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September 23 Declared David Bowie Day in Chicago

The opening day of the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago exhibit "David Bowie Is"

By

Evan Minsker

on September 17, 2014 at 12:08 a.m. EDT

Photo by Jimmy King

On September 23, a David Bowie-centric exhibit called "David Bowie Is" will open at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago. Mayor Rahm Emanuel has declared that day "David Bowie Day" in Chicago, Consequence of Sound reports.

The proclamation says Bowie has "impacted and inspired millions of fans across the globe for more than 50 years" (with "risqué subject matters"). He's also called an "undisputed global icon" with a career that has "bridged cultures and faiths while both transcending and fortifying the music, art, fashion & design, and theatrical canons." Read the document below.

The exhibit is also being celebrated by several Bowie-themed events.

By Ryan Reed | September 17, 2014

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel inadvertently declared himself the coolest mayor on Earth by proclaiming September 23rd "David Bowie Day." The honor comes in connection with David Bowie Is..., a retrospective exhibit opening that day at the city's Museum of Contemporary Art.

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As Consequence of Sound notes, the announcement was delivered in a written proclamation in which Emanuel describes the art-rock legend as "an undisputed global icon boasting a catalogue of 26 critically acclaimed studio albums" who has "bridged cultures and faiths while both transcending and fortifying the music, art, fashion & design and theatrical canons."

According to the museum's website, David Bowie Is... features over 300 items from the musician's personal archives, including "never-before-seen storyboards, handwritten set lists and lyrics, and some of Bowie’s own sketches, musical scores and diary entries," which help demonstrate his creative evolution – "from his years as a teenager in the 1950s to the early 2000s, when he retired from touring."

The exhibit – which was previously displayed in London, Berlin, Sao Paulo and Toronto on an international tour – will be an immersive experience, incorporating "advanced sound technology produced by Sennheiser, original animations, continuous audio accompaniment and video installations." The Chicago exhibit, the tour's only U.S. stop, will remain on view until January 4th, 2015.

A documentary about David Bowie Is..., which premiered at London's Victoria and Albert Museum in 2013, will be shown in over 100 U.S. movie theaters on September 23rd, the day the exhibit hits Chicago.

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The Liberation of Lizzy Caplan

How after dozens of false starts, the star of 'Masters of Sex' finally got on top

By Stephen Rodrick | August 25, 2014

A bone scraper and a sausage piper surround Lizzy Caplan, and yet she is nowhere near the set of her show, Masters of Sex. She is wearing jeans and open-toe sandals. This may have been a mistake, since she is walking into a refrigerator filled with dead pigs on hooks. It's a tight fit into the meat locker of Lindy & Grundys, a posh Los Angeles butcher shop, and one of her human shoulders brushes against a pork shoulder. Caplan lets out a small yelp.

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"This is horrifying," she says with a grin. "I don't eat a lot of pig because the outside is the same color as the meat. You need that disconnect you get with beef."

Caplan is here for a sausage-making class, and, a little later, she is introduced to the Dickeron, a swordlike knife-sharpening contraption. Her hair, in a Fifties bob for her Emmy-nominated role of sexologist Virginia Johnson, starts, well, bobbing up and down.

"Pretty soon, I'm going to be making my own sausage," says Caplan. She pauses, popping the giant greenish-gray eyes that have dominated multiple TV shows and movies that no one watched. "Once I get my own dick machine."

Caplan picked the sausage-making class for our meeting, and I joke that I felt a tad uncomfortable writing about a female kneading pork. "I'm making it difficult for you because you're going to have to figure out clever ways not to make innuendos about sausages," says Caplan. But wouldn't jokes be OK because she chose the place? Caplan gives me a withering stare. "I guess you could, but I'm expecting more from you."

It was hard to tell if she was kidding or not. This is a vibe Caplan gives off to the uninitiated. "Part of her shtick is to come across as cold and standoffish at first, but it's not at all what she's like," says Seth Rogen, who has known her since they were teenagers on Freaks and Geeks and who recently directed Caplan in the upcoming spy caper The Interview. "Lizzy's very sweet once you get to know her. She has always played the smart, funny girl who cuts through the bullshit. That's much harder than what I do, playing dumb."

In a way, the sausage-making conundrum is an apt metaphor for Caplan's career. (No, really.) At 32, Caplan is best known for playing the anti-manic pixie dream girl (see Zooey Deschanel and Kirsten Dunst) in a bushel of little-seen but hilarious enterprises – get ye online and watch the caterers on Vicodin in Party Down or 2012's girls-gone-wilding Bachelorette – where she's the snarky girl with a heart made of some metallic concoction that is not gold. It was a great life, but Caplan felt hemmed in as "that girl" and wondered if that was all Hollywood had for her.

And that's where sex came in. Caplan is winding up the second season of Showtime's Masters of Sex, where she plays the research partner/lab partner/sex partner of Dr. William Masters as they delve into the study of sexual behavior during the 1950s. Eventually, their studies would land them fame, but the first years were harrowing, particularly for Johnson. There's more than a little of Caplan in Johnson, not so much the sex part as wanting to be taken seriously in an industry more than happy to overlook her. The doubts of casting directors became her own doubts.

They remained even after she got the part. Caplan, co-star Michael Sheen and show creator Michelle Ashford met in L.A. with Showtime execs after the pilot was picked up in 2012. Sheen, a classically trained Welsh actor who has seemingly been playing Tony Blair his entire career, regaled the room with tales of portraying Jesus in a 72-hour re-enactment of the Passion play. Caplan listened closely and felt a roomful of eyes turn to her.

"Well, I once starred in a movie with Dane Cook," she said.

Everyone in the room laughed. But when Caplan got back to her car, she thought, "I'm sitting across from Jesus, and everybody's eating out of the palm of his hand."

Then she started to cry.

At the shop, Caplan fires questions at Amelia the butcher, not unlike the way some of her characters might – "Have you ever gotten a pig and then cut it open and a baby fell out?" – and the conversation quickly takes a turn to the sexual proclivities of the American male as it relates to meat. Amelia recounts how strangers online send her messages about what they would like to do to her among the pork.

"Weird," shouts Caplan above the sounds of pig-grinding. Ice is added to ease the transition from pig meat to sausage. "This was in the news recently, because somebody just got arrested for it. It's like animal porn, but then they kill the animal. Like, pop a chicken's head off while you're jerking and shit."

Amelia is horrified. "Oh, no. I am so turned off by this," she says.

Caplan looks thoughtful for a second. "But doesn't it sort of warm your heart that there's something for everybody?"

Amelia doesn't know what to say, so she just cleans up the pork snow-cone ice left over from our sausage-making. A little while later, Caplan exits the butcher shop with a bag of sausages that she'll prepare for her dad tomorrow on Father's Day. She takes a seat in a booth at a nearby restaurant, and while it's not quite a wall, a reticence drops over her, making it clear she's much more comfortable talking about choking chickens than her personal life.

She was raised not far from here, in the Miracle Mile in Los Angeles. Caplan is the youngest of three kids whose father is a lawyer. She had the childhood of a typical Jewish L.A. kid, a bat mitzvah, a domineering piano teacher, a trip to Israel, and a liberal home where questions about sex could be asked. But then her mom fell ill and died when Caplan was 13. Through the grieving, Caplan first started thinking of becoming an actress.

"Strangely, from that age on I thought the only reason why I could even attempt to be an actress was because this horrible thing happened to me," she says in a quiet voice. "Like something dark and terrible had to happen in order to earn your stripes as a human being and be able to be an actress. I don't know where I got that from."

Caplan went to an L.A. arts high school, and then started going on auditions. Her first role was on Freaks and Geeks, co-starring Rogen, who recalls her as "funny, Jewish and smart, pretty much the whole package for me." She was supposed to appear in one episode, but her charm won over showrunners Paul Feig and Judd Apatow. "There was something unique about her performance," Apatow recalls. "So we brought her back again. Then, when it was time to shoot the finale, we were so impressed by her work that we thought, 'What if Jason Segel's character started dating Lizzie?' She was amazing as his rebound romance."

The Freaks and Geeks experience set the tone for much of Caplan's career as she ambled into her twenties: winning quiet acclaim playing the role of "who's that girl?" in shows and movies that disappeared. Caplan estimates she shot at least seven pilots. There were moments of brilliance, but lots of no's – her role in Mean Girls was followed by a year without work. She scored a part in True Blood in 2008, but that came with its own trauma. On her second day, she was required to do the first nude scene of her career.

"I remember all the many hours of pep talks required of my friends, like, 'Tell me that my body doesn't look weird,'" says Caplan. "I walked into my dressing room, and where your clothes are hanging on a rack was just one pair of underwear."

Caplan did what most people would do in that situation: She swigged some vodka, got drunk and started asking crew members how they liked her ass. Caplan recounts the story with some reluctance, perhaps regretting that and some of the other stories she let out of the bag about when she was young and brash – including a tale about passing out on her birthday naked and splayed on her bed, compelling her gay roommate to move out – and it's clear she wants to be seen in a more serious light now that she's on Masters of Sex.

"Aiming for the stars becomes a bit soul-crushing after you're told 'no' for the thousandth time," she says. "I didn't want to be continually rejected. I was right at the doorway of believing I couldn't do anything else when this came around. It was right in the nick of time."

Since Masters of Sex started, Caplan hasn't let her character wander away. She persuaded Thomas Maier, author of the book version of Masters of Sex, to let her listen to some of his interview tapes with Virginia Johnson. She became fascinated with the contradictions of Johnson, who insisted she never loved William Masters even though they ended up married for two decades. "There hasn't been one day that has gone by in those three years that I have not been thinking about this job," says Caplan. "I don't remember a time before Virginia Johnson."

Caplan harbored fantasies of spending the night with Johnson at her assisted-living center in St. Louis, but it didn't happen. Johnson died last year and was ambivalent about the show. But Caplan, who dated Matthew Perry for years and describes herself as "recently seriously single," sees something of herself in Johnson.

"She wanted to be a mother, but she didn't want to be a wife necessarily," says Caplan. "I still have this idealized version where maybe I'll get to be both simultaneously. That's the goal right now. But she tailor-made her own life, picking and choosing from each category what she wanted. That was difficult for a woman in the 1950s. That's how I want to live my life. It's an act of bravery for women now who choose not to get married, who can have babies on their own and pursue their careers first."

But it's not just the feminist part of Johnson that connects with Caplan. Johnson was often derided in the book and on the show for getting by on sass and not substance. It's not too far from the way Caplan was viewed in Hollywood before Masters of Sex. "I think Lizzy looked at Virginia and said, 'There are so many things I can identify with,'" says show creator Ashford. "She's lived much of this herself."

The great irony is that the sex scenes in Masters of Sex are the easy part of the show for Caplan. After the vodka on the True Blood set, she's reached a comfort level with her naked self. Before a recent taping of a scene where Caplan and Sheen copulate, Caplan reclined, put her legs up and yelled, "Ah, home again."

The psychological strain of Virginia Johnson has been more difficult. Caplan seems exhausted by the experience in a way one is not exhausted by playing the love interest in Hot Tub Time Machine. A few weeks ago, she found herself sitting in her dressing room saying to herself, "I don't wanna do this, I don't wanna do this, I'd rather be doing anything but this."

"It was a momentary 'what the fuck, why am I here?' kind of an existential crisis," she says. "But it passed real quick. This is only my second Season Two. I'm so lucky." Caplan flashes a quick smile. She then gathers up her bag of meat and heads for her BMW. There will be no crying tonight.

A Rising Guitarist Tries a New Challenge

Blake Mills Releases His Second Album, ‘Heigh Ho’

Photo

Eric Clapton recently called him “the last guitarist I heard that I thought was phenomenal.” The producer Don Was says he is “one of those rare musicians who come along once in a generation.” He has played with the likes of Beck, Lana Del Rey and Neil Diamond.

Blake Mills isn’t a household name, but he has quickly earned a dazzling reputation among his fellow musicians. At 27, he is creating a style all his own, a sound that has little in common with the high-speed, acrobatic flash usually associated with guitar heroes.

Growing up in Malibu, Calif., Mr. Mills — whose album “Heigh Ho” (Record Collection/Verve) will be released on Tuesday — seemed to be headed down the predictable path.

“When I first started playing guitar, all I cared about was learning ‘Enter Sandman’ and ‘Come as You Are’ and all those songs on MTV,” he said in a recent telephone conversation. “But then, for whatever reason, there’s some nerve that wasn’t getting stimulated. I think the seductive ego quality of guitars — the thing that goes on poters — often keeps guitar players from experiencing the emotional side of being an artist.”

Blake Mills performing in 2013 at Madison Square Garden. Credit Karsten Moran for The New York Times

He began pursuing new directions, drawing on the sounds of other instruments and music from other countries. His playing — off-kilter and atmospheric, with echoes, but never imitations, of jazz and Latin styles — grew singular and distinctive, especially for such a young player.

“The inspiration from the blues lurks deep within Blake’s collection of influences,” Billy Gibbons, of ZZ Top, for whom Mr. Mills produced a track on a 2012 Fleetwood Mac tribute album, wrote in an email. “Yet the stack of many layers of technique allows the delivery to expand into a personalized expression that sounds unlike traditional blues figures, without losing respect for the art form.”

Mr. Mills fell into a cross-generational scene of musicians in the Laurel Canyon area of Los Angeles, and word of his unconventional virtuosity began to spread. The superstar producers Rick Rubin and T Bone Burnett used him on sessions, and he played alongside Kid Rock, Norah Jones, Pink and dozens more.

He performed at Mr. Clapton’s “Crossroads” guitar extravaganza last year at Madison Square Garden, playing a slow, dreamy version of “Save the Last Dance for Me,” but his most high-profile work has been a tour with Fiona Apple; the show was largely made up of duets, occasionally backed by simple bass and drums.

“He’s two of my favorite singers,” Ms. Apple said in an email, “because there’s his voice through his body, and there’s his voice through his guitar’s body.”

“Heigh Ho” is the follow-up to Mr. Mills’s critically acclaimed, limited release 2010 debut album, “Break Mirrors.” The basic tracks were recorded in the spring of 2013 at the Ocean Way studios in Hollywood, in a room built for Frank Sinatra and used by Bob Dylan and Ray Charles. Over the next year, Mr. Mills revisited and completed the material as his schedule allowed.

The extent of the respect he has earned is evident from the album’s credits: The musicians on “Heigh Ho” include celebrated session players like the drummer Jim Keltner, the bassists Mike Elizondo and Mr. Was, and the keyboard players Jon Brion and Benmont Tench. “I figured, if I’m not going to play everything myself, I should use the opportunity to hire my heroes,” Mr. Mills said.

The most notable impact on “Heigh Ho,” though, doesn’t come from Mr. Mills’s guitar but from his songwriting. From the opening track, “If I’m Unworthy,” to the intimate, melodic “Don’t Tell Our Friends About Me,” the album hews closely to themes of broken relationships and romantic struggles. The writing is spare and clear, and the depth and physicality of Ocean Way’s sound add to the intensity.

“After ‘Break Mirrors,’ I was playing those songs for audiences who didn’t know who I was,” he said. “It’s not really subject matter that I would bring up if I met someone at a party.”

So he tried emulating Randy Newman and other topical songwriters. “I just couldn’t connect,” Mr. Mills said. “I retreated to more personal, self-analytical writing, but I tried to make it sound like I wasn’t just tapping somebody on the shoulder and going, ‘Let me tell you about my parents’ or ‘So this last person I was dating. ...’ ”

Mr. Mills is quick to add that working closely with songwriters like Lucinda Williams and Jackson Browne had a dramatic influence on his work.

“When you hear songs by those writers, it’s so seductive to think that’s the only way it can be done,” he said. “But having that late-night, one-on-one time, I get to find out what they like and what they listen to, and see that it’s not the only way. It lets you put a lot less judgment on yourself, helps you to keep a cool head and not panic.”

He also took a different approach to his guitar playing on “Heigh Ho,” striving to integrate his roles as singer/songwriter and as instrumentalist in a new way.

“I feel much more comfortable and natural playing guitar in a band or onstage with someone,” he said. “So I tried to think about someone like Mark Knopfler, who does such a good job duetting with himself as lyricist/singer and as guitar player, and that back and forth is pretty thrilling. And not just guitarists — I’ve always been a massive Nina Simone fan, and with the duality of her voice and her piano playing, there’s so much music in what she’s doing.”

In addition to his work in front of and as part of a band, Mr. Mills has also maintained a parallel career as a producer for Conor Oberst, Sky Ferreira and others. He is currently finishing work on the second album by Alabama Shakes.

“I would have thought that he would get frustrated, producing other people’s records, where he wasn’t playing,” said Ms. Apple, who sings on two “Heigh Ho” songs, “but he just likes music. As long as it’s music and it’s good, and he has a part to play in it happening, he’s happy.”

Mr. Mills said of his various roles: “This album is a document of where I am as a songwriter, who I am as a producer, as a listener — they all have a huge part in how the record came out.”

“I’ve come to terms with the idea that the singer/songwriter thing is a lifelong study of one’s self and the human experience,” he continued. “All we’re doing is trying to invent words for things that people have felt or might feel at some point. That’s the job.”

Queen Announce New Album 'Queen Forever', Featuring Previously Unheard Freddie Mercury Material

By Carolyn Menyes
Sep 19, 2014 11:30 AM EDT

Queen will be releasing a new compilation album with previously unheard Freddy Mercury songs. (Photo : Ian Tyas/Getty Images - Hulton Archive)

There's a new album from Queen on the horizon, featuring previously unheard music from the days of Freddie Mercury. Today (Sept. 19), the legendary rock band announced the compilation record Killer Queen, which will feature three new tracks, including a duet with fellow music legend Michael Jackson.

According to Gigwise, Queen Forever will be released on Nov. 10 and amidst the band's biggest hits and fan favorites, the record will include "There Must be More To Life Than This" featuring Michael Jackson, a previously unfinished song "Let Me In Your Heart Again" and a new acoustic version of "Love Kills."

Queen Forever will be available on one CD with 20 songs or as a two-disc, deluxe version with 38 songs. Both versions contain all three of the new tracks.

Check out the single and two-CD tracklists for Killer Queen below:

Single CD:

01. Let Me In Your Heart Again
02. Love Kills - The Ballad
03. There Must Be More To Life Than This (William Orbit Mix)
04. It's A Hard Life
05.You're My Best Friend
06. Love Of My Life
07. Drowse
08. Long Away
09. Lily Of The Valley
10. Don't Try So Hard
11. Bijou
12. These Are The Days Of Our Lives
13. Las Palabras De Amor
14. Who Wants To Live Forever
15. A Winter's Tale
16. Play The Game
17. Save Me
18. Somebody To Love
19. Too Much Love Will Kill You
20. Crazy Little Thing Called Love/p>

2-CD SET:

CD One:
01. Let Me In Your Heart Again
02. Love Kills - The Ballad
03. There Must Be More To Life Than This (William Orbit Mix)
04. Play The Game
05. Dear Friends
06. You're My Best Friend
07. Love Of My Life
08. Drowse
09. You Take My Breath Away
10. Spread Your Wings
11. Long Away
12. Lily Of The Valley
13. Don't Try So Hard
14. Bijou
15. These Are The Days Of Our Lives
16. Nevermore
17. Las Palabras De Amor
18. Who Wants To Live Forever

CD Two:
01. I Was Born To Love You
02. Somebody To Love
03. Crazy Little Thing Called Love
04. Friends Will Be Friends
05. Jealousy
06. One Year of Love
07. A Winters Tale
08. '39
09. Mother Love
10. It's A Hard Life
11. Save Me
12. Made in Heaven
13. Too Much Love Will Kill You
14. Sail Away Sweet Sister
15. The Miracle
16. Is This The World We Created
17. In The Lap Of The Gods...Revisited
18. Forever

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After 'America's Got Talent,' Jackie Evancho Releases Third Studio Album 'Awakening' on Sony Imprint Portrait, Premieres on 'Today Show'

Sep 18, 2014 01:33 PM EDT | Ian Holubiak (i.holubiak@...alite.com)

Perhaps one of the most talked about youths in the country, Jackie Evancho has been on a steep rise after her debut with America's Got Talent when she was just a 10-year-old.

Now, she plans to release her third studio album, Awakening, on September 23.

The release coincides with an international tour, bringing her to stages around the world. Her latest disc will be the first album from the Sony Music Masterworks imprint Portrait.

Including a tour and a record label debut, she will also have a new PBS special in December, as well as appearances on Today Show on September 22 and a repeat performance for Queen Latifah on October 2.

Her most recent performance on America's Got Talent on September 10 showcased the young star in an over-the-top tune from Phantom of the Opera. Nevertheless, her voice--as always--delivered a performance that stunned a global audience.

Ms. Evancho will include "The Rains of Castamere" from HBO's Game of Thrones on her forthcoming LP and, taking a massive leap here, U2's heart-breaking ballad "With or Without You."

Other singles include "Take Me There" and "Open Fields of Grace."

Whether you're young or old, a basic opera fan or a long-time subscriber, Jackie Evancho is a name that will continue to surface in the seemingly faltering opera world (if you're talking about symphonies across the globe on the precipice of shutting their doors).

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Lady Gaga Unveils 'Eau De Gaga' Commercial Before New Fragrance Launch in 2015

By Carolyn Menyes
Sep 19, 2014 05:46 PM EDT

You and your man can soon smell like Lady Gaga with "Eau de Gaga." (Photo : YouTube)

Man, woman, it doesn't matter. If you want to smell like Lady Gaga, soon you can. Today (Sept. 19), the "ARTPOP" singer released the new commercial for her latest perfume Eau de Gaga, and it's a glamorous, body-filled and slightly violent affair, courtesy of director Steven Klein.

The minute long commercial features a glamorous Gaga shot in black and white, caressing herself while on top and inside a giant pile of shirtless men. Wearing a stunning and dangerously low-cut gown, the Mother Monster mugs for the camera, showing off her sexiest faces, all while oozing of high class.

In the end, there's a twist of a boxing match, because why not, we guess?

The whole look is very classic and perfume ad-y, and that vibe is only emphasized by the background song, "I Can't Give You Anything But Love" from Gaga's forthcoming jazz duets album Cheek to Cheek with Tony Bennett.

Watch the sexy new ad below:

Latin TV shows turned to English in 2014

Watch The Spanish Version:

Band Of Society(New Fox TV Show)Original Spanish Version 1st episode(With Eng Subs):

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[Edited 9/20/14 11:51am]

Mysteries Of Laura(New NBC Show)Original Spanish Version 1st episode(No Eng Subs Sorry):

Jane The Virgen(New CW Show)Original Spanish Version 1st episode(No Eng Subs Sorry):

Friday, September 19, 2014

ROCKERS ON BROADWAY TO HONOR DOLENZ & VALLI

Micky Dolenz

ROCKERS ON BROADWAY the unique annual event (which has raised over $300,000 with over two decades of performances) featuring Broadway’s finest, performing something for everyone - has announced the line-up for their next event, Monday, November 17 (at Manhattan’s Le Poisson Rouge) Celebrating five decades of music from our favorite teen idols.

Frankie Valli

Says Rockers’ Kehr, “This year we will honor two of America’s teen idol icons Micky Dolenz and Frankie Valli with Lifetime Achievement Awards and legendary DJ ‘Cousin’ Brucie Morrow with the Ambassador of Rock Award.”

Continues Kehr, “Teen idols have always been a special kind of rock star! When their songs came on the radio our hearts skipped a beat. We tacked their photos to our bedroom walls, faithfully watched their TV shows and bought their records --and we might have even written some of them a love note or two… we all had one.”

EXPECTED TO PERFORM



Micky Dolenz, The Monkees


Lena Hall, 2014 TONY Award Winner – Hedwig and The Angry Inch, Kinky Boots


Nick Cordero, 2014 TONY Nominee – Bullets Over Broadway


Jarrod Spector, 2014 TONY Nominee – Beautiful


Donnie Kehr, Rockers Founder, Jersey Boys (Broadway & Film), Billy Elliot, Aida


Preston Truman Boyd, Big Fish, Bullets Over Broadway


Steve Gouveia, Jersey Boys


Michael Lanning, Bonnie & Clyde, The Civil War


Constantine Marloulis, TONY Nominee – Rock Of Ages


Tracy McDowell, Motown The Musical, Rent


Vinny Pastore, Sopranos, Bullets Over Broadway


Sara Schmidt, Jersey Boys, Brooklyn


Jeremy Schonfeld, Drift


Visit www.rockersonbroadway.com




Le Poisson Rouge is located at 158 Bleecker Street NYC


Doors: 6:30pm - VIP arrival


7:00pm – General Admission & Standing Room



Tickets range from Single Tickets $30-250 and Tables available at $2000.

Photo By: Walter McBride...aphy/Retna

Sophia Loren Feted in Rome Photo Exhibit for 80th Birthday

4:18 AM PST 09/19/2014 by Ariston Anderson

Celebratory events for the Italian icon are also planned in Mexico City and Hollywood

Sophia Loren, the iconic Italian actress who turns 80 on Saturday, is seeing the world celebrating along with her.

The Spazio 5 cultural center in Rome is on Friday unveiling a photography exhibit in tribute to the Academy Award-winning actress.

With more than 40 portraits of Loren, shot by Carlo and Maurizio Riccardi, organizers say the exhibit will reveal behind-the-scenes moments in the actress’ life. They feature such things as the set of Two Women to Loren having cocktails with Marcello Mastroianni to celebrate the wrap of Marriage Italian Style.

There are also photographs of Loren’s triumphs in her home country, including her many wins at the David di Donatello awards. Armando Editore will publish an accompanying book.

Also tied to Loren's birthday, Mexico City just opened an exhibit in honor of the actress featuring original costumes and memorabilia from her career, including her best actress Oscar statuette for Two Women (1961).

Loren was also a guest of honor at Cannes Classics this year, where she revealed that she didn’t make the trip to Los Angeles for the 1962 Oscars ceremony because she thought she had no chance of winning. She made it out in 1991, when she received the honorary Oscar for her illustrious career.

AFI will also honor Loren at its November festival in Hollywood for the 50th anniversary of Marriage Italian Style, which recently received a restoration from Cineteca di Bologna and the Technicolor Foundation for Cinema.

Polly Bergen, versatile actress, singer dies at 84

Polly Bergen, a brunet beauty with a warm, sultry singing voice, was a household name from her 20s onward. (Glenn Koenig / Los Angeles Times)

By Associated Press

Emmy-winning actress and singer Polly Bergen, who in a long career played the terrorized wife in the original “Cape Fear” and the first woman president in “Kisses for My President,” died Saturday, according to her publicist. She was 84.

Bergen died at her home in Southbury, Conn., surrounded by family and close friends, publicist Judy Katz said. She had battled emphysema and other ailments in the late 1990s, a result of 50 years of smoking.

A brunet beauty with a warm, sultry singing voice, Bergen was a household name from her 20s onward. She made albums and played leading roles in films, stage musicals and TV dramas. She also hosted her own variety series, was a popular game show panelist, and founded a thriving beauty products company that bore her name.

Caption Polly Bergen - 1957

Associated Press

Bud Collyer, standing, poses with the panel of quiz show "To Tell The Truth" on CBS in 1957. Panelists from left are: Polly Bergen, Ralph Bellamy, Kitty Carlisle and Hy Gardner. Bergen died Saturday at 84.

Carl Reiner and Polly Bergen pose with their statuettes at the Emmy Awards presentations in 1958. Bergen won single performance by an actress in a lead or support role for "Playhouse 90: Helen Morgan Story." Reiner won for continuing supporting performance by an actor in a dramatic or comedy...

Polly Bergen and James Garner go through a scene during the filming of "Move Over, Darling."

In recent years, she played Felicity Huffman's mother on “Desperate Housewives” and the past mistress of Tony Soprano's late father on “The Sopranos.”

Bergen won an Emmy in 1958 portraying the tragic singer Helen Morgan on the famed anthology series “Playhouse 90.” She was nominated for another Emmy in 1989 for supporting actress in a miniseries or special for “War and Remembrance.”

Talking to a women in business group in 1968, she said her definition of success was “when you feel what you've done fulfills yourself, makes you happy and makes people around you happy.”

Bergen was 20 and already an established singer when she starred with Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis in her first movie, “At War With the Army.” She joined them in two more comedies, “That's My Boy” and “The Stooge.”

In 1953, she made her Broadway debut with Harry Belafonte in the revue “John Murray Anderson's Almanac.” In 1957-58 she starred on the musical-variety “The Polly Bergen Show” on NBC, closing every broadcast with her theme song, “The Party's Over.”

Also during the 1950s, she became a regular on the popular game show “To Tell the Truth.”

Bergen published the first of her three advice books, “The Polly Bergen Book of Beauty, Fashion and Charm” in 1962. That led to her own cosmetics company, which earned her millions.

Bergen became a regular in TV movies and miniseries, most importantly in the 1983 epic “The Winds of War” and the 1988 sequel, “War and Remembrance.” She appeared as the troubled wife of high-ranking Navy officer Pug Henry, played by Robert Mitchum.

Mitchum also had the key role in the landmark 1962 suspense film, “Cape Fear,” as the sadistic ex-convict who terrorizes a lawyer (Gregory Peck) and his wife (Bergen) and daughter because he blames Peck for sending him to prison. The film was remade in 1991 by Martin Scorsese.

In 1964's “Kisses for My President,” Bergen was cast as the first female U.S. president, with Fred MacMurray as First Gentleman. (In the end, the president quits when she gets pregnant.) When Geena Davis portrayed a first woman president in the 2005 TV drama “Commander in Chief,” Bergen was cast as her mother.

Among her other films was “Move Over, Darling” (1963) with Doris Day and James Garner, Susan Seidelman's 1987 “Making Mr. Right,” and John Waters' 1990 “Cry-Baby,” with Johnny Depp.

A fierce ambition prevailed throughout Bergen's entertainment career and in her business life. She walked out of early contracts with Paramount and MGM because she thought her film roles were inadequate.

As the president of the Polly Bergen Co., founded in 1966, she arrived at her office at 9 a.m. and worked a full day. “It was very difficult at the beginning,” she said in 2001, “because everybody considered me just another bubble-headed actress.”

She sold the company in 1973 to Faberge, staying on for a couple of years afterward to run it as a Faberge subsidiary.

Bergen employed the same zeal in reviving her performing career after a series of personal setbacks of the 1990s. She played successful dates at cabarets in New York and Beverly Hills.

When she was refused an audition for the 2001 Broadway revival of “Follies,” she contacted composer Stephen Sondheim. He auditioned her and gave her the role of a faded star who sings of her ups and downs in show business. The show-stopping song, “I'm Still Here,” was reminiscent of Bergen's own saga. She was nominated for a Tony award for her role.

In 2002 she played a secondary role in the revival of “Cabaret” and the following year she was back on Broadway with the comedy “Six Dance Lessons in Six Weeks.”

Nellie Paulina Burgin was born in 1930 in Knoxville, Tenn., into a family that at times relied on welfare to survive. The family eventually moved to California, and Polly, as she was called, began her career singing on radio in her teens.

“I was fanatically ambitious,” she recalled in 2001. “All I ever wanted to be was a star. I didn't want to be a singer. I didn't want to be an actress. I wanted to be a star.”

But over the years, Bergen's personal life was not as smooth as her career. Her four-year marriage to actor Jerome Courtland ended in an acrimonious divorce in 1955. Her second marriage to super-agent and producer Freddie Fields ended in divorce in 1975 after 18 years.

In 1982 she married entrepreneur Jeff Endervelt. She co-signed his loans and gave him millions to invest from her beauty company profits. She said in a 2001 New York Times interview: “He would come home and say, `Honey, sign this.’ I wouldn't even look at it. Because you trust your husband.”

The stock market crash of the 1980s wiped out the investments. She divorced him in 1991, and she said he left her with so many debts she had to sell her New York apartment and other belongings to avoid bankruptcy.

Johnny Rotella, Songwriter for Frank Sinatra, Dies at 93

The accomplished woodwind player and session player also worked with Benny Goodman, Johnny Mercer, Earle Hagen, Neil Diamond and Steely Dan

Johnny Rotella, an accomplished instrumentalist and songwriter who wrote the Frank Sinatra standard “Nothing but the Best” and recorded with Neil Diamond, Frank Zappa, Steely Dan and others, has died. He was 93.

Rotella, a highly sought-after session man who played with marquee artists in thousands of studio sessions for TV and film projects, died peacefully in his sleep on Sept. 11 in Van Nuys, Calif., according to his son, Shout! Factory vp sales John Rotella.

Rotella, a master of the clarinet, saxophone and flute, played with Tommy Dorsey and Benny Goodman’s big bands, was featured on the twin altos with the Billy Vaughn Orchestra and worked in many sessions with top-notch composer/arrangers Jimmie Haskell, Earle Hagen and Buddy Baker.

Rotella was a band regular on the 1970s CBS variety series The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour and contributed to TV’s I Spy and the first two Godfather films. He played in the orchestra for Broadway shows and Los Angeles theater productions.

With more than 60 years of experience, Rotella wrote more than 200 songs, some of which were recorded by Dean Martin, Doris Day, Rosemarie Clooney and Tony Bennett. Films that feature his work include That’s My Boy (2012), Hope Springs (2012) and Jersey Boys (2014).

“Nothing but the Best,” first recorded for the 1962 album Sinatra and Swingin’ Brass, also served as the title track of the 2008 compilation album of Sinatra songs for his Reprise label. It was released in 2008 on the 10-year anniversary of the singer’s death.

Rotella teamed with such well-known lyricists as Johnny Mercer, Sammy Cahn, Ray Gilbert, Sidney Clare, Abbey Lincoln, Franz Steininger and Jerry Gladstone, with many of those collaborations featured on the “Nothing but the Best” set.

“He was not only a gifted songwriter but also a renowned musician and raconteur,” Kathy Spanberger, president and COO for the Anglo-American region of Peermusic, said in a statement. “I will miss the lunches … I had with Johnny because we got to sit back and listen to the wonderful stories of the days he worked with the greats in our business, including Sinatra, Goodman and [Glenn] Miller.”

Born in Jersey City, N.J., Rotella began his career in his teens, playing clarinet and saxophone with many bands.

During World War II, he was stationed at Fort Monmouth in New Jersey with the 389th Army Service Forces Band, and during visits to New York City, he studied with the finest teachers: Simeon Bellison on clarinet, Joe Allard on saxophone and Victor Goldring on flute.

After his military service, Rotella joined Raymond Scott’s band in New York and later, the bands of Goodman and Dorsey. On a trip to California with Goodman, he decided to make Hollywood his home and worked as a studio woodwind player.

He played in the reed section with Jerry Gray (arranger for Artie Shaw and chief arranger for the Glenn Miller Orchestra) on Club 15 — a daily CBS Radio show fthat featured Bob Crosby, The Andrews Sisters, The Modernaires and Jo Stafford — and on all of Gray’s albums.

Rotella became a member of ASCAP in 1954 and was instrumental in helping establish the Musicians Guild in the early 1960s. He studied the Schillinger System of Musical Composition with Franklyn Marks, the longtime composer for Disney films.

Survivors also include Ann, his wife of nearly 67 years; children Geraldine, Joanne, John, Bill and Mary; grandchildren Jessica, John, Brianna, David, Danielle, Mia and Mason; and great-grandchildren Viola and Miles.

A visitation will be held at 7 p.m. on Sept. 23 at Mission Hills (Calif.) Catholic Mortuary, with funeral services to take place at 10:30 a.m. on Sept. 24 at Saint Charles Borromeo Catholic Church in North Hollywood.

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Wednesday, Sep 17, 2014 08:42 AM PST

PBS’s “Blank on Blank” unearths bizarre 1980 interview with Michael Jackson and Janet Jackson

John Pidgeon interviewed the 21-year-old star, through his 13-year-old sister VIDEO

Prachi Gupta Entertainment News

(Credit: AP)

“Blank on Blank,” the delightful video series that unearths never-before-heard interviews with musicians and pairs them with animations for public consumption, has released a 1980 interview with the late Michael Jackson. For context, this is after the release of Jackson’s fifth studio album, “Off the Wall” and before “Thriller” — Jackson is 21. Janet Jackson is 13.

That latter fact would seem irrelevant to the interview, except that when interviewer John Pidgeon sat across from Michael, he was instructed to direct his questions to the younger Jackson, who then repeated the questions to her older brother. Though Pidgeon wasn’t the only interviewer to follow this protocol, the PBS recording demonstrates how bizarre the situation was — here’s some of the dialogue:

John Pidgeon: Does he work very hard on his dancing?

Janet Jackson: He just … oh the question. Do you work very hard on your dancing? [laughs]

…

John Pidgeon: Does he actually find it hard to keep from dancing when he’s in the studio?

Janet Jackson: [laughs] Yeah, I think so.

Michael Jackson: [laughs] Yeah that isn’t my problem. I’m just dancing around …

Janet Jackson: Can’t keep still …

---

---

In his personal reflection of the event, Pidgeon concluded that the format was indicative of the type of reclusiveness Jackson would later become known for, remarking, “What Michael craved wherever and whenever it could be accomplished was the erection of a protective barrier between himself and the rest of the world, symbolised by his habitual wearing of dark glasses – and later, several notches more bizarrely, a mask – in public.”

By 21, the interview illustrates, Jackson saw him and his music as “godly,” was obsessed with perfectionism and had very clear goals for what he wanted to accomplish through his work — unity.

Filmmakers Look to Virtual Reality and Oculus as the Future of Storytelling

"I don't think this is cinema. I think this is something completely new."

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Meet Filmmaker Josephine Decker, the New Queen of the Art House

September 5, 2014 By Michael-Oliver Harding

You’ve performed in a few of Swanberg’s projects. What was it like to have the tables turned? Was it beneficial to have another director on set?
Definitely. Thou Wast was only my second feature, so I was really learning as we were getting coverage. Joe had just finished shooting Drinking Buddies and he told me: “you just have to pretend you know what you’re doing and then go for it, because people will believe in you.” Perhaps the most important piece of advice that he reiterated to me was: “Everyone here wants to make sure you’re happy with what you get. Don’t settle for something you’re not happy with, because then we’ll all be depressed.”

In Thou Wast, the characters’ lush fantasy sequences are key to the threateningly erotic mood you build up. Yet I read that your editor had to convince you to include these. Why was that?
I was really looking at Joe’s way of working – he makes these films for nothing, and one of the reasons is that they’re super naturalistic and grounded in the performances of non-actors – people who are improvising something very close to themselves. I think that’s why he works so well. In a way, I feel like I now understand my strengths better than I did before those two features. At the time, I was deeply impressed and excited by the way Joe makes films, I just wanted to do stuff and I understood that fantasy films cost millions of dollars. How would I make a fantasy film on these low budgets?

And yet that’s exactly what you’ve been doing.
Yes. In a way, so much about our perceptions of each other in real life are based on fantasies we have. The fantasies are sometimes even more real than reality itself, so the Thou Wast script was about that: the fantasies and ideas that characters have about each other. It was nice to then find a way to visually describe those ideas a bit more clearly by giving them the space of nightmares.

Your body of work is being lumped in with Shane Carruth’s hallucinatory Upstream Color and Leos Carax’s chameleonesque Holy Motors. What do you make of these comparisons?
Well, Leos Carax is a genius so I’m always happy to be lumped in with him. I think beyond being in the company of really great artists, what’s most exciting for me is receiving praise for something that I’m so passionate about: bending storytelling and magic realism. That’s why I was interested in fiction at all. I read One Hundred Years of Solitude in high school, and thought the book was what I had been looking for my whole life. It framed reality in the way that I felt it. It was so exciting to then discover there was this whole movement from Latin America.

When all the Mexican directors were becoming the greatest directors in Hollywood – Iñárritu, Cuarón, Guillermo Del Toro – I felt it was because they were accessing something that Americans weren’t: this fantasy world that lives around their politics. I think there’s a general feeling that a certain kind of story isn’t being told – less glossy, with less of a happy ending, but that also offers joy, wonder and a deeper experience. I guess American cinema has been disconnected from that for the last 10-15 years. I’m generalizing a lot, but I’ll just say that I’m happy to be making my magical realist movies and to have a context in which to understand them!

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TV Review: ‘Madam Secretary’

September 18, 2014 | 07:15AM PT

Eric 'The Actor' Lynch, Part of Howard Stern's 'Wack Pack,' Dies at 39

He often called in to Stern's radio show to yell at the host

David Bowie unveils artwork for new single 'Sue (Or In A Season Of Crime)'

By NME News Desk , September 22, 2014 13:26

The limited edition 10-inch will be available from November 17

Photo: Press

David Bowie has revealed the artwork and tracklisting for his forthcoming new single 'Sue (Or In A Season Of Crime)'. See the artwork above.

The track will feature on the singer's forthcoming new greatest hits album 'Noth...s Changed', and will be available on limited edition 10-inch vinyl and digital download from November 17.

The song was recorded earlier this year and was produced by Tony Visconti. It is the only new material on 'Nothing Has Changed', which begins with Bowie's first single 'Liza Jane' and includes material from the subsequent decades, including hit singles 'Ziggy Stardust' and 'Life On Mars?'.

'Nothing Has Changed' also features the previously unreleased 'Let Me Sleep Beside You' from the album sessions for 'Toy', which was released in 2001. The download-only 'Your Turn To Drive' will also be making its debut on CD for ‘Nothing Has Changed’ and the 2001 re-recording of the 1971 outtake 'Shadow Man' is included too.

'Sue (Or In A Season Of Crime)' 10-inch tracklisting:

A
'Sue (Or In A Season Of Crime)' (7.24)

B
''Tis A Pity She Was A Whore' (5.27)
'Sue (Or In A Season Of Crime)' (radio edit) (4.01)

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Exclusive: Riley Keough To Lead Steven Soderbergh's Starz Series 'The Girlfriend Experience'

By Kevin Jagernauth | The Playlist September 22, 2014 at 10:02AM

If you're not watching "

The Knick" right now, you'd better fix that situation immediately. Steven Soderbergh's medical drama (that is so much more than a medical drama) is one of the best things going right now on television. And it looks like the filmmaker is really embracing small-screen story telling. http://blogs.indiewire.co...t-20140623" href="http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/steven-soderberghs-the-girlfriend-experience-becomes-a-starz-series-amy-seimetz-lodge-kerrigan-to-write-direct-20140623">Earlier this summer it was revealed that the director's low-budget 2009 film "The Girlfriend Experience" had been turned into a series for Starz, with the network ordering up thirteen episodes with Lodge Kerrigan ("Keane," "Clean, Shaven") and Amy Seimetz ("Sun Don't Shine") to write and direct. And now, the show has found its lead.

The Playlist has learned that Riley Keough will star in the upcoming show, produced by Soderbergh and Philip Fleishman. The rising actress appeared in a small role in Soderbergh's "Magic Mike" and clearly made an impression, and next summer, she'll appear in the blockbuster "Mad Max: Fury Road." Kerrigan and Seimetz wrote and will direct all the episodes of "The Girlfriend Experience," splitting the season between them, in what's a pretty interesting approach. And the connections run deeper still, with Soderbergh producing Kerrigan's "Clean, Shaven" and "Rebecca H. (Return To The Dogs)," and Kerrigan directing Seitmetz in an episode of "Homeland."

Plot details are yet to be revealed, but the show will be inspired by Soderbergh's movie that follows a high priced escort whose services go beyond the carnal, providing her clients with "the girlfriend experience," stoking relationships that extend beyond the bedroom.

No word yet on when production might begin but it looks like things are moving steadily along and there's likely more news to come soon.

[Edited 9/22/14 9:41am]

Tomorrow, about soldiers reintegrating back into society, is billed as the American director's first foray into British film.

Fry has had a busy film career recently

Stephen Fry and Joss Stone have signed up to star in a new Martin Scorsese film about soldiers returning home from battle.

The Wolf Of Wall Street and Taxi Driver director is executive producer of the movie, entitled Tomorrow.

Stone has not had many acting roles

Directed by Martha Pinson, the film "explores the difficulty and loneliness soldiers encounter as they try to reintegrate back into society having served for their country".

Tomorrow is being billed as US director Scorsese's first foray into British feature film.

The film-maker said: "I'm honoured to join Martha in her directorial debut. Through her vision, the great cast and dedicated team, this story will resonate for years to come."

Stone's last big acting role was in 2010 as Anne of Cleves in The Tudors, the TV drama about Henry VIII.

QI host Fry stars in The Hobbit films and has been filming The Man Who Knew Infinity, alongside Toby Jones and Jeremy Irons. He also played the British prime minister in the latest series of 24.

Tomorrow will also feature Defiance actress Stephanie Leonidas, Game Of Thrones actor Paul Kaye and Philomena actress Sophie Kennedy-Clark.

Pinson, best known for her work as Scorsese's long-time script supervisor, said that the movie would tackle issues such as post-traumatic stress disorder, HIV and Aids.

Scorsese is executive producer on the film

"Tomorrow explores the difficulty of moving on from losses and injuries, to forge a life, to find sustaining work, and experience love," she said.

The film is being shot in London and Spain, and at Tedworth House in Wiltshire, which is a recovery centre for wounded serving and veteran members of the Armed Forces.

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'Black-ish' Cast Hopes for 'Cosby Show' Comparisons

Producers of the ABC show drew from their own frustrating family experiences

Anthony Anderson and Laurence Fishburne

ABC’s fall lineup is spotlighting diversity, and family comedy Black-ish is center stage.

"We looked at the landscape of television and we thought something was missing," said executive producer and star Anthony Anderson. Black-ish, which centers on an upper-middle-class black man, Dre (Anderson), grappling with his kids’ perceived lack of cultural identity, is his attempt to fill that void.

The series, which also counts Larry Wilmore, Laurence Fishburne and creator Kenya Barris as executive producers, will make its debut Sept. 24. In a vote of confidence from ABC, the network has granted it the plum time slot behind comedy juggernaut Modern Family. The pilot episode finds fodder in moments where Dre's son reveals he wants to try out for the field hockey team instead of the basketball team; be referred to as Andy instead of Andre Jr.; and have a bar mitzvah instead of an African rites of passage ceremony.

In pitching the half-hour sitcom to network buyers, Barris relied on his own experiences as an African-American dad raising children today. His pitch began with a conversation he had with his daughter, which made him realize she was growing up in an entirely different world than he had. "My daughter was trying to describe a kid in her class to me, and she’s going on and on, and finally I had to stop her and say, 'Are you talking about the only other little black girl in your class?' And she was like, 'Oh yeah, I guess so,' and I was like, 'Well why didn’t you just say that?'," Barris told The Hollywood Reporter. "I looked at my wife and she was like, 'Isn’t that beautiful? She doesn’t see color!' And I was like, 'No, that’s ridiculous.' "

Fishburne, who also stars, acknowledged he had experienced a similar blending of racial identities in his home, too, something he became particularly aware of after putting his kids through private school and paying for horseback riding lessons. "Why are these kids so removed from what I know to be blackness?" he remembers thinking. "We all wanted to do well, but didn’t realize the effect it would have on the kids."

Ahead of the series' premiere, Barris noted that comparisons to either The Cosby Show or The Bernie Mac Show, a previous Wilmore creation, would be the greatest compliment of all. Fishburne, for his part, is hoping for Modern Family comparisons. One thing that all of the producers agree on: While Black-ish will focus heavily on black culture, they insist the show centers on broad themes to which any viewer can relate. "It mirrors humanity,” said Anderson, adding with a laugh: "If you like life, you’ll dig the show."

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'Good People': Film Review

Nick Wall

The Bottom Line

This is why bad things happen

Opens

Sept. 26 (Millennium Entertainment)

Cast

James Franco, Kate Hudson, Tom Wilkinson

Director

Henrik Ruben Genz

James Franco and Kate Hudson play a couple who run afoul of gangsters after finding a stash of stolen loot in Henrik Ruben Genz's thriller

If the movies have taught us anything, it’s that no good comes from finding a fortune in money that seems to have dropped into your lap. Bad things are sure to follow, and such is the case in the English-language film debut of acclaimed Danish director Henrik Ruben Genz (2008’s Terribly Happy). Starring James Franco and Kate Hudson as a couple who run afoul of French and British gangsters after coming upon a stash of some $400,000 in their deceased tenant’s basement apartment, Good People follows a familiar thriller template without managing to be particularly compelling.

The central characters are Tom and Anna Reed, who have moved to London after inheriting a large but run-down house. Mired in debt and unable to come up with the money for the mortgage, let alone for fixing the house up, they find their prayers suddenly answered when their mysterious tenant winds up dead from a drug overdose, leaving behind a hidden suitcase stuffed with loot.

Needless to say, the money was achieved through nefarious means, namely a robbery of a drug dealer in which the dead man had betrayed his accomplices. In hot pursuit of the money and the accompanying drugs are vicious British gangster Jack (Sam Spruell) and French dealer Khan (Omar Sy, in far less charming mode here than he was in The Intouchables), as well as a suspicious police detective (Tom Wilkinson) who has a personal stake in the situation.

The screenplay by Kelly Masterson (Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead, Snowpiercer), adapted from the novel by Marcus Sakey, lays out the situation clearly and coherently enough, with Tom finally convincing his reluctant wife to hold on to the money, spend just as much as they need to keep their heads above water, and wait to see if anyone claims it.

“Money isn’t bad,” he argues. “It’s what people do with it.”

Naturally it isn’t long before the various bad guys descend on the couple, with all hell eventually breaking loose in a final confrontation during which Anna reveals unexpected pluck and Tom employs his handyman skills to sometimes lethal effect. While much of what has preceded suffers from slow-build dullness, the elaborate final setpiece is excitingly staged.

Playing the sort of attractive if annoying couple whose efforts to get pregnant involve something they euphemistically refer to as “sushi night,” Franco and Hudson go through their paces without much conviction, and even Wilkinson is uncharacteristically subdued. Sy and Anna Friel, the latter as a friend who gets caught up in the mayhem, have relatively little to do. But Spruell makes for a particularly frightening bad guy whose sadistic tendencies are on full and graphic display.

Production companies: Film 360, Maguire Entertainment, Material Pictures, Millennium Films
Cast: James Franco, Kate Hudson, Tom Wilkinson, Anna Friel, Omar Sy, Sam Spruell
Director: Henrik Ruben Genz
Screenwriter: Kelly Masterson
Producers: Ed Cathell III, Thomas Gammeltoft, Eric Kranzler, Avi Lerner, Tobey Maguire
Executive producers: Robert Katz, Matthew O’Toole, Neil Sacker
Director of photography: Jorgen Johansson
Production designer: Kave Quinn
Costume designer: Keith Madden
Editor: Paul Tothill
Composer: Neil Davidge

Rated R, 90 minutes

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Telenovela 'Queen of the South' Lands Pilot Order at USA (Exclusive)

10:46 AM PDT 9/23/2014 by Lesley Goldberg

Based on the best-seller by Arturo Perez-Reverte that spawned a show on Telemundo

USA Network is jumping on the Queen of the South bandwagon.

The NBCUniversal-owned cable network is adapting Arturo Perez-Reverte's best-selling novel La Reina Del Sur (aka The Queen of the South), ordering a pilot from Fox Television Studios for the drama, The Hollywood Reporter has learned.

The book was published in 2002 and became an international best-seller. The novel spawned a series starring Kate del Castillo on USA sibling Telemundo that ranks as one of the most popular telenovelas of all time on the network.

The drama tells the story of Teresa Mendoza, who after her drug-dealing boyfriend is unexpectedly murdered in Mexico, is forced to go on the run and seek refuge in America. There, she teams with an unlikely figure from her past to bring down the leader of the same drug trafficking ring that has her on the run. In the process, she learns the tools of the trade and strategically positions herself to become the leader of the cartel.

M.A. Fortin and Joshua John Miller (The Final Girls) will pen the script for the pilot and executive produce alongside David Friendly (Little Miss Sunshine) and Pancho Mansfield (Damien).

"We are excited to bring this global best-selling thriller to our viewers,” USA president Chris McCumber said. "Queen of the South is a suspenseful twist on a dramatic tale of love and betrayal that examines the desperate choices people make when lives are on the line."

See more Broadcast TV's New 2014-15 Shows

Telemundo's Queen of the South launched in 2011 and was the network's highest-rated premiere for a telenovela to date, often topping English-language programming on the broadcast networks. The series, the most expensive in the cabler's history, ran for 63 episodes, with 4.2 million viewers tuning in for the series finale, a figure that ranks as Telemundo's highest-rated broadcast in its 19-year history. The show's success prompted Telemundo to launch its first-ever Emmy campaign.

Queen of the South comes five months after NBC and USA announced they were developing English-language versions of Telemundo telenovelas The Lord of the Skies and Woman of Steel, respectively. NBC last year announced it would develop three telenovelas from Electus, with one likely to go to series.

For USA, meanwhile, Queen of the South becomes the cabler's fourth drama pilot in the works. It joins Jennifer Carpenter starrer Stanistan, Anonymous Content's Mr. Robot and Carlton Cuse's Colony. The Queen pilot order also expands USA's relationship with FTVS, which produces the cabler's White Collar, Graceland and Sirens and its upcoming drama Complications.

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Netflix's 'Marseille' Producer Launches International Production Company

4:00 AM PST 09/23/2014 by Rhonda Richford

Courtesy of Subject

Pascal Breton

Pascal Breton's Federation Entertainment will be based in both Paris and Los Angeles

Continuing the French invasion of U.S. TV shores, with storied film studios Gaumont and EuropaCorp opening up small-screen production offices in L.A., former Marathon Images president Pascal Breton is launching Federation Entertainment.

The company will be a fully integrated production, financing and distribution mini-studio for series and event programming headquartered in Paris with marketing and development offices in Los Angeles.

Federation is already at work on Netflix's first French-language series, Marseille, and co-production The Replacements with Finland-based Fisher King Productions.

Breton will head up Federation, while entering into exclusive partnerships with The Oligarchs Productions (TOP) and Liaison Films & Television and their executives, who will operate under the Federation distribution banner.

"Federation Entertainment is a new kind of company to meet the demands of a new era in entertainment," said Breton. "Federation is an industry game-changer, offering producers and showrunners unique partnership opportunities and offering programmers worldwide an unprecedented wealth of major creative talent. We are thrilled to bring together an unparalleled executive team that includes recognized industry leaders in all areas of production and distribution."

TOP’s execs, including former CanalPlus executive vp Alex Berger and Mafiosa writer-director Eric Rochant, and Liaison Films & Television’s Stephane Sperry, who previously served as the president of CanalPlus U.S. in L.A., are on board.

Breton — who founded France’s production powerhouse Marathon Images in 1990, which was later bought by Zodiak Media — produced French hits such as Dolmen and Saint-Tropez. He stepped down from his position there in February 2013, though he continues as a co-producer on the upcoming series Versailles.

Former Alliance International Television president Jean-Michel Ciszewski will serve as head of worldwide distribution, and Ashley Stern, former vp development & production at Ensemble Entertainment, will oversee the L.A. offices.

Federation has already closed a deal with CanalPlus for the French-language 10-episode spy series Le Bureau des Legendes. Starring Mathieu Kassovitz (Amelie), the drama follows undercover agents working in hostile territories across the globe. Rochant will serve as showrunner for the series, which starts shooting next week in Paris and Morocco.

Federation will make its debut at MIPCOM, the TV industry convention that runs Oct. 13-16 in Cannes.

Viva Latino Film Festival NYC International Call for Entries

Posted by admin on September 23rd, 2014 07:32 PM

Hear Tove Lo's 'Queen of the Clouds' Album Now

By Colin Stutz | September 23, 2014 9:51 PM EDT

Tove Lo

Johannes Helje

Swedish pop phenom Tove Lo's anticipated debut album Queen of the Clouds is getting the advance streaming treatment ahead of its Sept. 30 release now via iTunes Radio.

The brutally honest 12-track LP -- which is also offered in a 19-track deluxe package on iTunes -- is preceded by the revealing single "Habits (Stay High)," which has taken off in the United States and reached a new Hot 100 peak last week, now residing at No. 16 on the chart. The song also crossed the million-download mark last week according to Nielsen SoundScan.

Tove Lo Falls Into Fame: On ‘Habits,’ Opening for Katy Perry & Using Music as Therapy

As the singer told Billboard recently, the entire album is possibly too exposing.

"There are days when I'm like, ‘What am I doing? I'm so stupid. Everyone's going to know everything about me,'" she said. "I'm giving away so much of a story that not even only mine — it's also about another person, which you know can be very sensitive."

Stream Queen of the Clouds now here.

Tove Lo Brings ‘Habits’ to ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’: Watch

By Jason Lipshutz, New York | September 24, 2014 11:33 AM EDT

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INXS Mini-Series ‘Never Tear Us Apart’ Poised for Latin America Debut

By Lars Brandle | September 22, 2014 3:30 AM EDT

INXS Confirm Split: 'It's Time to Step Away'

INTERVIEW

"We just need two balls of mozzarella, two big avocados and two packets of red and green tomatoes, pick up some balsamic and some rocket as well, then I'll be on salad duty..."

Marika Hackman is making her debut album (as well as what sounds like a tasty lunch), but she seems remarkably unphased by the former point. This might be because a full LP from the once-labelled 'anti folk' songstress seems long overdue, her number of EPs released to date possessing a developed, mature quality rarely seen so early into a career.

The fact she came straight out of the gate with an adept, definitive sound fast established Hackman as an artist who can question the boundaries of folk as a whole, bringing in a broader range of sonic elements to craft something forward thinking, yet equally rooted in inspiration from the greats, held together by an immediately unique vocal tone and a refusal to adopt just one style.

Naturally then, her debut album is a pretty big deal, and although many artists end up overthinking their inaugural full-length release, Marika seems quietly confident in her efforts, more so because of how her career has built up to it thus far.

As I join her on the last day of recording in Brixton, London, we sit cross legged on the floor of the studio and dissect the process behind her most important record to date.

"You've gotta be prepared mentally, not just with the songs, which was the big pressure." She admits when I ask about her mindset before getting to this point. "I guess the best thing was the fact I had a month free before now to just lock myself in my room and write, so all of the songs on this record were written within a period of about two months not that long ago."

This tight timeframe in terms of material early establishes Hackman's aim to achieve something different to her contemporaries with this album. One could argue many debut records today lack that sense of surprise because of the lengthy pre-release process, which in the wake of single releases and preceding EP's can leave many albums resonating as mere filler amongst a string of familiar tracks. Marika however seems refreshingly disenfranchised with that system, and instead wants to show her development as an artist and ultimately not feel like she's cheating her fans, a so what commendable trait. "Everyone is so scared because they feel people have to listen to a record and immediately recognise certain songs, whereas in my mind I've already released an album's worth of material which all still exists out there for people to find." She laughs.

"I'm not gonna rehash those old songs and make people buy them again, I'd rather they looked back to find the old stuff if they like the album, which is much more exciting"

Looking at her work from a developmental perspective, it completely makes sense for this album to be made up of completely new material. Throughout her career to date Marika has pushed herself in different directions, from the simplistic, bare bones instrumentation she adopted on breakthrough tracks like 'Bath Is Black' to the subtle electronic experimentation and grungier facets evident throughout her Sugarblind EP. Filling this record with old singles would not only be pointless, but would leave the release feeling disjointed, tarnishing the innovative nature of her development so far.

"I was at home with my parents, who I send all my demos to, and we were comparing the new stuff to the old EP's, and the difference was stark." She says, detailing how she views her development from own perspective. "I guess it's because my voice is untrained, and as I've been singing and writing more those earlier records actually feel a bit immature now... Because of that it just wouldn't feel right to fill this album with old material."

Further dissecting her sonic journey so far, we discuss the atmospheric grounding of this forthcoming release. The far-reaching nature of her discography to date ultimately left Hackman with endless possibility for this album, and it would appear she has embraced that, detailing that some tracks will feature just her and a guitar, indicative of her early work, whilst strings, brass and recorders (yes, the primary school favourite) will make minimalistic appearances in other moments on the release, a more restrained take on the grandiosity that has lent itself to her sound more recently.

"This album has pulled things back in again, because the songs themselves are much more mature." She states, a sense of anticipation in her voice about how everything has seemingly come together. "The guitar parts are more intricate and the lyrics are so much more free and open so it would be a shame to throw loads of stuff at it rather than letting things speak for themselves. There are some songs on this record that have a bigger sound though, it's kind of just whatever each song demands really"

Simultaneously, she maintains the notion that this record will remain refreshingly different throughout, refusing to fall into the trappings of monotony through an embrace of different genres within the boundaries of her already-signature sound. "This record is varied, but that might be because I see every song in a different way myself. There's a mix of grungey and folky stuff though with some electronic elements thrown in as well."

This sense of variety in her work has no doubt heightened with the development of her live show over the last year, which has seen Hackman make the change from a solo artist with a guitar to a frontwoman of sorts, opting for a grander, immersive sound in her performance helped along by her new two piece band (affectionately known as 'Tits and Teeth'). "I think working on something you've had for ages and turning it on it's head is really exciting" she explains when asked about the growth of her live show, before relating it to her radically changing style on record.

"It's nice to have the chance to explore different sounds over one album, but the songs themselves will gel it all together, and because my voice is quite distinctive I can get away with pushing the instrumentation a bit more. Plus if I made a record where everything was sonically similar it would just sound boring and moody."

It becomes clear that this embrace of different styles has become vital to crafting this release, and a novel way to deal with the step up from an EP to a full album, which some artists no doubt struggle with in the pursuit of a hit debut. "In my mind whenever I make an EP there's never been the idea of basing it around a single, for me it's four standalone tracks, which is why i've been reluctant to put the past singles on this record because it would almost be unfair on the other songs, as they definitely weren't written as single support or filler."

The way in which Hackman has started to form releases has no doubt been heavily influenced by Charlie Andrew, the acclaimed producer (known for working on both Alt J albums) that has produced all of her work to date, a creative partnership that she maintains has positively forced her to look at her work differently.

"We've developed together and know how each other work, so it's been a real progression with each release. The EP's were about us exploring a sound together, and this record builds upon all of that".

Having Andrew as a creative safety net of sorts has played a fundamental role in Marika maintaining a healthy mindset throughout this process, and ultimately stopped her overthinking every aspect that goes into the record. Instead the pair seem to work off one creative mantra, and build things slowly from that.

"If you can play a song on a guitar and capture people's attention that's all you need, as you can either leave it stripped back or build upon it, but as long as you've got that foundation it's fine. That's how I like to work, because otherwise you can end up building a song around an empty shell, which is pointless".

In the hour we sit down it becomes increasingly apparent throughout that Marika has come into this process more informed than the countless contemporaries who have been in her position before. It's also clear that now is the perfect time for her to make this record, as her sound has developed enough to thrive across a full length release without seeming misguided or too thinly spread sonically.

"I guess I've learnt to ignore everything, and not worry about where it's all going to go and what's going to come of each release and instead let it be a natural thing. I think exploring my sound over each EP so far has taught me what works and what doesn't as well, but really it's very much a gut instinct thing and letting that run freely... god that sounds so cheesy doesn't it?"

She's right, it does sound cheesy, but that doesn't detract from her being correct, and if the strength of her journey to date is anything to go by then this album could very well be one of the strongest alternative records of the year (and if not, at least she knows how to make a good salad).

Marika Hackman's debut album We Slept At Last is set for release in February 2015.

Marika Hackman announces debut album, new tour and shares a video for “Cinnamon”

Visionary folk-pop singer-songwriter Marika Hackman, following a string of successfull and well-received EPs, has announced her debut full-length, entitled We Slept At Last. It's due out early next year on Ditry Hit.

While you're salivating after that, check out the video of her live session, where she performs "Cinnamon" at London's all-analogue Toe Rag Studios. Below that, you can find details of her recently announced November tour, which includes her largest ever headline show.

There are big things afoot in the world of Marika Hackman.

November:

3 - Edinburgh, Electric Circus
4 - Carlisle, Brickyard
5 - Sheffield, The Harley
6 - Liverpool, East Village Art Club
8 - Manchester, Gullivers
9 - Leeds, The Wardrobe
10 - Leicester, The Musician
11 - York, The Duchess
13 - Birmingham, The Sunflower Lounge
14 - Nottingham, The Bodega
16 - Bristol, Birdcage
17 - Norwich, Epic Studios
18 - London, XOYO
19 - Cambridge, The Portland Arms
20 - Brighton, Green Door Store

We Slept At Last is due out February 2015 on Dirty Hit.

Anyone recognize one of the singers here and band name?

The celebrities 5' tall are listed here, sorted by decreasing popularity. The popularity is the real time consultation statistics by our users for each celebrity on Astrotheme.

You can either access the photo and the personalized horoscope by clicking on the thumbnail of your choice. More here: http://www.astrotheme.com/heights/5%27

Kylie Minogue
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	Born:	May 28, 1968
	in:	Melbourne (Australia)
	Sun:	6°46' Gemini	AS:	1°04' Léo
	Moon:	14°51' Gemini	MC:	22°02' Taurus
Dominants:		Gemini, Leo, Scorpio Venus, Neptune, Sun Houses 10, 11, 4 / Air, Fire / Mutable
Chinese Astrology:		Earth Monkey
Numerology:		Birthpath 3
Height:		Kylie Minogue is 5' (1m53) tall
Popularity:		84,005 clicks, 90th woman, 191st celebrity

Biography of Kylie Minogue

Kylie Ann Minogue (born 28 May 1968 (birth time source: The Complete Kylie Minogue by Simon Sheridan) is an Australian dance-pop singer-songwriter and occasional actress. Minogue rose to prominence in the mid '80s through her role in the Australian television soap opera Neighbours, before she commenced her career as a pop artist in the late '80s. According to Warner Music Australia, Minogue has sold over 65 million records worldwide. Signed to a contract by British songwriters and producers Stock, Aitken & Waterman, she achieved a string of hit records throughout the world. Her popularity began to decline during the early 1990s, leading her to part company from Stock, Aitken & Waterman in 1992. Minogue distanced herself from her earlier work and attempted to establish herself as an inde...

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Mary-Kate Olsen
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	Born:	June 13, 1986
	in:	Van Nuys (CA) (United States)
	Sun:	22°22' Gemini	AS:	13°48' Léo
	Moon:	0°46' Virgo	MC:	6°51' Taurus
Dominants:		Cancer, Gemini, Leo Pluto, Sun, Venus Houses 12, 11, 3 / Water, Earth / Mutable
Chinese Astrology:		Fire Tiger
Numerology:		Birthpath 7
Height:		Mary-Kate Olsen is 5' (1m53) tall
Popularity:		41,940 clicks, 216th woman, 486th celebrity

Biography of Mary-Kate Olsen

Mary-Kate Olsen and Ashley Fuller Olsen (both born June 13, 1986) are American actresses, best known for playing the role of Michelle Tanner on the sitcom Full House. Though some people at first glance suppose they are identical twins, it is widely reported that they are fraternal. Both Olsen twins have appeared in television and films since infancy. Since then, they have continued their celebrity through numerous television programs, films, interviews, as well as commercial endorsements. As a rule, they appear together, and have filmed movies worldwide. Early life Born in Sherman Oaks, California to David Olsen (b. 1953) and Jarnette (Jarnie) Fuller (b. 1954), Mary-Kate and Ashley Fuller Olsen started their acting careers on the television series Full House in 1987. They were hired at...

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Natalie Wood
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	Born:	July 20, 1938
	in:	San Francisco (CA) (United States)
	Sun:	27°23' Cancer	AS:	11°49' Libra
	Moon:	0°59' Taurus	MC:	13°20' Cancer
Dominants:		Cancer, Taurus, Libra Moon, Venus, Saturn Houses 10, 7, 11 / Water, Earth / Cardinal
Chinese Astrology:		Earth Tiger
Numerology:		Birthpath 3
Height:		Natalie Wood is 5' (1m52) tall
Popularity:		36,140 clicks, 262nd woman, 579th celebrity

Biography of Natalie Wood

Natalie Wood (July 20, 1938 – November 29, 1981) was a three time Academy Award nominated American film actress. The source for her time of birth is her birth certificate. Early life and acting career Wood was born Natalya Nikolaevna Zakharenko in San Francisco, California, to Russian immigrants, Nikolai and Maria Zakharenko. Her parents changed their surname to "Gurdin", and by the age of 4 she was billed as Natasha Gurdin. Her mother tightly managed and controlled the young girl's career and personal life from her start in films at the age of five. She starred in multiple films as a child including both Miracle on 34th Street and The Ghost and Mrs Muir in 1947. Her father is described by Wood's biographers as a passive alcoholic who went along with his wife's demands. Her sister, Lan...

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Nice voice. Here is her EP free: http://noisetrade.com/jfa...-the-lines

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Sunday, September 28, 2014

MICKY DOLENZ & JOYCE DEWITT IN 'COMEDY IS HARD'

Joyce DeWitt And Micky Dolenz Opening

Outkast Returns To Atlanta With Powerful First Night Performance

By J. Tinsley / 09.27.14

The sky was overcast. The temperature fluttered between the low-to-mid 70s. The unavoidable feeling in the air was that of unbridled anticipation, almost like the wee hours of Christmas morning before it was acceptable to sprint to the tree and see what magic Santa Parents made happen this year.

Black, White, Asian, Hispanic, straight, gay, young, old, drunk (including one guy so drunk his friends escorted him out because they were tired of babysitting him and was no way they were missing this moment), sober, everyone partied with one unified element that brought everyone together: OutKast. And not only Big Boi and Andre 3000, but OutKast at home, back in Atlanta for their first of three shows held this weekend.

Janelle Monae seasoned the swelling crowd. With Solange withdrawing for medical reasons, Future was a last minute addition and perhaps the biggest blessing of the night. “Karate Chop,” “Shit,” “Chosen One” and “Bugatti” rang throughout Centennial Park like new-age A-Town anthems.

Between sets, “Swag Surfin'” turned an estimated 20,000 crazed fans into a living, breathing wave. A classic crunk music set turned 2014 in The A to 2004, as everyone reminisced when “this song started fights at every party” as “Headbussa,” “Bia Bia” and “Get On My Level” brought hands-to-fists everywhere. Even the power of Bobby Shmurda’s “Shmoney Dance” sent hats rocketing in the air with a landing destination unknown.

2 Chainz brought more of the same energy to the stage as the earlier openers. But he ended up being a victim of circumstance. By 9:00 p.m., the anticipation had become full blown hysteria. Everyone stood ready for Outkast.

The magnitude of the moment was nearly too much. Up until now, Big Boi and Andre 3000 touring stages across the country didn’t seem real, like a fairy tale. For much of the drive to Atlanta, many of the same responses peppered Twitpics and Instagram montages of LeBron James in a Cavaliers jersey. He came home. It was real. The dream was a reality.

The same unbridled fascination was sprouting roughly 1,000 miles from Cleveland.

“I can’t believe this is happening,” I heard random concert goers say multiple times. Then, it happened.

Centennial Park went completely dark momentarily. This was it. The moment when 10 years of fantasy mutated into reality. Deafening sounds exploded from speakers. And just like that, “Bombs Over Baghdad” sent the crowd into a tizzy. There they were. Two of the most important souls associated with the city of Atlanta and Hip-Hop history.

For the next two hours, what was once a rap concert turned into a massive choir practice fused with a family reunion. Where a recurring red flag in previous shows across the country came from the portions of the crowd not connecting with Kast either on a generational gap or lack of knowledge on the music, the homecoming crowd was a polar opposite. Everyone was engaged. Cops danced and rapped, some even got caught in the moment and began filming on their cell phones.

Not that it mattered. Aside from one fight before OutKast took the stage, no visible incidents occurred. We were all there for the same reason. The horns of “SpottieOttieDopaliscious” became a spiritual experience and both Big and Dre knew it as they smiled from ear-to-ear knowing if nowhere else, their music always had a home in the city they carry on their shoulders, voluntarily or not.

Friday night in Atlanta was a Thanksgiving spread of emotions. Nearly 20,000 jumped out of their skin to “Ms. Jackson” and “Kryptonite.” Big Gipp’s appearance for “Sky High” was well-welcomed, and left many wondering why more Goodie Mobb tracks weren’t performed. During Andre’s solo set, what was once a madhouse until Big Boi’s stage conduction was now a romantic getaway for every couple in attendance, especially one in particular man and woman – who were probably on every pill known to man as they basically had sex with clothes on – posted nearby me, my friend Vaughan and Rembert Browne of Grantland.

“I tried to season it for you,” Dre joked.

“Prototype” was a nostalgic trip in time. The masses sang in unison, not missing an inflection or high note. Singles reminisced on love once had, but now lost. Couples lost themselves in the moment, slow dancing as if it were the last song at senior prom.

Try as I might, accurately describing the vibe last night is in vain. The chemistry that looked downright awkward at Coachella was replaced by seamless transitions and near perfect execution. Andre still didn’t look thrilled to be on stage, but appeared humble by the moment. And for what it’s worth, the joy on his face while temporarily stepping back in time with Big Boi, Sleepy Brown – and Sleepy’s silk robe – to perform “Crumblin’ Erb” and “Playas Ball” was infectious.

Page 2

Undoubtedly the most emotional moment impacted once it came time to perform “International Players Anthem,” a Hip-Hop landmark and pinnacle of timelessness at this point.

“We need y’all to rap this for Pimp C,” Andre requested.

“Do it for The Pimp,” Big retorted.

The next four minutes became an out-of-body experience. 3000’s iconic scene-setting intro verse rang bells and Big Boi’s closing 16 followed suit. In between, the crowd pelted Chad Butler’s verse to the heavens in hopes it would meet Sweet Jones’ approval. Bun B’s appearance to perform his verse made a legendary moment even more so.

The show concluded not long after with “The Whole World” – sans Killer Mike, who’s slated for Sunday’s show – and soon with a bonus performance of “Gangsta Shit” with Slimm Calhoun and company to appease fans who weren’t ready to let go of the moment.

By 11:30, a mass exodus out of Centennial Park was formed. Everyone appeared satisfied, minus one drunk guy who – for whatever reason – needed a “lighter to light his lighter to light his cigarette.”

OutKast need that moment to come back home, much like a fellow superstar celebrity in Cleveland who enjoyed his first time back on the job at home. But more important than Andre and Big, the masses in attendance needed September 26, 2014, much like those attending Saturday and Sunday’s shows hopefully will.

The reality is OutKast setting away time to record another album is a dream deferred. It works better when both are committed, which doesn’t always seem to be the case with Andre. And who knows what behind-the-scenes paperwork and politics present wedges too far planted to be removed now.

And somehow, Friday night was the ultimate realization. Seeing Big Boi and Andre 3000 live and in the flesh, happy and maneuvering through their catalog became enough. Over 20 years, they set forth on the world Southernplayalistic, ATLiens, Aquemini, Stankonia and Speakerboxxx/The Love Below and – depending who’s asked – Idlewild.

How the last decade has transpired with rumors of division and falling outs was frustrating, and still is because the looming thought of “what if” will always be attached to their legacy. But if last night was one of the final times we will ever seen Antwon Patton and Andre Benjamin on stage together, they delivered.

At a bar on Peachtree last night following the concert, a bartender questioned myself and Vaughan about the concert. She was upset, visibly upset about missing the concert. She wanted every detail. She smiled from ear-to-ear looking at choppy pictures and videos on our cell phones.

“Those two dudes mean so much to this city. I love them more than words can explain,” she said.

“It feels good to be home,” Big Boi said earlier that night.

The feeling was beyond mutual.

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Prince to Give Behind-the-Scenes Look at Paisley Park Recording Studio

The Purple One plans online listening party for new albums 'Plectrumelectrum' and 'Art Official Age'

By Kory Grow | September 29, 2014

With two new albums coming out Tuesday, Prince has planned a release party inside his Paisley Park Studios in Minnesota, which he will livestream via the Live Nation Channel on Yahoo. The event, which will feature his 3rdEyeGirl group as well as a behind-the-scenes look at the studio, will kick off at 9:30 p.m. CST(Yahoo says 7:30 PM check your local times) for what they've mercilessly dubbed "Plectrumelectrumartofficialage." It will be streaming on Yahoo! Screen Live and on the Yahoo!

This week, Prince is releasing the solo album Art Official Age and a collaboration with 3rdEyeGirl, Plectrumelectrum. He's billing the former record – which he produced, arranged, composed and performed with singer-songwriter Joshua Welton – as "classic Prince," while calling the latter both a "classic band album" and "an electrifying funk-rock statement."

When Prince's label announced the albums in August, a press release promised "a series of very special events" to take place globally, though no other events have been announced.

Prince has been teasing the albums over the past year by playing songs live and posting them online. Last October, he released a video for the Art Official Age tune "Breakfast Can Wait" – a song he'd previously released a demo of on Twitter – and most recently unveiled the version of "Funknroll" that will appear on that record; another will be included on Plectrumelectrum. Other tracks he allowed to be released early include "Breakdown" and "U Know." One song, "Fallinlove2nite," which is a duet with actress and singer Zooey Deschanel and premiered on her TV show The New Girl, will not appear on either album.

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Watch Cyndi Lauper & Sara Bareilles Team Up to Fight Pediatric Cancer With Song Mashup

By Colin Stutz | September 25, 2014 7:51 PM EDT

Cyndi Lauper at the Tony Awards in New York on June 9, 2013.

(photo: Getty Images)

Cyndi Lauper and Sara Bareilles have teamed with Today Show co-host Hoda Kotb for a new video combining the their songs "True Colors" and "Brave" in a new video dedicated to raising money to fight pediatric cancer.

Watch Sara Bareilles Sing 'Smile' Over Emmys In Memoriam Tribute

The mashup works surprisingly well in the moving clip shot at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, showing young cancer patients celebrating their lives splashing paint around a sterile black and white hospital room. It's all intercut with Lauper and Bareilles performing in the studio as well.

Donations can be made here. Watch the video below:

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[Edited 9/29/14 7:17am]

Ella Henderson interview: 'I was worried people would forget about me'

By Lewis Corner

Thursday, Jun 5 2014, 10:57am EDT

The annual X Factor storyline requires one insanely good vocalist to be eliminated in a shock eviction halfway through the series.

In 2012, it was a 16-year-old Ella Henderson who fell victim to the tradition, but that didn't stop her bagging a record deal and traveling to the US to work with leading songwriters Ryan Tedder, Salaam Remi and Babyface for her debut album.

Digital Spy caught up with Ella to talk about its first track 'Ghost', her time in the studio with Tedder and how she deals with the stigma that comes with being a former talent show contestant.

The reaction to your new single 'Ghost' has been great.
"Just hearing all this feedback and support is incredible for me. You worry coming from a show like The X Factor and then taking your time with things, that people will forget you."

For that reason alone you must have been eager to get something out there?
"Yeah, definitely. The thing with me though is I came from X Factor when I was only 16 and I knew I had a lot of growing up to do as a person. I needed to find my feet because I wanted the music to sound right, but ultimately I wanted to be ready. I wanted to be mentally and physically capable of dealing with everything that comes with doing this job. I now feel ready for all outcomes and just want to take it all on."


When you left the show did you know what kind of music you wanted to do?
"There was a lot of experimenting. I write everything and I play the piano, so I knew instantly the things that I don't like, but what this sound was going to be I couldn't put my finger on. I've taken elements of music that I've grown up on, like Motown and soul, with modern music and stuff my dad listened to from the '80s. I wanted to capture everything that made me feel so bright and alive as a young girl and get it on the album. It was a difficult challenge, but one of the most fun."

Surely that challenge was made easier working with Ryan Tedder?
"Being able to work with the people in the industry that I have done has been an amazing experience. I've really been learning from the best. People like Ryan Tedder and Salaam Remi can give you words of advice that are irreplaceable. I set myself this goal that every time I went in the studio I would learn something new - whether it was from a production side or something on an instrument or even from an engineer in there. One day I'd love to be in their position of being able to write with other people and collaborate."

What's the one thing you learned from Ryan Tedder?
"Well because he's an artist himself, he just got me. He's been in the place where I'm at now. He was like, 'I remember that feeling when we'd write and write as a band and we never knew what song was going to make us and breakthrough'. He told me the biggest thing is to stay grounded and to never forget your roots."

© Facebook / EllaHendersonMusic

Ella performs 'Ghost'

He's had his biggest successes with female vocalists like Beyoncé, Leona Lewis and Ellie Goulding. Did that add pressure when you were in the studio with him?
"I was definitely nervous because I knew the kind of people he had written with. You feel too nervous to even put your ideas in the pot, because you don't want him to be like, 'Well that's crap!' The label and Ryan were going back and forth and he was the one who sent the e-mail saying, 'Just heard her cover of Drake - effing get me in the studio with her now!' So when I saw that e-mail, I thought this sounds like a really funny, cool guy and I couldn't wait to meet him."

And when you finally did, what happened?
"We got into the studio to just meet and have something to eat because he was only here for a few hours, but we didn't even get half way through our food before we were around the piano and had written the chorus to 'Ghost'. It just happened so fast that I instantly knew this was going to be my first single. It's uplifting and anthemic, but it has this dark feel to it. It counterbalances the light and shade of the album. I just felt privileged to be in his presence, to be honest."

Did you adjust to his way of working quickly?
"We didn't even sit down and write, it was just going in there, standing at the mic and ad-libbing. That's how the "Give up the ghost" tagline came about. I was just like, 'Give up the ghost, let's try and get rid of this haunting feeling'. It was all just so free and I think that was one of my favorite ways to work. We only did three takes and we did it the whole way through. There was no chopping and editing. It was all very live."

Have you finished work on your debut album Chapter One?
"We're just doing the final little bits. The thing is, because I've listened to it for so long now there are songs I've written from last March that I want to alter ever so slightly. It's very open lyrically, so I want the songs to fit into place with one another."

How much input has your label boss Simon Cowell had?
"Simon has been so on board and supportive with everything. He kind of left me to do my own thing for a while and was like, 'When you're ready for me, that's when I'll hear it.' When I got my best seven or eight songs together - and I had to really get it down from 40 to 50 songs - I sent them away to him and he got back straight away and he loved it. It was so great because I want Simon to believe in my body of work and not just be someone under his label that he didn't have the belief in to go with it. He was saying the other day that he's in love with the album and he can't wait for the world to hear it."

Coming from a show like The X Factor you have to deal with the stigma of being a talent show artist. Does that bother you?
"Without The X Factor I wouldn't be here now. It's such an amazing platform. Even I didn't think I would take this route. I never thought I'd go on a show like The X Factor, simply because I didn't have enough confidence to do something like standing on a stage to have opinions thrown at me. And it's not just by those four judges - now it's social media and you've instantly got millions of people saying boo or yes!"

© Ken McKay/Thames/Rex Features

Ella Henderson on The X Factor

What changed your mind?
"The year I was on the show they changed the audition rules so you could perform with an instrument, so I saw it as a chance for someone behind the scenes to hear me play one of my original songs. If it just opens a little door somewhere, I'd take it. That was honestly what I saw from it."

Leaving the show must have been just as scary as entering it though?
"Anyone who comes off a talent show, you have to figure out what's the most natural and healthy way to deal with it. It's always the 'what happens next?' thing - you have to figure out what's the best thing for you to do. Whether it's to get a record out quick or take your time with it. Or whether you go into something else completely! Within 24 hours after leaving the show I walked into the Sony building and was pitched to by four record labels. I was thinking, 'How the hell has this happened to me?' I just had to go with it because this is what I've always dreamt of doing."

Ella Henderson's debut single 'Ghost' is out in the UK on June 8.

Ella Henderson Unveils New GLORIOUS Ballad "Hard Work": Must-Listen!

"Chapter One" is going to be the album Leona Lewis wish she had recorded after "Spirit" (I just had to say this). Ella Henderson will be dropping her first studio album (Syco) on October 13th in the UK. I have loved ALL of the songs that have been premiered thus far (seven?) either released as official singles or buzz singles. With each new song that's premiered I've had the feeling that I've loved it more than the previous one. And in the case of the newly-premiered "Hard Work" it is no different. I think "Hard Work" is my favorite Ella song to date - until I hear the next one. The audio of the GLORIOUS ballad - written entirely by Ms. Henderson - was premiered on VEVO this Friday morning (Sept. 26) via a cute "promo" video Ella and her team put together. Watch/hear it below!!

"I know I'm not wasting my time / For you to be the reason I cry / And no I'm not gonna lie / You're hard work / But you're good for me", sings the immensely-talented Ella Henderson in the chorus of her new "Chapter One" song. "Hard Work" is a precious ballad where Ella sings about the ups and downs of a relationship and the feeling of joy when you feel that all the tough moments you and your partner have gone through have been worth it in the sense they have helped the relationship to be stronger and for them to realize they can't live without each other.

Ella reminds me to early Christina Aguilera in a very good way. I just believe everything she sings. And her vocals transmit so much emotion and TRUTH. "Chapter One" is going to be one of my favorite albums of the year, I know it, and I haven't heard it yet!!

Tracklist:
01 – Ghost
02 – Empire
03 – Glow
04 – Yours
05 – Mirror Man
06 – Hard Work
07 – Pieces
08 – The First Time
09 – All Again
10 – Give Your Heart Away
11 – Rockets
12 – Lay Down
13 – Missed
14 – Billie Holiday
15 – Beautifully Unfinished
16 – 1996
17 – Five Tattoos
18 – Giants

Gladys Knight 'On Top of the World' With New Album & TV Movie

By Gail Mitchell | September 19, 2014 3:47 PM EDT

Gladys Knight Derek Blanks

The singer talks gospel album, Lifetime movie, 'DWTS' and dream collaborators Missy Elliott & Kanye West.

"I'm just on top of the world," says Gladys Knight. And the legendary singer has every right to be.

Where My Heart Belongs -- her new gospel album on Shadow Mountain Records -- debuts at No. 20 on this week's Billboard's R&B Albums chart and jumps 35-8 on Gospel Albums. Featuring songs written by Kirk Franklin, BeBe Winans and Knight, the set also bows at No. 34 on Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums. That marks her 30th top 40 album on the chart counting both her solo releases and sets with the Pips. But that's not all.

Gladys Knight & Patti...n Broadway

She recently wrapped filming in New York City for the Lifetime television movie Seasons of Love. Due this holiday season, the dramedy stars actress Taraji P. Henson (one of the film's executive producers) and singer LeToya Luckett. Knight is also shepherding the R&B career of her background singer Avehre (pronounced Ah-Veer). And if she has her way, she'd love to collaborate with Kanye West, John Legend and Missy Elliott.

What inspired your new album?

We [Gladys Knight & the Pips] always had that [gospel] element in our lives, part of the village that raises you. And we always put at least one inspirational or gospel song on our albums. This album hit me last year. Because of my work schedule, thank God, I had to grab a week here and there to record. Collecting the music takes the most time. Songwriter Jim Weatherly gave me permission two years ago for the album's last song, "Happy Birthday Jesus."

Brandon Avery Smith wrote two songs and is featured on both, "Immersed" and "Champions." He's a young man with such a sense of spirit and the Lord without an in-your-face kind of thing. He writes in a vernacular that young people get. As Avehre, he has a new single, "Can You Hear It," and is working on his own R&B album.

What other projects are on your slate?

I just finished a movie, a love story called Seasons of Love. It's about young people figuring out how to get the special kind of love that my character and her husband have. Taraji plays my sister. It was a stretch for me because of the onscreen kiss -- I felt like I was cheating on my real husband. [Laughs]

Speaking of my husband [William McDowell], we just bought a school that we're renovating into a community center, opening next year. It will include a library, recording studio, theater with computer and history classes and various sports. He and I are very passionate about making a difference in young people's lives. You can't keep talking. You have to do something.

Any tips for the new cast of Dancing With the Stars?

Have fun and know what a unique experience you're going to have. Just enjoy the ride. Tristan [MacManus] and I still keep up with each other. But I'd like to see dancers like myself given our own category and give the younger ones their category. Then we're competing with people equal in the category and not the joke of the show.

You've worked with many artists already. Are there more on your wish list?

When I was on Arsenio Hall's show, he asked me about working with Kanye West or John Legend. I said I'd love to. The question was later tweeted on my social network and people came out with a vengeance about what they wanted me to do. Missy Elliott, who beautifully produced my niece Aaliyah, tweeted me back. I can handle it, so who knows? Maybe I'll do something with Missy or Kanye.

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Aretha Franklin’s ‘Great Diva Classics’ Due Oct. 21

By Associated Press / Billboard Staff | September 28, 2014 10:21 PM EDT

Ms. Aretha Franklin rocks the crowd at DTE Energy Music Theatre on Saturday, July 12th in Clarkston, Michigan.

Montez Miller

Aretha Franklin is showing some R-E-S-P-E-C-T to her fellow divas: The Queen of Soul will release an album Oct. 21 covering classic songs from other female singers.

Aretha Franklin Sings the Great Diva Classics will include songs such as Gladys Knight's "Midnight Train to Georgia," Barbra Streisand's "People" and Whitney Houston's "I'm Every Woman."

Aretha Franklin Album Coming This Month

The most contemporary track is a reworking of Adele's colossal hit "Rolling In the Deep," which is the first single off the album. It will be available digitally Monday, when the 72-year-old will also perform the song on Late Night with David Letterman.

"Great Diva Classics" reunites Franklin with longtime collaborator Clive Davis.

"I mean, it is great," he said in an interview. "For her to do all these songs, it's very exciting."

Exclusive: Clive Davis Sa...a Classics

Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds and Andre 3000 are among the album's producers. Other songs covered by Franklin include the Supremes' "You Keep Me Hangin' On," Alicia Keys' "No One" and Dinah Washington's "Teach Me Tonight." The icon's version of Gloria Gaynor's "I Will Survive" will incorporate some of Destiny's Child's "Survivor."

The opening track is Etta James' signature song, "At Last," and Franklin closes the 10-track set with Sinead O'Connor's "Nothing Compares 2 U."

Speaking to Billboard ahead of the release, Davis said he was thrilled with the album. "She's on fire and vocally in absolutely peak form," he explained. "What a thrill to see this peerless artist still showing the way, still sending shivers up your spine, still demonstrating that all contemporary music needs right now is the voice. What a voice." The new recording, he added, "is purely and simply sensational."

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Robert Plant and the Sensational Space Shifters: Concert Review

8:59 AM PDT 9/28/2014 by Frank Scheck

Paul Familetti

The Bottom Line

Plant's artistic adventurousness and musical legacy were well on display in this galvanizing show

Venue

Brooklyn Academy of Music, New York (Saturday, Sept. 27)

The veteran rocker plays Led Zeppelin classics and new songs from his latest release "lullaby and...The Ceaseless Roar"

Most veteran music acts are content to rest on the strength of their back catalogues. Not so the ever artistically restless 66-year-old Robert Plant, whose post-Led Zeppelin career has been marked by vital musical excursions ranging far and wide, including, most successfully, American roots music. His latest release, lullaby and…The Ceaseless Roar, recorded with his band the Sensational Space Shifters, is one of his most audacious experiments yet, a nearly unclassifiable mélange of folk, blues, electronica and dub featuring influences ranging from Celtic to African. Supporting the album with a tour that included two shows at the Brooklyn Academy of Music’s ornate opera house -- part of a series of concerts marking the 50th anniversary of his new label, Nonesuch Records -- Plant and company delivered a galvanizing show featuring a generous selection of Led Zeppelin classics.

It was the sort of night seemingly designed to test the knees of aging fans. Like clockwork, they would rise to their feet every time they recognized the opening riff to a Led Zep song, only to plop down again whenever a new song was played. It’s a credit to the canny arrangements that the set list blended together seamlessly.

Although he doesn’t quite howl with the old ferocity, Plant delivered hauntingly ethereal vocals in which he still managed to hit every high note. Despite his steadfast refusal to reunite for a tour with his former band, he delivered the old songs with an energized passion that belied their vintage status. Most were instantly recognizable, save for a dramatically reworked, instrumental version of “Black Dog.”

Among the highlights culled from the new release were the hymn-like “Lullaby,” the album’s first single about which Plant cheekily declared, “I think Dick Clark’s playing it every day”; the bluesy “Turn It Up”; and the show closer “Little Maggie,” the ‘40s era bluegrass standard, here reworked with African grooves spotlighting Gambian band member Juldeh Camara on ritti, a one-stringed fiddle.

Plant paid tribute to his blues influences with several covers, including Howlin’ Wolf’s “No Place to Go”; Bukka White’s “Fixin’ to Die,” featuring stuttering vocals and a rockabilly-style guitar solo; and such Led Zep staples as “Babe I’m Gonna Leave You” and “Nobody’s Fault But Mine.”

Yes, Jimmy Page’s blistering guitar work was missed at times. But the band -- also including Justin Adams, John Baggott, Billy Fuller, Dave Smith and Liam “Skin” Tyson -- infused the music with complex atmospherics featuring such instruments as banjo, African bendir and djembe drums and swirling keyboards and loops.

The biggest responses were naturally accorded to Led Zep classics like “Thank You,” “Going to California” and an impassioned “Whole Lotta Love,” the latter bookended by snippets of “Poor Tom” and Bo Diddley’s “Who Do You Love?”

That the show featured more Led Zeppelin songs than selections from the new album signaled that, for all his musical adventurousness, Plant is a canny enough showman to give the people what they want. It almost inspired hope that he’ll someday rejoin his former bandmates for a tour that would inevitably rewrite box-office history.

Robert Plant and the Sensational Space Shifters will be performing at Los Angeles’ Hollywood Palladium on Oct. 7.

Set List

Poor Howard

Thank You

Turn It Up

Black Dog

Rainbow

Going to California

A Stolen Kiss

What is and What Should Never Be

No Place to Go

Babe, I’m Gonna Leave You

Fixin’ to Die

Whole Lotta Love

Nobody’s Fault But Mine

Little Maggie

Paul Familetti

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Jackie Guerrido Celebrates Birthday With Craig Ferguson

Posted by admin on September 28th, 2014 05:04 PM |

Jackie Guerrido Award-winning entertainment journalist, actress and TV reporter of Univision’s Primer Impacto, became the first Latina to make an appearance on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, last week. This time around Guerrido was there to celebrate her birthday and to promote her upcoming role in AWOL 72.

Guerrido, wearing a show stopping black dress charmed Ferguson and the audience with her Latin flare and trademark humor.

Ferguson and Jackie talked about her native Puerto Rico “I want to go there with you” he said of her birthday celebration. Ferguson then gave Jackie a few “birthday gifts” which included two coconuts, a rusty trombone, a promo t-shirt and 50.00 dollars cash. “I’m going to wear the t-shirt on Primer Impacto” joked Guerrido.

Guerrido was there to promote her new film AWOL 72 which is directed by Christian Sesma and set to release on Netflix in November. She plays a detective in AWOL 72 which is directed by Christian Sesma. It is the story of an AWOL marine in possession of secret government information. Ferguson was especially interested on Jackie’s love scene she has with rapper REZA.

Guerrido’s Television credits include: Telemundo Local News, Cotorreando, Noticias 23 with weather and entertainment news, Despierta America, Primer Impacto and Variety Latino.

In addition to her work in entertainment Jackie contributes and lends her time to many charitable causes such as Casa Julia de Burgos in Puerto Rico- a shelter for abused women.

Cheyenne Mize: Louisville Songwriter Finds Bliss in Imperfection

"I just wanted noises. Not even musical sounds — I wanted harsh noises."

Free MP3 Sampler Download: http://noisetrade.com/che...de-sampler

Cheyenne Mize Photo by Meagan Jordan

WRITTEN BY
Kyle McGovern

Who: Louisville's Cheyenne Mize first caught our attention in 2009, when she released Among the Gold, a 10-inch collaborative EP with fellow Kentuckian Will Oldham, a.k.a. Bonnie "Prince" Billy. A slow-burning solo debut, Before Lately, followed in 2010 and this past June, Mize issued her expansive sophomore album, Among the Grey, via Yep Roc Records. The 11-track effort — a simultaneously raw and lush collection that regularly inspires comparisons to PJ Harvey — resulted from a full year of on-again, off-again recording sessions. "I love the recording process," Mize says. "If I could just be recording all the time, that's what I would do. The extra work we put into [the album] really made it come together in a more cohesive way."

House of the Holy: Mize and her backing band recorded Among the Grey on a church compound in the singer-songwriter's hometown, setting up in different locations for different songs. The choir-style vocals that float in and out of mid-album tunes "Raymaker" and "Have You Seen" were captured in the church sanctuary, because the space had natural reverb. The gymnasium served as a fitting runway for the LP's loftier guitar tones, while a cobwebbed den proved fertile territory for the left-of-center drumming on stark scorcher "Give It All."

"There was this room in the basement that looked like it was still set up from a Boy Scout meeting in the ‘60s," Mize recalls. "It was really creepy. So complete that it literally had the board with all of the examples of different kinds of knots on it. But all around there were metal pipes and grates and a stool that we ended up kicking against a wall for some of the percussion sounds. I just wanted noises. Not even musical sounds — I wanted harsh noises."

03:30Cheyenne Mize — Among The Grey

Group Therapy: Mize tracked with a live band for Among the Grey as a sort of corrective to the hermetic process that birthed her previous album. "With Before Lately, I had done demos of all the songs," says the multi-instrumentalist, who also has a degree in music therapy. "I had it all down exactly how I wanted to do it: what instruments, what the backing vocals were going to be, and I recorded it all myself. It was great to hear the songs recorded well, but at the same time, it was hard to get a lot of satisfaction from that, because it was just me playing something I had written, as opposed to something that came together naturally. Coming from a music-therapy background, I've always performed in groups, and I've never been center stage until the past couple years. And the thing that I enjoy the most is playing with people." Though her latest LP was a more collaborative project, Mize's fingerprints are all over Grey — in addition to singing lead and backup vocals, the lifelong musician played guitar, piano, violin, and some percussion.

Imperfect From Now On: Despite her adroit musicianship and clear devotion to craft, Mize denies being a perfectionist. "I really like records that aren't overdone or over-edited," she says. "It feels really sterile and inhuman. And some of my favorite live moments are when artists screw up. Granted, I didn't necessarily want any wrong notes on the record, but I did want to keep it a little rough around the edges where it needed to be. I really enjoy imperfection in music."

2011 Interview by Adam McKibbin

Anyone who has enjoyed Cheyenne Mize as a collaborator and band member alongside the likes of Will Oldham and Ben Sollee should be sure to make a beeline for Before Lately. An endorsement from Oldham goes pretty far around these parts (and a lot of parts elsewhere), and the duo left us wanting more after their effortlessly enchanting EP of old standards (Among the Gold). But it's one thing to put a fresh and warm spin on "Let Me Call You Sweetheart" - it's another thing to have your own songs carry the weight. Before Lately patiently reveals itself as an album of simple but lasting pleasures. The graceful, restrained orchestration keeps the focus on Mize's vocals - pretty much right where it should be.

If all goes according to plan, we'll be hearing plenty more from Mize in the year ahead. There are more original songs to record, more collaborations to pursue, and many more shows to play. Before putting a bow on 2010, we caught up with the Louisville native to talk about wanderlust, Daytrotter, and the healing power of music therapy.

You grew up with music – and are self-taught on a lot of instruments. Was there any instrument that was a bit more stubborn than the others?

The violin is definitely the most stubborn - or you have to be the most stubborn to play it...not sure which.

Earlier in the year, I read a few insinuations that the live show for the new record was going to potentially be more of a rock experience than listeners would expect. Has that held true? Do the songs undergo a fairly dramatic transformation when they’re taken to the stage?

This year I've played a good portion of shows solo, but definitely choose to have band mates whenever possible. Next year is looking promising for more of those opportunities. I do love hearing all the different parts and harmonies come together when I get the chance to have them.

Louisville continues to forge a strong national reputation for music. Given the number of collaborations you’ve been involved in already, it seems like you’ve found a pretty healthy community there. But you’re also young; do you have bouts of wanderlust, or do you see yourself in
Louisville for the long haul?

I don't have any reasons to leave right now. It's a good home base and most of the people I love live here or near here.

While folks are over on Daytrotter to snag your set, do you have any other favorites to recommend?

Gosh, they're busy over there at Daytrotter...so much good stuff. But check out Adam Arcuragi- hope to play with those folks soon.

I’m always interested in hearing about passions beyond music – and while music therapy isn’t “beyond” music, obviously, it’s also a bit of a departure from the usual Q&A talk. Is that something you’ve been able to stay active with as your career has taken off?

Since I've done less of it lately, I wanted to find another way to contribute. So there's a song up on my Bandcamp page that I recorded with the ladies of Maiden Radio. All of the proceeds will be donated to the Norton Music Therapy fund, which supplies program costs and equipment in the hospital system where I am on staff. My goal is to raise $1,000 which can go a long way. I've got a ways to go, though...

In regards to the Norton in particular, I was surprised in this era of budget-slashing to see that those services were simply considered part of the hospital’s holistic care. This is probably an elementary question – but… how atypical is that? Are those programs frequent targets for cuts?

All of the MT positions in the Norton Hospital system (and many others in the country) are at least in part grant and donor funded for that particular reason. So we rely on people recognizing the need for and benefits of music therapy, and taking action to make sure it continues. Every dollar helps!