Hot This Week: June 16

For a second week in a row, there is little movement on the list of hot movies, with Lone Survivor being the only new title. Miranda Lambert tops the week's music chart, while fresh remasters from Jimmy Page bring three classic Led Zeppelin albums back to the forefront. A whopping seven new titles debut on the fiction list, led by the latest from Stephen King. The non-fiction list, on the other hand, sees just one new title this week, the story of a Fox News anchor coping with his son's pediatric heart disease.

DVD

1. The Monuments Men
2. Ride Along
3. Lone Survivor
4. Pompeii
5. That Awkward Moment
6. The Secret Life of Walter Mitty
7. I, Frankenstein 
8. About Last Night
9. The Nut Job
10. The Wolf of Wall Street

CD

1. Miranda Lambert, Platinum
2. Frozen Soundtrack
3. Brantley Gilbert, Just As I Am
4. 50 Cent, Animal Ambition: An Untamed Desire to Win
5. Coldplay, Ghost Stories
6. NOW That's What I Call Music 50
7. Led Zeppelin, Led Zeppelin
8. The Fault in Our Stars Soundtrack
9. Led Zeppelin, Led Zeppelin II
10. Led Zeppelin, Led Zeppelin III

Fiction

1. Mr. Mercedes, Stephen King
2. Skin Game, Jim Butcher
3. The Hurricane Sisters, Dorothea Benton Frank
4. The Goldfinch, Donna Tartt
5. A Shiver of Light, Laurell K. Hamilton
6. Midnight in Europe, Alan Furst
7. The One & Only, Emily Giffin
8. The Smoke at Dawn, Jeff Shaara
9. Save the Date, Mary Kay Andrews
10. China Dolls, Lisa See

Non-Fiction

1. One Nation, Ben and Candy Carson
2. Capital in the Twenty-First Century, Thomas Piketty
3. The Closer, Mariano Rivera and Wayne Coffey
4. Think Like a Freak, Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner
5. Unbroken, Laura Hillenbrand
6. Flash Boys, Michael Lewis
7. Finding Me, Michelle Knight and Michelle Burford
8. Special Heart, Bret Baier and Jim Mills
9. David and Goliath, Malcolm Gladwell
10. Stress Test, Timothy F. Geithner

Perrotta’s Leftovers Coming to HBO

Written by Jon Williams

HBO recently announced that its hit series Game of Thrones has surpassed The Sopranos to rank as the most popular show in their history. At its peak, The Sopranos averaged 18.2 million viewers per episode; Game of Thrones is now averaging 18.4 million. This number comes on the heels of Season 4’s eighth episode, “The Mountain and the Viper,” which affirmed the show’s reputation for compelling, shocking twists. The season finale, which airs this Sunday, could push those already stellar numbers to even greater heights.

Those searching for something to fill the void in their Sunday night TV schedule caused by the absence of Thrones won’t have far to look. Its timeslot will be filled the following week, June 22, with the return of another very popular HBO series. The vampires, werewolves, witches, fairies, and humans of Bon Temps will begin to wrap up their story with the premiere of True Blood’s seventh and final season. The week after that, on June 29, True Blood will be followed by the premiere of a brand new series called The Leftovers.

The Leftovers is based on a 2011 novel of the same name by Tom Perrotta. Co-created by Damon Lindelof, known for his work on Lost, the series centers on a mysterious event that sees 2% of the world’s population simply vanish. Three years down the line, The Leftovers explores how those who remain have moved on with their lives—and how they haven’t. It will feature such stars as Justin Theroux, Amy Brenneman, Christopher Eccleston, and Liv Tyler; the pilot episode is directed by Peter Berg.

This isn’t Perrotta’s first go-round with having his work adapted. His 1998 novel Election was turned into the big-screen comedy starring Reese Witherspoon and Matthew Broderick, and Little Children became an acclaimed drama that was nominated for three Academy Awards and three Golden Globes in 2007. Perrotta’s most recent book, last year’s Nine Inches, is a collection of short stories sure to satisfy fans of his longer work. Judging from the popularity of those books, The Leftovers seems poised to be HBO’s next breakout hit.

Hot This Week: June 9

In a fairly static week, the remake of the 1986 romcom About Last Night is the only newcomer to the DVD list. Pop hitmaker Mariah Carey's new disc debuts at #3 in music, with last week's top two remaining the same. New thrillers from fan favorite authors Jim Butcher and Clive Cussler reign over the fiction list, while author Tom Robbins's memoir is the only new title to crack the non-fiction top ten.

DVD

1. The Monuments Men
2. Ride Along
3. Pompeii
4. I, Frankenstein 
5. The Secret Life of Walter Mitty
6. About Last Night
7. That Awkward Moment
8. The Nut Job
9. The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
10. The Wolf of Wall Street

CD

1. Coldplay, Ghost Stories
2. Brantley Gilbert, Just As I Am
3. Mariah Carey, Me. I Am Mariah...The Elusive Chanteuse
4. Frozen Soundtrack
5. Austin Mahone, The Secret (EP)
6. NOW That's What I Call Music 50
7. Michael Jackson, Xscape
8. The Black Keys, Turn Blue
9. Crowder, Neon Steeple
10. Iggy Azalea, The New Classic

Fiction

1. Skin Game, Jim Butcher
2. Ghost Ship, Clive Cussler and Graham Brown
3. The Goldfinch, Donna Tartt
4. The One & Only, Emily Giffin
5. Unlucky 13, James Patterson and Maxine Paetro
6. All the Light We Cannot See, Anthony Doerr
7. The Target, David Baldacci
8. Field of Prey, John Sandford
9. Natchez Burning, Greg Iles
10. The Lincoln Myth, Steve Berry

Non-Fiction

1. One Nation, Ben and Candy Carson
2. Capital in the Twenty-First Century, Thomas Piketty
3. The Closer, Mariano Rivera and Wayne Coffey
4. Think Like a Freak, Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner 
5. Stress Test, Timothy F. Geithner
6. Finding Me, Michelle Knight and Michelle Burford
7. Tibetan Peach Pie, Tom Robbins
8. A Fighting Chance, Elizabeth Warren
9. Flash Boys, Michael Lewis
10. Unbroken, Laura Hillenbrand 

More Star Wars News

Written by Jon Williams

We’re now a month removed from Star Wars Day on May 4, and there has been no shortage of news on the highly anticipated upcoming films. Since patrons will be excited to check out work from these individuals taking their first steps into a larger world, here’s the latest.

First, two actresses have joined the cast for Episode VII and, presumably, the entire sequel trilogy. One is simply confirming a rumor that was going around even as the first round of announcements were made, and that is Academy Award-winning actress Lupita Nyong’o. Her Oscar came for her work in 12 Years a Slave, but she can also be seen in the Liam Neeson action thriller Non-Stop. The second newcomer will be a familiar face to some sci-fi/fantasy fans. Gwendoline Christie is currently starring in HBO’s massive hit series Game of Thrones as the formidable warrior Brienne of Tarth. She will also be in the upcoming third and fourth installments of the Hunger Games series. It isn’t known yet what roles these ladies will play (nor is it for any of the new cast members).

So that’s the news for the sequel trilogy, which will consist of three films released in alternating years beginning in 2015. In between those films, a number of standalone films are planned to fill the void. The specific content of these films has not yet been disclosed, but they are expected to explore the origin stories of familiar characters. While major details regarding these films are still forthcoming, a few tidbits have come out. One, presumably the first, is to be directed by Gareth Edwards based on a script written by Gary Whitta. Edwards is best known for the new Godzilla movie that’s in theaters now, and he also directed the 2010 alien-invasion film Monsters. Whitta wrote the screenplay for 2010’s The Book of Eli, as well as 2013’s After Earth.

Just today, it was announced that another standalone Star Wars film (presumably the second) would be directed by Josh Trank. Trank directed the 2012 sci-fi film Chronicle, and is helming the 2015 reboot of the Fantastic Four franchise. No writer was announced for this film, so it seems likely that the script will be handled by writers previously announced to be attached to new Star Wars films, Lawrence Kasdan (who wrote original trilogy films The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, along with many other films) and Simon Kinberg (Sherlock Holmes).

So be sure to have these films on your shelves so patrons can satisfy their Star Wars appetites in anticipation for the new films, and don’t forget about the original films, the Clone Wars animated series, music from the movies, and story-expanding audiobooks.

Hot This Week: June 2

Two very different historical flicks jump onto this week's DVD listing, as The Monuments Men takes over at the top and Pompeii makes an appearance as well. New titles from Coldplay and Brantley Gilbert top the music chart, while Michael Jackson's posthumous release remains strong just behind them. Emily Giffin, Steve Berry, and Stephen Hunter place new titles on the fiction list, while in non-fiction, a new book of political musings from Ben Carson debuts at #1.

DVD

1. The Monuments Men
2. Ride Along
3. I, Frankenstein 
4. The Secret Life of Walter Mitty 
5. The Nut Job
6. That Awkward Moment
7. Pompeii
8. The Wolf of Wall Street
9. The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
10. The Legend of Hercules

CD

1. Coldplay, Ghost Stories
2. Brantley Gilbert, Just As I Am
3. Michael Jackson, Xscape
4. Frozen Soundtrack
5. The Black Keys, Turn Blue
6. NOW That's What I Call Music 50 
7. Phillip Phillips, Behind the Light
8. The Fault in Our Stars Soundtrack
9. Iggy Azalea, The New Classic
10. Rascal Flatts, Rewind

Fiction

1. The One & Only, Emily Giffin
2. The Goldfinch, Donna Tartt
3. Unlucky 13, James Patterson and Maxine Paetro
4. The Lincoln Myth, Steve Berry
5. Field of Prey, John Sandford
6. The Target, David Baldacci
7. Sniper's Honor, Stephen Hunter
8. Natchez Burning, Greg Iles
9. All the Light We Cannot See, Anthony Doerr
10. The Skin Collector, Jeffery Deaver

Non-Fiction

1. One Nation, Ben and Candy Carson
2. Capital in the Twenty-First Century, Thomas Piketty
3. Think Like a Freak, Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner
4. Finding Me, Michelle Knight and Michelle Burford
5. The Closer, Mariano Rivera and Wayne Coffey
6. Stress Test, Timothy F. Geithner
7. A Fighting Chance, Elizabeth Warren
8. Thrive, Arianna Huffington
9. Flash Boys, Michael Lewis
10. James Madison, Lynne Cheney