Bieber must be brave

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Canadian singer Justin Bieber. (CP)

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Jeff Daniels stars as senior anchor Will McAvoy in The Newsroom.

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(TRIBUNE MEDIA MCT)

"You don't need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows," but these days, a guide through the seemingly endless flurry of pop culture is just what we need. With that in mind, here is what's on the radar screen in TV, music and film for the coming week.

MOVIES

BIG RELEASE: Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter (June 22)

BIG PICTURE: Not only did he win the Civil War, it turns out Honest Abe also championed a far more important crusade: The war against the undead. He's like a bearded Buffy -- minus the miniskirt! Produced by Tim Burton, the film stars Benjamin Walker as the 16th president of the United States. The film is based on the novel by Seth Grahame-Smith, written as Lincoln's secret diary about his battles against nefarious bloodsuckers (No, not The South). I can't wait to see Abe deliver the Crucifix-ication Proclamation.

FORECAST: It's nice to see Hollywood making an educational summer blockbuster. (The kids need their history.) The film made me wonder what kind of creatures some of Canada's famous leaders may have combated? Pen your own bestselling book now! A few I'd read: Pierre Trudeau: Sasquatch Hunter, Sir Wilfrid Laurier: Ogopogo Hunter, Stephen Harper: Political Integrity Hunter. . . . So many untold stories.

HONOURABLE MENTION: Brave: Speaking of monsters, this film promises the story of a creature that "stands 12 feet tall with razor sharp claws" a "hide littered with the weapons of fallen warriors" and "a face scarred with one dead-eye." No, its not a biopic on Kim Kardashian. It's just a tall tale told by the gregarious father of Merida, a rebellious, young princess in the medieval Scottish kingdom of DunBroch. This animated family-friendly adventure may not be as "historical" as Vampire Hunter, but it's certainly a better fit for your kids. Imagine Braveheart meets Pocahontas meets Pixar's moviemaking magic.

TV

BIG EVENTS: The Newsroom (June 24, HBO, 9 p.m.)

BIG PICTURE: Aaron Sorkin brought as an idealized White House in The West Wing -- a magical world in which Democrats don't sabotage themselves the second they take power, and the American president isn't a sleazeball, a dimwit or a calculating opportunist. Now Sorkin has his sights set on the modern newsroom -- a cable TV newsroom, at that. Given the payroll of Fox News is already dominated by blowhards and mad men, it's hard to imagine fiction outshining real life. But The Newsroom's opening episodes offer real promise -- headlined by Jeff Daniel's performance as Will McAvoy, the channel's arrogant, senior anchor.

FORECAST: The Newsroom will succeed for HBO where Luck failed. While the nuances of the horse racing world were beyond the average viewer, a newsroom is like a big sandbox -- a grown-up playground full of bullies, unsung heroes, conflict, gamesmanship and romance. Sam Waterston as network president Charlie Skinner is a scene-stealer, and cameo appearances by Jane Fonda (former wife of CNN's Ted Turner) as the CEO of the cable channel's parent company offer an intelligent touch of irony.

MUSIC

BIG RELEASES ON TUESDAY: Justin Bieber (Believe)

BIG PICTURE: It's been a long time since the song Baby charmed the world, but the now 18-year-old Justin Bieber is back to make us believe he might be heir to the King of Pop. And while the catchy, danceable album is a step forward for the young artist, it's not image-shattering and groundbreaking like Justin Timberlake's Justified. But Bieber packs in choice guest appearances on everything from All Around the World (Ludacris), Right Here (fellow Canadian Drake), and Beauty and a Beat (Nicki Minaj). Maybe they all think he has the Midas touch?

FORECAST: Consider Believe an in-between album as Biebs hangs on to his younger fans, while transitioning into an adult performer. Hit single Boyfriend has a hint of the danger, sexuality and swagger that turned JT into a pop idol and sex symbol. Give Justin a few more years and he may have us all believing.

HONOURABLE MENTION: Fiona Apple (The Idler Wheel Is Wiser Than the Driver of the Screw and Whipping Cords Will Serve You More Than Ropes Will Ever Do): After a seven-year absence presumably devoted to writing the title of her new album, Apple's distinct songwriting voice is back. She offers a healthy mix of vulnerability, power, self-destruction, sadness and seduction. One of the must-listens of 2012. When she sings "every single night's a fight with my brain" on the track Every Single Night, we can only hope she keeps winning -- and keeps making more music.

-- Postmedia News

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition June 17, 2012 ??65525