Sananda & Wife Francesca Maitreya at the American Embassy 4th of July party 2014 in Milano: the week of their 11th anniversary.

The Best Headphones Under $15: Which Pairs Make the Grade?

By Chris Payne, New York | July 18, 2014 10:30 AM EDT Billboard

Getty Images/iStockphoto

Jordan Anderson on Finding Her Way in Nashville

By Chuck Dauphin | July 16, 2014 7:13 PM EDT

Melinda Norris

When you hear the heartfelt lyrics of Jordan Anderson's latest single, "American Dream," keep in mind that it is her real life she’s singing about — word for word.

"I wrote it with James Dean Hicks in Nashville. It was an awesome experience. It's about my journey and making the move up here to Nashville," the Colorado native told Billboard. "I graduated early from high school and moved up here when I was eighteen, and decided to go for it – even though it was a scary thing for me to do. It all culminated into this song. We live in this awesome country that we theoretically have the opportunity to pursue any dream. This song is about my dream, but my hope is that other people can relate their dreams to it too and be encouraged to cha

After splitting time between Florida and Music City, Anderson tells The 615 that making the move to Nashville was something she wanted – and had to do. "I went back and forth for about two years, but there’s such a different vibe about living here. When you're in here, you're surrounded by music. It's everywhere you go."

She says she being here around so much talent constantly refreshes and inspires her. "There are all kinds of new experiences and networking opportunities. You can always find other amazing artists and learn from them. There are people who have been here a couple of years longer than you who can give you advice. It's so much cooler to actually be in the area where there are people who can guide you through things, as opposed to being separated from Nashville, where you are always outside of the circle – and always looking in and trying to get your foot in there. Being in Nashville has just been an awesome experience. I love the city. It's awesome to be here."

She says there was an adjustment period moving to a larger city, but Music City doesn't really feel like the huge metropolitan area it is. "I always joke that Nashville is kind of a small town. I had never lived in a big city before I got here. I was a little terrified. But, the circle of people here is so large. You can go anywhere around town and see somebody that you know. It's really comforting to have that feeling. Anytime I've been to New York or Chicago, I've been overwhelmed, but in Nashville it feels like your family is just around the corner."

A former performer at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Anderson says that the difference in the talent pool in Nashville did take a little getting used to. "It was a huge shell shock when I moved up here. Back home, I was probably one of the only country music singers in the town. People knew me for that, so when there were events where people might have needed a country singer, I was the 'go-to' girl. I went to Belmont my first year, and that in itself taught me a lot about going into the very large pond of singers that go to Belmont alone – let alone everyone else in town."

Anderson is currently working with Kent Wells (Dolly Parton) in the studio, and she’s ready to give it her all. "Throughout this next year, I'll be touring with my band, enjoying performing and connecting with my growing fan base. Each year the steps I’m taking are getting me closer to my dream of success. So I'm just going to continue working hard and am excited to see where it all takes me."

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Sunny Sweeney 'So Happy' With Latest Album 'Provoked'

By Chuck Dauphin | July 18, 2014 6:10 PM EDT

It's been three years since the last album from Sunny Sweeney, and the songstress hopes that her fans are looking forward to the August 5 release of her third disc, "Provoked," as much as she is. "I am about to bust, I'm so happy," she exclaims to Billboard. "I've been playing the new stuff at shows, and they seem to be really excited about it. They're saying 'This is you.' I've always been very open about things that have happened in my life, and I love writing about personal stuff because I'm not the only person that has gone through it. It's so awesome when fans will come up and say 'Thank you for writing that' and that they can relate to it. That's why I want to do this job — to have people feel something when they feel my music."

Sweeney — who hit the top 10 with "From a Table Away" — says she enjoyed the writing process for "Provoked," but also enjoyed searching for material. "I've just been writing and trying to get the best songs I can get. For me, it's always a challenge to try to top yourself. 'May the best song win' has always been my theory, so that's why there are two songs on there that I didn't write."

One of those songs is her current single, "Bad Girl Phase," which was co-written by Nashville sensation Brandy Clark. Sweeney was happy to get one of her songs on the disc. "She is on fire right now, and so talented. My producer, Luke Wooten, came in and said 'I need to play you this song. It sounds exactly like you.' He played it, and I said 'If that song is not available, it was a totally cruel joke for you to play it.' I was super-excited to put it on the record."

She joked with The 615 that she knows the lyrics very well, though stresses all is well in her life now — for good reason. "I went through it when I got divorced a couple of years ago. I think from talking to a bunch of people, there's that phase where you think 'Woo-Hoo.....Now what?' You don't have to check in with anyone. I never got too crazy or wild. I was like 'I'm never getting married or dating again. I'm going to be single for the rest of my life.' Then, lo and behold, comes my husband, who is the most amazing human being on the planet. I should have found him first. He's a police officer, and is super straitlaced and keeps me in line. He's my saving grace as far as relationships go, because I swore off of them before him. But everything turned out okay, and I'm better than I've been in a long time!"

On board early with the single is SiriusXM, as they were with recent hits by Florida Georgia Line and Cole Swindell. Sweeney says she appreciates the support. "John Marks has an ear for certain things that he can hear it — whatever the 'it' thing is. He was my first radio dinner that I ever went on, before he was there. I cherish that relationship. I feel lucky to have him and SiriusXM behind me."

A portion of the sales from "Provoked" will go to help benefit a cause very close to Sweeney's heart: CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates). "My first internship in college was through a guy named Chad Rainey, who I became really good friends with. He's paralyzed and in a wheelchair. He called me last year and said 'I don't know if you'll be able to do this or not, but I am doing a benefit show for CASA. He explained to me what it was, and I said I would do it. We went up there to do the gig, and a lot of the people there have worked there for years. They were telling me stories about kids they had placed in homes because of the proceeds they have gotten through the organization. It just really hit me hard. I grew up with four parents — mom, dad, stepmom, stepdad — all of whom were 100 percent there for me. So it really hit me hard that some kids don't even have a parent that can provide and give them a happy and healthy home. It struck me hard as something I really needed to get behind. So whenever we decided to do the pledge campaign to record the album, I thought 'Can we do part of it to benefit CASA?'" She says that helped her gain a lot of support for the record. "As it turns out, there's a lot of people who only donated because of it. It helps out a wonderful cause."

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HyunA Appears Topless in New Single Announcement

By Jeff Benjamin, New York | July 16, 2014 7:17 PM EDT

HyunA

Is the "Gangnam Style" starlet preparing her sexiest song yet?

"Ms. HyunA is back, she's back!" PSY's "Gangnam Style" co-star has announced her new single "Red," the lead track off her upcoming EP "A Talk," in what might be her sexiest photoshoot yet.

The singer/rapper kicked off her first solo release in nearly two years via a set of risque photos. The 22-year-old poses confidently in a bathtub, giving off the impression she's wearing nothing but her blue heels, earrings and bright-red lipstick. One can notice what looks like a shirt or dress from a closer look, but fans' imaginations have likely been running wild since their reveal. Check out a few snaps below:

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Rumor has it that HyunA's prepping for a more mature look than her previous images. Just last November, the SXSW 2014 performer made headlines for posing in bra and panties to tease her new EP with Trouble Maker, a duo project with Beast's Hyunseung.

HyunA Talks U.S. Debut, F...Overrated'

"A Talk" will be released on July 28 along with the lead single "Red." It's HyunA's fourth effort as a soloist and follows 2012's "Ice Cream," a Top 10 hit on the K-Pop Hot 100 complete with a super-sexy (and PSY-filled) video that's snagged more than 58 million views.

Credit: Getty Images

NEW ORLEANS, LA - MAY 06: 100 year old Lionel Ferbos sits in with The Preservation Hall Jazz Band during there 50th. Anniversary performance at the 2012 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival. (Photo by Rick Diamond/Getty Images)

Dominic Massa / Eyewitness News


NEW ORLEANS - Lionel Ferbos, a trumpeter and icon of New Orleans’ traditional jazz scene hailed as the city’s oldest musician who gained international attention for performing well past the century mark, died Saturday, just two days after turning 103.

Fans, friends and family members noticed Mr. Ferbos' frail health on Thursday night, but celebrated the fact that he was able to attend his birthday party at the Palm Court Jazz Cafe on Decatur Street.

He was unable to perform at the party, but posed for photos and greeted dozens of well-wishers and fellow musicians who turned out to honor a living legend.

His family said Mr. Ferbos died peacefully at home Saturday morning.

“I’m thankful that I lived to be this age, because very few people see that,” he said in an interview w... birthday.

Mr. Ferbos remained active up until earlier this year, when his health forced him to give up performing. Prior to his decision to retire, Ferbos was a fixture at local jazz clubs and festivals, including the Jazz and Heritage Festival (having played at every one since the beginning), French Quarter Festival and Satchmo Summer Fest, playing alongside performers half his age or even younger.

His last public performance was in March. Still, Ferbos’ longevity and legacy drew attention and admiration from around the world. USA Today and The New Yor...ebration.

Each year for his birthday, friends and family would organize a letter and card-writing campaign, which brought in fan mail from around the world. His 103rd birthday garnered congratulations from President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama.

“We extend our best wishes for a wonderful birthday and we hope you get to spend the day surrounded by loved ones,” read the Obamas’ letter. “Your generation helped guide America through extraordinary and uncertain times, leaving an indelible mark on our nation. As you celebrate 103 years, we trust you reflect with great pride on your achievements and on contributions made over the course of your life.”

A native of the city’s Seventh Ward, Mr. Ferbos had been performing since he was a teenager during the Great Depression. Since he suffered from asthma as a child, his parents would not let him take up a wind instrument. He said when he as 15, he saw an all-girl orchestra at the Orpheum Theater and argued that he ought to be able to do anything a girl could. He bought an old cornet from a pawn shop and began taking lessons.

His first professional music jobs were with society jazz bands at well-known venues such as the Pythian Roof Garden, Pelican Club, San Jacinto Hall, Autocrat Club, Southern Yacht Club and the New Orleans Country Club as well as smaller dance halls, clubs and churches.

In 1932, he joined Captain John Handy’s Louisiana Shakers and played the Astoria and toured the Gulf Coast. He later backed blues singer Mamie Smith while playing with the Fats Pichon Band.

During the Depression, he worked as a laborer in New Orleans City Park for the Works Progress Administration, then played first trumpet in the WPA jazz band, of which he was the last surviving member.

Health problems initially led to Ferbos’ musical career, but almost ended it.

"I was always ill,” said Ferbos in 2010 for a profile by WWL-TV’s Sally-Ann Roberts. “I had asthma in every joint and I had about four or five operations. And the doctor told me, he said, ‘You're doing alright, but you aren't going to live too long.’ And so that was when I was round about 50,” he laughed.

A deeply-committed family man, Mr. Ferbos preferred to stay close to home in Pontchartrain Park, with most of his gigs here in New Orleans. He did, however, make eight tours of Europe with the New Orleans Ragtime Orchestra, which he helped form to revive the music unearthed on sheet music, recordings and other memorabilia in the Hogan Jazz Archive at Tulane University.

Since 1967, he performed with the New Orleans Ragtime Orchestra, of which he was a founding member. He also continued his regular weekly gig at the Palm Court on Decatur St., where he lead the Palm Court Jazz Band for more than two decades.

He was a founding member of the orchestra that brought Vernel Bagneris’ Broadway musical “One Mo’ Time” to life in 1979.

Despite his long career, Mr. Ferbos made few early recordings. After he joined the Ragtime Orchestra and the Palm Court bands, he was recorded on several CDs on the GHB label. He remained a favorite among traditional jazz fans, well past the century mark.

“To me it’s really nice, when they appreciate you,” he said. “When it gets so they don't appreciate me, I'll stop. All through my life, I’ve been lucky. People have been very nice to me."

Ferbos inspired many of the young performers he worked with in recent years, including trumpeters Irvin Mayfield and Troy “Trombone Shorty” Andrews.

“Practice, practice, practice” was the advice he said he would give up and coming musicians. “Do that and you’ll make friends all over the world.”

“I want to thank everybody who has been very nice to me,” he said, fighting back tears of happiness in a July 2014 WWL-TV interview. “I have very good friends.”

While active as a musician, Ferbos for many years also kept his day job as a tinsmith in his family’s sheet-metal business. He went to work with his father in the family business in the 1940s, and became a master metal worker. He also worked at Haspel’s Clothing Factory in the early 30s, where he met his future wife. Ferbos and his wife, Marguerite Gilyot, were married for 75 years, until her death in 2009. The couple had a daughter, Sylvia, and son, Lionel Jr., who died in 2006.

In addition to his daughter, Ferbos is survived by three grandchildren and two great-grandchildren as well as a host of nieces and nephews.

Funeral arrangements are pending.

The man himself - Terry Spencer.

Lionel Hudson, Memphis - August 12, 2000


Lionel Hudson Interview by Andrew Hearn, August 12, 2000

Tell me where your connection with Elvis and "That's The Way It Is" begins.

I started off as a helper for RCA, and we were doing so many records of this gentleman [Elvis]. I had heard of him and knew what he was about but I just couldn't believe that the man could put out that many records. That's when I began listening to him, when I used to go into the sound booths and I started to fall in love with him.

Well, while I was working at RCA I met a girl who was his fan club president on the West Coast. Her name was Linda and she's in the original movie singing in the choir [sic]. She was a very good friend of mine and it was her that recommended me to Mr. Saunders [MGM director] to be in the picture. So I got in the picture and then to Las Vegas and this is where I really got to meet Elvis. I could go over to the studio any time I wanted because I was the employee who would transport the tapes over to the producer. At the time I was the only person there working for RCA as a foreman and so this is how I became friends with Elvis and Colonel Parker.

How was Colonel Parker?

Oh, the Colonel always took care of me, but I was always moving around carrying boxes and stuff. You saw the movie where all the Elvis banners are? I used to go up there all the time. By this time I had become a foreman and so next time I was in the presence of Elvis was in the studio but he was so busy all the time. Once in a while I'd talk with him and he was a very nice person.

What made Elvis so special to you, as an employee of RCA?

The thing that made him special to me is that he was from Mississippi, and my father was a very well-known doctor there. My mother lived in Jacksonville, Tennessee and they were seventy-five miles apart but when we sat down as a family all we really talked about was Elvis. From then on he's been a part of my life and he's the reason I'm in the business I'm in today, it's all because of him.

What kind of things did Elvis talk to you about?

Well, Elvis told me that he felt like he was in prison sometimes and although he had everything to be happy about, he was really an unhappy man. I said to him, "Why? You've got everything" and he replied, "You can have all the money in the world but you don't have peace of mind."

Do you think Elvis was envious of the man on the street?

He gave some money to me one time and told me to just go and enjoy myself. I thanked him, took the money downstairs in the hotel and I played. I won $22,000 because I just didn't care, I just put all the odds on the table and won it all within two hours.

I started to get to know him and he talked to me about so many interesting things, especially about the black way of life. He said that things have been written in books about what he'd said about black people and their music. He said that they only printed what they wanted to, and not the full story. He said he don't talk about things any more because the more you do, the more they stir it up and use it as a selling point.

How many shows did you see there in Vegas?

I saw about four or five shows. They were very good as far as I'm concerned but I've looked at so many of them, if you ask me I can't really remember them apart from the show that I was in because everywhere I go people remind me of it. I enjoyed "Jailhouse Rock" and, of course, "Patch It Up."

Fans all over the world will remember you as the guy really losing it during that number.

I tell you, I had no idea that it was going to be that good and I was sitting right down front along with my girlfriend and the music got good with a decent beat. "Polk Salad Annie" was another one and I really wanted to get up on that but when "Patch It Up" was on I just couldn't stay still, I had to get up and do that little move there. It was really something, and I really didn't know they were going to be shooting me.

Lionel Hudson, Las Vegas - August 12, 1970


So when you first saw the movie, you were totally surprised when you were up there dancing?

Mr. Saunders had a preview at the MGM studios so I saw it before it got out on the market. I went there and enjoyed the movie, but a lot of it they had cut out, but I was very well pleased with it.

What was it like watching the original movie again last night?

Let me tell you, last night I felt like I was going back to RCA with all the people who were in the movie. The lady and her mother were my co-workers and, as I said earlier, the lady who said he was like a brother was his fan club president out there, so it made me think of those people and that time. Being in that movie has opened so many doors for me, it really has. I can only say that from the time I walked into RCA Elvis has been paying me my wages because he produced so many great movies and records.

Do people still recognize you?

I can go virtually anywhere in the United States and someone will recognize me from that movie. I had walked into a place in California and I noticed people just staring at me. After a while one of the waitresses came over and said, "Haven't I seen you some place before?" I said, "I don't think so" and she replied, "Wasn't you in that movie with Elvis Presley?"

What do you think about the loyalty of Elvis' many fans?

You know something? Elvis still lives on in a lot of people's minds today and some of them didn't really know Elvis but they knew about him. Just like that waitress, they were watching him in the movies and things and by the way, by the time I left that place I had signed four or five autographs.

Are you looking forward to seeing the premiere of the new version tonight?

I want to see what they've taken out and what they've put in but I'm hoping they don't cut me out! But not only that, I'm going to be watching the whole thing all way through.

Have you been up to Graceland recently?

I've passed there several times but I've only been up there once; it gave me a feeling of happiness and sadness and I just don't like to feel that way. My father used to call me a "soft-heart" because I would look at things and start crying. I never could understand why I was crying when I should be happy. So I really don't like to be at the house too much.

But you're having a good time here in Memphis during "Elvis Week"?

Oh yes, I'm really having a good time because all the people that I meet all really enjoy Elvis and they speak so well of him. We all make mistakes and we all have bad times in our lives but when your as big as Elvis is in this city, and all over the world, it doesn't matter. He was very good to me and I'm living a very comfortable life because of Elvis. I owe it all to Elvis.

Elvis really is fondly remembered, isn't he?

He was a person that was loving and kind. He was a talented person and a very bright star. He was a good person who gave away a lot of money, he gave me quite a bit of money too. I won that $22,000 and because of that I semi-retired and nobody really knew about that.

When was the last time you saw Elvis?

The last time I saw him was at the last show he did in Las Vegas and he had begun to swell quite a bit. This was 1976 and it wasn't the Elvis I knew during those shows in 1970 and it hurt me to him like it, he just wasn't himself.

Let's close with a nice story from your years at RCA.

Well, one time when I was on night shift I got a call from Alabama and two young ladies were on the phone and they wanted to know all about Elvis. I didn't know who they were but I enjoyed talking with them. I got a letter from them two young ladies thanking me for giving them information about Elvis. They were trying to get in touch with Elvis through the company but we never gave those details out to no one.

Natalie Wood

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The Patriot star Skye McCole Bartusiak dies at 21

9:50 AM Monday Jul 21, 2014

Skye McCole Bartusiak in 2006. Photo/Getty

Actress Skye McCole Bartusiak, who portrayed Mel Gibson's young daughter in the 2000 film The Patriot, has died in her Houston home. She was 21.

Bartusiak's mother said actress had been living in a garage apartment at her parents' home.

The actress' boyfriend found her unresponsive on her bed on Saturday.

Helen Bartusiak said she tried to resuscitate her daughter but could not.

She said the actress had been healthy and did not drink or do drugs and the family still doesn't know a cause of death.

She told CNN news: "We lost our girl. We think she had a seizure and choked and nobody was there.

"They were working on her for 45 minutes and could not get a heartbeat. She was a kind and really beautiful girl."

Abigail Breslin, also a child star and a close friend of Sky, paid tribute on Twitter, writing: "One of my very good friends and someone who was like a sister to me, Skye McCole Bartusiak passed away today.

So devastated."

Roland Emmerich, who was the director and producer of The Patriot also sent his condolences, writing: "This is not the kind of news you want to begin your day with. RIP sweet Skye McCole Bartusiak."

Bartusiak made her film debut at age 6 in the The Cider House Rules in 1999. Her most recent move was Sick Boy in 2012.

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James Garner Dies

By Stephen M. Silverman

07/20/2014 at 05:00 AM EDT

James Garner, for more than 50 years one of Hollywood's most likable leading men on the big screen and on TV, died at his Los Angeles home Saturday night, reports TMZ. He was 86.

The star, best known for the Maverick and The Rockford Files TV series, had suffered what had been described as a minor stroke in 2008.

Besides his popular work on the small screen, Garner also appeared opposite Julie Andrews in two critically acclaimed movies, 1964's The Americanization of Emily and 1982's Victor/Victoria. In addition, he costarred opposite Doris Day in The Thrill of It All and Move Over, Darling (both 1963), and added his own charm to perhaps one of the greatest buddy movies of all time, 1963's The Great Escape, with Steve McQueen.

Another box-office hit was the 1966 racing film Grand Prix, which put him in widescreen Cinerama.

Besides appearing as an aged astronaut with Clint Eastwood in 2000's Space Cowboys, Garner had later roles in the 2004 film The Notebook and as Katey Sagal's father on the ABC sitcom 8 Simple Rules.

Dickensian Childhood

Born James Scott Bumgarner in Norman, Oklahoma, the future star had a childhood that played like a modern day Oliver Twist. He was only 5 when his mother died, and he and his two brothers were farmed out to various relatives.

Three years later the family was reunited when their father, Weldon (who subsequently married four times), introduced them to their first stepmother, a mean-spirited woman who regularly beat them.

"Mostly me," Garner told PEOPLE in 1985 – the same year he received a Best Actor Oscar nomination for Murphy's Romance, with Sally Field.

"My dad worked hard as an upholsterer and carpet layer," said Garner, "but he was a rake and he drank a lot. He'd come home bombed and make us sing to him or get a whipping."

From that experience, Garner developed a lifelong sympathy for the underdog. "I cannot stand to see little people picked on by big people," he said. "If a director starts abusing people, I'll just jump in."

At 14, he left home and did odd jobs. Two years later he lied about his age and joined the merchant marine, but left in less than a year.

Drifting to L.A., Garner attended Hollywood High, where he developed into a football hero – only to prove shy off the field.

"All the girls liked him," said a childhood friend, "but Jim hardly dated."

Male Model

Still, Garner's hunky teen torso won him his first on-camera job: a Jantzen swimsuit ad – something he later regretted. "Ever since I did that darn ad, I've hated having my picture taken," he said.

The Korean War interrupted his modeling career. He was wounded twice and won two Purple Hearts. "I wasn't a hero," he said modestly. "I just got in the way a lot."

It was also luck, he claimed, that got him into acting. A pal from back home who'd become a producer gave him the small role of a judge in Broadway's The Caine Mutiny Court Martial. The star of the show, Henry Fonda, became his model and mentor.

Warner Bros. made Garner a contract player, which led, in 1957, to his starring as the shy Western hero on Maverick – at the bargain price of $500 a week. After four years he sued and got out of his contract.

Litigation also surrounded his departure from Rockford in 1979, after five years on the show. He claimed all the stunts ruined his health – and that the studio's bookkeeping cheated him out of millions in profits. (After a 10-year legal battle, Universal and Garner settled their financial dispute out of court.)

On a happier note, in 1956 he met aspiring actress Lois Clarke at a Democratic rally, and, he said, "She just knocked me out." Two weeks later they were married.

Already the mother of a daughter, Kim, by a former marriage, Lois had another daughter with Garner, Gigi. All three women survive him.

Idris Elba in Talks for Guy Ritchie's 'King Arthur'

The Warner Bros. project is a reimagining of the story of King Arthur and his knights.

AP Images

Idris Elba

Idris Elba is in talks to star in Knights of the Roundtable: King Arthur, Warner Bros.' new take on the English myth being directed by Guy Ritchie, The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed.

Joby Harold wrote the script, which is a reimagining of the story of King Arthur and his legendary knights of the kingdom of Camelot.

Elba will play Bedivere, Arthur's father's right-hand man, who is will teach Arthur how to lead an army.

The role of Arthur has not been cast but testing will begin in August.

Producing the movie are Lionel Wigram, Akiva Goldsman, Tory Tunnell and Harold.

Elba's boarding reunites the actor with Ritchie, who directed him in the London-set crime movie RocknRolla, which Warners distributed in 2008.

Elba is best known for starring in the BBC's acclaimed Luther series. He will also be voicing the character of Shere Khan in Disney's The Jungle Book, currently in preproduction, and is attached to star in the thriller Bastille Day.

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Richard Marx Is Back

By Michele Amabile Angermiller | July 21, 2014 2:05 PM EDT

Richard Marx photographed by Deborah Anderson in 2014.

Deborah Anderson

The guy who wrote the book on romance lands his highest-charting album, 'Beautiful Goodbye,' in 20 years

Cote de Pablo Cast in “The Dovekeepers” Miniseries on CBS

Posted by admin on July 17th, 2014 08:20 AM | Spotlight

Cote de Pablo’s departure last July, as one of the longest-running players in NCIS, still has audiences wondering why after eight seasons, she was written out of the popular series. A favorite among CBS audiences, they will be glad to know that de Pablo returns to the network in the 2015 miniseries The Dovekeepers which is executive produced by Roma Downey and Mark Burnett (The Bible, Survivor).

The four-hour miniseries is based on Alice Hoffman’s historical novel The Dovekeepers and centers on four women’s fight for survival at the siege of Masada. The Dovekeepers is based on real life events of when the Jews were forced out of Jerusalem into the fortress of Masada. De Pablo will play the role of Shirah, a single mother with mystical powers, which lead to her being called the “Witch of Moab”.

The miniseries is a co-production between CBS Television Studios and LightWorker Media. Executive produced by Downey and Burnett along with Frank Siracusa, John Weber and Yves Simoneau (who also directs) from an adaptation by Ann Peacock.

De Pablo is repped by Paradigm and Management 360.

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Deborah Cox Covers 'I Will Always Love You' For Upcoming Whitney Houston Biopic [LISTEN]

Deborah Cox(Photo : Getty Images)

Production for Lifetime's upcoming Whitney Houston biopic is in full swing.

While fans are most certainly looking forward to hearing Houston's classics in the portrayal of her life, her family has blocked the network from using her original tracks and Deborah Cox will be covering her music, as previously reported.

TMZ recently got a hold of Cox's rendition of "I Will Always Love You."

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Whitney Houston Biopic --... B. Sucky)

Back in 2000, Houston and Cox collaborated on a track called "Same Script, Different Cast."

As the press release notes, the film "chronicles the headline-making relationship between the iconic singer, actress, producer and model and singer-songwriter Bobby Brown-from the time they first met at the very height of their celebrity, to their courtship and tumultuous marriage. Throughout it all, difficulties followed the superstar couple while they dealt with the overwhelming rewards and consequences of the fame and fortune created by Whitney's meteoric rise that would soon overshadow them both."

The film is slated to air in 2015 and will be directed by actress Angela Bassett in her directorial debut.

"I really just want to tell a story about a boy and a girl who fell in love," Bassett recently told CNN. "And these are the words and this is the place, and these are the people on the outside, you know? And I want to be as honest as I can about doing that."

Yaya DaCosta will play Houston in the Lifetime adaptation of her life. Arlen Escarpeta has been cast as Bobby Brown and Yolonda Ross is set to portray Houston's friend Robyn Crawford.

Suzzanne Douglas will play Houston's mother Cissy, with Mark Rolston as Clive Davis, the record mogul who signed Houston to Arista Records.

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Singer Lupillo Rivera: A Stranger In His Own Land

Posted by eesparza on July 16th, 2014 12:20 PM |

Exclusive Excerpt

Murrieta Protestors Block Immigrants, Alienate Mexican Music Star

By Eliana Alcaraz Esparza

On this particular Tuesday morning, July 1, 2014, Mexican singer Lupillo Rivera felt happy as a “King.” It was on this day his much-anticipated single, “El Rey de los Borrachos” was to be released. He had been signing pre-sold CDs for days and today was the day they would officially ship out, solidifying Rivera’s rise as one of Mexico and Latin America’s most popular artists.

While at his Temecula, CA residence packing the dozens of CDs, Rivera ran out of envelopes. With his wife and 5-year old son in tow, he drove his pickup truck toward nearby Murrieta. The events that transpired next were coincidental but painfully revealing.

“I happened to be driving by at the precise moment the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) buses were trying to enter Murrieta. A bunch of people were blocking the street,” he recalled.

Rivera had come upon a political protest on the street. He looked around and was suddenly confronted with something quite opposite of the warm welcomes the popular singer was accustomed to receiving.

Angry demonstrators stood in front of a DHS bus, screaming and holding up signs. Curious, Lupillo parked his truck and walked up to a nearby police officer to ask what was happening. The officer informed him it was an “immigration protest.” But simple words didn’t convey the complete meaning.

As Lupillo walked closer, he could read the hatred and rage written on the faces of the protestors. Then he read it on the signs they were carrying and it all slowly began to register:

“Illegals Out!”
“Return to Sender”
“Protect Your Kids From Disease”
“Send Them Back w/Birth Control”
“We Don’t Want You”

What he stumbled upon was a small war. Anti-immigrant protestors were blocking passage of three DHS buses that were transporting 140 undocumented immigrants. The passengers were mostly Central American mothers and their children who had been apprehended at the Southwest border in Texas. The kids certainly knew nothing about the immigration crisis that has been going on in the U.S. for decades; let alone what they were fleeing or that they were seeking “asylum.” The protestors managed to prevent the buses from entering Murrieta and the nearby USCIS Detention and Processing Center.

Since he looked Latino, some of the protestors made a beeline towards him. “Almost instantly,” said Rivera, “I was being yelled at with insults.”

First came the ugly words and then a large Caucasian man spat at him. Lupillo quickly realized in modern America despite whatever status you achieve the color of your skin still defines you. Although an American citizen, Rivera was accosted by protesters because, “According to them, we’re all illegal.”

The beloved singer further explained, “It was like an out of body experience.”

When they spit on my face,” declared Rivera, “they spat in all of our faces.”

Now the award-winning singer finds himself on the news and at the center of a national border crisis controversy. Ironically, neither the Mayor of Murrieta, Alan Long nor the protestors who zeroed in on Rivera with verbal attacks, were aware of the Mexican singer’s celebrity whose fan base is in the hundreds of thousands.

Rather than offer a real apology, the mayor only seemed to stir the pot of controversy further when he decided to turn a humanitarian crisis into a political one, and then insulted the singer as a bonus.

Sitting with Lupillo Rivera as he recounted his horrific experience in Murrieta, I was profoundly affected by his relaxed and grounded, spiritual nature. While Rivera himself was too humble to accept any weighty comparisons, I could only identify his graciousness in the line of fire with other important names of the past—names like Cesar Chavez, Martin Luther King, Bobby Kennedy all great men capable of seeing life and community beyond racial segregation.

EE: You found yourself in the middle of a protest that you really didn’t understand initially. What was going on in your mind?

LR: I felt undignified and violated. I was surprised that the Murrieta Police Department just stood by allowing these attacks. It is just one example of how the city of Murrieta failed its residents and innocent bystanders. Some protestors defending the city say the protests are not an act of racism, but now I see that it is. I hesitate to use the word racism because of its negative meaning, but there is no doubt that it was the motivating factor behind Murrieta’s horrible attack against Latino immigrants, documented or undocumented—adult or child. If the bus had been transporting children from Russia, Europe, or Canada there would have been no protest.

EE: How were you able to restrain yourself while being attacked?

LR: [He sighed, with tears in his eyes]I have to admit, getting spit on, criticized… it hurt… it hurt a lot. But I’m a grown man and I can handle it. I can walk away. My children stopped me from fighting back. My five-year old little boy was a few feet away witnessing what was happening and I didn’t want him to see me as a violent person. I have to lead by example. After he witnessed the man spitting in my face, my son said, ‘That man should not be on the street. Call the police.’ My boy should have witnessed the police doing their job instead he saw them stand by as a stranger attacked his dad.

EE: Did you have any idea the power that Tweeting would have?

LR: Twitter is powerful. I mean I can tweet and gather 5,000 views in 30 minutes. That’s a huge responsibility and one I take very seriously. My wife knew that my fans would not abandon me.

EE: It must have come as a total surprise to the Murrieta’s officials when they found out who you were.

LR: They had no idea. I’m sure it ruined their day to read and hear in the news about who I am and what happened to me.

EE: In your opinion, did the police department fail to do their job?

LR: Yes. The attacks were verbal and then there is the shoving and spitting, but what if someone had pulled a gun or knife? We were all in the middle of chaos and the police stood by and did nothing. We were not the ones standing carrying signs with racist messages. We did not provoke this incident. Yes, I believe the mayor is responsible for his police officers standing by and do nothing.

EE: Congratulations, your new CD is climbing fast on the Billboard charts. You’re also touring Mexico as well as the U.S. What other projects are you working on?

LR: I’m really excited about my new upcoming radio show, ‘De Farra con Lupillo Rivera,’ which will be broadcast throughout the major U.S. markets on both AM and FM and people will be able to stream it online and download a mobile app. I’ll let everyone know when we’re on the airwaves via Tweeter!

Also, I’m working on a couple of video games that I can’t really talk about yet but they will help and inspire children, especially those suffering with terminal diseases.

EE: What do you want the world to remember about this past week?

LR: I didn’t ask for this, but here I am. I’m still not really sure what I’ve been drawn into. People are congratulating me and I’m saying to myself, ‘For doing the right thing?’ I’m going to let the chips fall where they may. If I’m needed, I’m there. A friend told me it’s not about the disrespect toward me… it’s about the children.

EE: Thank you, Lupillo Rivera for rising above the turmoil and showing the world that all people of all ethnicities matter in America.

Murrieta’s border crisis is not going to go away any time soon. As for Lupillo Rivera, he continues to say he is in it for the long haul, ready to defend and ensure that undocumented immigrant children are shielded from the shameful and sickening anti-immigration sentiments. We don’t know if his newfound role as a potential leader will have a lasting impact or will promote any positive change in immigration reform, but for now it’s enough.

Read the full Herald de Paris interview where Rivera gives a detailed account of exactly what: http://www.heralddeparis....and/239050

Follow Lupillo Rivera on social media:
Twitter: @Lupillo8
Facebook: Lupillo Rivera Official
Instagram: lupilloriveraoficial

Lupillo Rivera is the younger brother of the late singing superstar Jenni Rivera who died in a tragic plane crash on December 9, 2012. He was born in Jalisco, Mexico in 1972, and was raised in Long Beach, CA. He is a naturalized American citizen. His father, singer Pedro Rivera, owner of the independent label Cintas Acuario, helped launch Lupillo’s first single, “El Moreno,” and soon he was signed up to Sony Discos.

–Vanessa Verduga, Randy Vasquez, Danny Mora contributed to this editorial.

Review: Bruno Mars electrifies Madison Square Garden in New York Special

By Markos Papadatos

Jul 15, 2014 in Music

Sia Visits Howard Stern

Posted by Dan K 19Jun

Sia, the secretive songwriter behind some of the biggest hits on the radio stopped by the Howard Stern Show Wednesday.

The singer/songwriter, who has crippling stage fright, has written for Rihanna, including the hit "Diamonds," which Stern -- who normally likes hard rock -- has always talked about enjoying. She also penned hits for Britney Spears and Beyonce.

Sia does not allow herself to be photographed -- which Stern complied with -- posting only pictures of her from the back on HowardStern.com. Though in most cases that would seem like a calculated affectation Sia seems to actually be scared of the spotlight which is why she has given away some of the biggest hits of the past two years letting other artists become famous (or more famous) off of her work.

Stern went through a list of the hit songs Sia has written> These were the highlights.

Diamonds – Probably Sia’s most famous song, wasn’t written with Rihanna in mind.

Pretty Hurt – Katy Perry loved the song so much that she texted Sia saying she was ‘pretty hurt’ that Sia didn’t offer the song to her. Sia told her to check her inbox, because she had sent the song to Katy months before.

Titanium –This one was intended for Alicia Keys, but DJ and producer David Guetta liked Sia’s demo vocals so much that he used them.

Wild Ones – A huge hit, that Sia sang although she didn't want to because of the lyrics (which she wrote).

Sia has a new album coming out July, 8.

Stern Full Interview with Singer/Songwriter Sia:

[Edited 7/21/14 16:28pm]

Quick Facts

Name

Django Reinhardt

Occupation

Guitarist

Birth Date

January 23, 1910

Death Date

May 16, 1953

Place of Birth

Liberchies, Belgium

Place of Death

Fountainebleau, France

AKA

Django Reinhardt

Originally

Jean-Baptiste Reinhardt

Django Reinhardt was a jazz guitarist who became one of the first important soloists in the genre.

Synopsis

Born in Belgium on January 23, 1910, Django Reinhardt learned guitar at an early age, adapting his technique to accommodate the loss of the use of two fingers burned in a caravan fire in 1928. Reinhardt toured the United States with Duke Ellington in 1946. He was one of the first important guitar soloists in jazz; his blend of swing and the Roma musical tradition, as well as his unconventional technique, made him a unique and legendary figure. Reinhardt died in France in 1953.

Early Life

Born on January 23, 1910, in Liberchies, Belgium, Django Reinhardt became famous for his unique musical sound, which blended elements of American jazz with traditional European and Roma music. Reinhardt's father was a musician and entertainer and his mother was a dancer, according to some reports; they were Manouches, or French gypsies, and they eventually settled in a camp near Paris. Raised without any formal schooling, Reinhardt was practically illiterate.

In his youth, Reinhardt learned to play an interesting instrument—a hybrid of a guitar and a banjo. He was largely self-taught, never learning how to write or read music. Later on, Reinhardt had to depend on others to transcribe his compositions. He was already playing in clubs in Paris by his early teens. Reinhardt started out playing popular French music, but he became interested in American jazz in the mid-1920s. He especially liked the works of Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong and Joe Venuti. His promising career, however, was almost ended by a terrible accident in 1928.

Tragic Fire

In 1928, Reinhardt was injured in a fire in his caravan. A lit candle fell into some paper, or celluloid, flowers that his wife had made to sell, and the flames quickly spread throughout their home. Both Reinhardt and his wife made it out of the fire, but Reinhardt suffered bad burns to his right leg and left hand. Perhaps worst of all for this talented musician, he permanently lost the use of two fingers on his damaged hand. He would spend the next 18 months to two years recuperating.

During this time, Reinhardt taught himself how to play music again. It was a slow, painful process, but he devised an innovative style of guitar playing. With his two fingers and thumb, Reinhardt handled his instrument with remarkable speed and agility. He was back to dazzling audiences in the Paris nightclubs by 1930.

Famous Quintet

By the mid-1930s, Reinhardt had joined forces with violinist Stephane Grappelli to form the Quintet of the Hot Club of France (Quintette du Hot Club de France). Their group, which grew to include Reinhardt's brother Joseph and others, became the first major European jazz band. Some of the band's early recordings included covers of American songs like "Dinah" and "Lady Be Good," and these tracks helped win them a following on both sides of the Atlantic.

Reinhardt also produced original music, which fused his musical heritage with the latest jazz and swing sounds. Some of his most famous works with the quintet are "Djangology," "Bricktop" and "Swing 39." His style from this period has been called "gypsy swing" and "le jazz hot."

World War II

According to some reports, Reinhardt was in England touring with Grappelli in 1939 when World War II began in Europe. He decided to return to France, but his cohort remained abroad. The following year, the Nazis took control of France, a move that put Reinhardt in jeopardy. The Roma, or gypsies, were among those considered undesirable by the Nazis, and thousands and thousands of them perished in concentration camps during the war.

Remarkably, Reinhardt was allowed to play freely in the clubs of Paris during much of the war. It seemed that the Nazis viewed this famed city as their playground to some degree, and their military personnel enjoyed frequenting its nightclubs. Reinhardt expressed his melancholy over the occupation in one of his most famous compositions: "Nuages," which means "clouds."

According to Contemporary Musicians, the musician made two attempts to flee France for Switzerland, but both of these efforts proved to be unsuccessful.

Final Years

After the war, Reinhardt became interested in electric guitar and experimenting with other styles of jazz. He toured the United States with Duke Ellington in 1946, but he failed to win over American audiences and critics. Reinhardt also started recording with a new version of his beloved quintet, but rarely gave public performances. Instead, he spent much of his time in the South of France.

In 1953, the famed improviser jammed with another jazz legend, Dizzie Gillespie. That same year, he made his final recordings. Reinhardt died on May 16, 1953, in Fontainebleau, France. He reportedly died after suffering a stroke, though some reports claim it was a brain hemorrhage.

In any case, the music world lost a great talent that day. Reinhardt is regarded among the most prominent European performers to have heavily influenced American jazz. Additionally, his work has had a lasting impact on other guitarists in different musical styles, influencing such diverse artists as B.B. King and Carlos Santana.

'Buck Rogers' Star Erin Gray: How I Turned Comic-Con (and Other Conventions) Into a Second Career

"I felt weird in the beginning about charging money [$30 per autograph]," she tells THR. "But then I realized actors are entertainers. And we tell stories."

A version of this story first appeared in the Aug. 1 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine.

Erin Gray begat many a fanboy dream with her portrayal of tough but sexy starfighter pilot Wilma Deering on NBC's 1979 sci-fi series Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, and since the early 1990s she's been regular on the convention autograph circuit. Gray eventually started a business booking actors for conventions and engagements, and today her Heroes for Hire reps around 150 clients, including Arrow star Stephen Amell, Torchwood star John Barrowman and fan favorite Bruce Campbell.

On how she discovered a second career after life on television:

"I came to a crossroads in my life. I was going through a divorce and bankruptcy, and had a child in private school. I went to a seminar at the Chicago Museum of Broadcast Communication; [Batman actress] Julie Newmar and [Star Trek actress] BarBara Luna were there, and they started talking about conventions.

I have never heard of anything like that, and when they told me about them, my reaction was, 'Oh nobody would remember me and the show. It was over 10 years ago.' This was about '91 or '92. A year later, BarBara called me and said, 'Erin, you're going to this place at this time, and you're going to call me after and thank me.'

Recently with Daughter Samantha Grey

"So I went. I saw there was a line around the building and I asked the promoter who that was for, and he said, 'You.' And I went 'What? Really?' So I spent the day reeling in stories of people's memories of watching the show. And I was like, 'Wow, who knew?'

"I felt weird in the beginning about charging money. But then I realized actors are entertainers. And we tell stories. I wanted to make sure that everyone who came to me got a story and was inspired by something in some way. And I listened to women come up to me and say, 'You're the reason why I became an Air Force pilot.' "

"I had no idea what impact I had. Going to these conventions made me realize that I influenced an entire generation of men to appreciate strong women and still find them sexy, and women to be police and military officers.

On how she started her convention-booking business:

"One day [her Buck Rogers co-star] Gil Gerard called and asked what I was doing, and I said I was going to Ohio to a sci-fi convention. And he was like, 'What is that about?' And when I told him, he was like, 'Can I go?'

"Then Gil played golf with Marc Singer, who was in V and Beastmaster, and Marc called me up and said he wanted to go too.

"Gil said, 'I'll pay you 10 percent,' and I was like, 'No, I'm your friend.' 'Oh I'll make you work for it.' And sure enough he did. (Laughs.) Booking his flights, his car service. And when Marc called, I said, 'OK, 10 percent.' But I wasn't thinking about it as a business at the time. It started as me helping out my friends go through this.

"After I had done enough shows, booking them, and feeling responsible for them — that was the mother in me — I realized that if the promoters wanted to grow their business, they needed to be able to call a WME or any other agency. And I knew how to do that, I could get that call answered.

On the autograph circuit:

"I will likely do only about four signings this year, but I'll appear at [a lot more conventions] in my capacity as an agent. I probably do 30 to 40 shows a year. It slows down in November, December and picks back up in March. But that's starting to change because it's becoming more international. For example, there are now shows in Brazil in December."

Gil Gerard(Buck Rogers)

On paying for autographs:

"Prices are getting higher. I don't think they should. I think there's a point where it's not about money but about the relationships with the fans. I don't like seeing fans walk away feeling they've been fleeced out of their life savings. The good shows are where the fans get a lot of out of it and the actors get something out of it."

On agent snobbery:

"The actors that do this are mostly TV actors — and I don't know if that'll change. There's a snobbery from the film actors and their representatives. And there is a certain negative connotation of doing these things in certain agents' minds. I think it's wrong.

"There's a star of a new series, and I was talking to his agent and he said, 'I don't think he's going to be doing any of those.' And I said, 'He's agreed to play a famous comic book character and you're going to tell him to shun the fans? Are you nuts?' He's agreed to come into this comic book world. He needs to embrace it and the fans."

10 Things You Probably Didn’t Know About "The Giver"

BuzzFeed spoke with author Lois Lowry about her famous book turned movie. Here’s a few things we learned about The Giver. posted on July 15, 2014, at 7:02 a.m.

Arielle Calderon

1. Author Lois Lowry was inspired to write The Giver because of her late father’s illness.

The Weinstein Company / The Giver

What inspired you to write The Giver in the first place?

Lois Lowry: Well as it happened, my father was very old at that time and in a nursing home. I would go to visit him about every six weeks in another state, and on this particular visit I realized for the first time that he was beginning to lose pieces of his memory. He didn’t have Alzheimer’s, but he was getting up there — around 90 years old — and he had forgotten my sister and that startled me. My sister, his first child, had died young, but he had obliterated somehow that memory and I began thinking on my way home, Heck, maybe it’s a good thing you forget something when it’s painful, but of course when you start thinking along those lines you realize that it’s not a good thing. The product, what we’re made of, is our whole path — good and bad. And so I began to think about the possibility of writing about people who had found a way to manipulate human memory. That was the start of The Giver, and I’ve never been a writer of science fiction or even a reader of it, but all of a sudden I realized I was going to have to write a book set in the future and that’s what it turned out to be. That was the start of it.

2. There’s no set time period of the book, but Lowry’s grandson speculates it’s 50 years from now.

The Weinstein Company / The Giver

Do you ever say what time period The Giver takes place in?

LL: No, it’s just some time in the indefinite future. It’s kind of interesting, I have a grandson who’s 13 and he asked me recently how far in the future it was. He speculated it was 50 years in the future, and the reason that came up is because the filmmakers had asked me how the boy’s bedroom should be decorated, and I said it should be very stark, nothing decorative on the walls, but maybe something educational like the periodic table of elements. And I mentioned that to my grandson and he said, ‘Fifty years in the future, there won’t be any helium anymore.’ Well, who knew, only a 13-year-old [laughs]. So you know, things of that sort would be very different, but who knows, the future seems to be speeding up and I read an article recently implying that very soon we will in fact be able to manipulate human memory. Whether that’s a good thing or a bad, we can only guess.

What do you think?

LL: That’s a little scary to me.

Did they consult you for anything else for the movie?

LL: They let me read the screenplay and asked me to comment on it, and then the director emailed me periodically throughout the early part of the filmmaking asking my advice about set design, costume design, etc. So I was really in the loop from the beginning; they had no obligation to, I had no veto power, but they could not have been more gracious than they were and they brought me over to South Africa to watch the filming. They really have just been wonderful to work and be with.

3. Lois Lowry never planned to write a sequel or series, it just happened.

The Weinstein Company / The Giver

The Giver has a very ambiguous ending and it seemed like that was the end of the story, but then you came out with a sequel. Did you always plan to write a series or did that just happen?

LL: No, writing the second book kind of took me by surprise. I hadn’t intended sequels or companion novels, but I got so much mail from readers who were dissatisfied with the ending. To me it was always an optimistic ending, but some people felt that they were dead at the end. The movie retains the ambiguity of the ending, but I think the optimism is a little clearer at the end of the movie than it was in the book, so people will go away happy from the movie.

So is there a chance the other books will be adapted to film?

LL: There was some talk among the filmmakers of a sequel, but it’s really too soon I think. They’ll have to wait and see how this film does before they make any decisions.

4. Some big movie changes from the book are the ages of the characters and the amount of action added.

The Weinstein Company / The Giver

This movie adaptation is years after you wrote the book. Did you always want it to be a movie? Why so late?

LL: I’ve always been a movie fan; I’m probably the only person over 75 who has seen Wayne’s World 2. At any rate, I was very delighted when they approached me to make a film, but I was also aware of the difficulties of this particular book becoming a film because it’s an introspective book and there’s not a lot of action, and I knew they would have to add action — which they have done — and I just hoped they would do it well and keep it in tone of the book, and they have done that. So, I’m very pleased with the decisions they’ve made, even making the characters a little older has worked well.

So, what’s their ages?

LL: Jonas, Asher, and Fiona are more like 16 and instead of having the ceremony where the kids turn 12, the ceremony takes place when they graduate from their education and are given their job assignments. So they’re teenagers, and the only thing I asked the filmmakers was that they not turn it into a teenage romance, and they have not done that, but there’s a sweet quality to the relationship between Jonas and his friend Fiona, and they’re both very lovely looking kids. Teenagers will shiver with excitement at the thought of a romance, but it can’t happen because in keeping with the book, the boy leaves at the end and leaves her behind.

5. Jeff Bridges bought the movie rights to the book 18 YEARS AGO.

The Weinstein Company / The Giver

How long ago did they approach you for the movie rights?

LL: I think it was 18 years.

That’s how long ago??

LL: Yeah, it was a very long time! Jeff Bridges bought the rights to the book because he wanted a movie that he would direct and would star his father, a very fine actor named Lloyd Bridges, he would be the title role. And then years passed and it just never got made, and Lloyd Bridges eventually died, but Jeff continued to hope to make the movie and now of course he’s old enough and with the right makeup, was able to play the role himself and he does an incredible job.

Do you think part of the reason it’s coming up now is because of this trend of dystopian-book-to-movies?

LL: Possibly. You know, who knows why things happen and fall into place, but certainly dystopian literature for young people and then the ensuing movies like Hunger Games and Divergent have been very popular. This one [The Giver] has been in the works longer, but those have been made into movies sooner. So, it couldn’t hurt the popularity of this particular genre.

Were you ever hesitant about it becoming a movie?

LL: I don’t think so, but I think the reason I was never terribly worried about the quality of the movie was because of the hands that it was in. I’ve always respected Jeff Bridges and he was working with other people who are very confident and all of them very devoted to the book, and all of them have children who have read the book. So I think that gave me a certain amount of lack of worry. I felt it was in good hands — even though they weren’t my hands [laughs]. And also, they’ve been very gracious in keeping me in the loop and seeking my advice and my opinions throughout the process.

6. Even though Meryl Streep’s character is relatively small and bland in the book, she’ll cause a lot more conflict in the movie.

The Weinstein Company / The Giver

When you were writing the book, did you always have the same ending? Any alternate endings?

LL: No, it was always directed towards that ending. I don’t have an ending firmly, clearly in mind when I’m writing any book, but when I get to the ending, everything seems to go in a certain direction and by the time I reach that final page, it feels like the only way it can end, at least for me.

Like you were saying earlier that they put more action into the movie. It seems from the trailers that Meryl’s character is supposed to be a big villain, but in the books she just doesn’t know.

LL: Yeah, the Chief Elder in the book is a woman, but she has a very small role and no personality really. And boy, once you have Meryl Streep playing that role, you want it to be a bigger role. Also, it added wonderful conflict to the movie. Jeff Bridges is what I would describe as the spiritual leader of the community, and Meryl Streep is the political leader, and in the movie as you can tell from the trailer, they fall into conflict. There’s some scenes between the two of them that are truly very stunning, and the Chief Elder in the book didn’t have the opportunity — I didn’t give her that opportunity — so I’m glad she got it in the movie.

7. Lowry doesn’t have a specific explanation for how the societies became the way the are in the books.

The Weinstein Company / The Giver

In The Giver series, there seem to be several different types of societies and they’re not quite the same. How did they get to that place?

LL: Well I think this is not mentioned in The Giver, but in the second book, it refers back to some sort of — it’s not explicit — some sort of cataclysmic world events that have taken place, and these other societies have sprung up in various forms. We can assume some kind of nuclear disaster, some kind of war, some kind of climate disaster, and we don’t really need to know what has happened. We just have to assume the world has changed and had to restart in some way, and those restarts have taken different forms.

How did it get to that point where everyone is the same color and there’s no minorities? What happened that made it that way?

LL: See, you’re asking questions about technology and I’ve avoided any of that because I don’t have a clue how I got to that point, but I think we can assume that over generations and back and back and back, just intermarriage would do that. I read somewhere that if all dogs were allowed to run loose and intermarry as it were, that eventually we would end up with a world of medium-sized brown dogs. And so I think that’s what has happened in this world. But of course, casting hundreds of people to play the citizens in the community, I don’t think there are any marked differences but of course they’re not all the same color, not all of the same color hair, even though they’re in black and white you can tell that.

8. Over 22,000 books were used to film the Giver’s home.

The Weinstein Company / The Giver

In the third book of the series, The Messenger, Jonas tells Matty about the books he came about. Was it the Giver who sent them?

LL: Yes, it would’ve been. I had forgotten that part. Incidentally, in the Giver’s quarters in the movie, where he lives and where the boy goes, I went to South Africa and saw the room where they filmed those scenes. They bought 22,000 books from used book stores to put in that room, it’s just an astounding room. And then when the movie was finished, they donated those books to schools and wherever. Anyway, in that third book we get to see Jonas as a man, he’s now grown, the leader of the community, and he talks about the books. Chances are he didn’t have 22,000 [laughs], that’s quite an array of book cases. In the movie, the Giver has to climb a ladder to get the books down.

So does this mean Jonas’ old world all regain their memory?

LL: Yeah, I think we can assume that and I think the movie allows you to assume that too. The boy undertaking to save the baby does in fact save the world, his world at least, and brings about change that’s good, but we don’t know the details.

9. The defining trait for people with gifts is pale eyes, but they changed that for the movie.

The Weinstein Company / The Giver

Why do people with pale eyes have gifts?

LL: Incidentally, In the movie, they don’t have the pale eyes. It became a problem needing to put contact lenses in certain people, including babies, was just too much of a problem. So they have a different identifying gimmick, but in the writing of the books, each of the main characters in each book is a young person, and each of those young people have a particular gift. That was true in the first book, he called it the gift of seeing beyond, and then I just kept it up for the subsequent books and by the time I got to the fourth book, I had to decide what gift the boy, and it’s actually the baby Gabriel who grew up to be an adolescent, what his gift would be. And I think his is most important because he has the gift to be able to experience other people’s feelings, and only if we all had that gift, there would be no more conflict in the world.

10. Lois Lowry was offered a cameo, but declined.

The Weinstein Company / The Giver

Do you make a secret cameo at all?

LL: [Laughs] The scene in the book, which is not in the movie, where the boy bathes the old woman in the house of the old, I told Jeff that if they put it in the movie I would’ve volunteered to be the old naked lady in the bathtub. Only joking! Actually, they offered to let me sit on the stage as one of the elders, and I declined. And then when I watched them filming that scene on the stage, they sat there for 11 hours and I was very glad I declined.

The Giver hits theaters Aug. 15.

Why Linda Perry Decided to 'Make or Break' It on Reality TV

AP Images

4 Non Blondees alum and VH1 host Linda Perry with wife Sara Gilbert

The former 4 Non Blondes singer and hitmaking songwriter tells Billboard why she's trying her hand at a new VH1 competition show — and putting her uncompromising attitude on display.

"Sometimes I’ll look back at old pictures where I’m a little heavy and dressed funny and think, ‘How did I get chicks all the time?’”

Linda Perry is not sharing this personal insight with a close friend. Rather, she’s addressing a Beverly Hills ballroom full of entertainers — actresses Evan Rachel Wood, Teri Polo, Whitney Cummings and Milla Jovovich, comedian Margaret Cho and fellow songwriter Sia among them — at the May 10 Evening With Women gala to benefit the Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Center, an event she has curated for the last six years (which would raise $600,000 that night). Her tear-drop-tattooed eyes, however, are fixed on one woman in particular: her wife of five weeks, Sara Gilbert, whom she met in 2011 through a yoga instructor, seated front and center.

“I had a whole ’nother life before you, baby,” Perry, 49, coos into the microphone. Cue her past life: She’s about to take the stage with the band that put her on the map -- the band she left in an inexplicable haste -- for the first time in nearly two decades. Despite days of rigidly scheduled rehearsals, the cobwebs, and perhaps some skeletons, are still there. Indeed, the group is only a couple of songs into their set before Perry cracks, “That sounded so much better at sound check.”

Between 1992 and 1994, 4 Non Blondes sold 1.5 million albums (according to Nielsen SoundScan), notched a top 10 hit — the ubiquitous singalong “What’s Up” — and toured the world. Their moment was short-lived; Perry, unhappy with the role and responsibilities of being a frontwoman, quit in 1995, and the band plunged back into oblivion. (A reunion was never discussed until it served a greater purpose for Perry: charity.)

But the success of 4 Non Blondes acted as a launch pad for Perry, the songwriter, who saw her first hit as a co-writer, Pink’s “Get the Party Started,” go to No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 2001. Indeed, it’s Perry’s pedigree (along with her unpredictable potty mouth) that got her a VH1 series, "Make or Break: The Linda Perry Project," which she hopes will help discover the next Bob Dylan or Patti Smith.

Launched July 16, Perry’s answer to "American Idol" is a boot camp that brings eight individuals to their breaking points — in this case, aspiring musicians, songwriters and studio wizards competing for a chance at a production deal with Perry by proving their music-making might in a high-stress environment. “I’m looking for someone to take over this legacy of music,” says the songwriter-producer, who, according to sources, charges in the vicinity of $30,000 per song. “There’s a bunch of kids out there that are hungry. There’s a Sia out there; there’s a Linda Perry ... But there is no Bob Dylan to teach someone how to be like Bob Dylan.” The show’s goal: to find one.

Sitting at her North Hollywood studio a month after the Beverly Hilton concert, Perry explains the genesis of her TV show. "Artists that I’ve worked with, whether it’s Christina [Aguilera] or Pink, [have said], 'She’s balls to the walls, she’s aggressive, she goes right for the f—ing jugular ... I became emotional, I cried ...’ And VH1 were like, ‘Would you be interested in doing a show about that?'"

She learned the ins and outs of recording on 4 Non Blondes’ 1992 debut, Bigger, Better, Faster, More!, mostly from fighting with producer David Tickle. “I hated that record,” she says. “Not because the album was bad. It was just that our heart wasn’t in it. Or mine wasn’t.” For “What’s Up,” Tickle originally inserted a marching band snare as an accent. “It was ridiculous,” says Perry. “He made me change words ... I cried to Interscope and said, ‘I am not allowing this to be put out there.’ They were like, ‘Why can’t you just be a singer, Linda?'" (Tickle did not respond to a request for comment.)

By quitting the band, Perry was going against the advice of her label, Interscope Records, and its outspoken founder, Jimmy Iovine, who had taken the reins on 4 Non Blondes’ debut. Abandoning her multi-platinum act for a nebulous future on her own was risky, to say the least.

The millions she made from the album, which spent 59 weeks on the Billboard 200? “Tainted money,” says Perry, recalling the day she drained her bank account of the last $10,000 of her “What’s Up” payoff. “My accountant said, ‘Well, you’ve spent it all!’ I had no money. Then, literally, a week later, Pink called. And my whole life changed.”

Her sexuality also played a part in her decision to go it alone. Although Perry says she has never personally struggled with being gay, her bandmates, two of whom were lesbians, weren’t ready to be out quite as loudly in the early '90s. Things came to a head when Interscope sent a plant to interview the band and test their responses to touchy personal questions. Perry remembers her answer: “Why would me liking pussy play into our music?” But bassist Christa Hillhouse and drummer Dawn Richardson were less willing to go there. Perry thought their uneasiness was absurd. “I was like, ‘I’m gay. I have no problem about it. So I’m going to be gay, and you guys can be in the closet,’" she recalls.

Perry released several well-received solo albums. But then her father, Alfred, an engineer with whom she had had a strained relationship (a music hobbyist, “He wanted to be hanging out with Frank Sinatra but didn’t choose that lifestyle,” says Perry), got sick toward the end of the ’90s and she “went into this tailspin,” says Perry. (Her mother, Marluce Lucena Martin, is still alive.) “I didn’t have the greatest relationship and I was always beating him up for it. I never thought he saw me until I became famous. When he was in and out of hospitals and I started to get closer to him, it was hard. I was drinking like crazy. I wasn’t sleeping. I had massive panic attacks where I thought I was dying.”

Through it all, the hits kept coming -- Aguilera’s “Beautiful” in 2001, which landed Perry a Grammy nomination, and Gwen Stefani’s “What You Waiting For” in 2004. Then, Perry’s father died in 2005. She still tears up at the memory. “When something dies, something is born, and I was like a whole new Linda,” she says of her decision to give up alcohol, coffee and cigarettes, and go vegan. “Now, I am the clearest, the most focused. I look the best, I feel the best, I’m writing the best.”

Perry hopes to share the wisdom she painfully gained, which makes her new show’s title, Make or Break, even more apt. Taping at her 10,000-square-foot recording studio took just three weeks, during which, Perry says, “I opened my mouth and didn’t shut it for 18 days. I don’t know what the f— I said, but I know real shit happened.”

Coming to terms with the needs of reality TV was a real eye-opener — for both VH1 and its new host. Perry, who grew up in San Diego and calls Los Angeles home, describes the first day of shooting: “I did something, and they missed it, so they came to me, like, ‘Can you do that again? That was such a great moment.’ And I go, ‘Um, let’s get this clear: If you didn’t get it, you didn’t get it. You missed it. I’m not repeating anything.’ I told the artists, ‘If anybody asks you to redo something or puts words in your mouth, you call me up.’”

VH1 says it is precisely that attitude that made the show an attractive addition to its prime-time programming slate, which has had an uptick in viewers thanks to recent hits like "Love & Hip Hop Atlanta" and "Hollywood Exes." “What really engages VH1 viewers is authentic storytelling,” VH1 president Tom Calderone tells Billboard. “Our viewers are incredibly sharp. If they sense an artist or celebrity isn’t being genuine or that a storyline just doesn’t ring true, they’ll tune out.”

Perry thinks she may have what they’re looking for. “They want more viewers of credibility,” she says. “It’s not because of my good looks. It’s because they know I have a credible career. I haven’t whored myself out.”

This story originally appeared on Billboard.com.

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Billy Joel to Receive Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song

11:14 AM PST 07/22/2014 by Roy Trakin

Library of Congress

Joel, called "a storyteller of the highest order," will receive the honor in November in Washington, D.C.

Billy Joel will be the next recipient of the Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song, it was announced by Librarian of Congress James H. Billington.

Billington said Joel "ranks as one of the most popular recording artists and respected entertainers in the world. His piano-fueled narratives take listeners into the relatable and deeply personal moments of life, mirroring his own goal of writing songs that ‘meant something during the time in which I lived … and transcended that time.’ ”

Joel will receive the prize in Washington, D.C., in November and be feted with a series of events, including an honoree’s luncheon and musical performances. The Gershwin Prize honors a living musical artist’s lifetime achievement in promoting the genre of song as a vehicle of cultural understanding; entertaining and informing audiences; and inspiring new generations. Previous recipients include Paul Simon, Stevie Wonder, Sir Paul McCartney, Carole King and the songwriting duo of Burt Bacharach and the late Hal David.

“Billy Joel is a storyteller of the highest order,” Billington said. “There is an intimacy to his songwriting that bridges the gap between the listener and the worlds he shares through music. When you listen to a Billy Joel song, you know about the people and the place and what happened there. And while there may be pain, despair and loss, there is ultimately a resilience to it that makes you want to go to these places again and again.

“Importantly, as with any good storyteller, the recognition experienced in a Billy Joel song is not simply because these are songs we have heard so many times, but because we see something of ourselves in them.”

Added Joel: “The great composer George Gershwin has been a personal inspiration to me throughout my career. And the Library’s decision to include me among those songwriters who have been past recipients is a milestone for me.”

Joel is the sixth top-selling artist of all time and the third top-selling solo artist of all time, according to the Recording Industry Association of America.

His multiple Grammy wins include Song of the Year and Record of the Year (“Just the Way You Are,” 1978), Album of the Year (52nd Street, 1979), and back-to-back wins for Best Rock Vocal Performance, Male for two of his 13 multi-platinum albums, 52nd Street and Glass Houses in 1979 and 1980, respectively.

In December 2013, Madison Square Garden announced Joel as its first-ever music franchise. Joining the ranks of the Garden’s other original franchises, the Rock & Roll Hall of Famer kicked off monthly performances, to continue as long as there is demand, starting on January 27, 2014, and currently sold out through November.

STORY Billy Joel Tried Heroin, ...l (Video)

Joel’s life and work have reflected his abiding interest in history. In 1987, he accepted an invitation from the Soviet Union to perform there, becoming the first American pop star to bring a full rock production to the Soviet Union. In a recently released documentary about the two-week tour, A Matter of Trust – The Bridge to Russia, he notes that he decided to go in part because “I wanted to have an answer when my daughter said, ‘Dad, what did you do during the Cold War?’ ”

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Diane Warren to Receive Leadership Award for Support of LGBTQ Community

10:48 AM PST 07/22/2014 by Phil Gallo

Courtesy of Point Foundation

Songwriter will be honored on September 13 at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza for speaking out against bigotry and the work of her foundation supporting music education.

Diane Warren Reveals Cher's Reaction to 'If I Could Turn Back Time': 'F--- You, Bitch!' »

Diane Warren will receive the Point Foundation’s Leadership Award for her support of the LGBTQ community.

Warren will be honored at a “Voices on Point” concert and dinner on Sept. 13 at L.A.'s Hyatt Regency Century Plaza. The event is a benefit for the foundation, the nation's largest scholarship-granting organization for LGBTQ students of merit. The evening features musical performances and testimonials from the Point’s current scholars and alumni.

“Diane Warren has earned fame and respect, not just through the creation of an incredible body of music, but also because of her empathy, integrity and her commitment to education,” says Jorge Valencia, executive director and CEO of Point Foundation. “Our Point Scholars learn through their leadership training, that a leader is someone who uses their talent and position to ensure that others can live with dignity and respect.”

Warren was chosen for her speaking out against bigotry and the work of her foundation that supports music education. In 2012, she wrote the theme for World Humanitarian Day, “I Was Here,” which Beyoncé performed at the United Nations. Warren’s songs are also among those featured in the “It Gets Better” musical theater project that is touring the U.S.

Since 2001, Point has invested more than $15 million in the education and support of Point Scholars. Point Foundation promotes change through scholarship funding, mentorship, leadership development, and community service training.

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Gregg Allman and Sturgill Simpson Fuse Country and Soul at Annenberg Center: Concert Review

2:10 PM PDT 7/21/2014 by Steven Mirkin

Donato Sardella/Getty Images for Annenberg Foundation/Courtesy of Annenberg

The Bottom Line

Newcomer Sturgill Simpson steals the show from Gregg Allman on a set of flinty, beautifully crafted songs performed with grit and skill.

Venue

Annenberg Space for Photography
Los Angeles, CA (Saturday, July 19)

Kentucky-born Simpson proves the revelation, as he and Gregg Allman kick off the Annenberg Space for Photography/KCRW’s "Country in the City" series.

Gregg Allman may have been the headliner at the Annenberg Space for Photography Saturday evening, but newcomer Sturgill Simpson made the bigger impression. The opening show in KCRW’s "Country in the City" series served as a coming-out party for the Kentucky-born, Nashville-based singer-songwriter.

His second album, Metamodern Sounds in Country Music, released on his own High Top Mountain label, is the kind of country album you didn’t think they made anymore, a collection of flinty, beautifully crafted songs performed with grit and skill. It harkens back to the golden age of outlaw country, with touches of Merle Haggard, George Jones and Lefty Frizzell (he included a perfectly gimlet-eyed cover of “I Never Go Around Mirrors” in his set) thrown in for good measure). He apologized early on that touring had left his voice a little raw, but no apology was necessary. Live, Simpson and his hard-driving band are proudly unvarnished, alternating between rockers sweaty and dirty as the mines and trains that run the “Railroad of Sin,” and mournful and tender as the murder ballad “Medicine Springs.” Simpson sings them with a baritone drawl reminiscent of Waylon Jennings and Kris Kristofferson. But the real revelation was guitarist Laur Joamets.

That’s not a misprint. As hard it might be to believe that someone with that name could play country music, the Estonian guitarist’s playing displayed an impressive fluency, deftly mixing Nashville twang, Bakersfield growl, and speedy bluegrass runs. With the solid rhythm section of Miles Miller and Kevin Black, the 45-minute set’s energy never flagged. They return to L.A. September 11. Don’t miss them.

If the title of Simpson’s album nods towards Ray Charles’ classic 1962 album, Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music, Gregg Allman’s set leaned toward the sophisticated R&B of Charles and Bobby Blue Bland, with mixed results.

Even after his health problems (which led to a liver transplant in 2010), the 66-year-old Allman looked good. He lost some weight, but his voice retains the heft and passion of his prime. But he’s backed by an eight-piece band that often feels like it’s at odds with his strengths.

Augmented by a three-piece horn section and percussionist, it’s a band built in the style of classic soul revues. But too often, the results are, at best, academic, at worst, cluttered and dull. After opening with a simmering “Statesboro Blues,” they turned his 1989 solo track “She’s No Angel” and the Allmans’ “Don’t Keep Me Wondering” into the kind of enervated adult R&B of Steve Winwood or Phil Collins.

It’s certainly more soulful than the music either of them has served up lately, but it’s dearly lacking in fire or inspiration. Guitarist and musical director Scott Sharrard probably has the most thankless job in music: just about every solo he plays will be compared to either Duane Allman, Dickey Betts or Warren Haynes. He’s a fine player, but nothing he does will make anyone forget them. That’s the problem: the entire band is made up of fine musicians with little personality. The 15-minute James Brown medley they performed mid-set to give Allman a breather pointed up a bigger problem. They simply aren’t an especially good fit for Allman’s moody blues.

And the best music came when they did the least. A cover of “I Found a Love,” Wilson Pickett’s early hit with the Falcons, was a grand vocal showcase for Allman and Sharrard‘s harmonies; “Ain’t Wasting No More Time” pulsed with bluesy ache; and “Stormy Monday” included Allman’s most impressive work on his Hammond B3, as well as a solo from Sharrard paying tribute to the sharp, stringy tone of the song’s composer, T-Bone Walker. And “Love Like Kerosene,” the set’s sole new tune, had the rollicking drive of the best Chicago blues.

But “Whipping Post” was, for some reason, turned into a shuffle. It was a move that so undermined the song that it took most of crowd until the chorus to recognize it. Unless it was Allman’s way of discouraging the calls for the song that have studded concerts since the ‘70s (although this was probably the only night it could be yelled unironically), you have to wonder why he did it. “One Way Out,” another Allman Brothers chestnut, fared better under the Caribbean onslaught, but you still had to wonder why he bothered. A good deal of the crowd had already made their way for the exits.

They should return, for this short series is a welcome addition to the summer’s free, outdoor concert schedule. It’s been smartly programmed, pairing a well-known act with a lesser-known but worthy opener (future shows include Shelby Lynne with Jamestown Revival, and Wynonna Judd and Nikki Lane). And the Annenberg' Space's fine photography exhibit, Country: Portraits of an American Sound, is definitely worth checking out while you’re there.

Tickets for "Country in the City" is free with an advance RSVP.

Set list:

Sturgill Simpson

Sitting Here Without You
Water in a Well
Long White Line
Poor Rambler
Medicine Springs
Life of Sin
Living the Dream
I Never Go Around Mirrors (Lefty Frizzell cover)
Railroad of Sin

Gregg Allman

Statesboro Blues
She’s No Angel
Don’t Keep Me Wondering
Ain’t Wasting No More Time
I Found a Love (Wilson Pickett cover)
Stormy Monday (T-Bone Walker cover)
Give Me Back My Bullets
Sweet Feeling
Black Hearted Woman/Hot Lanta (James Brown medley)
Melissa
Love Like Kerosene
Whipping Post
____

One Way Out

'Get On Up' Premiere: Chadwick Boseman Initially 'Didn't Want to Try' Playing James Brown

AP Images

Chadwick Boseman at Monday night's "Get on Up" premiere.

The "42" star took on the daunting task of playing the Godfather of Soul by working hard and taking things "one step at a time," his co-stars and director Tate Taylor told THR at the Universal biopic's debut at Harlem's Apollo Theater.

To play James Brown, the hardest-working man in show business, Get on Up star Chadwick Boseman took an appropriately industrious approach.

“The man did his homework,” Jill Scott, who plays Brown’s second wife, Deedee, told The Hollywood Reporter at Monday night’s Get On Up premiere in New York. “He worked so hard; he practiced five hours a day — every day. Even on his time off he was still practicing those dance moves. Chad couldn’t even dance when he took this film.”

The film’s choreographer, Aakomon Jones, who also plays a choreographer in the movie, confirmed that while Boseman wasn’t a professional dancer, “he had rhythm.”

“What I always say is, ‘All you have to do is work really hard, and you can make up for not really dancing like James Brown your whole life as I have.’ He worked hard enough and played catch-up,” Jones added.

Jones explained that he and Boseman trained for three-and-a-half weeks before production began, working “for hours upon hours,” with Jones teaching Boseman how to dance as the 42 star learned how to become Brown as an actor.

Still, director Tate Taylor told THR that it was Boseman’s acting ability that convinced him he was the right man for the job.

“I realized that first and foremost, I had to find a brilliant actor. It’s easy to gravitate toward the costumes and the dancing, but I just realized that somebody was going to have to play a 63-year-old, and that’s what I had him read for,” The Help helmer said. “So I just searched for an actor with skill, and Chadwick was the guy.”

Nevertheless, Boseman told THR he was so intimidated by the prospect of playing the Godfather of Soul, “I didn’t even want to try it.” Taylor spent two months convincing Boseman to take on the gig, telling the actor that they “would take it one step at a time.”

“And as much as he was wanting to make sure he could do it, I did too, and that if we at any point felt that it wasn’t working out, we would go our separate ways. And it kept working out,” Taylor said.

What sealed the deal for Boseman? “I knew that everybody that was involved was going to be at the top of their game, so why not try?” he said.

In addition to winning over the cast and crew, Boseman impressed Brown’s family, with Brown’s grandson, Jason, who worked on the film, telling THR, “Chadwick’s work ethic was outstanding. He knew how important the role was to the world, and he gave his world to play James Brown.”

The premiere at Harlem’s legendary Apollo Theater drew many members of Brown’s family, along with the production team that helped the film make it to the big screen, led by Brian Grazer and Mick Jagger.

The Rolling Stones frontman, who’s getting increasin... Hollywood, told a group of reporters that he hopes audiences will “be excited by the music…[and] touched by the story.”

Speaking of music-based stories, Get On Up choreographer Jones also gave THR some hints about the choreography in Pitch Perfect 2, which he just finished working on, saying it will be “bigger, more involved, more advanced and a lot more dance.”

Meanwhile, Taylor also dished on the Tupperware movie he’s working on with Sandra Bullock, whom he met with longtime friend Octavia Spencer the same way Spencer did — through his work as a production assistant on A Time to Kill.

Taylor cautioned that the project, which Sony recently picked up, is still in its early stages, saying, “I’ve gotta write it!”

“It’s a wonderful project about Brownie Wise, the woman that basically, as I say, she leaned in 20 years before Sheryl Sandberg was even born, and she started a revolution for women in the workplace by selling Tupperware, and it’s a story of her life but not a biopic of her life, it’s inspired by her life,” Taylor explained. “I went to Sandy [Bullock] and gave her my pitch for it and she said, ‘This sounds great, let’s do it.’ And luckily Sony Pictures and Amy Pascal said [they were onboard]."

Get On Up co-stars Dan Aykroyd, Nelsan Ellis, Tika Sumpter, Josh Hopkins, Fred Melamed and others also made the scene at the Apollo along with Universal Pictures executives Ron Meyer, Donna Langley and Jeff Shell.

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Jack White Launches Third Man Books, Announces Poetry Collection 'Language Lessons'

Jack White(Photo : Jason Merritt/Getty Images)

Never one to be short on ideas, Jack White has announced the launch of Third Man Books, an independent publishing company and offshoot of his Nashville-based record label, Third Man Records.

As reported by Rolling Stone, the first release from Third Man Books will be Language Lessons: Volume I, a collection of prose and poetry featuring the work of Dale Ray Phillips, CD Wright, Adrian Matejka, and non-fiction pieces by punk musicians Richard Hell and Tav Falco.

This being a Jack White endeavor, however, the book will also come with two LPs of "jazz, psychedelic-punk, poetry, blues, and pop," featuring the music of William Tyler and Destruction Unit.

In addition to the book itself and the records, Language Lessons will also include frameable poems by CD Wright, Frank Stanford, Brian Barker, Jake Adam York, and Chet Weise, featuring artwork by Big Boys guitarist Tim Kerr, Hate illustrator Jim Blanchard, and folk artist Butch Anthony.

Language Lessons: Volume I will be available for purchase on August 5 and can be pre-ordered at the Third Man website.

Concerning the launch of the new company, Third Man has released a statement, which says, "Third Man Books, like Language Lessons, will be fearless, imaginative, and eclectic. We hope to be a welcome addition to what is already a very compelling and thrilling independent American literary landscape."

Rolling Stone also reports that this weekend's Newport Folk Festival will feature a preview of Language Lessons with live readings from some of the book's contributors, such as Zachary Schomburg, Joshua Maria Wilkinson, Janaka Stucky, Sampson Starkweather, Paige Taggart, and Kendra Decolo. Jack White is also scheduled for a headlining performance at the festival.

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Watch: Trailer For Sundance Satire 'Dear White People' Brings Black Back

News

by Kevin Jagernauth

July 22, 2014 6:26 PM

How do you make a comedy about contemporary race relations in America, without being reductive or offensive? Hell, don't ask us, but writer/director Justin Simien seems to have figured it out and then home. His "Dear White People" was a buzz title at this year's Sundance Film Festival, winning the Special Jury Award for Breakthrough Talent and a new full length trailer to present the sharp satire.

The film takes viewers to the campus of Winchester University where activist Samantha White is elected as head of a traditionally black residence hall, and she uses her notoriety as host of the provocative and polarizing radio show “Dear White People” to try to prevent the college from diversifying Armstrong Parker House. Meanwhile, Afro-wearing geek Lionel Higgins is recruited by the otherwise all-white student newspaper to go undercover and write about black culture, and this and more hijinks converge during the ill-conceived “unleash your inner Negro” Halloween party.

Again, this isn't the easy kind of thing to pull off, but it looks "Dear White People" gets it right. Starring Tyler James Williams, Tessa Thompson, Teyonah Parris, Brandon P. Bell, Kyle Gallner, Malcolm Barrett, Brittany Curran, Marque Richardson, and Dennis Haysbert, the film opens on October 17th.

John Garcia

Garcia Gallito.

By Kory Grow

July 22, 2014 3:05 PM ET

"If someone told me at 19 years old, when I wrote 'Her Bullets Energy,' that Robby Krieger would be playing on it, I would have told them, 'You're out of your mind and go jump in a lake,'" says John Garcia, the voice behind bands like Kyuss, Vista Chino and Unida, referring to the closing song on his self-titled solo debut.

Although Garcia recorded his vocals on last year's Vista Chino record through microphone that the Doors guitarist owned and Jim Morrison used, he tells Rolling Stone that his union with Krieger on John Garcia was more fortuitous than anything else. His producer, Harper Hug, listened to the song and said, "I'm hearing a Spanish, flamenco guitar on this track." When Garcia asked him who would be a good fit on the track, Hug suggested his acquaintance, Krieger. "I pretty much fell over from my chair and said, 'Do you think he would do it?'" Garcia says.

"For the last couple years, I've been building a new studio with Harper Hug and sound man Michael Dumas," Krieger tells Rolling Stone. "We're calling it 'Horse Lattitudes.' Harper played me a song that I really liked, and we decided to try recording some of my flamenco guitar on it. This was the first time we actually recorded at the studio. We did it in the big room, and it sounded awesome."

Garcia reports that while he was recoding the song, which he describes as a "love-tragedy story," he barely discussed it with Krieger. "We spent more time, I think, talking about golfing than we did about the track," he says. "I'm from Palm Springs, and there's a shit-ton of golf courses here. He was asking me about a couple courses out here. I'm not a golfer myself, but he's Robby Krieger so I was trying to do my best to accommodate." The singer laughs. "But to end the record with an acoustic track with Robby, it was very, very fitting."

Garcia is releasing the album, which also features guest appearances by Danko Jones and his former Kyuss bandmate Nick Oliveri, on August 5th. It can be pre-ordered here.

Hear Here: http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/hear-ex-kyuss-singer-john-garcias-duet-with-the-doors-robby-krieger-20140722#ixzz38FiUArrk

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"The Big Bang Theory" Makes TV History

By Alex Marin

The comedy series has just been renewed for three more seasons.

Source: BuzzFeed/CBS

"Comedy is a big part of our schedule, and 'The Big Bang Theory' is the biggest comedy force on television," said Nina Tassler, Chairman of CBS Entertainment. "We're proud to work with and showcase the incredible talents of Chuck Lorre, Steve Molaro and this amazing cast every week," she added.

READ: "Big Bang's" Jim Pa...of Sheldon

Already in its seventh season, "The Big Bang Theory" is currently boasting its highest ratings to date. Starring Johnny Galecki, Jim Parsons, Kaley Cuoco, Simon Helberg, Kunal Nayyar, Mayim Bialik, Sara Gilbert, and Melissa Rauch, the show brings in 19.7 million viewers in the coveted 18-49 demographic.

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‘Star Wars: Episode 7′ Casts Carrie Fisher’s Daughter as a Young Princess Leia

by Jacob Hall July 1, 2014 10:23 AM

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Getty Images/Lucasfilm

We knew that ‘Star Wars: Episode 7‘ was going to be a little nostalgia-heavy with the return of the original trilogy’s stars to the franchise, but it turns out that it goes even deeper than that. A new report claims that the new film will not only feature flashbacks to the younger days of Carrie Fisher‘s Princess Leia Organa, but that the young version of the secret Skywalker sibling will be played by Fisher’s own daughter.

The news comes via The Daily Mail (as originally reported by Latino Review) so feel free to disbelieve all of this until official confirmation rolls around.

So here goes: Billie Lourd, the daughter of Fisher and Hollywood agent Bryan Lourd, has supposedly been cast as a young Princess Leia and will appear in flashback scenes. And yes, she’ll apparently be rocking those iconic (and endlessly parodied) hair buns. Lourd is described as an “aspiring actress and singer,” which is the polite was of calling her a newcomer with no credits yet to her name. We can’t judge Lourd as an actress yet, but she does bear enough of a resemblance to her mother (see above) to make this work. Give her the proper hair and attire and she could pass as a close-enough version of her mother from nearly 40 years ago.

The family connection is interesting and all, but the real news here is that ‘Episode 7′ will apparently feature flashbacks, which will be a first for this series. So, put on your thinking caps, boys and girls: what kind of relevant information do we need from Leia’s past that wasn’t already explored in the original trilogy? Is director J.J. Abrams setting us up for some kind of big twist? Maybe some big secrets are emerging from the past to threaten the future?

Or do you think those whole thing is just a load of gossip?

‘Star Wars: Episode 7′ is still set to open in theaters on December 18, 2015 release date, even with Harrison Ford’s busted leg slowing things down.

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We’re used to seeing Philip Seymour Hoffman disappear. He disappeared behind dark-rimmed glasses and a whimper, way down in the soul of Truman Capote. He disappeared under scraggly hair and a moustache as a wisdom-spouting Lester Bangs. He disappeared in a polyester Oakland A’s jersey, arms crossed, pouting in the direction of Billy Beane. He disappeared with a bob haircut and a tank top, holding a boom on a porno set, lusting after Dirk Diggler.

And then he disappeared on February 2, 2014, inside a standard issue black body bag, horizontal, strapped to a gurney, rolling out of his New York City apartment under camera flashes.

What’s most troubling about watching Hoffman in the new film A Most Wanted Man—one of his final roles—is that, for the first time in his two-decades-and-change career, Philip Seymour Hoffman looks like himself. When we watch him huff and wobble through the streets of Hamburg, we’re watching a fictional performance from a real-life man who was rapidly deteriorating, and would soon be dead.

In the film, based off the John le Carre novel of the same title, Hoffman stars as Gunther Bachmann, a weathered German spy. Not weathered in the Robert Redford way. There is no poise. He’s beaten down, ghostly white, stubbled. A round head and a fleshy jowl. His gut curls over his waist like a melting Buddha candle.

Hoffman’s character could most easily be described as an antihero, but it’s hard to root for him. He’s a loner with seemingly no personal life, married to his work, perpetually getting shit on by forces greater than himself. He doesn’t do this job for glory—whatever little glory there is—and, at one point, in conversation with an American of the same trade, he admits that he doesn’t even know why he does this type of work anymore. But he’s good at it, more or less, and it consumes him. He’s searching for something, though what is intentionally unclear. His eyes are tired and removed from almost every scene. Even his pigment feels in stark contrast to the rest of the cast (not least, bleached blonde Rachel McAdams). He’s just not all there.

In a recent essay in The New York Times, John le Carre, the author of the film’s source material, waxed poetic about watching one of the greatest actors of the modern era bring his words to life. For as good as he was, PSH couldn’t do a proper German accent, and the film is a little worse for it. But as le Carre writes:

He made his voice the only authentic one, the lonely one, the odd one out, the one you depended on amid all the others.

And, perhaps more hauntingly:

Whenever he left the room, you were afraid you’d seen the last of him. And if that sounds like wisdom after the event, it isn’t. Philip was burning himself out before your eyes.

He’s smoking in almost every scene. Not just inhaling, but forcefully sucking the tobacco through the filter and deep into his lungs. He’s wheezing. He’s ordering black coffee at any place that sells it, then pouring whiskey in the cup on at least one occasion. Hoffman maintained sobriety for 23 years before relapsing in 2013. When they found him on his bathroom floor, there was a needle dangling from his arm.

Philip Seymour Hoffman with Robin Wright in A Most Wanted Man.

I was among the vulture press outside 35 Bethune Street, an otherwise quiet block in the West Village, when the Crime Scene Unit arrived. It was a weirdly temperate afternoon in the dead of winter, the kind of day on which PSH used to ride his bike through that particular part of Lower Manhattan. As I approached his street, there was an eerie hush among the gathering neighbors, fans, and paparazzi—just over a dozen people at first. Two bored NYPD officers guarded the entrance to his building; a bouquet of white roses rested against the door next to them. The vulture press arrived in fives and tens, awkwardly grinning and passing rumors. News vans raised antennas for remote broadcasts, on-air reporters stared at their smartphones looking at unconfirmed reports on Twitter. Two detectives in ties and trench coats exited the building and said nothing. By now there was yellow tape blocking off each end of the street; the sidewalk gawkers had surged past one hundred. An NYPD truck arrived to erect steel blockades, corralling the masses for the next indefinite amount of hours. The police escorted an old lady with a walker down the middle of the street so she could get to her apartment. A neighbor crouched on his fire escape and peered down at the scene, a white dog resting in his lap. All the while, we stared at a brick building, looking up at the fourth floor, trying to figure out which unit was his. A Fox News reporter next to me audibly wondered if “the body” was still inside.

The dark comedic tension that resides on both sides of death permeated the air that Sunday — Super Bowl Sunday. Hoffman rented this apartment on Bethune Street, away from his wife and kids, because she kicked him out of the house after his relapse. As photographers next to me switched lenses and glanced at their first frames, one shooter sighed and said to his competitor: “You thought you were gonna be at the Meadowlands, right?” They both laughed. The Seahawks were preparing to route the Broncos just across the river, and these guys were hoping to get a body shot of a dead heroin addict.

There’s a scene in the film where Hoffman sits alone at a dive bar. He’s in a booth, drinking whiskey, unnoticed through a cloud of cigarette smoke and humming neon — the sort of place you’d expect to find in the Deep South. He stares into the bottom of his glass, and he’s eventually joined by a woman whom he doesn’t much feel like talking to. It doesn’t look like he’s acting. Which is why this film, despite its flaws, will make a lasting impact. When you watch this movie, you’re watching Philip Seymour Hoffman die.

On January 30, Hoffman was spotted in a bar in downtown Atlanta. He was in town shooting The Hunger Games. TMZ published the grainy photo, along with witness accounts of his “multiple trips to the bathroom.” It’s the type of tabloid speculation that you usually brush off after a cursory glance. Three days after that photo was taken, I stood on a crowded New York sidewalk and watched two crime scene specialists in full-body white suits climb out of a van. They rolled a gurney out of the back and walked it through the building’s front door. Philip Seymour Hoffman was inside, four flights up, his large, fleshy body sprawled out on the bathroom floor. But the man we revered — the antihero — had disappeared long ago.

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Johnny Winter (left) and Edgar Winter in 2012.

Bobby Bank/WireImage

By Kory Grow

July 23, 2014 2:45 PM ET

Johnny Winter's brother, multi-instrumentalist Edgar, will pay tribute to his sibling, who died at age 70 last week, on his upcoming tour. In a statement, Edgar expressed admiration for Johnny and remorse for his passing. "My wife, Monique, and I are shocked at the suddenness of Johnny's passing, especially since I was so looking forward with such joy and anticipation to seeing him again and playing together," Edgar wrote on Facebook. "I know his body is departing this physical realm, but his presence, his music, and his spirit are undiminished, and alive as ever in my heart.

"Johnny has always been, is now and will forever remain my greatest musical hero of all time," he continued. "But more than all that, he's my brother – in family, in music, in life and beyond. I will do my best to carry on in honor of his memory and the Winter name."

The Lion in Johnny Winter: A Tribute to the Guitar Icon

Accordingly, Edgar has reprogrammed his upcoming Rock 'n' Blues Fest tour to serve as a tribute to Johnny. On each date of the tour, the Edgar Winter Band, Vanilla Fudge, Rare Earth member Peter Rivera and Savoy Brown's Kim Simmonds intend to play songs that fans associate with Johnny, Vintage Vinyl News reports. Rick Derringer, whose "Rock and Roll, Hoochie Koo" Winter recorded with Derringer on his Johnny Winter And album in 1970, will appear as a special guest on the tour's final two nights.

Johnny Winter's final album, Step Back, is still set to come out on September 2nd. It will feature the Texas blues guitarist playing with the likes of Eric Clapton, ZZ Top's Billy Gibbons and Aerosmith's Joe Perry, among others.

Here are the tour dates for the Rock 'n' Blues Fest tour:

7/31 Clarkston, MI – DTE Energy Music Theatre
8/01 Westbury, NY – NYCB Theatre at Westbury
8/02 Rockland, ME – Harbor Park
8/03 Red Bank, NJ – Count Basie Theatre
8/05 Glenside, PA – Keswick Theatre
8/06 Cohasset, MA – South Shore Music Circus
8/07 New Brunswick, NJ – State Theatre
8/08 Englewood, NJ – Bergen Performing Arts Center
8/10 Waukegan, IL – Genesee Theatre
8/13 Melbourne, FL – King Center For Performing Arts
8/14 Jacksonville, FL – Florida Theatre
8/15 Fort Lauderdale, FL – Broward Center for the Performing Arts
8/16 Clearwater, FL – Ruth Eckerd Hall
8/21 San Jose, CA – City National Civic of San Jose
8/22 Anaheim, CA – City National Grove of Anaheim
8/23 Las Vegas, NV – Cannery Casino Hotel
8/24 Snoqualmie, WA – Snoqualmie Casino

'Guardians of the Galaxy' Star Zoe Saldana on 'Avatar' Sequels, Marriage and Race in Hollywood

by Eddie "STATS"

The Okayplayer Interview: Comic Genius Paul Mooney Talks About Doing Stand Up In 2014

'Manhattan': TV Review

WGN America

The Bottom Line

A gripping, strongly acted series well worth seeking out.

Airdate

Sundays at 10 p.m. on WGN America, beginning July 27

Cast

Ashley Zukerman, David Harbour, Daniel London, John Benjamin Hickey, Olivia Williams, Daniel Stern

Creator

Sam Shaw

A compelling slice of shadowy American history that should help WGN America win new viewers.

It's a sign of robust, almost embarrassingly good fortune in the television industry when the arrival of yet another show worth watching could make viewers wonder where they'll find the time to watch it.

You can count WGN America as one of the new players in the scripted arena who is doing better than expected. After recently launching its first series, Salem, a genre drama about the witches of Salem with some freaky turns in the history, WGN now adds the weightier and impressive Manhattan to its résumé.

Created and written by Sam Shaw (Masters of Sex), and directed superbly by veteran Thomas Schlamme (The West Wing), Manhattan kicks off with two gripping episodes that highlight a strong cast.

The series’ title refers to the Manhattan Project, the United States' effort to build a nuclear weapon that would not only win World War II but, for the scientific dreamers who made it happen, perhaps end all wars.

The government recruited a horde of the greatest technical minds on the East Coast and secretly moved the scientists and their families to P.O. Box 1663, an unmarked outpost in the desert of Los Alamos, New Mexico. "Welcome to nowhere," a Native American tells the wandering young scientist Charlie Isaacs (Ashley Zukerman), a winner of the prestigious Forbes Prize plucked from the Harvard physics department.

He's the boy wonder, wooed by two competing camps inside Los Alamos (the project is so secret even the vice president doesn't know it exists). He signs up with Dr. Reed Akley (David Harbour), who, thanks to his ample staff and high-quality equipment, heads the team with the best chance of coming up with the bomb design that will please Dr. Robert Oppenheimer (Daniel London). On the other side is the passionate but angst-ridden Dr. Frank Winter (John Benjamin Hickey).

Winter has a ragtag crew of scientists and lacks Akley’s cool demeanor. He also appears to be succumbing to the pressure of building a bomb, becoming more insular and distant despite calm guidance from his wife, Liza (Olivia Williams), who has a Ph.D. in botany from Barnard and never expected to be relegated to a supporting role for her husband. In contrast, Isaacs' wife, Abby (Rachel Brosnahan), is younger and less worldly, but is immediately unhappy about this strange, harsh life out in the desert.

Another standout in the cast is Daniel Stern as scientist Glen Babbit, who recruited Winter from Princeton and backs him at Los Alamos despite his erratic behavior.

What Manhattan has going for it is the built-in tension of the arms-race scenario: If the American scientists don't build the bomb, Germany will, and in the meantime hundreds of American soldiers are dying every day. What you might think would work against Manhattan — the fact that the Manhattan Project was successful and relatively short-lived, so how can you sustain a series? — was explained away by the show’s creators, who, at the recent Television Critics Association summer press tour, noted that even though the story is based on facts, only Oppenheimer is a real figure. Everybody else is fictional, and Shaw’s ambition is to create a sense of life at Los Alamos, where secrets, lies and the hardships of being cut off from the rest of the world begin to take their toll.

Though Salem was enjoyable (and odd), it was clearly a genre drama with limited appeal, whereas Manhattan aims to paint on a larger canvas and flaunt an assured sense of identity. With 13 episodes set for the first season, it may be time to find out if you get WGN America in your cable or satellite package (odds are you do).

Amy Winehouse In Rememberance

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Micky Dolenz and Alice Cooper: Hollywood Vampires Re-Unite

(Photo credit): Donna Quinter

Monkee Micky Dolenz, a member of the infamous Hollywood Vampires, re-united with fellow-member Alice Cooper Monday night in L. A., as Cooper performed at The Hollywood Bowl.

The legendary members-only club (which included John Lennon, Ringo Starr, Harry Nilsson and Bernie Taupin) would gather regularly at The Rainbow on Sunset, in the 70’s. The two are standing in front of a plaque honoring the club and its members.

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[Edited 7/24/14 10:11am]

Bruce Lee and James Garner

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