Watch: 'Sex and the City 2' in 60 Seconds

What you can expect to see if you head to the theatre this weekend, distilled into a minute.

Watch, AFTER THE JUMP...

MUSIC NEWS: Marina and the Diamonds, Sex and the City 2 soundtrack, Leela James, Adam Ant, Samantha Marq

 
MODERN TONIC

Modern Tonic — a daily newsletter that delivers gay-approved pop culture gems (before they've been co-opted by everyone else) — presents a weekly music update here on Towleroad.

NEW ARTIST TO WATCH AND FREE DOWNLOADS:

Unlike her Welsh homegirl Duffy, Marina Diamandis — who is Marina & the Diamonds — has no use for retro. Her pop-happy debut The Family Jewels, finally released in the U.S., doesn’t just want to rummage through the musical trash heap for usable scraps of history. Sure, there are the percolating synthesizers of “Shampain” and the music-hall piano of “Obsessions.” But Diamandis brings her idiosyncratic style to the proceedings, from the jaunty chamber-rock opener “Are You Satisfied?” in which she hiccups and trills through a post-modern tale of alienation, to the stately Gothic ballad “Rootless,” wherein she harmonizes with herself like a battalion of Tori Amos wannabes. She’s nearly as unhinged a vocalist as Florence Welch (of Florence + the Machine) — meaning she goes for it, singing to the cheap seats and just maybe reaching the pop-loving teen in all of us.

Even if it weren’t the soundtrack for the latest romp with our relationship-addled BFFs Carrie, Charlotte, Samantha and Miranda, the Sex and the City 2 Original Motion Picture Soundtrack would have us in the first five seconds. Why? How about Alicia Keys slumming her way through Blondie’s seminal “Rapture?” Academy Award®-winner Jennifer Hudson duets with U.K. ballad-master Leona Lewis for “Love Is Your Color.” Dido shuffles through the smooth electro vibe of “Everything to Lose.” And who could resist Liza Minnelli vamping through Beyoncé’s “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It),” except maybe very uptight straight men? As if that weren’t enough, the ladies themselves make their singing debut. Any wagers on what it might be? If you bet on the old Helen Reddy chestnut “I Am Woman” you’d be cashing in your chips and sipping your own cosmos right about now.

Ms. Leela James — the gritty L.A. singer who’s worked with Kanye West, Moby and Ray Charles — isn’t just an old-school soul singer. She’s hardcore. Her third album, the simply titled and straight up true My Soul, is 11 tracks of groovalicious booty-shaking jams, both up-tempo and oh-so-slow-baby-it-feels-too-good-don’t-stop. Her feral yowl on “I Want It All” could challenge Tina Turner. “Mr. Incredible — Ms. Unforgettable” features James and Raheem DeVaughn as couples entwined in an orgasmic vocal showdown. And doing wrong never felt as damn right as it does on the bass-rumbling lover’s lowdown “If It’s Wrong.”

MUSIC NEWS:

Levi's is releasing a series of free digital downloads of "pioneering" musicians covering songs that influenced them. First up is Nas with Slick Rick's "Hey Young World." Forthcoming tracks will be from She & Him, Passion Pit, Jason Mraz and Dirty Projectors, among others.

Eighties pop icon Adam Ant (aka Stuart Goddard), 55, is resting in a London hospital after exhibiting increasingly erratic behavior. He has spoken of his struggles with manic depression in the past.

Fantastic interview with Gaga.

Christina Aguilera's album leaked wide online yesterday, two weeks before street date, the same day she announced she was postponing her recently-announced summer tour until 2011.

This week marks the 25th anniversary of the release of Katrina and the Waves' "Walking on Sunshine." It's been estimated that the track continues to generate about $1 million a year in income for the band, who smartly held on to the publishing rights.

David Byrne is suing Florida Governor Charlie Crist for the unauthorized use of Talking Heads' "Road To Nowhere" in a since-pulled attack ad on Marco Rubio. Byrne wants $1 million, the amount he says he gets for the use of his songs in commercials.

TODAY’S NEW RELEASES:

Samantha Marq’s debut single "Super Girl" isn't exactly a new release — it dropped in February — but, hey, we’re busy. Her forthcoming album, The Evolution of Love in Dysfunction (release date TBA) is a post-Gaga party platter full of fresh beats, smooth synths and sassy attitude, best exemplified by the lead-off track. 

If you miss the smell of flannel and the crunch of untrammeled guitars, you can relive the ‘90s with the release of Stone Temple Pilots’ reunion album imaginatively titled Stone Temple Pilots.

If the ‘80s are more your speed, Modern English — who stopped the world and melted with us in 1982 — are back with Soundtrack, their first album since 1996.
 
Before HBO’s True Blood begins its third season of sucking (in a vampire way!) next month, prepare with the True Blood (Music from the HBO Original Series, Vol. 2), featuring deep, swampy cuts from M. Ward, Lucinda Williams, Bob Dylan and more.

Also released:  Smashing Pumpkins  — Teargarden By Kaleidyscope 1: Songs for a Sailor (box set); Marc Anthony — Iconos; Allison Moorer — Crows Acoustic; Rihanna — Rated R: Remixed; UNKLE — Where Did the Night Fall; Will Young — Leave Right Now (on CD today); Karen Elson — The Ghost Who Walks

MUSIC VIDEOS:

The Big Pink — "Tonight"
London electro-rock duo The Big Pink break out the psychedelic light show for this clip from their latest single, “Tonight,” from their debut A Brief History of Love.

Eli "Paperboy" Reed — "Come and Get It"
The baby-faced Bostonian gives the title track from his forthcoming major-label release a pop-art makeover to match his ‘60s summer-of-love groove and his soulful James Brown shout.

Infernal — "Love Is All"
Their album Fall from Grace isn’t due until September, but the Danish dance duo tide us over with this Euro-disco clip that’s part The Matrix and part Showtime After Dark.  

CocoRosie — "Lemonade"
Bianca and Sierra Casady (‘Coco’ and ‘Rosie,’ respectively) are a willfully esoteric duo. To wit: this spooky ballad from their new Grey Oceans and its whimsical video with bearded sisters, Native Americans and a creepy marionette.

MUSIC NEWS: Charice, Jennifer Knapp, The National, Katy Perry, Christina Aguilera, Dido

MODERN TONIC

Modern Tonic — a daily newsletter that delivers gay-approved pop culture gems before they've been co-opted by everyone else — presents a weekly music update here on Towleroad.

TODAY'S FEATURED RELEASES:

The list of U.S.-known musicians of Filipino descent is scant; the most recognizable being Nicole Scherzinger (half-Filipino/half-Russian) of the Pussycat Dolls and Enrique Iglesias (half-Filipino/half-Spanish). Charice — the 18-year-old protégé of producer David Foster — is not only the latest addition to that list, but may end up the most famous of them all. Her self-titled U.S. debut, after two releases in the Philippines, is up-to-the-second R&B pop. For such a tiny girl — all 5’ 1” of her — her pipes are enormous. Debuted on The Oprah Winfrey Show, her Diane Warren-penned ballad "Note to God" is a real showstopper. Her mid-tempo single "Pyramid (feat. Iyaz)" has already been remixed for club play. And she throws down the gauntlet on the multi-octave spine tingler "Thank You." Watch your back, Mariah; you’re not the only angel scaling the heavenly heights anymore.

There’s been plenty of hoopla surrounding Chely Wright’s coming out, but a less heralded revelation recently came from Dove Award-winning Christian artist Jennifer Knapp. Letting Go (out today) is a strident collection of secular music that chronicles Knapp’s growth as both an artist and a proud, out woman. On ten striking tunes, Knapp combines the heartland appeal of Melissa Etheridge and the therapeutic searching of Alanis Morissette. The title track certainly makes a joyful noise, with Knapp slamming through a painful breakup over grunge-infested chords and a roiling guitar solo that practically burns a hole in the ozone. "Inside" — as bracing as one of Etheridge’s best rockers — has Knapp tackling small-minded prejudices with all the intensity of a woman fighting for her life. And the gorgeous "Fallen" — with a plaintive folk melody and a vocal reminiscent of Natalie Merchant — reconciles her faith with her desires. Letting Go is bracing stuff, a powerful declaration from a woman who found herself and returned, stronger, to testify. 

Indie quintet The National have certainly taken their sweet time to break the U.S. Their fifth album, High Violet, seems poised to finally cement their reputation as one of the best American rock bands working today. Guitarists (and brothers) Aaron and Bryce Dessner — who spearheaded last year's Dark Was the Night charity compilation — along with, respectively, bassist and drummer (and brothers!) respectively Scott and Bryan Devendorf create intricately layered rock that's like a 21st century updating of R.E.M. And what makes their tunes stick is the acutely penetrating baritone of Matt Berninger. His melancholy vocals infuse the chamber folk of "Sorrow," while he successfully negotiates an erstwhile tenor for the set-closing ballad "Vanderlyle Crybaby Geeks." And when they want to, they can rev up the tempos to a head-spinning intensity. First single "Bloodbuzz Ohio" pounds a ragged rhythm straight to the center of your brain while Berninger laments "I still owe money to the money to the money I owe."

MUSIC NEWS:

Katy Perry, just announced as #1 on Maxim's 2010 Hot 100 and whose new single "California Gurls" is out today (from the album Teenage Dream out August 24), talks about her forthcoming wedding to British comedian Russell Brand.

Christina Aguilera announced 20 North American tour dates starting July 15. Tickets go on sale May 21, and buyers get a code to download her new album, Bionic, the day before its June 8 street date. Leona Lewis supports Aguilera on the tour.

"Shark In The Water" singer V V Brown opens for Maroon 5 on their forthcoming tour starting this August. Maroon 5's new album, Hands All Over, comes out September 21.

Dido has debuted "Everything To Lose," a new track that will be featured on the Sex and the City 2 soundtrack, out May 25. You can listen to it here.

A second volume of the True Blood soundtrack will street May 25, the same day the second season is released on DVD/Blu-ray. New tracks from Beck and Lucinda Williams featuring Elvis Costello, alongside classic tracks from the likes of Bob Dylan and Screamin' Jay Hawkins, will be included.

Attention hip gay dads: An album of lullabye renditions of Kanye West songs.

TODAY’S NEW RELEASES:

U.K. trio Keane continues their love affair with all things 80’s on Night Train, an eight-song E.P. featuring guest turns from Somali rapper K’Naan and Japanese MC Tigarah.

Does Jack White ever sleep? The leader of The White Stripes and The Raconteurs releases his other band The Dead Weather’s unstoppable sophomore album Sea of Cowards.

Electronic artist James Lavelle releases his fifth album as UNKLE, Where Did the Night Fall, a trip-hop phantasmagoria with collaborators Mark Lanegan, The Black Angels and more.

U.S. DJ Kaskade (ne Ryan Raddon) continues his house music ascent on Dynasty, with assists from Canadian electro-poppers Dragonette ("Fire in Your New Shoes") and knob-twiddler Tiësto ("Only You").

Also released:  Celine Dion — Celine: Through the Eyes of the World (DVD/Blu-Ray); Crash Test Dummies — Oooh La La; Holy Fuck — Latin; Stereophonics — Keep Calm and Carry On; Hoodoo Gurus — Purity of Essence; Lady Gaga — The Remix (import).

MUSIC VIDEOS:

Rox — "I Don’t Believe"
This frisky pop tune features a scrawl of vertical images of Rox, the half-Jamaican half-Iranian South London spitfire in an array of playful poses. From her debut Memoirs.

Kele — "Tenderoni"
Hot damn! The out Bloc Party frontman gets his groove on for this slinky track from his solo album The Boxer. To illustrate that title, the video lovingly photographs a broad-shouldered brother flexing his muscles to the delight of everyone, by which we mean us.

Marla — "Lipstick for the Vampires"
A U.K. sweetie pie who’s like Lily Allen’s mad little sister, Marla jiggles and jives while the words to her sugary confection flash on the screen. Beneath the sweetness? A nasty rant about the local girl-turned-slut who’s headed for the big bad bloodsuckers of L.A.

Reflection Eternal feat. Estelle — "Midnight Hour"
Rapper Talib Kweli and producer/DJ Hi-Tek reunite on this slice of swinging rap and invite Estelle to smooth the groove with her smoky hooks. From their forthcoming album Revolutions Per Minute. 

News: Sex & The City, Sarah Palin, Immigration, Obama

Jay Leno will entertain those lucky enough to attend tonight's White House Correspondents' Association dinner. 

Adam Lambert does YRB magazine.

National Enquirer claims Obama had an affair in 2004.

David Duchovny has Twilight fever: “If I were gay, you know. I think Woody Allen is one of a long list of men I might go gay for…Garry Shandling is someone I’ve publicly gone gay for, for jokes. Oh and anyone in the Twilight movies."

Can a movie studio prevent an actor from being openly gay? According to E Online: "...at least one source tells me they do exist, but not necessarily in the explicit way you might think they do. From what I am able to gather, a contract between an agency and an actor may dodge the exact issue of "coming out." But it might ban other sorts of telltale activities."

Only two more years until the next Batman movie is released.

Carmen Electra takes an electric razor to a bunch of men's hairy chests.

Harry Reid's immigration proposal "would allow gay Americans to sponsor an immigrant partner for citizenship."

Family Research Council: "If ENDA (the Employment Non-Discrimination Act) becomes law, the government will order businesses -- including faith-based businesses -- to cast aside their personal beliefs and hire homosexuals and cross-dressers, even if the employer considers these lifestyles immoral and inappropriate for their business. Even groups like the Boy Scouts and child care providers aren't exempt from the bill's oppressive demands."

Sarah Palin's e-mailer hacker has been convicted. Palin reacts to the news: "Violating the law, or simply invading someone's privacy for political gain, has long been repugnant to Americans' sense of fair play. As Watergate taught us, we rightfully reject illegally breaking into candidates' private communications for political intrigue in an attempt to derail an election."

Take a peek at the new poster for Sex & the City 2. Is that Kim Cattrall or Sharon Stone?

Sarah Jessica Parker; the non-Photoshopped version.

Summer Movie Preview Pt 1: Ken, Cannes & Carrie (Bradshaw)

NATHANIEL ROGERS
...would live in the movie theater but for the poor internet reception. He blogs daily at the Film Experience.

It's a special edition of the column this week. How to Train Your Dragon keeps fending off newcomers to its box office throne but the post-Oscar/pre-summer movie season mostly works like Hollywood's purgatory. The industry is just waiting for the heavenly treasures of summer box office to roll in. IRON MAN 2 blasts off next friday and hundreds of other movies will then chase Tony Stark's exhaust fumes.

Obviously we can't cover everything so we're dividing each month into six categories, that are cutely named after movies because you gotta have a gimmick: "The Champ" for box office, "Diva" for the fierce ladies, "The Prestige" for critical acclaim, "Where the Boys Are" for the hotness, "The International" for foreign language counter-programming and "Oscar" for potentially awardable stuff. Clicking on the film titles will take you to their trailers or official sites, should you want to gorge on those carefully constructed hype generators.

Speaking of hype... Tony Stark or Carrie Bradshaw: Which narcissistic diva are you most anxious to see again?

Summer Preview AFTER THE JUMP...

 

Watch: New 'Sex and the City 2' Trailer

Looks better than the first, imho. Featuring the beautiful John Corbett, and that's Noah Mills, below. Watch, AFTER THE JUMP...