hope as the group—comprised of socially and ethnically diverse students—prepares for and competes in choir competitions in the hopes of making it to Nationals.
While the major draw of the show has been its innovative catalog of Top 40, country, R&B, hip-hop, and Broadway tunes coupled with intricate dance numbers that smoothly fit into the context of the show, the breakthrough hit is more than just singing and dancing. Interspersed between the theatrical routines, Glee slyly tackles tough topics like teen pregnancy, bullying, sexuality, and religion.
Glee’s directors bypassed traditional casting calls, instead culling cast members straight from Broadway and saving guest spots from comedians, pop sensations, and Broadway stars for one-time appearances. The show has also dedicated entire episodes to singing inspirations like Britney Spears, Lady Gaga, Madonna, and the Rocky Horror Picture Show among others.
Accolades
Despite early critical skepticism, (a show featuring singing and dancing was unheard of during a time when hard-hitting dramas and established comedies dominated primetime television) Glee quickly proved itself a success.
In its first season, Glee was nominated for 19 Emmy Awards, four Golden Globes (winning the award for Best Television Series—Musical or Comedy), and six Satellite Awards.1 The Glee cast has two certified gold albums (Glee: The Music, Volume 2 and Glee: The Music, Volume 3 Showstoppers), one certified platinum album (Glee: The Music, Volume 1) and has racked up more than 10 million song downloads.2 Currently, Glee continues to rank as the number one entertainment program among adults aged 18–49 for the first six weeks of the 2010-2011 season.3
Glee has also become a commercial success thanks to dedicated fans who have coined themselves as “Gleeks”. The increasing popularity of the show has spawned a national tour, a young adult book series, an iPad application, a karaoke video game, stationery, greeting cards, apparel, jewelry and even the Glee Project--a reality series focused on finding the next Glee cast member through open casting calls
Midwest Tape is Here to Gleek Your Collection
Midwest Tape has created a collection of CDs featuring music from the show. We update the collection every Wednesday morning with CDs from original artists whose songs were featured on the previous night’s episode.
To find the collection Glee – The Music & More, click browse in the toolbar on the Midwest Tape website.
Select CD and browse by collection and then scroll through the collections to find Glee – The Music & More.
A feature panel on the Midwest Tape website will also redirect you to the collection. Click Next to flip through the panels until you find the one featured below.
Has your library experienced a large request for Glee related materials? What other pop culture materials are in high-demand at your library?
1 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glee_%28TV_series%29
2 http://www.fox.com/glee/about/
3 http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2010/11/15/live-7-update-week-6-and-season-to-date-glee-remains-this-seasons-no-1-entertainment-program/72087
The Show
Glee follows high school teacher Will Schuester as he tries to resurrect McKinley High School’s less than favorable glee club, New Directions. Armed with funny one-liners and high school melodrama, the show delivers a story of hope as the group—comprised of socially and ethnically diverse students—prepares for and competes in choir competitions in the hopes of making it to Nationals.
While the major draw of the show has been its innovative catalog of Top 40, country, R&B, hip-hop, and Broadway tunes coupled with intricate dance numbers that smoothly fit into the context of the show, the breakthrough hit is more than just singing and dancing. Interspersed between the theatrical routines, Glee slyly tackles tough topics like teen pregnancy, bullying, sexuality, and religion.
Glee’s directors bypassed traditional casting calls, instead culling cast members straight from Broadway and saving guest spots from comedians, pop sensations, and Broadway stars for one-time appearances. The show has also dedicated entire episodes to singing inspirations like Britney Spears, Lady Gaga, Madonna, and the Rocky Horror Picture Show among others.
Accolades
Despite early critical skepticism, (a show featuring singing and dancing was unheard of during a time when hard-hitting dramas and established comedies dominated primetime television) Glee quickly proved itself a success.
In its first season, Glee was nominated for 19 Emmy Awards, four Golden Globes (winning the award for Best Television Series—Musical or Comedy), and six Satellite Awards.1 The Glee cast has two certified gold albums (Glee: The Music, Volume 2 and Glee: The Music, Volume 3 Showstoppers), one certified platinum album (Glee: The Music, Volume 1) and has racked up more than 10 million song downloads.2 Currently, Glee continues to rank as the number one entertainment program among adults aged 18–49 for the first six weeks of the 2010-2011 season.3
Glee has also become a commercial success thanks to dedicated fans who have coined themselves as “Gleeks”. The increasing popularity of the show has spawned a national tour, a young adult book series, an iPad application, a karaoke video game, stationery, greeting cards, apparel, jewelry and even the Glee Project--a reality series focused on finding the next Glee cast member through open casting calls
Midwest Tape is Here to Gleek Your Collection
Midwest Tape has created a collection of CDs featuring music from the show. We update the collection every Wednesday morning with CDs from original artists whose songs were featured on the previous night’s episode.
To find the collection Glee – The Music & More, click browse in the toolbar on the Midwest Tape website.
Select CD and browse by collection and then scroll through the collections to find Glee – The Music & More.
A feature panel on the Midwest Tape website will also redirect you to the collection. Click Next to flip through the panels until you find the one featured below.
Has your library experienced a large request for Glee related materials? What other pop culture materials are in high-demand at your library?
1 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glee_%28TV_series%29
2 http://www.fox.com/glee/about/
3 http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2010/11/15/live-7-update-week-6-and-season-to-date-glee-remains-this-seasons-no-1-entertainment-program/72087
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