Blog Posts by Nicole Cifani

Soundtracks have always been a great way to discover a variety of new music from favorite artists tied together by a common theme. The music to the upcoming film Sucker Punch is no exception. It features a wicked and diverse lineup of artists covering familiar songs, alongside additional re-workings by the actors themselves.

Written and directed by Zack Snyder (300, Watchmen, Dawn of the Dead), Sucker Punch follows the story of a young girl institutionalized by her wicked stepfather. She retreats to an alternate reality as she tries to escape from the asylum, ultimately weaving a tale that blurs the line between fantasy and reality.

The soundtrack, two years in the making, is unlike any other. The Kills' Alison Mosshart teamed up with Autolux's Carla Azar on a version of The Beatles' "Tomorrow Never Knows," while Bjork delivers a remix of her 1995 single "Army of Me."  The soundtrack also includes a mash-up of Queen's "I Want It All" and "We Will Rock You."

If that's not enough, the

Music icon Neil Young is notorious for resisting the use of his work by others. He has steadfastly--and somewhat refreshingly--avoided any commercial use or sampling of his vast catalog. He even wrote a song about his views called "This One's For You."

So it comes as a surprise that Young has given the go-ahead to Redlight King, a little-known rock group whose song "Old Man" heavily references Neil's original from 1972.

In a brilliant story of perseverance, the band managed to get the track to the source of the matter after all other options were exhausted.

His managers, lawyers, and everyone in-between had initially denied the request. Yet after the song was passed to Neil himself, usage was approved for what became the ultimate personal stamp of approval.

Watch the video for "Old Man":

Watch Neil Young perform "Old Man" live in 1971:

Kaz, the frontman and songwriter for Redlight King, talks about the album:

More info on Redlight King: http://www.redlightkingmusic.com

A. R. Rahman, the film composer, singer, and musician who scored award-winning film soundtracks for the likes of Slumdog Millionaire, Couple's Retreat, and most recently 127 Hours, is known for his ability to create memorable songs and deftly score music to accompany what we see on the silver screen.

127 Hours is his second film with renowned director Danny Boyle. The first film they worked on together was 2008's Slumdog, a huge hit for the duo which garnered a Grammy for Best Soundtrack, Oscar for Best Song, Oscar for Best Score, BAFTA for Best Score, and Golden Globe for Best Score.

With two Oscar nominations recently announced for 127 Hours (Best Score and Best Song for "If I Rise" featuring the British singer-songwriter Dido), Rahman is quickly rising to the ranks of musical virtuoso leaving a serious mark in Hollywood and beyond.

"It was very exciting to get back with Danny," Rahman says. "I read a script of 127 Hours and started getting ideas. I think Danny works in a way

It's time to get ready for Super Bowl Sunday! While most of us will be watching--or generally celebrating--the big football game, other oddballs like me will be watching the commercials!

One spot in particular is a good one to look out for. It's an adventure in etymology for the new 2012 VW Beetle, featuring the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion doing an amazing cover of the classic track "Black Betty." The commercial features cutting-edge CGI that renders a lush kingdom where the black beetle rules!

Preview the commercial:

Watch the version of "Black Betty" by Ram Jam:

Watch Jon Spencer Blues Explosion perform an exclusive acoustic version of "Burn It Off" in our offices:

Watch all the videos and see the interview with Yahoo's Lyndsey Parker.

The brand-new 21st Century Volkswagen Beetle is due out this fall.

Follow Me:

Follow Yahoo! Music:

Gnomeo & Juliet, the upcoming 3D animated film from Disney, is a re-interpretation of Shakespeare's classic tale Romeo & Juliet. While there have been countless remakes of the story over the years--who can forget Baz Lurhmann's artistic take featuring Leonardo DeCaprio and Claire Danes from 1996--probably none have featured garden gnomes as the main characters!

And while Shakespeare himself probably wasn't much concerned with a star-studded soundtrack to accompany his epic tale of rivalry and forbidden love, Disney's version just happens to come from a superstar - the piano man himself, Elton John.

Songstress and pop singer Nelly Furtado joins the legend in lending her vocals on the classic song "Crocodile Rock", originally recorded by Elton in 1973. And if that wasn't enough, the singer/songwriter also collaborated with Lady Gaga on another classic track "Hello, Hello".

The soundtrack features some of Elton John's greatest hits interspersed with new music. It also contains original

In a bizarre meeting of creative minds, Francis Ford Coppola, one of Hollywood's most well-known and influential film directors, has tapped DIY electro-pop sensation Dan Deacon to create the music for his next film entitled Twixt Now and Sunrise.

The movie, reported to be a gothic romance by some and a horror picture by others, stars Val Kilmer, Bruce Dern, Ben Chaplin and Elle Fanning. Coppola has chosen to finance the film entirely himself and shoot part of it at his property at the idyllic countryside in Napa Valley, California.

Dan Deacon is known for his quirky, mind-melding electronic beats that brim with experimentation. The music he makes seems to be where the unexpected is...well, to be expected! His artistic nature and cult-like following have led to millions of views on YouTube, re-interpretations of his work by symphonies, and invitations to perform live at gallery openings.

Deacon was tapped by Coppolla after the director heard him speaking about his craft on NPR (National

It's that time again! A new year is upon us, a time when we attempt to cast aside bad habits, hopefully pick up better ones, and start fresh. "Out with the old, in with the new", as they say!

Unless not watching TV is your resolution, in which case, good for you--MTV has a new miniseries perfectly fitting for this time of reinvention and self improvement.

It's called I Used to Be Fat, and follows teens during the summer between high school and college as they "lose weight in preparation for a new chapter in their lives."

Upcoming talent Ian Axel--singer, songwriter, and pianist--is a unique talent to look out for in 2011. His new song, aptly-named "This Is the New Year", was produced by John Alagia (John Mayer, Dave Matthews Band). It also happens to serve as the theme song to the new documentary series that premiered at the end of December. You can download the track from iTunes now. Ian's debut album of the same name releases on February 15 via tinyOGRE Entrtainment.

See the promo:

Known as the center for consumer technology, the Consumer Electronics Show happens annually in Las Vegas and is undoubtedly the largest of it's kind--it's the ultimate place to be for those who crave the latest and greatest in gadgetry!

The 2011 show was no exception. It drew around 2,700 technology companies with over 140,000 industry folks in attendance.

This year, we saw lots of 3-D in the form of TV sets, cameras, and game consoles. We saw many many tablets, from the Motorola XOOM to the BlackBerry Playbook.

 Perhaps the most buzzworthy debut was made by none other than Lady Gaga, Creative Director to Polaroid's Grey Label line.

The new line, announced by Gaga in person at CES, includes an Instant Mobile Printer, the GL30 Instant Digital Camera, and most strikingly, the GL20 Camera Glasses. Users of the goggle-like specs can instantly capture or upload photos--then display the images on the glasses' LCD screens for others to see.

 We also saw streaming devices, portable