Many an American Idol winner has had difficulty transferring their success on the show to success on the Billboard charts, at least for any longer than a few months. Don’t tell that to country megastar Carrie Underwood, though; from multiple Grammys to multiple platinum records, Underwood has virtually dominated Nashville, and America, since 2005. Yet the Carrie Underwood of that Idol finale and the Carrie Underwood of late 2009 is, for better or worse, practically the same performer, a cheery, charming performer whose girl-next-door persona belies her talented pipes and ridiculously good looks. Still hitting the same notes, still achieving that equilibrium between country roots and mainstream pop, Play On is an apt title for Underwood’s third effort, an album that does little to stretch beyond what came before. It’s not that what Underwood has done before is all that bad; on the contrary, some of her previous singles have been some of the best the genre has had to offer, and debut Some Hearts was an earnest, energetic record that, while shallow, was a pioneer of the new wave of country-pop records. Nowadays, though, her shtick is old news, and it’s been co-opted by artists like Taylor Swift, talents younger and more in-tune with contemporary audiences than the relatively old Underwood. When Underwood sings about heartbreak and cheating boyfriends on songs like “Cowboy Casanova,” it lacks the emotional honesty of her younger peers or, worse, comes off as contrived, lovesick longings…

Oh my Lord. Christmas is just around the corner! Just thinking about it, I’m already getting images of Speidi celebrating Christmas as a married couple, surrounded by their new poodles in perfect harmony with Spencer’s fake beard. Or Lady Gaga dressed up as a futuristic Santa Claus. Or one of the Kardashians as Santa’s little helper in a desperate publicity stunt! Dreams do come true, right? Needless to say, I’ve been invaded (or raided) by the anticipated holiday spirit. Here, I managed to put together a wish list that any guy in your life would appreciate. Good luck holiday shopping!

Every couple of years, American theaters are graced with the presence of a film that doesn’t rely on a multi-million dollar budget in order to get people interested. This year’s Paranormal Activity is a prime example of how a low-budget movie that sacrifices special effects and high tech tricks can still scare us by letting our own imaginations do the work. We all know that movies with big budgets seem to be increasingly popular, James Cameron’s upcoming film Avatar boasts a budget of $300 million, making Paranormal Activity’s $11,000 budget seem minuscule. However, up until Michael Jackson’s posthumous documentary This Is It topped box office charts this weekend, Paranormal ruled the box office and grossed $65 million in North America…