Welcome to HNGN's biweekly top picks, where we gather the best and brightest releases in music, fashion, beauty, tech and pop culture. Come back every other week for more of-the-moment goodness. - Edited by Michael Lello.
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MUSIC
By Michael Lello
Prince: HITnRUN Phase Two (NPG)
The prolific purple one is back with his whopping 39th studio album, a surprise release that came Saturday via the Tidal music-streaming site. The follow-up to September's "HITnRun Phase One," the 12-song album features a mix of brand-new songs as well as some selections Prince had recently released, like "Baltimore," featuring Eryn Ellen Kane, which you can hear below.
John Williams: Star Wars: The Force Awakens (Walt Disney Records)
Legendary composer John Williams – known primarily as the sound of "Star Wars" but boasting a resume that includes "Jaws," "E.T.," "Indiana Jones," "Schindler's List" and the "Harry Potter" films – returns to score the hotly anticipated "Star Wars: The Force Awakens." The soundtrack is available for purchase this week.
Watch Williams conducting the music for the opening scene of "The Force Awakens" in the "60 Minutes Overtime" clip below.
Jennylee: right on! (Rough Trade)
There's significant buzz accompanying the debut album from Jennylee – who by day is Jenny Lee Lindberg, the bassist for indie rock outfit Warpaint – and it's well-deserved. On "right on!," she builds compelling, atmospheric songs that recall the iciness of '80s and '90s British shoegaze and synthpop, enveloping the listener with her reverb-drenched voice, propellant bass playing and hazy instrumentals. It's a dark and eerie trip, but it's somehow weirdly warm and inviting.
Watch her perform "Boom Boom" live at Fordham University's WFUV below.
Cage The Elephant: Tell Me I'm Pretty (RCA)
Kentucky-bred Cage The Elephant is one of the more consistent and tuneful bands working in alt rock, with a catalog of dark yet catchy songs like 2013's "Come A Little Closer." The latest from CTE, with help from producer Dan Auerbach of Black Keys fame, is this week's "Tell Me I'm Pretty," the group's fourth album.
You can hear some of Auerbach's influence in the song "Mess Around." Check out the quirky video below.
And don't miss HNGN's roundup of the 25 best Christmas albums of 2015!
MOVIES
By Cal Setar
Star Wars: The Force Awakens (Walt Disney Pictures)
On Dec. 18, the force will reawaken. Director J.J. Abrams ("Star Trek," "Lost") and Disney breathe new life into the "Star Wars" franchise, as an entirely new cast of characters struggle to overcome the power of the dark side. Thirty years after the fight that brought down the Galactic Empire, a downed stormtrooper joins an aging smuggler and his wookie companion in a battle for the universe.
In The Heart Of The Sea (Warner Bros. Pictures)
In this epic tale of a ship crew's battle with a mammoth whale, Herman Melville finds the inspiration that will later spur him to write his incredible novel, "Moby Dick." In 1820, the New England vessel Essex is beset by a gargantuan whale that leaves the ship crippled. The captain and his crew struggle for survival as storms, starvation and the whale push them to the brink.
Alvin And The Chipmunks: The Road Chip (Twentieth Century Fox)
Alvin, Theodore and Simon become convinced, through a series of unfortunate misunderstandings, that Dave is going to propose to his new girlfriend while in Miami and leave them. The trio of rambunctious chipmunks set out on a mission to stop the proposal in three days or less.
Sisters (Universal Pictures)
SNL alums Tina Fey and Amy Poehler team up with "Pitch Perfect" director Jason Moore for this comedy romp centering on a pair of thirty-something sisters who return home to clean out their bedrooms when the house in which they grew up is placed on the market. The two women, hoping to recapture some of that high school magic, plan one last bawdy blowout.
PETS AND PET LOVERS
By Kimberly M. Aquilina
Memorable Pets – Big Life Dogs ($51.97-$150.97)
Golden Globe-winner Jeffrey Tambor returns as the transgender woman Martha Phefferman in the critically acclaimed and award-winning Amazon original series. The second season continues to push the boundaries, further exploring Martha's transition and her family.
Amazon has the first season available for streaming.
Check out our complete list of movies available for streaming on Netflix this month and see below for more options on Amazon Prime and for purchase at iTunes.
iTunes
• American Hero
• Christmas Eve
• Close Range
• Dangerous Men
• Disney Original Movies
• Earthrise
• For Heaven's Sake
• Hannibal: The Complete Series
• Harold Lloyd Shorts: Vol. 1
• He Named Me Malala
• Hitman: Agent 47
• The Kid Brother
• The Kindergarten Teacher
• Knock Knock
• Life
• Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials
• Night Owls
• One & Two
• Pan
• Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension
• Pawn Sacrifice
• Phoenix
• Santa Who?
• Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse
• Seems Like Old Times
• Snervous Tyler Oakley
• Speedy
• Starship Troopers 2: Hero of the Federation
• Uncle Nick
• The Visit
• The Wannabe
• War Room
• Why Worry?
• The Wiz Live!
• Zombie High
• 12 Rounds 3: Lockdown
Amazon
• Cutie and the Boxer
• Interstellar
• Meet Me in Montenegro
• Mozart in the Jungle: Season 2
• Selma
• Transparent: Season 2
• Tumble Leaf: Season 2
