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Getting into the holiday spirit, Christina Aguilera and husband Jordan Bratman took their son Max out Christmas tree shopping in Los Angeles, California on Sunday (December 6).

All bundled up for the chilly weather, the happy family mingled with staff workers and greeted a few roaming pooches as they hand picked their season’s tree after wandering the grounds.

Meanwhile, Christina has been getting back into work mode – as she’s reportedly working on a new album due out next year.

Of the effort, producer/songwriter Tricky Stewart told Vibe, “With Christina it’s a little different, because Christina wants music that you haven’t heard before. She did things that she’s never necessarily heard on the radio. She doesn’t want a record that sounds like anything else so you’re trying to create an entirely new sound for an artist.”

Tricky added, “The three tracks that I did, they’re all uptempo tracks so we definitely kind of get the club moving but it’s just a matter of her doing different styles and using her voice in different ways.”

Popularity: unranked [?]

Stepping out for an evening of cinema, Madonna attended a special screening of “A Single Man” hosted by The Cinema Society and Bing in New York City on Sunday (December 6).

Held at The Museum of Modern Art, the Material Girl was decked out in her finest garb, mingling with a guest list including Nicholas Hoult, Julianne Moore and Tom Ford.

As for “A Single Man,” the Tom Ford directed drama stars both Miss Moore and Colin Firth, along with Matthew Goode, Ginnifer Goodwin and Keri Lynn Pratt.

The highly acclaimed film is described as “a story that centers on an English professor who, after the sudden death of his partner tries to go about his typical day in Los Angeles.”

Popularity: unranked [?]

Bringing an end to a relaxing weekend, Britney Spears was spotted out Christmas shopping with Jason Trawick in Los Angeles on Sunday (December 6).

The “Gimme More” singer sported a yellow sweater with worn jeans as she walked alongside her beau and a security staffer upon dropping into Fred Segal.

As previously reported by Gossip Center, Miss Spears just recently returned back home after wrapping up her Circus tour in Australia.

With sources telling that Brit-Brit is “very happy” with her manager beau, she’s also rejoicing with the recent news that she’s received a Grammy nomination for best dance recording.

Popularity: unranked [?]

Keeping on top of her motherly duties, Heidi Klum was spotted out with daughter Leni in Los Angeles, California on Saturday afternoon (December 5).

Though she’s been busy shooting a new commercial as of late, the Victoria’s Secret beauty spent her time off of work escorting her adorable little girl to a dance class session.

In related news, Heidi and her fellow Victoria’s Secret Angels recently welcomed a new member to the exclusive group – as 19-year-old Kylie Bisutti was selected in an online vote out of 10,000 contestants.

Of getting to walk the runway alongside Heidi and the gals, Miss Bisutti said, “This has been a very incredible journey for me. Three weeks ago I was just getting up, going to the gym, living my everyday life.”

Popularity: unranked [?]

BLACK DYNAMITE (Dir. Scott Sanders, 2009)

There have been blaxploitation parodies before, and also many stylistic throwbacks to 70’s cinema, but nothing like this that looks and feels so much like the original artifact that many will mistake it for the real thing. Authenticity is enhanced throughout with grainy saturated film stock, split screen dynamics, and many funk musical cues (every time our smooth hero walks into a room or shows up suddenly his name is sexily sung by a chorus of female soul singers).

That name is “Black Dynamite” (Michael Jai White who also co-wrote with director Sanders) – a Vietnam vet, Martial arts master, and former member of the CIA who’s “badder than SHAFT, SUPER FLY, and THE MACK put together” just as the trailer promised.

The mysterious death of Black Dynamite’s brother leads him into the underbelly of 1972 Los Angeles, where the ghettos are overrun with smack and Anaconda Malt Liquor, and “The Man” is in control. CIA Agent O’Leary (Kevin Chapman) tells the vengeance fueled fighter : “We heard about your brother’s death and we don’t want you running around turning the streets into rivers of blood.” Black Dynamite responds: “Then tell me who did it and I’ll just leave a puddle!” We know, of course, that just a puddle is out of the question; we’ll know him well by the trail of the dead well before the end of this motion picture. It doesn’t stop there though, in the form of cheap ass animation he even beats up, and it some instances blows up, many of the end credits.

To say anymore about the plot, especially to reveal the severe side effect of Anaconda Malt Liquor or who turns out to be the evil mastermind, would be to spoil the fun, and there’s a lot of fun here, so I’ll leave it at that. I laughed more during this movie than any other film this year. It’s a hilarious homage instead of a savage satire but its dead-on attention to detail never lets up and neither do the non-stop laughs.

The amusing aesthetics of actors’ eyes darting to off screen cue cards, visible boom mikes dropping too low into the shot, and not quite timed right edits are much more effective than the fake scratches and bogus missing reels of the more expensive retro exercise GRINDHOUSE, while the mixing in of period footage effectively matches the newly made material. I think we see the same shot of a car driving of a cliff twice but it really doesn’t matter, or it matters absolutely, in the fast pace free for all flow.

There are few familiar faces in BLACK DYNAMITE, but Arsenio Hall, Tommy Davison, Richard Edson, Nicole Sullivan, and Mike Starr all stand out in gloriously stereotyped roles. With its tons of quotable lines, scores of explosive action set pieces, and more jokes per minute than a dozen of current commercial comedies, this has cult film written all over it. That would be nice for the its future, but the film is in limited release right now so it’d be nicer if it got the packed houses it deserves much sooner. The genre may be mostly forgotten by all but die-hard fans and film buffs, but this hysterical yet sturdy tribute brings blaxploitation back with riotous results and should not be missed.

More later…

Popularity: unranked [?]