TONY COX, host:
We've discussed the domestic and international issues that will be on the agenda in 2006, but what about cultural and lifestyle trends? There's movies, music, art, literature, iPods, even; you name it. To put it all together, I'm joined now by Cori Murray. She is the arts and entertainment editor at Essence magazine.
Cori, nice to have you.
Ms. CORI MURRAY (Arts and Entertainment Editor, Essence): Thank you for having me.
COX: Let's go to the movies, you and I. What can we expect in 2006, the blockbuster types of films and the blockbuster, you know, actors and actresses?
Ms. MURRAY: Well, I think you'll see a lot of people we haven't seen in a while, like Sanaa Lathan. She has a movie coming out in early February called "Something New," where she is a very uptight accountant who falls in love with her gardener, who happens to be white. And it's just about how she basically is falling in love and her story of how she comes to accept this love that's just come into her life. And Jamie Foxx will have two movies this year. He'll be in "Miami Vice," which he's been filming. There's been a little buzz about that a bit. And he will join Eddie Murphy, Beyonce in "Dreamgirls"...
COX: Yeah.
Ms. MURRAY: ...at the end of the year.
COX: Hey, where's Denzel? We haven't seen Denzel. What happened?
Ms. MURRAY: Well, Denzel is coming back. He's joining back up with Spike Lee for "The Inside Man," and it's a cops-and-robbers caper where he plays a down-on-his-luck cop who has one oppor--one last opportunity to end his career on a high note.
COX: Well, are we going to see more--what kind of film genres are going to be big? Horror? Action? Fantasy? Superheroes? What?
Ms. MURRAY: I think it's going to be a little bit of both. I think you're going to see a lot more romantic comedies from us, and also there's a lot more action movies and sort of thriller, a little bit, with Larenz Tate in "Waist Deep." He'll also have "Crenshaw Boulevard." Halle Berry's going to return for "X-Men 3," so that's back to superhero.
COX: OK.
Ms. MURRAY: So I think it's just a little bit of both. And "Miami Vice," of course, is going to be action.
COX: All right. Let's move on to music.
(Soundbite of unidentified music)
Ms. MARIAH CAREY (Recording Artist): (Singing) Hoo, hoo. Hoo, hoo. Hoo, hoo.
UNidentified Man: (Rapping) Everybody just, everybody just (unintelligible).
Ms. CAREY: (Singing) Ooooh.
Unidentified Man: (Rapping) Just check it out.
Ms. CAREY: (Singing) Hoo, hoo.
COX: Mariah Carey, of course, on top with all of those Grammy nominations; Kanye West feeling that he got done in a little bit.
(Soundbite of "Gold Digger")
Mr. KANYE WEST (Recording Artist): (Rapping) Now I ain't saying you a gold digger, you got needs. You don't want ya dude to smoke but he can't buy weed.
COX: Here's a question, though. Let's talk about hip-hop. Is it going up, going down, sideways? What's up with it?
Ms. MURRAY: I think where it's going up is down in the South. You know, Houston's going to continue to take reign with Slim Doug, Bun B, Paul Wall. I think they're really going to continue to hold it down there. I think what's coming back up is R&B hip-hop. NDRE(ph) is coming out with music. The Roots are going to make their debut on Def Jam Left in May. Take 6 is coming back out with a gospel album. Kenny Lattimore and Chante Moore, they're coming out with another album of duets. So I think it's going to be, again, a mix of people, but I think in the South hip-hop is going to remain strong.
COX: All right, let's end this on a new technological, cultural high note--blogging and iPods. People are going crazy with this stuff.
Ms. MURRAY: It's like you can have your own entertainment center in your hand. I mean, you do not have to wait for someone to put a movie or out or wait for the TV--your favorite TV show to come on. With TiVo and everything, now you can walk around with it. You can really--you know, when you go to the airport, you can do what you want. You can have your own movie right there with you. And I think that's one of the greatest things, and I think it's going to bring more consumers back into the stores to buy stuff because now they can get what they want when they want it. And the same with videologging. It's like you've had blogging, which has been great, but now you can add video. You can add that viewing component to it and you can just--you get more than words now.
COX: 2006, what a year it's going to be. Cori Murray, she is the arts and entertainment editor at Essence magazine.
Cori, thank you so much for being with us.
Ms. MURRAY: Thank you.
COX: And that was our look at the year ahead to get you started on the right foot in 2006.
(Soundbite of "Shake It Off")
Ms. CAREY: (Singing) ...than me.
Background Singers: (Singing) I got to shake it off.
Ms. CAREY: (Singing) 'Cause the loving ain't the same and you keep on playing games like you don't care to stay.
Background Singers: (Singing) I got to shake, shake it off.
Ms. CAREY: (Singing) Just like the cabs on commercial...
COX: Coming up, if you've made a resolution to finally get your finances together, you don't want to miss our Roundtable of financial experts who will tell you what steps to take toward financial freedom in 2006.
This is NPR News. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.