With all the superhero-themed movies hitting the big screen in recent months and years, it is becoming hard to come up with new material. “Megamind,” the new animated superhero dreamed up by Dreamworks, gets around the “new material” need by following the formula set forth by so many movies before it. 

Directed by Tom McGrath, the movie follows the life of Megamind, voiced by Will Farrell, from his time as a baby. He he is shipped to Earth, lands inside the walls of a prison and is raised as a criminal. His rival is Metro Man, who was also sent away from Megamind’s home planet. He, however, llanded with a perfect family and grew up to be a superhero. To get even with Metro Man, Megamind kidnaps his girlfriend, Roxanne Ritchi, voiced by Tina Fey.

While the story follows the same redundant formula, the characters stand out. Farrell gives a good feeling on Megamind with a performance that reveals the insecurities of the “evil” main character. David Cross is strong in a supporting role as Minion, Megamind’s fish/robot friend. Fey, as Roxanne, lends a voice and attitude that works well with the odd love story that unfolds between her character and Megamind.

So although the movie is as much a formula superhero flick as they come, it has plenty of redeeming qualities, including a 3D release, that make it worthwhile for a moviegoer to see. The movie should do well with audiences who are not opposed to see the same old thing, done a slightly different way.

There are some of us who have a passion for music while there are some who aren’t so inclined to remember band and artist names as passionately as some folks do. For the latter, all they would like to do is listen to the top 40 singles that are normally played on the radio, and be done with it.

For the former, of course, who enjoy listening to specific genres of music in particular, one option would be to buy CDs of their favorite bands or artists while the other option would be to purchase music online in the form of iTunes and so on and so forth.

And as the days go by, and with the losing battle of the big six music labels against piracy, it seems pretty clear that in order for these labels to survive they will have to go digital as well. However, there is one domain that has been left unscathed by piracy and the controversy that continues to plague the music world and that is the world of radio, both conventional and internet radio.

While it is known that the internet now offers most options for listeners to tune into, and for free too, it becomes increasingly important that the continued success of Web 2.0 is capitalized on. As for the big labels, their success solely depends on how they tweak their product for a humungous audience.