If I Ever Leave This World Alive

Science fiction thriller “Prometheus” brought audiences back to the terrifying world of aliens and gave actress Charlize Theron her second consecutive blockbuster this summer after scoring with “Snow White and the Huntsman” the week prior. Previously helmed as a prequel to the “Alien” series, film creator Ridley Scott chose to portray this as a standalone film with some elements of the original 1979 “Alien” starring Sigourney Weaver. “Lost” writer Damon Lindelof was brought on to rewrite the script after it took several years for this story set nearly eighty years into the future to get off the ground. After a two year voyage in space, a ship named Prometheus arrives on a planet that is thought to be inhabited with aliens responsible for the birth of humans according to cave paintings found in various parts of the globe.

A team was developed with the help of a mysterious, ailing funder to find out if these aliens are alive and how exactly we are linked to them, but after the ship makes its landing it quickly becomes clear that these aliens are hostile toward humans. Noomi Rapace stars as Elizabeth Shaw, an archaeologist with strong beliefs in God and is desperate to find out if these aliens are truly the “engineers” she believes them to be. It was somewhat of a surprise to see “The O.C.” star Logan Marshall-Green cast in such a high profile role as Rapace’s love interest and partner. Theron plays Meredith Vickers, one of the funder’s employees sent to keep an eye on the crew and control the situation, but has her own agenda. The film tackles such issues as Faith and Science just as Lindelof’s ABC show did for six seasons. It was very interesting how Scott chose to develop the aliens in this film as they technically did not have to be replicas from his past films.

Theron was not the only familiar face on board the ship, as “X-Men: Origins” actor Michael Fassbender plays David, an android who acts as the ship’s butler and liaison to the project’s billionaire funder, ensuring that his dying wishes are granted. Fassbender gave perhaps the best performance of the film from his devious actions as a robot obeying his master to his immeasurable amount of knowledge; at one point he toyingly whispers “there is nothing in the desert and no man needs nothing.” This movie certainly echoed the original, but lacked character development and actual horror with the exception of a few scenes; whereas the original “Alien” had a cast of five, this one has nearly twenty. Just as in the footsteps of Theron’s previous hit, “Prometheus” made over $50 million in its first weekend after premiering on June 8^th 2012. A sequel seems imminent as the door is left wide open at the end of the film with so many unanswered questions and possibilities to go from here.

Missed My Ride Home, Lost My iPhone

Pop-Rock band Hot Chelle Rae strings another hit with “I Like It Like That,” the second single off their new album “Whatever,” which was released on November 29, 2011. The song has peaked at number twenty-nine on the Billboard Hot 100 and features hip-hop group New Boyz rapping throughout the song. The music video that was released with the single in October features a behind the scenes look at what’s happening while the band is on tour, partying and looking very hipster in their tight jeans and Ray Bans.

The group formed in Nashville, Tennessee, in 2005 and includes Ryan Follesé, Nash Overstreet, Ian Keaggy and Jamie Follesé. The band, which was originally named “Miracle Drug,” got the idea for their name after a MySpace stalker provided the group with entertaining online activity until her false identity was discovered and brought to light. While Follesé are brothers, Overstreet is the son of country music singer-songwriter Paul Overstreet and the brother of “Glee” actor Chord Overstreet, who was also featured in a music video.

Their debut album, “Lovesick Electric,” was released on October 27, 2009, but it wasn’t until last summer when the band gained widespread attention for the single “Tonight Tonight” that Hot Chelle Rae was made a household name. Fueled with catchy one-liners and a fun, fresh beat, the song peaked at number seven on the Billboard Hot 100 and it’s been a blast ever since.

Rumour Has It

With nearly half of its third season underway, musical dramedy “Glee” has finally revealed a glimpse of why viewers fell in love with the show in the first place with the latest episode “Mash Off.” After heavily relying much of senior year on the school production of “West Side Story,” the high school drama prevails by returning to its original formula of incorporating music that has to do with what’s happening to the show’s stars.

FOX’s “Glee” centers on a group of very different high school students who form a singing group with the help of their Spanish teacher, Will Schuester. With a variety of characters in the ensemble cast, many episodes reveal dramatic characteristics about each star including relationships, sexuality, and social issues that result in song. This was shown in last week’s episode, which saw cheerleader Santana Lopez being exposed as a lesbian on television, which prompted her to sing her heart out to Adele’s “Someone Like You.”

After creator Ryan Murphy was criticized for the second season of the hit show, which depended on big guest stars like Gwyneth Paltrow and heavily themed episodes, he vowed to return to a more character-driven storyline. But the season thus far has left much of the show’s best characters like Guidance Counselor Emma Pillsbury in the dark and has given ex-cheerleader Quinn Fabray an odd baby-stealing storyline.

Murphy even went as far as to write off fan-favorite Lauren Zizes and give Sam Evans the boot, but has thankfully welcomed back the ladder who will return in the season’s eleventh episode. But the third season hasn’t been all bad: some highlights include Kurt Hummel’s campaign for Class President; Mercedes Jones’ rival choir group “The Troubletones,” and who could forget Mike Chang’s heartbreaking dance episode.

But was there really anything wrong with “Glee’s” second season to begin with? Viewers don’t seem to think so with last season being its highest rated to date, including a superbowl episode watched by nearly thirty million people. While the second season normally saw upwards of ten million viewers per episode, viewership continues to decline for its third season averaging nearly nine million people.

The FOX show also has an amazing merchandise line that includes soundtracks, concerts, and  last summer’s 3-D film. But with the departure set for show stars Rachel Barry, Finn Hudson, and Kurt Hummel, will “Glee” survive another plot change or will the introduction of new cast members drive viewers away? Maybe they won’t have to: “Rumour Has It” many departing characters will be featured in a spin-off.

Time Of Your Life

Hit or miss actor/singer/comedienne Justin Timberlake tackles science fiction in his new thriller “In Time,” which hit theaters last week. Set in the future, this retro-influenced film packs some big names behind a dazzling compilation of eras.

The movie begins by informing the viewers that a genetic alteration allowed humanity to develop a system where individuals stop aging twenty-five years after birth. Timberlake plays Will, a twenty-eight year old man whose time in this world is about to run out.

Due to over-population concerns, time has replaced money as the standard currency and people must acquire more time through labor after turning twenty-five years of age, or die within a single year. The poor live in ghettos where people work each day to earn hours of life while the rich live in luxurious mansions for centuries based on how much time they have accumulated.

Amanda Seyfried plays Timberlake’s love interest and sports a short, red wig for the film while Olivia Wilde, fresh off her stint on FOX’s medical drama “House,” plays Timberlake’s extremely young-looking mother. “Mad Men’s” Vincent Kartheiser and “Batman Begins’” Cillian Murphy team up to try and stop both Timberlake and Seyfried from taking back time.

The movie opened in third place last weekend, behind “Puss in Boots” and “Paranormal Activity 3,” with twelve million dollars. With Timberlake’s history of major flops, “The Love Guru,” and minor successes, “The Social Network,” what list will this film be placed on?