Arts bites: October 24, 2012

Flying solo at the rock show
World-renowned pop-punk band Blink 182 has become an independent artist. The announcement was made in a tweet by guitarist and vocalist Tom DeLonge. He has dubbed it “Blink 182’s very own independence day” over the social media site. The band went on an “indefinite hiatus” back in 2005, but got back together in 2009 and plated their first show after the break at the 51st Grammy Awards.

Break-ups lead to billions
Six-time Grammy Award winner Taylor Swift released her highly anticipated senior album, Red, this past Monday to eager fans worldwide. Within hours of its midnight appearance, the CD had topped the all-genre iTunes charts. The sharp lyricist and hopeless romantic’s album follows a five-song rollout. Though Swift’s record has gotten mixed reviews, sales are expected to surpass one million copies by the end of the week. Forget Platinum, This album is going RED.

Third time’s the charm
The trailer for Iron Man 3 has now been released and the film will come out May 2013. Robert Downey Jr. is back as Tony Stark in a slightly new role, more compassionate about those around him than ever before. The third movie in the series is bound to be action packed as the villain, Mandarin brings new challenges and threats.

–Compiled by Jeremy Enns