"Mr. and Mrs. Smith"

Fall in love with a good DVD on Valentine’s Day
Column: For the fifth year, entertainment writer and blogger Brandy “BAM” McDonnell lists her favorite movies to watch at home on the official day of love.

With Valentine’s Day falling on Tuesday this year, a night out on the town may not be the most practical plan for couples determined to celebrate on the official day of love.

Of course, film fans know that you can always find romance …

From Friday’s Weekend Look section of The Oklahoman. To read my interview with “Twilight: Breaking Dawn” director Bill Condon, click here.

Target, Walmart hosting “Twilight: Breaking Dawn” release parties

Forget vampires vs. werewolves: Friday night’s anticipated DVD release of “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn — Part 1” is setting up an epic battle between big-box giants Target and Walmart.

“Breaking Dawn — Part 1” drops on DVD and Blu-ray at the stroke of midnight Saturday, with release parties planned Friday night (tonight) at Walmart and Target locations across the country, …

From left, Robert Pattinson, Bill Condon andTaylor Lautner attend a Nov. 17, 2011, film premiere of "The Twilight Sage: Breaking Dawn -- Part 1" in Barcelona, Spain. AP photo

Oklahoma City Community & Non-Profit on wimgo

From Friday’s Weekend Look section of The Oklahoman.

Bill Condon takes on twice the challenges with “Twilight: Breaking Dawn” movies
The “Chicago” and “Dreamgirls” director made “Breaking Dawn — Part 1,” which will be released on DVD and Blu-ray at midnight Saturday, and “Breaking Dawn — Part 2,” due in theaters Nov. 16, at

Season 7 “American Idol” winner David Cook, who has Tulsa ties, has released today an EP titled “This Quiet Night” exclusively through Walmart. The CD includes acoustic performances of five songs from his 2011 album “This Loud Morning.”

Emerging pop singer-songwriter Cady Groves, who grew up in Marlow, Cache and Yukon, also is released today her “This Little Girl” EP.

Featuring tracks including her popular first single “This Little Girl” the digital EP will be available at all digital service providers and will include fan-favorite track “We’re The Sh*t” as well …

From Friday’s Weekend Look section of The Oklahoman. 

“A Very Harold & Kumar Christmas”

No holiday custom goes unbesmirched, no ethnic or religious stereotype is left untapped, no boundary of good taste is untested in “A Very Harold & Kumar Christmas,” the third installment in the uproarious if uneven stoner comedy series.

The series’ screenwriters, Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg, deserve credit for letting their characters grow up — well, sort of — which means they have more on their mind than finding the nearest burger joint where they can …

P.C. and Kristin Cast

Tulsa mother-daughter writing team P.C. and Kristin Cast have released “Lenobia’s Vow,” a new novella in their “House of Night” vampire book series.

Oklahoma City rockers Aranda have released the digital edition of their album “Stop the World.” The physical CD will be released Feb. 14. Leonard Cohen, Ringo Starr and Lana Del Rey have released new albums, while Metallica has dropped a new EP.

In the new cinematic home releases, my all-time favorite movie, “To Kill a Mockingbird,” debuted on Blu-ray today. Plus, one of …

Blake Shelton’s Grammy-nominated chart-topping ballad “Honey Bee” is among the 22 tracks on the “2012 Grammy Nominees” compilation album, out today.

Blake Shelton (AP file)

The Ada native is nominated for best country album for “Red River Blue” and best country solo performance for the album’s chart-topping first single “Honey Bee.” The Tishomingo resident’s No. 1 hit “God Gave Me You,” written by contemporary Christian singer Dave Barnes, also earned a nod for best country song, an award presented to songwriters.

The 54th Annual Grammy Awards air live from Los …

A version of this review appears in Friday’s Weekend Look section of The Oklahoman.

“Real Steel” Blu-ray + DVD

“Real Steel” wins in a surprising decision on the strength of its one-two punch: hard-hitting robot action crossed with a tender father-son story.

Directed by Shawn Levy (the “Night at the Museum” franchise), the action-drama puts a sci-fi, near-future twist on the timeworn but still entertaining underdog sports movie formula. The sport of boxing has some particularly mighty forays into the genre under its belt. While “Real Steel” doesn’t measure up …

From Friday’s Weekend Look section of The Oklahoman. 

Country

Cory Morrow “Live at Billy Bob’s Texas: Acoustic” (Smith Music Group)

Texas country star Cory Morrow turns one of his home state’s best-known honky tonks into an intimate setting ideal for sharing earnest ballads, fervent spiritual odes and rowdy story-songs with his “Live at Billy Bob’s Texas: Acoustic” CD and DVD.

Last June, the Lone Star State standout became the 40th performer to record a live album on the famed Fort Worth stage. He also made there a dynamic electric album, …

Juno Temple in "Dirty Girl"

“Dirty Girl,” writer-director Abe Sylvia’s ’80s era indie drama partially set in Norman, is out on DVD today, along with George Clooney’s political drama “The Ides of March,” the faith-based film “Courageous” and “Twilight” heartthrob Taylor Lautner’s actioner “Abduction.”

In “Dirty Girl,” Danielle is labeled the ” dirty girl of Norman High” in 1987, and when she gets banished to special ed, she meets a shy, friendless, closeted gay boy. California, here they come, with the mismatched misfits played by Juno Temple and Jeremy Dozier …