Without a doubt, the big news in local entertainment this week is the return of the Pygmalion Festival, which has been showcasing the top acts in indie rock since 2005. Sindha Agha sorted through the more than 80 shows scheduled and came up with her top five Pygmalion picks. Also in this week's guide: the latest in movies, CDs, DVDs, and video games.

MOVIES OPENING IN C-U THIS WEEK

"Lakeview Terrace"
Rated PG-13, dir. Neil LaBute
Samuel L. Jackson stars as a Los Angeles officer who works outside the law to force an interracial couple (Patrick Wilson and Kerry Washington) out of his neighborhood after they move in next door.

"Igor"
Rated PG, dir. Anthony Leondis
Igor (voiced by John Cusack) is a hunchbacked lab assistant who one day dreams of being a mad scientist himself in this animated satire of monster-flicks. Other voices include: Jay Leno, Eddie Izzard, John Cleese, and Sean Hayes.

"My Best Friend’s Girl"
Rated R, dir. Howard Deutch
Tank (Dane Cook) is hired by recently dumped men to take their former girlfriends out on such terrible dates that the women go running back to their exes. But when he’s hired by his best friend Dustin (Jason Biggs) to take out the beautiful and determined Alexis (Kate Hudson), things don’t go exactly as planned.

Ghost Town
Rated PG-13, dir. David Koepp
Bertram Pincus (Ricky Gervais) can see ghosts after being revived from a near-death experience. Things take a turn for the worse when he realizes that the ghosts are incredibly annoying.

Laura’s Pick: "Lakeview Terrace." Samuel L. Jackson has been known to save otherwise banal premises, even though it’s extremely upsetting that Hollywood can’t seem to put out a mainstream movie with an interracial couple that isn’t about them being interracial. "Igor" could be cute but looks boring. "My Best Friend’s Girl" sounds like it could be good if you like generic romantic comedies (I don’t). However, the whole point is that Dane Cook’s character is supposed to be really obnoxious, so don’t go see it unless you can handle that (I can’t). "Ghost Town" looks like complete garbage, and you shouldn’t go see it because then they will make more movies like that, and consequently more annoying trailers to sit through while some of us are trying to watch "Degrassi" in syndication on the WB.

NEW CD RELEASES IN STORES THIS WEEK

"Year of the Gentleman"
Ne-Yo
American R&B singer-songwriter and producer Ne-Yo comes out with his third album this week. Named to honor his influences, such as Frank Sinatra, the artist wished to emphasize in this album both the importance of having the attitude of a gentleman and his love for independent women.

"Hey Ma"
James
The British alternative pop group heaves out a new, unremarkable effort that ended up being a rather banal rock album, in my opinion. Maybe it was a sheer attempt to satisfy old fans, but in comparing "Hey Ma" tracks to those of older albums, I noticed little development in the band's songs. This is disappointing, because I know that for my favorite bands, I always look forward to how they play around with their sound, sometimes redefining it, in their new work. The result of James' new album, released after a seven-year hiatus, is a collection of terribly bland radio rock.

"Doll Domination"
Pussycat Dolls
This American quintet’s sophomore studio album is set to hit stores this week, but I strongly believe that this album isn’t worth spending your money on. Have you heard the hit single from this album, "When I Grow Up"? If you have, I’m pretty sure you will agree that this album is to be not only ignored but avoided. Seriously, be cautious. The lyrics are unimaginative, the music itself subpar, and the songs extremely repetitive and annoying.

Sindha’s Pick: Well, seeing as I bashed on James and the Pussycat Dolls (I really cannot stand them), and I’m not a fan of Ne-Yo, I’d save my money this week and not buy any of these albums.

NEW DVD RELEASES IN STORES THIS WEEK

"88 Minutes"
Rated R, dir. John Avnet
Al Pacino stars as Dr. Jack Gramm, who receives a death threat that leaves him 88 minutes to live. Gramm goes to find his killer before his time runs out.

"The Love Guru"
Rated PG-13, dir. Marco Schnabel
The Love Guru (Mike Myers) is an American who was raised out of the country and returns to fix the romantic troubles of a hockey star (Justin Timberlake) and his ex-girlfriend (Jessica Alba).

"Made of Honor"
Rated PG-13, dir. Paul Weiland
Tom (Patrick Dempsey) and Hannah (Michelle Monaghan) have been “just friends” for the past 10 years. Right when Tom thinks they could be something more, Hannah announces her engagement to another man and asks Tom to be her "maid" of honor. He agrees, just so he can stop the wedding.

"Speed Racer"
Rated PG, dir. Andy Wachowski & Larry Wachowski
Based on the animated series, this film stars Emile Hirsch in the title role. Speed's life has always been about auto racing. When he finds out that corporate businesses have been fixing the races, he enters "The Crucible," a very dangerous race to uncover the corruption.

Laura’s Pick: Save your money.

LOCAL SHOWS & CONCERTS

Pygmalion Music Festival 2008
Wednesday, Sept. 17, through Saturday, Sept. 20
Various venues and times
C-U's own Pygmalion Festival has been showcasing some of the top acts in indie rock since 2005. This year more than 80 shows are scheduled, beginning Wednesday and continuing through Saturday. Festival passes are on sale at the Krannert Center's online ticket office. For a complete schedule, click here.

Sindha's Top Five Pygmalion Picks:

1. Yo La Tengo
8:30 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 20
Krannert Center for the Performing Arts, 500 S. Goodwin Ave., Urbana
I've been a fan of this mellow trio for a few years, and so I'm naturally very excited that I'll get to hear them at Pygmalion. Their music gives off the best vibes; it's completely calming while still maintaining structure and overall catchiness. Every development and transition comes and goes with unbeatable subtly, giving them this incredibly organic feel.

2. Wye Oak
9 p.m., Thursday, Sept. 18
Courtyard Café, Illini Union, 1401 W. Green St., Urbana
Where has Wye Oak been all my life? I just checked this band out while browsing the catalog of bands Pygmalion is offering this year, and I've fallen in love. The vocals of Jenn Wasner are the perfect carbon copy of the lovely folk artist Cat Power and Andy Stack's of Death Cab for Cutie's
singer Ben Gibbard. Not to say that the duo's music is a matter of redundancy, because their stuff is something different altogether. Their instrumentals, while unmistakably indie and folk, are creative and beautifully angelic.

3. High Places
11 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 20
Krannert Center for the Performing Arts, 500 S. Goodwin Ave., Urbana
There's something completely unique about High Places. They have this sort of world-music aura going on, but when I first listened to them I thought, strangely enough, of The Postal Service and Bjork at the same time. It works 100 percent, though, and I can't wait to see them live.

4. Evangelicals
9:15 p.m., Thursday, Sept. 18
Krannert Art Museum, 500 E. Peabody Drive, Champaign
This band reminds me of Islands and Vampire Weekend; their music isn't necessarily the most original, but their work is polished and well-composed. The lead singer slips into falsetto every few seconds just to slip back, and the lines come wailing out of his mouth, dropped off with ease.

5. The Living Blue
5 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 20
Exile on Main Street, 1 E. Main St., Champaign
The Living Blue, hailing from Chicago, are no strangers to C-U. They perform here frequently, but I've never gotten the chance to see them. Now they'll be performing at my favorite independent record store, Exile on Main Street, and I'm definitely not going to miss it. They've got classic rock influences in their guitar, indie in their vocals, and fleeting moments of psychedelic sounds.

NEW VIDEO GAME RELEASES IN STORES THIS WEEK

"Rock Band 2"
MTV Games
Get your friends together and form your own virtual band! This music game is a sequel to the highly popular "Rock Band" and allows four players to play three instruments: a lead guitar, bass guitar, drums, and a microphone. There are many new features, including 84 new tracks with hundreds of downloadable songs, drum trainer, etc. "Rock Band 2" costs $59.99 for the PS3 and Xbox360, $49.99 for the Wii and PS2. Although the instruments are sold separately, the game supports older controllers.

"Crysis Warhead"
Electronic Arts
Sgt. Michael Sykes is one of the five soldiers of the U.S. Army Delta Force assigned to rescue an archaeologist team that was taken captive by the North Koreans. After infiltrating the North Korean base, all hell breaks loose. This game is an expansion pack to the highly praised "Crysis," and costs $49.99 for the PC.

"Star Wars: The Force Unleashed"
Lucas Arts
Darth Vader is your master, and you, Starkiller, are his secret apprentice sent on a mission to kill the last Jedi. "Star Wars: The Force Unleashed" costs $59.99 for the Xbox360, PS3, $49.99 for the Wii, and $39.99 for the PS2. The game is also available for the PSP and DS.

"Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning"
Electronic Arts
Set in the Warhammer Fantasy, this MMORPG allows you to play as the Dwarves, the Empire (Wizards), High Elves, Greenskins (Orcs), Chaos, or Dark Elves. "Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning" costs $49.99 for the PC.

Gordon’s Pick: Wow, lots of good games coming out this week, but I'm going to go with "Rockband 2." Although much of the game play is similar to its predecessor, "Rockband 2" offers so many additional features and content. The difficulty has been kicked up a notch (especially for the guitarists). Among the additions: a customize-your-character feature, hundreds of downloadable songs, a no-fail option, and improvements for the drums and guitar instruments. The guitar strum bar is now less stiff and the drum kick pedal is medal, reducing the risk of it breaking. As for the other games, "Crysis Warhead" is a must-buy for anyone who has the original "Crysis" game. The expansion pack offers a storyline that parallels the original. The graphics have been enhanced by using an improved CryEngine2, and the game features new weapons and vehicles. "Star Wars: The Force Unleashed" is a great game for "Star Wars" fans, and fans of the "Warhammer 40K" should definitely check out "Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning."

BONUS PICKS: VIDEO GAME RELEASES IN STORES LAST WEEK

"Spore"
Electronic Arts
The evolution of life is in your control. Starting as a measly cell, you will advance through the phases of life and transform into a creature, establish a tribe, then a civilization, and finally go off into space. The game is a massively single-player online, and costs $49.99 for the PC.

"Lock's Quest"
THQ
Lock is a young, talented engineer who lives a peaceful life. However, once the mechanical army of the evil Lord Agony threatens to invade his homeland, he is called on to defend the city. This real-time strategy game costs $29.99 for the DS.

"NHL '09"
Electronic Arts
This new hockey game introduces improved graphics and new game-play features such as a simplified style of controls, more check/fighting animations, and many others. "NHL '09" costs $59.99 for the Xbox360 and PS3, and $39.99 for the PS2.

Gordon’s Pick: "Spore." This game is quite different from any other game I’ve seen. The most attractive thing is guiding your creature through the evolution of life. For example, from the very start of the game, you can develop what your future creature will look like. Should it be a herbivore or carnivore, and what do I want it to look like? Players develop a normal animal, or maybe if they’re feeling creative they can make "Mario" or "Dragon Ball Z" characters. As for "Lock’s Quest" and "NHL 09," if you enjoy strategy or hockey games respectively, then check them out.