As you may already know, "the cold winds are rising" - much like my expectations when it comes to the adaptation of George R. R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire epic fantasy series from sequential novels to the HBO-helmed Game of Thrones teleplay. Within a few months I find myself irrevocably hooked on the books, having thus far ruined every plot twist and intriguing turn through the season three finale (A Storm of Swords might just be the very best book in the series) and after having recently seen the first episode of season one, I have to admit that I'm beginning to feel a kinship with those people out there in the great wide nerdiverse that identify as gamers, though the alignment of said familiarity be chaotic neutral at best.

That said, I cannot waaaiiit for the proper DVD release of Game of Thrones season one; I just wanna hold it. That first episode was such satisfying viewing, even given my foreknowledge of what's to come, that I'm saving all my geeky esteem for the March 6 release date so I can dig leisurely into said boxed set, desperately laden with extra features and all. And if details like the three horn blasts that punctuate the season two teaser below don't make everyone of your hairs stand on end, shivering with dreadfully sweet anticipation, then consider your craven gamer ass on notice!

1) BlakRoc Blakroc (V2/Cooperative)

2) Black Eyed Peas The E.N.D. (Interscope)

3) Jay Z Blueprint 3 (Roc Nation/Atlantic)

4) Fashawn Boy Meets World (Loud)

5) Oh No Dr. No's Ethiopium (Stones Throw)

If the newest Amoeba Music Hollywood hip-hop chart above looks similar to the SoCal store's chart from three weeks ago, well, that's because it is exactly the same. All the top selling hip-hop releases from the past few weeks' weekly charts at the Hollywood store have been consistently selling well and hence holding steady in their respective chart slots at the Sunset Blvd. store. Both Jay-Z and the Black Eyed Peas' now months-old 2009 releases continue to sell phenomenally well, and not just at Amoeba but across the nation also. They are still simultaneously holding down spots on the Billboard Top 200 albums chart, ranking at #9 and #31 respectively on the national sales based chart. Meantime, instrumental versions of seven of the great tracks off the recommended self-titled BlakRoc album, composed and performed by The Black Keys for the emcees Mos Def, Raekwon, Pharoahe Monch, Ludacris, etc etc, were unveiled this week on the website The Black Keys Fan Lounge.

When was the last time a show made you cry with laughter? If you're me, it'd been a while...


...Till Eastbound & Down got me this week. It took me 5 episodes to get to that point, but watching all 6 episodes of this short seasoned show from HBO was quite the experience in hysterics.

I thought the whole white trash thing was over. The mainstream'd caught on, we got crappy movies like Talladega Nights and then also had to deal with Jeff Foxworthy's career actually continuing...The genre, subculture, whatever you wanna call it, seemed truly played out on the media scale. So, really, when I first heard about Eastbound & Down, I thought there was no reason for what was sure to be yet another deposit into the rednecks-taking-over-the world trashbag.

BUT Kenny Powers (played by Danny McBride) and his brethren proved me wrong. This show is hilarious, mostly because of how smart and detailed it is. It clearly was written and created by people (McBride being one of them) who grew up in the South and got the hell out as soon as they could, but probably still have to go home for the holidays. These writers have an intimate knowledge of the habits of small town Southerners, and that brings much of the pleasure in watching this show.

Eastbound & Down is about an offensive, hardheaded and failed baseball pitcher who once was at the top of his sport but now has been forced to retire and move back, penniless, with his prized purple and leopard print jet ski in tow, to his (Rick Danko lookalike) brother's house in his Southern hometown. Having to face the people he knew before his fame and riches, his old girlfriend April chief among them, does quite a number on the former egomaniac. It's fun to watch him try to readjust to his new and former Southern small town way of life, where he is forced to take a job as a gym teacher at his old middle school. He decides the only way out is to once again get back into the major leagues, however he can. Good thing his old dealer still lives in town and can provide the 'roids!

As reported over the weekend by Variety magazine, the two stars of hit UK television comedy Little Britain -- Matt Lucas and David Walliams -- just signed a US movie deal and hence currently have two new Little Britain films on the way, in addition to the US version of their popular British TV show which will air on HBO. 

Variety magazine confirmed that the witty UK duo are developing a project with US studio DreamWorks in the US. Meanwhile back in England they are working on a second film project with the British studio Working Title (Hot Fuzz, Atonement, etc.).

The US version of their television show for HBO will be a six-part series will that will air this year on the cable network. The scenario is similar to the production deal that HBO had with Sacha Baron Cohen a few years ago when they produced a US version of his then-popular UK TV show Da Ali G Show (featuring his Borat character) that was adjusted slightly with US audiences in mind.

The new US version of Little Britain, which aired on BBC America in its original form, has been described by its producers as "a sketch show set in contemporary America."  In an interview with the BBC, Walliams said that the new HBO version of the TV show will include "some existing characters and writing new material for them, as well as introducing new characters and ideas." 

Little Britain, which is available at Amoeba Music on DVD in its original UK TV format, has an interesting history. It started out its life not on TV but  as a radio program seven years ago. That led to it becoming a stage show and then the characters went mainstream with their popularity on the BBC TV series that followed. That UK show won them eight Royal Television Society awards, three Baftas and an International Emmy for their stable of funny characters, including Lou and Andy (see clip below when the pair go to the swimming pool -- a sketch that is among the show's most popular).