UK
Books
1) FacesMartina Cole
2) The Forgotten GardenKate Morton
3) Devil May CareSebastian Faulks
4) SepulchreKate Mosse
5) Death MessageMark Billingham
Martina Cole's Faces is the most mediocre of the crop of otherwise rather good novels leading the British book charts this month. A generic gangland story, there's nothing in this novel that Cole hasn't produced before. With her signature strong female characters and fast-paced storyline, this book should have been great, but repetitive writing and a weak ending let it down. Devil May Care reintroduces Ian Fleming's James Bond to the 1960's, in a refreshing change from the terrible \"updated\" novels that some other authors have written about the superspy. Sebastian Faulks keeps as close to the original character concept as possible, making this the best of the recent crop of Bond franchises.
本月小說榜的冠軍是眾小說中的最平庸之作《Faces》,來自Martina Cole。該書講述了黑社會(huì)的故事,內(nèi)容和手法都是Cole以前用過的。標(biāo)志性的厲害女主角形象和節(jié)奏緊湊的情節(jié)本來可以讓這本書非同凡響,但是老一套的寫作和蛇尾毀了這本書。《Devil May Care》把Ian Fleming的James Bond帶到了20世紀(jì)60年代,和其它的Bond故事不同,這本書讓人耳目一新。Sebastian Faulks盡可能地讓人物貼近原著,這讓該書成為了最近最好的Bond系列小說。
Movies
1) Sex The City
2) Indiana Jones the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
3) Superhero Movie
4) Prom Night
5) Gone Baby Gone
Sex and the City somehow manages to inch out Indiana Jones for this month's top spot, an unexpected turn of events if ever there was one. The battle of the two pop culture phenomenons – Sex and the City being one of the past decade's greatest TV hits, and Indy being, well, Indy – proves that chick flicks can overturn big, blockbuster action movies at the box office.
《Sex and the City》在本月將《Indiana Jones》擠到了亞軍位置,這太出人意料了。這完全是兩種文化的交鋒:《Sex and the City》是過去10年中最熱門的電視劇,而Indy是……,Indy證明了女性電影能夠在票房上打敗大制作的動(dòng)作電影。
Singles
1) Singin' In The Rain Mint Royale
2) Take A Bow Rihanna
3) That's Not My Name The Ting Tings
4) Warwick Avenue Duffy
5) Closer Ne-Yo
A soulful top 5 this month, with Rihanna, Duffy and Ne-Yo all churning out some great soul tracks. Rihanna's Take A Bow is the classic story of a woman scorned, and Duffy's Warwick Avenue is a heartfelt and emotional look at the effects of a recent breakup. Closer is the weakest of the trio, and many accuse the video of being a Justin Timberlake ripoff, but it is still a decent chill-out song.
靈魂樂本月主宰了單曲排行榜,Rihanna、Duffy和Ne-Yo都賣力地推出了靈魂樂。Rihanna的《Take A Bow》唱出了女人的嘲諷,堪稱經(jīng)典,而Duffy的《Warwick Avenue》則深情地道出了分手帶來的影響?!禖loser》是三重唱中最弱的一首歌,很多人都譴責(zé)該歌的錄影帶剽竊了Justin Timberlake的表演,但是它仍然不失為一首好歌。
Albums
1) 22 DreamsPaul Weller
2) RockferryDuffy
3) Home Before Dark Neil Diamond
4) The Best of Radiohead Radiohead
5) Here I Stand Usher
It seems that the dead rise this month, with both Paul Weller and Neil Diamond returning to the top of the charts. Home Before Dark is Diamond's first US Number 1 album, and is a mixed bag of new material – some good, some downright terrible. Weller's 22 Dreams is a mix of classic British indie rock that takes inspiration from the Modfather's three decades of musical output.
本月,Paul Weller和Neil Diamond重新殺回了前五強(qiáng)?!禜ome Before Dark》是Diamond的第一張美國冠軍專輯,它融合了眾多新元素,有些很好,有些卻很糟糕。Weller的《22 Dream》的靈感來自于Modfather30年來的曲目,是張融合了經(jīng)典英倫獨(dú)立搖滾樂的專輯。
US
Books
1) The Last LectureRandy Pausch
2) Blood NoirLaurell K. Hamilton
3) TwilightStephenie Meyer
4) EclipseStephenie Meyer
5) High NoonNora Roberts
Randy Pausch settles in for his second month at number one, but the real star this month is fantasy author Stephenie Meyer, whose Twilight saga about an ordinary young girl who just happens to fall for the town vampire is big news among teens across the US. The series is angsty, dark and gritty, leading many to dub Meyer the next JK Rowling.
Randy Pausch已經(jīng)是第二次摘得桂冠了,但是本月真正的明星卻是科幻小說家Stephenie Meyer,他的小說《Twilight》傳奇講述的是一個(gè)普通的年輕女孩無意中愛上小鎮(zhèn)中的吸血鬼的故事,這對(duì)美國青少年們來說可新奇的很。該系列充滿了焦慮、黑暗和勇氣,很多人都認(rèn)為Meyer會(huì)成為第二個(gè)JK Rowling。
Movies
1) Kung Fu Panda
2) You Don't Mess with the Zohan
3) Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
4) Sex and the City
5) The Strangers
Although the battle of the sexes between Indy and the SatC girls ended with the whip-cracking adventurer on top, it still wasn't enough to shove Kingdom of the Crystal Skull back onto the top of the pile. Instead, Jones's place was taken by Po, a lazy panda who dreams of being a martial arts master. In classic Disney tradition, Kung Fu Panda takes aspects of a foreign culture, Americanises them, and then releases it on to the mass market.
雖然Indy和《Sex and the City》中的女孩子們的戰(zhàn)斗結(jié)果是揮舞著長鞭的冒險(xiǎn)家取勝,但是這仍然無法讓《Kingdom of the Crystal Skull》重回榜首。Jones的冠軍位置被一直夢(mèng)想成為功夫高手的懶惰熊貓取代了。按照迪士尼的經(jīng)典套路,《Kung Fu Panda》借鑒了外國文化,并使其美國本土化,然后在大眾市場(chǎng)發(fā)行。
Singles
1) LollipopLil' Wayne feat. Static Major
2) Bleeding LoveLeona Lewis
3) Viva La VidaColdplay
4) Take A BowRihanna
5) I Kissed A GirlKaty Perry
With the ridiculous Lollipop at number one, many may find this month's US top 5 hard to take seriously. However, Bleeding Love and Take A Bow both help shore up the credibility of the American music scene, while Viva La Vida is classic Coldplay – dull, whiny and repetitive. The real curiosity this month is Katy Perry's I Kissed A Girl, which is altogether too catchy and offbeat for it's own good. Needless to say, it's probably the most entertaining song in any of this month's lineups.
看到荒唐的《Lollipop》竟然排在了第一位,很多人也許會(huì)認(rèn)為本月的美國單曲榜不必太認(rèn)真去對(duì)待。但是,《Bleeding Love》和《Take A Bow》一起挽救了美國音樂圈的名聲,而Coldplay的《Viva La Vida》依然陰霾、怨氣十足、不斷重復(fù)。讓人真正覺得新奇的是Katy Perry的《I Kissed A Girl》,簡直太迷人太反傳統(tǒng)了。不用說,這首歌也可能是本月所有歌曲中最具娛樂性的。
Albums
1) IndestructibleDisturbed
2) NOW 28Various Artists
3) Here I StandUsher
4) WeezerWeezer
5) RevelationJourney
A decent mixed bag of albums this time around. Indestructible is full of hard rocking, melodic music with terrific vocals and pounding beats from the \"New Kings of Metal\". NOW 28 is, as always, a compilation of the most popular pop tracks from the last quarter. Usher's Here I Stand is the eagerly-awaited follow-up to his history-making, nine-times platinum-selling Confessions, full of self-expression and wistful reflection.
本月的專輯都還不錯(cuò)?!禝ndestructible》是“金屬樂的新國王”的硬搖滾風(fēng)格的旋律優(yōu)美之作,聲音渾厚強(qiáng)勁,節(jié)奏鏗鏘有力?!禢OW 28》一直都是匯編前三個(gè)月中最流行的音樂的專輯。而Usher的《Here I Stand》讓人期待已久,是繼其9次白金銷量的專輯《Confessions》后的又一力作,充滿自我表達(dá)和沉思。
Australia
Books
1) Four Ingredients Kim McCosker Rachael Bermingham
2) Breath Tim Winton
3) Underbelly: The Gangland War John Silvester Andrew Rule
4) Sail James Patterson Howard Roughan
5) A New Earth Eckhart Tolle
All the non-fiction books in this lineup have been in the Top 5 for a while now. The two novels, however, are both interesting new entries. Breath tells the story of two young and naive kids on Australia's west coast, who throw their lot in with an older, enigmatic surfer. Full of shock, plenty of surf action and an exploration of the meaning of adolescence, Breath is a rich and atmospheric coming-of-age tale. Sail is a rich, detailed thriller about a dysfunctional family on a disastrous sailing trip. Imagine Lost, but a whole lot scarier.
榜上所有非小說類的書籍都曾經(jīng)上過排行榜。而榜上的兩本小說都很有意思。《Breath》講述的是2個(gè)澳大利亞西海岸的年輕天真孩子將他們的命運(yùn)跟一個(gè)年老高深莫測(cè)的沖浪運(yùn)動(dòng)員聯(lián)系在一起的故事。該書對(duì)沖浪運(yùn)動(dòng)進(jìn)行了大量激動(dòng)人心的描述并挖掘了青春期的意義,是本豐富而大氣的成熟故事?!禨ail》是本內(nèi)容豐富的驚悚小說,講述了一個(gè)充滿問題的家庭的災(zāi)難海航之旅。想想《Lost》吧,不過要更恐怖些。
Movies
1) Sex and the City
2) The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian
3) Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
4) Iron Man
5) What Happens in Vegas
Iron Man and Prince Caspian's only appearances this month, and Indy still gets kept from the top spot by those sneaky Sex and the City girls. I must confess to not being surprised at Iron Man's absence from most of the charts this month – while a good movie, it just doesn't have the long-term cult appeal of flicks like SatC or Indiana Jones. Fans of the comic would have flocked to see it straight off the bat, while everyone else appears to have gotten their priorities straight.
《Iron Man》和《Prince Caspian》都是榜上新生,而Indy再次被鬼鬼祟祟的《Sex and the City》的女孩們打敗。我必須承認(rèn),對(duì)于《Iron Man》沒有成為其它榜的主角我并不奇怪。雖然這是部好電影,但是沒有像《Sex and the City》和《Indiana Jones》那樣有長期的擁躉。漫畫迷們應(yīng)該馬上去觀看該片,當(dāng)然每個(gè)人都有自己觀看何種影片的優(yōu)先選擇權(quán)。
Singles
1)No AirJordin Sparks feat. Chris Brown
2)Sweet About MeGabriella Cilmi
3)PerfectVanessa Amorosi
4)LowFlo Rida feat. T-Pain
5)Take A BowRihanna
A fairly uninspiring showing in the singles charts for July, with Jordin Sparks still at number one, Take A Bow criminally being beaten by Low, and the saccharine-sweet and rather forgettable Perfect still lounging comfortably at number three. The only song deserving of a place is Gabriella Cilmi's Sweet About Me, but even I have to admit that I'm starting to get sick of it.
這次的單曲榜一點(diǎn)兒都不鼓舞人心啊,Jordin Sparks穩(wěn)坐第一名的寶座;《Take A Bow》竟然因被《Low》毫無人性地殘殺而落??;而含糖量過高、讓人記不住的《Perfect》依然舒服地躺在第三名的搖椅上。唯一名副其實(shí)的就是Gabriella Cilmi的《Sweet About Me》了,但是即使我自己都要因?yàn)槁犔喽胪铝恕?/p>
Albums
1)Here I StandUsher
2)Lessons to Be LearnedGabriella Cilmi
3)Summer at EurekaPete Murray
4)Somewhere in the Real WorldVanessa Amorosi
5)ApocalypsoThe Presets
Nice to see Usher coming out on top down under. I've been continually impressed by what I've heard from Here I stand, particularly the unreleased tracks. It's honest, it's entertaining, and it's damn good easy listening music. As is Summer at Eureka, a decent pop-folk album recorded at Pete Murray's home in Eureka, Australia, during the summer of 2007.
看到Usher在澳大利亞奪冠真讓人開心啊。我一直都被這張專輯打動(dòng)著,尤其是那幾首沒發(fā)行的歌曲。這張專輯樸實(shí)、有趣、輕松易聽?!禨ummer at Eureka》是張非常不錯(cuò)的流行民謠專輯,是Pete Murray于2007年夏季在家鄉(xiāng)尤里卡錄制的。
Canada
Books
1)The HostStephenie Meyer
2)The HollowNora Roberts
3)An Imperfect OfferingJames Orbinski
4)Love You ForeverRobert Munsch
5)Careless in RedElizabeth George
Stephenie Meyer's The Host cements her chart presence in North America, and also proves her ability to appeal to the adult market as well as the angsty teenagers amongst us. Love You Forever is an emotional children's parable about a mother's unconditional love for her son, and Careless In Red is a gripping murder mystery set among the clifftops of Cornwall.
Stephenie Meyer的《The Host》鞏固了其在北美的地位,也證明了她不僅受到青少年的喜愛同時(shí)也能占領(lǐng)成年人的市場(chǎng)。《Love You Forever》是本感人至深的兒童寓言,描述了一位母親對(duì)自己的兒子無條件的愛;而《Careless in Red》是本將背景設(shè)置在康沃爾懸崖之巔的謀殺探秘小說。
Movies
1) Kung Fu Panda
2) You Don't Mess with the Zohan
3) Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
4) Sex and the City
5)The Strangers
Again, Canada mirrors the States in terms of movie taste (you have to look as far down as 9th place on the chart to find some variation). Adam Sandler vehicle You Don’t Mess With the Zohan is a slapstick comedy about a retired Mossad agent who moved to the States to become a hairdresser. It's really not very funny at all, and your time would be better spent watching the trailer and then going and watching paint dry for an hour and a half.
加拿大再次拷貝了美國的電影排行榜(要找出不同點(diǎn),你還真得從第9名之后開始看起)。Adam Sandler的《You Don't Mess with the Zohan》是部關(guān)于一名退休的特工移居美國而成為理發(fā)師的鬧劇。但事實(shí)上該片一點(diǎn)兒意思都沒有,你還不如花時(shí)間看看預(yù)告片,然后花一個(gè)半小時(shí)看一幅畫晾干呢。
Singles
1)We RockCast of Camp Rock
2)UR So GayKaty Perry
3)LollipopLil' Wayne feat. Static Major
4)Only OneThe Cure
5)Four MinutesMadonna
I'm always fascinated by the regular presence of teen musical comedies in the Canadian Charts. High School Musical's What Time Is It spent the best part of five months somewhere in the chart lineup, and now Camp Rock looks set to do the same. What is Camp Rock? I have absolutely no idea, but I'm expecting it to be top of the movie charts next month.
我總是深受加拿大排行榜上的青少年音樂喜劇的吸引?!禜igh School Musical's What Time Is It》在過去的5個(gè)月中一直高居排行榜,而現(xiàn)在《Camp Rock》似乎也有同樣的趨勢(shì)。那么什么是《Camp Rock》?我也不知道,但是我希望下個(gè)月能在電影排行榜上看到它。
Albums
1)IndestructibleDisturbed
2)WeezerWeezer
3)Here I StandUsher
4)Sex and the City SoundtrackVarious Artists
5)Hard CandyMadonna
Geeky foursome Weezer storm back onto the music scene with this little number (also referred to as The Red Album), a collection of new material that resonates with their normal lackadaisical overtones and laid-back attitude. The Sex and the City soundtrack also turns up, with songs from Fergie, Duffy, Nina Simone, Run D.Mc, Aerosmith, and Joss Stone all featured. As chickflick soundtracks go, it's one of the better ones out there.
討厭的四人組合Weezer重新回到了音樂舞臺(tái)(他們的專輯也叫做《The Red Album》),新專輯采用了一些新元素與其一貫的懶洋洋和松散態(tài)度相一致?!禨ex and the City》原聲大碟也榜上有名,在其中獻(xiàn)聲的明星有Fergie、Duffy、Nina Simone、Run D.Mc、Aerosmith和Joss Stone。作為一部女性電影,這張專輯跟同類相比要好很多。