Welcome to HNGN's weekly top picks, where we cull the best and brightest releases in music, fashion, beauty, tech and pop culture. Come back every other week for more of-the-moment goodness. –Editing by Michael Lello and Nicholas Parco.
[Want to be considered for Coveted? Send your product information, with photos, to m.bullerdick@hngn.com or send product samples to Michael Q. Bullerdick HNGN/33 Universal, 33 Whitehall Street – 7th Floor, New York, NY 10004.]
MUSIC
By Michael Lello
Florence and the Machine: How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful (Island)
The ethereal-voiced Florence Welch and her band The Machine return for their first new album in more than three years. One of the most adventurous bands to break into the mainstream in recent years, the U.K.-based group, now three years into its recording career, has achieved a level of consistency that positions it to be in the game for as long as it would like to be.
Check out Florence and the Machine’s video for “Ship To Wreck.”
Willie Nelson/ Merle Haggard: Django And Jimmie (Legacy)
Two of the founders of outlaw country music are back in business. Following the success of “Pancho & Lefty” in 1983, Willie Nelson and Merle Haggard have continued to collaborate, and their latest is the new album “Django and Jimmie.” The title refers to Gypsy jazz guitar pioneer Django Reinhardt and Jimmie Rodgers, the early country-era singer.
Below, check out Willie and Merle singing their slyly titled “It’s All Going To Pot.”
Dawes: All Your Favorite Bands (Hub Records)
Neo-folk rock band Dawes has built up a considerable fan base – including David Letterman, who personally requested they perform on his show in April, and Bob Dylan, who took them on a recent tour as his opening act. Lead singer and primary writer Taylor Goldsmith puts a premium on smart, deeply personal lyrics, as you’ll hear in the video for “Things Happen” below.
Armored Saint: Win Hands Down (Metal Blade Records)
Bay Area thrash metal group Armored Saint have been around for three decades but have never gotten the credit it deserves, besides some glances when singer John Bush joined Anthrax in the early 1990s. Nevertheless, Armored Saint has put together a stellar catalog of hard-charging and often catchy heavy metal, and its new album, “Win Hands Down,” is no exception.
You can watch the video for the title track below.
MOVIES
By Jordan Webb
Entourage (Warner Bros.)
The boys are back in town. “Entourage” gets the big-screen treatment, with movie star Vince Chase, Eric, Turtle and Johnny all returning. This time Vince is set to make his directorial debut on a risky project backed by agent-turned-studio head Ari Gold (Jeremy Piven).
Spy (Twentieth Century Fox)
Melissa McCarthy stars as Susan Cooper, a CIA analyst who’s spent her career behind a desk. When her partner goes missing and another agent is compromised, the unassuming Cooper goes deep undercover to spy on an arms dealer and prevent a global catastrophe. Director Paul Feig (“Bridesmaids,” “The Heat”) teams up with McCarthy for a third time in this action-comedy adventure.
Insidious: Chapter 3 (Gramercy Pictures)
This prequel follows Elise Rainier, a gifted psychic, who no longer wants anything to do with the supernatural. She eventually agrees, albeit reluctantly, to use her gifts to commune with the dead in an effort to save a teenage girl from a demon.
FASHION & BEAUTY
By Oulimata Ba
Designer spotlight: Betsey Johnson
Congratulations to Betsey Johnson for winning the CFDA Lifetime Achievement Award this week. Long before she received the prestigious honor, I was (and will always be) a "Betsey Babe." In high school my heart ached for her iconic tulle dresses, and my heart ached even more when she filed for Chapter 11.
As a homage to the iconic American designer, I've put together this Coveted-worthy Betsey ensemble for you: a tangerine A-line dress paired with floral-printed ankle strap sandals topped off with Betsey's dramatic cat eye shades.
What2WearWhere.com
I've really been into magazine-style shopping websites lately, like Gilt.com or more notably NET-A-PORTER. With What2WearWhere, (See, kids, grammar can be fun!) shoppers can search for a polished look for upcoming events, such as a graduations, parties, luncheons or vacations. If you're in a work wardrobe slump and want to burn everything in your closet, What2WearWhere's blog offers inspiration along with fashion tips, such as job-appropriate pantsuits for the spring.
The company also donates 25 percent of retail commissions to charity, guaranteeing a guilt-free shopping experience.
Carol’s Daughter Hair Milk Nourishing & Conditioning Styling Foam
A recent trip to Carol's Daughter hair salon in Manhattan's Harlem neighborhood (It's called Mirror, and I highly recommend a visit if you're in the area) introduced me to the new Nourishing & Conditioning Styling Foam for women with coily, curly hair. Not as heavy as a curling cream but more effective than mousse, the styling foam is a perfect balance of the two it you still want to shape your curls and waves without weighing your hair down with so much gunk.
I was skeptical when the hairstylist slathered and massaged it into my hair before twisting it into individual sections. But three days later my twist-out was still fresh, and the curls increased in volume with each day.
Shop Carol's Daughter $12 styling foam here.
The ‘Tiffy’ Wrap
The latest original series delves into the science-fiction arena where all eight characters are mentally connected after experiencing a violent vision.
Although living in separate cities, "the eigh" can see and talk to each other as if they were in the same place at the same time. They also have access to each other’s secrets. Together they must figure out what caused themto become connected before a government agency tries to track down and eliminate them.
The new show features Daryl Hannah and “Lost” star Naveen Andrews. Netflix will have the first season available for streaming on June 5.
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
• The Duff
• Project Almanac
• Good Kill
• Unfinished Business
• Chappie
• McFarland, USA
• Run All Night
• Survivor
• Blindsided
• Justin Timberlake: Man of the Hour
•Almost Mercy
• All Yours
• Targeting
• Barely Lethal
• I’m All Right Jack
• Drunk Wedding
• Forbidden Empire
• The Dog Who Saved Summer
• Winning: The Racing Life of Paul Newman
• (Dis)Honesty – The Truth About Lies
• Born to Fly: Elizabeth Streb vs. Gravity
• Gun Woman
• Minuscule
• Ballet 422
• Tooken
• Back to the Jurassic
• Red Army
• Club Life
• The Bridge
• Know How
• Unfreedom
• Walking on Sunshine
• Say Ahh…
• Ned Rifle
• Fishing Naked
• The 10 Year Plan
• Valerie and Her Week of Wonders
• The Decline of Western Civilization: Collection
• Attack of the Killer Tomatoes
• She Must Be Seeing Things
• Marfa Girl
• An Honest Liar
• Police Story: Lockdown
Amazon
• Low Down
• Apocalypse Now
• Far From Home: The Adventures of Yellow Dog
• The Island of Dr. Moreau
• Murder of a Cat
• Nine Months
• The Paper Chase
• People Will Talk
• Repo: The Genetic Opera
• Roman Holiday
• Seven Psychopaths
• The Shining
• Sid and Nancy
• Something Wild
• Sucker Punch
• Troll
• Troll 2
• Words and Pictures
