Free iTunes Stream of Daft Punk's "Random Access Memories" is Live
Fun fact: The very first album I bought as a high schooler was Daft Punk's Discovery back in the fall of 2001. I've never been a huge fan of dance/techno/house music, but I was enthralled by the robotic duo's anime videos for the Discovery singles and absolutely had to check the rest of the album out. It didn't quite blow me away, but it served to be a good alternative to the punk rock I was growing into at the time.
Almost 12 years later, and I find myself just as enthralled in Daft Punk's next release, Random Access Memories, except with much more of an appreciation for their music. Earlier, iTunes began exclusively streaming the entirety of Random Access Memories that anybody can listen to. Simply open up Daft Punk's artist page (not their page for Random Access Memories) directly in the iTunes application/program to check it out.
The album itself is very funky and reminiscent of 70s disco funk and 80s synthesized instrumentation. Features include The Strokes' Julian Casablancas, Pharrell, Chic's Nile Rodgers, Giorgio Moroder, and Animal Collective's Panda Bear. If you'd rather wait until its actual release date, Random Access Memories will be released on May 21st.
Jurassic Park 4 production halted
Just when it was thought that the future of the Jurassic Park franchise was safe, we're reminded that nothing's ever really safe in Hollywood. The 3D re-release of Jurassic Park, which has made more than $53m worldwide, was intended to re-integrate the fantastical park that brought dinosaurs back to life into audiences' memories. However, it's been recently confirmed that production for the next proper entry into the franchise, the creatively-titled Jurassic Park 4, has been halted.
Colin Trevorrow (Safety Not Guaranteed) was set to take over the director's chair from Steven Spielberg (Jurassic Park, The Lost World: Jurassic Park) and Joe Johnston (Jurassic Park III). No other plot details nor casting decisions were revealed (let alone even made). However, the news isn't completely negative. According to the official statement released by Universal (which you can read below), it seems that the production delay is due to simply wanting to devote more time to the film rather than a lack of faith in Trevorrow. Like all bad news, the initial shock stings, but hopefully it all will be worth it later on. After all, if there's anything Hollywood needs more of, it's dinosaurs.
In coordination with filmmakers, Universal has decided to release Jurassic Park 4 at a later date giving the studio and filmmakers adequate time to bring audiences the best possible version of the fourth installment in Universal’s beloved franchise. We could not be more excited about the vision that Colin Trevorrow has created for this film, and we look forward to watching as he and the producers create another great chapter in this franchise’s storied history.
[via /Film]