When the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame released its list of nominees for 2022 induction, the debate we’ve come to expect given the institution’s history wasn’t far behind. There’s no shortage of gripes from fans, many having to do with the Hall’s apparent blind spot for Black female artists and post-disco R&b acts. What happened to Chaka Khan, nominated several times in the past but conspicuously absent this year? Why has it taken Dionne Warwick so long to get in? Sade’s never even been nominated.
- 2/2/2022
- by Keith Murphy
- Rollingstone.com
NBC’s “Home Sweet Home,” in which families swap houses in order to see how their counterparts live, is pitched to audiences as a social experiment. But it’s one that unscripted TV has conducted before.
Granted, past instances of this particular genre were significantly more geared towards provocation. ABC’s “Wife Swap” and Fox’s “Trading Spouses” both spelled it out in their titles: Each episode of these series placed members of two families in unfamiliar environments whose contrast seemed specially selected to engineer conflict. Indeed, both shows had one of their family members go viral, with “Trading Spouses” personality “God Warrior” ranting about the unholy things to which she had been exposed and “Wife Swap” kiddo “King Curtis” complaining about having his access to bacon restricted by his new substitute mom.
“Home Sweet Home,” created by Ava DuVernay and produced by her Array Filmworks shingle, is unlikely to cultivate similarly massive personalities.
Granted, past instances of this particular genre were significantly more geared towards provocation. ABC’s “Wife Swap” and Fox’s “Trading Spouses” both spelled it out in their titles: Each episode of these series placed members of two families in unfamiliar environments whose contrast seemed specially selected to engineer conflict. Indeed, both shows had one of their family members go viral, with “Trading Spouses” personality “God Warrior” ranting about the unholy things to which she had been exposed and “Wife Swap” kiddo “King Curtis” complaining about having his access to bacon restricted by his new substitute mom.
“Home Sweet Home,” created by Ava DuVernay and produced by her Array Filmworks shingle, is unlikely to cultivate similarly massive personalities.
- 10/14/2021
- by Daniel D'Addario
- Variety Film + TV
National Geographic and Fox 21 Television Studios will release a first-look, national teaser promo for Genius: Aretha during this Sunday’s Oscars telecast airing on ABC, a sister network of NatGeo, which is also owned by Disney.
Cynthia Erivo, a 2020 Academy Awards nominee, stars as Aretha Franklin in the third season of the global anthology series. Set to perform Stand Up live during the Oscars, Erivo is nominated in two categories: Actress in a Leading Role and Music (Original Song) for the film Harriet.
Genius: Aretha will premiere over four consecutive nights, beginning Memorial Day, Monday, May 25, at 9/8c. The series will be the first authorized scripted limited series on the life of Aretha Franklin. The eight-part series will explore Franklin’s musical genius and career, and the immeasurable impact and lasting influence she has had on music and culture around the world.
The cast includes Cynthia Erivo as Aretha Franklin; Courtney B. Vance (The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story) as C.L. Franklin; David Cross as Jerry Wexler; Malcolm Barrett as Ted White; Pauletta Washington (She’s Gotta Have It) as Grandmother Rachel; Patrice Covington (Broadway’s The Color Purple) as Erma Franklin; Rebecca Naomi Jones (The Big Sick) as Carolyn Franklin; Steven Norfleet (Watchmen) as Cecil Franklin; Kimberly Hébert Gregory (Vice Principals) as Ruth Bowen; Omar J. Dorsey (Queen Sugar) as James Cleveland; Marque Richardson (Dear White People) as King Curtis; and introducing Shaian Jordan as Little Re.
Imagine is partnering with Warner Music Entertainment for this third season, which will again be executive produced by Imagine’s Brian Grazer and Ron Howard. Suzan-Lori Parks is showrunner and executive producer, and Anthony Hemingway is executive producer and producing director for the season.
Record producer Clive Davis and Atlantic Records Chairman and CEO Craig Kallman have also joined as executive producers. Returning executive producers include Francie Calfo, Ken Biller, Gigi Pritzker and Rachel Shane (Mwm Studios), and Sam Sokolow (Eue/Sokolow). In addition, Imagine’s Anna Culp serves as producer alongside Peter Afterman.
Cynthia Erivo, a 2020 Academy Awards nominee, stars as Aretha Franklin in the third season of the global anthology series. Set to perform Stand Up live during the Oscars, Erivo is nominated in two categories: Actress in a Leading Role and Music (Original Song) for the film Harriet.
Genius: Aretha will premiere over four consecutive nights, beginning Memorial Day, Monday, May 25, at 9/8c. The series will be the first authorized scripted limited series on the life of Aretha Franklin. The eight-part series will explore Franklin’s musical genius and career, and the immeasurable impact and lasting influence she has had on music and culture around the world.
The cast includes Cynthia Erivo as Aretha Franklin; Courtney B. Vance (The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story) as C.L. Franklin; David Cross as Jerry Wexler; Malcolm Barrett as Ted White; Pauletta Washington (She’s Gotta Have It) as Grandmother Rachel; Patrice Covington (Broadway’s The Color Purple) as Erma Franklin; Rebecca Naomi Jones (The Big Sick) as Carolyn Franklin; Steven Norfleet (Watchmen) as Cecil Franklin; Kimberly Hébert Gregory (Vice Principals) as Ruth Bowen; Omar J. Dorsey (Queen Sugar) as James Cleveland; Marque Richardson (Dear White People) as King Curtis; and introducing Shaian Jordan as Little Re.
Imagine is partnering with Warner Music Entertainment for this third season, which will again be executive produced by Imagine’s Brian Grazer and Ron Howard. Suzan-Lori Parks is showrunner and executive producer, and Anthony Hemingway is executive producer and producing director for the season.
Record producer Clive Davis and Atlantic Records Chairman and CEO Craig Kallman have also joined as executive producers. Returning executive producers include Francie Calfo, Ken Biller, Gigi Pritzker and Rachel Shane (Mwm Studios), and Sam Sokolow (Eue/Sokolow). In addition, Imagine’s Anna Culp serves as producer alongside Peter Afterman.
- 2/7/2020
- by Bruce Haring
- Deadline Film + TV
John Lennon's dreams mix with personal nightmares as Imagine: The Ultimate Collection bares its tracks.
John Lennon's Imagine, which just saw the release of an Ultimate Collection spread across four CDs and two Blu-ray discs, is best known for its title song. "Imagine" envisioned an anti-authoritarian nutopia, without the need of heaven, hell, countries or border walls. Critics blasted Lennon's soft anthem as soft politics and the singer an armchair liberal who sent his protests via limousine. Elvis Costello chided "was it a millionaire who said imagine no possessions?" on his song "The Other Side of Summer."
Most of this is true. Lennon practically invented armchair liberalism, possibly inspired by Elvis Presley's Pink Cadillac tour of England, where the rock and roll legend sent only his prized automobile in lieu of personal appearances. The Rolling Stones' Mick Jagger went to the student protests. Lennon sent his MBE,...
John Lennon's Imagine, which just saw the release of an Ultimate Collection spread across four CDs and two Blu-ray discs, is best known for its title song. "Imagine" envisioned an anti-authoritarian nutopia, without the need of heaven, hell, countries or border walls. Critics blasted Lennon's soft anthem as soft politics and the singer an armchair liberal who sent his protests via limousine. Elvis Costello chided "was it a millionaire who said imagine no possessions?" on his song "The Other Side of Summer."
Most of this is true. Lennon practically invented armchair liberalism, possibly inspired by Elvis Presley's Pink Cadillac tour of England, where the rock and roll legend sent only his prized automobile in lieu of personal appearances. The Rolling Stones' Mick Jagger went to the student protests. Lennon sent his MBE,...
- 10/6/2018
- Den of Geek
When John Lennon headed into the studio in 1971 to make his solo classic Imagine, wth Yoko Ono and Phil Spector, he had a lot to prove. He wanted to shake off the shadow of the Beatles, yet also build on the band’s legacy. He was itching to leave his ex-bandmates in the dust — Imagine has his notorious attack on Paul McCartney, “How Do You Sleep?” But he also wanted to come to terms with his past and embrace his future with Yoko. He wanted both raging protest songs and tender love ballads.
- 8/23/2018
- by Rob Sheffield
- Rollingstone.com
The new episode of our podcast, Rolling Stone Music Now, is a tribute to the life and music of Aretha Franklin, starting with an interview with writer David Ritz, who co-wrote Franklin’s autobiography (Aretha: From These Roots) and also went on to write the unvarnished biography Respect: The Life of Aretha Franklin. Ritz digs deep into Franklin’s formative years, explaining how her grief over separation from her mother helped shape her emotional make-up. He also explains the development of her musical style. “She was steeped in gospel,” Ritz says,...
- 8/22/2018
- by Brian Hiatt
- Rollingstone.com
Aretha Franklin, who died on August 16th at age 76, recorded more than 40 full-length albums in her six-decade career. It’s a deep catalog, crowded with indisputable classics and hidden gems. Rolling Stone’s music staff is paying its R.E.S.P.E.C.T.s to the Queen with tributes to our favorite Aretha LPs. Next up: Simon Vozick-Levinson on an all-time great live album.
“All right?” Aretha Franklin asks. “Are we moving in the right direction?” The answer, supplied immediately by several members of the crowd and preserved for all eternity,...
“All right?” Aretha Franklin asks. “Are we moving in the right direction?” The answer, supplied immediately by several members of the crowd and preserved for all eternity,...
- 8/22/2018
- by Simon Vozick-Levinson
- Rollingstone.com
I hear people ask, “Who’s gonna be the next queen?” Shut up! Aretha Franklin was the one. She could take a jazz song and make it Aretha. She could take blues and make it Aretha. Puccini’s aria “Nessun Dorma”: She could make it Aretha. There were only two people who could do that — her and Ray Charles.
At the Grammys in 1998, when Pavarotti had a cold and canceled, the producers had an emergency on their hands. They asked: Could she do “Nessun Dorma”? She had been studying opera and she had sung the aria two nights earlier at the MusiCares dinner. That first night, she did it in her key, with her arrangement. But when she was called to fill in for Pavarotti at the Grammys, with almost no rehearsal, she had to do it in his key, with his arrangement. She’d always been great, but...
At the Grammys in 1998, when Pavarotti had a cold and canceled, the producers had an emergency on their hands. They asked: Could she do “Nessun Dorma”? She had been studying opera and she had sung the aria two nights earlier at the MusiCares dinner. That first night, she did it in her key, with her arrangement. But when she was called to fill in for Pavarotti at the Grammys, with almost no rehearsal, she had to do it in his key, with his arrangement. She’d always been great, but...
- 8/21/2018
- by Sam Moore
- Variety Film + TV
With 40-odd studio albums over a 60-plus-year recording career, it would take many days just to listen to Aretha Franklin’s peerless archive of music, let alone assess it. Yet with years of fandom behind him, longtime Variety contributor Chris Morris has chosen a necessarily subjective selection of 10 exceptional performances from the one and only Queen of Soul, who passed away Thursday, which offers some idea of the scope of her achievement over the breadth of her virtuosic career. Beginners are pointed to her early albums for Atlantic, particularly “Lady Soul” and “I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You,” as well as compilations like “30 Greatest Hits” and “Queen of Soul.”
“The Day Is Past and Gone”. Aretha Franklin’s prodigious talent was on full display in her first recording, made at the age of 14 at her father’s church in Detroit. It’s a pure gospel performance,...
“The Day Is Past and Gone”. Aretha Franklin’s prodigious talent was on full display in her first recording, made at the age of 14 at her father’s church in Detroit. It’s a pure gospel performance,...
- 8/17/2018
- by Chris Morris
- Variety Film + TV
Aretha Franklin’s genius took so many forms — as a singer, a songwriter, an album-crafter, a live performer. But the Queen was also one of history’s most audacious Beatle fans. Nobody ever sang the Beatles like Aretha. Since she was one of the few Sixties musicians as famous and revered as they were, she felt free to take any approach she pleased to a Fabs song — sometimes radically reworking it, as when she sang “Eleanor Rigby” in the first person. When Aretha sang any song, even a Beatle song,...
- 8/16/2018
- by Rob Sheffield
- Rollingstone.com
For those of us who weren’t lucky enough to attend a Beatles concert in the 1960s, Ron Howard’s Eight Days a Week just might be the next best thing. The 2016 documentary traces the band’s rise from a cramped and dank cellar in Liverpool to record breaking television appearances, jam packed stadiums, and—ultimately—rock immortality. Lovingly assembled through rare and often unseen fan home movie footage, Howard’s film also draws on more familiar material—restored to the highest echelons of HD— and new interviews with Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr. All told, it’s a joyous...
- 11/21/2017
- by Jordan Runtagh
- PEOPLE.com
Every day, more and more films are added to the various streaming services out there, ranging from Netflix to YouTube, and are hitting the airwaves via movie-centric networks like TCM. Therefore, sifting through all of these pictures can be a tedious and often times confounding or difficult ordeal. But, that’s why we’re here. Every week, Joshua brings you five films to put at the top of your queue, add to your playlist, or grab off of VOD to make your weekend a little more eventful. Here is this week’s top five, in this week’s Armchair Vacation.
5. Do I Sound Gay? (VOD)
The first of two documentaries included on this week’s list, this film comes from filmmaker David Thorpe, and covers a rather interesting subject. Coming out of a breakup with his boyfriend, Thorpe decides to go on a journey of self-discovery, through an outlet we...
5. Do I Sound Gay? (VOD)
The first of two documentaries included on this week’s list, this film comes from filmmaker David Thorpe, and covers a rather interesting subject. Coming out of a breakup with his boyfriend, Thorpe decides to go on a journey of self-discovery, through an outlet we...
- 7/17/2015
- by Joshua Brunsting
- CriterionCast
It's always eye-opening to expand one's cinematic boundaries, and Trinidadian film "God Loves the Fighter" is a fantastic example of the fresh creativity that can come from a place that hasn't been seen on screen enough. Landing on VOD platforms (iTunes and Amazon) on July 7th, the film, from director and native son Damian Marcano, is a visual and aural journey into the rougher spots of paradise on the Caribbean island of Trinidad. The film follows several different characters as they seek money, power, purpose and redemption among the drugs, guns, and prostitutes of the ghetto Laventile. Narrated with a rollicking sense of rhythm and verse by street poet King Curtis (Lou Lyons), and soundtracked by Q Major and Freetown Collective, "God Loves the Fighter" has an intrinsic musicality, which adds to the fairytale, fable-like aspect of the film. The intense visual style struts and skitters from moment to moment,...
- 7/1/2015
- by Katie Walsh
- The Playlist
Every day, more and more films are added to the various streaming services out there, ranging from Netflix to YouTube, and are hitting the airwaves via movie-centric networks like TCM. Therefore, sifting through all of these pictures can be a tedious and often times confounding or difficult ordeal. But, that’s why we’re here. Every week, Joshua brings you five films to put at the top of your queue, add to your playlist, or grab off of VOD to make your weekend a little more eventful. Here is this week’s top five, in this week’s Armchair Vacation.
5. Doomsdays (VOD)
While post-apocalyptic action films seem to be all the craze in modern action cinema, few genres have taken to the moments before the apocalypse, let alone comedic ventures. However, from director Eddie Mullins comes this self described “pre-apocalyptic comedy,” Doomsdays. The film introduces us to two roaming squatters named Dirty Fred and Bruho,...
5. Doomsdays (VOD)
While post-apocalyptic action films seem to be all the craze in modern action cinema, few genres have taken to the moments before the apocalypse, let alone comedic ventures. However, from director Eddie Mullins comes this self described “pre-apocalyptic comedy,” Doomsdays. The film introduces us to two roaming squatters named Dirty Fred and Bruho,...
- 6/5/2015
- by Joshua Brunsting
- CriterionCast
From a range of eras and genres, here's Jenny and Alex's light-hearted pick of 50 great opening title sequences from the movies...
Odd List
We don’t go to the cinema much, because we hate people. We also don’t go because there’s always the risk of accidentally going to see the wrong film. It's not helped by the fact that there's no way of telling until it’s too late, because there are no bloody opening credits on lots of modern films. And by the time you do realise, you’ve eaten all your popcorn and you can’t be bothered to move.
The movies on this list won’t give you that problem. These opening credits are perfect scene setters for the movies that follow, so you won’t have to worry about awkward popcorn wasting moments. It's not a top 50, rather a selection of 50 interesting credits sequences,...
Odd List
We don’t go to the cinema much, because we hate people. We also don’t go because there’s always the risk of accidentally going to see the wrong film. It's not helped by the fact that there's no way of telling until it’s too late, because there are no bloody opening credits on lots of modern films. And by the time you do realise, you’ve eaten all your popcorn and you can’t be bothered to move.
The movies on this list won’t give you that problem. These opening credits are perfect scene setters for the movies that follow, so you won’t have to worry about awkward popcorn wasting moments. It's not a top 50, rather a selection of 50 interesting credits sequences,...
- 6/25/2014
- by ryanlambie
- Den of Geek
In Withnail and I, two English chums go “on holiday by mistake” and seek refuge from their horrid lives in a bottle of whatever is nearby. The movie is loaded with writing that is memorized and used by the film’s fans in their daily lives as often as possible.
How can anyone resist lines like, “We want the finest wines available to humanity. We want them here, and we want them now!” And, of course, “There must and shall be aspirin!”
“Withnail and I” centers on two actors who can’t get a role if the rent depends upon it – and it does – who take a bit of R & R at uncle Monty’s English country shack for the weekend. This film features plenty to drink: there’s wine, there’s sherry, there’s more wine, there’s a pint of something and there’s lighter fluid. Oh, there...
How can anyone resist lines like, “We want the finest wines available to humanity. We want them here, and we want them now!” And, of course, “There must and shall be aspirin!”
“Withnail and I” centers on two actors who can’t get a role if the rent depends upon it – and it does – who take a bit of R & R at uncle Monty’s English country shack for the weekend. This film features plenty to drink: there’s wine, there’s sherry, there’s more wine, there’s a pint of something and there’s lighter fluid. Oh, there...
- 5/8/2014
- by Randy Fuller
- Trailers from Hell
Last September I wrote about and posted a teaser trailer for the upcoming new feature film, God Loves the Fighter, made entirely in Trinidad, by filmmaker Damian Marcano, a Trinidad native who now lives in the U.S. At the time, the film was still in post-production and details were sketchy. However, the film is now complete and is ready to make the film festival circuit rounds before, hopefully, finding a distributor; and the first full extended trailer for it has been released as well. According to the synopsis, the film deals with "King Curtis, a vagrant on the streets of Port of Spain, who is constantly ignored by passersby. He speaks and if he has to - sometimes shouts the...
- 5/21/2013
- by Sergio
- ShadowAndAct
Getty Images Musician Earl Scruggs performs onstage during day one of California’s Stagecoach Country Music Festival held at the Empire Polo Club on April 25, 2009 in Indio, California.
Earl Scruggs, the most significant banjo player in American music history, died of natural causes yesterday in a Nashville hospital. He was 88 years old.
Born in Shelby, North Carolina, Scruggs enjoyed artistic and commercial success with his distinctive three-finger picking style on the five-string banjo, which permitted him to play lightning quick...
Earl Scruggs, the most significant banjo player in American music history, died of natural causes yesterday in a Nashville hospital. He was 88 years old.
Born in Shelby, North Carolina, Scruggs enjoyed artistic and commercial success with his distinctive three-finger picking style on the five-string banjo, which permitted him to play lightning quick...
- 3/29/2012
- by Jim Fusilli
- Speakeasy/Wall Street Journal
Everett Clarence Clemons and Bruce Springsteen in 1988
Clarence Clemons, long a member of Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band, died Saturday in Florida, following a stroke suffered June 12. He was 69 years old.
Known for his distinctive sound on tenor saxophone, Clemons was dubbed the Big Man by Springsteen, who hired him to join his nascent group in the early ‘70s. In his song “Tenth Avenue Freeze Out,” Springsteen credited Clemons’s arrival as a seminal moment in his career. Clemons...
Clarence Clemons, long a member of Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band, died Saturday in Florida, following a stroke suffered June 12. He was 69 years old.
Known for his distinctive sound on tenor saxophone, Clemons was dubbed the Big Man by Springsteen, who hired him to join his nascent group in the early ‘70s. In his song “Tenth Avenue Freeze Out,” Springsteen credited Clemons’s arrival as a seminal moment in his career. Clemons...
- 6/19/2011
- by Jim Fusilli
- Speakeasy/Wall Street Journal
Cornell Dupree, who was recently diagnosed with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, passed away on Sunday, May 8, in Fort Worth, Texas.
The musician was a session player for Miles Davis, Bill Withers, B.B. King, Ray Charles and James Brown, among others, and earned himself the nickname Mr. 2500 for the number of recording sessions he was said to have played.
At 19, he joined King Curtis' band The King Pins, playing alongside Jimi Hendrix before he was famous.
Dupree was also a member of Aretha Franklin's backing band from 1967-76 and can be heard on her album "Aretha Live at Fillmore West".
He co-founded the jazz-funk group Stuff, which went on to release a dozen albums and perform as Joe Cocker's backing band.
Dupree released 10 solo albums, with 1988's "Coast to Coast" receiving a Grammy nomination.
He is survived by his wife, Emma, according to Variety.
The musician was a session player for Miles Davis, Bill Withers, B.B. King, Ray Charles and James Brown, among others, and earned himself the nickname Mr. 2500 for the number of recording sessions he was said to have played.
At 19, he joined King Curtis' band The King Pins, playing alongside Jimi Hendrix before he was famous.
Dupree was also a member of Aretha Franklin's backing band from 1967-76 and can be heard on her album "Aretha Live at Fillmore West".
He co-founded the jazz-funk group Stuff, which went on to release a dozen albums and perform as Joe Cocker's backing band.
Dupree released 10 solo albums, with 1988's "Coast to Coast" receiving a Grammy nomination.
He is survived by his wife, Emma, according to Variety.
- 5/10/2011
- by AceShowbiz.com
- Aceshowbiz
London, April 02- The rants of seven-year-old King Curtis, who stars in the Us version of reality show ‘Wife Swap,’ is making waves online.
One of the clips, from the season 2 of the show, available on YouTube shows him scream at his temporary health fanatic mother Joy Brown, after she refuses him bacon.
Brown moved in with Curtis’ 40-year-old dad Cliff Holland in North Carolina, swearing to impose a fitness regime.
In a particular clip, Curtis shouts: “I want my bacon. Bacon is good for me.”
Curtis’.
One of the clips, from the season 2 of the show, available on YouTube shows him scream at his temporary health fanatic mother Joy Brown, after she refuses him bacon.
Brown moved in with Curtis’ 40-year-old dad Cliff Holland in North Carolina, swearing to impose a fitness regime.
In a particular clip, Curtis shouts: “I want my bacon. Bacon is good for me.”
Curtis’.
- 4/2/2010
- by News
- RealBollywood.com
Our look back at the work of Mr Joel Schumacher hits a rocky patch. It's the Julia Roberts vehicle Dying Young...
"I told Estelle you have a terminal disease - Assholeitis." - Hilary
The Recap
After hitting the ground running with the widely successful Flatliners, Joel Schumacher's next project would again focus on the balance between life and death, but this time from the point of view of a couple facing death square on.
Hilary O'Neil (Julia Roberts) has been unlucky in love for as long as she can remember. After finding out her latest boyfriend has been cheating on her, she leaves him and moves back home with her mother (Ellen Burstyn).
Determined to get her life back on track, Hilary applies for a job as a nurse for a well off family in a posh suburb in San Francisco. Although having no experience and totally out of her element,...
"I told Estelle you have a terminal disease - Assholeitis." - Hilary
The Recap
After hitting the ground running with the widely successful Flatliners, Joel Schumacher's next project would again focus on the balance between life and death, but this time from the point of view of a couple facing death square on.
Hilary O'Neil (Julia Roberts) has been unlucky in love for as long as she can remember. After finding out her latest boyfriend has been cheating on her, she leaves him and moves back home with her mother (Ellen Burstyn).
Determined to get her life back on track, Hilary applies for a job as a nurse for a well off family in a posh suburb in San Francisco. Although having no experience and totally out of her element,...
- 3/24/2010
- Den of Geek
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