Scarlett Johansson Just Became a Mother

The last time I saw Scarlett Johansson, I was watching her devour men as an alien in Under the Skin, but that's besides the point—she's now a mother!

The 29-year-old actress gave birth to a baby girl named Rose on Thursday, a spokesman told The Associated Press. The spokesman said that the new mom and her daughter are doing well, and she is hoping to keep the child out of the public eye (*cough* good luck, though *cough*).

The father of the baby girl is Romain Dauriac, who Johansson has been engaged to since September 2013. She was previously married to the Green Lantern himself, Ryan Reynolds.

So to all you creeps out there, you've now got another woman to add to your MILF lists and you can also officially start your 18-year countdowns. Just kidding, don't do any of that.

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Review: Jen McGowan's 'Kelly & Cal' Starring Juliette Lewis & Jonny Weston

The notions of a mother estranged from her own offspring and a millennial teen embittered with the rage, hard-luck and confinement of paralysis are, on their own, distinct and interesting ideas worth investigating. And the indie “Kelly & Cal” takes both of these ideas and merges them together into what should be a compelling exploration of two separate walks of life struggling with their own disenchantments. But frustratingly, the movie can’t seem to make much of either premise, and in fact, each suggestion is mostly just a façade to examine human nature elements that are far more banal.

“Kelly & Cal” takes these potential threads and drops them safely within the “unlikely friendship” genre you’ve seen before. You may have even witnessed this same story dressed with a May/December romance on top as well. And you know how it goes, both parties have their respective issues, but the unlikely friendship they strike up creates a spark and usually unlocks something in the other, giving them the emotional tools to overcome their obstacles. But we ask: have you ever seen it with the former punk rocker turned disenfranchised mom and the wisecracking kid in the wheelchair?

That is to facetiously say, while “Kelly & Cal” flirts with interesting concepts under a superficial dynamic you haven’t seen paired before, ultimately its narrative is both familiar and predictable. Juliette Lewis stars as Kelly, a former punk turned mom now stifled in suburbia. Yearning for something meaningful, her fresh 3-month-old baby evidently doesn’t provide that, and her distant husband isn’t interested in sex (or possibly even her) despite the doctor’s A-OK. Nearby, is Cal (Jonny Weston), an oversexed, cocky teen in a wheelchair whose smart-alecky exterior belies the deep-seated frustrations he has with his lot in life.

Bonding over their outcast statuses on the fringes of this dull community—Kelly not connecting with any of the moms or people in the area, Cal feeling like a teen misfit and freak—the two begin to spend what eventually becomes an unhealthy amount of time together. At first it’s companionship to stave off boredom, then something resembling a true connection, and then something more. And if you see where this is going, well, that’s because it’s not hard to spot.

The film is the feature-length debut by Jen McGowan, and was written by Amy Lowe Starbin, and it makes some unfortunate and arguably unfeminist choices; one of them being the idea that Kelly is so starved for attention that she’ll flirt with a teenage boy to get some kind of validation. It’s also sometimes shocking just how disinterested the movie is with the baby and this rings rather false. Now a mother being completely alienated from her newborn—that could be an interesting track to follow given how maternal instincts are so ingrained and natural to most women (traveling upstream against this concept would be fresh). But the film is more interested in using the baby as a MacGuffin-like narrative pawn to dive into the story of a disenfranchised housewife, and that feel’s unfortunate in comparison. In fact, where the movie feels most genuine is in Kelly’s pining and nostalgia for her punk rock roots (and then maybe the addendum baby could have been written out of the screenplay entirely), but when it’s expressed in an outburst that has the mom dying her hair manic-panic blue, it’s hard not to roll your eyes at this hokey manifestation of trying to return to one’s roots.

Of course, the baby itself seems to mysteriously disappear for a big part of the second half of the narrative (mystery babysitter?) as Kelly and Cal’s issues become clearer. While understandable to a degree (the story is after all about Kelly and Cal’s relationship), it demonstrates how the baby is simply an afterthought device. Again, it’s disappointing because the conventional tale of an unfulfilled housewife who has to hook up with the younger guy to feed her ego is rather regrettable.

While the inspired dichotomy of veteran Juliette Lewis and up-and-comer Jonny Weston works well—their chemistry is authentic and they are the movie’s saving grace—so many other elements are problematic. It’s a shame, too, because Lewis hasn’t been this good in forever and Weston proves he’s an on-the-rise star worth keeping an eye on. As other characters go, the underserved husband played by Josh Hopkins is also just another tool in the story rather than a three-dimensional character and he conveniently behaves exactly as the screenplay needs him to rather than organically (disinterested and detached at first, then hurt later on). And his family, played by a decently well-written and empathetic Cybil Shepherd and a terribly-written, one-note Lucy Owen as the sister-in-law, wouldn’t last two fucking seconds in any household where the pushy and domineering in-laws enter her house and try and set rules for their daughter-in-law. None of that behavior seems to be rooted anything other than convenient movie logic, which is part of the film’s biggest issues.

While anchored by the aforementioned strong performances, too many unsurprising or banal plot clichés are abused. The romance—and how it goes wrong for everyone—is hackneyed, and perhaps more troubling is how the movie’s point of sympathy view is always shifting. Initially, it paints Kelly as indisputably unappreciated and unfulfilled, having to take care of a baby she’s barely connecting to all by herself and so her husband is the jackass. It seems to suggest her actions are justified (and perhaps they are), but by the end, the movie shifts over to his favor—he’s been working hard for her (which explains his emotional absence) and she’s been careless enough to almost throw it all away with an almost-fling with a teenage boy. And their attempts at reconciliation also fall flat considering Hopkins has barely been part of the film.

Frustratingly uneven, “Kelly & Cal” is too glib and prosaic to truly be insightful or impacting. While it’s a warm look at a questionable, unlikely friendship, it’s easy, foreseeable narrative choices suggest a movie that not only should have spent a lot more development time at the script stage, but could’ve stood to pay more attention to real and relatable human behavior. [C]

This is a reprint of our review from the 2014 SXSW Film Festival. "Kelly & Cal" opens tomorrow.

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Film Review: ‘The Identical’

April 21, 2014 | 08:36AM PT

This indie drama based on Elvis Presley mythos fails to take full advantage of its fanciful premise.

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Venice Review: Alejandro González Iñárritu’s ‘Birdman’ With Michael Keaton, Emma Stone, Ed Norton & More

Hubristic, humble, heartfelt and hotheaded, “Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)” is phenomenal. The feverishly anticipated (not least by us) movie from Alejandro González Iñárritu blasted through its Venice premiere (it’s the opening film) in a giddy, gonzo rush —so exciting, so moment-to-moment enjoyable that to expect profundity would be greedy. And yet it delivers on that level as well; the film is as thoughtful and smart as it is infectiously absurd. And that's perhaps the biggest surprise of an endlessly surprising, inventive movie: whatever the sum of its parts, like how it launches and completes the “Keatonnaissance” in one fell swoop, or the incredible camerawork that is imperceptibly stitched together into (mostly) one long, seemingly cutless take, “Birdman” adds up to more. It’s borderline miraculous.

Nothing in Iñárritu's back catalogue can prepare you for this new direction. Many an auteur has switched genre and mood; seldom have we seen such a total change of sensibility. If it resembles any film at all, it’s probably Charlie Kaufman’s “Synecdoche, NY” but with a lighter heart and a sly grin. Because here, Iñárritu, who in the past has been nothing if not sincere to the point of self-seriousness, suddenly shows us not just his anarchic, uproarious, mischievous sense of humor, but an almost impish delight in the further possibilities of a medium he’d already mastered. Far from resting on his laurels, Iñárritu has, to echo one of the film’s central tenets, risked something. And that risk pays off with interest: we’re trying to avoid the hyperbolic “redefining the language of cinema”-type comment, but the film’s bravura, impeccably achieved form has such a gravitational effect that it becomes hard to remember that there was ever another way to tell a story.

The plot is an endlessly unfurling pleasure that you need to discover for yourselves, but follows an ex-movie star, Riggan Thomas (welcome back, Michael Keaton!) who is trying to mount a self-penned theatrical adaptation of Raymond Carver’s “What We Talk About When We Talk About Love” on Broadway. Occasionally haunted by the voice of his most famous role, Birdman, functioning as a malevolent alter ego personifying all of Riggan’s self-doubt and fear, Riggan is also telekinetic. Or he’s under the illusion that he can move objects without touching them —throughout, the film does a little dance of ambivalence around what’s real and what imagined. The quartet of actors in the play (Keaton, Edward Norton, Naomi Watts, Andrea Riseborough) rehearse, bicker, support each other and come to blows, and orbiting them at a sardonic distance are Riggan’s daughter (Emma Stone), his best friend/manager/producer (Zach Galifianakis) and his ex-wife (Amy Ryan). With disasters self-made and external dogging each of the previews, Riggan unravels ever further, building up to opening night when the play will be made or broken by a review from Lindsay Duncan’s all-powerful New York Times critic.

Keaton is superb throughout to the point that it’s difficult to work out if the film derives its off-kilter energy and arch self-awareness from him or vice versa, as he unerringly negotiates the various aspects of his multifaceted role (not least as a proxy for Iñárritu himself). But the entire cast is outstanding, delivering a brilliantly-written script (by Iñárritu, Nicolas Giacobone, Alexander Dinelaris Jr and Armando Bo) that generously gives each actor at least one and often several killer moments. Indeed, the first half of the film almost belongs to Norton, whose hyper-driven and deeply method Mike Shiner is given many an excoriating monologue on the nature of acting, theater vs. Hollywood (“Birdman” is mercilessly critical of pop culture, while also ravenously feeding off it), truth in performance, and in one surprisingly moving juncture on a rooftop with Emma Stone, aging and insecurity. Stone is maybe the best she’s ever been, delivering a snarling monologue at one point that is basically a manifesto for the modern millennial, and then tempering it with a tiny beat at the end that kinda deserves an Oscar all by itself. Riseborough and Watts have smaller roles, but a brilliant scene together gives them depth and life and color outside their screen time, and if Ryan gives the film a lot of its heart as Riggan’s loving ex-wife (the platonic opposite of the shrewish ex), then Lindsay Duncan lends it a fair share of its bite in a couple of brilliantly venomous exchanges (critics, and the nature of criticism also come in for some uncomfortably pointed, hilarious jibes).

But if there is an MVP here aside from Iñárritu, it has to be DP Emmanuel Lubezki. His camerawork is simply dazzling (and often dazzled, wheeling up into the bright sky or wandering past stage lights), and the decision to have the vast majority of the film play out as one continuous shot is not just a show-off move but absolutely vital to the film’s themes. In fact, we’re struggling to recall a more perfect marriage of form and content: As much as the camera glides silkily and occasionally soars, the cumulative effect of the building momentum feels almost like a tumble down a rabbit hole, like falling, and whether Riggan will fly or fall is the central question of the film.

Brilliantly scored (by Antonio Sanchez) to an insistent, percussive drumbeat (that itself gets a witty, Godardian reveal deep into the film) and peppered with acerbic asides and belly laughs, the greatest wonder of the film is that for all its wry, surreal meta-textuality, it should gradually build to something so thought-provoking and genuinely human. Almost inevitably, at one point a side character quotes Macbeth’s line about life being "but a tale told by an idiot," but as full as “Birdman” is of sound and fury (and joy and jokes), it signifies a great deal, largely about the painful, thrilling and dangerous prospect of rebirth. Which is appropriate, because with "Birdman," Iñárritu, Keaton, and our own faith in the limitless possibilities of cinema, are reborn. [A]

http://blogs.indiewire.co...m-festival" href="http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/tag/venice-film-festival">Browse through all our coverage of the 2014 Venice Film Festival to date by clicking here.

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Lauryn Hill adds third London date to forthcoming UK tour Lauryn Hill Tickets

Singer will perform at Brooklyn Bowl venue on September 28

Photo: Getty

Lauryn Hill has added a third London date to her forthcoming UK tour.

The singer has scheduled a date at the Brooklyn Bowl venue, located inside the O2 in Greenwich, on September 28. The gig will take place after a previously announced live dates in London, Manchester and Birmingham. See below for ticket details.

The performance is a rare one from the singer-songwriter and former Fugees member. Her only UK show in the past five years was at the Indigo2 venue in April 2012. On that occasion, she performed much of her revered solo album 'The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill', a handful of Fugees songs and covers of tracks by artists including Bob Marley and Stevie Wonder.

The performance follows some difficult times for Hill, who was last month forced to deny reports that she is being reinvestigated for tax evasion. She was released from a three-month sentence for tax evasion in October last year.

In February, Hill covered The Beatles' 'Something' on the Late Show With David Letterman. Click here to watch that ...r comeback.

Lauryn Hill will play:

London, O2 Academy Brixton (September 20/21)
Birmingham, O2 Academy (23)
Manchester, O2 Apollo (25)
London, Brooklyn Bowl (28)

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For MC Lyte, Hip-Hop No Longer Reflects Reality

By Lauren Schwartzberg Sep 2 2014

Photo by Lexi Tannenholtz

It’s easy to forget that before Iggy Azalea and Nicki Minaj... Before Missy Elliott, Eve, and Gangsta Boo... Even before Lil Kim defined a certain type of American icon, there were pioneer female MCs who fought to make hip-hop a safe space for women to express themselves through rhyme.

This past August, those founding females of hip-hop and some of the most important women in the rap music biz descended upon Martha’s Vineyard for the second annual Summer Madness Music Festival & Conference. With a guest list that included everyone from Monie Love to MC Lyte, it made perfect sense that this year's festival bore a "Ladies First" theme. According to Sean Porter, one of the event’s co-founders, the event was a "celebration of all genres of black music" intended to "counterbalance all of that negative imagery surrounding African American women."

The time felt right. There's a lot to celebrate and discuss when talking about women, race, and hip-hop these days. In 2013, no black artists topped the Billboard 100 charts, while a white artist like Macklemore nabbed the Grammy for Best Rap Album. This year, magazines claimed that Aussie newbie Iggy Azalea and her interpretation of a Southern black drawl "run hip-hop." Not to mention, we've seen plenty of white asses in Sports Illustrated get celebrated, while an album cover featuring a single bulbous black ass wearing a pink thong caused controversy and uproar across the web.

So instead of high-fiving everyone at the conference over how awesome hip-hop is, I took the time to ask a bunch of rap's female OGs about gender in hip-hop and the impact of the so-called "white-washing" of the culture. This week we have my conversation with the first female rapper to ever release a full-length album, MC Lyte.

You released the first female rap album in 1988. Five years later, your fourth album, Ain’t No Other, was the first to go gold. It took a bit of time. Iggy Azalea released “Fancy” in February of this year and it went platinum in May. After the second week of her debut album release, she became the first non-American female rapper to hit the top of the Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop charts. What do you think about that?
MC Lyte: First off I would just say that hip-hop has grown since my first record. There’s just no comparison between the times. It has grown wide and embedded into everyone’s culture. It doesn’t matter what color you are when you can tap into what people can enjoy and want to hear. Yes, hip-hop was born out of a struggle, but it was never intended to not encompass all cultures. Iggy is a lover of the hip-hop culture. You can just tell by the way she rhymes that she’s studied. She’s from overseas as well. They have a different level of appreciation for all of hip-hop, no matter the year. So congratulations to her.

Is it wrong to think it might take away from young black female artists trying to break into the game if someone like Iggy Azalea, who mostly makes pop hits cloaked in hip-hop, seems to have such a broader appeal right off the bat?
I don’t think it can be any harder than it already is. Prior to her coming on the scene, there was a struggle with having more than just one female on the scene representing all female MCs or representing all women or having all women looking towards one female representation. That trouble was there long before Iggy stepped on the scene, so do I think it makes it a little more difficult than it was before?

What about in terms of the commercialism of various artists, because that’s inseparable from hip-hop right now. Do you think labels might go straight for white rappers because they have this proven pop appeal?
I believe the face of rap changed with Fergie, with Nellie Furtado, and with Gwen Stefani working with hip-hop producers. You know, Will.I.Am, Neptunes...

Timbaland
Exactly. So to me it just seems systematic that hip-hop has grown. I mean, there was a white woman who did it before all of us—Blondie. Well, I wouldn’t say before all of us—Sha-Rock was first. But Blondie did it before me. The only thing record labels are interested in is making money. They’re a business. So if they find an artist who has pop appeal that the masses are going to be quicker to purchase, they'll do it. I don’t think it’s a record labels business to further the mission of hip-hop culture or to educate, unfortunately. We need to be the ones that make that decision and then you’d see it in the content of our music. But we’re not concerned with that.

What would the content be, in that case?
It would be what it was back then. It would sound a little bit more realistic. It would be more reflective of the struggle that’s actually happening. It would be the reporting of truth. And right now, it’s a big party. But people are not partying 24-hours-a-day—if they are, then there’s an issue. There’s a problem. For the most part, I think it would be like a Common album that speaks on what’s going on in places like Chicago and is more reflective of what’s really happening.

'X Factor' finalist and G.R.L. member Simone Battle dies at 25

Simone Battle of the band G.R.L. (Casey Curry / Casey Curry/Invision/AP)

By Gerrick D. Kennedy contact the reporter

Simone Battle, member of the pop group G.R.L. and former "X Factor" finalist, was found dead on Friday in her West Hollywood home, her record label confirmed. She was 25.

Battle's body was discovered in the bedroom of her apartment by her father following an apparent suicide, according to reports.

Battle competed on Fox's since-canceled singing competition “The X Factor” in 2011.

Although she didn't make it far on the competition, she built a following with her music videos that she issued after being eliminated. Last year she was tapped by Pussycat Dolls founder Robin Antin to join G.R.L., a new girl group she was launching that was reminiscent of the Nicole Sherzinger-led group.

G.R.L. collaborated with Pitbull on the single "Wild Wild Love," which they performed at the iHeartRadio Music Awards earlier this year. In July the group released its self-titled, five-song EP.

"We are deeply saddened by the tragic loss of Simone Battle of G.R.L.," a joint statement from Reign Deer Entertainment, Kemosabe Records, RCA Records and Pussycat Dolls founder Robin Antin reads. "Simone was an exceptional young talent and human being, and we are all devastated to learn of her passing. Our thoughts and prayers are with her family and loved ones at this time."

The rest of the group took to its official Twitter account to release a statement.

"Words cannot express the depth of our loss. Simone's incredible talent was only surpassed by the size of her heart," the members wrote on Saturday. "We will carry her memory with us in everything we do."

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Ladies' Code Member Rise Dies Two Days after EunB's Funeral; Was Listed as Critical Following Van Accident

More sad news coming out of the K-Pop world following last week'd bus accident involving girl group Ladies' Code. Member Rise was listed as critical following the accident and passed away Sunday morning (September 7), according to Billboard. The performer had undergone hours of surgery to repair damage to her head and legs but she never regained consciousness following the incident. She was 23 years old.

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Member EunB was killed immediately in the accident, which took place September 3. Her funeral was carried out on September 5, with only members Ashley and Zuny able to attend. Last member SoJung remains hospitalized with injuries listed as "major," although no indication has been given what impact they'll have on her future as a performer. Zuny wore a neck brace at the funeral but appears to be healthy considering.

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Tragic death: Rise (centre) with Ladies' Code at the Gaon Chart K-pop Awards

The K-Pop scene-fans and performers alike-came out with strong sympathy and tribute once again as they did following EunB's death. The group's hit "I'm Fine Thank You" remained no. 1 on the Korean charts, unfortunately for the first time in the group's career that it had reached such a peak. #RIPRise became the no. 1 trending topic in the world on Twitter following the announcement of her passing.

RiSe has died in hospital, days after the crash which killed bandmate EunB

Investigations continue to see if any criminal activity was involved in the fatal accident, such as the driver behaving recklessly. The fire department in the case has denied rumors that the performers may not have been wearing seat belts however.

EunB died on September 3

The accident apparently occurred when the back wheel of the fan came off and the vehicle, already driving on a wet road, crashed into a barrier.

World Premiere of New Play COMEDY IS HARD! Starring Micky Dolenz and Joyce DeWitt Starts Previews 9/26 at Ivoryton Playhouse AT THE IVORYTON PLAYHOUSE

The world premiere of a brand new play by acclaimed writer of The Simpsons, Mike Reiss, will take place at the historic Ivoryton Playhouse in Ivoryton, CT. Previews begin September 24th - the play opens on September 26th and runs through October 12th. MICKY DOLENZ (of The Monkees) will star alongside JOYCE DEWITT, veteran actress and star of the ABC television hit series Three's Company.

Dolenz has delighted audiences with his performances on stage in the Elton John/Tim Rice production of Aida; Grease; Pippin'; A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum; and, most recently Hairspray in the West End playing Wilbur Turnblad.

Said Dolenz, "The opportunity to originate this role in Mike's new play is terrific. I am ready to un-leash my inner-comedian."

Joyce DeWitt is no stranger to the hilarious writing of Mike Reiss as she starred in the world premiere of his play I'm Connecticut in 2012 at CT Repertory Theatre. DeWitt, who has performed in almost every theatrical genre from Medea to South Pacific, jumped at the chance to perform in another Mike Reiss play. "The idea of figuring out how to play this woman who goes through a deep, heart-place transformation/evolution--in the middle of a wonderfully written comedy! With Micky Dolenz? At the beautiful, historic Ivoryton Playhouse? "Yes" was a no-brainer."

COMEDY IS HARD is a story of friendship and friction between an aging comedian and a veteran dramatic actress in a home for retired performers. It's about life, love, show business, and the importance of growing old disgracefully.

Reiss, who is writer and producer for the long running TV show, The Simpsons, also created the animated series The Critic; the webtoon Queer Duck and worked on the screenplays for Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs; Horton Hears a Who!; The Simpsons: The Movies; and, My Life In Ruins. Ivoryton audiences turned out in droves in the June 2013 for his hilarious play, I'm Connecticut, which was a huge popular and critical success.

Comedy is Hard! opens at the Ivoryton Playhouse on September 24 and runs through October 12, 2014. Directed by Playhouse Artistic Director, Jacqueline Hubbard, the cast includes Michael McDermott*, Dan Coyle, Dorian Mendez and Michael Hotkowski. The set design is by Dan Nischan, lighting by Marcus Abbott and costumes by Lenore Grunko. Executive Producer is Michael A. Dattilo.

Performance times are Wednesday and Sunday matinees at 2pm. Evening performances are Wednesday and Thursday at 7:30pm, Friday and Saturday at 8pm.

There will be talkbacks with the writer - check our website for details. Tickets are $42 for adults, $37 for seniors, $20 for students and $15 for children and are available by calling the Playhouse box office at 860-767-7318 or by visiting our website at www.ivorytonplayhouse.org (Group rates are available by calling the box office for information.) The Playhouse is located at 103 Main Street in Ivoryton.

Pictured: Micky Dolenz* and Joyce DeWitt*

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Chicago Fire actress Molly Glynn killed by falling tree during storm

September 9, 2014 - 5:31AM

CD1:
01 – Procession (Live At The Rainbow, London – March 1974)
02 – Father To Son (Live At The Rainbow, London – March 1974)
03 – Ogre Battle (Live At The Rainbow, London – March 1974)
04 – Son And Daughter (Live At The Rainbow, London – March 1974)
05 – Guitar Solo (Live At The Rainbow, London – March 1974)
06 – Son And Daughter (Reprise) (Live At The Rainbow, London – March 1974)
07 – White Queen (As It Began) (Live At The Rainbow, London – March 1974)
08 – Great King Rat (Live At The Rainbow, London – March 1974)
09 – The Fairy Feller’s Master-Stroke (Live At The Rainbow, London – March 1974)
10 – Keep Yourself Alive (Live At The Rainbow, London – March 1974)
11 – Drum Solo (Live At The Rainbow, London – March 1974)
12 – Keep Yourself Alive (Reprise) (Live At The Rainbow, London – March 1974)
13 – Seven Seas Of Rhye (Live At The Rainbow, London – March 1974)
14 – Modern Times Rock ‘n’ Roll (Live At The Rainbow, London – March 1974)
15 – Jailhouse Rock – Stupid Cupid – Be Bop A Lula (Live At The Rainbow, London – March 1974)
16 – Liar (Live At The Rainbow, London – March 1974)
17 – See What A Fool I’ve Been (Live At The Rainbow, London – March 1974)

CD2:
01 – Procession (Live At The Rainbow, London – November 1974)
02 – Now I’m Here (Live At The Rainbow, London – November 1974)
03 – Ogre Battle (Live At The Rainbow, London – November 1974)
04 – Father To Son (Live At The Rainbow, London – November 1974)
05 – White Queen (As It Began) (Live At The Rainbow, London – November 1974)
06 – Flick Of The Wrist (Live At The Rainbow, London – November 1974)
07 – In The Lap Of The Gods (Live At The Rainbow, London – November 1974)
08 – Killer Queen (Live At The Rainbow, London – November 1974)
09 – The March Of The Black Queen (Live At The Rainbow, London – November 1974)
10 – Bring Back That Leroy Brown (Live At The Rainbow, London – November 1974)
11 – Son And Daughter (Live At The Rainbow, London – November 1974)
12 – Guitar Solo (Live At The Rainbow, London – November 1974)
13 – Son And Daughter (Reprise) (Live At The Rainbow, London – November 1974)
14 – Keep Yourself Alive (Live At The Rainbow, London – November 1974)
15 – Drum Solo (Live At The Rainbow, London – November 1974)
16 – Keep Yourself Alive (Reprise) (Live At The Rainbow, London – November 1974)
17 – Seven Seas Of Rhye (Live At The Rainbow, London – November 1974)
18 – Stone Cold Crazy (Live At The Rainbow, London – November 1974)
19 – Liar (Live At The Rainbow, London – November 1974)
20 – In The Lap Of The Gods…Revisited (Live At The Rainbow, London – November 1974)
21 – Big Spender (Live At The Rainbow, London – November 1974)
22 – Modern Times Rock ‘n’ Roll (Live At The Rainbow, London – November 1974)
23 – Jailhouse Rock (Live At The Rainbow, London – November 1974)
24 – God Save The Queen (Live At The Rainbow, London – November 1974)

Former “American Idol” fave Katharine McPhee is beginning to build quite the diverse acting portfolio.

While McPhee was last a series regular on NBC's musical series “Smash,” McPhee has quite a different project on her hands with the upcoming CBS drama “Scorpion,” which premieres Sept. 22.

On the series, McPhee plays Paige Dineen, a waitress and single mother who finds herself allied with a group of super-geniuses who've teamed with the government to save the world from destruction. To hear McPhee tell it, her new gig is a big departure from belting out tunes.

See video: ‘Scorpion’ Executive Producer Scooter Braun Discusses Working With Geniuses

“We get to do a lot of different things. Like, my first day of shooting during production, I was running and bombs were going off. I went from singing and dancing to running away from bomb explosions and nuclear disasters being an imminent threat to society,” McPhee told TheWrap at the PaleyFest screening of the series Sunday. “So it's constantly changing. I've always liked procedurals, but this is a really different kind of procedural. It's not your everyday procedural that you see. It's got a lot of heart and humor and heroes, basically, And each episode, the characters get to kind of trade off on which ones are the heroes and which ones are the heart.”

As for seguing from “American Idol” to acting, McPhee noted, “I set goals for myself, so I didn't know exactly what it would look like, but I set goals for myself … It's never as you planned, but I'm not complaining.”

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Rodolfo Martinez/USA Network

The actress will play a recurring role on the new fall comedy

Joey McIntyre has a new squeeze on upcoming CBS multi-cam comedy, “The McCarthys.”

TheWrap has learned that Jessica St. Clair will join the cast in a recurring role playing Katrina, the girlfriend to McIntyre's character, Gerard. She's described as a tacky loose cannon with no filter who's oblivious to how judgmental and insulting she can be.

Look for St. Clair's run on the show to begin in Episode 104.

Also read: CBS's ‘McCarthys’ Is Keeping the Gay Stuff Upbeat — at Least for Season 1

St. Clair recently starred on USA Network's “Playing House,” which she also co-created. Her other television credits include HBO's “Veep,” NBC's short-lived comedy “Best Friends Forever” and Showtime's “Weeds.”

She has also appeared in numerous movies, including “Bridesmaids,” “Enough Said” and “She's Out of My League.”

Will Gluck (“Easy A”) is executive producing “The McCarthys” with Brian Gallivan (“Are You There, Chelsea?”) serving as co-executive producer and writer. Produced by Sony Pictures Television in association with Gluck's Olive Bridge, “The McCarthys” revolves around a loud, sports-crazed Boston clan.

McIntyre stars in the comedy alongside Tyler Ritter, Laurie Metcalf, Jack McGee, Jimmy Dunn and Kelen Coleman.

UTA and Mosaic represent St. Clair.

“The McCarthys” premieres Thursday, Oct. 30 at 9:30 on CBS.

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Viacom Inks Pact with Sony for Internet TV Service

September 10, 2014 | 07:11AM PT

Media conglom's first over-the-top deal encompasses live and VOD content for at least 22 networks

Viacom officially announced a deal with Sony to license live and on-demand programming for at least 22 cable networks, including Nickelodeon, MTV and Comedy Central, for Sony’s forthcoming over-the-top TV service in the U.S.

The agreement with Sony marks the media conglom’s first deal to provide its networks for an Internet-based live TV and VOD service. Specific terms of the pact were not disclosed.

The announcement comes a year after word of a tentative pact ...leaked out. Sony said its cloud-based TV service will offer subscribers Internet-based live TV and video on demand from Viacom — as well as other unspecified programmers.

Dish Network also is assembling a low-priced OTT television service, delivered over the Internet to multiple devices. The satcaster has announced deals for the service with Disney and A+E Networks. Dish chairman Charlie Ergen has said the company has a “critical mass” of programming deals and expects to debut the Internet TV off...nd of 2014.

Sony previously has said it would begin testing the OTT TV service delivered to PlayStation consoles, Bravia smart TVs and other Sony connected devices sometime in 2014.

“Viacom always strives to create transformational opportunities that combine consumer value and technological innovation,” Viacom president and CEO Philippe Dauman said in a statement. “Given our young, tech-savvy audiences, our networks are essential for any new distribution platform, and we’re excited to be among the many programmers that will help power Sony’s new service and advance a new era for television.”

SEE ALSO: Sony to Introduce Cloud-B...e Services

The development is positive not only for Viacom, but for the entire TV programming sector, RBC Capital Markets analyst David Bank wrote in a research note. “With a new player (Sony) entering the marketplace, the new distribution channel will bring new demand for content,” he said.

For now, neither Sony nor Dish have revealed specific pricing, availability or the full content lineup for their respective services. In announcing the Viacom deal, Sony said it will provide more details about the service “in the near future.”

“Our new cloud-based TV service will combine the live TV content people love most about cable with the dynamic experience they have come to expect from our network,” said Andrew House, group executive for Sony’s Network Entertainment Business. “Viacom’s award-winning networks are a perfect match for our new service, ensuring that our customers will be able to access the shows they love on their favorite devices, when and how they choose.”

According to Sony, there are currently more than 75 million Internet-enabled Sony devices in U.S. households.

At least 22 Viacom linear networks will be on Sony’s OTT service at launch, including: BET, CMT, Comedy Central, MTV, MTV2, Nickelodeon, Nick Jr., Nicktoons, Spike, TV Land and VH1, BET Gospel, Centric, Logo, CMT Pure Country, MTV Hits, MTV James, mtvU, Palladia, TeenNick, Vh1 Classic and Vh1 Soul. All the networks will be available in HD.

Sony also has rights to Viacom’s full VOD package — the same bundle it distributes through current cable, satellite and telco TV partners.

In addition, Viacom’s deal with Sony encompasses authenticated access to hundreds of hours of programming on the media company’s TV Everywhere websites and apps to subscribers of Sony’s OTT service. Currently, Viacom has released TV Everywhere apps for Nickelodeon, MTV, Comedy Central, BET, VH1, CMT and Logo.

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Mel Brooks Riffs on ‘Young Frankenstein,’ Laddie and the Biz

September 9, 2014 | 10:00AM PT

The four guys sitting around the lunch table in Beverly Hills have been business associates and friends for decades.

Many decades.

This includes the decade known as the ’70s, when lunchee Mel Brooks directed and co-wrote “Young Frankenstein” (1974) for fellow lunchees, former Fox studio chief Alan Ladd Jr. and the film’s producer, Michael Gruskoff, as well as longtime Ladd associate Jay Kanter, who once repped the likes of Marlon Brando, Grace Kelly and Marilyn Monroe.

But this is clearly Brooks’ show, a point he reinforces when Gruskoff tries to tell their guest about the day the two of them and star Gene Wilder pitched the “Young Frankenstein” project to the top brass at Columbia Pictures.

Gruskoff may have gotten through the first word of the first sentence but he quickly and wisely lets Brooks finish: “LET ME TELL THE STORY I CAN TELL IT BETTER THAN YOU.”

“So everything was great, they loved the pitch, the budget was no problem,” recalls Brooks, “and I think we were almost out to Gower Street when I whispered, ‘Oh one more thing: it’s going to be in black and white.’ Suddenly there was a thundering herd of Jews descending on us; ‘What are you talking about??!!’”

But Brooks quickly gets to the real point of his story: “Then we took it to Laddie (Ladd Jr.) who had only been at Fox a few months and when we told him it had to be in black and white he said, ‘Of course it does.’ There’s the difference.”

Today Brooks is a genuine Comedy God with seven legendary decades of hits under his belt in virtually all genres, including records (with fellow God Carl Reiner), television, films and Broadway. But in 1973 when he and Gruskoff were trying to set up “Young Frankenstein,” which started as a Wilder treatment, Gruskoff was coming off the Dennis Hopper drug-addled epic fail “The Last Movie” and Brooks had just swan-dived at the box office with “The Twelve Chairs.”

“‘The Producers’ made a penny and ‘Twelve Chairs’ less than a penny,” recalls Brooks. “We had no script but we had Gene, Peter Boyle and Marty Feldman and none of them meant anything.”

Now, 40 years later, with Fox Home Entertainment rolling out a commemorative Blu-ray, Brooks’ Hands and Feet Ceremony Sept. 8 at the Chinese Theatre and a tribute screening Sept. 9 at the Goldwyn, Brooks acknowledges the current studio scene would be a tough place to replicate the Ladd-led Fox lot of 1974.

“Laddie had faith in the people who were making the films,” recalls Brooks. “He trusted (Robert) Altman to deliver the movie he said he was going to deliver. You didn’t get a lot of notes from Laddie. He wasn’t a fool, but it was more about the filmmakers than the films. Columbia had told us we needed to cut the budget from $2 million to $1.8. Laddie said it should be $2.2 (million).”

The Ladd bet paid off handsomely for Fox, winding up in the Christmas season as one of the year’s five top-grossing films.

But Ladd’s sigh of relief probably came much earlier in the year when “Blazing Saddles,” the film that Brooks made for Warner Bros. after “Twelve Chairs,” but unreleased when “Young” was greenlit, hit theaters in February. It ended up being 1974’s biggest hit, and provided the one-two punch that sent Wilder’s career into the comedy stratosphere.

And what was it like for Gruskoff to follow the Peruvian oddball odyssey of “Last Movie” and partner with Brooks to bring “Young Frankenstein” to mega-hit life? Words fail the garrulous Gruskoff so he turns to song, warbling to Brooks across the table: “Night and Day, you are the one …” Mel Brooks does not claim to be able sing Cole Porter better than Gruskoff, so we move on.

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Foreign-Language Oscar Entries Start to Pile Up

September 10, 2014 | 02:55PM PT

Shalini Dore

With the deadline for the Academy Awards foreign-language entries looming, several countries have thrown their hats in the ring, the latest being Austria with Andreas Prochaska’s “The Dark Valley” and Norway with Bent Hamer’s “1001 Grams.”

The Academy accepts one entry from each country in the category that has to be submitted by Oct. 1. The entries are whittled down to a shortlist of nine films from which nominations will be announced on Jan. 15 for the Oscars that will be held Feb. 22 at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood.

Last year a record 76 countries entered for the prize that was won by Italy, with Paolo Sorrentini’s “The Great Beauty.”

Films submitted so far by country, with directors noted.

Austria, “The Dark Valley,” Andreas Prochaska
Bolivia, “The Liberator,” Alberto Arvelo
Bulgaria, “Bulgarian Rhapsody” Ivan Nichev
Chile, “To Kill a Man,” Alejandro Fernandes Almendraz
Croatia, “Cowboys,” Tomislav Mrsic
Dominican Republic, “Cristo Rey,” Leticia Tonos
Estonia, “Tangerines,” Zaza Urushadze
Finland, “Concrete Night” Pirjo Honkasalo
Georgia, “Corn Island,” Giorgi Ovashvili
Germany “Beloved Sisters” (pictured) Dominik Graf
Greece, “Little England,” Pantelis Voulgaris
Holland, “Accused” Paula van der Oest
Hungary, “White God,” Kornel Mundruczo
Japan, “The Light Shines Only There,” Mipo Oh
Luxembourg, “Never Die Young,” Pol Cruchten
Mauritiana, “Timbuktu” Abderrahmane Sissako
Nepal, “Jhola,” Yadav Kumar Bhattarai
Norway, “1001 Grams,” Bent Hamer
Peru, “The Gospel of the Flesh,” Eduardo Mendoza de Echave
Poland, “Ida,” Pawel Pawlikowski
Romania, “The Japanese Dog” Tudor Cristian Jurgiu
Serbia, “See You in Montevideo,” by Dragan Bjelogrlic
Sweden, “Force Majeure,” Ruben Ostlund
Taiwan, “Ice Poison,” Midi Z
Turkey, “Winter Sleep” Nuri Bilge Ceylan
Venezuela, “The Liberator,” Alberto Arvelo

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Morgan Freeman Set for Role in ‘Ted 2'

Movies | By Gina Hall on September 10, 2014 @ 12:25 pm

The film is currently in production in Boston, starring Mark Wahlberg

Morgan Freeman will join the cast of Universal and MRC's ”Ted 2,” the actor's representative told TheWrap.

In the follow up to the hit about a foul-mouthed stuffed bear named Ted, Freeman will play a civil rights lawyer who helps Ted resolve legal issues. The film is currently in production in Boston and is bringing back much of the original cast, including Mark Wahlberg. Seth MacFarlane is writing, directing and will voice Ted. The original film grossed $218 million domestically.

Freeman is an executive producer on upcoming CBS pilot “Madam Secretary” starring Tea Leoni and recently voiced Vitruvius in “The Lego Movie, which earned $210 million domestically. He's currently co-starring in Warner Bros. “Dolphin Tale 2.”

The MacFarlane brand suffered a blow this summer after “A Million Ways to Die at the West” disappointed at the box office. The multi-hyphenate was also hit with a lawsuit in July claiming “Ted” was bases on a web series. In the suit, filed in a U.S. district court, Bengal Mangle Productions claimed that it created a screenplay, “Acting School Academy” in 2008 that featured a character named Charlie, “a teddy bear who lives in a human, adult world with all human friends. Charlie has a penchant for drinking, smoking, prostitutes, and is a generally vulgar yet humorous character.”

The lawsuit hasn't derailed plans for the films release, which is scheduled to debut June 26, 2015. The script was co-written by Alex Sulkin and Wellesley Wild, “Ted 2″ is produced by Scott Stuber with MRC co-financing the pic.

Freeman is repped by CAA and Stan Rosenfield & Associates.

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Toronto Film Festival: Reese Witherspoon and Cast Celebrate ‘Wild’

Jason Merritt/Getty Images

September 10, 2014 | 03:08PM PT

Jennie Punter

Riding in on the positive reception from the Telluride Film Festival, the cast and creators of Fox Searchlight’s “Wild” landed at the Shangri-La Hotel Garden Terrace Sept. 8, for a convivial two-hour soiree preceding the film’s international premiere at the Toronto Film Festival.

“Wild” star Reese Witherspoon, who plays a self-destructive woman who takes a solo 1,000-mile trek up on the Pacific West Trail, mingled with her onscreen mom Laura Dern and writer Cheryl Strayed — whose bestselling 2012 memoir, the basis of the film, was optioned by Witherspoon’s prodco Pacific Standard — and Brit novelist Nick Hornby, who wrote the screenplay.

Director Jean-Marc Vallee — whose previous pics, including last year’s “Dallas Buyers Club,” have all preemed in Toronto — said that while he’s not much of a hiker himself, he did join Witherspoon on one of her hikes during their time in Telluride. “It was beautiful but I could only last two hours,” he said. “The bugs were crazy.”

(Pictured: Reese Witherspoon and Laura Dern at the Toronto Film Festival “Wild” reception)

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U2 Releases New Album for Free on iTunes

September 9, 2014 | 12:11PM PT

Marc Graser

Senior Editor @marcgraser

Apple is giving away U2’s new album, “Songs of Innocence,” for free exclusively on its iTunes store through Oct. 13.

The company made the announcement after the band performed at the end of the company’s two-hour press event, where it unveiled larger iPhones and the first Apple Watch, its foray into the wearable tech market.

“From the very beginning U2 have always wanted our music to reach as many people as possible, the clue is in our name I suppose—so today is kind of mind-blowing to us. The most personal album we’ve written could be shared with half a billion people… by hitting send. If only songwriting was that easy,” said U2 lead singer Bono. “It’s exciting and humbling to think that people who don’t know U2 or listen to rock music for that matter might check us out. Working with Apple is always a blast. They only want to do things that haven’t been done before—that’s a thrill to be part of.”
Apple is offering the U2 album to every iTunes customer (500 million worldwide) in 119 countries.

“Songs of Innocence” features 11 new songs from the band. It’s the Irish rockers’ first studio album in five years.

Apple and U2’s surprise offer crashed the company’s servers shortly after the announcement.

U.K. Broadcaster ITV Invests in Believe Entertainment

September 10, 2014 | 09:11AM PT

Believe Entertainment Group, which produces digital series like the animated “The LeBrons” and Jay Mohr’s game show “Money Where Your Mouth Is,” has secured financing from U.K. television broadcaster and producer ITV.

Specific financial terms of the deal were not disclosed, but ITV will join Believe’s board of directors and work to expand the company’s slate of projects with its production expertise, international distribution and talent relationships.

“ITV will offer numerous opportunities for us to grow our efforts in multiple formats, channels and globally to the benefit of both our talent and brand partners,” Believe co-founders Dan Goodman and William Masterson III said.

ITV is one of the largest independent producer of unscripted shows in the U.S., with series like “Hell’s Kitchen,” “Kitchen Nightmares” and “Rich Kids of Beverly Hills.”

New York-based Believe recently started producing “@EpicEDM,” an original series featuring top electronic dance music artists, festivals and clubs designed for Twitter.

Its shows also include “In the Booth,” a YouTube series about DJ Tiesto; and “Inspired by Sabrina,” a women’s lifestyle show hosted by HGTV star Sabrina Soto, available on AOL.

“The LeBrons,” featur...Bron James, launched on YouTube, and is syndicated to Xbox Live.

The company paired up with Paramount Digital Entertainment, in 2010, to help sell and distribute the digital series “The Legion of Extraordinary Dancers,” created by director Jon M. Chu (“G.I. Joe: Retaliation,” the “Step Up” franchise).

Believe’s co-founders previously produced Seth MacFarlane’s “Cavalcade of Cartoon Comedy” and shorts that helped promote Sacha Baron Cohen’s “Bruno.”

“Believe Entertainment Group’s expertise has generated hundreds of millions of views in just under five years,” said Paul Buccieri, chairman of ITV Studios U.S. Group and ITV Studios Global Entertainment. “This added to Dan and Bill’s combined 35 years in advertising, digital, media and entertainment, makes them a compelling strategic partner for ITV.”

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Ora.TV Brings TV Series ‘Beer Geeks’ to Digital Under Exclusive Deal

September 10, 2014 | 12:32PM PT

Ora TV, the online network owned by Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim, signed a deal with Page Prods. for exclusive digital distribution of 22-episode series “Beer Geeks” about the world of craft beer.

The company will premiere the first two episodes on Sept. 18 on Ora.TV, with new episodes going up every subsequent week. The series was created and exec produced by David Page and Roberta Brackman, best known for Food Network’s “Diner... Guy Fieri.

“Beer Geeks” aired on TV starting in the fall of 2013 through syndication deals with TV stations including Hearst’s WCVB ABC affiliate in Boston, Media General’s WJAR NBC affil in Providence, Gannett’s WTSP afil ABC in Tampa as well as stations owned by Tribune Media, Meredith, Gray and Lin Media.

Series centers on master brewer Michael Ferguson (pictured, above), who is director of brewery operations for BJ’s Restaurants, which has locations in Virginia and Maryland. “Beer Geeks,” nominated for a 2014 Daytime Emmy Award, explores the world of beer creation and the range of beer enthusiasts who “dedicate their lives to making the most distinctive beers in the world,” per Ora TV.

Ora TV launched in July 2012 with “Larry King Now,” available on Hulu and on Ora.tv. Other shows include Haylie Duff’s “Real Girl’s Kitchen,” which was picked up by Scripps Networks Interact...ng Channel; “Brown Bag Wine Tasting” with William Shatner; and “Off The Grid” with Jesse Ventura.

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Fantastic Fest Adds Salma Hayek's 'Everly,' 'The Hive'

James Gunn, Edgar Wright, Nicolas Winding Ref and Joe Lynch will attend

Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP

Salma Hayek

Fantastic Fest announced its final wave of programming Wednesday, with highlights including the world premiere of David Yarovesky’s The Hive and screenings of Everly starring Salma Hayek and The Town That Dreaded Sundown.

A slew of filmmakers will be in attendance, including Guardians of the Galaxy director James Gunn, who will moderate the red carpet world premiere of The Hive. Edgar Wright will serve on the Next Wave film jury while other guests include Joe Lynch, Liv Corfixen, Nicolas Winding Refn, Ti West, Nacho Vigalondo, Alfonso Gomez-Rejon and David Robert Mitchell.

“We promised that our 10th anniversary was going to be the most deranged yet, and I’m proud to say we’ve delivered on that promise,” festival founder Tim League said in a statement. “Not only have we compiled our biggest slate of exceptional genre films, but the chaos we’ve embraced for our events is going to knock people out. Much like I’m going to do to Ti West.”

League will duke it out with West as part of the “Fantastic Debates” event, which pits two people in a verbal debate followed by a boxing match.

Fantastic Fest, which also announced screenings for Horns, It Follows and Open Windows, will host a 10-year birthday Armageddon opening night party featuring costumed creatures, human pinatas, a breakdance competition and a food fight. The closing night party takes its macabre cues from ABCs of Death 2 by running down the alphabet from A to Z, “unleashing a massive meltdown of madcap mayhem.”

As previously announced, Lionsgate’s Keanu Reeves-starrer John Wick, Nightcrawler starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Tusk also will screen during the fest.

Fantastic Fest 2014 takes place Sept. 18-25 in Austin, Texas.

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Michael C. Hall to Star in Broadway's 'Hedwig and the Angry Inch'

AP Images

Michael C. Hall

The "Dexter" actor will take over the lead played by Neil Patrick Harris and Andrew Rannells

A serial killer is headed to Broadway, as Dexter star Michael C. Hall is next in line to don a wig and heels in Hedwig and the Angry Inch.

The actor, who starred in the Showtime series for eight seasons, will take over the title role on Oct. 16 at the Belasco Theatre. His limited engagement will run through Jan. 4, opposite Tony-winner Lena Hall.

Hedwig — which has a book by John Cameron Mitchell and music and lyrics by Stephen Trask — centers on an East German transgender rocker searching for love and completeness in America. The lead character of the Tony-winning musical revival was previously played by Neil Patrick Harris and is currently rocked by Andrew Rannells, who will play his final performance on Oct. 12.

The move marks Hall's first musical theater role in over a decade — he made his Broadway debut as the emcee in Cabaret in 1999 and played Billy Flynn in Chicago in 2002. Most recently, he starred in Will Eno's 2014 Broadway production of the play The Realistic Jones, directed by Sam Gold and co-starring Toni Collette, Tracy Letts and Marisa Tomei.

Off-Broadway, Hall's credits include the Roundabout Theatre Company's Mr. Marmalade, Cymbeline, Macbeth, Timon of Athens and Henry V at the Public Theater/New York Shakespeare Festival, The English Teachers for MCC, the Manhattan Theatre Club's Corpus Christi, Romeo and Juliet at Center Stage, R Shoman at Williamstown and Skylight at the Mark Taper Forum.

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SiriusXM to Launch Barbra Streisand Channel

WireImage/Courtesy of UTA

Barbra Streisand

But after a month, you'll be left with memories of the way things were

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France's King Crooner Charles Aznavour Comes to Los Angeles

AP Images

Charles Aznavour

France's most famous singer talks diplomacy and fame: "They come on 'The Voice' and think they are stars, and they will never be."

Charles Aznavour, France’s most famous crooner will take to the stage at the Greek Theater Saturday for the first of three North American shows. While the singer, best known for hits such as Toi et Moi, Hier Encore and She, downplays the cross-continent trip that will also take him to Montreal and New York – “I’m too old to tour,” he says – the ninety-year-old will follow with performances in Antwerp and Moscow before recording a new album in Paris for a December release.

Songs in both Spanish and Russian will be on the L.A. bill to please the diverse local audience, only a small sampling of the many languages he speaks and sings in.

The singer, who started his career under Edith Piaf, palled around with Ray Charles and drank Petrus with Frank Sinatra, now serves as the Armenian ambassador to Switzerland and the country’s permanent delegate to the UN. He is also active in international diplomacy and humanitarian causes through his foundation.

Aznavour sat down with The Hollywood Reporter in his villa just outside of Avignon, which the ever creative singer designed and decorated himself in traditional south of France style. Before sitting down in the music room where he writes and composes, we were greeted by his Chihuahua mix Loki, a rescue from Los Angeles where his daughter and grandchildren reside.

What keeps you working so consistently at an age when most people are retired?

If you don’t constantly work and have ideas, we age in our minds and that is the most terrible aging. The knees are difficult, but as long as the mind is working, everything works. I have plenty of plans for another ten years. I want to be the only singer still singing on stage at 100 years old. That will be great, the only one in the world! Only 10 years to wait. Unfortunately, that’s really short.

How do you approach your role as ambassador?

I am able to be active in diplomacy; for example, we have brought 12,000 people to Armenia from Syria. We have to get them out of the country because they are going to be killed because they are Christian. Not just Armenians who are Christian, Yadizis, and some Kurds too which are Muslim but live differently. It’s not politics, no politics at all. It’s diplomacy.

I work by myself and I tell people what I have done afterwards. I don’t ask the president what I should do. I think that would be too difficult. For example, I have an upcoming appointment with the ambassador of Turkey, which is rare. I don’t want to say before that I am going to go, because they’ll say ‘Don’t do that’ or ‘Don’t go there’ and I want to be a free man. There are difficulties with not only Turks that don’t want to recognize the genocide but some Armenians that don’t want me to be friendly with the Turks. So I have to be careful. But I want to be on the contrary and have good relations with the Turks. I have nothing against the Turks because they didn’t create the genocide, it came from their grandfathers. On April 15th it will be 100 years that they haven’t recognized it, so if I can help in any way I’m gonna do it. I hope that I can help something happen between the two countries.

Is your humanitarian work an extension of that?

I have my association which is Aznavour for Armenia. It’s difficult if you don’t have a telethon or something like that, but I’ve built it. I do everything myself. I give benefit concerts and some of the income from songs. The benefit concerts will sell thousands of tickets so we make money from that. I don’t ask for donations from anyone. I work from inside, it all comes from the heart and goes directly there. I go to Armenia every year to find out for myself what the humanitarian needs are, the immediate needs. We have built new and rebuilt 47 schools and 3 surgery centers.

But be clear, I have nothing to do with the politics, I don’t want to. In my audience I have all religions, all colors, all incomes, all languages. I’m not going to betray one for the other. I’m open to everyone who likes my songs. I visit countries for my pleasure too. I went to Cambodia and Thailand, not to the beaches, but across the country to take photos. I went to China, I haven’t sung in China, but I do want to do a concert there.

You’ve been in over 70 films and were recently the French voice of Up. Any upcoming roles?

I’m retired from film. Acting takes too long. I don’t want to spend two months away from my family and my work. If there is a small part I would accept it, but I want the time to write. For the past four or five years I have started to write books, seven now, and I’m writing a fiction book for the first time. I’ve just written a musical that will be on Broadway soon called Vive le Vie about Lautrec.

There is something I would like to talk to Atom Egoyan about. I see myself having a small part. The subject is very unusual; it’s something that has never been done before. I wrote it, not for me exactly, but there is a small part that could be for me. If he doesn’t like it, well, I won’t be mad about it. I’m going to meet with him in Canada and propose the story to him, and see if he’s interested. I’ll meet with him in September when I go to Montreal.

Are there any pop stars you admire or want to work with, or new music you like?

I see the new stars, I buy their records, and I’ve done plenty of duets with rock stars. You know, there is not ‘styles of music,’ ‘kinds of music’ there are two types – the good and the bad. I’ve written a lot to help young people understand what we are doing is not easy. You can’t become a star in one day. That’s very important to help the youth understand. They sing and they will never be a big star because they sing what they think is good, but are imitating Americans, which is not their own language. I don’t know any French songs that have been famous lately in America, before it was La Vie en Rose, C’est Ce Bon, strong French songs. Pop songs, the Americans do it much better.

What do you think of the state of French music then?

French music is slowly coming back. The French people never found any rhythm, we have tango and jazz, but everything has come from outside. So I used that with French lyrics, to bring them together, which works for the public. I’m a French artist, I’m not American or Italian or Armenian. I’m French, and I want to show the public the best of what we can do in France. We are the best lyric writers, because we have kept the language alive through songs. Young people are coming back to the French songs, and they will be proud of their culture.

There’s all these contest shows, The Voice, Do you Know the Lyrics? They come on and think they are stars, and they will never be. Maybe one in ten thousand will make it. Maybe. And the shows are selling it as a dream, but to have a dream it can become a nightmare one day. We have to get young people to realize it doesn’t happen like that, it is hard work.

I’ve had three books on this matter, and now I am writing the fourth one. They were very well received. It started a conversation with young people and people in show business. I’m the boss in this country. Sinatra was the boss in America, [Julio] Iglesias is the boss in Spain, and I’m the boss in France of course. I think it’s important to have somebody to follow. I had my bosses, three: Piaf, Charles Trenet, Maurice Chevalier. They were the best.

Is there a theme for the new album?

The past. Things I have lived, things I have seen. For the first time I wrote a song about the war. It’s the first time, I have never done that before. But you know, the ideas are always in the air and right now they are all coming back so I’m coming back with them. I’m almost finished writing it. I’m correcting some things. I’m never really happy with what I have done. I have to work through it again and again and again. For one word I can stay awake two days and two nights for that one word because it doesn’t have the right balance to my ear. Nobody can replace one word in my songs. No one. The lyrics are my pride.

Look, I had this wall full of golden records, and I had to say, ‘That’s enough!’ To always look at myself there. I’m going to replace it with only pictures of family and friends.

[Walking THR through the pile of photos waiting to be hung on the empty wall, it’s not only his family - from historical snapshots of his great grandmother and elementary school photos to candids of his wife, children and grandchildren - but photos of the singer with Gerard Depardieu, Bono, Harvey Keitel, Robert DeNiro, Jackie Chan, Bob Dylan, Charles Trenet, Jean Cocteau, Yul Brynner, Lino Ventura and Piaf.]

The whole wall will be only pictures. It’s better than a wall of gold records. No more ‘Look, I sold so many records.’ I’m free now. There’s the [French medal] Legion d’Honneur. I put it in the corner so nobody can see it. I used to be proud, I’m finished with that. I say to young people, don’t be too proud, just do the work.

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Simon Le Bon on David Lynch's 'Duran Duran: Unstaged': "It's Quite Bizarre"

4:03 PM PST 09/10/2014 by Tim Appelo

Courtesy of Press Here Publicity

The makers of 'Girls on Film' meet the auteur of 'Eraserhead'

The video-driven 1980s band Duran Duran — which "made MTV," as VJ Martha Quinn has said — will screen David Lynch's new cut of his 2011 film Duran Duran: Unstaged in about 300 U.S. theaters. The one-night-only event will take place Sept. 10, presented by Screenvision in alliance with Phase 4 Films. "It was shot at our show at the Mayan Theater in L.A.," says Simon Le Bon, lead singer for the group, which was named after the character who tries to kill Jane Fonda with an orgasm-inducing device called the Excessive Machine in the 1968 film Barbarella. The Lynch film is excessive in a way, says Le Bon. "It was an art project, and we gave him utter control over the visuals — you don't try and direct a director like David Lynch, really. It was quite bizarre, the Mayan Theater, and he set it up in a very strange way, with little niches and nooks and crannies all the way around the theater, with little tableaus, grottoes with decorations and tables and things." The film stars the original band members — Le Bon, Nick Rhodes, John Taylor and Roger Taylor — and guest performers Gerard Way (My Chemical Romance), Beth Ditto (Gossip), Kelis and Mark Ronson.

The screening, which features material from the band's All You Need Is Now album, will help promote Duran Duran's untitled 2015 album, which Le Bon says is "just going into its mixing phase," as well as Lynch's first-ever art museum retrospective, "David Lynch: The Unified Field." That exhibit opens Sept. 13 at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts in Philadelphia, where Lynch won his first art prize for his first artwork to incorporate film, 1967's Six Men Getting Sick. Its projection of images onto human forms somewhat resembles his superimposition of Lynchian weird scenes onto Duran Duran performing live, such as a scary house reminiscent of Blue Velvet to visually complement the tune "Planet Earth". "The most surreal moment for me is where he intercuts footage of somebody barbecuing sausages into the song 'Come Undone'," says Le Bon. "Not what we had in mind, but it's absolutely hilarious." Lynch also prepared a new trailer for the film.

The original Mayan Theater concert sold out in less than five minutes, and the re-release will be over in 112 minutes.

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My night with Joan Rivers

FILE: Grand Marshall Joan Rivers at the Winterfest Boat Parade on December 12, 1991 in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. Rivers was laid to rest Sunday after she died last week from complications related to a surgery. (Photo by Manny Hernandez/GettyImages)

In my younger life, like half the writers in Los Angeles who imagine themselves being wittier and funnier than they really are, I thought I could be a comic and spent too many evenings on try-out nights at the Comedy Store on the Sunset Strip.

SEE ALSO: Joan Rivers is remembered for pushing comedic boundaries

On one of those nights, as I’m in line to go on stage, I get a tug on my butt, and think it’s one of the other wannabe comedians.

I look around, and it’s Joan Rivers. This was around 1980, when she was still opening for acts in Vegas and just before making it big.

“Sorry, just checking to see if those were your buns,” she dead-panned.

This was around the time that she, Billy Crystal, Richard Pryor and many of those who were already established would still come around regularly to check out other comics and sometimes work on their material.

I should also explain that my buns were in a slinky black evening gown, the designer kind women wear on the red carpet at the Oscars. I had on a long black wig, and some people from that time knew me as Raquel. I was doing my stand-up in drag.

Joan checked me out. I weighed around 125 pounds, if that. I was slender and small-boned. I also fit in a size 6 dress, and I had on great rhinestone-studded stilettos.

“My compliments,” Joan said. “Not what I would expect, to see on a drag queen looking so elegant on the Sunset Strip.”

I had a girlfriend my size, I told Joan, who did a double-take.

“Oh, how, I’d love to have a man like you,” she said in that gargly girly voice of hers, “a man who could help me double my wardrobe!”

Jesus. I rocked on stage that night.

How I got to meet Joan on stage

“First of all,” I began, “let me explain that the reason I’m dressed this way is that I just came from the weekly meeting of Transvestites Anonymous where we not only not tell anyone our identity, hell, we don’t know it ourselves.

“I discovered my own sexual identity crisis about a year ago when I first arrived in Hollywood from New York and attended a cocktail party at the Beverly Hills Hotel where I walked into the wrong ballroom — a ballroom that full of what I thought were beautiful women, who were actually beautiful men.

“I was just starting to realize this when one of the hostesses there unnerved me even more by looking at my name on my New York press pass and asking, “So, Mr. Castro, you’re from New York — are you one of the Castro Convertibles?”

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This is in a roomful of beautiful men pretending to be women and common courtesy telling me I couldn’t just turn and walk away.

Well, talk about my machismo springing a leak. My body broke out in a sweat of premature ejaculation! I mean, do you know what a Castro Convertible is? Do you? I sure as hell didn’t. Oh, yeah, much, much later, I learned that a Castro Convertible is a sofa with a hideaway bed — a big item in New York that made the Castro family a fortune there. Well, I’m originally from Texas – where we have no beautiful men, much less any wanting to be beautiful women — and I had no idea what a Castro Convertible was.

“I mean, I thought it was someone with both male and female genitals or something.

“Really. After all, I have a friend in the State Department who thinks a Castro Convertible is a Castro-government Cuban spy who’s been turned into a double agent by the CIA.

“I have another friend, a non-polluting, polyunsaturated, biodegradable non-smoker who swears that a Castro Convertible is a Havana cigar that’s both low in tar and high on socialism.

“And I have still another friend, an actor who moonlights as a used car salesman, who believes that a Castro Convertible is an imported Cuban sportscar – that, of course, steers only to the left.”

I would say this got me on the “Tonight Show” or even a paid gig at one of the comedy clubs in town. It didn’t.

It did get me a couple of drinks with Joan later that evening at a bar up the Strip. She said wanted to look at more of my work. But I got the impression she really wanted to see more of my wardrobe.

She recognized the gown as Christian Dior. She knew the shoes were Gucci.

Joan Rivers was even familiar with the drag queen slang.

“Do you get clocked much?” she asked. To get clocked was to be recognized as a man in drag. “I almost didn’t make you. You’re so small! I don’t think our waiter clocked you.”

“It’s the bar’s dim lights,” I said.

“Oh, hell,” said Joan. “Everyone else in here probably thinks we’re both female impersonators!”

NBC/Universal TV Fall Season Looks Lean For Latinos

Posted by admin on September 8th, 2014 04:53 PM

When all the television broadcast networks introduced their new wares for the fall season at this summer’s meeting of the Television Critics Association (TCA), NBC was by far the least Latino-friendly. Out of eight new series announced, only two feature a Latino as a series regular—The Mysteries of Laura (Laz Alonso) and Constantine (Angélica Celaya)—and neither is the central focus of the action.

Laz Alonso Det. Billy Soto Lends Contrast to Messings Character

The Mysteries of Laura, which spotlights Debra Messing as working mom and NYPD homicide detective Laura Diamond, actually has a Latino pedigree. It is adapted from the Spanish television series Los misterios de Laura by Carlos Vila and Javier Holgado. The American version was developed by Jeff Rake with Vila and Holgado. It is scheduled to debut Wednesday, Sep 24 (8pm), but NBC is offering a sneak preview on Sep 17, following the season finale of America’s Got Talent.

“I am definitely Debra’s backup in this series,” stated Laz Alonso, who is of Afro-Cuban heritage. “My character, Detective Billy Soto, is meant to be a sharp contrast to his partner Laura. Billy is totally together and by-the-book in his approach to the job, while Laura is one big mess…but she gets the job done,” Alonso adds. “Audiences will slowly get to know more about Billy as the season moves on; but most of the attention will always be on the many sides of Laura. And that’s the way it should be. Debra is a true star. It is such a pleasure being on this series with her.” Alonso’s Cuban roots do show themselves in the series. He actually speaks Spanish in the pilot episode.

Alonso, who was born in Washinton, DC and is a graduate of Howard University, actually began his career as an investment banker at Merrill Lynch in Manhattan before finding his way into acting. Breakout roles included Felix Calderon in the film, Fast & Furious, and as the Na’vi warrior, Tsu’tey, in James Cameron‘s science fiction adventure film, Avatar.

The Many Sides of Laura also stars Josh Lucas, Janina Gavankar and Max Jenkins. Executive producers are Jeff Rake, McG, Jeff Berlanti and Aaron Kaplan.

Angelica Celaya Plays DC Comic Character in Constantine

Constantine, developed by Daniel Cerone and David S. Goyer, is based on the DC Comics series Hellblazer, offering a star turn for British actor Matt Ryan as supernatural detective John Constantine. Series regular Angélica Celaya is not in the original pilot for the show and did not appear at the TCA conference. Her role of Zed— based on an actual DC Comics character — has been written in and will be introduced when the series debuts on Friday, October 24 (10p). One thing for sure, Celaya’s Zed will have super powers. Goyer explains, “She’s someone who can go toe-to-toe with John (Constantine), and that’s something, ultimately, we felt we needed.”

Born in Tucson, Celaya most recently recurred as Lucia Treviño on TNT’s Dallas. Constantine also stars Charles Halford and Harold Perrineau.

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Christina Milian set to star in reality show produced by Kelsey Grammer

Actress Christina Milian attends the GBK Luxury Sports Lounge, prior to the ESPY Awards held at W Hollywood on July 15, 2014 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Tommaso Boddi/Getty Images for GBK Productions)

Christina Milian is getting ready to star in her very own reality show Christina Milian Turned Up (working title) and it will be produced by Kelsey Grammer.

The “Dip It Low” singer’s show will air on E!

“‘E! announced Tuesday that Frasier star Kelsey Grammer is on board to executive produce a show following Milian’s life. “We simply adore Christina,’ Jeff Olde, E! programming and development executive vice president, said in a statement. ‘She’s young, vibrant and a highly accomplished artist who has a hectic life balancing the glitz and glamour of celebrity, and the rough and tumble world of hip-hop, with the more relatable moments of being a mom, newly back on the dating scene, and trying to make things better for her family,’” reported E!

Milian herself confirmed the news via twitter.

The singer has not released new music in a couple of years, but has kept busy. “Milian who has appeared on Dancing With The Stars and worked as a social media correspondent for The Voice is now signed to YMCMb rumored to be dating the boss Lil Wayne, so maybe we’ll be able to see their love affair play out on the show,” reported Vibe. The odd pairing of Milian and Grammer is sure to create an entertaining show. Not everyone seems excited for Milian’s new reality show and took to Twitter to voice their displeasure.

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Eugenio Derbez – New Deal, New Film, New Production Company

Posted by admin on September 10th, 2014 10:18 AM

Forms New Production Company 3Pas with Benjamin Odell

Pantelion Films, the Latino Hollywood film studio launched in 2010, which released hits like Instructions Not Included, Casa de mi Padre, and Caesar Chavez, and Mexican actor/director/writer, and producer Eugenio Derbez have signed an exclusive first-look deal.

The 53-year-old actor, who is no stranger to the business, directed and starred in Instructions Not Included, which was the highest-grossing Spanish language film ever released in the US. Now Derbez and his new production company, 3Pas (“tripas”), and his partner former Pantelion President of Production Benjamin Odell, will focus on Spanish and English- language films catering to Latinos all over the US.

“We are thrilled to take our longstanding relationship with Eugenio to the next level,” said Pantelion Films CEO Paul Presburger. “He is a true auteur in every sense of the word, and he has an amazing ability to tap into the shared passions of Latino and American audiences. We look forward to working with Eugenio and our friend and colleague Ben Odell who was instrumental in helping us launch Pantelion.”

A unique element of Pantelion’s great success is the joiint venture between Lionsgate and Mexican media corporation Grupo Televisa . This union has allowed Pantelion access to A-list stars from south of the border to appear in many of their films, thereby introducing them to American audiences and television and film producers in the U.S. Leveraging this star power, as in the case of Derbez in Instructions Not Included, has proven a sucess.

Derbez added, “Pantelion and Televisa can reach my core fan base better than anyone and, with the distribution expertise and brand recognition of Lionsgate, I know we can build on the crossover audience that we began to reach with Instructions. I’m very happy to continue my relationship with all of them.”

Odell explains that the name of their production company 3Pas or “tripas” means guts in Spanish, comes from the that being where Derbez has made all his career decision, from the gut. Those gut decisions have brought great success to Derbez, who was able to crack the U.S. market, difficult to do when coming from a foreign country.

This is not the first collaboration between Odell and Derbez. They worked together on Sangre de mi Sangre in 2006, which won the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance and for which Ordell was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award. Ordell also produced the indie film Girl in Progress, which starred Eva Mendez, Eugenio Derbez and introduced young starlet Cierra Ramirez. Odell’s previous project Spare Parts, is set to release in January 2015, directed by Sean McNamera and starring Spy Kids’ Alexa PenaVega and George Lopez..

Derbez was first introduced to American audiences in the 2006 film Under the Same Moon, another high-grossing Spanish language film. He is currently developing a new project under his new deal with Pantelion, a remake of the 2006 French film The Valet, which grossed $29 million worldwide.

Derbez is represented by CAA and attorney Howard Abramson of Behr & Abramson, LLP.

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Interview: Peter Bogdanovich On ‘She’s Funny That Way’ And The Bodily Liquid Obsession Of Modern Comedy

Our Indiewire blog-mate (visit Blogdanovich http://blogs.indiewire.co...gdanovich/" href="http://blogs.indiewire.com/peterbogdanovich/">at your leisure here if you haven’t already) Peter Bogdanovich is little less than a legend. In Venice to present his first theatrical narrative feature in 13 years (“The Cat’s Meow” was 2001), the actor, director, producer, writer, film conservationist, raconteur and blogger proved a huge draw for the festival’s cinephile crowd. We were lucky enough to get to sit down with him, having already spoken with the film’s stars Owen Wilson and Kathryn Hahn, for a brief but cosy chat.

The frothy, light “She’s Funny That Way” (http://blogs.indiewire.co...s-20140829" href="http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/venice-review-shes-funny-that-way-starring-imogen-poots-owen-wilson-kathryn-hahn-jennifer-aniston-many-surprise-cameos-20140829">review here) may have been 13 years in the making (in fact a little more than that, because, as he mentions below, it was a script originally written in 1999), but it certainly shows no signs of tension or strain—a deliberately throwback knockabout comedy, it has an innocence that is rare in modern films, comedy or otherwise. That’s a quality that Bogdanovich seems to believe is in short supply these days, as we discussed, before we went on to talk about his other upcoming projects—it’s just a shame we can’t adequately get across in print just how good his impersonations are.

I was quite fond of “Squirrel to the Nuts” as a title, why the change?
It wasn't translating, and then the English language people felt that it might sound like a kids picture. So we changed it to a title I always liked—“She's Funny That Way.” I've always liked it as a movie title, it's a song title, and I thought it would work.

You weren’t too attached to it? After all I believe the script was actually written a while ago?
There were several drafts, the first draft was in '99 for John Ritter. Then he passed away tragically and it was put on the back burner. Then I met Owen [Wilson]... it's hard to find an actor that can play comedy, particularly this type of comedy which is slightly screwball, slightly not. Owen, I just personally really love him as a person, and that part seemed perfect for him. He's one of the few actors around who has the old movie star quality. He's got a personality.

Yes a sort of iconic everyman quality. Speaking of, I just spoke to him and he said you do an excellent Jimmy Stewart.
[classic Jimmy Stewart drawl] I've done it a few times.

Your Jimmy Stewart, your Marlon Brando and I believe your John Ford?
Well Ford is just kinda angry. He once said to me: [does gruff John Ford voice] “Jesus Christ, is that all you can do is ask questions? You've never heard of a declarative sentence?”

So how different is the finished film, as you see it now, from what it was when you originally envisaged it?
It’s different more in nuances than in general construction. For example, when Imogen [Poots]'s character, Izzy first comes out on stage to do the audition, in the original version with John Ritter, he stood up and knocked over the table and chairs and everything and fell over. That was his reaction. Owen felt that was too slapstick for his character, so he improvised the line, “Oh no, she's not right at all,” which was funny. So that's the difference. John did the more physical stuff and Owen the more verbal stuff.

He mentioned, funnily enough, that he's slightly iffy on the whole notion of screwball comedy. So he was saying that when he was talking to you, you’d discuss it in other terms than screwball comedy.
True, and it became less screwball. Just generally I think we all felt that maybe it would be better if it became more of a romantic comedy.

I want to ask to you about my personal favorite scene. It's the scene in the taxi, when the taxi cab driver leaves ... it feels improvised, but was that always there in the script?
That was always there. Louise [Stratten] and I were writing it and we thought, wouldn’t it be funny if the cab driver just got up and left? And uh, we just thought it was quirky enough to work.Then Owen ad-libbed the line about “it's either that or it's a mob hit.” A lot of that scene in the cab is ad-libbed…[Owen Wilson and Kathryn Hahn] were just extraordinary together.

So this kind of farce, screwball comedy, it is a genre that has somewhat fallen out of favor recently. You have an immense knowledge of film history, is there any particular reason you think, for that?
Well modern comedy is largely based on jokes about bodily liquids. A picture like ‘Something About Mary,’ the big laugh is someone had cum in their hair, or some guy’s penis getting stuck in the zipper. It's too easy. I just think it's more fun to find it a different way, those are more shock effects… you know, she's got cum in her hair!

But there's very few people who know how to do this other kind of comedy. It's a delicate balance between reality and heightened reality.

The film has what seems to me a deliberate throwback or retro element. I mean I was irresistibly reminded of “What's Up Doc” throughout, and that itself was retro even at the time.
I just like that kind of comedy. “What's Up Doc?” was the first one I did like that, but there are some great pictures in the same vein. Even “At Long Last Love” which was a disaster, though it's been replayed recently.

I was going to say it’s been experiencing some reclamation of late.
Yes, we found a version that the editor at Fox put together that I thought was superb. I'd never seen it but there it was, streaming on Netflix! I said where did this come from? Unfortunately, the guy who did it passed away—I wanted to send him a bouquet… of money. So I like that kind of movie. My favorite genre is romantic comedy, the old way.

“Bringing Up Baby”...
Like “Bringing Up Baby,” like “Ball of Fire.” And in the same year [1941] they did “Meet John Doe” with Stanwyck too which was great. I like them. I'm partial to that genre. For example, Preston Sturges in the midst of the Second World War, made a movie about a girl who gets knocked up by possibly seven men in a small town and then has quintuplets, [“Miracle at Morgan Creek” and we believe it’s actually sextuplets]. How he got away with that I don't know.

And while we're on the subject of the reclamation of classics, it wouldn’t be an interview with us if we didn't again ask you about your restoration of Orson Welles’ “The Other Side of the Wind.” Has there been any movement on that?
Well yes, just before I got on the plane, in fact I heard from Frank—[producer] Frank Marshall has been instrumental in pulling it together and the last communication I had was that he thinks we're going to start working in September. It just needs some editing. It's shot it just hasn't been cut.

You have another project listed called “One Lucky Moon,” is that happening?
Possibly, we're looking at it and trying to get a cast, it all depends on if we get the right cast. That's a kind of ... it's not a comedy but it's funny and romantic, it's sort of a comedy drama. Some would call it a feelgood picture.

That's probably going to be your next project? Or do you have something else?
Maybe. There's another picture that I've been very keen on doing and I think I may try to pull off sooner then later called “Wait for Me.” It's a ghost picture, it's a comedy, drama, fantasy. All made in Europe, all shot in Europe, with a combination of a European and American cast.

We look forward to it...
Well, thank you Indiewire.

No, thank you Indiewire
Oh don’t start! I haven’t posted anything for months.

I wouldn’t worry. You’ve got a pretty good excuse.

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by Bricks

Biz Markie Launches ‘Just A Friend’ 25th Anniversary Tour Answers “The Questions” For OKP TV

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Albert Brooks lining up to join Will Smith in NFL concussion drama

Albert Brooks is in talks to join Will Smith in Sony's untitled NFL concussion drama. (Rick Loomis / Los Angeles Times)

By Oliver Gettell contact the reporter

Albert Brooks is stepping up to the line of scrimmage to join Will Smith and Alec Baldwin in Sony's untitled NFL concussion movie, The Times has confirmed.

Variety first reported the news.

Written and directed by Peter Landesman ("Parkland"), the drama is based on Jeanne Marie Laskas' 2009 GQ article "Game Brain." The article tells the story of Dr. Bennet Omalu (Smith), the forensic neuropathologist who discovered, named and raised awareness of chronic traumatic encephalopathy, a degenerative brain syndrome that has afflicted professional football players such as Mike Webster, Chris Henry and Junior Seau.

Caused by mild, repetitive brain trauma, CTE has been linked to an array of symptoms including mood swings, depression, insomnia, memory problems and dementia.

Landesman's film is said to be a whistle-blower tale along the lines of Michael Mann's tobacco industry movie "The Insider." Ridley Scott, Giannina Facio and Michael Schaefer of Scott Free are producing with David Wolthoff and Larry Shuman of the Shuman Company.

The NFL's brain-injury crisis has previously been explored in the nonfiction realm via Steve James' documentary "Head Games" and the "Frontline" special "League of Denial."

A narrative adaptation of "League," which is itself based on a book by Mark Fainaru-Wada and Steve Fainaru, is also in development, as is former NFL player Matthew A. Cherry's indie movie "Game Time Decision."

Brooks last appeared on the big screen in "This Is 40" and "Drive," earning a Golden Globe nomination for his supporting performance in the latter movie. His other upcoming projects include "A Most Violent Year" and "Finding Dory."

Iggy Azalea and Demi Lovato to headline first Vevo Certified SuperFanFest

Here's how you can see if if you can't be there

By Melinda Newman @HitFixMelinda | Wednesday, Sep 10, 2014 11:22 AM

Iggy Azalea and Demi Lovato will headline Vevo’s inaugural Certified SuperFanFest concert, slated for Oct. 8 at Santa Monica, Calif.’s Barker Hangar.

Just as YouTube started its own awards ceremony last year, video streaming outlet Vevo, is following with its own live event.

An artist is “certified” on Vevo when his or her music videos reach 100 million views on the platform’s online, TV and mobile apps. Both Azalea and Lovato have attained that level for a combined five times and will be presented their awards by selected fans at the concert. Among videos certified by Lovato are “Heart Attack,” “Let It Go,” “Give Your Heart A Break” and “Skyscraper.” For Azalea, her 100 million-viewed vids include “Fancy” and Ariana Grande’s “Problem,” on which she is featured.

Fans can go to here to register to win tickets. http://certified.1iota.co...perFanFest

Since Vevo began its Certified Awards, more than 325 by more than 100 artists have reached the benchmark.

The concert will begin airing on Vevo on Oct. 16.

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Ariana Grande Announces First North American Headlining Tour: See The Full Dates

By Jason Lipshutz, New York | September 10, 2014 12:19 PM EDT

Ariana Grande performs “My Everything” during this year’s Stand Up to Cancer telethon on September 5, 2014 in Los Angeles, California.

ABC/Image Group LA

One week after Ariana Grande scored her second No. 1 album in her second try, the pop superstar has announced her first official North American headlining tour, kicking off on Feb. 25, 2015 in Kansas City.

The 25-date trek, dubbed the Honeymoon Tour, will bring Grande to arenas across the continent and run through April 16. Tickets for the tour, produced and promoted by Live Nation, will go on sale on Sept. 20.

Last summer, Grande performed at a handful of intimate venues on the Listening Sessions tour to support her debut album, Yours Truly. Since then, the 21-year-old has grown accustomed to playing larger venues thanks to her stint on the Jingle Ball run last December and performances at the Billboard Music Award and MTV Video Music Awards, among other award ceremonies.

My Everything, Grande’s sophomore album, debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart last week, and slips to No. 4 on this week’s tally. The album includes three of the singer’s Top 10 hits: “Problem” featuring Iggy Azalea, “Break Free” featuring Zedd and “Bang Bang” with Jessie J and Nicki Minaj.

Check out Ariana Grande’s full Honeymoon Tour itinerary below:

Feb. 25, 2015: Kansas City, MO (Independence Event Center)
Feb. 28, 2015: Milwaukee, WI (BMO Harris Bradley Center)
March 01, 2015: Saint Paul, MN (Xcel Energy Center)
March 03, 2015: Chicago, IL (Allstate Arena)
March 05, 2015: Cleveland, OH (Quicken Loans Arena)
March 07, 2015: Detroit, MI (Joe Louis Arena)
March 08, 2015: Toronto, ON (Air Canada Centre)
March 10, 2015: Pittsburgh, PA (Petersen Events Center)
March 12, 2015: Philadelphia, PA (Wells Fargo Center)
March 14, 2015: Uncasville, CT (Mohegan Sun Arena)
March 15, 2015: Boston, MA (DCU Center)
March 17, 2015: Washington, DC (Patriot Center)
March 20, 2015: New York, NY (Madison Square Garden)
March 24, 2015: Atlanta, GA (Philips Arena)
March 26, 2015: Orlando, FL (Amway Center)
March 28, 2015: Miami, FL (American Airlines Arena)
March 31, 2015: San Antonio, TX (AT&T Center)
April 01, 2015: Dallas, TX (American Airlines Center)
April 03, 2015: Houston, TX (Toyota Center)
April 06, 2015: Phoenix, AZ (US Airways)
April 08, 2015: Los Angeles, CA (The Forum)
April 10, 2015: Anaheim, CA (Honda Center)
April 12, 2015: San Jose, CA (SAP Center)
April 14, 2015: Seattle, WA (KeyArena)
April 16, 2015: Vancouver, BC (Pepsi Live at Rogers Arena)

Robert Plant Really, Really Wants to Work With Jack White

He loves the singer's "buccaneer spirit," as we all do

Consider us unsurprised at this news Photo by Getty Images

WRITTEN BY
Brennan Carley

September 9 2014, 6:07 PM ET

It was only a matter of time before Robert Plant got his hands on a Jack White collaboration, and it seems like that fateful day is drawing nearer with each passing breath. As part of a Facebook chat (sidenote: Robert Plant has Facebook? Such a cool dad.) to promote his new solo album lullaby and...the Ceaseless Roar, the Led Zeppelin singer told fans that he'd someday love to work with the fun-loving White on a project.

"I love Jack White's buccaneer spirit and the way he dodges through the musical horizons," Plant said in a response to a fan's question. "I'd be happy to make a single with him."

He went on, providing hope that this day may indeed come soon.

"I'd like to do a track called 'Love Me' [at White's Third Man studios] which was originally recorded by the Phantom," he said, even going as far as to work out scheduling concerns well enough in advance. "I'm going to Nashville on Sunday and can do it on Monday morning! I've got lunch with Alison Krauss at 2pm and cocktails with Patty Griffin at 8pm." Great, we'll see everyone at Third Man on Monday then.

Paolo Nutini Shares New Album 'Caustic Love' Early & Talks Breaking Though in America

By Chris Payne | September 10, 2014 4:23 PM EDT

Paolo Nutini

Shamil Tanna

Paolo Nutini is a bona fide superstar in his native United Kingdom. The Scottish soul singer's third studio album, Caustic Love, has already topped the U.K. Albums Chart, and now Nutini is setting his sights on America. But the 2014 Glastonbury headliner knows taking on a new market isn't easy; he's been trying to become a household name in North America ever since his 2006 debut These Streets produced Adult Pop Songs hits like "New Shoes" and "Last Request."

Casutic Love is a bittersweet collection of weathered ballads with classic soul DNA woven throughout its 13 tracks. Prior to its Sept. 16 North American release, Nutini is streaming the album via Billboard:

"I remember the first time I did a show in New York," the 27-year old singer tells Billboard. "I had one night in the Mercury Lounge and the second night was in Carnegie Hall for a celebration for Ahmet Ertegun. I remember showing up to do that show and Liza Minelli was soundchecking. I was like, 'What am I doing here?' I think that's a microcosm of life as well. It can be a lonely place or it can be full of opportunity."

This time around, Nutini is set to play New York's Terminal 5 and Apollo Theater when his North American tour swings through New York, on Sept. 22 and 23, respectively. Speaking to Billboard, Nutini is remarkably grounded, considering his Glastonbury main-stage status in the U.K. "All you can really ask for is for opportunities to play your music," he says plainly. Nutini understands that conquering a new market isn't easy, and the opportunity to headline across America is an accomplishment in itself. "Then it's up to people to decide, number one, whether they want to come and watch it and like it, and number two, the dilemma that people face in today's financial climate is that music is somewhat of a luxury."

And going on a homecoming tour of his musical roots isn't too bad, either:

"It's the home of the music I grew up on. The first records I heard were Stax and Motown records. When you go to the places where these were recorded -- the birthplace of all this music -- it's a big privilege."

Listen: https://soundcloud.com/paolo-nutini

But of course, Nutini doesn't have to be humble all the time. Playing club shows in America is great, but rocking the main stage at Glastonbury this past summer is a whole different trip. Bad weather had pushed back everyone's sets about an hour, letting Nutini play the fest after sundown for the first time. "I think the darkness and the energy of the festival complement each other pretty well," he told Billboard. See for yourself, as he rocks through the slow-burning Caustic Love track "Iron Sky":

Jay-Z and Kanye West Are Producing a Chris Rock Film Co-Starring Adam Sandler

The Roots' Questlove serves as executive music producer for 'Top Five'

Jay Z and Kanye West adding "film producer" to their impressive resumes Photo via YouTube

WRITTEN BY
Colin Stutz

September 10 2014, 6:42 PM ET

Sure we like Jay Z, and we like Kanye West, but we like them together most of all. And not just in a Watch the Throne kind of way, but also with regard to their balling so hard as a best buddies and, yes, as two of the rap world's most diversified entrepreneurs too.

Turns out their newest collaboration is a film written by, directed by, and starring Chris Rock called Top Five. Hov and Yeezy are on board as co-producers for the feature, reports Pitchfork, in which Rock plays Andre Allen, a film star re-examining his previous career as a comedian. Roots drummer and Tonight Show band leader Questlove serves as executive music producer. And according to IMDB, Adam Sandler co-stars as ... Adam Sandler.

Other familiar names include Rosario Dawson, Kevin Hart, Gabrielle Union, Tracy Morgan, Cedric the Entertainer, J.B. Smoove, Anders Holm, and 2014 VMAs host/non-host Jay Pharoah.

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Stevie Wonder to Take 'Songs in the Key of Life' on the Road

The singer will present the album in 11 arenas across the U.S. this fall

By Kory Grow | September 10, 2014

Stevie Wonder will take his celebrated 1976 record Songs in the Key of Life on an 11-date arena tour this fall. It will take him across the country with dates running from New York City to Oakland, California between November 6th and December 5th. Tickets for most shows go on sale September 22nd.

This past December, the singer-songwriter played all of the record's 21 songs for the first time ever at his annual House Full of Toys benefit concert in Los Angeles. The singer had announced the event with a performance of the diamon..."Sir Duke" at a press conference last October.

But even though he played all of the album's songs, he did not play them in the exact order. At various points, often when records would flip sides, Wonder inserted songs from A Something's Extra, the four-song 7-inch EP that accompanied special editions of the original LP that appears at the end of most CDs.

Before the performance, Wonder told Rolling Stone that he intended to mix up the album. "The only difference to the actual layout of Songs in the Key of Life is, as opposed to ending with the songs 'All Day Sucker' and 'My Mama's Call,' I'm going to end it with 'Another Star,' because I feel that song is the right one to do," he said. "Now, we're going to put the other two songs that were on the EP in the presentation as well, so they'll be probably the first two extra songs after the first part of Songs in the Key of Life, which are 'Saturn' and 'Ebony Eyes.'"

Stevie Wonder Songs in the Key of Life Performance Tour Dates:

November 6 - New York, NY @ Madison Square Garden
November 9 - Washington, DC @ Verizon Center
November 11 - Boston, MA @ TD Garden
November 14 - Chicago, IL @ United Center
November 16 - Philadelphia, PA @ Wells Fargo Center
November 20 - Auburn Hills, MI @ The Palace of Auburn Hills
November 22 - Atlanta, GA @ Philips Arena
November 25 - Toronto, ON @ Air Canada Centre
November 29 - Las Vegas, NV @ MGM Grand Garden Arena
December 3 - Seattle, WA @ Key Arena
December 5 - Oakland, CA @ Oracle Arena

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Long Live the Teflon Don: The Rise of the Notorious B.I.G. and "Ready to Die"

By Rob Kenner

11 hours ago

Twenty years ago I was a senior editor at VIBE magazine, settling into my comfy new office with wall-to-wall green shag carpet, a sturdy wooden door, and two windows overlooking Lexington Avenue. Quincy Jones’ harebrained media gamble, to publish a hip-hop culture mag via Time Inc., the home of Fortune and Sports Illustrated, had blown up like the World Trade in 1993. The first few issues sold briskly—apparently people from all walks of life enjoyed feeling “ghetto fabulous”—and the staff’s reward was to escape the awkward elevator rides with the suits in the Time-Life skyscraper. We set up shop in our own spot on Lex, in the same building as Steve Rifkind’s Loud Records and William F. Buckley Jr.’s National Review.

One rainy spring afternoon two black teenagers shrouded in baggy Gore-Tex outerwear burst through my office door unannounced, explaining that they were with the Bad Boy street team. One of them slipped off his nylon drawstring backpack and fished out two cassette tapes. “Craig Mack is the first to drop,” he said as he handed over an advance copy of Project Funk da World. “But this is the shit right here,” he added emphatically. “You need to hear this Biggie Smalls shit.” I placed the Craig Mack on top of a tall stack of cassettes, popped the one labeled Ready to Die into my Fisher hi-fi, and stepped into a world.

The three-and-a-half-minute intro had me hypnotized: Ominous cinematic strings give way to the sound of a heartbeat and a woman straining to give birth. “Come on, baby, push! One more time,” the father exhorts as Marvin Gaye’s “Got to Give It Up” plays in the background (on the final album, this song would be changed to Curtis Mayfield’s “Superfly,” released in 1972, the same year as Biggie’s birth). “I see the head!” the proud father roars before the music fades into the Sugar Hill Gang’s 1979 “Rapper’s Delight,” signifying that seven years have passed. Now the boy’s parents are arguing, with the father threatening to “smack the shit outta” the mom because she “can’t control the goddamn boy” as Wonder Mike and Big Bank Hank rap on and on to the break of dawn. The sound dissolves again to Audio Two’s 1987 “Top Billin',” which marks an eight-year passage of time, and signals rap’s evolution to harder-edged sounds and themes while at the same time representing BK to the fullest. Our 15-year-old antihero is now plotting a stickup with a slightly reluctant henchman. “You momma giving you money, nigga? My moms don't give me shit… Time to get paid… Muthafucka is you with me?” A gun is cocked, a warning shot fired, and the kids rob a whole subway car. After the screaming fades, the music shifts again, and we hear the young man being released from prison. “So how’s it feel leaving us?” the corrections officer asks sarcastically. “Ha!” Biggie replies. “What kinda fuckin’ question is that, man? I’m trying to get the fuck outta here, dog.” Defying the racist guard’s predictions, he vows, “You won’t see me in here no more. I got big plans, nigga. Big plans.”

People remember the covers, but the most prescient article VIBE ever published was Scott Poulson-Bryant’s lengthy profile of the head of A&R at Uptown Records. His name was Sean Combs, but everybody called him Puffy, and his name was buzzing even more than the artists he worked with. Scott pitched the story in that first contentious edit meeting, explaining that the hip-hop audience paid as much attention to the players behind the scenes as they did to the artists themselves. In green-lighting this audacious idea, VIBE became the first publication to recognize the fact that Puff Daddy was a star and to present him as such.

He posed in Timberlands and baggy jeans with Calvin Klein briefs showing, and talked about shaping the image of Mary J. Blige and Jodeci, about the birth of his first son, Justin Dior, and about what he called “the next generation of Bad motherfuckers.” (Puff was known to carry a briefcase containing the Bad Boy logo, a sketch of a mad-faced baby in Timbs and a diaper, so he could show it off in the club.) Then in July 1993, just as the issue was going to press with a glaring picture of Snoop Dogg on the cover, we got word that Puffy had been fired from Uptown. Scott didn’t seem the least bit fazed at the news, and smiled as we rushed to revise the conclusion of his Vanity Fair-style profile. He was plugged-in enough to know that getting fired from that job was the best thing that could ever happen to Sean Combs, and that the legend of Puffy had only just begun.

Christopher Wallace took the news of Puff getting fired a lot harder than anyone on the VIBE staff. The 21-year-old rap phenomenon, known in the streets of Brooklyn as Biggie Smalls, already knew the thrill of hearing his records blasting out of Jeeps. His verses had sparked the remixes to Mary J. Blige’s “Real Love” and Super Cat’s “Dolly My Baby,” and his first solo joint, “Party and Bullshit,” had just dropped as a single from Uptown’s Who’s The Man? movie soundtrack. (The latter track was a favorite of Tupac Shakur’s, who played it on repeat when it first came out, and befriended the Brooklyn rapper out of sheer admiration.) That was all well and good, but Biggie wasn’t seeing any serious paper yet, and his daughter, T’Yanna, was about to be born. The crack game was the only sure payday he knew, and he had no time for anybody trying to sell him a dream. Sure, he was excited to be working on a debut album for Uptown, which he was planning to call The Teflon Don, but if Puff’s big talk about becoming a hip-hop superstar was going to fall through then Biggie had no choice but to catch the Amtrak down to North Carolina where he had set up a lucrative spot that brought in $30,000 every two weeks.

As he would later recall in his single “Juicy,” this rap shit “was all a dream.” All those details in that song about letting his tape rock till his tape popped? True story. Biggie was a born-and-bred hip-hop head who visited his mother’s homeland of Jamaica on holidays and happened to live across the street from the New Orleans–born hornsman Donald Harrison, who exposed him to crucial jazz albums and gave him the opportunity to record his earliest raps. Creatively, Biggie Smalls was a perfect storm, drawing on the great traditions of reggae, jazz, rap, and soul. He had a booming baritone, a wicked sense of humor, and a brilliant brain crackling with buddha-blessed wordplay night and day. His rap style fused Kane’s rapid-fire polysyllables, G-Rap’s rawness, Too $hort’s bawdy boasting, and Slick Rick’s genius for spinning narratives out of dramatic dialog amongst distinct characters. But ultimately Biggie Smalls was in fact the illest because his artistry was greater than the sum total of its influences.

Biggie Smalls was in fact the illest because his artistry was greater than the sum total of its influences.

Without Puffy’s guidance he might have become the greatest hip-hop footnote ever to touch the mic. Had Puff not landed a distribution deal for his Bad Boy imprint with Clive Davis at Arista, he would never have tracked Biggie down in North Cackalacky, paging him over and over, cussing him out and telling him he had a check with his name on it. Surely then Biggie would never have headed back to New York when he did, just hours before the cops raided his spot, arresting his partner and seizing their assets. Biggie got out in the nick of time, and stepped out of the shadows into the spotlight. He had already appeared in Matty C’s “Unsigned Hype” column in The Source—that was how Puffy first heard of him—and now he was about to be profiled by Mimi Valdes in VIBE’s NEXT section, posing on Fulton Avenue in a Karl Kani sweatsuit and Timbs, still a world away from the days of Versace shades, tailored suits, and alligator boots.

Six short years after the creative pinnacle of 1988, New York hip-hop was undergoing a profound transformation. Wu-Tang Clan’s Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) arrived in December 1993, a year after Dr. Dre’s masterpiece The Chronic blew the roof off everything, dominating the streets as well as radio and video rotation like nothing seen before, and challenging New York’s long-held claim as the nerve center of hip-hop. The RZA’s seminal posse album, as raw as Dre’s album was smooth, spoke to “the core of the hard” as Da Ghetto Communicator put it in his review for The Source. Truly, 36 Chambers was the East Coast’s answer to The Chronic—positing the bold, unified vision of a single producer, populated by a gang of brilliant MCs spitting impenetrably dusted Five Percent Nation mathematics all filtered through the lens of Kung Fu movie mythology. Nas’ superb Illmatic showed another way for the East Coast to move forward—nine songs, five brilliant producers, plus the profound poetic observations of a “ghetto monk” in Q-Tip’s memorable phrase. Elsewhere in America, 1994 was the year of OutKast’s Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik, Scarface’s The Diary, Common Sense’s Resurrection and Warren G’s grandiosely titled Regulate... G-Funk Era. But the Notorious B.I.G.’s Ready to Die outsold all of them.

Of course Biggie’s virtuoso flows were essential to that success, but you can’t take credit away from Puffy, who cherry-picked the best of everything that was popping at the moment—a pinch of Primo boom-bap, a smidgen of funky-worm synth, a baby-photo album cover and autobiographical narrative frame reminiscent of Illmatic, and Puff’s own specialty—songs that made people dance. He mixed all these ingredients together with perhaps the greatest mic controller ever born and proved that a New York rapper could go platinum too (even if he had to kick a little West Coast flavor to do it).

Some of Biggie's most painfully honest lyrics were tough to digest, from “Me and My Bitch” to “I wouldn’t give a fuck if you're pregnant/Give me the baby rings and the No. 1 Mom pendant.” But for every “black and ugly as ever/However, I stay Coogi down to the socks,” there was a line like “stereotypes of a black male misunderstood/And it’s still all good.” Biggie’s brutal candor was its own redemption. Even the album's nihilistic title and its final, melodramatic suicide skit possessed an awful authenticity. After Ready To Die rappers could never again boast of "keeping it real" without acknowledging the dark side of the game

Released Sept. 13, 1994, Ready to Die was recorded in two bursts of creativity. Biggie’s voice sounds higher-pitched and angrier on the earlier material—tracks like “Things Done Changed” produced by Darnell Scott, and the four Easy Mo Bee joints that follow it on the album: “Gimme the Loot,” “Machine Gun Funk,” the superb “Warning” and “Ready to Die.” The later material, songs like “Juicy,” with its radio-friendly Mtume sample, and “Big Poppa” with its G-funk keyboard line, reflect Puffy’s commercial savvy as well as his powers of persuasion—Biggie was not trying to hear that shit at first, but Puff wore him down. The Debarge-laced “One More Chance/Stay With Me” remix (which could not have been further from the original album version) sealed the deal, catapulting the Black Frank White to the highest heights. By the time it dropped, Biggie was not just a client, he was the player president.

All those promises of rap superstardom? Puff came through on everything. Biggie would appear on VIBE’s cover twice during his lifetime. First in October 1995, with his beautiful wife Faith Evans, and again in September ’96 with Puff, on the infamous “East vs West” cover. And then, three years after Biggie’s debut album dropped, he was murdered as he left a party sponsored by VIBE, six months after Tupac Shakur's murder and two months shy of Biggie's 25th birthday. He was survived by a daughter and a son and a wife and a mother and a devastated Junior Mafia clique and a gutted hip-hop nation. I myself had a hard time going to the office after he passed. The place felt haunted, or maybe it was just me. The Puffy legend would continue to grow, now inextricably intertwined with that of the late Christopher George Latore Wallace. Twenty years after Ready to Die's release, Diddy is the uncontested Big Homie of hip-hop, and Biggie’s artistry remains so pervasively influential that we cannot even see it anymore. Every major rhymesmith from Jay Z to Kendrick Lamar must wrestle with his ghost. As he put it on “Unbelievable,” my personal favorite song off his debut, “Ain’t no amateurs here, I damage and tear/MCs fear me, they too near not to hear me.” We still hear.

WESTON, Conn. -- Happy birthday to Weston’s José Montserrate Feliciano García!

Best known as José Feliciano, the guitarist, singer and composer who has owned a home in Weston, turns 69 on Wednesday. He was born Sept. 10, 1945, in Lares, Puerto Rico.

In 1963, after live performances in pubs and clubs around the United States and Canada, especially in Greenwich Village, N.Y., and Vancouver, B.C., Feliciano was signed by Jack Somer, an executive at RCA Victor.

In 1964, he released his first single, "Everybody Do the Click," which become a hit in the Philippines, at No. 2, staying for 14 weeks in the Top Ten Hit parade.

In 1965 and 1966, he released his first albums: "The Voice and Guitar of Jose Feliciano" and "A Bag Full of Soul," two folk-pop-soul albums that showcased his talent on radios across the USA, where he was described as a "10-finger wizard."

He recorded The Doors' song "Light My Fire" in a Latin style and released it as a single. In the summer of 1968, it reached No. 3 on the U.S. pop charts with over 1 million copies sold in the U.S. market alone. The song became a No. 1 hit in many countries, including Canada, Brazil and the UK and was awarded a gold disc.

Feliciano won two 1969 Grammy Awards for Best New Artist of the Year and Best Pop Song of the Year, bringing him worldwide recognition as a pop star and stylistic leader after his crossover from Latino music to English-language pop rock. He is recognized as the first virtuoso classical guitarist to bring nylon-string guitars into the pop rock scene.

In 1970, Feliciano wrote and released an album of Christmas music, "Feliz Navidad" and also acted and composed for television series and movies, including "McMillan & Wife" and "Kung Fu," and the soundtrack for the 1976 movie "Aaron Loves Angela." He has also been a guest performer on many albums.

During the 1980s, he began recording an impressive number of hit records for Latin market including the Motown albums "Escenas de Amor" and "Me Enamoré," as well as others from RCA, EMI, and Capitol, garnering four more Grammy Awards for Best Latin Performer.

In 2007, Feliciano released an album called "Soundtrack of My Life," the first English-language album composed and written by him.

In 2009, after winning his eighth Grammy for the album "Señor Bolero," he left Siente Music and released two new English-language albums for digital download.

On Nov. 9, 2011, Feliciano received the Latin Grammy Lifetime Achievement award from the Latin Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences.

In July 2012, he signed with managers MBM/Howard Perl Management. On Aug. 7, 2012, Feliciano released "The King," a tribute to Elvis Presley.

This August, he performed at the grand reopening of the Levitt Pavilion in Westport.

[Edited 9/10/14 19:29pm]

James Bond villain Richard Kiel known for playing Jaws has died aged 74

By Paul Chavez for MailOnline

Published: 19:12 EST, 10 September 2014 | Updated: 21:48 EST, 10 September 2014

Richard Kiel, best known for his role as the steel-toothed villain Jaws in two 1970s James Bond films, has died aged 74.

The statuesque 7ft 2in actor portrayed the mercenary assassin Jaws in the 1977 movie The Spy Who Loved Me and the 1979 thriller Moonraker both opposite Sir Roger Moore as Agent 007.

Kiel died on Wednesday afternoon at a hospital in Fresno, California, according to a report on Wednesday by TMZ.

Scroll down for video...

Remembered: Richard Kiel - posing here in 2012 behind a shot of him as Bond villain Jaws - has died aged 74, TMZ reports

The actor was a patient at Saint Agnes Medical Center and his death was confirmed by Kelley Sanchez, director of communications at the hospital.

The towering star recently broke his leg and received treatment at the medical center, according to TMZ.

A cause of death has not yet been reported.

Metal teeth: Richard as Jaws in the 1977 film The Spy Who Loved Me puts a strangehold on Agent 007 played by Roger Moore

Bond villain 'Jaws' played by Richard Kiel in Moonraker trailer

Formidable foe: Richard is shown battling Roger Moore in the 1979 James Bond film Moonraker

Kiel's other memorable film and television performances included imposing boss Mr. Larson in Happy Gilmore starring Adam Sandler, lethal assistant Voltaire in The Wild, Wild West and the extraterrestrial Kanamit in the memorable 1962 The Twilight Zone episode To Serve Man.

The Twilight Zone episode that he starred in famously ends with a cryptologist sharing the true nature of the alien's To Serve Man tome as she revaled: 'It's a cookbook!'

He also portrayed a prisoner who played a bruising game of football against the guards in the 1974 film The Longest Yard starring Burt Reynolds.

His character Jaws ranks among the top Bond villains alongside Goldfinger, Ernst Stavro Blofeld and Rosa Klebb.

Jaws was known for his enormous size and strength plus those sharp steel teeth that he could use to bite through cables and to chomp on the neck of his victims.

Steel teeth: Kiel is shown as Jaws biting through a cable with his steel teeth

Twilight Zone: Kiel played the alien Kanamit in the memorable The Twilight Zone episode To Serve Man

Moore, who played the fictional British secrent agent in seven films, wrote an August 2012 article in MailOnline about his favourite Bond villains.

'The most memorable of all, however, has to be Jaws, sidekick to the evil Karl Stromberg in The Spy Who Loved Me,' Moore, 86, wrote in the article.

'Jaws was played by my good friend Richard Kiel, who stands 7ft 2½ in. Jaws got his name from the ominous, glinting steel teeth he wore, of course. Poor devil, they were so uncomfortable to wear – Richard could only keep them in for about half a minute at a time,' Moore wrote.

Larger than life: Jaws with his towering height and metal teeth proved a formidable villain in The Spy Who Loved Me and again in Moonraker

Bond movie producer Albert R. Broccoli has been credited with adding steel teeth to the Jaws character for The Spy Who Loved Me.

The teeth were designed as cog-like in shape as it was believed pointy teeth would injure Kiel.

When Jaws was required to bite through something, liquorice was used.

Mercenary assassin: Kiel is shown reprising his role as Jaws in Moonraker

Jaws only had one line in both of his appearances in the Bond franchise.

'Well, here's to us,' he said at the end of Moonraker as he opened a bottle of champagne with his girlfriend Dolly.

His character was inspired by Bond author Ian Fleming's description of a villain named Horror who revealed steel-capped teeth while speaking in the novel The Spy Who Loved Me.

Gentle giant: Richard, shown in May 2013 in London, was described by Moore as 'so kind, so gentle'

Before finding fame as a Bond villain, Kiel got his career breakthrough starring as Voltaire to Dr. Miguelito Loveless in The Wild, Wild West in 1965.

Born in Detroit, Michigan, Kiel made his acting debut in the television series Laramie, in an episode titled Street Of Hate.

He suffered a severe head injury in a 1992 car accident that affected his balance and forced him to walk with a cane, as shown in his appearances in Happy Gilmore, or use a scooter to get around.

Bond favourite: Kiel, shown as Jaws in The Spy Who Loved Me, ranks among the top Bond villains

Moore in his 2009 memoir My Word Is My Bond described how Kiel was starkly different from his Jaws character.

'Richard is so kind, so gentle,' Moore wrote of his co-star.

Kiel's abnormal height and distinct features were a result of a hormonal condition called acromegaly that is often associated with gigantism.

Kiel published an autobiography in 2002 titled Making It Big in the Movies.

He also co-authored the 2007 book Kentucky Lion: The True Story of Cassius Clay about the politician who worked for the abolition of slavery.

Scooting around: Richard is shown in September 2012 using a scooter for mobility.

'Beyond the Lights': Toronto Review

Courtesy of Toronto International Film Festival

Minnie Driver and Gugu Mbatha-Raw in "Beyond the Lights"

The Bottom Line

Familiar but fun

Venue

Toronto Film Festival (Special Presentation)

Opens

Friday, Nov. 14 (Relativity Media)

Cast

Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Nate Parker, Minnie Driver, Colson “MGK” Baker, Danny Glover

Director

Gina Prince-Bythewood

Gugu Mbatha-Raw plays a nascent pop star shrinking from the spotlight in Gina Prince-Bythewood's romantic drama

Midway through Beyond the Lights, Minnie Driver’s character, a brassy South London showbiz mother who gives Gypsy’s Rose a run for her money, snarls at her flailing supernova daughter, “Congratulations, you’re a bloody cliché!” That might be true, but Gina Prince-Bythewood’s entertaining music-biz melodrama is no less satisfying for the familiarity of its soapy trajectory. As the stunned deer in the headlights of fame, Gugu Mbatha-Raw is incandescent, playing a vulnerable young woman suffocating in the processed packaging of a sizzling pop goddess. Strong chemistry with co-star Nate Parker and a pulsing soundtrack should help give this November Relativity release a legitimate commercial shot.

Predictable or not, it’s easy to shove aside all thoughts of guilty pleasure and just succumb to these behind-the-glittery-curtain sagas when there’s as much heart and feeling as writer-director Prince-Bythewood (Love & Basketball) injects into her material. But the big surprise here is Mbatha-Raw, who turned heads this year in the period drama Belle. The emerging Brit actress proves she’s equally captivating in the very contemporary drag of a booty-shaking Beyonce-Rihanna clone, selling sex with a pumped-up R&B beat.

The film opens in London in 1998, where white Brixton single mum Macy Jean (Driver) guides her shy black 10-year-old daughter Noni (India Jean-Jacques) through a talent contest. Noni comes in second with an unaccompanied performance of Nina Simone’s plaintive“Blackbird,” but that represents failure for hungry Macy. She tells the compliant kid to toss the trophy, hissing, “You wanna be a runner-up? Or you wanna be a winner?”

Prince-Bythewood amusingly navigates a leap forward in time by cutting to an aggressively sexual music video for “Masterpiece,” one of three back-to-back hits that the adult Noni (Mbatha-Raw) has recorded with superstar white rapper Kid Culprit (Colson “MGK” Baker). The awkward, bespectacled girl with the nappy hair has been transformed into a strutting gazelle, with a toned body, a flowing weave and a micro wardrobe. The song wins a Billboard Award, but when Noni returns to her Beverly Hills hotel, she attempts a suicide dive off her 12th floor balcony and is rescued by Kaz (Nate Parker), an LAPD hunk on celebrity-babysitting duty.

Macy, now running a tight ship as Noni’s manager, goes into instant spin mode. At a press conference, the incident is brushed off as the accidental result of too many celebratory drinks, and Kaz is hailed as a hero. But despite receiving a fat check as payment for sticking to the story, the cop is too sensitive a brother not to feel Noni’s pain. And she likes that he sees beyond the fame to the soulful girl inside.

There’s a somewhat schematic neatness to Noni and Kaz both being driven by single parents who want success for their children at least partly for their own vicarious glory. In Kaz’s case it’s his father, Police Captain Nicol (Danny Glover), who has helped him strategize a career path in which law enforcement is the stepping stone between political science and actual politics, starting with Los Angeles city council and then moving up to bigger things. Romance with a train wreck pop tart is not part of the plan.

With the label threatening to drop Noni’s debut album due to negative social media attention, it’s imperative that she kick ass — or at the very least show some — in a live performance at the BET Awards. But Kaz’s lesson of self-worth (he reads Obama books and wears Muhammad Ali T-shirts) prompts her to rebel, which doesn’t sit well with skeevy Kid Culprit, with Macy or with the label.

Pretty much every development here is preprogrammed from countless films about the meteoric rise to stardom, the lack of oxygen up there and the good-lovin’ angel who steps in to light the way back down to Earth. But Prince-Bythewood’s script brings surprising integrity to that well-trodden arc, and while Kaz is a major force in Noni’s outcome, it’s her own backbone and intelligence that get her through. It may be obvious, but watching her remove her fake nails and weave and set free the realness within is quite moving.

Economy is not exactly a strong point here, and at just under two hours, the film at times lingers where it should glide, pausing for at least a couple too many music montages. But these are appealing characters to spend time with, and both Mbatha-Raw and Parker bring warmth, charisma and emotional openness to their roles that keeps you rooting for them to reconcile their conflicted paths. Even Driver’s character has her brittle edges softened enough to stop her from being a monster.

The film looks, and more importantly, sounds sharp. Cool grooves pepper the soundtrack, and the handful of songs for Noni, written by Terius “The-Dream” Nash and Richard C. Baker, mimic the vernacular of today’s over-produced R&B convincingly enough to make it credible that everyone wants a piece of her. If the ultimate message is that young female pop stars may have far more depth than their synthetic performance image suggests, that won’t stop the demographic for those artists from enjoying this movie.

Production companies: Relativity Media, Undisputed Cinema, Homegrown Pictures, BET Films

Cast: Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Nate Parker, Minnie Driver, Colson “MGK” Baker, Danny Glover, Aml Ameen, Benito Martinez, Aisha Hinds, India Jean-Jacques

Director-screenwriter: Gina Prince-Bythewood

Producers: Stephanie Allain, Reggie Rock Bythewood, Ryan Kavanagh, Amar’e Stoudamire

Executive producers: Tucker Tooley, Matt Alvarez, Robbie Brenner, Ron Burkle, Jason Colbeck

Director of photography: Tami Reiker

Production designer: Cecilia Montiel

Costume designer: Sandra Hernandez

Music: Mark Isham

Editor: Terilyn A. Shropshire

Choreographer: Laurieann Gibson

Sales: Relativity Media

Rated PG-13, 116 minutes.

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Top Five review: Chris Rock dazzles in full meta jacket

Chris Rock is already No 1 when it comes to money at the Toronto film festival with this charming - and highly bankable - story of a stand-up struggling to reinvent himself

theguardian.com, Thursday 11 September 2014 12.35 EDT

Chris Rock and Rosario Dawson in Top Five. Photograph: PR

The winner of this year’s Toronto audience award isn’t announced until the weekend. But buzz is that it might just match what’s already the runaway victor in the sales stakes. Chris Rock’s comedy was snapped up earlier this week by Paramount for $12m, with a further commitment to spend $20m on marketing. By contrast, last year’s biggest, Begin Again, was bought by the Weinsteins for $7m (with equivalent on promo). Why such extravagance? Well, it’s a good punt: Top Five is a film broad and filthy enough for multiplex appeal, but also sufficiently arch to satisfy those who fancy themselves a little more sophisticated.

A snappier spin on Funny People, in which Adam Sandler played a disillusioned comedian diagnosed with cancer, Rock stars as Andre Allen, an Eddie Murphy figure with roots in standup, millions in the bank thanks to some dumb franchises, and a hunger to haul himself out of the low-brow. We see clips of his work: Hammy – and its sequels - in which he plays a bear cop who opens fire yelling catchphrase “It’s Hammy time!”; as well as his first serious movie, Uprize, about the Haitian slave rebellion. He tries to flog the latter on the junket circuit, but all anybody wants to discuss is his upcoming marriage to a reality TV star, in a ceremony that’s to be a special on Bravo. This commitment means Andre is not only tagged by camera crews, but by a reporter from the New York Times, with whom he’s agreed to do a profile, despite their critic consistently trashing his back catalogue.

Jerry Seinfeld and Chris Rock in Top Five. Photograph: PR

This reporter is played by Rosario Dawson, making the most of a peach of a part that’s miles richer than it needed to be. What might have been just a good-looking sounding board is actually Diane Keaton (or maybe Tony Roberts) to Rock’s Woody Allen; Julie Delpy to his Ethan Hawke. Or, even, his Chris Rock – as the two stroll round the streets of Manhattan, swapping stories and riffing on pop culture, Top Five irresistibly recalls 2 Days in New York, Rock’s 2012 romance with Delpy. There’s a loose-limbed ease here that’s as inclusive as it is in-jokey; never more so than when Andre returns home to chat with friends and family (including Tracy Morgan, Anders Holm and JB Smoove).

These scenes also remind you of Rock’s 2009 documentary Good Hair; this is his third fiction film as director and writer as well as star, and the undeniable vanity that fuels it feels fitting for the material. In fact, if anything, Rock overindulges his friends at the movie’s expense. A flashback involving Cedric the Entertainer wears thin and never resolves with the hilarity you’re hoping for (though one shot, of a postcoital bed, raises some of the biggest – and most revolted – laughs of the festival). A few threads, especially that involving Dawson’s boyfriend, feel like punchline setups rather than plausible plots.

Still, there’s something so winning about Rock’s ramble round the fringes of fame that you let it go – even niggling details such as the fact Dawson has her editor programmed into her phone under “Editor”, rather than under, say, their name. Like so many films at this year’s festival, Top Five mines the zeitgeist. Luckily, as with While We’re Young, it does so with humour and a light touch – though it’s a much soppier prospect than Baumbach’s movie. Cameos from Sandler, Jerry Seinfeld and Whoopi Goldberg push envelopes generally kept on the top shelf. Let’s hope Top Five serves to make Rock as well-known – in the UK, in particular – as those three.

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Forget U2: five bands we'd like to see reach 500 million people

iTunes gave U2’s latest album to half a billion people, but U2 are already huge. How about giving someone else a chance?

• theguardian.com, Wednesday 10 September 2014 17.00 EDT

Janelle Monae performs on stage during the Rock-en-Seine music festival in Saint-Cloud, near Paris. Photograph: Bertrand Guay/AFP/Getty Images

U2’s latest album, Songs of Innocence, was given free to every iTunes subscriber on Tuesday in what was dubbed “the largest album release of all time”, reaching 500 million customers in 119 countries. According to unspecified sources quoted in the Wall Street Journal, as part of the massive distribution U2 and Universal Records also netted a blanket royalty and marketing campaign worth up to $100m.

But U2 has been one of the biggest bands in the world for decades. They are not hurting for record deals or mainstream exposure. There are, however, a few acts who could benefit from this opportunity of a lifetime. This type of deal could set a new precedent with Apple, bypassing the record label middleman or the fickle music press and instead give emerging or more diverse artists the opportunity to shine.

Janelle Monae

We still can’t figure out why Monae hasn’t reached the levels of stardom that she so deserves. Unlike many other contemporary pop stars, she’s truly the triple threat: a magnetic vocalist, dancer and personality. Perhaps all she needs is a boost by one of the biggest technology companies in the world?

Grizzly Bear

Grizzly Bear are one of the only acts to speak publicly about the difficulties working as contemporary musicians. Droste in particular was frank about the logistics in a profile for New York magazine. Despite their top-20 albums and choice song placement in numerous well-publicized ads or teen vampire movies, they still struggle to stay afloat. With their latest releases featuring some of their strongest and most captivating work yet, this deal would be right opportunity to finally give the band the sort of leverage they rightfully deserve.

Marnie Stern

Critically acclaimed but commercially unsuccessful, Marnie Stern’s music is bright, relatable and in need of a much, much larger audience. Her work – a mix of brash and bold guitar riffs, bright melodies and cheery vocals – might not sound immediately accessible. But she deserves another spin, at least for her bold, empowering lyricism that is feminine and biting.

Little Dragon

Little Dragon has quietly produced music that is soulful and reminiscent of the 90s neo-soul movement. Surprising for a Swedish band, but not that surprising once you’ve heard vocalist Yukimi Nagano’s winsome pipes that would sound perfectly at home on your local r&b station – or in anyone’s home during a long, lazy Sunday.

Sharon Van Etten

When will Sharon Van Etten breakout? Hopefully soon, but a little push from Apple wouldn’t hurt. Its nostalgia-fueled, earnest-leaning commercials as of late would be a perfect compliment to Van Etten’s tunes, which are filled with the sort of longing, frustration and beauty that we can all relate to. There are very few contemporary female singer-songwriters with the kind of Big Money push U2 was given, but there should be and Van Etten would be a great place to start.

By Mark Sutherland | September 9, 2014

Annie Lennox has hinted that her new collection of jazz, blues and soul standards might be her last album.

Speaking at an onstage Q&A in London Monday night to launch Nostalgia, her sixth solo album, the former Eurythmics singer admitted that, during recording, "I was thinking maybe it’s my swan song."

"But I don’t know yet," she added hastily, after protests from the audience. "Every time I ever made an album with Dave Stewart [in the Eurythmics] I always said, 'That's the last.' And after that, with my own albums, it was, 'That's it! I’m never doing that again.' But I came back to it…"

While retirement may not be on the agenda, a new album of original material seems unlikely. Nostalgia, set for release on October 21st, is her second album of cover versions in a row, following 2010’s A Christmas Cornucopia.

"I’ve stopped writing because I’m too happy," she said, in conversation with journalist Neil McCormick at the 20th Century Theatre in West London. "It’s thanks to someone who will remain nameless, but who makes me very happy with life these days. A lot of my writing was cathartic because it was a very helpful way to get certain feelings expressed. Misery is a great catalyst for some extraordinary music but you don’t really want to live there 24/7. I’d rather be not successful and happy than be super-successful and absolutely miserable."

But the veteran singer still had plenty to say, criticizing the modern obsession with celebrity. "We live in a celebrity-fixated culture and we live through them," she said. "But what are we following? My name sometimes gets put in the celebrity category and it freaks me out. I’ve never seen myself that way and I find it diminishing. What I am is a musician and a communicator and there doesn’t seem to be a separation of that thing. I want to make something that touches people and makes them feel something. It isn’t about… the tsunami of useless stuff about somebody’s hair or cellulite."

The new album features familiar standards including "Georgia on My Mind," "I Put a Spell on You," "Summertime" and "Strange Fruit," but Lennox said she stripped down her versions to create fresh takes on even the most well-known material. "It’s an old adage but if you have a great song it will work just with a voice and guitar or voice and piano," she said. "These songs have been done to death, some of them magnificently so. I wanted to get down to the core of the songs so you could feel something without too much elaboration."

While she hasn’t done a full tour since 2007, Lennox did not rule out a return to live performance. "That’s a big question at the moment," said the singer. "We’ll see."

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'Kate Bush News' Blog Indicates Performer Will Release Live DVD of Hammersmith Apollo Comeback Concert Series

By Ryan Book, The Music Times
Sep 11, 2014 11:28 AM EDT

Kate Bush(Photo : Wikimedia Commons)

Were you one of the thousands who was unable to score tickets to Kate Bush's ongoing Before The Dawn comeback concert run, or unable to justify traveling to London to witness the event? We have some modestly good news for you then: The event will apparently be filmed for a performance DVD.

Mind you none of this has been made official by the Bush camp yet. However both The Guardian newspaper and fan blog Kate Bush News have a pretty solid lede: e-mails received by concert attendees asking if they'd be alright switching seats at forthcoming shows.

"Unfortunately, due to a late decision to film the show for a DVD release, we have had to relocate you from your original seat," read an e-mail from Eventim, the company producing the concert series, to those with tickets for the September 16 and 17 shows.

Bush had asked fans several times to leave cell phones and cameras in their pockets during the concert run as to better enhance the live experience. We figured it was just so you wouldn't annoy the person behind you but perhaps Bush is aiming to monopolize the live video market for Before The Dawn (seriously though, it's probably so people put their damn phones away).

There's good reason to buy in when (and assuming if) a live DVD of the event makes it to American shores: The show includes a complete performance of Bush's "The Ninth Wave," a seven-song suite that serves as the B-Side to her 1985 album Hounds of Love. Even if it didn't come to American audiences, the Brits in Bush's homeland have showed a renewed fanaticism for the performer since her return to the limelight: 11 of the vocalist's previous albums placed on the UK Top 40 in the lead-up to her comeback series.

Jon Hendricks to Celebrate 93rd Birthday with Café Carlyle Debut on Tuesday, September 23

Sep 10, 2014 04:50 PM EDT | Maria Jean Sullivan (m.su...alite.com)

Jon Hendricks to debut at Cafe Caryle this fall. (Photo : jazzhouse.org)

Jazz lyricist and singer Jon Hendricks will celebrate his 93rd birthday with a debut at Café Carlyle on Tuesday, September 23. Hendricks’ iconic career spans nearly 50 years.

During the radical 1960s and ’70s, Jon Hendricks was one-third of the jazz group Lambert, Hendricks and Ross. Hendricks’s lyrical talent came to afford him the title of the originator of "vocalese." The process adds lyrics to existing jazz orchestral instrumental songs, replacing the instruments with vocalists.

His most prominent use of vocalese was on a recording of Duke Ellington's “Cottontail” by Lambert, Hendricks and Ross in 1960.

His vocalese trend wasn’t all positive. As WNYC reports, Miles Davis once ate Hedricks' steak because he messed with his solos.

Hendricks celebrated fame when his lyrics were sung by the Ray Charles, Nancy Wilson, Dinah Washington, The Manhattan Transfer, Thelonious Monk and Carmen McRae.

And in 1966, Hendricks recorded “Fire in the City” the Warlocks, later to be called the Grateful Dead.

Nearly 40 years later, He is currently playing in a trio with daughter Aria Hendricks and Kevin Fitzgerald Burke.

The performance will take place at 8:45 p.m. Reservations can be made by phone at 212.744.1600 for $40 or $55 for premium seating ($20 at the bar).

Reservations made online at www.ticketweb.com, however, are $35 with $50 for premium seating.

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Kate Davis Covers Meghan Trainor’s “All About That Bass”...with Actual Upright Bass

Sep 08, 2014 11:19 PM EDT

https://www.facebook.com/katedavismusic

Kate Davis covers Meghan Trainor’s “All About That Bass.” (Photo : Oregon Music News )

Kate Davis covers Meghan ...at Bass” appropriately with an actual upright bass.

Found on the ScottBradleeLovesYa Youtube channel, the talented Davis takes on all sorts of classic and popular music with Postmodern Jukebox.

The backing band on the video features Kate Davis on vocals and upright bass, Dave Tedeschi on drums and Scott Bradlee on piano.

Postmodern Jukebox Eviction have released tickets for the tour they will be going on this fall.

October 17 - Pittsburgh, PA at the Rex Theatre
October 18 - Northhampton, MA at the Pearl Street
October 19 - Boston, MA at the Wilbur Theatre
October 20 - New York, NY at the Best Buy Theatre
October 21 - Potsdam, NY at the Helen M Hosmer Concert Hall
October 24 - Montreal, QC at the Corona
October 25 - Albany, NY at the Troy Savings Bank Music Hall
October 26 - Philadelphia, PA at the TLA
October 27 - Charlottesville, VA at the Jefferson Theatre
October 28 - Knoxville, TN at the Bijou Theatre

Check Trainor’s video for “All About That Bass” below.

The Drop Review

• The Drop
• Tom Hardy, Noomi Rapace, James Gandolfini
• Directed by Michaël R. Roskam

BY Peter Travers | September 11, 2014

Who doesn't miss seeing James Gandolfini onscreen? The Drop, a potent, propulsive crime drama, gives us one more chance to salute the formidable talent of a remarkable actor who died in June 2013 at age 51. Gandolfini is dynamite in his final screen role, as Marv, a small-time crook who runs a Brooklyn dive bar that serves as a money drop for Russian wiseguys. The bartender, Marv's cousin Bob (a transfixing Tom Hardy), goes along with the scheme until he's pushed too far.

Working from a taut script by Dennis Lehane (Mystic River), director Michaël R. Roskam (Bullhead) makes every brutal, bracing minute count as Bob takes a stand with the help of a damaged woman (a very fine Noomi Rapace) and a rescued pit bull. Lehane based the script on Animal Rescue, his short story about redemption, not just for the dog but for Bob. Hardy, a British actor of uncommon versatility, from The Dark Knight Rises and Inception to his tour de force in Locke, takes a slowburn approach to his deceptively quiet role. He's a time bomb primed to explode. You can't take your eyes off him.

Though The Drop covers familiar ground, it simmers with charged emotion. The image that lingers belongs to Gandolfini. Marv sits in his armchair, remembering his days as top dog. "I was respected," he tells Bob. "I was feared. That meant something." It also means something to watch the actor who embodied the contradictions of Tony Soprano bring such gravitas to what would be his last screen hurrah. That closing glimpse of him, awaiting his fate, is indelible.

Amy Grant's Fall Tour Schedule [FULL SCHEDULE]

(Photo : Sparrow Records)

By Kim Jones
Sep 11, 2014 08:44 PM EDT

Amy Grant - In Motion: The Remixes Amy Grant's first remix album may be in stores with the lead single, "Baby, Baby" sitting in the Top 10 on Billboard’s Hot Dance Club Play chart but she's not just sitting at home collecting royalties. The singer is hitting the road, doing fall shows, getting ready to support the American Cancer Society by teaming up with Kellie Pickler for Athena® Bottled Water’s "Eat. Drink. Party Pink." event to kick off Breast Cancer Awareness month (in October) and in November, she'll join the 72nd Annual Santa Train to deliver gifts to families in need in Kentucky, Virginia and Tennessee.

After Santa Train, Grant will be full in the Christmas spirit and she'll be sharing it with fans as she and husband Vince Gill play multiple Christmas performances at the famous Ryman Auditorium in December. Amy will also co-headline with Michael W. Smith for shows with symphonies in Minneapolis, Dallas and Atlanta. In case that isn't enough Christmas, she will headline Christmas symphony dates in Toledo, St. Charles and Cincinatti. (dates to be announced)

Amy Grant Fall Concert Dates:

September 11 - Alexandria, VA - The Birchmere
September 12 - Stamford, CT - Stamford Center for the Arts at The Palace Theatre
September 13 - West Point, NY - Einsehower Hall Theatre at West Point
September 17 - Puyallup, WA - Washington State Fair (with Michael W. Smith)
September 18 - Boise, ID - Idaho Botanical Garden (with Michael W. Smith)
September 26 - Florence, SC - Francis Marion University Performing Arts Center
September 27 - Hopewell, VA - The Beacon Theatre Hopewell
October 19 - University Park, PA - Mussleman's Apple Sauce Family Skating Tribute Pegula Ice Arena
October 22 - Bemidji, MN - The Sanford Center

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Helen Mirren Returning to Broadway as Queen Elizabeth II in 'The Audience'

Sep 11, 2014 03:57 PM EDT | Jon Sobel (j.sobel@classicalite.com)

Helen Mirren will return to Broadway in February as Queen Elizabeth II in Peter Morgan's The Audience. Previews for the limited engagement at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre begin February 17, 2015 with opening night set for March 8. The production runs through June 28, 2015.

Mirren is quite familiar with the role of England's long-reigning present monarch. After her Academy Award and BAFTA-winning performance as Elizabeth II in Morgan's 2006 movie "The Queen," she starred in a 2013 run of The Audience in London, for which she received the Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Play.

Two-time Tony Award winner and Oscar nominee Stephen Daldry (Billy Elliot, "The Reader"), who directed the West End production and was most recently represented in London by the also-Broadway-bound revival of David Hare's Skylight, returns for The Audience's Broadway premiere. The rest of the cast and crew is yet to be announced.

The play imagines the private audiences between the Queen and her respective Prime Ministers, from Winston Churchill to David Cameron. According to press notes, "each Prime Minister uses these private conversations as a sounding board and a confessional--sometimes intimate, sometimes explosive. In turn, the Queen can't help but reveal her own self as she advises, consoles and, on occasion, teases."

Though a major star of stage and screen, Helen Mirren has appeared on Broadway only twice before--in 1995 in Turgenev's A Month in the Country (set for an Off-Broadway revival this winter starring Taylor Schilling and Peter Dinklage) and in 2002 in Strindberg's Dance of Death.

Reviewing the London production last year in the New York Times Ben Brantley called Mirren "unimpeachably authoritative" and noted her "admirably centered and engaged performance that gives shadow as well as substance to her physically exact portrayal of Elizabeth through the ages."

Tickets go on sale tomorrow, September 12, at Telecharge.

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Björk Receives Tribute from Sydney Chamber Choir's Paul Stanhope and The Idea of North's Naomi Crellin in Australia

Sep 11, 2014 01:37 AM EDT | Maria Jean Sullivan (m.su...alite.com)

Björk’s work yet receives another tribute, this time by way of the Sydney Chamber Choir directed by Paul Stanhope and Naomi Crellin with The Idea of North for Going Bjork at the Sydney Recital Hall in Australia. The a capella event also showcases Scandinavian classical and contemporary composers The Real Group, Knut Nystedt, Jan Sandström and ABBA.

What’s more, the program will premiere a new piece of work by Australian composer Dan Walker exploring the sound of Icelandic Sigur Rós, scored for voices and bowed electric guitar.

The event came to fruition after a BBQ chat on Icelandic music between Stanhope and Crellin.

“Björk is a true artist in that she loves to subvert expectations,” said Stanhope. “Her stylistic versatility comes across really strongly in her songs which draw from various sources as far and wide as big band through to Icelandic folks source,” he continued.

The main focus for Crellin and Stanhope is Björk’s album Medulla, comprised entirely of singing and human vocal sounds. Crellin will be joined by The Idea of North members Sally Whitwell and Dan Walker.

And as for Walker, his focus will be Sigur Ros.

“The song I have chosen, "Starálfur," in its original guise not only features the regular members of the band, but also the string quartet Amiina,” Walker explains. “ I have attempted to represent both of these in the choral writing; The Idea of North and the Sydney Chamber Choir sharing the roles and responsibilities of singing the Icelandic text and providing instrumental accompaniment, only truly coming together in the final moments of the work.”

Watch below as The Idea Of North perform an a capella "Smile."

[Edited 9/12/14 7:54am]

Lisa, Zoe and Lenny.

Sean and Lenny In Paris

Chevy Chase-Beverly D'Angelo Comedy Moving Forward at ABC

ABC Studios has boarded the comedy, which now has Brad Copeland attached as a writer

Courtesy of Everett Collection

"National Lampoon's Vacation"

ABC is moving forward with its Chevy Chase-Beverly D'Angelo comedy.

The network and ABC Studios have handed out a script commitment with a penalty attached to the family comedy reuniting the stars of National Lampoon's Vacation, The Hollywood Reporter has learned.

First announced in January, the comedy vehicle from Aaron Kaplan was eyed for the 2015-16 season with no studio or script attached. Brad Copeland (My Name Is Earl, Grounded for Life, Arrested Development) has boarded the comedy and will write the script and exec produce.

The untitled comedy will reunite the Vacation stars — aka Clark and Ellen Griswold — and see the duo again playing a married couple whose golden years are interrupted after circumstances beyond their control are now forced to raise their grandchildren. It's based on an original idea by Vacation fan Kaplan, who exec produces the single-camera comedy via his Kapital Entertainment shingle.

Should the comedy move forward, it would mark Chase's return to series television following his headline-making exit from Dan Harmon's Community.

For D'Angelo, the project comes after she guest starred on CBS' Kaplan comedy Friends With Better Lives earlier this year. Her TV credits include HBO's Entourage.

The untitled family comedy also comes as New Line's reboot/remake of Vacation is poised to begin filming next week. Chase and D'Angelo both have cameos in the feature, which stars Ed Helms as Rusty Griswold, Clark's grown-up son, and Christina Applegate as Rusty's wife.

For Kaplan, meanwhile, the Chase-D'Angelo comedy marks his latest sale this development season. He also has ABC's Eve comedy, set up in January for this development season, and projects set up at Fox, Spike TV, CBS and NBC.

The deal also expands Kaplan's relationship with ABC, which will air Australian remake Secrets & Lies come midseason.

Copeland is repped by UTA. Chase is with APA and KLWGN; D'Angelo is with ICM Partners.

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Parade Magazine Interview: Lady Gaga and Tony Bennett, The (Not So) Odd Couple

Posted on September 11, 2014 by admin

It might seem an unlikely pairing. But as this week’s Parade cover story reveals, the elegant, gentlemanly jazz icon and the dance-pop sensation actually have a lot in common. Tony Bennett, 88, and Lady Gaga, 28, are both proud Italian-American New Yorkers who cherish family; they’ve sold millions of albums, won multiple Grammys and weathered career ups and downs; they even live near each other on Manhattan’s Central Park South. Just before the Sept. 23 release of their album, Cheek to Cheek, Tony and Lady (as they call each other) sit down to talk about music, fame, and inspiring each other. Excerpts below:

On how they met:

Tony Bennett: “At a benefit concert. It was the first time I heard Lady perform, and I could not believe the audience’s reaction. I went backstage, and she was there with her parents. … The first thing I said was, ‘Let’s do an album together.’ And she said, ‘Okay.’ That quick.”

Lady Gaga: “I walked offstage sweating, and they said, ‘Mr. Tony Bennett wants to meet you.’ My father got all choked up, and my mother said, ‘Oh, I need to fix my hair!’ We all had champagne. I was so happy to meet him.”

On the new album, Cheek to Cheek:

TB: “I just love what she did on this album. She’s up there with Ella Fitzgerald, who was the greatest singer in the world.”

LG: “Working with Tony has reaffirmed everything I knew but that you start to forget when your life changes and it gets really noisy. For Tony, it’s all about great music. … On my earlier records they wanted to make my voice more electronic and auto-tuned for radio. That’s why this album with Tony is so amazing, because he’s hearing me sing raw, without any of that. And he’s protecting me from people trying to control what I sound like.”

On her solo performance of the poignant jazz classic, “Lush Life”:

TB: “Lady said, ‘That’s one song I have to do.’ She nailed it. You can hear her whole life in it.”

LG: “When I sang it [on this album] for the first time in 15 years, I started crying. I came into the control room, had my whiskey, and Tony held me and I cried in his arms. I kept saying, ‘Am I a mess, Tony? I don’t want to be a mess. I want to make you proud.’ He said, ‘No, you’re not a mess. You’re a sophisticated lady.’”

On why “Lush Life”—about loss, failure, and heartache—had such a big effect on Lady Gaga (who had hip surgery last year and in November parted ways with her manager):

LG: “It’s heartbreaking. Six months ago I didn’t even want to sing anymore. … I tell Tony every day that he saved my life. … I’m not going to say any names, but people get irrational when it comes to money—with how they treat you, with what they expect from you. … But if you help an artist, it doesn’t give you the right, once the artist is big, to take advantage of them. … I was so sad. I couldn’t sleep. I felt dead. And then I spent a lot of time with Tony. He wanted nothing but my friendship and my voice.” [She begins to cry.]

On the most important thing they’ve learned from each other:

TB: “Nobody has communicated with the public more than Lady Gaga. Ever. I trust the audience, and I’m very impressed. As far as they’re concerned, she’s part of their family. The only guy who ever did that was Bing Crosby, years ago.”

LG: “That it’s important to stay true to yourself. When I came into this with Tony, he didn’t say, ‘You’ve got to take off all the crazy outfits and just sing.’ He said, ‘Be yourself.’”

On whether Lady Gaga wants to start a family:

LG: “I thought I did, because I was feeling kind of finished with all of the chaos of my life. But then I started to spend a lot more time with Tony, and everything just became simpler, more pure, and more perfect. Now I’m going to take a lot more time before I have kids and settle down. I just want to sing.”

R.I.P. Denny Miller, ‘Wagon Train’ & ‘Tarzan’ Actor

Denny Miller, an athlete-turned-actor whose credits range from small-screen wagon train scout to big-screen Tarzan with dozens of stops in between, died today of ALS at his Las Vegas home. He was 80. After a playing basketball at UCLA under legendary coach John Wooden, Miller turned to acting. Within a year, he starred in the MGM remake of Tarzan, The Ape Man (1959). Director Joseph Newman’s low-budget pic was eyed as a trilogy, but as Miller said in a 2007 interview with the Las Vegas Journal-Review, “the one I did was so bad they didn’t do the other two.” That didn’t hurt his acting career, though. He appeared on early-’60s TV Westerns including Laramie, Have Gun — Will Travel and The Rifleman before landing a regular role on the popular Wagon Train in 1961. Billed as Denny Scott Miller and later Scott Miller, he played young scout Duke Shannon for three seasons and 100-plus episodes. After that he was a regular on the series Mona McCluskey, playing the Air Force husband of a Vegas showgirl (Juliet Prowse). He later appeared on two episodes of Gilligan’s Island, and the characters he played took their names from his two most famous roles: Tongo the Ape Man and surfer Duke Williams. The Bloomington, IN, native went on to guest in episodes of such TV classics as Gunsmoke, Hawaii Five-O, I Dream Of Jeannie, I Spy, The Brady Bunch, Mission: Impossible, The Six Million Dollar Man, Quincy, M.E., Battlestar Galactica, The Rockford Files, M*A*S*H, Dallas, Murder, She Wrote and Magnum P.I.

He also appeared in about a dozen movies during a four-decade acting career and was the raincoated TV pitchman for Gorton’s seafood for nearly 15 years. In his 2004 autobiography Didn’t You Used To Be What’s His Name? Miller said the company altered the look of the fisherman on its labels to resemble the actor.

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Elizabeth Olsen to Play Hank Williams' Wife in Upcoming Movie

By Jonathan Bernstein | September 12, 2014

There's finally an Audrey to Tom Hiddleston's Hank.

Elizabeth Olsen has been cast as Audrey Williams, Hank Wiliams' wife, in I Saw The Light, an upcoming biopic of the country music pioneer. Olsen will be starring alongside Hiddleston, who has already started prepping for the lead role in the film directed by Marc Abraham.

Olsen, the younger sister of twin Hollywood heavyweights Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, is also set to star in the Avengers: Age of Ultron next year. The 25-year-old actress has gained critical acclaim for her roles in movies such as Kill Your Darlings and Very Good Girls.

Audrey Williams served as the Alabama-born singer's wife, manager, duet partner, and occasional member of Williams' touring band throughout the couple's tumultuous marriage. After her ex-husband's death in 1951, Williams remained firmly entrenched in the music industry, running her own label and production company, and performing as a solo artist. However, she struggled to establish her own career as a singer, and eventually quit the music business in 1970. Like her ex-husband, Audrey Williams suffered from alcoholism. She died in 1975 at the age of 52.

I Saw The Light will begin filming next month in Louisiana, with Rodney Crowell serving as the film's executive music producer. Fans of Williams can expect to hear much of the country music legend's most beloved material, as the film's producers have already obtained rights to songs like "Hey Good Lookin,'" "Your Cheatin’ Heart," and "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry."

I Saw The Light is largely based the 1994 biography by Colin Escott. The film is set for release in 2015.

'Z Nation': TV Review

4:36 PM PDT 9/12/2014 by Tim Goodman

Syfy

"Z Nation" on Syfy

The Bottom Line

There's a zombie apocalypse — as always — but one survivor may be carrying the antidote. Survivors must get him from the East Coast to California. Alive.

Airdate

Sept. 12, 10 pm, Syfy

Cast

Harold Perrineau, Tom Everett Scott, Kellita Smith, Keith Allan, DJ Qualls

It pales badly in comparison to 'The Walking Dead' but Syfy's 'Z Nation' might be mindless (brainless?) entertainment to add to your list

The best thing that could ever happen to The Walking Dead is the arrival of Z Nation on Syfy on Friday. The super-popular but critically underappreciated Walking Dead may be seen more favorably for its writing, acting, visual acumen and storytelling capabilities now that Z Nation proves you can’t just put hungry zombies on the screen and have something worth writing home about.

On the other hand, if all you want to see are zombies, zombies, zombies — meaning it’s all about the gory and not about the story, then Z Nation may be your thing. In fact, as a B-level entry it’s at least entertaining, and if some of the sillier aspects of the pilot can be improved on could be one of those mindless entertainment options we all need now and again.

But as a top-notch drama — nope.

Z Nation has the normal zombie premise — there was a zombie virus and the world as we know it was overrun by crazed flesh eating dead people. (At least in Z Nation, like the film 28 Days Later, the zombies can run instead of stumble along which heightens the action quite a bit — some of the running dead are pretty damned fast.).

The series picks up three years after the virus has cut most communication, destabilized the government and any working order and left every man and woman to fend for themselves. Except that Lt. Mark Hammond (Harrold Perrineau), a surviving Delta Force member, is still trying to carry out his orders, which is to take Murphy (Keith Allan), the only known human to survive a vicious zombie attack, from the East Coast to California and the last functioning viral lab where they will try to make a cure from his antibodies.

Simple enough — as most zombie stories are. Getting from one coast to the next is also a nice bit, since it will take forever and mean lots and lots of action.

Along the way, Hammond meets up with a ragtag group that will assemble almost against their will to see the mission through. They are Charles Garnett (Tom Everett Scott), an active member in the National Guard; Roberta Warren (Kellita Smith), another National Guard member; Pvt. First Class Simon Cruller/Citizen Z (DJ Qualls), who is stationed/abandoned in the Arctic as part of the NSA listening base; Mack and Addy (Michael Welch and Anastasia Baranova), two college kids learning how to fight for themselves; Doc (Russell Hodgkinson), who’s not a real doctor but does sell illegal meds; Cassandra (Pisay Pao) a quiet but strong survivor they found who also looks fantastic in limited clothing; 10K (Nat Zang), a military sniper who doesn’t talk much but also doesn’t miss much – his goal is 10,000 zombie kills.

The trouble with Z Nation is in the writing, which in turn makes some of the acting seem off. But once you establish — pretty early — that this is no Walking Dead, the actual fun of the story is hurt by a few creative embellishments that don’t work (at least not yet), namely having Qualls’ character become a remote DJ wearing Ray Bans and deciphering help (his base still has lots of functioning satellites, etc., so he’s the eyes in the sky) like a late night, well, DJ. It’s over the top and we’ll have to see where that goes. Also, there’s a scene with a baby where the writers apparently couldn’t help themselves, but it defies all logic.

Look, Syfy should have had a zombie story up and running sooner than this, as imitation fuels the industry. But this effort isn’t quite there — like a lot of pilots, it’s still trying to figure itself out. It’s a very weak competitor to The Walking Dead — and the final scene of Friday’s pilot is such a rip-off of a scene in The Walking Dead they’d better plaster “homage” over it to keep the lawyers at bay.

All of that said, sometimes cheap thrills and guilty pleasures make a necessary addition to the viewing list, so take a look and see what you think.

The Loss of Joe Sample but Legacy of Great Music

This morning I read that legendary jazz pianist Joe Sample had died. Before people made smooth jazz a genre, Joe was playing it, he was a founding member of the genre bending jazz group The Crusaders. You probably know their biggest hit an R&B tinged jazz song from 1979 called "Street Life" with vocals by the wonderful Randy Crawford. It was a top twenty hit and was on four Billboard Charts (including disco, well it was 1979), but is a classic urban song and was also featured on the 1997 Quentin Tarintino film "Jackie Brown".

But Joe was no one hit wonder, his career spanned over 40 years of music and Joe's music was hard to categorize, he was a pioneer of the electric piano in the early 1970's before a lot of cats were playing the Fender Rhodes brand pianos. But if you ask me Joe was a master of the acoustic piano, his fingers swift and precise and had such a solid sound.

See my mother played the piano, so there was always jazz in the house growing up (being played on the piano, record player and the radio), and she and my late dad loved them some Joe Sample, from his Crusaders days and then into the very successful solo career that he had.

I can remember my parents also playing his solo album Carmel (also from 1979), and Joe's style is unmistakable, a simple yet soulful sound showing his Houston Texas roots. Joe had a a touch of gospel and a little zydeco (Cajun music), in his sound as well as straight ahead jazz.

You could call Joe the father of "Smooth Jazz", but he didn't quite fit in that box either. My favorite song from Joe is "Night Flight" a delicate starting yet at times soaring nine minute song featured on his 1997 cleverly titled album "Sample This". I play that song regularly along with "Street Life", in fact I listened to "Street Life" yesterday before I knew of Joe's passing. Its just a great song with memorable lyrics, some great piano solos from Joe and highlighting the Crusaders strong rhythm section.

Joe was a consummate and constant musician, still in demand at 75 years old. He was still actively writing, recording and performing music. I know he had a cancelled gig last month but was scheduled on next spring's Smooth Jazz cruise sailing out of Fort Lauderdale, FL on March 1, 2015.

Joe's music and style worked well with female vocalists, obviously the aforementioned Randy Crawford but his work with Lalah Hathaway (the daughter of the late great Donny Hathaway), on their 1999 album The Song Lives On. Also from his 2002 album The Pecan Tree (which is dedicated to his hometown of Houston Texas), there is a beautiful ballad on there called "No One But Myself To Blame", vocalist Lizz Wright follows in the steps of Randy & Lalah in putting a sweet voice to Joe's lush music and solid melodies.

Joe will be missed but man did he leave us some great music, thanks Joe.

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RIP Joe Sample: Houston Music Icon Dies at 75

By Rocks Off Sat., Sep. 13 2014 at 9:30 AM

Joe Sample, the Houston native whose masterful keyboard playing made him a leading figure in the jazz fusion movement of the '60s and '70s and a top session musician in jazz, R&B and pop for several decades, passed away Friday night, according to his Facebook page. His family announced his death with the following message:

[Wife] Yolanda and his son Nicklas would like to thank all of you, his fans and friends, for your prayers and support during this trying time. Please know that Joe was aware and very appreciative of all of your prayers, comments, letters/cards and well wishes.

Sample was a graduate of Wheatley High School, where he and some classmates founded a group they called the Jazz Crusaders in the mid-'50s. They moved to Southern California in the early '60s and became one of the most popular and respected groups in jazz thanks to albums like Freedom Sound and Looking Ahead. In the '70s, as their sound incorporated more and more elements of funk and R&B, the group changed its name to the Crusaders. Sample also took plenty of jobs on the side, appearing on classic pop-rock albums such as Joni Mitchell's Court & Spark, Marvin Gaye's Let's Get It On and Canned Heat's Up the Country. It was not easy work, he told the Houston Press in 2013:

"The producers were so good, there might be 30 guys working on a take and if one person hit a bad note, the producer would scream, 'Are you ruining my session?'" he said. "It could be pretty unnerving to some people."

Sample moved back to Houston in 2001 and eventually was named artist-in-residence at Texas Southern University's Jazz Studies program. Until recently, he continued to tour extensively in Europe and perform with his new group, the Creole Joe Zydeco Band.

For the past 16 years, Sample had been collaborating with New England folk singer Jonatha Brooke on QUADROON, a biography of Henriette DeLille, a 19th-century New Orleans nun whom the Vatican declared "venerable" in 2010 and remains under consideration for sainthood. After originally being rejected by the church, DeLille founded her own unofficial order that went on to establish an orphanage, a nursing home and network of schools across the Gulf Coast, including one in Fifth Ward.

QUADROON held its first stage reading in July at the Ensemble Theater. Following is an excerpt from the Press' cover story when Sample was inducted into the Houston Music Hall of Fame last year:

Joe Sample is a Houston legend, but a hard-working one. Fifty years on from departing Houston for L.A. and 40 years on from the Crusaders' groundbreaking jazz-funk album Pass the Plate, Sample is still touring the world, much in demand as a keyboardist and composer. His most recent travels have taken him to Montreux, Switzerland, and concert halls across Italy.

Photo by Marco Torres

Sample at the 2013 Houston Press Music Awards

Sample moved back to the Clear Lake area ten years ago, and now spends most of his time at home working as artist in residence at his alma mater, Texas Southern University. There, he fronts the Joe Sample Select Orchestra and works on special projects as well as performing with his small ensemble, the Creole Joe Band, which includes such luminaries as C.J. Chenier and Ray Parker Jr.

The lifelong musician took up piano at age five, studying under renowned classical pianist Curtis Mayo. By the time he was in high school, Sample had formed the Swingsters, predecessors of the Jazz Crusaders, with fellow Wheatley High School students Stix Hooper and Wilton Felder. Also while still in high school, Sample augmented his experience and his wallet by working on the road with master song stylist Ivory Joe Hunter.

But it was Sample's go-for-broke move to Los Angeles in 1960 that led to worldwide fame. After a decade of hard bebop-style playing and albums, the Jazz Crusaders dropped the "Jazz" part of their name and dropped Pass the Plate in 1971, forever altering jazz and popular music. Suddenly, from Zaire to New York City to Paris, the world was the Crusaders' oyster.

Yet each member of the band had other goals and career aspirations, and they began to work as L.A. session musicians. For his part, Sample played and recorded with an amazingly diverse list of performers, from Joni Mitchell to Diana Ross, Tina Turner to Willie Nelson.

Rocks Off will have more tributes to Sample starting Monday.

John Lithgow Hosts STAR-SPANGLED SPECTACULAR Live on PBS's 'Great Performances' Tonight; Kristin Chenoweth Performs

Acclaimed actor, musician and author John Lithgow will host Star-Spangled Spectacular: Bicentennial of our National Anthem live from Pier Six Pavilion in Baltimore on THIRTEEN'S GREAT PERFORMANCES at 8 p.m. ET tonight, September 13, on PBS. (Check local listings.)

The television event, to be co-hosted by multi-platinum recording artist and actress Jordin Sparks, is a highlight of Star-Spangled Spectacular, a weeklong celebration of the 200th anniversary of our national anthem.

Also featured are performances by Emmy and Tony Award-winning actress and accomplished singer Kristin Chenoweth; Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter Melissa Etheridge; celebrated mezzo-soprano Denyce Graves-Montgomery; Grammy Award-winning country group Little Big Town; vocal sensations Pentatonix; legendary singer-songwriter Smokey Robinson; Grammy Award-winning Country Music Hall of Fame member Kenny Rogers; Tony Award-winning baritone Paulo Szot; multi-platinum Grammy Award-winning band Train; the Grammy Award-winning Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of Music Director Marin Alsop; and more to be announced soon. The patriotic special will feature a diverse star-studded line up of entertainers paying tribute to our nation's ideals in a thrilling and inspiring concert at the Pier Six Pavilion. The Baltimore harbor, replete with tall ships and naval vessels will serve as a stunning backdrop. The program will also include ceremonial activities at Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine, historical highlights and an extraordinary fireworks crescendo.

Two hundred years ago, Francis Scott Key, a Maryland-born attorney, was inspired to write the words to what would become the United States' national anthem. In 2012, Star-Spangled 200 and the Maryland War of 1812 Bicentennial Commission began a multi-year commemoration of this legacy which will culminate with Star-Spangled Spectacular, a weeklong festival taking place on September 10-16, 2014. Within this festival, Star-Spangled Spectacular: Bicentennial of our National Anthem will take place. The festival will include tall ships, Navy gray hulls, a performance by the Blue Angels, landside festivities, and this special television program to honor the national anthem.

The musical program at press time is scheduled to include:

"This Land is Your Land" (Train & Melissa Etheridge)

"Till There Was You" (Kristin Chenoweth)

"Make Our Garden Grow" (Kristin Chenoweth & Paulo Szot)

"Boondocks" (Little Big Town)

"Stay All Night" (Little Big Town)

"Summertime" (Denyce Graves-Montgomery)

"Come to My Window" (Melissa Etheridge)

"Take My Number" (Melissa Etheridge)

"'Merica" (Kenny Rogers)

"Drive By" (Train)

"Angel in Blue Jeans" (Train)

"My Country 'Tis of Thee" (A Cappella) (Pentatonix)

"La La Latch" (Pentatonix)

"The Tracks of My Tears" (Smokey Robinson)

"Being with You" (Smokey Robinson)

"Overture to 'Candide'" (Marin Alsop/BSO)

"The Star-Spangled Banner" (Jordin Sparks/US Marine Band/Morgan State Choir)

"Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture" (Marin Alsop/BSO)

"God Bless America" (Little Big Town/Kenny Rogers)

"America the Beautiful" (Denyce Graves-Montgomery)

"Patriotic Medley" (Marin Alsop/BSO/Navy Sea Chanters)

Star-Spangled Spectacular: Bicentennial Of Our National Anthem is a production of Maryland Public Television, dick clark productions (dcp) and THIRTEEN Productions LLC for WNET with assistance from the Maryland War of 1812 Bicentennial Commission and Star-Spangled 200, Inc. Executive Producer David Horn, "Great Performances"; Producer/Director Paul Miller; Assaf Blecher, Vice President of Programming and Development for dick clark productions; and Steven J. Schupak, Maryland Public Television.

For Great Performances, Bill O'Donnell is series producer and David Horn is executive producer.

Visit GREAT PERFORMANCES Online at www.pbs.org/gperf for additional information about this and other programs.

About WNET - As New York's flagship public media provider and the parent company of THIRTEEN and WLIW21 and operator of NJTV, WNET brings quality arts, education and public affairs programming to over 5 million viewers each week. WNET produces and presents such acclaimed PBS series as Nature, Great Performances, American Masters, PBS NewsHour Weekend, Charlie Rose and a range of documentaries, children's programs, and local news and cultural offerings available on air and online. Pioneers in educational programming, WNET has created such groundbreaking series as Get the Math, Oh Noah! and Cyberchase and provides tools for educators that bring compelling content to life in the classroom and at home. WNET highlights the tri-state's unique culture and diverse communities through NYC-ARTS, Reel 13, NJTV News with Mary Alice Williams and MetroFocus, the multi-platform news magazine focusing on the New York region. WNET is also a leader in connecting with viewers on emerging platforms, including the THIRTEEN Explore iPad App where users can stream PBS content for free.

About Star-Spangled 200 - Star-Spangled 200 is a multi-year commemoration that celebrates the 200th anniversary of our national anthem. Star-Spangled Sailabration in Baltimore's Inner Harbor and the Chesapeake Bay launched the events in June 2012. Sailabration included a maritime festival with 45 vessels from a dozen nations and an airshow featuring the Blue Angels, and drew more than 1.5 million visitors. Star-Spangled 200 continued Spring 2013 through Summer 2014 with the Chesapeake Campaign, a series of more than a dozen festivals in waterfront communities around the Bay. Two conferences were held at the U.S. Naval Academy in 2013 - Cross Tech, June 10-11 and From Enemies to Allies, June 12-15 - bringing together leaders in cyber security and scholars from the U.K, Canada and the U.S. Events will culminate with Star-Spangled Spectacular, September 10-16, 2014, celebrating the 200th anniversary of the National Anthem. Star-Spangled 200 is supported by its Presenting Sponsor AT&T with Founding Partner support from Constellation and Papa John's. For more information, please visit www.StarSpangled200.com or www.StarSpangled200.org.

By Kory Grow | September 15, 2014

Feast of Friends, a Doors documentary that the band members produced themselves on their 1968 summer tour, is finally getting a proper release. The feature, which was never completed, was screened to generally negative reviews at film festivals during frontman Jim Morrison's lifetime, but the reason it has taken nearly half a century to come out on home video is because of the singer's legal issues at the time. The new release, due out November 11th, will feature remastered audio and video.

Watch the Doors' First Interview in Years

"It's a fictional documentary," Jim Morrison says in the film's trailer. "I can't say too much about it, because we're not really making it. It's just kind of making itself."

Director Paul Ferrara, who also made the 1969 Morrison showcase HWY: An American Pastoral, began work on Feast of Friends in April of 1968. The film includes off-stage commentary and concert performances. The band members funded the project themselves, but stopped the revenue stream after Morrison was arrested in Miami for allegedly exposing himself to an audience.

In addition to the main film, the DVD and Blu-ray will include bonus features. The newly made Feast of Friends: Encore uses additional footage shot for the original film, including shots of them playing poker and Morrison talking with the main feature's "Minister at Large" character, as well as footage of the group recording "Wild Child" in the studio. It also highlights a solo Robby Krieger performance, a Morrison poem and an altercation with photographer Richard Avedon.

The release will also include The Doors Are Open, a 1968 British documentary about the group centered on the band's final performance at London's Roundhouse. This feature has also been remastered and restored.

Finally, it will include The End, which captures the group performing their epic song in Toronto at an August 1967 concert alongside interviews with Krieger, keyboardist Ray Manzarek, drummer John Densemore and Doors manager Danny Sugarman.

The legacy of Feast of Friends stems from a grainy copy of the film that has been circulating on the bootleg market for decades. The print purportedly belonged to Morrison and was something that he had taken with him when he moved to Paris in 1971. According to legend, the singer left the film in a paper bag at a friend's house, days before his death.

A Statue of Amy Winehouse Has Been Unveiled in London

A statue of the late Amy Winehouse is unveiled in Camden Town on September 14, 2014 in London, England. Dave J Hogan — Getty Images

The sculpture was unveiled on what would have been the late songstress’s 31st birthday

English soul, R&B and jazz singer Amy Winehouse has been immortalized in bronze three years after her death at the age of 27, with the unveiling of a life-size statue of her on Sunday in Camden, North London, the BBC reports.

The statue, created by sculptor Scott Eaton, portrays the iconic artist with a hand on her hip and a red rose in her signature beehive hairdo. Eaton told the BBC that his sculpture intended to capture her “attitude and strength, but also give subtle hints of insecurity.”

Amy Winehouse's parents, Mitch and Janis Winehouse, pose with the statue of their late daughter

The unveiling took place on Winehouse’s 31st birthday, in the presence of her parents, relatives and fans. Her father Mitch said that seeing the statue was “incredibly emotional” and that Eaton had done an “amazing job in capturing her.” He also said his daughter had been “in love with Camden,” and that fans associated the district with her.

Winehouse, who struggled with alcohol and drug abuse, was found dead at her London home in 2011. Her death was attributed to accidental alcohol poisoning.

Jenn Selby

Sunday 14 September 2014

But the life-sized bronze tribute to the singer, who lost her battle with substance abuse in 2011, was none-the-less unveiled to cheers and applause in Camden, London on what would have been her 31st birthday.

Her father, Mitch Winehouse, led the ceremony just outside the Stables Market.

"It is incredibly emotional to see Amy immortalised like this, but Scott has done an amazing job in capturing her. It is like stopping her in a beautiful moment in time.

"The Winehouse family are very grateful to Scott and we really hope Amy's fans love the statue. We want to remind everyone of her talent and that her legacy, through her music and the Amy Winehouse Foundation, carries on.

"Camden meant a lot to Amy and vice versa and to have her forever standing at the heart of the hustle and bustle of that area just fits."

The life-sized tribute to Amy Winehouse was designed by Scott Eaton and was erected at the Stables Market in Camden "The pose had to capture Amy’s attitude and strength, but also give subtle hints of insecurity," Eaton said of the design.

"The hand on the hip, the turn of the head, the grabbing of the skirt, the turned in foot – these are all small elements that contribute to the personality of the piece."

"The design is not based on any single snapshot, photo or moment in time, but an amalgamation of influences," he continued. "Hopefully by taking many important moments in her history and drawing on those, the piece comes close to capturing the essence of Amy."

The monument was originally going to be at the Roundhouse, but was later moved to the more accessible grounds of the market.

"It's a great honour to have the statue in the Stables," he told the Guardian recently.

"Amy was an integral part of Camden and still is, so you couldn't really think of putting a statue for her anywhere else, could you really?

"I had a meeting with Camden council and they told me they don't usually allow statues until 20 years after someone has died, but in Amy's case they made an exception."

Amy Winehouse fans will not be 'ripped off' with posthumous albums

Mitch Winehouse says: "There is no more new music."

Next Previous

Photo Gallery: Amy Winehouse

There will be no more 'new' Amy Winehouse albums released, her father Mitch has confirmed.

Mitch Winehouse revealed that although there are some unheard versions of Amy's most-loved material available, he would not want to "rip-off" fans.

Winehouse spoke to BBC News as a sculpture of his daughter was unveiled in London's Camden on Saturday (September 13), on what would have been the singer's 31st birthday.

Asked about the possibility of hearing a new album from Winehouse, Mitch said: "We're not about to put out new albums with different takes on 'Back To Black'. She probably did 15 different versions of 'Back To Black' but we wouldnt do that, it's not fair. We dont want to rip people off. There is no more new music."

Meanwhile, when told about people opposing the erection of statue in Camden, Winehouse was defiant. "Let them come and take it down," he said. "They'll have to fight their way through millions of fans who do think it should be there."

The life-size memorial was designed by Scott Eaton and was erected at the Stables Market, not far from the house where the singer died in July 2011. The monument was originally going to be lo...ouse venue, but a decision was taken to move it to the market to make it more accessible.

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'Off the Cuff' Podcast: Louise Goffin Makes Her Own Mark In Music History

Ruel Lee Photography

"If you didn't bring them up, I'd go, 'Wow, I must be really getting somewhere in life!'" Louise Goffin says of parents Carole King and the late Gerry Goffin, on the heels of releasing her sixth solo album, Songs from the Mine. While she hasn't quite escaped their spotlight for good – nor is she likely to, considering what upper echelons of musical royalty she was born to – Goffin has carved out a life and career for herself that is uniquely her own.

"I'm extremely in the moment," she told Off the Cuff in a recording studio on Sunset Boulevard, where she arrived on a hot late-summer morning toting her signature ukelele. This accounts for her genuine outpouring of appreciation for her audience when performing, which was on display during her recent appearance at L.A.'s famed club The Viper Room. Goffin will be hitting up the East Coast soon for more performances to promote the new album, a collection of songs she's amassed from her deep archive of original material.

"I have a lot of songs I forget I've written," she noted. (It's easy to believe, considering that family friend Jackson Browne gave Goffin her first-ever gig opening for him at The Troubador when she was just 17-years-old.)

Before playing one of her new songs for us, Goffin explained what it was like to come up in a business in which her parents were already mega-stars ("I felt I was perceived as 'daughter of...' and taken for granted") and how she nabbed some major names from Hollywood to collaborate on the new album.

"I called my younger son and said, 'Johnny Depp is at the studio!'" she recalled. "He said, 'Oh my God! Don't let him leave!'

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Heirs of Duke Ellington Estate Seek 50 Percent Compensation of Late-Jazz Composer's Foreign Sales, Sources Say

Sep 12, 2014 08:16 PM EDT | Ian Holubiak (i.holubiak@...alite.com)

The highest court in the New York area (where's Monty Python when you need it?) is gearing up to hear arguments posted by heirs to jazz legend Duke...t with EMI. The suit is to regain half the royalties of Ellingtons foreign sales, which EMI has claimed authenticity to.

The suit comes from an earlier 2010 case. It alleges breach of the 1961 standard songwriter royalty contract the late jazz composer signed with Mills Music, according to Billboard.

Mills Music is the predecessor of EMI. And the contract calls for an even split in revenue, and the Ellington estate is ensuring they reclaim their property.

Heirs say that EMI should quit deducting 50 percent on commission to foreign publishers.

However, a judge dismissed the suit saying that the law only held ground to existing Mills affiliates.

A shame for the estate, similar strife was found ...son estate, whose heirs were finally able to reclaim rights over the two iconic images of the late-blues guitarist.

The Court of Appeals is expected to present a ruling next month.

One can only hope the right estate is given to the proper heirs. But until then, here's Ellington to keep you calm.

[Edited 9/15/14 16:54pm]

By Kory Grow | September 15, 2014

During the week of September 22nd, Conan will feature daily performances by artists including Beck, Norah Jones and Dhani Harrison to celebrate the music of George Harrison by singing one of his songs. "George Harrison Week" coincides with the release of the box set, The Apple Years: 1968-75 – also due out September 22nd – which compiles the Beatle's first six solo albums. More artists to perform on Conan have yet to be announced.

In other celebratory Harrison news, the Beatle's legacy will also be celebrated the week after the Conan engagement at an event dubbed George Fest: A Night to C...e Harrison. Scheduled to take place at Los Angeles' El Rey Theatre on September 28th, the event will feature appearances by Conan performers Dhani Harrison and Norah Jones, as well as Brian Wilson, the Killers' Brandon Flowers, "Weird Al" Yankovic and members of the Flaming Lips, Weezer, Heart, Spoon, the Strokes, Velvet Revolver and more. One-hundred percent of the proceeds from ticket sales to the event benefit Sweet Relief, a charity that aids career musicians struggling to make ends meet.

The Apple Years collects Harrison's albums from 1968's Wonderwall Music (the first solo record by a Beatle) through 1975's Extra Texture (Read All About It). It also will include many extras, including films and previously unreleased recordings. One of the bonus tracks – a different version of Extra Texture's "This Guitar (Can't Keep From Crying)," which Harrison re-recorded with Eurythmics member Dave Stewart in 1992 – now features additional performances by Stewart, Dhani, vocalist Kara DioGuardi and Ringo Starr.

Pediatric Hospital Drama ‘Red Band Society’ Is ‘Not a Show with a Body Count’

July 21, 2014 | 07:40AM PT

Laura Prudom

News Editor @lauinla

While the premise of Fox’s “Red Band Society” might seem depressing on the surface — the Octavia Spencer dramedy is set in the pediatric ward of a hospital — the show’s producers are aiming for a show that will make you laugh just as much as it makes you cry, treating the hospital as “high school, boarding school and summer camp rolled into one.”

The series focuses on the lives of the hospital’s young inhabitants and the staff members who often serve as their teachers, mentors and surrogate parents in addition to overseeing their medical care.

“Pediatrics goes through age 24 and 85 percent of all kids with any one of these diseases recover,” executive producer Margaret Nagle pointed out at the Television Critics Assn. summer press tour on Sunday. “It’s really about that time you spend in the hospital, how it changes you and what you learn… there are serious things that these kids have to face, but this is not a show with a body count.”

Instead of actively trying to be a tearjerker, the cast and producers compare the series to “The Breakfast Club,” thanks to its blend of character-driven drama and levity. “They’re archetypes, they’re defined by who we think they are,” star Wilson Cruz admitted of the similarities between “Red Band” and the ’80s classic. “You’re going to be surprised by who they become to you and who they become to each other.” Cruz said that the series explores what happens when “someone you barely know becomes someone you can’t live without. The show is about inspiring our viewers to take on whatever they’re facing and to latch on the people who are supporting them.”

“It’s definitely as complex and funny as ‘The Breakfast Club,'” Spencer said. “That would make me the principal.” Nagle teased that she’s even pursuing a “Breakfast Club” alum to play a pathologist in an upcoming episode.

But while the show has a decidedly Hughesian flair, Nagle also cited “My So-Called Life,” “Freaks and Geeks” and “Orange is the New Black” as influences — the latter helping inform the show’s non-linear narrative structure, which will flash back to the kids before they entered the hospital, explore the past experiences of the staff members, and follow characters home to meet their families and friends.

“We are going to learn backstories of characters and play around with the timeline… You have to get out of the environment and find out, why are they there? How did they get there?” Nagle said. “The backstories on these adult characters are incredibly rich and layered… they’ve all got relationships with each other as well.” She revealed that Cruz’s orderly character first came into the hospital as a patient who was cared for by Nurse Jackson (Spencer), and that we’ll discover how “she guided his life.”

While it’s based on Spanish drama “Polseres Vermelles,” the series seems like it was fully formed in Nagle’s brain, and the EP is drawing from her own life experience to ensure the show’s authenticity. The first season of “Red Band” is narrated by 12-year-old Charlie (Griffin Gluck), who is in a coma but can still hear the lives of the other patients and staffers going on around him. Nagle’s brother, also called Charlie, was in a coma “for a very long time” when Nagle was a child, so she grew up in children’s hospitals and wanted to shine a light on the fascinating stories and under-appreciated medical personnel populating the halls of a pediatric wing.

“The doctors and the nurses and orderlies in pediatrics, this is something they’re driven to do,” Nagle observed. “Sometimes they’re trying to work out things in their own lives… they bring that into their work.” The show will utilize a “compressed timeframe,” according to Nagle, and the first season will span four months in the hospital. In reality, patients can stay on a pediatric wing for years, or come and go multiple times until they reach 24.

Oscar winner Spencer admitted that she was drawn to the role because, “I wanted to focus on a character I could evolve with. It was the best pilot I’ve ever read… it’s not every day that you get great material. From page one, I was like ‘what is this going to be?’ I was moved, I laughed and cried, I ran the gamut of emotion.” Spencer insisted that “Red Band” is “unlike any procedural hospital show — we’re not a procedural. It’s not the typical drama, the typical comedy, it walks a fine line.”

The actors spent a lot of time visiting actual pediatric hospitals and speaking with the doctors and patients there, and Spencer remarked that many of the children are wise beyond their years because they’ve had to grow up fast when dealing with their illnesses. “A lot of young people are experiencing [this] — what we are doing is showing it isn’t taboo to be sick, you’re still normal, you’re just a different kind of normal,” she pointed out.

“Red Band Society” premieres tonight Wed., Sept. 17 on Fox.

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'American Horror Story' Enlists 'Chloe King' Star for Key Role (Exclusive)

1:29 PM PDT 9/16/2014 by Lesley Goldberg

Skyler Samuels will appear in multiple episodes of "Freak Show"

AP Images/Invision

Skyler Samuels

FX's American Horror Story is adding a Nine Lives of Chloe King star to its Freak Show.

Actress Skyler Samuels has booked a major recurring arc in the fourth season of Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk's anthology drama, The Hollywood Reporter has learned.

While specific plot details about Samuels' role are being kept under wraps, sources tell THR that she plays a "pivotal character" described as a local who finds herself in a tough situation.

Freak Show, set in Florida circa 1952, centers on a "troupe of curiosities" that arrives at the same time that a dark entity emerges, threatening the lives of townsfolk and freaks alike. It focuses on the performers and their desperate journey of survival amid the dying world of the American carny experience.

Jessica Lange stars as Elsa Mars, a German expat managing one of the last remaining freak shows in the country. Emma Roberts is set as con artist Maggie; Sarah Paulson is conjoined twins Bette and Dot Tattler; Kathy Bates is the bearded lady, Effil Darling; Angela Bassett is the three-breasted Desiree Dupree; and Evan Peters is Jimmy Darling, a man with lobster-like hands.

Frances Conroy and Gabourey Sidibe will also return to the cast, which includes newcomers Wes Bentley; Fargo's John Carroll Lynch as the central villain, Twisty the Clown; Michael Chiklis as strong man Wendell Del Toredo; and The Normal Heart's Finn Wittrock as well as the world's smallest living woman, Jyoti Amge. Patti LaBelle will appear in a four-episode arc, with Matt Bomer set for a guest stint. Murphy will direct the pilot, marking the first time he's helmed an episode since the series debut.

Samuels recently completed her starring turn in CBS Films' The DUFF, based on the YA novel. She earned a Teen Choice Award nomination for her role on ABC Family's The Nine Lives of Chloe King. Samuels is repped by UTA, Brillstein Entertainment Partners and Hansen Jacobson.

Watch the first Freak Show trailer here. Freak Show bows Oct. 8 at 10 p.m. on FX.

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‘Roger Waters The Wall’: Toronto Review

3:07 PM PDT 9/16/2014 by Leslie Felperin

Sean Evans

Roger Waters in 'Roger Waters The Wall'

The Bottom Line

Sure, the concert footage of this massive work of stagecraft is impressive, but by the end it becomes an insufferable exercise in ego-centrism

Venue

Toronto Film Festival (Special Presentations)

Cast

Roger Waters, Dave Kilminster, Peter Medak

Directors

Roger Waters, Sean Evans

Concert footage from the recent live tour of ‘The Wall’ is mixed with material showing a more personal journey taken by Pink Floyd’s Roger Waters in this documentary

The documentary Roger Waters The Wall seamlessly stitches together footage from several different 2013 performances of the live stadium show in which ex-Pink Floyd member Roger Waters and his band played music from the 1979 album The Wall. Interspersed footage shows Waters taking a road trip across Europe to visit war memorials and graves personally significant to him. The film’s title may lack an apostrophe after the “s” in “Waters,” but there’s no mistaking to whom all of this belongs.

As a film, it provides a useful service to fans and Wall-curious viewers who haven’t been able to attend the spectacular show — a jaw-dropping extravaganza involving light projections and massive puppets, during which a huge wall is constructed onstage and demolished over the course of an evening. But even for admirers of the music, the whole thing comes across as one big ego trip for its co-director/screenwriter/composer/star/performer, a man famously zealous about asserting rights over his intellectual property against his former bandmates. Given the music’s huge fan base, there’s no doubt the package will bank better-than-average revenue for a rock doc from theatrical distribution and ancillary sales.

The material from the original double-LP concept album, almost entirely written by Waters, has already been commemorated on film twice. First came the 1982 movie Pink Floyd The Wall (another grammarian-infuriating, apostrophe-free title) directed by Alan Parker with animations by Gerald Scarfe and Bob Geldof as the protagonist Pink, a barmy confection that’s become a cult classic. Then, in 1990, Waters and co-director Ken O'Neill made a concert-doc, The Wall: Live in Berlin, featuring an amazing all-star supporting cast of musicians, from Cyndi Lauper to Van Morrison, covering the songs from the album on a site where the recently dismantled Berlin Wall once stood.

By all accounts, the most recent iteration of the 2010-2013 Wall Live stage show used even more elaborate stagecraft than earlier versions, deploying state-of-the-art equipment to turn the wall built throughout the performance into a huge screen on which footage from the Parker film, archive material and new animations are projected, while ginormous inflatable puppets based on Scarfe’s designs and fireworks make pop-up appearances throughout. As is standard practice now at stadium concerts, cameramen onstage film the musicians at closer quarters for the projections, and these seem to match up to cutaways in the film. It’s conspicuous how often the close-ups feature Waters’ mug but very seldom the faces of anyone else from the band. Once in a while, there will be a zoom-in on the fingers of ace guitarists Dave Kilminster, Snowy White, or G.E. Smith during a solo, for instance, but even then it feels begrudging.

Like the lyrics of the record itself, a self-serving, often misogynist album à clef based on Waters’ own biography and issues, the film is really all about him: his pain over the WWII death of the father he never knew, his paranoia, his bad marriage, his talent (he duets with projected, 1980 footage of himself at one point) and, above all, his grandiose feelings of empathy for victims of war. One new montage shows snapshots of people killed in conflicts from the seven continents of the world, presumably to make the headline-grabbing point that war is bad. Elsewhere, one animation shows war planes dropping crosses, Stars of David, and hammers-and-sickles, along with Chevron and Mercedes-Benz logos (clearly, the latter companies weren’t tour sponsors). There’s a sense that this woolly, liberal anti-war rhetoric is, however sincere, partly there to distract from the misogyny, misanthropy, and sodden self-pity of the original lyrics.

Unfortunately, there are no such distracting if pleasantly bombastic pyrotechnics in the road-trip interludes. This stuff is all just Waters, shown tooling about the countryside in his vintage Bentley, hanging out with his children (who look uncomfortable), playing mournful tunes at cemeteries, or (clearly only half) listening to film director Peter Medak discuss his own war-torn childhood in Hungary. It’s excruciatingly self-indulgent material that someone should have persuaded Rogers to leave on the cutting-room floor, especially given the film runs a numbing 133 minutes. Perhaps it might have been interesting, if running time wasn’t an issue, to have interviewed people like Sean Evans, both the film’s co-director and the tour’s creative director, about the challenges inherent in putting on such a spectacular — or maybe even some of the other musicians. But no, none of that. Sharing credit is not Waters’ gig.

Production companies: A Rue 21 Productions presentation

Cast: Roger Waters, Dave Kilminster, Snowy White, GE Smith, Jon Carin, Harry Waters, Graham Broad, Robbie Wyckoff, Jon Joyce, Pat Lennon, Mark Lennon, Kipp Lennon, India Waters, Jack Waters, Willa Rawlinson, Peter Medak

Directors/Screenwriters: Roger Waters, Sean Evans

Producers: Roger Waters, Clare Spencer

Executive producer: Mark Fenwick

Director of photography: Brett Turnbull

Editor: Katharine McQuerrey

Music: Roger Waters

Sales: Mister Smith Entertainment

No rating, 133 minutes

Rick Ross Releases 'Elvis Presley Blvd' Single, Announces 'Hood Billionaire' Album

By Erika Ramirez | September 15, 2014 5:18 PM EDT

Rick Ross performs at Club Nokia on August 14, 2013 in Los Angeles, California.

Johnny Nunez/WireImage

Rick Ross delivered the first taste of his forthcoming album, Hood Billionaire, with his first single, "Elvis Presley Blvd."

In the NSFW music video, the rapper posts up on his Cadillac, while an on-screen couple, disguised as the legendary Elvis Presley and Priscilla Presley, go on the run after conducting countless bank robberies. Featured guest Project Pat spits his verse alongside the Bawse.

Rick Ross announced the release of his seventh studio album Sunday on Twitter and confirmed the news in the video: "The MMG boss also announced the release of his upcoming seventh album called Hood Billionaire."

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Phil Collins to Headline Miami Benefit Concert, His First Show in 4 Years

By Leila Cobo | September 15, 2014 6:05 PM EDT

Phil Collins performs at The Prince's Trust Rock Gala 2010 supported by Novae at the Royal Albert Hall on November 17, 2010 in London, England.

Dec. 6 concert will benefit his Little Dreams Foundation.

In December, Phil Collins will perform as part of his first bona fide concert in four years at the Fillmore Miami Beach to benefit his Little Dreams Foundation.

Adele, Phil Collins Worki...c Together

Collins will headline the Dec. 6 gala fundraiser benefiting its Miami locale, which will also feature performances by two major Latin music acts: Italian singer Laura Pausini and Mexican star Alejandra Guzmán.

The show, presented by Collins' ex wife Orianne Collins Mejjati and music technologist David Frangioni, will take place during Art Basel, the international art fair.

Collins established the Little Dreams Foundation with Collins Mejjati in 2000 with the objective of helping children and teens with athletic and artistic talent fulfill their dreams. Last December, the organization opened up a Miami chapter, after Collins Mejjati and her children made the city their new home.

In May, Collins performed two songs with a band of kids at his son's middle school concert, at his son's request.

But the December show will mark the first time he plays at an event open to the public, and it will likely be more than two songs. All proceeds will go Little Dreams' efforts in Florida.

Tickets are available on Ticketmaster and range from $103.50 to $353.50.

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Sergio Mendes & will.i.am Make 'Magic' on New Album: A Joint Q&A

By Phil Gallo | September 12, 2014 3:10 PM EDT

Sergio Mendes and will.i.am of The Black Eyed Peas photographed in 2006.

Mark Sullivan/WireImage

As a 17-year-old, will.i.am fell in love with the music of Sergio Mendes after a fellow crate-digger turned him on to Equinox, Mendes' 1967 album with the Brazil 66. That appreciation led to the Black Eyed Peas leader buying all of Mendes' albums, tapping the pianist to play on the Peas' "Sexy" in 2003 and, in 2006, produce and perform on Mendes' Timeless.

"Nobody knows more about my music than Will," says Mendes, now 73, whose new album Magic is his first for Sony's Okeh label. "How many musicians can say that with admiration for another musician?"

Will.i.am is among the dozen musicians who wrote with Mendes and performed on Magic, which came out Sept. 9. Mendes, central to the introduction of Brazilian samba and bossa nova to American audiences in the 1960s and who most recently wrote music for the Fox films Rio and Rio 2, spent a year traveling between the U.S. and Brazil to work live recording Magic with Janelle Monae, John Legend, Seu Jorge, Carlinhos Brown, Milton Nascimento and others.

Mendes and will.i.am, 39, repeatedly complimented each other during a 20-minute conversation that began with a description of how they created "My My My My Love" on the new album and ended with them thinking about a second edition of Timeless.

With so many guests collaborating on mostly new songs, what was your intention for the overall sound of Magic?

Sergio Mendes: I wanted it to have the Brazilian feeling that I think I have on all my albums. All the percussion was done in Brazil and you can hear the older Brazil through people like Milton Nascimento, but the new Brazil with Ana Carolina, Seu Jorge, Maria Gadu. Then I got melody. I'm a melody guy, which is why I've done the great [Antonio Carlos] Jobim songs, McCartney and the Beatles, Burt Bacharach. The criteria were: write fresh melodies with a contemporary feeling.

Will.i.am: Sergio is the melody king. I like collaborating with Sergio because he opens my mind to areas I wouldn't normally travel down. It's an enjoyable journey, composing with Sergio.

Why add so many guests to the writing process?

Mendes: With everyone I worked with on Magic, it was a learning experience. It gives me the same pleasure when I was 19 and Cannonball Adderley invited me to work with him. No matter which side I'm on, it's the joy of learning and sharing.

Explain how "My My My My Love" came about.

Will.i.am: Sergio had worked on that [tune] before we met [in December 2013]. He probably had me in mind so he brought it to the studio and the first thing that came to my mind was the "my my my" melody, but of course, there was already a melody there.

Will, you signed Cody Wise, who has had some success in the U.K. What made him right for the song?

Will.i.am: This 18-year-old knows everything. His appetite for knowing the classics and hunting for obscure [music], for syncopation -- Cody reminds me of [the Black Eyed Peas at their start]. It's so easy to just to fall for the hot kid on the block, so we wanted a new guy who would have fresh energy and excitement and appreciation. You can buy a collaboration, but you want excitement from [a collaborator] screaming, "I'm part of this thing!" That's Cody now, that was John Legend [on Timeless] in 2003.

What attracted you to Sergio's records and how does that play out in working with him?

Will.i.am: [To Mendes] Whatever you were doing when you were recording those records, you were teaching future listeners. I was taught the layering, the nuances, the counter-rhythms and the elegance. There is no elegance in music right now. You play the piano so delicately. It's the delicacy -- everybody is rushing and you are so laid-back.

Mendes: You made a comment that it was absence of complicated things and I have a tendency to get complicated. I remember one time we were writing a song together and Will is at the ProTools and I hit a chord and he looks at me. I say "What?" "Too adult," he says. "That chord." That's what's so beautiful. He always pointed me to simplicity.

Timeless put a lot your classics in a new contemporary light. Could you do a second volume?

Will.i.am: Timeless was my first time to Brazil. That record was the ultimate stimulation of culture all at once and I think the best cultural learning experience in my life. That would be amazing to go back to the same studios in Sao Paulo and Bahia.

Mendes: At this stage of my life to be working with these people, I’m pinching myself. It would be a pleasure.

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Bruce Springsteen to Play 'Stand Up For Heroes' Event in New York City Again during 2014

Bruce Springsteen(Photo : Michael Buckner/Getty Images)

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band will serve as the musical headliner for the annual Stand Up For Heroes benefit, being held at Madison Square Garden in New York on November 5 (Rolling Stone). The event raises money for injured military service members and their families.

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Springsteen, interestingly, is the only musical act listed on the initial lineup (which admittedly only features five names). Comedians Louis C.K., John Oliver and John Mulaney are slated to perform, and NBC's Brian Williams will appear in some capacity. The initial announcement does suggest that surprise performers will appear, which may include some musical help. Not that The Boss needs it...he's probably played concerts longer than the event itself.

The event has hosted Roger Waters, Jerry Seinfeld, Bill Cosby, Ricky Gervais and more in the past but Springsteen has played every year since its openings during 2007. Last year he played a three-song acoustic set, made some comedy of his own and auctioned off a guitar, offered playing lessons and a chance to watch him record at his home, via an auction. Bidding got to $250,000.

Tickets for this year's event go on sale September 17 at noon.

"We, as well as the show's talented performers, want to show our appreciation for and give back to the brave men and women who served our country and have come home injured," said Bob Woodruff, whose organization runs the event. "We are inspired and moved by the grand presence of all these groups on such an incredible night for us to commend and remember our heroes."

Netflix Gives Judd Apatow Comedy Two-Season Order

7:57 AM PDT 9/16/2014 by Lacey Rose

The sought-after spec was co-written by 'Brooklyn Nine-Nine's' Lesley Arfin and 'Super Fun Night's' Paul Rust

Netflix is making its big push into comedy.

The streaming service has inked a massive two-season deal for Judd Apatow's next comedy, with the first season set to be 10 episodes (to bow in 2016) and the second season 12 episodes (in 2017). The half-hour project, titled Love, centers on two characters, Gus and Mickey, as they navigate the exhilaration and humiliation of intimacy, commitment and other things they were hoping to avoid.

Apatow penned the sought-after spec script with Brooklyn Nine-Nine writer Lesley Arfin and Super Fun Night actor-writer Paul Rust. Rust is also attached to star (as Gus) opposite Gillian Jacobs (Mickey), who has worked with Apatow on HBO's Girls.

The last time Netflix doled out a two-season order was its first big drama foray, House of Cards, which came with producer-star Kevin Spacey and director David Fincher attached.

“Judd Apatow has a unique comedic voice that manages to be delightful, insightful and shockingly frank — often at the same time,” said Netflix chief content officer Ted Sarandos, adding: “Together with Paul and Lesley, he’s bringing a whole new level of agony and ecstasy to this modern-day comedy of manners.”

The project found itself at the center of a bidding war, with Hulu's Craig Erwich said to be eager to land the project as his first series as the company's new content chief. Ultimately, deep-pocketed Netflix was able and willing to offer more. The significant order comes as Cindy Holland, vp original content, has been vocal about her desire to build a comedy portfolio.

"Comedies of varying types are an area of extreme interest to us," Holland said in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter in June. Reviving Arrested Development in 2013 was the service's first foray into the traditional half-hour comedy space. (Orange Is the New Black was in contention as a comedy at August's Emmy awards, but showrunner Jenji Kohan has acknowledged her hour-long series fits in neither the comedy nor the drama category.)

Love is being produced by Legendary TV, which is making a concerted push as a TV player under former Warner Bros. exec Bruce Rosenblum. The project marks an important step for Legendary, which has been a far bigger player on the film side until now. Noted Rosenblum: "We look forward to validating their support for this innovative and genuinely funny series.”

The comedy joins a critically praised portfolio for Apatow, with TV series including Girls, Freaks and Geeks and Undeclared. Joining him, Arfin and Rust as executive producer on the latest entry is Brent Forrester (The Office, Simpsons).

Apatow is repped by UTA, Mosaic and Ziffren Brittenham; Rust is repped by UTA, Mosaic and Morris Yorn; Arfin is repped by UTA, Circle of Confusion and Ginsburg Daniels; and Jacobs is repped by UTA, Authentic and Lichter Grossman.

Metallica to Issue 27 Live Albums by End of 2014

The group also plans on releasing vinyl versions of four of the shows early next year

James Hetfield of Metallica performs on August 9th, 2014 in Montreal, Canada.

‘America's Got Talent’ finale adds Cyndi Lauper, Travis Barker to celebrity line-up

The veteran singer and rock band drummer join Jennifer Hudson, Ed Sheeran, Pitbull, Lenny Kravitz and Train as guest performers for the finale Tuesday.

BY Chiderah Monde

NEW YORK DAILY NEWS

Tuesday, September 16, 2014, 8:00 AM

NBC/Peter Kramer/NBC Emily West (pictured) will sing alongside Cyndi Lauper in a performance during the season finale of ‘America’s Got Talent.’

"America's Got Talent" is going out with a celebrity bang!

The season 9 finale of the hit NBC talent competition will feature an impressive guest line-up, coupling several big name celebrities with the show's finalists for their last performances before the winner is announced.

Cyndi Lauper and rocker Travis Barker are the latest additions to the star-studded roster, joining previously announced acts Lenny Kravitz, Jennifer Hudson, Pitbull, Ed Sheeran and Train.

Lauper, 61, will team up with finalist Emily West for a performance of her song "True Colors," and Kravitz, 50, will sing his hit "American Woman" with finalist Miguel Dakota, a network rep has confirmed.

Hudson will team up with 12-year-old singing phenom Quintavious Johnson, while Train will join the Sons of Serendip quartet. And Barker, who rose to fame as the drummer for rock band Blink 182, will team up with the daring AcroArmy group.