Snow may not be something you generally equate with Los Angeles, but the streets outside the El Capitan theater were transformed into a winter wonderland, Tuesday, for the premiere of Disney’s latest animated film “Frozen.”

The premiere featured a snow-coated white carpet, a castle half buried in “snow,” an ice sculpture of Olaf the snowman, and celebrity guests holding fresh cups of hot chocolate as they strolled into the theater.

Photography by Rosemary Vega
[See image gallery at hollywoodtimessquare.com]

(Photos courtesy of Nella of Jonas Music France)

The Jonas Brothers ended their summer tour this past Friday (August 16) at the Gibson Amphitheater in Los Angeles. After a three year hiatus as the Jonas Brothers, the trio came back and showed an older, edgier version of themselves, suited for both their pre-teen era fans and their of-age admirers.

The Jonas Brothers, having started with Disney, have always teetered between boy band and just a band of guys. While, yes, the band has always had catchy pop hits, the brothers proved to be real musicians with their songwriting, instrument playing, and lack of choreographed dance moves. The batch of new songs only further proved they are more than just a pop boy band.

As the lights turned off to indicate that the brothers were about to hit the stage shrieks of girls in their teens and early twenties filled the room. There were more guys and less parents than in 2008, what seemed to be the peak of JoBro fandom, but the volume in the room was closely reminiscent of that era. Nick Jonas, 20, appeared on stage with a guitar, and screams intensified as the audience realized that Joe, 24, and Kevin, 25, were running through the aisles to make their way to the stage. The brothers opened with their latest single “First Time,” from their soon to be released album “V.” The fans adoration was clear, as they sang along to every word, and continued to do so throughout the set.

The show consisted of a good mix of songs from all four of their released albums, and new songs from their soon to be released album. The brothers did an impressive cover of Frank Ocean’s “Thinkin About You.” At one point, Nick told the crowd they had received “a lot of requests” for a song only fans from the beginning would know, “Take a Breath.” But the band also performed fan favorite, “Burning Up,” which featured a skyped in rap from Big Rob.

The set also included songs from Nick and Joe’s solo ventures. The song “Stay,” which Nick wrote with his band Nick Jonas & the Administration, provided lots of squeals from girls (and women) as he showed off his perfected falsettos (and his muscular arms with tattoos as he took off his jacket).

The new songs showcased a more mature Jonas Brothers. Perhaps their departure from Hollywood Records allowed them more freedom, or perhaps the trio have simply grown up? One thing was certain: The Jonas Brothers seemed more confident, and perhaps more free in their performance and their chance to experiment. Their last album, “Lines,

Vines, and Trying Times,” had some songs which seemed to experiment with others genres, like jazz and country, but the new songs from “V” continued the experimentation forward. Their song “Found” had a jazz-style influence with trumpets and a piano. But the most impressive of the new songs was one titled “What do I Mean to You?” which had a harder, edgier, rock sound, which I previously thought would be impossible to associate with any Jonas Brothers song.

In the past, the Jonas Brothers have used elaborate stage set-ups with lights, costume changes, fire, confetti, lights, and whatever else, to put on an entertaining show. This time around, the band relied on their large catalog of songs, a simple stage set-up where they had to rely solely on the music to put on a good show. They managed to do so. The three brothers stood center stage, with their large backing band standing behind, and that was more than enough for the crowd to maintain their fervor throughout their lengthy set. As the boys ended the show with their encore of “Love Bug” and “SOS,” they alluded to the fact that they would be back on tour in October. Perhaps we should expect an album to be released around the same time?

Set List:
1. First Time
2. Paranoid
3. Pom Poms
4. World War III
5. Found
6. Thinkin About You (Frank Ocean cover)
7. Who I Am
8. That’s Just the Way We Roll
9. Play My Music
10. Gotta Find You
11. The World
12. A Little Bit Longer
13. Take a Breath/ Fly With Me/ Hold On
14. Stay
15. Let’s Go
16. What Do I Mean To You?
17. See No More
18. Still in Love With You
19. Last Time Around
20. When You Look Me in the Eyes
21. Burning Up

Encore:
22. Love Bug
23. S.O.S

Reach Managing Editor Rosemary Vega here. and follow her on twitter.

“Ain’t Them Bodies Saints,” directed by David Lowery, is a film we’ve all seen before, and yet delivers a unique experience. The film, also written by Lowery, is a love story about Bob (Casey Affleck) and Ruth (Rooney Mara), two outlaws who are forced to separate due to their crimes.

The film begins with a shoot out between Bob, Ruth, an accomplice and the cops. Although we don’t know the exact crime that led to this point, Ruth’s shock and fright after wounding an officer, Patrick (Ben Foster) reveals that the crimes probably consisted of theft and not physically harming people. Bob takes the blame for everything in hopes that his pregnant girlfriend will get away with no punishment. The lovers share an intimate moment while handcuffed, kissing and whispering to each other as they walk to the police car surrounded by cops.

Bob is sent to jail after taking the fall, leaving Ruth to raise their child, Sylvie, alone. Some years pass, and Bob, determined to live the rest of his life alongside Ruth and Sylvie, escapes from prison. A love triangle forms as it becomes evident that Patrick has developed feelings for Ruth throughout the years, even though, as it is revealed in a quiet scene between the two, he suspects she was the one who shot him.

This film definitely won’t be everyone’s cup of tea as it leaves many questions unanswered. The film is a quiet, romantic love story about two people forced apart, and that’s all you really need to know. Lowery has said he wanted the film to be like a folk song, and it was exactly that. In a song, you don’t get all the details about the background of the heartbreak, but simply the feeling of the heartbreak. “Ain’t Them Bodies Saints,” does exactly the same. While many reporters have asked Lowery for details about the crimes Bob and Ruth committed or about their childhood, there’s a reason that was all left out. The film allows the audience to imagine their own stories for what takes place before Ruth and Bob are caught, while also relating to the feeling of doing anything to be with the one you love. The lack of details allow you to see past the criminality in these two lovers lives, and allows you to focus on the pureness of their love, which in turn, has you rooting for the two to be together again.

The film’s romantic, beautiful, quiet quality is attributed to three things: the cinematography, music, and acting. Director of photography, Bradford Young, did a spectacular job of painting a beautiful landscape for the film. The film is filled with gorgeous scenery in that perfect magic hour lighting and moody silhouettes to create the perfect ambience for the folk song-esque movie. To accompany that, David Hart created a lovely score filled with handclaps. Rooney Mara, Casey Affleck, and Ben Foster all deliver spectacular performances. “Ain’t Them Bodies Saints” is not a dialogue heavy film, which could easily lead to boring interpretations of the characters. But the subtle movements, stares, and silences make the performances all the more engrossing.

The film is out now (August 16) in a limited amount of theaters.

Reach Managing Editor Rosemary Vega here.

Crowds gathered on Hollywood Blvd. Monday night to catch a glimpse of the stars of Disney’s “Planes” walk down the red carpet at the El Capitan Theater- well, the airstrip carpet.

The film’s stars in attendance included Dane Cook, Stacy Keach, Brad Garrett, Teri Hatcher, Julia Louis Dreyfus, Priyanka Chopra, Gabriel Iglesias, Anthony Edwards, and Cedric the Entertainer. A few special guests made surprise appearances as well.

Many stars brought their kids to enjoy the red carpet festivities, like a giant blow up jet slide, and games. Ashlee Simpson, Kendra Wilkinson, Jason Priestley, Peter Facinelli, Ashley Scott, and Tito Ortiz were among the many celebrities who brought their children as dates. Disney princess Bella Thorne, as well as “Jessie” stars Peyton List and Cameron Boyce walked the carpet.

Check out our gallery of arrivals below the trailer of the film, which releases this Friday, August 9.

Photography by Rosemary Vega.
[See image gallery at hollywoodtimessquare.com]

Shortly after some of the cast of “Guardians of the Galaxy” made a surprise appearance at Comic-Con last weekend in San Diego, Marvel confirmed another cast member.

Saturday’s appearance consisted of director James Gunn, and revealed the cast as follows: Chris Pratt as the Star-Lord, Zoe Saldana as Gamora, Dave Bautista portraying Drax the Destoryer, Benicio Del Toro as the Collector, Lee Pace as Ronan the Accuser, Karen Gillan as Nebula, Djimon Hounsou playing Korath the Pursuer and Michael Rooker as Yondu.

During the panel, Gunn revealed that production of the film had already began, but audiences are still anxiously waiting for the announcements of the rest of the cast. (Make sure to also check out our coverage of the event here) On Tuesday (July 23), Marvel announced Glenn Close would be joining the group as Nova-Prime, leader of the police force Nova Corps. Little is known about the character since “Nova-Prime” is in fact a rank, not a name. It is unknown whether or not Close’s character will be an alien or human. It is also interesting to note that the title has been held by men only. Looks like Marvel might be changing things up.

The film is slated for a North American release of August 2014.

The first time I ever heard Rachael Yamagata was while I was watching The OC in 2005. “Worn Me Down” was playing in the background, and I was instantly fixed on Yamagata’s raspy voice. The words, while heartbreaking, were absolutely beautiful, which is common in her music. Although I have been a fan of Rachael’s for about 8 years, her show at The Observatory on Wednesday was my first.

The venue was small and allowed for an intimacy that is missing in many shows. The stage was decorated with flowers, candles, and a large dreamcatcher, making the show feel all the more personal. Yamagata was accompanied by Michael Chaves on guitar. The duo played a good combination of new and old music, including “It’ll Do” and “Has It Happened Yet,” from her more recent EP “Heavyweight.”

The honesty in not only the words, but in her performance and delivery left the crowd speechless. The crowd, which consisted of mostly women and couples, was actually quiet and still during most of the set, except when talking to Yamagata. The show really felt like a group of friends listening to a girls tales. Yamagata would tell a story and someone in the audience would yell out a response or people would let out sighs of compassion. At one point I overheard someone say “I kind of wish I was heartbroken right now.”

Yamagata played many crowd favorites like “Be Be Your Love,” which you would probably recognize from the movie, “The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants,” and “You Won’t Let Me” from her 2011 release, “Chesapeake.” She switched up the tempo with a gritty angry girl-rock song titled “Sideish Friend.”  After the song was over she reminisced about her past and told the crowd, “It’s hard to be the other woman; I did that in my twenties. Not that I knew I was the other woman. Come on guys, stop judging me.” But statements like this just made the music feel more real since most of us have probably had the same experience. (If only we could all write such eloquent words to express our stories.)

The best part of the night was when Rachael sang “Duet,” which originally featured Ray LaMontagne. Michael Chaves took over the vocals for Michael, and together the pair sang with such heartfelt emotions, that like the person I overheard before, I wished I was heartbroken so I could relate to the music, if only to feel their emotions more. But like all shows, the night had to end, and the duo left the stage after an encore of “Faster,” which the crowd, unfortunately for me, picked over “Worn Me Down.”

Although Rachael Yamagata’s music has helped me through so many heartbreaks in the past, I always thought seeing her live would be, to be blunt, boring. But she surprised me. Even though she was fighting a cold, her voice captivated all my attention. I sipped my wine and enjoyed hearing her tragically beautiful stories in musical form, just to laugh a few minutes later while she told a funny joke or made small talk with the crowd.

You can still catch Rachael Yamagata on the last dates of her tour:
June 30, 2013 The Parish – Austin, TX
July 01, 2013 Sons of Hermann Hall – Dallas, TX
July 02, 2013 Fitzgerald’s – Houston, TX
July 05, 2013 Vinyl – Atlanta, GA
July 06, 2013 Local 506 – Chapel Hill,
July 08, 2013 Birchmere – Alexandria, VA
July 09, 2013 Rams Head On Stage – Annapolis, MD
July 11, 2013 07:00 PMUnion Transfer – Philadelphia, PA
July 12, 2013 Maxwell’s – Hoboken, NJ
July 13, 2013 Bowery Ballroom – New York, NY

Photography by Rosemary Vega
[See image gallery at hollywoodtimessquare.com]

The popular pop-punk band, The Maine stormed through the House of Blues in Anaheim on Friday with one mission –entertain the hell out of audiences–and that they did.

The show was only the second stop on the band’s national 8123 tour, but the energy was already in full swing.

Even before The Maine made it to the stage, the crowd grooved along with opening acts Brighten, This Century, and A Rocket to Moon.  Each band had fans in the audience, making the night a pleasurable experience for everyone.

Although, the night was a little bittersweet for Rocket to the Moon fans since this is the final tour they will be performing together.  It was definitely a little sad for me because I wasn’t familiar with their music before the concert and they won me over right away. During the show I overheard someone saying “I like them, why is this their last tour?” The group played some of their signature songs like “Dakota” and “Like We Used To”–which was featured on an episode of “Teen Mom.”  They closed their set with a bouncing rendition of “Mr. Right.” Maybe, I’m crazy, but the chorus to this song reminds me of the George Harrison song “Got My Mind Set on You.” It was a great lead into The Maine’s set.

The crowd went absolutely bonkers when The Maine finally hit the stage, it was almost like being at a boy band concert…almost.  They opened with “Love & Drugs,” from their latest album “Forever Halloween.” It was a good first choice since “Love & Drugs,” is one of the few songs off the new album that is reminiscent of the group’s classic pop-punk sound. The audience was very into it and most knew all the words even though the album just came out three days ago (albeit the song was released a month ago…it’s still impressive).

The group did a good job of switching back and forth from their newer songs to the older stuff. No matter which The Maine album is your favorite, they played something you liked. My personal fave was “Happy,” the hooks are extremely catchy and John O’Callaghan’s voice sounded impeccable. Of course, not everything is all fun and bright tunes in The Maine’s world; they also performed the emotional ballad “These Four Words.” Everyone got a little emo for this one. The lights were turned down and O’Callaghan hid behind the piano. It was just his voice and his sadness. The song was extremely powerful and it was easy to spot a couple of fans crying.

The sadness didn’t last long though, O’Callaghan quickly reminded everyone why The Maine shows are so much fun. He interacted with the crowd and gave them pep talks. He actually started a monologue with, “this is me being your dad right now.” He was also looking out for everyone asking, “Hey can I get you anything? What can I get you?” The security guards proceeded to bring people in the front rows bottled waters after he said that. It was cute to see how much O’Callaghan loves his fans.

Sadly, the night couldn’t go on forever and the group closed out the night with “We’ll All Be.” They surprised the audience by bringing up all the opening acts to perform with them. It was clear to see how much the bands like and respect each other by how much fun they were having on stage.

All in all, if you’re a fan of The Maine, this is a show worth catching. The tour gets bonus points for bringing in very talented openers. Even if you’ve never heard of any of the opening acts before, you are sure to go home wanting to know more about them.

The 8123 tour is going on throughout the summer with the last stop in Austin, TX on July 20.

Set List:

1. Love & Drugs
2. Misery
3. Inside of You
4. We All Roll Along
5. Into Your Arms
6. Right Girl
7. Happy
8. Some Days
9. Kennedy Curse
10. Heroine
11. These Four Words
12. Whoever She Is
13. Identify
14. Girls Just Wanna Have Fun (Cover)
15. Count Em 1, 2, 3
16. Like We Did
17. We’ll All Be…

Contact reporter Frances Vega and follow her twitter.

Photography by Rosemary Vega
[See image gallery at hollywoodtimessquare.com]

The Maine is releasing their 4th studio album, “Forever Halloween” this coming Tuesday, June 4, 2013. To celebrate (and since their June 7th show in Anaheim sold out so quickly), they are giving 80 lucky fans the opportunity to attend a secret show in Hollywood on June 6, 2013.

All you have to do is be among the first 80 fans to buy the new album at Fingerprints Record Shop in Long Beach, CA (420 E. 4th Street) on June 4th.

GOOD LUCK!

The Mixtape Festival, which debuted last summer, announced the first string of performers for this year. The two days festival takes place in Hershey, PA and includes sets by Train, One Republic, The Script, Hanson, Rev Run & DJ Ruckus, Gavin Degraw, and Serena Ryder on day one. The second day includes more pop artists including NKOTB, the return of TLC, Jonas Brothers, Benji Madden, Emblem 3, and MKTO.

Tickets go on sale Friday, May 10, with one-day, two-day, VIP Silver, and VIP Gold packages. More artists are to be announced, and as much as we love pop boy bands, where are the girl pop stars?

Kaley, who runs the Let’s Make it Up youtube channel, is my go-to for hair needs, whether its a casual or formal do, or just all around hair care. She posted a great up-do inspired by Jennifer Lawrence’s hairstyle at the 2013 Golden Globes. The ‘do is easy, and very relevant since prom and formals are just around the corner. Check out the video below. For more styles by Kaley, check out her youtube channel here.