Fred Astaire was an Oscar-nominated song and dance man best remembered for a series of musicals he made alongside many female dancer, but especially Ginger Rogers. Yet his filmography extends well past those titles. Let’s take a look back at 20 of his greatest films, ranked worst to best.
As a dancer, Astaire was known for his perfectionism, doing multiple takes to get the most precise movements correct. His immaculate steps were matched only by his outfits, which often consisted of top hats and coats.
After making a name for himself on the stage in London and on Broadway, Astaire came to Hollywood. He first appeared with fellow dancer Rogers in “Flying Down to Rio” (1933), where they played second fiddle to Dolores del Rio and Gene Raymond. Their first starring vehicle came just one year later: “The Gay Divorcee” (1934).
Their subsequent films, including “Top Hat” (1935), “Follow the Fleet” (1936), “Swing Time...
As a dancer, Astaire was known for his perfectionism, doing multiple takes to get the most precise movements correct. His immaculate steps were matched only by his outfits, which often consisted of top hats and coats.
After making a name for himself on the stage in London and on Broadway, Astaire came to Hollywood. He first appeared with fellow dancer Rogers in “Flying Down to Rio” (1933), where they played second fiddle to Dolores del Rio and Gene Raymond. Their first starring vehicle came just one year later: “The Gay Divorcee” (1934).
Their subsequent films, including “Top Hat” (1935), “Follow the Fleet” (1936), “Swing Time...
- 5/4/2024
- by Zach Laws and Chris Beachum
- Gold Derby
Barbra Streisand has apologized after getting a harsh reminder that public comments on someone’s Instagram are not, uh, private direct messages.
The 82-year-old icon was caught in the comments of a recent Melissa McCarthy Instagram post asking the actress, “did you take Ozempic?” Actually, the full comment is even better, lacking all punctuation, besides the final question mark at the end, and exhibiting a short but profound stream of consciousness writing style. The photo was of McCarthy and director Adam Shankman en route to a charity gala, and, in full,...
The 82-year-old icon was caught in the comments of a recent Melissa McCarthy Instagram post asking the actress, “did you take Ozempic?” Actually, the full comment is even better, lacking all punctuation, besides the final question mark at the end, and exhibiting a short but profound stream of consciousness writing style. The photo was of McCarthy and director Adam Shankman en route to a charity gala, and, in full,...
- 5/1/2024
- by Jon Blistein
- Rollingstone.com
All’s mad in love, war, and supervillainery.
Oscar winners Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga go toe-to-toe as twisted lovers in “Joker: Folie à Deux,” the sequel to 2019 Batman prequel “Joker” which won Phoenix the Best Actor Academy Award. Gaga takes on the role of Harley Quinn, with Phoenix reprising his titular role as Arthur Fleck.
“Joker: Folie à Deux” is helmed by returning director Todd Phillips. The film, which has musical elements á la Francis Ford Coppola’s “One From the Heart,” centers around Arkham Asylum and its inhabitants. Gaga portrays the “Batman the Animated Series” origins for Harley Quinn, starting out as a psychiatrist who treats Phoenix’s Fleck. The cast includes returning “Joker” star Zazie Beetz, “Banshees of Inisherin” Oscar nominee Brendan Gleeson, Catherine Keener, Jacob Lofland, “Industry” breakout Harry Lawtey, and more.
Phillips speaking at CinemaCon clarified whether or not the film is a musical: “It’s funny,...
Oscar winners Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga go toe-to-toe as twisted lovers in “Joker: Folie à Deux,” the sequel to 2019 Batman prequel “Joker” which won Phoenix the Best Actor Academy Award. Gaga takes on the role of Harley Quinn, with Phoenix reprising his titular role as Arthur Fleck.
“Joker: Folie à Deux” is helmed by returning director Todd Phillips. The film, which has musical elements á la Francis Ford Coppola’s “One From the Heart,” centers around Arkham Asylum and its inhabitants. Gaga portrays the “Batman the Animated Series” origins for Harley Quinn, starting out as a psychiatrist who treats Phoenix’s Fleck. The cast includes returning “Joker” star Zazie Beetz, “Banshees of Inisherin” Oscar nominee Brendan Gleeson, Catherine Keener, Jacob Lofland, “Industry” breakout Harry Lawtey, and more.
Phillips speaking at CinemaCon clarified whether or not the film is a musical: “It’s funny,...
- 4/10/2024
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
Bleachers take on the classic show tune “Almost Like Being in Love” for the final track in the Jack Antonoff-curated The New Look soundtrack.
The tenth and season finale episode of the Apple TV+ series — about the career of fashion designer Christian Dior and his clashes with Coco Chanel amid the backdrop of Nazi-occupied Paris — hit the streaming service Wednesday, and with it Antonoff and Bleachers’ ghostly rendition of the show tune that, after featuring in the 1947 musical Brigadoon, was popularized by artists like Frank Sinatra, Nat King Cole,...
The tenth and season finale episode of the Apple TV+ series — about the career of fashion designer Christian Dior and his clashes with Coco Chanel amid the backdrop of Nazi-occupied Paris — hit the streaming service Wednesday, and with it Antonoff and Bleachers’ ghostly rendition of the show tune that, after featuring in the 1947 musical Brigadoon, was popularized by artists like Frank Sinatra, Nat King Cole,...
- 4/3/2024
- by Daniel Kreps
- Rollingstone.com
On the opening night of Bob Dylan’s 2024 tour, a fan reportedly got under his skin by screaming out, “Play something we know.” The fact that he followed the heckle up with a brand new arrangement of “When I Paint My Masterpiece” that echoed Irving Berlin’s “Puttin’ On The Ritz” (or possibly “Istanbul (Not Constantinople)” by the Four Lads) is surely coincidence since such things are worked out in advance, but later in the night he did pull out a surprise by covering the 1956 Jimmy Rogers song “Walking By...
- 3/8/2024
- by Andy Greene
- Rollingstone.com
Steve Lawrence, a king among easy-listening crooners who rocketed to fame in the ’50s and ’60s as half of the duo Steve and Eydie, died Thursday at age 88. Lawrence died at home in Los Angeles, and the cause of death was complications from Alzheimer’s disease, according to a spokesperson for the family, Susan DuBow.
Lawrence’s Alzheimer’s diagnosis had finally put an end to his touring career in 2019, after a run in the public eye that spanned six and a half decades.
Lawrence was preceded in death in 2013 by his wife, Eydie Gormé, with whom he enjoyed nearly unparalleled success as a performing couple during their heyday as touring artists and TV stars in the ’50s, ’60s and ’70s. The couple had continued to tour together through 2009.
His colleagues began to weigh in Thursday. “Steve was one of my favorite guests on my variety show,” Carol Burnett said,...
Lawrence’s Alzheimer’s diagnosis had finally put an end to his touring career in 2019, after a run in the public eye that spanned six and a half decades.
Lawrence was preceded in death in 2013 by his wife, Eydie Gormé, with whom he enjoyed nearly unparalleled success as a performing couple during their heyday as touring artists and TV stars in the ’50s, ’60s and ’70s. The couple had continued to tour together through 2009.
His colleagues began to weigh in Thursday. “Steve was one of my favorite guests on my variety show,” Carol Burnett said,...
- 3/7/2024
- by Chris Willman
- Variety Film + TV
Steve Lawrence, the charismatic Grammy- and Emmy-winning crooner who delighted audiences for decades in nightclubs, on concert stages and in film and television appearances, died Thursday. He was 88.
Lawrence, who partnered in a popular act with his wife of 55 years, the late Eydie Gormé, died of complications from Alzheimer’s disease, a publicidst announced.
With his boyish good looks, silky voice and breezy personality, Lawrence broke into show business when he won a talent competition on Arthur Godfrey’s CBS show and signed with King Records as a teenager. The singer chose to stay old school and resist the allure of rock ‘n’ roll.
“It didn’t attract me as much,” Lawrence once said. “I grew up in a time period when music was written by Irving Berlin and Cole Porter and George and Ira Gershwin and Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein and Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart and Sammy Cahn and Julie Stein.
Lawrence, who partnered in a popular act with his wife of 55 years, the late Eydie Gormé, died of complications from Alzheimer’s disease, a publicidst announced.
With his boyish good looks, silky voice and breezy personality, Lawrence broke into show business when he won a talent competition on Arthur Godfrey’s CBS show and signed with King Records as a teenager. The singer chose to stay old school and resist the allure of rock ‘n’ roll.
“It didn’t attract me as much,” Lawrence once said. “I grew up in a time period when music was written by Irving Berlin and Cole Porter and George and Ira Gershwin and Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein and Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart and Sammy Cahn and Julie Stein.
- 3/7/2024
- by Chris Koseluk
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Nick Cave has released a cover of Édith Piaf’s 1940s hit “La Vie En Rose,” which appears on Jack Antonoff’s soundtrack for the Apple TV+ series The New Look. Stream it below.
On the Antonoff-produced piano cover, Cave takes on the French singer’s signature track in English, giving it a new dimension as he delivers the tender ballad in his distinct voice: “When you speak, angels sing from above/ Everyday words, they turn into love songs.”
Cave’s version of “La Vie En Rose” follows Lana Del Rey’s take on Irving Berlin’s “Blue Skies,” Florence + The Machine’s cover of “White Cliffs of Dover,” and The 1975’s rendition of “Now Is the Hour.”
You can catch the first five episodes of The New Look now. Filmed in Paris, the series centers around Christian Dior, Coco Chanel, and their contemporaries as they launch modern fashion after World War II.
On the Antonoff-produced piano cover, Cave takes on the French singer’s signature track in English, giving it a new dimension as he delivers the tender ballad in his distinct voice: “When you speak, angels sing from above/ Everyday words, they turn into love songs.”
Cave’s version of “La Vie En Rose” follows Lana Del Rey’s take on Irving Berlin’s “Blue Skies,” Florence + The Machine’s cover of “White Cliffs of Dover,” and The 1975’s rendition of “Now Is the Hour.”
You can catch the first five episodes of The New Look now. Filmed in Paris, the series centers around Christian Dior, Coco Chanel, and their contemporaries as they launch modern fashion after World War II.
- 2/28/2024
- by Eddie Fu
- Consequence - Music
Lana Del Rey, she of the country club Chemtrails, has finally discovered “Blue Skies” — at least in the form of songwriter Irving Berlin’s 98-year-old standard.
Of course, since it’s Del Rey, “blue” is a double-entendre, and there’s a sadness in her voice that she can’t quite shake. Where Ella Fitzgerald quivered her voice with a little hope on her rendition and Willie Nelson went full country funk with his, winking his way through every line, Del Rey sounds restrained and distant, as if the blue skies...
Of course, since it’s Del Rey, “blue” is a double-entendre, and there’s a sadness in her voice that she can’t quite shake. Where Ella Fitzgerald quivered her voice with a little hope on her rendition and Willie Nelson went full country funk with his, winking his way through every line, Del Rey sounds restrained and distant, as if the blue skies...
- 2/14/2024
- by Kory Grow
- Rollingstone.com
Lana Del Rey has reunited with frequent collaborator Jack Antonoff for her new cover of Irving Berlin’s 1926 song “Blue Skies.” The track appears on the Antonoff-produced official soundtrack for the new Apple TV+ series The New Look. Stream it below.
The cover follows Florence + The Machine’s version of “White Cliffs of Dover” and The 1975’s rendition of “Now Is the Hour.” The soundtrack also features contributions from Nick Cave, Bartees Strange, Joy Oladokun, beabadoobee, and Antonoff’s own band, Bleachers.
Del Rey and Antonoff have a long collaborative relationship, with the latter just winning a Grammy for Producer of the Year, Non-Classical — due in part to his work on Del Rey’s most recent album, Did you know that there’s a tunnel under Ocean Blvd? The two also collaborated on Del Rey’s upcoming country album, Lasso.
Later this year, Del Rey will make headlining appearances at festivals including Coachella,...
The cover follows Florence + The Machine’s version of “White Cliffs of Dover” and The 1975’s rendition of “Now Is the Hour.” The soundtrack also features contributions from Nick Cave, Bartees Strange, Joy Oladokun, beabadoobee, and Antonoff’s own band, Bleachers.
Del Rey and Antonoff have a long collaborative relationship, with the latter just winning a Grammy for Producer of the Year, Non-Classical — due in part to his work on Del Rey’s most recent album, Did you know that there’s a tunnel under Ocean Blvd? The two also collaborated on Del Rey’s upcoming country album, Lasso.
Later this year, Del Rey will make headlining appearances at festivals including Coachella,...
- 2/14/2024
- by Eddie Fu
- Consequence - Music
Film historians, critics and cineastes have heralded 1939 as the greatest year for Hollywood films. It was the year that saw the release of such classics as “Gone with the Wind,” “Stagecoach,” “Love Affair,” “The Wizard of Oz,” “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington,” “Young Mr. Lincoln” and “Wuthering Heights.” That’s just the tip of the iceberg
But what about Broadway? A case can be made for 1964, which saw the debuts of three musicals that became classics: “Fiddler on the Roof,” “Funny Girl” and “Hello, Dolly!”
Broadway was changing in the 1960s. Oscar Hammerstein II died in 1960; Irving Berlin’s last show was the disappointing 1962 “Mr. President”; and Cole Porter, who died in 1964, hadn’t had a musical on Broadway since the 1950s. Sixty years ago, a group of young talented composers and lyricists were the toast of the Great White Way.
Like Jerry Herman. He was all of 30 when “Milk...
But what about Broadway? A case can be made for 1964, which saw the debuts of three musicals that became classics: “Fiddler on the Roof,” “Funny Girl” and “Hello, Dolly!”
Broadway was changing in the 1960s. Oscar Hammerstein II died in 1960; Irving Berlin’s last show was the disappointing 1962 “Mr. President”; and Cole Porter, who died in 1964, hadn’t had a musical on Broadway since the 1950s. Sixty years ago, a group of young talented composers and lyricists were the toast of the Great White Way.
Like Jerry Herman. He was all of 30 when “Milk...
- 2/1/2024
- by Susan King
- Gold Derby
Chita Rivera, the sultry singer, dancer and actress who commanded the Broadway stage for more than a half-century, has died. She was 91.
Rivera died peacefully in New York on Tuesday, following a brief illness, her daughter, Lisa Mordente, shared in a statement obtained by The Hollywood Reporter.
Known for her long, sleek legs, smoldering green eyes and lusty singing voice, the two-time Tony Award winner originated some of musical theater’s most iconic characters.
When West Side Story bowed in 1957, it was Rivera singing about life in America as the fiery Puerto Rican transplant Anita. As Rose Grant, the long-suffering girlfriend of songwriter Albert Peterson, Rivera received top billing over Dick Van Dyke in 1960’s Bye Bye Birdie. In 1975, she made the stage sizzle with “All That Jazz” as Velma Kelly in Chicago. And the 1993 musical adaptation of Kiss of the Spider Woman put her in the spotlight as the sexy Spider Woman.
Rivera died peacefully in New York on Tuesday, following a brief illness, her daughter, Lisa Mordente, shared in a statement obtained by The Hollywood Reporter.
Known for her long, sleek legs, smoldering green eyes and lusty singing voice, the two-time Tony Award winner originated some of musical theater’s most iconic characters.
When West Side Story bowed in 1957, it was Rivera singing about life in America as the fiery Puerto Rican transplant Anita. As Rose Grant, the long-suffering girlfriend of songwriter Albert Peterson, Rivera received top billing over Dick Van Dyke in 1960’s Bye Bye Birdie. In 1975, she made the stage sizzle with “All That Jazz” as Velma Kelly in Chicago. And the 1993 musical adaptation of Kiss of the Spider Woman put her in the spotlight as the sexy Spider Woman.
- 1/30/2024
- by Chris Koseluk
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The holiday song “White Christmas” is one of the most unforgettable songs of the holiday season. Bing Crosby made it iconic, but did he ever get sick of singing “White Christmas?”
Bing Crosby made ‘White Christmas’ a hit in 1942, but did he get sick of singing it?
The song “White Christmas” was made famous by Bing Crosby in the 1942 Christmas movie Holiday Inn. The “White Christmas” song was adapted twelve years later into a full-length film starring Crosby and Danny Kaye.
The song and film became Crosby’s calling card, despite many other hits synonymous with the singer throughout his career. But in a 1977 interview with Barbara Walters, Crosby revealed his real feelings about the holiday hit.
Walters asked Crosby, “Are you sick of ‘White Christmas?'” He replied, “No, no, I could never be sick of it. I just fear that people will be sick of it.”
Subsequently, Crosby...
Bing Crosby made ‘White Christmas’ a hit in 1942, but did he get sick of singing it?
The song “White Christmas” was made famous by Bing Crosby in the 1942 Christmas movie Holiday Inn. The “White Christmas” song was adapted twelve years later into a full-length film starring Crosby and Danny Kaye.
The song and film became Crosby’s calling card, despite many other hits synonymous with the singer throughout his career. But in a 1977 interview with Barbara Walters, Crosby revealed his real feelings about the holiday hit.
Walters asked Crosby, “Are you sick of ‘White Christmas?'” He replied, “No, no, I could never be sick of it. I just fear that people will be sick of it.”
Subsequently, Crosby...
- 12/24/2023
- by Lucille Barilla
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
Dan Stevens as Charles Dickens and Christopher Plummer as Ebenezer Scrooge in ‘The Man Who Invented Christmas’ (Photo by Kerry Brown / Bleecker Street)
Once again, the holidays – or is it holidaze? – are upon us, bringing with it a flurry of Christmas movies.
You have your endless parade of cartoons, specials, Christmas-themed episodes of your favorite TV shows, bad holiday comedies (1996’s Jingle All the Way and 2007’s Fred Claus come to mind), and Christmas-set horror movies (1984’s Gremlins). Then there’s the cheesy yet feel-good Lifetime and Hallmark films. And how can we forget the 24-hour marathon of 1983’s A Christmas Story (celebrating its 40th anniversary this year), beginning on Christmas Eve and ending on Christmas Day?
If those don’t do it for you, maybe these lists of Christmas movies will.
Classic Christmas Movies
You can’t go wrong with these classics, which can lighten the hearts of even the most ardent cynics.
Once again, the holidays – or is it holidaze? – are upon us, bringing with it a flurry of Christmas movies.
You have your endless parade of cartoons, specials, Christmas-themed episodes of your favorite TV shows, bad holiday comedies (1996’s Jingle All the Way and 2007’s Fred Claus come to mind), and Christmas-set horror movies (1984’s Gremlins). Then there’s the cheesy yet feel-good Lifetime and Hallmark films. And how can we forget the 24-hour marathon of 1983’s A Christmas Story (celebrating its 40th anniversary this year), beginning on Christmas Eve and ending on Christmas Day?
If those don’t do it for you, maybe these lists of Christmas movies will.
Classic Christmas Movies
You can’t go wrong with these classics, which can lighten the hearts of even the most ardent cynics.
- 12/9/2023
- by Kurt Anthony Krug
- Showbiz Junkies
“Joker: Folie à Deux” is turning up the dial on the crazy.
Rumored to be set in psychiatric hospital Arkham Asylum, the musical sequel to the controversial Oscar-winning 2019 film will be released in October 2024. However, cinematographer Lawrence Sher is revealing that the film will take audiences by surprise.
“It’s a pretty risky movie,” Sher told Definition magazine (via Games Radar), “and it’s going to be surprising for people. I’m so excited for everyone to see it.”
Sher added that the film is “currently in the final stages of post-production.”
“Joker: Folie à Deux” stars Joaquin Phoenix as the eponymous antihero, Arthur Fleck. Lady Gaga is taking on the role of Harley Quinn opposite Phoenix’s Joker as love interest (and equally unhinged counterpart). Per Harley Quinn’s first appearance in “Batman: The Animated Series,” the character is a psychiatrist at Arkham Asylum who treats Arthur Aka the Joker,...
Rumored to be set in psychiatric hospital Arkham Asylum, the musical sequel to the controversial Oscar-winning 2019 film will be released in October 2024. However, cinematographer Lawrence Sher is revealing that the film will take audiences by surprise.
“It’s a pretty risky movie,” Sher told Definition magazine (via Games Radar), “and it’s going to be surprising for people. I’m so excited for everyone to see it.”
Sher added that the film is “currently in the final stages of post-production.”
“Joker: Folie à Deux” stars Joaquin Phoenix as the eponymous antihero, Arthur Fleck. Lady Gaga is taking on the role of Harley Quinn opposite Phoenix’s Joker as love interest (and equally unhinged counterpart). Per Harley Quinn’s first appearance in “Batman: The Animated Series,” the character is a psychiatrist at Arkham Asylum who treats Arthur Aka the Joker,...
- 10/31/2023
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
Tyrannical and brilliant, director Michael Curtiz created film legends out of mere stars, and turned movies into myth. Here are some of his greatest films.
When movie enthusiasts think of legendary director Michael Curtiz, the first thing that pops into their mind is Casablanca (1942), consistently named to, and occasionally topping, lists of the greatest films of all time. Although if we’re being honest, most people think of it as a Humphrey Bogart movie. The same could be said of Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942) and The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938). These are known for their stars, James Cagney, and Errol Flynn, the latter of whom Curtiz put on the map with Captain Blood (1935). In the director’s hands, actors and characters merged into a mythology which exceeded mere signature roles, becoming universal symbols.
Curtiz worked in the motion picture business from its infancy, but began in the theater, graduating Budapest’s...
When movie enthusiasts think of legendary director Michael Curtiz, the first thing that pops into their mind is Casablanca (1942), consistently named to, and occasionally topping, lists of the greatest films of all time. Although if we’re being honest, most people think of it as a Humphrey Bogart movie. The same could be said of Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942) and The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938). These are known for their stars, James Cagney, and Errol Flynn, the latter of whom Curtiz put on the map with Captain Blood (1935). In the director’s hands, actors and characters merged into a mythology which exceeded mere signature roles, becoming universal symbols.
Curtiz worked in the motion picture business from its infancy, but began in the theater, graduating Budapest’s...
- 9/27/2023
- by David Crow
- Den of Geek
Tl;Dr:
Paul McCartney wanted The Beatles’ “Can’t Buy Me Love” to start with a certain lyric. The band’s producer, George Martin, didn’t think that line was impactful. The Beatles’ “Can’t Buy Me Love” was a hit once in the United States and twice in the United Kingdom.
George Martin said Paul McCartney‘s original version of The Beatles’ “Can’t Buy Me Love” lacked a proper hook. He discussed how a simple musical change made the track more interesting. Subsequently, he revealed what he thought about Paul as a solo artist.
George Martin added a musical surprise to The Beatles’ ‘Can’t Buy Me Love’
During a 1995 interview with The Christian Science Monitor, Martin discussed the evolution of “Can’t Buy Me Love.” Paul wanted the song to begin with the lyric “Money can’t buy me anything to keep me satisfied.” Martin felt that line wasn’t impactful.
“I...
Paul McCartney wanted The Beatles’ “Can’t Buy Me Love” to start with a certain lyric. The band’s producer, George Martin, didn’t think that line was impactful. The Beatles’ “Can’t Buy Me Love” was a hit once in the United States and twice in the United Kingdom.
George Martin said Paul McCartney‘s original version of The Beatles’ “Can’t Buy Me Love” lacked a proper hook. He discussed how a simple musical change made the track more interesting. Subsequently, he revealed what he thought about Paul as a solo artist.
George Martin added a musical surprise to The Beatles’ ‘Can’t Buy Me Love’
During a 1995 interview with The Christian Science Monitor, Martin discussed the evolution of “Can’t Buy Me Love.” Paul wanted the song to begin with the lyric “Money can’t buy me anything to keep me satisfied.” Martin felt that line wasn’t impactful.
“I...
- 8/22/2023
- by Matthew Trzcinski
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
Yes, "Star Trek" can be silly sometimes. One might recall the original series episode "Shore Leave" wherein the crew of the Enterprise saw their thoughts and fantasies -- including knights and anthropomorphic white rabbits and samurai -- manifested in android form. Then there's the "Next Generation" episode "QPid" wherein the Enterprise-d crew were magically transformed into characters from Robin Hood. There's also the "Deep Space Nine" episode "If Wishes Were Horses" wherein the DS9 crew unwittingly manifested characters out of their brains, like Rumpelstiltskin and ultra-horny doppelgängers of their co-workers. And then we have the "Voyager" episode "Bride of Chaotica!" wherein the Voyager crew re-enacted a 1950s sci-fi serial, complete with cheesy special effects and black-and-white photography.
These "wacky" comedy episodes, while not always necessarily funny, tend to serve an important function in "Star Trek." Specifically, they break up the monotony. Both the viewers and the makers of the show...
These "wacky" comedy episodes, while not always necessarily funny, tend to serve an important function in "Star Trek." Specifically, they break up the monotony. Both the viewers and the makers of the show...
- 8/3/2023
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
John Lennon wrote a prolific number of songs in his time with The Beatles and his solo career. He won seven Grammys and picked up even more nominations. Despite all this success, Lennon constantly worried his well of creativity was drying up. According to one of his closest friends, Lennon dealt with lingering paranoia that he would never write another good song.
John Lennon worried that writer’s block would keep him from writing another song
Lennon met his friend Pete Shotton at school, and they remained close for life. Lennon bounced song ideas off of Shotton. As a result, Shotton had an intimate view of Lennon’s songwriting process. He admitted that doubt played a significant role in Lennon’s creative life. He only wrote when he felt inspiration or if he was facing down a Beatles deadline. Often, he dealt with writer’s block while trying to stay on schedule.
John Lennon worried that writer’s block would keep him from writing another song
Lennon met his friend Pete Shotton at school, and they remained close for life. Lennon bounced song ideas off of Shotton. As a result, Shotton had an intimate view of Lennon’s songwriting process. He admitted that doubt played a significant role in Lennon’s creative life. He only wrote when he felt inspiration or if he was facing down a Beatles deadline. Often, he dealt with writer’s block while trying to stay on schedule.
- 7/24/2023
- by Emma McKee
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
Tony Bennett accepted the boundaries of his universe.
In the last few decades of his life, the period of his greatest success, he never tried to do a Rick Rubin/Johnny Cash-style album of recent pop and rock hits tweaked to suit his voice. Instead, he transported the contemporary artists he worked with — Lady Gaga especially — to his preferred musical arena: the Great American Songbook classics of Johnny Mercer, Irving Berlin, Rodgers and Hart, the Gershwins, Harold Arlen, and so many more. Without seeing the cover, you’d never even know his “MTV Unplugged” album was an “MTV Unplugged” album just by listening to it. His last studio album, “The Silver Lining: The Songs of Jerome Kern,” speaks to his appreciation of the craft of songwriting embodied by the entire Great American Songbook era, and how a singer can work in dialogue with that songwriter even decades after their death to create meaning.
In the last few decades of his life, the period of his greatest success, he never tried to do a Rick Rubin/Johnny Cash-style album of recent pop and rock hits tweaked to suit his voice. Instead, he transported the contemporary artists he worked with — Lady Gaga especially — to his preferred musical arena: the Great American Songbook classics of Johnny Mercer, Irving Berlin, Rodgers and Hart, the Gershwins, Harold Arlen, and so many more. Without seeing the cover, you’d never even know his “MTV Unplugged” album was an “MTV Unplugged” album just by listening to it. His last studio album, “The Silver Lining: The Songs of Jerome Kern,” speaks to his appreciation of the craft of songwriting embodied by the entire Great American Songbook era, and how a singer can work in dialogue with that songwriter even decades after their death to create meaning.
- 7/23/2023
- by Christian Blauvelt
- Indiewire
Sad news hit this morning that Tony Bennett has died following a long battle with Alzheimer’s. The legendary crooner had one of the longest careers in the history of popular music. His debut LP, Because of You, landed in 1952, and he worked steadily in the studio and on the road until 2021.
Fans who came of age in the Fifties will likely remember early hits like “Cold, Cold Heart,” ” Rags to Riches,” and “Strangers in Paradise.” Children of the Sixties are more likely to think of songs like “I Left My Heart in San Francisco,...
Fans who came of age in the Fifties will likely remember early hits like “Cold, Cold Heart,” ” Rags to Riches,” and “Strangers in Paradise.” Children of the Sixties are more likely to think of songs like “I Left My Heart in San Francisco,...
- 7/21/2023
- by Andy Greene
- Rollingstone.com
Tony Bennett has died at the age of 96.
The singer’s publicist, Sylvia Weiner, confirmed his death to The Associated Press on Friday morning, saying he died in his hometown of New York. There was no specific cause of death, but Bennett had been battling Alzheimer’s disease.
No one was more surprised by the duration and arc of Bennett’s career than Bennett himself.
“I can’t tell you how fortunate I feel about all this,” Bennett said during a 2006 interview, on the occasion of his 80th birthday. “I never really thought I’d be doing it this long… and it’s so much more than I ever imagined it would be. So I’m just thrilled.”
Bennett went out on a high note, too. Having been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in 2016, he kept working as able, bringing his performing career to a close with duet partner Lady Gaga...
The singer’s publicist, Sylvia Weiner, confirmed his death to The Associated Press on Friday morning, saying he died in his hometown of New York. There was no specific cause of death, but Bennett had been battling Alzheimer’s disease.
No one was more surprised by the duration and arc of Bennett’s career than Bennett himself.
“I can’t tell you how fortunate I feel about all this,” Bennett said during a 2006 interview, on the occasion of his 80th birthday. “I never really thought I’d be doing it this long… and it’s so much more than I ever imagined it would be. So I’m just thrilled.”
Bennett went out on a high note, too. Having been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in 2016, he kept working as able, bringing his performing career to a close with duet partner Lady Gaga...
- 7/21/2023
- by Gary Graff
- Consequence - Music
Rufus Wainwright won’t hit age 50 until July 22, technically, but he started the festivities a few days early with “Fifty Isn’t the End,” a three-hour show at Long Island’s East End that was a tribute to Wainwright’s career, his family lineage and, inadvertently, some of the other children of famous musicians who happen to be among his pals.
With a lineup that included Jimmy Fallon, comic Tig Notaro, Laurie Anderson and members of Wainwright’s family, including his sister Martha and his father Loudon III, the show...
With a lineup that included Jimmy Fallon, comic Tig Notaro, Laurie Anderson and members of Wainwright’s family, including his sister Martha and his father Loudon III, the show...
- 7/18/2023
- by David Browne
- Rollingstone.com
What do the 76th annual Tonys have in common with the 17th annual awards?
Stephen Sondheim.
The late, great influential composer is represented in this year’s Tonys with the acclaimed, popular revivals of his 1979 classic “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Street” earning eight nominations and 1987’s “Into the Woods” receiving six.
Sixty years ago, it was Sondheim’s musical comedy “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum” which dominated the Tony Awards with six wins: best musical, best producer for Harold Prince, best director for George Abbott, best author for Burt Shevelove and Larry Gelbart, leading actor for Zero Mostel and featured actor for David Burns. Ironically, Sondheim failed to earn a nomination for best original score (music and/or lyrics) written for the theater. He would not win for his tunes until “Company” in 1971. Vying in that category were “Stop the World I Wanted...
Stephen Sondheim.
The late, great influential composer is represented in this year’s Tonys with the acclaimed, popular revivals of his 1979 classic “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Street” earning eight nominations and 1987’s “Into the Woods” receiving six.
Sixty years ago, it was Sondheim’s musical comedy “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum” which dominated the Tony Awards with six wins: best musical, best producer for Harold Prince, best director for George Abbott, best author for Burt Shevelove and Larry Gelbart, leading actor for Zero Mostel and featured actor for David Burns. Ironically, Sondheim failed to earn a nomination for best original score (music and/or lyrics) written for the theater. He would not win for his tunes until “Company” in 1971. Vying in that category were “Stop the World I Wanted...
- 5/8/2023
- by Susan King
- Gold Derby
Bob Dylan has been performing for decades, and he once switched up his style to emulate another musician. He has likely perfected his onstage demeanor after years of touring virtually ceaselessly. Still, he greatly admired the other musician. Dylan found the other artist impressive onstage, but he said that the performing style did not go over well for him.
Bob Dylan | Val Wilmer/Redferns Bob Dylan said there were a number of musicians he admired
Dylan said that he gets strong emotional reactions while listening to music.
“A great song is the sum of all things,” he told The Wall Street Journal (via his official website). “It could be the turning point in your life. Louis Armstrong does it like a scat singer, Jimmie Rodgers can yodel it. It’s timeless and ageless. It’s a field holler, it’s blood and thunder, it’s on easy street and in...
Bob Dylan | Val Wilmer/Redferns Bob Dylan said there were a number of musicians he admired
Dylan said that he gets strong emotional reactions while listening to music.
“A great song is the sum of all things,” he told The Wall Street Journal (via his official website). “It could be the turning point in your life. Louis Armstrong does it like a scat singer, Jimmie Rodgers can yodel it. It’s timeless and ageless. It’s a field holler, it’s blood and thunder, it’s on easy street and in...
- 4/5/2023
- by Emma McKee
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
This madcap musical from 1935 about an American dance star visiting London swirls effortlessly back into cinemas, with classic songs from Irving Berlin
Like a Shakespearean marriage comedy with a spoonful of Feydeau farce, this madcap musical from 1935, from screenwriters Allan Scott and Dwight Taylor and director Mark Sandrich, saunters back for a re-release. It features Fred Astaire as Jerry, the American dance star visiting London, a city seen in almost surreally weird back projections – and Astaire incidentally does an intentionally terrible Cockney accent when he pretends to be a hansom cab driver. (It is one of the rare times he does not appear in faultless evening dress.) Irving Berlin’s classic songs Cheek to Cheek and Top Hat, White Tie and Tails are great, and Astaire swirls on a forward-tilting gyroscopic axis with his spindly arms and legs effortlessly orbiting him like Saturn’s moons.
Playing opposite him – and of course,...
Like a Shakespearean marriage comedy with a spoonful of Feydeau farce, this madcap musical from 1935, from screenwriters Allan Scott and Dwight Taylor and director Mark Sandrich, saunters back for a re-release. It features Fred Astaire as Jerry, the American dance star visiting London, a city seen in almost surreally weird back projections – and Astaire incidentally does an intentionally terrible Cockney accent when he pretends to be a hansom cab driver. (It is one of the rare times he does not appear in faultless evening dress.) Irving Berlin’s classic songs Cheek to Cheek and Top Hat, White Tie and Tails are great, and Astaire swirls on a forward-tilting gyroscopic axis with his spindly arms and legs effortlessly orbiting him like Saturn’s moons.
Playing opposite him – and of course,...
- 4/5/2023
- by Peter Bradshaw
- The Guardian - Film News
Last year, Oscar-winning director Damien Chazelle made a decadent hate letter to Hollywood, a film which dived into the seedy, salacious, and ultimately gruesome side of an industry that trades on fantasy and prefers to look at itself through glasses a shade of rose. Chazelle’s Babylon failed to set the world on fire at the box office, but it does have its admirers, including those enamored by an ending sequence in which a crucial character wanders into a movie house decades after his heyday in the silent era and early talkies. And he catches, as it so happens, Singin’ in the Rain during its original 1952 theatrical run.
The choice of ending a movie like that on a character watching Singin’ in the Rain is both obvious yet profound. On the one hand, Singin’ in the Rain is the textbook definition of a rose-tinted filter being cast across Hollywood’s...
The choice of ending a movie like that on a character watching Singin’ in the Rain is both obvious yet profound. On the one hand, Singin’ in the Rain is the textbook definition of a rose-tinted filter being cast across Hollywood’s...
- 3/30/2023
- by David Crow
- Den of Geek
You probably know more about Ronald Reagan from U.S. History than Film Studies. Make no mistake. Before Reagan ever ran for office, he was an actor. The 40th U.S. president started his entertainment career as "Dutch" Reagan, a radio sports announcer in Des Moines, Iowa. Reagan honed his storytelling chops by recreating Chicago Cubs games with nothing but a slip sent to him by telegraph. The 26-year-old dreamed of big-screen stardom, so he joined the Cubs for spring training in Southern California — to snag a screen test with Warner Brothers. The WB studio suits liked what they saw, and film actor Ronald Reagan was born.
While Reagan had a better Hollywood career than most, he never became a bonafide movie star. Throughout Reagan's political career, opponents and detractors slandered him as a "B-movie actor." However, Reagan was a B-movie actor. No, he wasn't starring in the 1940s equivalent...
While Reagan had a better Hollywood career than most, he never became a bonafide movie star. Throughout Reagan's political career, opponents and detractors slandered him as a "B-movie actor." However, Reagan was a B-movie actor. No, he wasn't starring in the 1940s equivalent...
- 3/26/2023
- by Hunter Cates
- Slash Film
What do the 55th annual Academy Awards which took place April 11, 1983 have in common with the upcoming 95th Oscars?
Steven Spielberg and John Williams.
Back in 1983, Spielberg’s beloved “E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial” was nominated for nine Academy Awards including film, director and score. This year, the 76-year-old Spielberg and Williams, 91, are both nominated for “The Fabelmans.” The filmmaker’s semi-autobiographical drama is in contention for eight Academy Awards including film, director, screenplay and score.
The 55th Oscars made history with Ben Kingsley becoming the first actor of Indian descent to win the best actor Oscar for his extraordinary portrayal of “Gandhi” while Louis Gossett Jr. become the first black actor to win in the supporting category with his iconic turn as tough-nosed D.I. in “An Officer and a Gentleman.” This year, history could be made again in the best actress category. Malaysian Chinese performer Michelle Yeoh has the chance...
Steven Spielberg and John Williams.
Back in 1983, Spielberg’s beloved “E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial” was nominated for nine Academy Awards including film, director and score. This year, the 76-year-old Spielberg and Williams, 91, are both nominated for “The Fabelmans.” The filmmaker’s semi-autobiographical drama is in contention for eight Academy Awards including film, director, screenplay and score.
The 55th Oscars made history with Ben Kingsley becoming the first actor of Indian descent to win the best actor Oscar for his extraordinary portrayal of “Gandhi” while Louis Gossett Jr. become the first black actor to win in the supporting category with his iconic turn as tough-nosed D.I. in “An Officer and a Gentleman.” This year, history could be made again in the best actress category. Malaysian Chinese performer Michelle Yeoh has the chance...
- 3/1/2023
- by Susan King
- Gold Derby
Paul McCartney said The Beatles‘ “I’ll Follow the Sun” is a “Leaving of Liverpool” song. Swap following the sun with following dreams. Paul did all that, becoming a rock ‘n’ roll star with his band. The Beatles wouldn’t have been as popular if they had never left home.
Paul McCartney, writer of The Beatles’ ‘I’ll Follow the Sun,’ and John Lennon | William Lovelace/Getty Images Paul McCartney said The Beatles’ ‘I’ll Follow the Sun’ is a ‘Leaving of Liverpool’ song
In The Lyrics: 1956 to the Present, Paul wrote about his fondest childhood memories growing up on Forthlin Road in Liverpool. Mary McCartney worked as a midwife and brought the McCartneys a handsome salary. Therefore, the family lived in a nicer area. They had lace curtains, which is probably why Paul still has lace curtains. “An Irish thing, maybe,” Paul said.
Paul remembers singing The Beatles’ “I...
Paul McCartney, writer of The Beatles’ ‘I’ll Follow the Sun,’ and John Lennon | William Lovelace/Getty Images Paul McCartney said The Beatles’ ‘I’ll Follow the Sun’ is a ‘Leaving of Liverpool’ song
In The Lyrics: 1956 to the Present, Paul wrote about his fondest childhood memories growing up on Forthlin Road in Liverpool. Mary McCartney worked as a midwife and brought the McCartneys a handsome salary. Therefore, the family lived in a nicer area. They had lace curtains, which is probably why Paul still has lace curtains. “An Irish thing, maybe,” Paul said.
Paul remembers singing The Beatles’ “I...
- 2/25/2023
- by Hannah Wigandt
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
Paul McCartney said three Beatles songs were inspired by Fred Astaire’s version of “Cheek to Cheek.” The singer-songwriter also admitted that he pretends to be the singer and dancer to get a certain voice. Who knew one song could inspire multiple Beatles songs?
The Beatles | Mirrorpix/Getty Images The Beatles modeled “Here, There, and Everywhere’ on Fred Astaire’s ‘Cheek to Cheek’
In 1935, Astaire recorded one of the most famous versions of “Cheek to Cheek” for the movie Top Hat. Paul McCartney said that song inspired “Here, There and Everywhere.” However, he says it’s a Cole Porter song; Irving Berlin wrote it.
“I think the structure of it, I like it,” Paul said on Fresh Air. “It always reminds me in structure of a great Cole Porter song, ‘Cheek to Cheek’ which Fred Astaire sang. It starts off ‘Heaven, I’m in Heaven,’ it goes through it. Then...
The Beatles | Mirrorpix/Getty Images The Beatles modeled “Here, There, and Everywhere’ on Fred Astaire’s ‘Cheek to Cheek’
In 1935, Astaire recorded one of the most famous versions of “Cheek to Cheek” for the movie Top Hat. Paul McCartney said that song inspired “Here, There and Everywhere.” However, he says it’s a Cole Porter song; Irving Berlin wrote it.
“I think the structure of it, I like it,” Paul said on Fresh Air. “It always reminds me in structure of a great Cole Porter song, ‘Cheek to Cheek’ which Fred Astaire sang. It starts off ‘Heaven, I’m in Heaven,’ it goes through it. Then...
- 2/24/2023
- by Hannah Wigandt
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
Late Night With Seth Meyers — Episode 1332 — Pictured: (l-r) Musician/actress Reba McEntire during an interview with host Seth Meyers on September 20, 2022 — (Photo by: Lloyd Bishop/NBC) Multi-media entertainment mogul and Country Music Hall of Fame inductee Reba McEntire will serve as Mega Mentor on Season 23 of NBC’s four-time Emmy Award-winning musical competition series “The Voice,” premiering Monday, March 6 (8-10 p.m. Et/Pt). Reba joins superstar coaches Chance the Rapper, Kelly Clarkson, Niall Horan and Blake Shelton to mentor the remaining artists who have made it through the Battle Rounds as each team prepares for the Knockouts that begin April 17. Having served as Battle Advisor to Team Blake during the show’s inaugural season, it’s most fitting Reba returns as Blake coaches his final group of artists and bids farewell to the competition. With a career that spans across music, television, film and theater, Reba has celebrated unprecedented...
- 2/23/2023
- by Hollywood Outbreak
- HollywoodOutbreak.com
Here is a wrap-up of the news you need to know from Wednesday, February 22, 2023.
Country Music Hall of Fame inductee Reba McEntire will serve as Mega Mentor on Season 23 of NBC's four-time Emmy Award-winning musical competition series The Voice.
The new season premieres Monday, March 6 (8-10 p.m. Et/Pt).
Reba joins superstar coaches Chance the Rapper, Kelly Clarkson, Niall Horan, and Blake Shelton to mentor the remaining artists who have made it through the Battle Rounds as each team prepares for the Knockouts that begin April 17.
"Having served as Battle Advisor to Team Blake during the show's inaugural season, it's most fitting Reba returns as Blake coaches his final group of artists and bids farewell to the competition," NBC says in a press release.
With a career spanning music, television, film, and theater, Reba has celebrated unprecedented success with 35 career #1 singles and over 58 million albums sold worldwide.
She...
Country Music Hall of Fame inductee Reba McEntire will serve as Mega Mentor on Season 23 of NBC's four-time Emmy Award-winning musical competition series The Voice.
The new season premieres Monday, March 6 (8-10 p.m. Et/Pt).
Reba joins superstar coaches Chance the Rapper, Kelly Clarkson, Niall Horan, and Blake Shelton to mentor the remaining artists who have made it through the Battle Rounds as each team prepares for the Knockouts that begin April 17.
"Having served as Battle Advisor to Team Blake during the show's inaugural season, it's most fitting Reba returns as Blake coaches his final group of artists and bids farewell to the competition," NBC says in a press release.
With a career spanning music, television, film, and theater, Reba has celebrated unprecedented success with 35 career #1 singles and over 58 million albums sold worldwide.
She...
- 2/22/2023
- by Paul Dailly
- TVfanatic
The Masked Singer UK is back for a fourth season, welcoming a new cast of 12 incognito celebrities.
On Sunday (1 January), the top-secret singing series, which sees a number of celebrities dressed in oversized costumes to hide their identity, returned to ITV.
During the opening episode, Cat and Mouse, a duo act, were among the first batch of competitors to perform for the judges by Irving Berlin.
Who are Cat and Mouse?
The clues revealed in the first episode included the number 200,000,000 written on a notepad.
Cat said he was “no stranger to legalities” and liked to “get to the bottom of cases”, as well as knowing “how to spin a tale”. The Vt also showed five different jars of spices lined up.
So far, fans have speculated that the duo could be Spice Girl Emma Bunton and partner Jade Jones. Others have their suspicions that the furry duo are married couple Shirlie and Martin Kemp.
On Sunday (1 January), the top-secret singing series, which sees a number of celebrities dressed in oversized costumes to hide their identity, returned to ITV.
During the opening episode, Cat and Mouse, a duo act, were among the first batch of competitors to perform for the judges by Irving Berlin.
Who are Cat and Mouse?
The clues revealed in the first episode included the number 200,000,000 written on a notepad.
Cat said he was “no stranger to legalities” and liked to “get to the bottom of cases”, as well as knowing “how to spin a tale”. The Vt also showed five different jars of spices lined up.
So far, fans have speculated that the duo could be Spice Girl Emma Bunton and partner Jade Jones. Others have their suspicions that the furry duo are married couple Shirlie and Martin Kemp.
- 1/14/2023
- by Ellie Muir
- The Independent - TV
The Masked Singer UK is back for a fourth season, welcoming a new cast of 12 incognito celebrities.
On Sunday (1 January), the top-secret singing series, which sees a number of celebrities dressed in oversized costumes to hide their identity, returned to ITV.
During the opening episode, Cat and Mouse, a duo act, were among the first batch of competitors to perform for the judges by Irving Berlin.
Who are Cat and Mouse?
The clues revealed in the first episode included the number 200,000,000 written on a notepad.
Cat said he was “no stranger to legalities” and liked to “get to the bottom of cases”, as well as knowing “how to spin a tale”. The Vt also showed five different jars of spices lined up.
So far, fans have speculated that the duo could be Spice Girl Emma Bunton and partner Jade Jones. Others have their suspicions that the furry duo are married couple Shirlie and Martin Kemp.
On Sunday (1 January), the top-secret singing series, which sees a number of celebrities dressed in oversized costumes to hide their identity, returned to ITV.
During the opening episode, Cat and Mouse, a duo act, were among the first batch of competitors to perform for the judges by Irving Berlin.
Who are Cat and Mouse?
The clues revealed in the first episode included the number 200,000,000 written on a notepad.
Cat said he was “no stranger to legalities” and liked to “get to the bottom of cases”, as well as knowing “how to spin a tale”. The Vt also showed five different jars of spices lined up.
So far, fans have speculated that the duo could be Spice Girl Emma Bunton and partner Jade Jones. Others have their suspicions that the furry duo are married couple Shirlie and Martin Kemp.
- 1/14/2023
- by Ellie Muir
- The Independent - TV
Fritz Lang’s trailblazing sci-fi epic Metropolis, the final Sherlock Holmes stories (and the detective character himself), and musical compositions like “Puttin’ on the Ritz” and “My Blue Heaven” are entering the public domain today, Jan. 1.
According to the Public Domain Day site, most works copyrighted in 1927 had their rights expire, as U.S. copyright law only remains intact for 95 years. Alfred Hitchcock’s early thriller The Lodger, F.W. Murnau’s Sunrise, musical compositions (but not the actual recorded songs) by Louis Armstrong, Fats Waller, Irving Berlin and the Gershwin brothers,...
According to the Public Domain Day site, most works copyrighted in 1927 had their rights expire, as U.S. copyright law only remains intact for 95 years. Alfred Hitchcock’s early thriller The Lodger, F.W. Murnau’s Sunrise, musical compositions (but not the actual recorded songs) by Louis Armstrong, Fats Waller, Irving Berlin and the Gershwin brothers,...
- 1/1/2023
- by Daniel Kreps
- Rollingstone.com
The Christmas season is advertised as a time for "peace on earth" and "goodwill toward men," but for a lot of us, the holidays are little more than a headache and a half. It's hard not to feel like such a Grinch this time of year when everyone else seems to be filled with joy, but fortunately, there are movies to help us anti-sentimentality Scrooges feel a little less alone. We've talked before on /Film about some of the best alternative Christmas movies (that aren't "Die Hard"), but we've never broken down why these films are so important. I might be acting overdramatic by calling these films "non-sentimental," as there's plenty of sentiment to be found in any story (as long as you know where to look), but I think we can all agree that the sentiment of something like Irving Berlin's "White Christmas" is in stark contrast to Bob Clark's "Black Christmas.
- 12/22/2022
- by BJ Colangelo
- Slash Film
Irving Berlin's song "White Christmas" is kind of a big deal. The tune's history is full of nothing but praise for its nostalgic lyrics that tell the story of someone "dreaming of a white Christmas" filled with all of the childhood wonder of Christmases past. A magical orchestral arrangement complete with angelic backup singers helps to give the song a wistful feel that you can't help but get caught up in every time you listen to Bing Crosby croon about sleigh bells and glistening treetops.
Crosby originally performed a version of the song in 1941 before it was officially released in 1942 as part of the soundtrack for the musical, "Holiday Inn." Even though the song first came out nearly a century ago, it is still one of the most (if not the most) beloved Christmas songs, and it's easy to understand why. After all, who doesn't want to magically wake...
Crosby originally performed a version of the song in 1941 before it was officially released in 1942 as part of the soundtrack for the musical, "Holiday Inn." Even though the song first came out nearly a century ago, it is still one of the most (if not the most) beloved Christmas songs, and it's easy to understand why. After all, who doesn't want to magically wake...
- 12/19/2022
- by Miyako Pleines
- Slash Film
The 2022 series of Strictly Come Dancing went out with an explosion of sequins, with finalists Hamza Yassin, Helen Skelton, Fleur East and Molly Rainford competing to win the Glitterball Trophy in the grand finale.
Each celebrity and their partner performed three dances for the judges, the studio audience and the viewers at home.
There was also a performance from Florence and the Machine, and a gloriously chaotic group dance.
In the end, Yassin pipped the other stars to the post, and became this year’s winner, after bringing back his legendary Couple’s Choice.
Read on for the key moments from the night…
Hamza Yassin was crowned the winner
Anton Du Beke summed it up pretty well during the final when he told the wildlife presenter: “I laugh out loud with joy when I watch you dance.” Yassin was the last man standing in this competition and he won viewers...
Each celebrity and their partner performed three dances for the judges, the studio audience and the viewers at home.
There was also a performance from Florence and the Machine, and a gloriously chaotic group dance.
In the end, Yassin pipped the other stars to the post, and became this year’s winner, after bringing back his legendary Couple’s Choice.
Read on for the key moments from the night…
Hamza Yassin was crowned the winner
Anton Du Beke summed it up pretty well during the final when he told the wildlife presenter: “I laugh out loud with joy when I watch you dance.” Yassin was the last man standing in this competition and he won viewers...
- 12/17/2022
- by Ellie Harrison
- The Independent - TV
Hamza Yassin and Jowita Przystal have been crowned the winners of Strictly Come Dancing’s 20th series.
The pair competed against Fleur East and Vito Coppola, Molly Rainford and Carlos Gu, and Helen Skelton and Gorka Marquez in the grand final, which aired earlier tonight (17 December) on BBC One.
Yassin is best known from his work on Countryfile as a guest presenter and cameraman, and he can also be seen on the BBC programme Animal Park, and has presented other programmes about Scottish wildlife.
The Strictly winner was selected by means of a public vote, with judges’ scores serving only as guidelines.
In the final, Yassin danced the Salsa to “Ecuador” by Sash! featuring Rodriguez, the Couple’s Choice to “Jerusalema – Remix” by Master Kg featuring Burna Boy and Nomcebo Zikode, and his Show Dance was to “Let’s Face the Music and Dance” by Irving Berlin.
Their legendary Couple...
The pair competed against Fleur East and Vito Coppola, Molly Rainford and Carlos Gu, and Helen Skelton and Gorka Marquez in the grand final, which aired earlier tonight (17 December) on BBC One.
Yassin is best known from his work on Countryfile as a guest presenter and cameraman, and he can also be seen on the BBC programme Animal Park, and has presented other programmes about Scottish wildlife.
The Strictly winner was selected by means of a public vote, with judges’ scores serving only as guidelines.
In the final, Yassin danced the Salsa to “Ecuador” by Sash! featuring Rodriguez, the Couple’s Choice to “Jerusalema – Remix” by Master Kg featuring Burna Boy and Nomcebo Zikode, and his Show Dance was to “Let’s Face the Music and Dance” by Irving Berlin.
Their legendary Couple...
- 12/17/2022
- by Ellie Harrison
- The Independent - TV
Every year we hear the same Christmas songs again and again and again, the playlist seldom changing.
While the supermarkets might stick rigidly to Slade and Wizzard, and the high street coffee shops prefer the gingerbread-and-eggnog stylings of Michael Buble, Norah Jones or the Rat Pack, variation is minimal and certain tracks just will not go away.
You might wonder how much cash the writers of the more ubiquitous seasonal standards squirrel away every year and whether it’s really possible to live on the royalties.
In Nick Hornby’s novel About a Boy (1998), Will Freeman does precisely that, living an agreeably idle bachelor life on the proceeds of a festive single written by his late father.
The truth is, it’s hard to say for sure precisely how much The Pogues or Mariah Carey have coined from their work as the Performing Right Society (Prs) does not reveal the...
While the supermarkets might stick rigidly to Slade and Wizzard, and the high street coffee shops prefer the gingerbread-and-eggnog stylings of Michael Buble, Norah Jones or the Rat Pack, variation is minimal and certain tracks just will not go away.
You might wonder how much cash the writers of the more ubiquitous seasonal standards squirrel away every year and whether it’s really possible to live on the royalties.
In Nick Hornby’s novel About a Boy (1998), Will Freeman does precisely that, living an agreeably idle bachelor life on the proceeds of a festive single written by his late father.
The truth is, it’s hard to say for sure precisely how much The Pogues or Mariah Carey have coined from their work as the Performing Right Society (Prs) does not reveal the...
- 12/13/2022
- by Joe Sommerlad
- The Independent - Music
Click here to read the full article.
Angelo Badalamenti, the acclaimed David Lynch composer who went from teaching in junior high school in Brooklyn to creating haunting, ethereal music for the filmmaker’s Blue Velvet, Twin Peaks and Mulholland Drive, has died. He was 85.
Badalamenti died Sunday of natural causes surrounded by family at his home in Lincoln Park, New Jersey, his niece Frances Badalamenti told The Hollywood Reporter.
The classically trained composer also collaborated with an eclectic mix of singers in virtually every genre during his long career, from Nina Simone, Nancy Wilson, Shirley Bassey, Patti Austin, David Bowie, Paul McCartney, Marianne Faithfull, Liza Minnelli, Mel Tillis and Roberta Flack to Pet Shop Boys, Anthrax, Dolores O’Riordan, Tim Booth and LL Cool J.
Badalamenti composed the theme music for ABC’s Twin Peaks, NBC’s Profiler and Bravo’s Inside the Actors Studio, and for the 1992 Summer Games in Barcelona,...
Angelo Badalamenti, the acclaimed David Lynch composer who went from teaching in junior high school in Brooklyn to creating haunting, ethereal music for the filmmaker’s Blue Velvet, Twin Peaks and Mulholland Drive, has died. He was 85.
Badalamenti died Sunday of natural causes surrounded by family at his home in Lincoln Park, New Jersey, his niece Frances Badalamenti told The Hollywood Reporter.
The classically trained composer also collaborated with an eclectic mix of singers in virtually every genre during his long career, from Nina Simone, Nancy Wilson, Shirley Bassey, Patti Austin, David Bowie, Paul McCartney, Marianne Faithfull, Liza Minnelli, Mel Tillis and Roberta Flack to Pet Shop Boys, Anthrax, Dolores O’Riordan, Tim Booth and LL Cool J.
Badalamenti composed the theme music for ABC’s Twin Peaks, NBC’s Profiler and Bravo’s Inside the Actors Studio, and for the 1992 Summer Games in Barcelona,...
- 12/12/2022
- by Mike Barnes
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Given that 1983's "A Christmas Story" only continues to grow in popularity with each passing year, one of my favorite party tricks to use when a relative or friend is in the throes of TNT's annual 24-hour marathon of the heartwarming holiday comedy is explain how it and 1974's "Black Christmas" — a bitter, bleak, and uncompromising horror classic — were made by the same director, Bob Clark.
It's a fun bit of trivia because both movies are so diametrically opposed in tone, with each exploring very different facets of Christmastime. Yet when examined closely, "A Christmas Story" and "Black Christmas" have a surprising amount in common, with the films containing a streak of knowing cynicism when it comes to the trappings of the holiday.
As it turns out, this isn't by coincidence. While Clark was never really an auteur director, careening as he did between numerous genres and budgets, his...
It's a fun bit of trivia because both movies are so diametrically opposed in tone, with each exploring very different facets of Christmastime. Yet when examined closely, "A Christmas Story" and "Black Christmas" have a surprising amount in common, with the films containing a streak of knowing cynicism when it comes to the trappings of the holiday.
As it turns out, this isn't by coincidence. While Clark was never really an auteur director, careening as he did between numerous genres and budgets, his...
- 12/11/2022
- by Bill Bria
- Slash Film
We all have our go-to holiday movie classics. "It's a Wonderful Life" and "Home Alone" quickly come to mind, but another holiday staple for me is "White Christmas." Starring Bing Crosby, Danny Kay, Rosemary Clooney, and Vera-Ellen, the film follows singers Bob Wallace (Crosby) and Phil Davis (Kaye), who have been pounding the pavement as successful producers post-World War II. Lured in to do a favor for a fellow soldier, they are introduced to sisters Betty (Clooney) and Judy Haynes (Vera-Ellen) when invited to attend the sister act show they put on.
Shenanigans ensue and the quartet of characters find themselves heading to rural Vermont. While staying at a local inn, the men realize their former commander owns the establishment and is deeply in the red. Loyalty for their commander prompts the men to rope in the women to try to make a Christmas miracle happen with some musical numbers thrown into the mix.
Shenanigans ensue and the quartet of characters find themselves heading to rural Vermont. While staying at a local inn, the men realize their former commander owns the establishment and is deeply in the red. Loyalty for their commander prompts the men to rope in the women to try to make a Christmas miracle happen with some musical numbers thrown into the mix.
- 12/4/2022
- by Sarah Musnicky
- Slash Film
Snow is beginning to fall, and lights have gone up all over the place to celebrate the holiday season. Families are watching their favorite old movies like 1954's "White Christmas" to get in the mood. Unfortunately, if you want the full, official soundtrack to that particular film, you are out of luck. Even Santa can't fix record contract issues. He really should leave coal in a few record executives' stockings.
If you've never seen Michal Curtiz's "White Christmas," it's the story of Bob (Bing Crosby) and Phil (Danny Kaye), old WWII war buddies who have gone into show business and had great success. They meet sisters Judy (Vera-Ellen) and Betty (Rosemary Clooney), a performing duo dealing with some hard times. They all end up in Vermont at a failing resort owned by the guys' disgraced Major General (Dean Jagger), putting on a show to save the place and restore some holiday cheer.
If you've never seen Michal Curtiz's "White Christmas," it's the story of Bob (Bing Crosby) and Phil (Danny Kaye), old WWII war buddies who have gone into show business and had great success. They meet sisters Judy (Vera-Ellen) and Betty (Rosemary Clooney), a performing duo dealing with some hard times. They all end up in Vermont at a failing resort owned by the guys' disgraced Major General (Dean Jagger), putting on a show to save the place and restore some holiday cheer.
- 12/1/2022
- by Jenna Busch
- Slash Film
The Academy Awards are a lot of things. A celebration of cinema? Check. A surprisingly effective way to bust unions? Double check, sadly.
But one thing they also are, and it's hard to dispute this, is an opportunity for the people in the motion picture industry to pat themselves on the back. For nearly 100 years, the Academy Awards have given out little statues, usually gold (in World War II they were plaster), to artists working in a variety of fields. Actors, sound designers, writers, visual effects artists, editors, cinematographers, directors, and many more get to declare who in their industry didn't just do a good job this year, but who also deserves a little trophy for their efforts.
Making movies is a hard job, and nobody's saying the members of the Academy shouldn't get to honor the work of their peers. But there's only one time in history when the...
But one thing they also are, and it's hard to dispute this, is an opportunity for the people in the motion picture industry to pat themselves on the back. For nearly 100 years, the Academy Awards have given out little statues, usually gold (in World War II they were plaster), to artists working in a variety of fields. Actors, sound designers, writers, visual effects artists, editors, cinematographers, directors, and many more get to declare who in their industry didn't just do a good job this year, but who also deserves a little trophy for their efforts.
Making movies is a hard job, and nobody's saying the members of the Academy shouldn't get to honor the work of their peers. But there's only one time in history when the...
- 11/30/2022
- by William Bibbiani
- Slash Film
John Driskell Hopkins gives us all the White Christmas feels with his swinging version of Irving Berlin’s “Snow.” The Zac Brown Band member taps into the song’s lineage too, enlisting Debby Boone to sing it with him — the “You Light Up My Life” singer’s mother-in-law, Rosemary Clooney, originally sang “Snow” with Bing Crosby and the gang in 1954’s White Christmas.
But Hopkins knows the best Christmas songs all have a little cheese in them, which he lays on thick here with a stellar assist from smooth-rock kings Yacht Rock Revue.
But Hopkins knows the best Christmas songs all have a little cheese in them, which he lays on thick here with a stellar assist from smooth-rock kings Yacht Rock Revue.
- 11/18/2022
- by Joseph Hudak
- Rollingstone.com
Click here to read the full article.
Robert Clary, the French actor, singer and Holocaust survivor who portrayed Corporal LeBeau on the World War II-set sitcom Hogan’s Heroes, has died. He was 96.
Clary, who was mentored by famed entertainer Eddie Cantor and married one of his five daughters, died Wednesday morning at his home in Los Angeles, his granddaughter Kim Wright told The Hollywood Reporter.
CBS’ Hogan’s Heroes, which aired over six seasons from September 1965 to April 1971, starred Bob Crane as Colonel Robert E. Hogan, an American who led an international group of Allied prisoners of war in a convert operation to defeat the Nazis from inside the Luft Stalag 13 camp.
As the patriotic Cpl. Louis LeBeau, the 5-foot-1 Clary hid in small spaces, dreamed about girls, got along great with the guard dogs and used his expert culinary skills to help the befuddled Nazi Colonel Wilhelm Klink (Werner Klemperer...
Robert Clary, the French actor, singer and Holocaust survivor who portrayed Corporal LeBeau on the World War II-set sitcom Hogan’s Heroes, has died. He was 96.
Clary, who was mentored by famed entertainer Eddie Cantor and married one of his five daughters, died Wednesday morning at his home in Los Angeles, his granddaughter Kim Wright told The Hollywood Reporter.
CBS’ Hogan’s Heroes, which aired over six seasons from September 1965 to April 1971, starred Bob Crane as Colonel Robert E. Hogan, an American who led an international group of Allied prisoners of war in a convert operation to defeat the Nazis from inside the Luft Stalag 13 camp.
As the patriotic Cpl. Louis LeBeau, the 5-foot-1 Clary hid in small spaces, dreamed about girls, got along great with the guard dogs and used his expert culinary skills to help the befuddled Nazi Colonel Wilhelm Klink (Werner Klemperer...
- 11/16/2022
- by Mike Barnes
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The world was at war 80 years ago. The United States was grieving over the attack on Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941 by the Japanese military and the defeat of our forces that month at Wake Island. And then the beloved Carole Lombard, her mother, servicemen and the crew perished in a plane crash west of Las Vegas on January 16, 1942. She was returning to Hollywood after raising 2 million in a war bond drive in Indianapolis.
How would Hollywood and audiences respond to World War II? They certainly didn’t shy away from the war. If you look at the top 10 films of the year, there are some escapist films but also movies dealing with the global conflict.
In fact, the No. 1 film of the year William Wyler’s “Mrs. Miniver” broke records at Radio City Music Hall in New York playing 10 weeks. Production began on the stirring, sentimental drama about a British...
How would Hollywood and audiences respond to World War II? They certainly didn’t shy away from the war. If you look at the top 10 films of the year, there are some escapist films but also movies dealing with the global conflict.
In fact, the No. 1 film of the year William Wyler’s “Mrs. Miniver” broke records at Radio City Music Hall in New York playing 10 weeks. Production began on the stirring, sentimental drama about a British...
- 9/18/2022
- by Susan King
- Gold Derby
Tony Bennett has been part of the pop cultural landscape for over seven decades. The 96-year-old scored his first hit song, “Because of You,” in 1951, the year he made his first TV appearances on a long-forgotten variety series “Star of the Family.” He recorded his signature tune, “I Left My Heart in San Francisco’ in 1962. Other hits included “Rags to Riches,” which Martin Scorsese used brilliantly on the soundtrack of his 1990 masterpiece “Goodfellas” and the Oscar-winning “The Shadow of Your Smile” from 1965’s “The Sandpiper.”
Unlike the crooners Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin, movie success eluded Bennett. Just check out his film debut in the overstuff 1966 turkey “The Oscar.” His career waned. Rock was hot and Bennett wasn’t. He stopped recording in the late 1970s and was in lot of debt. He turned to drugs but a near death drowning experience in his bathtub changed his life and lifestyle.
Unlike the crooners Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin, movie success eluded Bennett. Just check out his film debut in the overstuff 1966 turkey “The Oscar.” His career waned. Rock was hot and Bennett wasn’t. He stopped recording in the late 1970s and was in lot of debt. He turned to drugs but a near death drowning experience in his bathtub changed his life and lifestyle.
- 9/1/2022
- by Susan King
- Gold Derby
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