Welcome to HNGN's top picks, where we curate 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
MUSIC
By Michael Lello
Snoop Dogg: Bush (Columbia)
In the past few years, Snoop Dogg has moonlighted as his reggae-singing Snoop Lion persona, but he's fully back on board with hip-hop for "Bush," his 13th studio album. For the first time since 2006, Snoop worked on one of his albums with the hit-making production duo The Neptunes – Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo. He's pulled out all the stops this time, even enlisting the legendary Stevie Wonder for the silky-smooth "California Roll," which you can hear below.
Brandon Flowers: The Desired Effect (Virgin EMI)
He's known primarily for fronting the massively popular New Wave revival band The Killers, but Brandon Flowers began carving out a solo career in 2010. This week he returns with his sophomore solo effort, "The Desired Effect," a collection of predictably big, stadium-ready anthems. Experience Flowers' soulful take on the synth-happy 1980s in the music video for "Still Want You."
Yes: Progeny: Seven Shows From Seventy-Two (Rhino)
When recordings of seven full concerts from Yes' landmark 1972 "Close To The Edge" tour were discovered, the decision was made to release all of them in one whopping 14-CD set. While the setlists from each night are essentially the same, diehard Yes fans will delight in hearing vocalist Jon Anderson, bassist Chris Squire, guitarist Steve Howe, keyboard player Rick Wakeman and Alan White, the band's then-new drummer, on stage during one of the progressive rock giant's most adventurous periods and inarguably its most influential era.
Below, listen to a taste of the quintet performing its classic song "Roundabout" in Durham, N.C.
Faith No More : So Invictus (Ipecac)
Has it really been 18 years since Faith No More released a new album? The avant-garde alternative rock-heavy metal-funk outfit regrouped in 2009 for live performances and has finally released the long-awaited "So Invictus." From the sound of the song "Superhero" (listen below), it appears the long period of inactivity did nothing to sap Faith No More's aggressive and epic approach.
LAST-MINUTE MEMORIAL DAY PARTY NECESSITIES
By Amanda Bernocco
Beats Pill Speakers ($199.95)
(Beats By Dre)
Music is one of the most important things that gets overlooked when planning for a BBQ. It's a small detail, but one that helps get the party started and keeps the energy going when the sun starts to wear people out. These battery-operated speakers can be heard up to 30 feet from and won't run out of power for a full seven hours. Get them here.
Cooler Table ($64.95)
(Best Choice Products)
This multi-functioning cooler unfolds into a table and chairs set that's extremely convenient for your next outdoor party. Throw some beer and soda in the cooler so guests can help themselves to refreshing beverages and you'll be all set! Get it here.
Supreme Home Cook Oven & BBQ Touchscreen Digital Meat Cooking Thermometer ($39.84)
(Supreme Home Cook)
Grab one of these digital thermometers to cook your meat to perfection – without all the added stress. We love this particular thermometer because it's easy to read, has preset temperatures, and it's simple to use for any type of meat. Get it here.
Ultra Sheer Dry-Touch Sunscreen Broad Spectrum SPF 55 ($9.49)
(Neutrogena)
Spending the day in the sun with good people and good food shouldn't mean subjecting your skin to harmful UV rays. Pick up this sunscreen to ensure you and your guests are well protected. Get it here.
Volleyball Net ($54.25)
(Trugon Sports)
A volleyball set is a quick way to work off that full meal. The nice thing about the sport is that you can play one-on-one or expand to teams for bigger parties. No one will feel left out. Get it here.
FASHION & BEAUTY
By Oulimata Ba
Amuze.com
This website has been real hush-hush despite being around for years. It's a free, members-only shopping lover's paradise offering designer labels for up to 80 percent off.
That means you could snag a pair of $675 colorblock Gucci ankle-strap sandals for $225. Or if your fashion game is strong, a $3,995 Judith Leiber Airstream clutch in silver camo for $650. And every day, when the clock strikes noon, an item goes on sale. The catch is – of course there's a catch! – the items are available for a limited time and in limited quantities (That "Friends" episode when Monica feuds with another woman over the same wedding dress comes to mind). But don't fret, the Amuze team notifies you about their "flash sales" via email or on their website to give you plenty of advance notice.
I recently stopped by the Bobbi Brown counter at my local Macy's for a complementary makeup lessonand asked for the "natural look" (Just book an appointment and her experts are happy to help). As a woman of color I felt Bobbi Brown was a good choice because the brand has natural tones that suit varying complexions instead of countless shades of the same color.
The artist started by applying Bobbi's Hydrating Cream to my face followed by the Hydrating Eye Cream, which is made specifically to moisturize around the eyes. Try the Hydrating Gel Cream if, like me, you have oily skin.
Next she coated my eyelids with a golden metallic eye shadow in Burnt Sugar and my creases with another shadow in Black Plum before blending the two. I loved the natural bronze tone she created, but my favorite part was when she lined my lids thinly with Black Ink gel eyeliner. It pulled the look together the way a statement necklace can complete an outfit.
I also loved how the makeup artist didn't pressure me into buying anything afterwards. But I did anyway.
MAC Cremesheen Glass lipgloss
I have a hard time finding nude lipsticks that actually match my lips because they are either too bright or too pink. So in the absence of a true nude, which I'm still searching for, MAC's Cremesheen series turned out to be a favorable alternative. The shade Loud & Lovely provided me with a sheer, non-greasy coating that included subtle hints of pink. it complements many makeup looks – from natural to rosy cheeks for spring.
HASK Macadamia Oil Shampoo & Conditioner
My hair has been extremely dry as of late and so I've been on the hunto to try a new product. So I bought this brand on a whim, foregoing doing my typical research.
My desperate risk paid off. The fatty acids in the macadamia oil – which acts similarly to the natural oils in your scalp –gave my parched strands the moisture they needed and my hair didn't have that hard, crunchy feel after it was dry. The $6 sulfate-free shampoo also smells wholesome and pure instead artificial. No flower-candy-fruit smell.
DVD/BLU-RAY RELEASES
By Emily Morgan
Still Alice (Sony Pictures Home Entertainment)
Julianne Moore won her first Oscar award for her powerful performance as a woman struggling to hold onto her life after she's diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease.
Moore plays a linguistics professor who develops early onset Alzheimer's. The disease not only affects her daily life, but also the lives of her husband and three grown children.
The film, based on the novel by Lisa Genova, also stars Alec Baldwin, Kristen Stewart, Hunter Parrish, Kate Bosworth and Shane McRae.
Special features on the Blu-ray/DVD include deleted scenes, a feature on directors Wash Westmoreland and the late Richard Glatzer, how Moore prepared to play an Alzheimer's patient and an interview with composer Ilan Eshkeri.
Glee: Season 6 (20th Century Fox)
The Fox musical series not only changed television when it premiered in 2009, but it also started a revolution of tolerance and against bullying for an entire generation.
Although, the show saw less success in its final years, it kept its charm of young adults expressing their feelings through song. The final season revolves around the core group that starred in the early seasons as they journey toward the future and pay their final respects to a fallen friend.
The sixth and final season stars Lea Michele, Chris Colfer, Darren Criss, Kevin McHale, Naya Rivera, Amber Riley, Jenna Ushkovitz, Heather Morris, Jane Lynch and Matthew Morrison.
Special features on the Blu-ray/DVD include the "Glee" Music Jukebox, interviews with cast members on the final season and a "Looking Back" Video Yearbook.
Orange Is the New Black: Season 2 (Lionsgate)
The Netflix original series digs deeper into the backgrounds of its supporting characters and introduces the villainous Vee. Taystee, Gloria, Poussey, Black Cindy, Red and Sister Jane all have their pasts revealed in flashbacks.
Piper starts the season in solitary after her fight with Pennsatucky but is whisked away in the middle of the night to Chicago where she must decide whether to testify against her ex-girlfriend and former partner-in-crime, Alex.
The ladies of Litchfield prison also deal with a new business venture, a devastating storm and a brewing war between Red and Vee.
Special features on the Blu-ray/DVD include audio commentary with cast members, a feature on the show's flashback scenes, interviews with the writing team, a feature on the show's production design and a profile on Lorraine Toussaint's villainous character, Vee.
Other Movies and TV Shows Available on Blu-Ray and DVD include:
American Sniper (Warner Home Video); Mortdecai (Lionsgate); Blackhat (Universal Studios); Hot Tub Time Machine 2 (Paramount); Strange Magic (Walt Disney Studios); Leviathan (Sony Pictures); Cymbeline (Lionsgate); The Cobbler (Image Entertainment); Zombeavers (Freestyle); Beloved Sisters (Music Box Films); Before I Disappear (MPI Home Video); The Sleepwalker (MPI Home Video); These Final Hours (Well Go USA); Tracers (Lionsgate); Extraterrestrial (Shout! Factory); Just Before I Go (Anchor Bay); The Living (Monterey Video); Unforgettable: Season 3 (Paramount); Bob's Burgers: Season 4 (Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation); American Dad: Vol. 10 (Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation); Beauty & The Beast: Season 2 (Paramount); Welcome to Sweden: Season 1 (Entertainment One); Duck Dynasty: Season 7 (Lionsgate); Murder in the First: Season 1 (Warner Home Video); Power: Season 1 (Anchor Bay); Batman Unlimited: Animal Instincts (Warner Home Video);
Movies and TV Streaming Online
The Boxtrolls
The makers of stop-motion features Coraline and Paranorman head underground to discover the secret world of Boxtrolls, trash-collecting trolls. The animated film follows Eggs, a human raised by the trolls, who must save them from the pest exterminator, Archibald Snatcher.
Netflix will have the film available for streaming on May 23.
Blackhat
Chris Hemsworth stars as Nick Hathaway, a convicted felon whose impressive hacking skills get him temporarily released from prison to stop a growing online terror war between the American and Chinese governments.
Hathaway is pulled into the mess when malware from computer code he wrote in his youth is linked to a terror attack on a Chinese factor. The blackhat hacker must team up with an old friend and track down a villainous hacker in order to keep his freedom... and his life.
iTunes has the film available for purchase.
The Aviator
Leonardo DiCaprio stars as the legendary Howard Hughes in his second film for director Martin Scorsese. The movie garnered five Oscars, although none for DiCaprio or Scorsese.
The 2004 film focuses on Hughes' early years as a director and aviator from the late 1920s to the mid-1940s. It also explores the business tycoon's growing struggle with obsessive-compulsive disorder.
The movie also stars Cate Blanchett (who won an Oscar playing Katherine Hepburn), Kate Beckinsale, John C. Reilly, Alec Baldwin and Alan Alda.
Amazon has the film 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
• Blackhat
• Kingsman: The Secret Service
• Slow West
• The Spongebob Movie: Sponge Out Of Water
• Strange Magic
• Cymbeline
• Girlhood
• Maya the Bee Movie
• Cowboys vs. Dinosaurs
• Roommate Wanted
• Hard to Be a God
• Animals
• Time Lapse
• White Rabbit
• Area 51
• Absolution
• Pound of Flesh
• Every Secret Thing
• The World God Only Knows: Goddesses
• Shirobako: Vol. 2
Amazon
• The Aviator
• Laggies
• Defiance: Season 2
• Struck by Lightning (available May 21)
• Manny (available May 23)
• The Prince (available May 23)
• Suits: Season 4 (available May 25)
TECH
By John Nassivera
Razer Nabu X Smartband
Gaming company Razer is joining the fitness-tracking party with its Nabu X smartband, a simple gadget that collects data while you exercise. The waterproof band doesn't have a screen like other fitness trackers, which will prevent users from getting distracted while working out. The Nabu X will also work with Razer's "Pulse" technology so you can share information with other users, and it will last between five and seven days on a single charge. The Nabu X is available now on Amazon for $49.
Panasonic Lumix G7 Camera
Panasonic has introduced the Lumix DMC-G7, the latest addition to the Lumix DMC family. The black mirror-less camera can shoot 4K footage at 30 fps and 100 Mbps at a 3,840 x 2,160 resolution, as well as shoot bursts of images without having to stop recording. Features include a 16-meagpixel Micro Four Thirds Live MOS sensor and a Venus Engine image processor for recording high-quality images in different situations, along with a drive mode and an autofocus switch. You can preorder the Panasonic Lumix G7 now and receive it in June.
Pivotal Living Tracker 1 (2nd Generation)
Pivotal Labs has released a new version of its original Living Tracker wristband for fitness fanatics. The gadget will monitor factors like calories burned, steps taken and distance traveled, and it will keep track of your progress while you work out. Users can switch between Active and Sleep mode, and the battery last five to seven days on a single charge. The band's app will work with most iOS 8 and Android 4.3+ smartphones. Athletes can get the second-gen Pivotal Living Tracker 1 now at Amazon for $15.
MOVIES
By Jordan Webb
Tomorrowland (Disney)
A once-renowned boy genius (George Clooney) and a talented teenager (Britt Robertson) team up to find "Tomorrowland," a mysterious location that exists somewhere between time, space and memory. Director Brad Bird of "The Incredibles" fame brings to life the classic Disney World attraction in an out-of-this-world family adventure.
Poltergeist (Twentieth Century Fox)
This classic horror film gets a remake starring Sam Rockwell and Rosemarie DeWitt as a pair of suburbanite parents who must rescue their youngest daughter from the evil spirits that have taken her hostage inside their idyllic home. Gil Kenan ("Monster House") directs.
The Farewell Party (Samuel Goldwyn Films)
An elderly group of friends at a retirement home in Jerusalem build a self-euthanasia machine to ease the suffering of their terminally ill compatriots. But once others begin seeking the same kind of help, the group of friends is faced with a dilemma in this dark comedy about friendship and letting go.
