The fact that Willie Nelson is still touring at 91 is often celebrated as a feat of superhuman endurance — he just delivered an exceptional set at Stagecoach Festival and is on the road all summer with Bob Dylan. But Nelson’s recording output in his golden years is just as impressive. In the last 10 years alone, he’s released 16 different studio albums that, among other conceits, ruminated on mortality and lost relationships, paid homage to the songs of Frank Sinatra and George Gershwin, and reinvented his own material as bluegrass rave-ups.
- 5/30/2024
- by Joseph Hudak
- Rollingstone.com
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
"All in the Family" might've been Norman Lear's finest half-hour as a sitcom producer, but I'm not sure he ever put a funnier show on the airwaves than "The Jeffersons." For 11 seasons, Sherman Hemsley's dry-cleaning magnate George Jefferson and Isabel Sanford's good-hearted Louise "Weezy" Jefferson led a stellar cast that delivered edgy-for-network-television laughs revolving around race, class, gender, and whatever happened to be grinding the hot-headed George's gears that particular week. It was the African-American answer to "All in the Family" (on which the characters of George and Weezy originated), and might actually be more shocking today for its fearless deployment of the n-word (particularly early in the series' run).
And if you're making a list of the most memorable theme songs in television history, "The Jeffersons" better be in the top five. Anyone who grew up watching the show in prime time or via syndication should...
And if you're making a list of the most memorable theme songs in television history, "The Jeffersons" better be in the top five. Anyone who grew up watching the show in prime time or via syndication should...
- 3/18/2024
- by Jeremy Smith
- Slash Film
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Joni Mitchell cast a spell on the Grammy crowd Sunday as the legendary singer-songwriter performed on the Grammy stage for the first time in her illustrious career.
More than 55 years after winning her first Grammy, for 1969’s Clouds, Mitchell took to the stage for a poignant rendition of “Both Sides Now,” which was recorded for Clouds and has since become one of her signature songs.
“Both Sides Now...
Joni Mitchell cast a spell on the Grammy crowd Sunday as the legendary singer-songwriter performed on the Grammy stage for the first time in her illustrious career.
More than 55 years after winning her first Grammy, for 1969’s Clouds, Mitchell took to the stage for a poignant rendition of “Both Sides Now,” which was recorded for Clouds and has since become one of her signature songs.
“Both Sides Now...
- 2/5/2024
- by Tim Chan
- Rollingstone.com
“What’s remarkable is how lucky I have been to work with incredible directors,” “Maestro” screenwriter Josh Singer tells me, referring to such filmmakers as Tom McCarthy, Damien Chazelle (“First Man”), Steven Spielberg (“The Post”) and now Bradley Cooper. He notes how Cooper, the co-writer/director/actor/producer of “Maestro,” shares the same “uncompromising passion” as the other helmers, adding, “He likes to go deep, and he likes to work hard, and he likes to get it right, which is very much how I like to work.” Watch our exclusive video interview above.
Cooper stars as American composer Leonard Bernstein and Carey Mulligan plays his wife Felicia Montealegre in Netflix’s high-profile biopic. Singer calls Cooper’s “choices” as an actor and as a director “genius,” especially once he saw “the whole thing put together.” He reveals how Cooper “has that sort of preternatural sense of where he is at...
Cooper stars as American composer Leonard Bernstein and Carey Mulligan plays his wife Felicia Montealegre in Netflix’s high-profile biopic. Singer calls Cooper’s “choices” as an actor and as a director “genius,” especially once he saw “the whole thing put together.” He reveals how Cooper “has that sort of preternatural sense of where he is at...
- 1/12/2024
- by Marcus James Dixon
- Gold Derby
Brigitte Berman’s Oscar-winning documentary Artie Shaw: Time Is All You've Got has compelling and intimate on-camera interviews with Artie Shaw, Mel Tormé, Helen Forrest, Polly Haynes, Buddy Rich, Lee Castle, Mack Pierce, Frederic Morton, John Wexley, John Best, and the very forthcoming Evelyn Keyes on her marriage to Artie Shaw. Photo: Anne Katrin Titze
In the first instalment with Brigitte Berman on her Oscar-winning documentary Artie Shaw: Time Is All You've Got (4K restoration and remastered sound), now screening at Film Forum in New York, we discuss how a Bix Beiderbecke interview with Artie Shaw in 1979 for her film Bix: 'Ain't None Of Them Play Like Him Yet' turned into an opportunity of a lifetime; Artie Shaw’s theme song Nightmare; the provocative titles of his books; his recordings of Frenesi and Cole Porter’s Begin the Beguine; George Gershwin’s Summertime with Roy Eldridge; obsessively buying Patek Philippe...
In the first instalment with Brigitte Berman on her Oscar-winning documentary Artie Shaw: Time Is All You've Got (4K restoration and remastered sound), now screening at Film Forum in New York, we discuss how a Bix Beiderbecke interview with Artie Shaw in 1979 for her film Bix: 'Ain't None Of Them Play Like Him Yet' turned into an opportunity of a lifetime; Artie Shaw’s theme song Nightmare; the provocative titles of his books; his recordings of Frenesi and Cole Porter’s Begin the Beguine; George Gershwin’s Summertime with Roy Eldridge; obsessively buying Patek Philippe...
- 1/6/2024
- by Anne-Katrin Titze
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
There’s an old, old joke about the prestigious New York City concert venue Carnegie Hall, which opened in 1891.
“How do you get to Carnegie Hall?”
“Practice, practice, practice.”
Over the past 130 years, such renowned composers as Antonin Dvorak, Richard Strauss, Samuel Barber, Aaron Copland, Philip Glass and Milton Babbitt debuted their works at the Carnegie.
The new Netflix documentary “American Symphony,” which has been Oscar shortlisted for best documentary, best original score and song, follows Academy and multiple Grammy Award-winning composer/musicians/singer Jon Batiste as he prepares to debut his first symphony at Carnegie Hall while his wife Suleika Jaouad battles a recurrence of leukemia. The heart-on-your-sleeve documentary ends with the triumphant premiere Sept. 22, 2022, that even a power outage on stage couldn’t top. Variety noted in its review: “It wasn’t just the story of America, and its collage-like charms and vices. This was also Batiste’s story,...
“How do you get to Carnegie Hall?”
“Practice, practice, practice.”
Over the past 130 years, such renowned composers as Antonin Dvorak, Richard Strauss, Samuel Barber, Aaron Copland, Philip Glass and Milton Babbitt debuted their works at the Carnegie.
The new Netflix documentary “American Symphony,” which has been Oscar shortlisted for best documentary, best original score and song, follows Academy and multiple Grammy Award-winning composer/musicians/singer Jon Batiste as he prepares to debut his first symphony at Carnegie Hall while his wife Suleika Jaouad battles a recurrence of leukemia. The heart-on-your-sleeve documentary ends with the triumphant premiere Sept. 22, 2022, that even a power outage on stage couldn’t top. Variety noted in its review: “It wasn’t just the story of America, and its collage-like charms and vices. This was also Batiste’s story,...
- 1/2/2024
- by Susan King
- Gold Derby
The story of how Disney locked away two decades' worth of art, music, film, and literature from the public domain -- all for the sake of preserving its ownership of the copyright of Mickey Mouse -- is well-known by now ... though it's become rather distorted in the storytelling. Though the Copyright Term Extension Act of 1998 is derisively nicknamed "The Mickey Mouse Protection Act," and did indeed extend the copyright protection for the original incarnation of The Walt Disney Company's most recognizable character, it wasn't the result of a solo effort by Disney. There was a much broader lobbying campaign, and everyone from Time Warner to the estate of George Gershwin got in on it.
Still, Disney being the figurehead for the legislation has created a public countdown to today -- January 1, 2024, aka the day that "Steamboat Willie" enters the public domain. The 1928 short film marked the first public appearance...
Still, Disney being the figurehead for the legislation has created a public countdown to today -- January 1, 2024, aka the day that "Steamboat Willie" enters the public domain. The 1928 short film marked the first public appearance...
- 1/1/2024
- by Hannah Shaw-Williams
- Slash Film
Dan O’Neill was 53 years ahead of his time.
In 1971, he launched a countercultural attack on Mickey Mouse. In his underground comic book, “Air Pirates Funnies,” the lovable mouse was seen smuggling drugs and performing oral sex on Minnie.
As O’Neill had hoped, Disney sued him for copyright infringement. He believed it was a legal parody. But after eight years in court, he was saddled with a judgment he could not pay. To stay out of prison, he agreed never to draw Mickey Mouse again.
“It’s still a crime for me,” said O’Neill, 81, in a phone interview from his home in Nevada City, Calif. “If I draw a picture of Mickey Mouse, I owe Walt Disney a $190,000 fine, $10,000 more for legal fees, and a year in prison.”
Mickey and Minnie will enter the public domain on Jan. 1. From then on, Disney will no longer enjoy an exclusive copyright over...
In 1971, he launched a countercultural attack on Mickey Mouse. In his underground comic book, “Air Pirates Funnies,” the lovable mouse was seen smuggling drugs and performing oral sex on Minnie.
As O’Neill had hoped, Disney sued him for copyright infringement. He believed it was a legal parody. But after eight years in court, he was saddled with a judgment he could not pay. To stay out of prison, he agreed never to draw Mickey Mouse again.
“It’s still a crime for me,” said O’Neill, 81, in a phone interview from his home in Nevada City, Calif. “If I draw a picture of Mickey Mouse, I owe Walt Disney a $190,000 fine, $10,000 more for legal fees, and a year in prison.”
Mickey and Minnie will enter the public domain on Jan. 1. From then on, Disney will no longer enjoy an exclusive copyright over...
- 12/22/2023
- by Gene Maddaus
- Variety Film + TV
After earworm-filled musical dramas “Once,” “Begin Again” and “Sing Street,” “Flora and Son” marks a notable first for writer-director John Carney: it’s the first time he wrote a song for a film that’s designed to underwhelm. “I always thought, what would it be like if you started a song and you just didn’t get the response that you’re supposed to get in a musical?” Carney says about the central song in the AppleTV+ feature starring Eve Hewson and Joseph Gordon-Levitt.
“Flora and Son” tells the story of Dublin-based Flora (Hewson), a young single mom who is struggling with her life and especially her teenage son, Max (Orén Kinlan). She digs a guitar out of the trash, but Max is not interested — he only wants to make music using Garage Band and his laptop. So Flora decides to learn to play, and finds washed-up songwriter Jeff (Gordon-Levitt) offering guitar lessons online,...
“Flora and Son” tells the story of Dublin-based Flora (Hewson), a young single mom who is struggling with her life and especially her teenage son, Max (Orén Kinlan). She digs a guitar out of the trash, but Max is not interested — he only wants to make music using Garage Band and his laptop. So Flora decides to learn to play, and finds washed-up songwriter Jeff (Gordon-Levitt) offering guitar lessons online,...
- 12/7/2023
- by Todd Gilchrist
- Variety Film + TV
President Barack Obama gave Paul McCartney one of the United States’ most prestigious musical awards. The honor is named after two of the country’s most consequential musicians. Paul revealed what he thought about receiving such a prize — as well as what he thought about Obama.
Barack Obama gave Paul McCartney an award named after jazz icon George Gershwin
The Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song is a lifetime achievement award given out for musical excellence. It’s named after brothers George and Ira Gershwin, who were known for their classic jazz compositions. According to The Obama White House archive, Obama gave Paul this incredible award in 2010.
The president’s remarks referenced the infamous Bp oil spill. “We’ve gone through a difficult year and a half, and right now our thoughts and our prayers are with friends in another part of the country that is so rich...
Barack Obama gave Paul McCartney an award named after jazz icon George Gershwin
The Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song is a lifetime achievement award given out for musical excellence. It’s named after brothers George and Ira Gershwin, who were known for their classic jazz compositions. According to The Obama White House archive, Obama gave Paul this incredible award in 2010.
The president’s remarks referenced the infamous Bp oil spill. “We’ve gone through a difficult year and a half, and right now our thoughts and our prayers are with friends in another part of the country that is so rich...
- 11/30/2023
- by Matthew Trzcinski
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
A version of this story about Greg Philinganes and Joni Mitchell first appeared in the Down to the Wire: Comedy/Variety/Reality/Nonfiction issue of TheWrap’s awards magazine.
Of the many musical-tribute specials that aired during the past Emmy season, few had the emotional clout of PBS’ “Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song: Joni Mitchell.” For starters, it featured a stellar array of musicians paying tribute to the pioneering singer-songwriter — among them Annie Lennox, Cyndi Lauper, Angelique Kidjo, James Taylor, Herbie Hancock, Diana Krall, Brandi Carlile and Marcus Mumford performing songs that included “Both Sides Now,” “Big Yellow Taxi,” “Blue,” “Carey” and “Shine.”
But at the end of the night, it also included the 79-year-old Mitchell herself, eight years after a brain aneurysm that forced her to relearn how to walk and sing, performing an exquisite version of George Gershwin’s “Summertime” in a voice far different...
Of the many musical-tribute specials that aired during the past Emmy season, few had the emotional clout of PBS’ “Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song: Joni Mitchell.” For starters, it featured a stellar array of musicians paying tribute to the pioneering singer-songwriter — among them Annie Lennox, Cyndi Lauper, Angelique Kidjo, James Taylor, Herbie Hancock, Diana Krall, Brandi Carlile and Marcus Mumford performing songs that included “Both Sides Now,” “Big Yellow Taxi,” “Blue,” “Carey” and “Shine.”
But at the end of the night, it also included the 79-year-old Mitchell herself, eight years after a brain aneurysm that forced her to relearn how to walk and sing, performing an exquisite version of George Gershwin’s “Summertime” in a voice far different...
- 8/16/2023
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
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
Joni Mitchell had a big moment back on stage.
After making a surprise appearance at the Newport Folk Festival last year, over the weekend, the 79-year-old Canadian music legend headlined her first concert in 20 years.
Read More: Joni Mitchell Biopic In The Works From Director Cameron Crowe
The “Echoes Through the Canyon” concert at the Gorge Amphitheatre in Quincy, Wash. on Saturday featured co-headliner Brandi Carlile.
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Brandi Carlile (@brandicarlile)
The three-hour show, dubbed the “Joni Jam”, saw the iconic artist performing classics and deep cuts from her long body of work, as well as cover songs.
Mitchell and Carlile were also joined by a slew of guests, including Sarah McLachlan, Annie Lennox, Allison Russell, Marcus Mumford, Blake Mills, Lucius and more.
Fans were delighted to hear Mitchell perform classics like “Both Sides Now”, as well as covers of standards like “Summertime” from Porgy and Bess,...
After making a surprise appearance at the Newport Folk Festival last year, over the weekend, the 79-year-old Canadian music legend headlined her first concert in 20 years.
Read More: Joni Mitchell Biopic In The Works From Director Cameron Crowe
The “Echoes Through the Canyon” concert at the Gorge Amphitheatre in Quincy, Wash. on Saturday featured co-headliner Brandi Carlile.
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Brandi Carlile (@brandicarlile)
The three-hour show, dubbed the “Joni Jam”, saw the iconic artist performing classics and deep cuts from her long body of work, as well as cover songs.
Mitchell and Carlile were also joined by a slew of guests, including Sarah McLachlan, Annie Lennox, Allison Russell, Marcus Mumford, Blake Mills, Lucius and more.
Fans were delighted to hear Mitchell perform classics like “Both Sides Now”, as well as covers of standards like “Summertime” from Porgy and Bess,...
- 6/13/2023
- by Corey Atad
- ET Canada
Joni Mitchell staged her first publicly-announced concert in two decades at the Gorge Amphitheatre in George, Washington on Saturday.
The 79-year-old singer-songwriter initially made her return to the stage in August 2022 during a surprise appearance at the Newport Folk Festival. She subsequently announced a standalone headlining show as part of Brandi Carlile’s three-night concert event “Echoes Through the Canyon.”
With the assistance of Carlile and a bevy of guest musicians, Mitchell presented a 24-song performance that featured some of her most enduring hits. She kicked off the show with “Big Yellow Taxi” from Ladies of the Canyon. Marcus Mumford accompanied her on “Come in From the Cold,” and Blake Mills sat it on “Amelia.”
Annie Lennox joined Mitchell on “Ladies of the Cannon,” and Sarah McLachlan accompanied her on “Blue.” Other notable performances included “A Case of You” with Mumford and Carlile; “Cactus Tree” with Lucius; “Young At Heart...
The 79-year-old singer-songwriter initially made her return to the stage in August 2022 during a surprise appearance at the Newport Folk Festival. She subsequently announced a standalone headlining show as part of Brandi Carlile’s three-night concert event “Echoes Through the Canyon.”
With the assistance of Carlile and a bevy of guest musicians, Mitchell presented a 24-song performance that featured some of her most enduring hits. She kicked off the show with “Big Yellow Taxi” from Ladies of the Canyon. Marcus Mumford accompanied her on “Come in From the Cold,” and Blake Mills sat it on “Amelia.”
Annie Lennox joined Mitchell on “Ladies of the Cannon,” and Sarah McLachlan accompanied her on “Blue.” Other notable performances included “A Case of You” with Mumford and Carlile; “Cactus Tree” with Lucius; “Young At Heart...
- 6/11/2023
- by Scoop Harrison
- Consequence - Music
George Winston, the celebrated solo pianist who sold more than 15 million albums over the course of his career, died Sunday, June 4. He was 73.
Winston’s death was confirmed on his website. He had been battling cancer for 10 years, undergoing a bone marrow transplant in 2013.
Winston rose to prominence in the early Eighties with a trio of records, Autumn, Winter Into Spring, and December, all of which were certified platinum in the United States (December even went three times platinum). His music seemed to incorporate elements of classical, jazz, folk, ambient,...
Winston’s death was confirmed on his website. He had been battling cancer for 10 years, undergoing a bone marrow transplant in 2013.
Winston rose to prominence in the early Eighties with a trio of records, Autumn, Winter Into Spring, and December, all of which were certified platinum in the United States (December even went three times platinum). His music seemed to incorporate elements of classical, jazz, folk, ambient,...
- 6/6/2023
- by Jon Blistein
- Rollingstone.com
The 76th annual Tony Awards have already made history. For the first time, two of the acting nominees identify as non-binary: Harrison Ghee who is contending for lead actor in musical for “Some Like It Hot” and Alex Newell, vying for featured actor in a musical for “Shucked.” Their nominations have been warmly embraced. But 40 years ago, a history-making acceptance led to death threats.
At the 37th annual Tony Awards on June 5, 1983, producer John Glines thanked his lover when he accepted the best play honor for Harvey Fierstein’s “Torch Song Trilogy,” a three-act drama set in New York in the 1970s and early 80s starring Fierstein as a gay, drag queen and torch singer. “He expressed gratitude to an assortment of people , ‘lastly but most importantly, to the one person who believed and followed the dream from the beginning, who never said ‘You’re crazy; it can’t be...
At the 37th annual Tony Awards on June 5, 1983, producer John Glines thanked his lover when he accepted the best play honor for Harvey Fierstein’s “Torch Song Trilogy,” a three-act drama set in New York in the 1970s and early 80s starring Fierstein as a gay, drag queen and torch singer. “He expressed gratitude to an assortment of people , ‘lastly but most importantly, to the one person who believed and followed the dream from the beginning, who never said ‘You’re crazy; it can’t be...
- 5/31/2023
- by Susan King
- Gold Derby
Before Bobbie Nelson passed away in March 2022, longtime fan Amanda Shires recruited her to collaborate on the upcoming album Loving You. Ahead of its release on June 23rd via Silver Knife/Ato, Shires has shared their spin on George Gershwin’s “Summertime,” featuring none other than Nelson’s brother Willie Nelson.
Loving You comprises 10 beloved classic tunes reimagined by Shires and Nelson, including “Dream a Little Dream of Me,” “Over the Rainbow,” and of course, “Loving You.” Recorded in Austin, the record is billed as Shires’ “mission to pay respect to the only woman she saw working in a band and pursuing a career as a sideman.”
“I first saw Bobbie playing when I was 16 or so at some festival somewhere in Texas where I grew up,” Shires explains of the iconic pianist in a press release. “I saw her perform many times over the years and always admired the...
Loving You comprises 10 beloved classic tunes reimagined by Shires and Nelson, including “Dream a Little Dream of Me,” “Over the Rainbow,” and of course, “Loving You.” Recorded in Austin, the record is billed as Shires’ “mission to pay respect to the only woman she saw working in a band and pursuing a career as a sideman.”
“I first saw Bobbie playing when I was 16 or so at some festival somewhere in Texas where I grew up,” Shires explains of the iconic pianist in a press release. “I saw her perform many times over the years and always admired the...
- 4/26/2023
- by Abby Jones
- Consequence - Music
If ever a play had good reason to front-load itself with exposition, Good Night, Oscar is it. Once among America’s premiere wits and raconteurs, Oscar Levant has gone the way of many another once-famous wits and raconteurs. Which is to say, he needs lots of exposition.
Good Night, Oscar, the new bio-play by Doug Wright (I Am My Own Wife) starring Sean Hayes (Will & Grace) as Levant, goes a long way in introducing this long-ago talk-show staple to modern audiences. Whether it justifies the effort is considerably less certain.
A talented pianist and occasional second-banana movie actor, Levant is better known today for his frequent talk- and game-show appearances of the 1950s and ’60s, his aptitude for the improvised zinger and no-holds-barred confessional humor making him a sought-after, if controversial, Golden Age presence. Others would follow in his wake – the Gore Vidals and Truman Capotes and Phyllis Newmans, but Levant was first.
Good Night, Oscar, the new bio-play by Doug Wright (I Am My Own Wife) starring Sean Hayes (Will & Grace) as Levant, goes a long way in introducing this long-ago talk-show staple to modern audiences. Whether it justifies the effort is considerably less certain.
A talented pianist and occasional second-banana movie actor, Levant is better known today for his frequent talk- and game-show appearances of the 1950s and ’60s, his aptitude for the improvised zinger and no-holds-barred confessional humor making him a sought-after, if controversial, Golden Age presence. Others would follow in his wake – the Gore Vidals and Truman Capotes and Phyllis Newmans, but Levant was first.
- 4/25/2023
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
The Beatles‘ Magical Mystery Tour LP contains some of the Fab Four’s most famous songs. In addition, it features an obscure George Harrison composition that’s incredible. Here’s a look at the five best songs from The Beatles’ Magical Mystery Tour.
The Beatles’ ‘Magical Mystery Tour’ | Michael Ochs Archives / Stringer 5. ‘Blue Jay Way’
The Beatles’ Magical Mystery Tour contains many famous songs and “Blue Jay Way” is not one of them. It’s one of George’s more obscure compositions. That makes sense, because it certainly doesn’t have a traditional pop hook. Despite this, the song’s chillingly slow tempo hypnotizes the listener.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the real Blue Jay Way is just a street in Los Angeles. Despite this, George makes it sound mysterious and surreal. The fact that he wrote “Blue Jay Way” as well as effective love songs like “Something” and “What...
The Beatles’ ‘Magical Mystery Tour’ | Michael Ochs Archives / Stringer 5. ‘Blue Jay Way’
The Beatles’ Magical Mystery Tour contains many famous songs and “Blue Jay Way” is not one of them. It’s one of George’s more obscure compositions. That makes sense, because it certainly doesn’t have a traditional pop hook. Despite this, the song’s chillingly slow tempo hypnotizes the listener.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the real Blue Jay Way is just a street in Los Angeles. Despite this, George makes it sound mysterious and surreal. The fact that he wrote “Blue Jay Way” as well as effective love songs like “Something” and “What...
- 4/15/2023
- by Matthew Trzcinski
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
Like their unlikely namesake, the Zombies have had several lives since being formed by keyboardist Rod Argent and vocalist Colin Blunstone in St. Albans in Hertfordshire U.K. in the early 1960s. The first British Invasion act after the Beatles to score a chart-topping U.S. hit, with “She’s Not There,” the guys disbanded shortly before their 1968 soon-to-be-cult album, “Odessey and Oracle,” was released. That collection produced another stateside smash in “Time of the Season,” which Al Kooper belatedly convinced Columbia’s Clive Davis to put out.
Since Argent and Blunstone reunited as the Zombies in 2004, the group has released four albums, the latest being the Covid-delayed “Different Game,” on the indie Cooking Vinyl, which serves as the follow-up to 2015’s aptly titled “Still Got That Hunger.”
The duo is fresh back from an acclaimed trip to Austin for South by Southwest, where they were honored with the Grulke Prize for Career Act,...
Since Argent and Blunstone reunited as the Zombies in 2004, the group has released four albums, the latest being the Covid-delayed “Different Game,” on the indie Cooking Vinyl, which serves as the follow-up to 2015’s aptly titled “Still Got That Hunger.”
The duo is fresh back from an acclaimed trip to Austin for South by Southwest, where they were honored with the Grulke Prize for Career Act,...
- 4/5/2023
- by Roy Trakin
- Variety Film + TV
Joni Mitchell was recently feted at an all-star tribute concert in Washington, D.C. as the recipient of the Library of Congress’ Gershwin Prize for Popular Song. During the concert, which will be broadcast on March 31 on PBS, Mitchell performed a cover of George Gershwin’s “Summertime.”
An array of other artists joined the festivities, including James Taylor, Brandi Carlile, Annie Lennox, Herbie Hancock, Cyndi Lauper, Marcus Mumford, Graham Nash, Diana Krall, Angelique Kidjo, and Ledisi. Lennox showcased a version of Mitchell’s 1966 song “Both Sides Now,” and later joined forces with Carlile,...
An array of other artists joined the festivities, including James Taylor, Brandi Carlile, Annie Lennox, Herbie Hancock, Cyndi Lauper, Marcus Mumford, Graham Nash, Diana Krall, Angelique Kidjo, and Ledisi. Lennox showcased a version of Mitchell’s 1966 song “Both Sides Now,” and later joined forces with Carlile,...
- 3/24/2023
- by Emily Zemler
- Rollingstone.com
Joni Mitchell took a long and much-needed hiatus from the stage, but it looks like she’s trying her best to make up for the lost time: The legendary folk artist performed Wednesday night at the Dar Constitution Hall in Washington, DC, during a tribute show that also featured many of her musical friends and peers. The event was in celebration of her receiving the Library of Congress’ Gershwin Prize for Popular Song.
As Stereogum points out, the concert included performances from some no-brainer attendees including Graham Nash, James Taylor, and Brandi Carlile. Annie Lennox did a powerful rendition of “Both Sides Now,” while Cyndi Lauper led a large group cover of “Big Yellow Taxi.”
The show also featured performances from Marcus Mumford, Diana Krall, Herbie Hancock, Ledisi, and Angélique Kidjo. Mitchell gave the final performance of the night: She paid tribute to the prize’s namesake George Gershwin by singing “Summertime,...
As Stereogum points out, the concert included performances from some no-brainer attendees including Graham Nash, James Taylor, and Brandi Carlile. Annie Lennox did a powerful rendition of “Both Sides Now,” while Cyndi Lauper led a large group cover of “Big Yellow Taxi.”
The show also featured performances from Marcus Mumford, Diana Krall, Herbie Hancock, Ledisi, and Angélique Kidjo. Mitchell gave the final performance of the night: She paid tribute to the prize’s namesake George Gershwin by singing “Summertime,...
- 3/2/2023
- by Abby Jones
- Consequence - Music
When Joni Mitchell finally took the stage near the end of an all-star tribute concert honouring her as this year’s recipient of the Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song, she opted to perform a cover rather than one of her own songs.
The 79-year-old music legend, who is the first Canadian and only the third woman to be honoured with the accolade, leaned against the piano Wednesday as she crooned a sultry version of “Summertime”, the popular tune from George Gershwin’s “Porgy and Bess”, an appropriate choice since the award was named after the composer.
But she wasn’t done. The evening’s other performers came to the stage and surrounded Mitchell as she launched into one of her more popular tunes, “The Circle Game”. Graham Nash, James Taylor, Ledisi, Cyndi Lauper, Herbie Hancock, Marcus Mumford, Brandi Carlile and others brought the crowd to their feet...
The 79-year-old music legend, who is the first Canadian and only the third woman to be honoured with the accolade, leaned against the piano Wednesday as she crooned a sultry version of “Summertime”, the popular tune from George Gershwin’s “Porgy and Bess”, an appropriate choice since the award was named after the composer.
But she wasn’t done. The evening’s other performers came to the stage and surrounded Mitchell as she launched into one of her more popular tunes, “The Circle Game”. Graham Nash, James Taylor, Ledisi, Cyndi Lauper, Herbie Hancock, Marcus Mumford, Brandi Carlile and others brought the crowd to their feet...
- 3/2/2023
- by Becca Longmire
- ET Canada
Shakespeare’s Sonnet 18 and an Irish song tradition inspired Paul McCartney on The Beatles‘ “I Saw Her Standing There.” Paul used many of his literary and musical favorites in his songs.
The Beatles, who released ‘I Saw Her Standing There’ in 1963 | Mark and Colleen Hayward/Getty Images Paul McCartney said ‘I Saw Her Standing There’ had rough beginnings
In The Lyrics: 1956 to the Present, Paul wrote that he loves The Beatles’ “I Saw Her Standing” and considers it one of the best songs he’s ever written. However, it had challenging beginnings. Paul played the song for John Lennon as they smoked tea in Paul’s father’s pipe.
There was an issue with one of the lyrics. Paul wrote, “I said, ‘She was just seventeen. She’d never been a beauty queen.’ And John said, ‘I’m not sure about that.’ So our main task was to get rid of the beauty queen.
The Beatles, who released ‘I Saw Her Standing There’ in 1963 | Mark and Colleen Hayward/Getty Images Paul McCartney said ‘I Saw Her Standing There’ had rough beginnings
In The Lyrics: 1956 to the Present, Paul wrote that he loves The Beatles’ “I Saw Her Standing” and considers it one of the best songs he’s ever written. However, it had challenging beginnings. Paul played the song for John Lennon as they smoked tea in Paul’s father’s pipe.
There was an issue with one of the lyrics. Paul wrote, “I said, ‘She was just seventeen. She’d never been a beauty queen.’ And John said, ‘I’m not sure about that.’ So our main task was to get rid of the beauty queen.
- 2/26/2023
- by Hannah Wigandt
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
Steven Spielberg says he’s at a loss about his next film after experiencing back-to-back productions from West Side Story and The Fabelmans.
“I wish, I wish,” Spielberg said to a crowd during a Berlin Festival press conference. “I was so involved with two films back-to-back… I never had a chance to think about what am I going to do when these two movies are over. And I sit here in front of all of you saying, ‘I don’t know what I’m going to do next. I have no idea.”
While most filmmakers plan their calendars by the year, Spielberg has been so busy making West Side Story and The Fabelmans that he opted not to think beyond the finish line for those projects. There’s nothing wrong with taking time off to contemplate your next steps. In Spielberg’s line of work, each film sacrifices time, effort,...
“I wish, I wish,” Spielberg said to a crowd during a Berlin Festival press conference. “I was so involved with two films back-to-back… I never had a chance to think about what am I going to do when these two movies are over. And I sit here in front of all of you saying, ‘I don’t know what I’m going to do next. I have no idea.”
While most filmmakers plan their calendars by the year, Spielberg has been so busy making West Side Story and The Fabelmans that he opted not to think beyond the finish line for those projects. There’s nothing wrong with taking time off to contemplate your next steps. In Spielberg’s line of work, each film sacrifices time, effort,...
- 2/21/2023
- by Steve Seigh
- JoBlo.com
Steven Spielberg Has Yet To Set Next Movie: “I Don’t Know What I’m Going To Do Next. I Have No Idea”
Steven Spielberg told a Berlin Film Festival press conference on Tuesday that he has yet to set his next movie in the wake of back-to-back productions West Side Story and The Fabelmans.
“I wish, I wish,” the director said when quizzed on what was coming up next.
“I was so involved with two films back-to-back… I never had a chance to think about what am I going to do when these two movies are over. And I sit here in front of all of you saying, ‘I don’t know what I’m going to do next. I have no idea.”
“It’s kind of a nice feeling. And it’s also a horrible feeling. It’s nice that I can actually have control of my life again and makes my own choices in my real life. But I need to work and I love to work and that’s...
“I wish, I wish,” the director said when quizzed on what was coming up next.
“I was so involved with two films back-to-back… I never had a chance to think about what am I going to do when these two movies are over. And I sit here in front of all of you saying, ‘I don’t know what I’m going to do next. I have no idea.”
“It’s kind of a nice feeling. And it’s also a horrible feeling. It’s nice that I can actually have control of my life again and makes my own choices in my real life. But I need to work and I love to work and that’s...
- 2/21/2023
- by Melanie Goodfellow and Zac Ntim
- Deadline Film + TV
Paul McCartney thinks it’s interesting singing The Beatles‘ “I Saw Her Standing There” because it has a “naïveté” that you “can’t invent.” The singer-songwriter recognizes that he was a completely different person when he wrote the song.
Paul McCartney and The Beatles | Mirrorpix/Getty Images Paul McCartney loves ‘I Saw Her Standing There’ but it had tough beginnings
In The Lyrics: 1956 to the Present, Paul wrote that he’d include The Beates’ “I Saw Her Standing There” in the group of songs he considers his best work. He remembers playing the song for John Lennon for the first time. They smoked tea in Paul’s father’s pipe.
Despite his love for the tune, Paul explained that it had tough beginnings. There was an issue with one of the lyrics. Paul wrote, “I said, ‘She was just seventeen. She’d never been a beauty queen.’ And John said,...
Paul McCartney and The Beatles | Mirrorpix/Getty Images Paul McCartney loves ‘I Saw Her Standing There’ but it had tough beginnings
In The Lyrics: 1956 to the Present, Paul wrote that he’d include The Beates’ “I Saw Her Standing There” in the group of songs he considers his best work. He remembers playing the song for John Lennon for the first time. They smoked tea in Paul’s father’s pipe.
Despite his love for the tune, Paul explained that it had tough beginnings. There was an issue with one of the lyrics. Paul wrote, “I said, ‘She was just seventeen. She’d never been a beauty queen.’ And John said,...
- 2/20/2023
- by Hannah Wigandt
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
The legendary RZA joins hosts Josh Olson and Joe Dante to discuss a few of his favorite movies.
Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode
The Man With The Iron Fists (2012)
Cut Throat City (2020)
Kill Bill: Volume 1 (2003)
Kill Bill: Volume 2 (2004)
Cooley High (1975) – Larry Karaszewski’s trailer commentary
Car Wash (1976) – Larry Karaszewski’s trailer commentary
Grease (1978)
Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (1978) – Josh Olson’s trailer commentary
Gremlins (1984) – Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review, Tfh’s Mogwai Madness
Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (2020) – Dennis Cozzalio’s best of 2020
The Devil You Know (2022)
The Last American Virgin (1982)
The Beastmaster (1982)
Porky’s (1981)
Sixteen Candles (1984)
The Breakfast Club (1985)
Fast Times At Ridgemont High (1982) – Karyn Kusama’s trailer commentary, Glenn Erickson’s Criterion Blu-ray review
There Will Be Blood (2007)
Carmen Jones (1954)
An American In Paris (1951)
Singin’ In The Rain (1952) – John Landis’s trailer commentary
The Wizard Of Oz (1939) – John Badham’s trailer commentary
Is That Black Enough for You?!?...
Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode
The Man With The Iron Fists (2012)
Cut Throat City (2020)
Kill Bill: Volume 1 (2003)
Kill Bill: Volume 2 (2004)
Cooley High (1975) – Larry Karaszewski’s trailer commentary
Car Wash (1976) – Larry Karaszewski’s trailer commentary
Grease (1978)
Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (1978) – Josh Olson’s trailer commentary
Gremlins (1984) – Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review, Tfh’s Mogwai Madness
Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (2020) – Dennis Cozzalio’s best of 2020
The Devil You Know (2022)
The Last American Virgin (1982)
The Beastmaster (1982)
Porky’s (1981)
Sixteen Candles (1984)
The Breakfast Club (1985)
Fast Times At Ridgemont High (1982) – Karyn Kusama’s trailer commentary, Glenn Erickson’s Criterion Blu-ray review
There Will Be Blood (2007)
Carmen Jones (1954)
An American In Paris (1951)
Singin’ In The Rain (1952) – John Landis’s trailer commentary
The Wizard Of Oz (1939) – John Badham’s trailer commentary
Is That Black Enough for You?!?...
- 2/14/2023
- by Kris Millsap
- Trailers from Hell
Joni Mitchell is set to receive the 2023 Library of Congress’ Gershwin Prize for Popular Song, an honor that will be bestowed at a tribute concert due to be filmed in Washington, D.C. on the first day of March, with a television premiere on PBS as that month comes to a close.
No performers have yet been announced for the March 1 live show, which will air on PBS March 31 at 9 p.m. Et. Ken Ehrlich, who served as the Grammys’ executive producer for three decades, will produce the show along with Weta in Washington and the Library of Congress.
“This is a very prestigious award,” Mitchell said in a simple statement. “Thank you for honoring me.”
It will mark the second year in a row that Mitchell has received one of the top honors available to any music artist, after she was feted this past spring as MusiCares’ Person of...
No performers have yet been announced for the March 1 live show, which will air on PBS March 31 at 9 p.m. Et. Ken Ehrlich, who served as the Grammys’ executive producer for three decades, will produce the show along with Weta in Washington and the Library of Congress.
“This is a very prestigious award,” Mitchell said in a simple statement. “Thank you for honoring me.”
It will mark the second year in a row that Mitchell has received one of the top honors available to any music artist, after she was feted this past spring as MusiCares’ Person of...
- 1/12/2023
- by Chris Willman
- Variety Film + TV
Naomi Ackie gives audiences a glimpse into the life of Whitney Houston in director Kasi Lemmons’ new biopic “I Wanna Dance With Somebody,” and the new film is packed with a number of Houston’s hits.
Working with movement coach Polly Bennett and vocal coaches Tangela Large, Bridgette Jackson and Denise Woods, Ackie also underwent physical transformation with the help of numerous wigs and false teeth to cover the natural gap in her two front teeth.
Ackie doesn’t sing most songs in the film — she lip syncs to Houston’s perfect tracks instead — but she mimics Houston’s style of singing with great detail. She steps in for performances by Houston that were not recorded, such as “Guide Me O Thou Great Jehovah” and “Jesus Loves Me” from her choir-singing days. Ackie also portrays a nervous Whitney who is thrust onstage by her mother, who knows Clive Davis is in attendance,...
Working with movement coach Polly Bennett and vocal coaches Tangela Large, Bridgette Jackson and Denise Woods, Ackie also underwent physical transformation with the help of numerous wigs and false teeth to cover the natural gap in her two front teeth.
Ackie doesn’t sing most songs in the film — she lip syncs to Houston’s perfect tracks instead — but she mimics Houston’s style of singing with great detail. She steps in for performances by Houston that were not recorded, such as “Guide Me O Thou Great Jehovah” and “Jesus Loves Me” from her choir-singing days. Ackie also portrays a nervous Whitney who is thrust onstage by her mother, who knows Clive Davis is in attendance,...
- 12/28/2022
- by Dessi Gomez
- The Wrap
The opening sequence of the post-war crime drama series "Peaky Blinders" sees its lead — who we'd come to know as crime boss Tommy Shelby but for now, he's just a lone rider — gallop into town on a racing horse. It's 1919 in Birmingham, England, and the crowds that scatter and whisper as Shelby enters the slums make him out to be some formidable hero — an outlaw cowboy of sorts. He visits a fortune-teller who performs a mystic ritual on the horse, compensates her, and announces the horse's name and racing time to the women and children onlookers with the warning, "You ladies have a bet yourselves, but don't tell anyone else." No one is hurt, but all are intimidated.
That's when the apocalyptic bells of Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds' "Red Right Hand" kicks in.
Not the Dixieland jazz that was growing in popularity at the time, nor songs like...
That's when the apocalyptic bells of Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds' "Red Right Hand" kicks in.
Not the Dixieland jazz that was growing in popularity at the time, nor songs like...
- 12/15/2022
- by Anya Stanley
- Slash Film
Red Velvet is turning a classic song into a K-pop banger. On Monday, the girl group released their mini-album, The ReVe Festival 2022 – Birthday, led by the title track “Birthday,” which featured a sample of George Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue.”
“It’s your day/Clasp your two hands tight, keep on imagining,” the group — comprising Irene, Joy, Yeri, Seulgi, and Wendy — sings in Korean. “Everyday (All day)/Wanna give it to you only, this’ll be, oh, so very special.”
The colorful video for “Birthday” follows the group’s members...
“It’s your day/Clasp your two hands tight, keep on imagining,” the group — comprising Irene, Joy, Yeri, Seulgi, and Wendy — sings in Korean. “Everyday (All day)/Wanna give it to you only, this’ll be, oh, so very special.”
The colorful video for “Birthday” follows the group’s members...
- 11/28/2022
- by Tomás Mier
- Rollingstone.com
Ten years ago, actor Sean Hayes and playwright David Adjmi were working together to develop a play based on the life of Oscar Levant, the actor, pianist and notorious wit of Hollywood’s Golden Age. Now Hayes is preparing to bring Good Night, Oscar to Broadway next spring. The play is written by Doug Wright.
Exactly how, why and when Hayes and Adjmi split up their partnership on the project is being disputed by both sides in an unusually public way. Adjmi wrote a long Facebook post detailing his perspective earlier this week, as publicity for Good Night, Oscar is just beginning to emerge. Theater twitter took note, as did The New York Times.
In response, Hayes, Wright and their producer Beth Williams have released their own extensive statement, obtained by Deadline. The two accounts of exactly how Levant came into Hayes’ life are notably different.
Adjmi, perhaps best known as the author of 3C,...
Exactly how, why and when Hayes and Adjmi split up their partnership on the project is being disputed by both sides in an unusually public way. Adjmi wrote a long Facebook post detailing his perspective earlier this week, as publicity for Good Night, Oscar is just beginning to emerge. Theater twitter took note, as did The New York Times.
In response, Hayes, Wright and their producer Beth Williams have released their own extensive statement, obtained by Deadline. The two accounts of exactly how Levant came into Hayes’ life are notably different.
Adjmi, perhaps best known as the author of 3C,...
- 10/7/2022
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
The composer George Gershwin died in 1937 and eight years later Hollywood paid tribute with this biography directed by Irving Rapper. The preponderance of musicians appearing as themselves, including Paul Whiteman and Oscar Levant, confirms the storyline will concentrate on Gershwin’s music while playing fast and loose with the details of his private life. Robert Alda plays the composer, and Joan Leslie and Alexis Smith are on hand as two of his factionalized romantic entanglements.
The post Rhapsody in Blue appeared first on Trailers From Hell.
The post Rhapsody in Blue appeared first on Trailers From Hell.
- 10/5/2022
- by Charlie Largent
- Trailers from Hell
Click here to read the full article.
Sean Hayes will return to Broadway in a new play about the life of actor and pianist Oscar Levant.
In Good Night, Oscar, written by Doug Wright, Hayes plays Levant, who is booked on Jack Paar’s The Tonight Show in a 90-minute session that delights audience members, but also comes at a cost for the star.
Directed by Lisa Peterson, Good Night, Oscar will play a 20-week engagement at the Belasco Theatre starting April 7, 2023. Opening night is set for April 24. The play comes to Broadway after a premiere at Chicago’s Goodman Theatre.
“Though he’s somewhat forgotten by today’s audiences, Oscar Levant was a startling phenomenon in his own time; following a stellar concert and movie career, he became a celebrated pundit, holding forth on the chat shows of the 1950’s. A brilliant, often searing raconteur, he was the first...
Sean Hayes will return to Broadway in a new play about the life of actor and pianist Oscar Levant.
In Good Night, Oscar, written by Doug Wright, Hayes plays Levant, who is booked on Jack Paar’s The Tonight Show in a 90-minute session that delights audience members, but also comes at a cost for the star.
Directed by Lisa Peterson, Good Night, Oscar will play a 20-week engagement at the Belasco Theatre starting April 7, 2023. Opening night is set for April 24. The play comes to Broadway after a premiere at Chicago’s Goodman Theatre.
“Though he’s somewhat forgotten by today’s audiences, Oscar Levant was a startling phenomenon in his own time; following a stellar concert and movie career, he became a celebrated pundit, holding forth on the chat shows of the 1950’s. A brilliant, often searing raconteur, he was the first...
- 9/19/2022
- by Caitlin Huston
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Sean Hayes will return to Broadway this spring starring in Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Doug Wright’s new play Good Night, Oscar, in which Hayes will play Hollywood Golden Age actor, pianist and wit Oscar Levant.
Directed by Lisa Peterson, Good Night, Oscar will begin performances at the Belasco Theatre,on April 7, 2023, and an official opening set for April 24. The 20-week limited engagement will end on August 27, 2023.
The official synopsis: It’s 1958 and Jack Paar is hosting The Tonight Show. He’s booked his favorite guest, a pundit as hilarious as he is unpredictable: Oscar Levant, who once famously proclaimed, “There’s a fine line between genius and insanity, and I have erased that line.” In 90 short minutes, Oscar will have audiences howling, censors scrambling, and – when it’s all over – America will be just a little less innocent than she was before.
Hayes said, “I’m thrilled for Broadway audiences to experience Good Night,...
Directed by Lisa Peterson, Good Night, Oscar will begin performances at the Belasco Theatre,on April 7, 2023, and an official opening set for April 24. The 20-week limited engagement will end on August 27, 2023.
The official synopsis: It’s 1958 and Jack Paar is hosting The Tonight Show. He’s booked his favorite guest, a pundit as hilarious as he is unpredictable: Oscar Levant, who once famously proclaimed, “There’s a fine line between genius and insanity, and I have erased that line.” In 90 short minutes, Oscar will have audiences howling, censors scrambling, and – when it’s all over – America will be just a little less innocent than she was before.
Hayes said, “I’m thrilled for Broadway audiences to experience Good Night,...
- 9/19/2022
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
George Gershwin surmised “Life is a lot like jazz, it’s best when you improvise.” In keeping with the spirit of this given, Bertrand Tavernier’s ‘Round Midnight succeeds as a composite of jazz and its tormented originators thanks to the inspired casting and improvisational skills of real-life bebop musician Dexter Gordon, who was nominated for an Academy Award as Dale Turner, an amalgamation of Black expats and jazz legends who fled to Europe during the mid twentieth century.
A smoothly attenuated film which plays like elevated fan fiction from an outsider’s perspective, it’s a de-romanticized portrait of the jazz musician, artists whose contributions to their craft were exploited, but their well-beings disregarded during their professional tenure and eventual legacies erased or tarnished.…...
A smoothly attenuated film which plays like elevated fan fiction from an outsider’s perspective, it’s a de-romanticized portrait of the jazz musician, artists whose contributions to their craft were exploited, but their well-beings disregarded during their professional tenure and eventual legacies erased or tarnished.…...
- 7/27/2022
- by Nicholas Bell
- IONCINEMA.com
It’s officially summertime, and while the livin’ may be easy, as George Gershwin once wrote, television is easing into the season with a slate filled with reruns.
ABC, CBS and NBC had their nights filled with repeats. In total viewership, a rerun of Blue Bloods on CBS eked out the night’s highest audience total with 2.69 million viewers.
WWE’s Friday Night SmackDown on Fox won the demo wars with an 0.5. The win comes slightly ahead of the July 4 weekend edition of its PPV extravaganza, Money In The Bank. That event streams live on Peacock this Saturday at 8 Pm Et.
The final spot in the men’s Money in the Bank ladder match saw Madcap Moss beating Happy Corbin, Ezekiel, and The Miz. He’ll advance toward the chance at a WWE contract in the PPV.
The only other new episode for Friday was on The CW, as Dynasty...
ABC, CBS and NBC had their nights filled with repeats. In total viewership, a rerun of Blue Bloods on CBS eked out the night’s highest audience total with 2.69 million viewers.
WWE’s Friday Night SmackDown on Fox won the demo wars with an 0.5. The win comes slightly ahead of the July 4 weekend edition of its PPV extravaganza, Money In The Bank. That event streams live on Peacock this Saturday at 8 Pm Et.
The final spot in the men’s Money in the Bank ladder match saw Madcap Moss beating Happy Corbin, Ezekiel, and The Miz. He’ll advance toward the chance at a WWE contract in the PPV.
The only other new episode for Friday was on The CW, as Dynasty...
- 7/2/2022
- by Bruce Haring
- Deadline Film + TV
Everyone knows the George Gershwin song, “Let’s Call The Whole Thing Off,” which features the classic lines, “You like potato, and I like potahto, You like tomato, and I like tomahto.” What they often don’t remember are the lines that come after that couplet. “But oh, if we call the whole thing off, then we must part, and oh, if we ever part, then that might break my heart.” Bill Maher lead a discussion that touched on the core issues represented in that song and in Western Civilization on Friday’s Real Time on HBO. In a divided nation where hardened positions often prevent compromise on crucial issues, are there solutions? That question is particularly apt in a week where so many were lamenting “Why does nothing get done” in the wake of the Texas shooting massacre. Maher posed that question to his panelists and got some on-point answers.
- 6/4/2022
- by Bruce Haring
- Deadline Film + TV
Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo) followed up on his attack on Disney last week with an op-ed on FoxNews.com in which he argued that corporations were attacking American values by weighing in on divisive social issues. “Big business is no friend to conservatives — that’s been clear for years. And it’s increasingly no friend to America,” he wrote. His solution is to reverse copyright protections for Disney after it came out against Florida’s parental rights law, dubbed the “don’t say gay” law by opponents. In this and other instances, Hawley and others on the right are seizing on long-raging wonkish policy debates and weaponizing them as retribution against companies for going “woke.” One of Hawley’s arguments — that Disney and other companies have been granted special favors — is actually rooted in what went down in 1998: The Mouse House, along with other companies, lobbied heavily for...
- 5/15/2022
- by Ted Johnson
- Deadline Film + TV
Despite the increase in pop-culture amnesia, there are actually a lot of great rom-coms that predate the Reagan era
For many pop-culture websites, which we will not name here, the history of cinema apparently begins somewhere around the release of “Star Wars” (1977), with almost everything that preceded it to the big screen being sloughed off as quaint, forgettable and irrelevant.
It’s the sort of thing that people who love movies and movie history can often ignore with the roll of an eye, but when one site recently trumpeted its list of the 50 Best Rom-Coms of All Time — which featured exactly one movie made before 1980 and zero prior to 1970 — we could sit by no longer.
Here is an alphabetical list of 50 classic romantic comedies that merely scratches the surface of great movies made during ye olden times of 1979 and earlier:
“The Awful Truth” (1937): Cary Grant and Irene Dunne star...
For many pop-culture websites, which we will not name here, the history of cinema apparently begins somewhere around the release of “Star Wars” (1977), with almost everything that preceded it to the big screen being sloughed off as quaint, forgettable and irrelevant.
It’s the sort of thing that people who love movies and movie history can often ignore with the roll of an eye, but when one site recently trumpeted its list of the 50 Best Rom-Coms of All Time — which featured exactly one movie made before 1980 and zero prior to 1970 — we could sit by no longer.
Here is an alphabetical list of 50 classic romantic comedies that merely scratches the surface of great movies made during ye olden times of 1979 and earlier:
“The Awful Truth” (1937): Cary Grant and Irene Dunne star...
- 4/18/2022
- by Alonso Duralde
- The Wrap
On March 20, 1952, two black and white dramas came into the Oscar ceremony vying for the win. Both “A Streetcar Named Desire” and “A Place in the Sun” had everything the Academy loves: drama, an ensemble of well-known actors and directors – many of whom had previous nominations and wins – and loads of nominations. By the time the Best Picture was to be announced, each had picked up major wins – “Streetcar” had claimed three of the four acting wins, while “Sun” had picked up statues for directing, cinematography and editing. So, it was a “what the heck??” Oscar moment when the final big prize was shockingly announced: the romantic musical “An American in Paris.”
A little over six years after the end of a war that ravaged Europe and in the middle of a Cold War that led to the infamous Hollywood blacklist that destroyed the careers of friends and collaborators, the...
A little over six years after the end of a war that ravaged Europe and in the middle of a Cold War that led to the infamous Hollywood blacklist that destroyed the careers of friends and collaborators, the...
- 2/25/2022
- by Susan Pennington
- Gold Derby
Six years before his death in 1996, “Rent” composer Jonathan Larson began performing a solo semi-autobiographical musical “Tick, Tick…Boom!” about a young struggling composer named Jon who fears that he has made the wrong career choice. After his death, Larson’s show was expanded into a three-person piece by David Auburn that ran in London, off-Broadway, and as a national tour. Now it is an acclaimed new Netflix movie directed by Lin-Manuel Miranda (who appeared in a Encores production of the musical in 2014) and starring Andrew Garfield.
The composer bio movie genre has long been a favorite of Hollywood, especially during its Golden Age. But these bio-pics played fast and loose with the facts. The Production Code prevented these films from exploring the fact that Cole Porter and Lorenz Hart were gay. And some of these composers and/or their families were still alive and wanted a certain image presented on the big screen.
The composer bio movie genre has long been a favorite of Hollywood, especially during its Golden Age. But these bio-pics played fast and loose with the facts. The Production Code prevented these films from exploring the fact that Cole Porter and Lorenz Hart were gay. And some of these composers and/or their families were still alive and wanted a certain image presented on the big screen.
- 12/7/2021
- by Susan King
- Gold Derby
Our first episode back in the studio! Robert Weide discusses a few of his favorite movies with hosts Josh Olson and Joe Dante.
Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode
How to Lose Friends & Alienate People (2008)
Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World (2010)
Mother Night (1996)
Woody Allen: A Documentary (2011)
Mort Sahl: The Loyal Opposition (1989)
Lenny Bruce: Swear to Tell the Truth (1998)
Marx Brothers in a Nutshell (1982)
W.C. Fields: Straight Up (1986)
Kurt Vonnegut: Unstuck in Time (2021)
It’s A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (1963) – John Landis’s trailer commentary
Mary Poppins (1964)
The French Connection (1971) – Dennis Lehane’s trailer commentary, Mark Pellington’s trailer commentary, Randy Fuller’s wine pairing
The Magnificent Seven (1960) – Jesus Treviño’s trailer commentary
The Godfather (1972) – Ernest Dickerson’s trailer commentary, Randy Fuller’s wine pairing
The Exorcist (1973) – Oren Peli’s trailer commentary
Patton (1970) – Rod Lurie’s trailer commentary
Mash (1970)
Short Cuts (1993) – Glenn Erickson’s Criterion Blu-ray review
Lenny...
Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode
How to Lose Friends & Alienate People (2008)
Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World (2010)
Mother Night (1996)
Woody Allen: A Documentary (2011)
Mort Sahl: The Loyal Opposition (1989)
Lenny Bruce: Swear to Tell the Truth (1998)
Marx Brothers in a Nutshell (1982)
W.C. Fields: Straight Up (1986)
Kurt Vonnegut: Unstuck in Time (2021)
It’s A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (1963) – John Landis’s trailer commentary
Mary Poppins (1964)
The French Connection (1971) – Dennis Lehane’s trailer commentary, Mark Pellington’s trailer commentary, Randy Fuller’s wine pairing
The Magnificent Seven (1960) – Jesus Treviño’s trailer commentary
The Godfather (1972) – Ernest Dickerson’s trailer commentary, Randy Fuller’s wine pairing
The Exorcist (1973) – Oren Peli’s trailer commentary
Patton (1970) – Rod Lurie’s trailer commentary
Mash (1970)
Short Cuts (1993) – Glenn Erickson’s Criterion Blu-ray review
Lenny...
- 11/30/2021
- by Kris Millsap
- Trailers from Hell
Sam Shepard: Stalking Himself director Oren Jacoby on Sam Shepard: “ He was great at revealing as a dramatist these clear revelatory moments but he also always loved cloaking a certain amount of it with mystery …”
The afternoon after the We Love NYC: The Homecoming Concert in Central Park was abruptly halted due to lightning, while Barry Manilow was on stage and before Elvis Costello, Paul Simon, Bruce Springsteen, and Sam Shepard favourite Patti Smith could perform, director Oren Jacoby discussed with me his revealing documentary Sam Shepard: Stalking Himself. Earlier in the evening (on August 21) the New York Philharmonic performed George Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue, the song that opens On Broadway, Oren’s fabulous tribute to the theatre community told through performers telling their own story.
Oren Jacoby with Anne-Katrin Titze on Sam Shepard: “He had an amazing ear and way of transforming ordinary American idiom and language into something that was poetic.
The afternoon after the We Love NYC: The Homecoming Concert in Central Park was abruptly halted due to lightning, while Barry Manilow was on stage and before Elvis Costello, Paul Simon, Bruce Springsteen, and Sam Shepard favourite Patti Smith could perform, director Oren Jacoby discussed with me his revealing documentary Sam Shepard: Stalking Himself. Earlier in the evening (on August 21) the New York Philharmonic performed George Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue, the song that opens On Broadway, Oren’s fabulous tribute to the theatre community told through performers telling their own story.
Oren Jacoby with Anne-Katrin Titze on Sam Shepard: “He had an amazing ear and way of transforming ordinary American idiom and language into something that was poetic.
- 8/26/2021
- by Anne-Katrin Titze
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
Don’t call it a comeback, since it wasn’t quite that.
Journey Perform ‘Don’t Stop Believin” at NYC ‘Homecoming’ Show
On Saturday evening, the long-awaited “We Love NYC: The Homecoming Concert” in New York’s Central Park became an unintentional metaphor for the ongoing pandemic when the all-star show was shut down and later cancelled less than halfway through by a vicious rainstorm. Amid confusion over whether the concert would continue, more than 60,000 concertgoers were told to exit the park before they’d had a chance to see headliners like Paul Simon,...
Journey Perform ‘Don’t Stop Believin” at NYC ‘Homecoming’ Show
On Saturday evening, the long-awaited “We Love NYC: The Homecoming Concert” in New York’s Central Park became an unintentional metaphor for the ongoing pandemic when the all-star show was shut down and later cancelled less than halfway through by a vicious rainstorm. Amid confusion over whether the concert would continue, more than 60,000 concertgoers were told to exit the park before they’d had a chance to see headliners like Paul Simon,...
- 8/22/2021
- by David Browne
- Rollingstone.com
Bill Murray Rocks Cannes With Surprise Musical Performance At Premiere Of ‘New Worlds’ Concert Movie
With Cannes winding down tonight—just one last movie in the festival’s official selection, by Gaspar Noe, was left to play—Bill Murray took to the stage at the Debussy theater with cellist Jan Vogler, pianist Vanessa Perez and violinist Mira Wang for a 25-minute concert of music following the premiere of Andrew Muscato’s doc New Worlds: The Cradle of Civilization.
The film captures Murray, Vogler and friends’ concert in June 2018 at the Acropolis in Greece, in which the ensemble blended classical music, jazz, poetry and literature for an eclectic evening of art, at the culmination of their European tour. It was trumped as “a program that showcases the core of the American values in literature and music,” and featured monologues, singing, and plenty of comedy from Murray as the talented trio of musicians backed him up. The show blended Walt Whitman, George Gershwin, Van Morrison, Leonard Bernstein and Bach,...
The film captures Murray, Vogler and friends’ concert in June 2018 at the Acropolis in Greece, in which the ensemble blended classical music, jazz, poetry and literature for an eclectic evening of art, at the culmination of their European tour. It was trumped as “a program that showcases the core of the American values in literature and music,” and featured monologues, singing, and plenty of comedy from Murray as the talented trio of musicians backed him up. The show blended Walt Whitman, George Gershwin, Van Morrison, Leonard Bernstein and Bach,...
- 7/16/2021
- by Joe Utichi
- Deadline Film + TV
There’s a scene in Brian Wilson: Long Promised Road that’s different from the many Brian Wilson documentaries. The artist is riding around Southern California with friend and music journalist Jason Fine when he’s told Jack Riley, his musician friend and one-time manager of the Beach Boys, has died. Riley managed the band during their prolific, if unappreciated, post-Pet Sounds years, his contributions—helping Carl Wilson write the lyrics for “Feel Flows” and “Long Promised Road,” the latter of which this intimate documentary is named after—went far beyond management.
Reeling from Riley’s death, Wilson recoils from talking to Fine, who does something important: he allows space for Wilson to feel the loss of Riley’s life and affirms his friend in pain. It helps Wilson through the trauma and shows the audience emotions we never see from the characteristically stoic musician. It is moments like this...
Reeling from Riley’s death, Wilson recoils from talking to Fine, who does something important: he allows space for Wilson to feel the loss of Riley’s life and affirms his friend in pain. It helps Wilson through the trauma and shows the audience emotions we never see from the characteristically stoic musician. It is moments like this...
- 6/22/2021
- by Joshua Encinias
- The Film Stage
Video Version of this Article Photo/Video: George Gershwin/Hollywood Insider YouTube Channel Last week, news dropped of a film inspired by the life and work of George Gershwin in the works, produced by Martin Scorsese and longtime producing partner Irwin Winkler titled ‘Fascinating Rhythm.’ It was also reported that John Carney will direct and co-write the film along with Chris Cluess. If you are unfamiliar with John Carney, watch ‘Once’ as soon as possible. The micro-budget Irish music film is a miracle of a movie. Made on a $100,000 budget with musicians turned actors, the film gave us the Oscar-winning song “Falling Slowly” and forever cemented Carney as someone who cares deeply about how musicians and music are presented on film. He followed it up with two other charming and inspiring music-centered films, ‘Begin Again’ and ‘Sing Street.’ Related article: A Tribute to Cannes Film Festival: A Celebration of Cinema,...
- 6/16/2021
- by Jacqueline Postajian
- Hollywood Insider - Substance & Meaningful Entertainment
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