It’s difficult to find an aspect of popular culture that Hugh Hefner didn’t influence during his long, remarkable life. Spanning journalism, television, film, fashion and, of course, sexuality, his impact on music is one of the least heralded aspects of his legacy. Over the course of two seasons, Hefner used his weekly syndicated variety show, Playboy After Dark, as a platform for a broad spectrum of artists.
Psychedelic sounds from San Fransisco (courtesy of the Grateful Dead), early heavy metal (provided by Deep Purple), country-tinged balladeers (thanks to Linda Ronstadt and the Byrds) and old-school crooners (like the...
Psychedelic sounds from San Fransisco (courtesy of the Grateful Dead), early heavy metal (provided by Deep Purple), country-tinged balladeers (thanks to Linda Ronstadt and the Byrds) and old-school crooners (like the...
- 9/28/2017
- by Jordan Runtagh
- PEOPLE.com
Chris Feil's weekly series looks at the use of music in movies
The Big Chill is one of the definitive films about the baby boomer generation, marking their coming of a certain age where life begins to look a lot less like what they were promised. And this is a generation that was promised an awful lot. It’s appropriate then that Lawrence Kasdan packs the film with tunes that contrast a youthful optimism with more complicated tones of soulful longing.
Many of the songs featured in the film would become soundtrack staples to the extent that they became movie cliches. Off-hand you can probably think of a half dozen films that also featured “The Weight” by The Band or “Joy to the World” by Three Dog Night. But what The Big Chill got right - and first, mind you - about much of this music is how it was the tapestry of that generation.
The Big Chill is one of the definitive films about the baby boomer generation, marking their coming of a certain age where life begins to look a lot less like what they were promised. And this is a generation that was promised an awful lot. It’s appropriate then that Lawrence Kasdan packs the film with tunes that contrast a youthful optimism with more complicated tones of soulful longing.
Many of the songs featured in the film would become soundtrack staples to the extent that they became movie cliches. Off-hand you can probably think of a half dozen films that also featured “The Weight” by The Band or “Joy to the World” by Three Dog Night. But what The Big Chill got right - and first, mind you - about much of this music is how it was the tapestry of that generation.
- 8/30/2017
- by Chris Feil
- FilmExperience
There was a song way back called "One" made popular by the band Three Dog Night. It was a song about loneliness and talked about how even if you're surrounded by people, you could be as lonely as if you were by yourself.
There were lots of things that struck a cord with me on Lethal Weapon Season 1 Episode 10, but the thing that struck me most was that final scene with Riggs sitting on the floor at the Silent Disco.
Even though he was surrounded by people, he was still alone.
And that brings up an interesting point.
Is our social world as "social" as we think it is? We sit behind computers and talk to people via Facebook or Twitter or with other apps. We talk to our friends via text instead of talking on the phone. We can get our groceries without ever going to the store.
We...
There were lots of things that struck a cord with me on Lethal Weapon Season 1 Episode 10, but the thing that struck me most was that final scene with Riggs sitting on the floor at the Silent Disco.
Even though he was surrounded by people, he was still alone.
And that brings up an interesting point.
Is our social world as "social" as we think it is? We sit behind computers and talk to people via Facebook or Twitter or with other apps. We talk to our friends via text instead of talking on the phone. We can get our groceries without ever going to the store.
We...
- 1/5/2017
- by Lisa Babick
- TVfanatic
“The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” executive producer Chris Licht admits he’s “about to collapse” – but that’s a good thing.
Licht says he’s “energized and exhausted at the same time” as “The Late Show” concludes two weeks of live broadcasts timed to the Republican and Democratic conventions. By all accounts, it’s been a success: Critics, some of whom had expressed disappointment with Colbert’s transition from Comedy Central to CBS, are raving about the shows.
And inside “The Late Show,” Licht says, “there’s a nice energy amongst Stephen and the staff. Especially Stephen, who doesn’t read press, he’s getting pure enjoyment out of the shows we’re doing.”
The live telecasts gave Colbert the opportunity to comment, in real time, on each evening’s main speeches and news, giving the show real freshness each night. Colbert also made headlines by dusting off his...
Licht says he’s “energized and exhausted at the same time” as “The Late Show” concludes two weeks of live broadcasts timed to the Republican and Democratic conventions. By all accounts, it’s been a success: Critics, some of whom had expressed disappointment with Colbert’s transition from Comedy Central to CBS, are raving about the shows.
And inside “The Late Show,” Licht says, “there’s a nice energy amongst Stephen and the staff. Especially Stephen, who doesn’t read press, he’s getting pure enjoyment out of the shows we’re doing.”
The live telecasts gave Colbert the opportunity to comment, in real time, on each evening’s main speeches and news, giving the show real freshness each night. Colbert also made headlines by dusting off his...
- 7/29/2016
- by Michael Schneider
- Indiewire
When Blake Shelton told the folks at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum to take a seat, he really meant it: The Voice coach's famous chair will soon be making a guest appearance at the Nashville museum as part of a new exhibit honoring the star, People has exclusively learned.
The exhibit opens Friday and runs through Nov. 6 – but don't worry, Blake fans. Shelton will still have a place to sit on the highly rated NBC show. It turns out the revolving chairs were made in multiples, so the exhibit will feature just one of Shelton's very limited edition chairs.
The exhibit opens Friday and runs through Nov. 6 – but don't worry, Blake fans. Shelton will still have a place to sit on the highly rated NBC show. It turns out the revolving chairs were made in multiples, so the exhibit will feature just one of Shelton's very limited edition chairs.
- 5/25/2016
- by Nancy Kruh
- People.com - TV Watch
When Blake Shelton told the folks at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum to take a seat, he really meant it: The Voice coach's famous chair will soon be making a guest appearance at the Nashville museum as part of a new exhibit honoring the star, People has exclusively learned. The exhibit opens Friday and runs through Nov. 6 - but don't worry, Blake fans. Shelton will still have a place to sit on the highly rated NBC show. It turns out the revolving chairs were made in multiples, so the exhibit will feature just one of Shelton's very limited edition chairs.
- 5/25/2016
- by Nancy Kruh
- PEOPLE.com
There's a good chance those reading this article can't remember a Dec. 31 without Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve. Even if you don't watch the annual, year-end special at home, it's hard to escape. It's on in bars. It's on at parties. And sometimes people will actually turn on the TV just to watch the Times Square countdown. It's that well-integrated into the holiday. Dick Clark hosted the show from 1975 to 2004. After suffering a stroke in late 2004, Clark returned to the special in 2006, and appeared in every subsequent New Year's Eve celebration until his death in April 2012. Now hosted by Ryan Seacrest,...
- 12/30/2015
- by Drew Mackie, @drewgmackie
- PEOPLE.com
There's a good chance those reading this article can't remember a Dec. 31 without Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve. Even if you don't watch the annual, year-end special at home, it's hard to escape. It's on in bars. It's on at parties. And sometimes people will actually turn on the TV just to watch the Times Square countdown. It's that well-integrated into the holiday. Dick Clark hosted the show from 1975 to 2004. After suffering a stroke in late 2004, Clark returned to the special in 2006, and appeared in every subsequent New Year's Eve celebration until his death in April 2012. Now hosted by Ryan Seacrest,...
- 12/30/2015
- by Drew Mackie, @drewgmackie
- PEOPLE.com
Allen Toussaint, the R&B musician whose body of work included “Working in the Coal Mine” and “Southern Nights,” has died at age 77. The BBC reports that Toussaint suffered a heart attack after appearing at Teatro Lara in Madrid on Monday night and, after he was resuscitated in his hotel room, the musician had a second heart attack while being transported to the hospital. Toussaint had been scheduled to play at the upcoming London Jazz Festival. Also Read: Cory Wells, Three Dog Night Singer, Dead at 74 Born in 1938 in New Orleans, Toussaint took up the piano at an early age,...
- 11/10/2015
- by Tim Kenneally
- The Wrap
A review of tonight's "Fargo" coming up just as soon as I find out if Joan Crawford had crabs... "Do you really think we'll get out of this mess we're in?" -Lou After being alluded to throughout the season's first four episodes, Ronald Reagan finally appears in the fleshy form of Bruce Campbell (who's having himself quite the fall, between this and "Ash vs. Evil Dead"). Reagan — even more than most American presidents of the TV age, given his acting background — is difficult to portray as anything but a caricature, but Campbell is able to get across the essence of the man whom many Americans believed could finally pull the country out of the morass it was in from Vietnam, Watergate, gas lines, and Jimmy Carter's comments about our national malaise. When he busts out his "shining city on a hill" rhetoric (which the real Reagan famously used in...
- 11/10/2015
- by Alan Sepinwall
- Hitfix
Ralph Macchio's birthday -- he turns 54 on November 4 -- reminds us that, not only do we love the Karate Kid, but we love even more a training montage.
You know, that staple of feel-good, fist-pumping, sweat-exuding movies, especially from the aerobicized '80s, that shows rapid-cut clips of the star getting in shape or mastering some arcane fighting technique, usually set to some inspirational, synth-heavy anthem.
By the end of that decade, the training montage had become such an overblown cliché that it fell out of favor, which is why we cherish the few new ones that come along and relish the old ones that still make us feel like slackers. So cue up Survivor's "Eye of the Tiger," raise a glass of raw eggs, and drink a toast to the best training montages ever.
11. 'G.I. Jane' (1997)
Training to become the first female Navy Seal, Demi Moore's Lt.
You know, that staple of feel-good, fist-pumping, sweat-exuding movies, especially from the aerobicized '80s, that shows rapid-cut clips of the star getting in shape or mastering some arcane fighting technique, usually set to some inspirational, synth-heavy anthem.
By the end of that decade, the training montage had become such an overblown cliché that it fell out of favor, which is why we cherish the few new ones that come along and relish the old ones that still make us feel like slackers. So cue up Survivor's "Eye of the Tiger," raise a glass of raw eggs, and drink a toast to the best training montages ever.
11. 'G.I. Jane' (1997)
Training to become the first female Navy Seal, Demi Moore's Lt.
- 11/3/2015
- by Gary Susman
- Moviefone
Fighting off a 60’s sugar hangover of Disney singalongs and reluctant nannies, musicals took turns being either idealistic (Hair) or Good Book Wavin’ moralistic (Godspell, Jesus Christ Superstar), and we called them Rock Musicals – the music (slightly more) hard hitting, the lyrics speaking to the issues of the day – spirituality, war – heady stuff (on paper). But who was giving the Devil his due? Where was a musical about the fun side of sin, temptation, sacrifice, and ill gained ecstasy? Where was the rock musical About rock and roll? And then, yay and verily, it did arrive on the world’s doorstep in a black bassinet, cackling and screaming, eager to please and ready to reign. Welcome to Phantom of the Paradise (1974). As a wise old Glam queen once said, “Life at last! Salutations from the other side!”
Released on Halloween by 20th Century Fox, PotP did not reign. At all.
Released on Halloween by 20th Century Fox, PotP did not reign. At all.
- 10/31/2015
- by Scott Drebit
- DailyDead
Cory Wells, one of the lead singers for the band Three Dog Night, died Tuesday in New York. He was 74. Cory Wells Dies Wells’ death was announced by fellow Three Dog Night singer, Danny Hutton, on the band’s website. “It is with deep sadness and disbelief that I must report the passing of Cory Wells, my […]
The post Cory Wells, Three Dog Night Singer, Dies At 74 appeared first on uInterview.
The post Cory Wells, Three Dog Night Singer, Dies At 74 appeared first on uInterview.
- 10/22/2015
- by Chelsea Regan
- Uinterview
Cory Wells, the co-founder and vocalist of Three Dog Night, died Tuesday, the band reported on its Facebook page. He was 74. “It is with deep sadness and disbelief that I must report the passing of Cory Wells, my beloved band mate for over 45 years,” bandmate Danny Hutton wrote in the statement. “Cory was an incredible singer — a great performer, he could sing anything.” Wells “died unexpectedly” in Dunkirk, New York. He had been touring with the band as recently as last month when he developed “severe back pain.” No cause of death was reported. Also Read: Hollywood's Notable Deaths...
- 10/21/2015
- by Thom Geier
- The Wrap
Cory Wells, co-founder and one of the lead singers for Three Dog Night has died. He was 74 years old. Danny Hutton, Wells' bandmate posted a message on the group's website saying, "It is with deep sadness and disbelief that I must report the passing of Cory Wells." The post goes on to say Cory "died unexpectedly" in New York but it's unclear how. The group had huge success in the 1960's and '70s with...
- 10/21/2015
- by TMZ Staff
- TMZ
Disney Xd's upcoming animated series take on Marvel's "Guardians of the Galaxy" is set owe even more to last year's hit film as the show is set to get its own licensed soundtrack 1970s hits with the "Cosmic Mix Volume One".
The soundtrack will feature in the series itself and will be available to purchase physically and digitally from October 16th. No doubt the studio is keen for this to be even half as successful as the film's "Awesome Mix Volue One" was.
The track list is as follows, and unsurprisingly there's already already YouTube playlists of all the songs on the Cosmic Mix:
"Hooked On a Feeling" – Blue Swede
"Funk No. 49" – The James Gang
"Drift Away" – Dobie Gray
"Walk Away" – The James Gang
"Boys Are Back in Town" – Thin Lizzy
"Shake Your Groove Thing" – Peaches and Herb
"Funk Funk" – Cameo
"Joy to the World" – Three Dog Night
"I Will Survive...
The soundtrack will feature in the series itself and will be available to purchase physically and digitally from October 16th. No doubt the studio is keen for this to be even half as successful as the film's "Awesome Mix Volue One" was.
The track list is as follows, and unsurprisingly there's already already YouTube playlists of all the songs on the Cosmic Mix:
"Hooked On a Feeling" – Blue Swede
"Funk No. 49" – The James Gang
"Drift Away" – Dobie Gray
"Walk Away" – The James Gang
"Boys Are Back in Town" – Thin Lizzy
"Shake Your Groove Thing" – Peaches and Herb
"Funk Funk" – Cameo
"Joy to the World" – Three Dog Night
"I Will Survive...
- 9/15/2015
- by Garth Franklin
- Dark Horizons
Jimmy Greenspoon, the keyboardist for rock band Three Dog Night has died. Greenspoon, 67, lost his battle with metastatic melanoma on Wednesday, five months after he first announced he was sick. The band released the following statement on its Facebook page: "We are very saddened at the passing of our dear friend and longtime band mate, Jimmy Greenspoon. Jimmy died peacefully at home today surrounded by his family. Please keep him and his loved ones in your prayers and your hearts." Greenspoon joined Three Dog Night, best known for the 1970 hit "Joy to the World (Jeremiah Was a Bullfrog)" in 1968, and...
- 3/12/2015
- by Gillian Telling, @gilliantelling
- PEOPLE.com
Jimmy Greenspoon, the keyboardist for rock band Three Dog Night has died. Greenspoon, 67, lost his battle with metastatic melanoma on Wednesday, five months after he first announced he was sick. The band released the following statement on its Facebook page: "We are very saddened at the passing of our dear friend and longtime band mate, Jimmy Greenspoon. Jimmy died peacefully at home today surrounded by his family. Please keep him and his loved ones in your prayers and your hearts." Greenspoon joined Three Dog Night, best known for the 1970 hit "Joy to the World (Jeremiah Was a Bullfrog)" in 1968, and...
- 3/12/2015
- by Gillian Telling, @gilliantelling
- PEOPLE.com
The Oscars focused more on Neil Patrick Harris' penis than a deceased actor who starred in iconic movies, and the actor's relatives are livid. Taylor Negron -- who became famous for his roles in "Fast Times at Ridgemont High" and "The Last Boy Scout" -- was left out of the 'In Memoriam' tribute, which infuriated his brother Conrad Negron who said, "They'll have Nph come out in his underwear but not take a few seconds to honor my brother.
- 2/23/2015
- by TMZ Staff
- TMZ
June Fairchild -- the actress best known for her iconic Ajax snorting scene in "Up In Smoke" -- has died at 68 ... and friends are hoping her former Cheech & Chong co-stars can help with her funeral costs. Fairchild had a big movie career in the '70s -- besides 'Smoke' ... she appeared in "Head" with The Monkees ... and "Thunderbolt and Lightfoot" with Clint Eastwood. She's also widely credited for naming the band "Three Dog Night" ... while dating lead singer Danny Hutton.
- 2/19/2015
- by TMZ Staff
- TMZ
Taylor Negron, a chameleonic character actor known for roles in dozens of films and television shows, has died. He was 57.
Negron had parts in movies such as "Fast Times at Ridgemont High," "The Last Boy Scout," "Better Off Dead," and "Angels in the Outfield," and had a prolific TV career, with stints on series including "Friends," "ER," "Seinfeld," "Curb Your Enthusiasm," "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air," "Falcon Crest," "The Hughleys," "Nash Bridges," and "Wizards of Waverly Place." He was also an accomplished stand-up comedian and painter.
Negron famously described himself as "that guy," referencing his prolific career and the numerous times he'd be recognized from one of his many projects by fans. (The A.V. Club has a more in-depth look at Negron's expansive career here.)
His cousin, Chuck Negron, of the band Three Dog Night, announced his death in a YouTube video posted on Saturday. Chuck wrote that Taylor was "a wonderful man,...
Negron had parts in movies such as "Fast Times at Ridgemont High," "The Last Boy Scout," "Better Off Dead," and "Angels in the Outfield," and had a prolific TV career, with stints on series including "Friends," "ER," "Seinfeld," "Curb Your Enthusiasm," "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air," "Falcon Crest," "The Hughleys," "Nash Bridges," and "Wizards of Waverly Place." He was also an accomplished stand-up comedian and painter.
Negron famously described himself as "that guy," referencing his prolific career and the numerous times he'd be recognized from one of his many projects by fans. (The A.V. Club has a more in-depth look at Negron's expansive career here.)
His cousin, Chuck Negron, of the band Three Dog Night, announced his death in a YouTube video posted on Saturday. Chuck wrote that Taylor was "a wonderful man,...
- 1/12/2015
- by Katie Roberts
- Moviefone
Taylor Negron, an actor who appeared on “Seinfeld” as a hairdresser in 1993’s “Smelly Car” episode, died on Saturday after a battle with cancer. He was 57.
His cousin, Three Dog Night member Chuck Negron, took to YouTube on Saturday to tell his fans that Negron passed away over the weekend while surrounded by family.
See photos: Hollywood’s Notable Deaths of 2015 (Photos)
“May he rest in peace,” Chuck said. “I just wanted all you people who knew him and loved him to know that he just passed.”
Negron, a Glendale, California-raised performer who studied acting at UCLA, began his acting...
His cousin, Three Dog Night member Chuck Negron, took to YouTube on Saturday to tell his fans that Negron passed away over the weekend while surrounded by family.
See photos: Hollywood’s Notable Deaths of 2015 (Photos)
“May he rest in peace,” Chuck said. “I just wanted all you people who knew him and loved him to know that he just passed.”
Negron, a Glendale, California-raised performer who studied acting at UCLA, began his acting...
- 1/12/2015
- by Greg Gilman
- The Wrap
A clear member of what we at Empire like to call the 27 Per Cent-ers’ Club (as in, character actors who make films 27 per cent better simply by appearing in them), it’s sad to report that comedian and actor Taylor Negron has died at the age of 57 after a long battle with cancer.One of four brothers born to parents of Puerto Rican descent in Glendale, California, the man originally known as Brad Stephen Negron was not the only member of his family to show talent – his cousin Chuck was a former member of pop group Three Dog Night. But Negron’s ambitions lay in comedy and performance, and he attended UCLA.Following work with acting coach Lee Strasberg a private comedy seminar taught by Lucille Ball, he went on to join the cast of an improv comedy group alongside the likes of Robin Williams and Martin Short. He initially...
- 1/11/2015
- EmpireOnline
Veteran actor and comedian Taylor Negron passed away at age 57 on Saturday, Jan. 10, after a long battle with cancer. His cousin, Three Dog Night band member Chuck Negron, announced the news via an emotional YouTube message. "I want to inform you that my cousin Taylor Negron just passed away. His mother, his brother Alex, my brother Rene, and his wife were all there with him. May he rest in peace. I just wanted all you people who knew him and loved him to know that [...]...
- 1/11/2015
- Us Weekly
Veteran comedy actor Taylor Negron died Saturday ... this according to his cousin -- and he had been reportedly battling cancer for years.Negron's cousin Chuck Negron -- lead singer of Three Dog Night -- confirmed the sad news with an emotional video ... saying the actor was surrounded by family when he passed away.Taylor had roles in a slew of TV shows ... as well as famous movies like -- "Stuart Little," "Bio-Dome," Nothing But Trouble,...
- 1/11/2015
- by TMZ Staff
- TMZ
Veteran actor and comedian Taylor Negron has died after a long battle with cancer, multiple sources confirm to Deadline. He was 57. Taylor's cousin and Three Dog Night member Chuck Negron also confirmed the news with an emotional video post on YouTube. "I want to inform you that my cousin Taylor Negron has just passed away," he tearfully said online. "His mother, his brother Alex and my brother's wife Renee were all there with him. May he rest in peace." He added, "I just wanted all you people who knew him and loved him to know he just passed." As soon as the news broke, celebrities including Eric Stonestreet, Rachel Dratch and Dane Cook shared their fond...
- 1/11/2015
- E! Online
James Gunn has quickly jumped up to the top of my favorite directors list. Not just because of the awesome film's he has directed, like Guardians of the Galaxy and Slither, but because he is a freaking cool guy. Gunn is also heavily connected with social media, and today, as promised, he revealed the original Awesome Mix Vol. 1 for Guardians of the Galaxy on Facebook. Here's his reveal and breakdown of the the music:
For the first time, the Entire Awesome Mix Volume 1
In honor of this new Facebook like page, I thought I'd give you what many of you have been asking for for so long. When Chris Pratt and I started working together on Guardians of the Galaxy, I gave him a mixed tape (okay, I admit, a mixed CD) of Awesome Mix Volume 1, that he could listen to endlessly, so he'd know it backwards and forwards, just...
For the first time, the Entire Awesome Mix Volume 1
In honor of this new Facebook like page, I thought I'd give you what many of you have been asking for for so long. When Chris Pratt and I started working together on Guardians of the Galaxy, I gave him a mixed tape (okay, I admit, a mixed CD) of Awesome Mix Volume 1, that he could listen to endlessly, so he'd know it backwards and forwards, just...
- 12/19/2014
- by Conrad Paur
- GeekTyrant
The Ultimate Slumber Party
By Raymond Benson
There are certain films that capture the zeitgeist of an era, and The Big Chill is definitely one of them. If a movie like, say, Annie Hall, hits the nail on the head of urban relationships in the late 70s, then Chill embraces the Baby Boomers’ angst of adulthood in the early 80s—a time when the partying and discoing Carter years were undoubtedly over and we, in the USA, were solidly entrenched in Reagan’s world of hippies-turned-yuppies. The Big Chill is a love letter to the Baby Boomers, as it explores themes of regret over wasted opportunities, friendship and camaraderie, nostalgia, and the eternal question of what-happens-next.
Director and co-writer Kasdan, in a recent video interview (included as an extra on the disk), states that one of his influences for the picture was Jean Renoir’s 1939 classic, The Rules of the Game,...
By Raymond Benson
There are certain films that capture the zeitgeist of an era, and The Big Chill is definitely one of them. If a movie like, say, Annie Hall, hits the nail on the head of urban relationships in the late 70s, then Chill embraces the Baby Boomers’ angst of adulthood in the early 80s—a time when the partying and discoing Carter years were undoubtedly over and we, in the USA, were solidly entrenched in Reagan’s world of hippies-turned-yuppies. The Big Chill is a love letter to the Baby Boomers, as it explores themes of regret over wasted opportunities, friendship and camaraderie, nostalgia, and the eternal question of what-happens-next.
Director and co-writer Kasdan, in a recent video interview (included as an extra on the disk), states that one of his influences for the picture was Jean Renoir’s 1939 classic, The Rules of the Game,...
- 7/24/2014
- by nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
“The trick is to stay alive long enough to cash out,” Steve Buscemi’s Nucky Thompson muses in a new teaser for Boardwalk Empire‘s final season. Of course, that might be easier said than done.
Related Boardwalk Empire Adds a Drifter in Season 5
HBO on Sunday aired this chilling first look at Season 5 — premiering in September — and if the uneasy cover of Three Dog Night’s “One (Is the Loneliest Number)” is any indication, Bucky won’t find himself with too many allies when the prohibition drama comes to a close.
Ready for more of today’s newsy nuggets?...
Related Boardwalk Empire Adds a Drifter in Season 5
HBO on Sunday aired this chilling first look at Season 5 — premiering in September — and if the uneasy cover of Three Dog Night’s “One (Is the Loneliest Number)” is any indication, Bucky won’t find himself with too many allies when the prohibition drama comes to a close.
Ready for more of today’s newsy nuggets?...
- 6/30/2014
- TVLine.com
It's lonely at the top — especially when you're on your way out. A new trailer for the final season of HBO's drama “Boardwalk Empire” has hit the internet, featuring Steve Buscemi‘s Nucky Thompson reflecting on an exit plan. Also read: Marvel, Netflix Cast ‘Boardwalk Empire’ Star as ‘Daredevil’ “The trick is to stay alive long enough to cash out,” bootleg-liquor kingpin Thompson reflects in the trailer, but it doesn't look like it's going to be easy. As an ominous cover of the Three Dog Night chestnut “One” plays in the background, all signs point to a showdown. And as if we need.
- 6/30/2014
- by Tim Kenneally
- The Wrap
The call to open "Christmas in Rockefeller Center" was to have diva Mariah Carey, no stranger to NBC's annual tree-lighting ceremony, stand behind some very enthusiastic child dancers and belt out a very funky version of "Joy to the World."
It was actually a mash-up of the classic non-secular carol and the classic Three Dog Night song "Joy to the World," which is not something one hears every day. We'll post video as soon as we have it.
But for now, here are a couple excellent GIFs of Mariah Carey doing her Mariah Carey thing on the rockingiest version of "Joy to the World" you'll ever hear.
Later, Carey took to the stage in a red bustier dress, white fur collar and black leather gloves (as one wears during the holidays) to sing her classic "All I Want For Christmas Is You" as the enthusiastic children danced like maniacs again.
It was actually a mash-up of the classic non-secular carol and the classic Three Dog Night song "Joy to the World," which is not something one hears every day. We'll post video as soon as we have it.
But for now, here are a couple excellent GIFs of Mariah Carey doing her Mariah Carey thing on the rockingiest version of "Joy to the World" you'll ever hear.
Later, Carey took to the stage in a red bustier dress, white fur collar and black leather gloves (as one wears during the holidays) to sing her classic "All I Want For Christmas Is You" as the enthusiastic children danced like maniacs again.
- 12/5/2013
- by editorial@zap2it.com
- Zap2It - From Inside the Box
Rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars
Listen if you like – Three Dog Night, Sergeant Peppers Lonely Hearts Club
The latest offering from pseudo-hippie messiah Edward Sharpe and the disciples, the Magnetic Zeros, feels like the end of a great party. People have started moving towards the door because the thing has gone on long enough for us to realize that, sometimes, alcohol doesn’t bring out the best in people.
The second track on the album “Let’s Get High” reminds me of Bluto’s “When the Going Get’s Tough” speech from Animal House; it’s an emotionally sincere attempt to get the group back into the spirit, but do we really want to be? The song is fun, the lyrics are silly, but it’s the musical equivalent of seeing one man with a lampshade on his head telling everybody how great this party is. Most of the songs from...
Listen if you like – Three Dog Night, Sergeant Peppers Lonely Hearts Club
The latest offering from pseudo-hippie messiah Edward Sharpe and the disciples, the Magnetic Zeros, feels like the end of a great party. People have started moving towards the door because the thing has gone on long enough for us to realize that, sometimes, alcohol doesn’t bring out the best in people.
The second track on the album “Let’s Get High” reminds me of Bluto’s “When the Going Get’s Tough” speech from Animal House; it’s an emotionally sincere attempt to get the group back into the spirit, but do we really want to be? The song is fun, the lyrics are silly, but it’s the musical equivalent of seeing one man with a lampshade on his head telling everybody how great this party is. Most of the songs from...
- 9/18/2013
- by Andrew Depew
- Obsessed with Film
No, this is not an April Fool’s Day joke: American Idol has cooked up a fun, fresh theme for next Wednesday’s Top 7 performance episode.
Yeah, I kinda wish Nigel Lythgoe & Co. hadn’t added the “Classic” modifier to “Classic Rock, No Ballads” night — why not let the kids go current, if they’re so inclined? — but still, we won’t get seven consecutive ballads. (What-what?) And as long as Nigel isn’t maniacally offering a meager list of 15 or 20 pre-approved songs, it’s a pretty broad theme, too, with plenty of opportunities for brilliance and/or catastrophe.
Related...
Yeah, I kinda wish Nigel Lythgoe & Co. hadn’t added the “Classic” modifier to “Classic Rock, No Ballads” night — why not let the kids go current, if they’re so inclined? — but still, we won’t get seven consecutive ballads. (What-what?) And as long as Nigel isn’t maniacally offering a meager list of 15 or 20 pre-approved songs, it’s a pretty broad theme, too, with plenty of opportunities for brilliance and/or catastrophe.
Related...
- 3/29/2013
- by Michael Slezak
- TVLine.com
On January 25th the Museum of the Moving Image held a special screening of Phantom of the Paradise with Paul Williams in attendance, and we have for you here all the highlights of the Q&A.
Last year the documentary Paul Williams: Still Alive championed the cold hard fact that Paul Williams was, indeed, not dead. You know, Paul Williams. He wrote songs for The Carpenters and The Muppets (even Muppet Otters). He co-starred alongside Jackie Gleason in all the Smokey and the Bandit movies. He was a staple on Carson’s couch during the 70’s.
With his diminutive height, blond pageboy and glasses, he looked like an unlikely star. And by "star" I mean huge—Grammy, Golden Globe and Oscar winning and a sex symbol to boot. But we horror folks remember him best from Brian De Palma’s 1974 box office failure-cum-cult classic Phantom of the Paradise. Not only...
Last year the documentary Paul Williams: Still Alive championed the cold hard fact that Paul Williams was, indeed, not dead. You know, Paul Williams. He wrote songs for The Carpenters and The Muppets (even Muppet Otters). He co-starred alongside Jackie Gleason in all the Smokey and the Bandit movies. He was a staple on Carson’s couch during the 70’s.
With his diminutive height, blond pageboy and glasses, he looked like an unlikely star. And by "star" I mean huge—Grammy, Golden Globe and Oscar winning and a sex symbol to boot. But we horror folks remember him best from Brian De Palma’s 1974 box office failure-cum-cult classic Phantom of the Paradise. Not only...
- 2/23/2013
- by Heather Buckley
- DreadCentral.com
Blu-ray & DVD Release Date: Feb. 5, 2013
Price: DVD $19.99
Studio: Virgil Films
Paul Williams and Barbra Streisand pose with their "Evergreen" Academy Award in a clip from Paul Williams: Still Alive.
The 2011 documentary film Paul Williams: Still Alive takes a look at the one-time superstar popular songwriter and show biz presence who’s been missing in action for the past two decades—but who is, as the film’s title puts is, still alive!
Williams seems to be everywhere in the 1970s: On records, the radio, TV and movies – but he suddenly walked away from it all, and a new generation of pop music lovers has no idea who he is. As a songwriter, Williams penned a slew of now-classic songs, including The Carpenters’ “We’ve Only Just Begun” and “Rainy Days and Mondays,” Barbra Streisand’s “Evergreen,” Three Dog Night’s “Just an Old Fashioned Love Song” and the Muppets’ “Rainbow Connection.
Price: DVD $19.99
Studio: Virgil Films
Paul Williams and Barbra Streisand pose with their "Evergreen" Academy Award in a clip from Paul Williams: Still Alive.
The 2011 documentary film Paul Williams: Still Alive takes a look at the one-time superstar popular songwriter and show biz presence who’s been missing in action for the past two decades—but who is, as the film’s title puts is, still alive!
Williams seems to be everywhere in the 1970s: On records, the radio, TV and movies – but he suddenly walked away from it all, and a new generation of pop music lovers has no idea who he is. As a songwriter, Williams penned a slew of now-classic songs, including The Carpenters’ “We’ve Only Just Begun” and “Rainy Days and Mondays,” Barbra Streisand’s “Evergreen,” Three Dog Night’s “Just an Old Fashioned Love Song” and the Muppets’ “Rainbow Connection.
- 1/15/2013
- by Laurence
- Disc Dish
Kessler Gets The Rainbow Connection
Back when Paul Williams was a supremely popular songwriter, a regular on Johnny Carson, and a freshly awarded winner of an Academy Award, a Grammy, and a pair of Golden Globes, there was no way he could predict he would be living out his old age in moderate obscurity, a forgotten ghost of 70s ballads, and Studio 54 drug use. Some super fans (director Stephen Kessler included) thought Williams had died young, either asphyxiated on powder, or drowned in self indulgence. But the now long sober writer behind such hits as The Carpenters’ “We’ve Only Just Begun”, Three Dog Night’s “An Old Fashioned Lovesong”, and the much beloved “Rainbow Connection” sung by Jim Henson as Kermit, is very much still alive, seemingly happier than ever, despite the lack of fame and riches many of his luckier contemporaries still carry with them today. Kessler’s first documentary,...
Back when Paul Williams was a supremely popular songwriter, a regular on Johnny Carson, and a freshly awarded winner of an Academy Award, a Grammy, and a pair of Golden Globes, there was no way he could predict he would be living out his old age in moderate obscurity, a forgotten ghost of 70s ballads, and Studio 54 drug use. Some super fans (director Stephen Kessler included) thought Williams had died young, either asphyxiated on powder, or drowned in self indulgence. But the now long sober writer behind such hits as The Carpenters’ “We’ve Only Just Begun”, Three Dog Night’s “An Old Fashioned Lovesong”, and the much beloved “Rainbow Connection” sung by Jim Henson as Kermit, is very much still alive, seemingly happier than ever, despite the lack of fame and riches many of his luckier contemporaries still carry with them today. Kessler’s first documentary,...
- 6/9/2012
- by Jordan M. Smith
- IONCINEMA.com
I'm a kid of the 1970's and if you grew up when I did, then you pretty much couldn't go through life without coming into contact with the work of the diminutive Paul Williams, at least a few hundred times. I say that only in half-jest, because for awhile he seemed to be everywhere at once. If you have ever turned on a radio chances are you have heard a Paul Williams tune. The list of performers he has written for is staggering and endless. Elvis, Streisand, The Monkees, Sinatra, Bowie, Three Dog Night, and The Carpenters to name only some of them. If you turned on the TV, there he was, whether it be cracking Johnny Carson up on one of his whopping...
- 6/9/2012
- Screen Anarchy
June 3: Game-show host Chuck Barris ("The Gong Show") is 83. Singer Ian Hunter is 73. Singer Eddie Holman is 66. Bassist Too Slim of Riders in the Sky is 64. Singer Suzi Quatro is 62. Singer Deniece Williams is 61. Singer Dan Hill is 58. Actor Scott Valentine ("Family Ties") is 54. Guitarist Kerry King of Slayer is 48. Singer Mike Gordon of Phish is 47. Newsman Anderson Cooper is 45. Country singer Jamie O'Neal is 44. Singers Ariel and Gabriel Hernandez of No Mercy are 41. Actor Vik Sahay ("Chuck") is 41. Actress Lalaine Dupree ("Lizzie McGuire") is 25.
June 4: Actor Bruce Dern is 76. Singer-actress Michelle Phillips (The Mamas and The Papas) is 68. Bassist Danny Brown of The Fixx is 61. Actor Parker Stevenson is 60. Singer El DeBarge is 51. Singer Al B. Sure! is 44. Actor Scott Wolf ("Party of Five") is 44. Ron Huebel ("What to Expect When You're Expecting") is 43. Comedian Horatio Sanz ("Saturday Night Live") is 43. Actor Noah Wyle ("ER") is 41. Bassist...
June 4: Actor Bruce Dern is 76. Singer-actress Michelle Phillips (The Mamas and The Papas) is 68. Bassist Danny Brown of The Fixx is 61. Actor Parker Stevenson is 60. Singer El DeBarge is 51. Singer Al B. Sure! is 44. Actor Scott Wolf ("Party of Five") is 44. Ron Huebel ("What to Expect When You're Expecting") is 43. Comedian Horatio Sanz ("Saturday Night Live") is 43. Actor Noah Wyle ("ER") is 41. Bassist...
- 5/31/2012
- by AP
- Huffington Post
-- Like the King of Pop or the Queen of Soul, Donna Summer was bestowed a title fitting of musical royalty – the Queen of Disco.
Yet unlike Michael Jackson or Aretha Franklin, it was a designation she wasn't comfortable embracing.
"I grew up on rock `n' roll," Summer once said when explaining her reluctance to claim the title.
Indeed, as disco boomed then crashed in a single decade in the 1970s, Summer, the beautiful voice and face of the genre with pulsating hits like "I Feel Love," "Love to Love You Baby" and "Last Dance," would continue to make hits incorporating the rock roots she so loved. One of her biggest hits, "She Works Hard for the Money," came in the early 1980s and relied on a smoldering guitar solo as well as Summer's booming voice.
Yet it was with her disco anthems that she would have the most impact in music,...
Yet unlike Michael Jackson or Aretha Franklin, it was a designation she wasn't comfortable embracing.
"I grew up on rock `n' roll," Summer once said when explaining her reluctance to claim the title.
Indeed, as disco boomed then crashed in a single decade in the 1970s, Summer, the beautiful voice and face of the genre with pulsating hits like "I Feel Love," "Love to Love You Baby" and "Last Dance," would continue to make hits incorporating the rock roots she so loved. One of her biggest hits, "She Works Hard for the Money," came in the early 1980s and relied on a smoldering guitar solo as well as Summer's booming voice.
Yet it was with her disco anthems that she would have the most impact in music,...
- 5/18/2012
- by AP
- Huffington Post
Donna Summer, whose pulsating hits "I Feel Love," "Last Dance" and "MacArthur Park" provided the disco soundtrack for the 1970s, has died at age 63. Her family confirmed Summer's death, saying in a statement that they "are at peace celebrating her extraordinary life and her continued legacy." "Words truly can't express how much we appreciate your prayers and love for our family at this sensitive time," the statement continued. A onetime backup singer for Three Dog Night, Summer, who was born Ladonna Gaines, hit the American charts with the sexually charged "Love to Love You Baby," released in 1975 amid controversy...
- 5/17/2012
- by Mike Fleeman
- PEOPLE.com
Although music listeners today are in many cases less familiar with him than his expansive body of work, Paul Williams is an iconic singer-songwriter responsible for many of the biggest pop hits of the 1970s and '80s. After producing hits for Three Dog Night ("An Old Fashioned Love Song"), The Carpenters ("We’ve Only Just Begun"), Barbra Streisand ("Evergreen," which earned him an Academy Award for Best Song) and The Muppets ("Rainbow Connection") among many others, he’s set to collaborate with one of this generation’s iconic artists: Daft Punk. Photos: The Scene at SXSW 2012 Following a screening of
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- 3/17/2012
- by Todd Gilchrist
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Has a recurring problem with kidney stones? Send him to Hollywood! Lives in a tent and prone to exhibit flu-like symptoms when cooped up inside cold and dusty auditoriums? She’s on to the next round! Believes she can subsist for an entire day on a can of Red Bull, a piece of toast, and the occasional whiff of Jennifer Lopez’s Glow perfume? That was a trick question: Jennifer Lopez doesn’t wear Glow! Ha!
If you happened to miss Thursday night’s installment of American Idol, you’re probably wondering if I’m hopped up on cold medicine,...
If you happened to miss Thursday night’s installment of American Idol, you’re probably wondering if I’m hopped up on cold medicine,...
- 2/10/2012
- by Michael Slezak
- TVLine.com
The American Idol contestant who tumbled off the stage during her Hollywood Week audition made a full recovery on Thursday's show. After singing "Sittin' on the Dock of the Bay" by Otis Redding, Symone Black was talking to the judges when she blacked out and fell. It was a scary moment but she woke up and was able to walk on her own to seek medical attention with her sense of humor intact. "Does this means I get a yes?" she said on her way out. The doctor's diagnosis: dehydration. The judges' determination: she's still in the game. Related: Singer...
- 2/10/2012
- by Aaron Parsley
- PEOPLE.com
Amy Brumfield spreads a nasty bug, while Richie Law, Brielle Von Hugel and Brianna-Marie Bell fight for the title of Drama Queen.
By Adam Graham
Group auditions begin on "American Idol"
Photo: Fox
Group Night Drama took hold of "American Idol" on Thursday (February 9). The whole episode, in fact, zeroed in on the Drama — the infighting, the personality clashes, the late-night bleary eyes — and didn't make any time for actual, you know, singing.
Luckily, there were enough distractions to keep things interesting. A mean sick bug seemed to be going around with the contestants, and Patient Zero was Amy Brumfield, whom you remember as Tent Girl, or the girl who lives in a tent in the woods in Tennessee. Brumfield was down and out for most of the episode, battling flu-like symptoms, while those she came in contact with were also given a mean case of the pukes. Lesson:...
By Adam Graham
Group auditions begin on "American Idol"
Photo: Fox
Group Night Drama took hold of "American Idol" on Thursday (February 9). The whole episode, in fact, zeroed in on the Drama — the infighting, the personality clashes, the late-night bleary eyes — and didn't make any time for actual, you know, singing.
Luckily, there were enough distractions to keep things interesting. A mean sick bug seemed to be going around with the contestants, and Patient Zero was Amy Brumfield, whom you remember as Tent Girl, or the girl who lives in a tent in the woods in Tennessee. Brumfield was down and out for most of the episode, battling flu-like symptoms, while those she came in contact with were also given a mean case of the pukes. Lesson:...
- 2/9/2012
- MTV Music News
More than 200 artists have performed on Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve since it debuted 40 years ago, and in tonight’s countdown of the Top 40 performances, Jennifer Lopez (and her bedazzled bodysuit) took the crown. See the full list below. Things we learned watching Fergie and Jenny McCarthy host tonight’s live two-hour countdown special: The crowd dancing in the ’80s was so much better than today, Rick Springfield actually pulled off that pink suit (which is, we assume, why his name and “Jessie’s Girl” trended on Twitter), and meeting McCarthy was one loud man’s life dream.
- 1/1/2012
- by Mandi Bierly
- EW.com - PopWatch
New York -- Forty years ago, Dick Clark's New Year's Eve special was created to give young people an alternative to a seasonal institution, bandleader Guy Lombardo.
Now Clark's annual show is the institution.
"New Year's Rockin' Eve," with Clark and Ryan Seacrest, pays tribute to its own history during a sprawling, nearly six-hour program Saturday night. The celebration takes up all of prime time on ABC, breaks for a half-hour of local news, then comes back on the air for two and a quarter hours that includes the ball dropping in New York City's Times Square to mark the beginning of 2012.
"I'm looking forward to it being 2:15 (a.m. on Sunday)," said Larry Klein, who has been producing the show since 1977.
Clark's special shows no sign of slippage, after collecting its biggest audience in five years last year. The 18.8 million people who were watching ABC during the...
Now Clark's annual show is the institution.
"New Year's Rockin' Eve," with Clark and Ryan Seacrest, pays tribute to its own history during a sprawling, nearly six-hour program Saturday night. The celebration takes up all of prime time on ABC, breaks for a half-hour of local news, then comes back on the air for two and a quarter hours that includes the ball dropping in New York City's Times Square to mark the beginning of 2012.
"I'm looking forward to it being 2:15 (a.m. on Sunday)," said Larry Klein, who has been producing the show since 1977.
Clark's special shows no sign of slippage, after collecting its biggest audience in five years last year. The 18.8 million people who were watching ABC during the...
- 12/29/2011
- by AP
- Huffington Post
New York -- Forty years ago, Dick Clark's New Year's Eve special was created to give young people an alternative to a seasonal institution, bandleader Guy Lombardo.
Now Clark's annual show is the institution.
"New Year's Rockin' Eve," with Clark and Ryan Seacrest, pays tribute to its own history during a sprawling, nearly six-hour program Saturday night. The celebration takes up all of prime time on ABC, breaks for a half-hour of local news, then comes back on the air for two and a quarter hours that includes the ball dropping in New York City's Times Square to mark the beginning of 2012.
"I'm looking forward to it being 2:15 (a.m. on Sunday)," said Larry Klein, who has been producing the show since 1977.
Clark's special shows no sign of slippage, after collecting its biggest audience in five years last year. The 18.8 million people who were watching ABC during the...
Now Clark's annual show is the institution.
"New Year's Rockin' Eve," with Clark and Ryan Seacrest, pays tribute to its own history during a sprawling, nearly six-hour program Saturday night. The celebration takes up all of prime time on ABC, breaks for a half-hour of local news, then comes back on the air for two and a quarter hours that includes the ball dropping in New York City's Times Square to mark the beginning of 2012.
"I'm looking forward to it being 2:15 (a.m. on Sunday)," said Larry Klein, who has been producing the show since 1977.
Clark's special shows no sign of slippage, after collecting its biggest audience in five years last year. The 18.8 million people who were watching ABC during the...
- 12/29/2011
- by AP
- Aol TV.
Chicago – In our latest new music album edition of HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: Music, we have 3 deluxe CDs up for grabs for super hit country artist Toby Keith’s newest album “Clancy’s Tavern”!
Arena-filling entertainer Toby Keith stunned fans and music critics alike with his unannounced, intimate New York club jam in 2010. He delighted his fans by including four songs recorded live that night on the deluxe edition of his “Bullets in the Gun” album last October. Now, Toby’s doing it again with the Oct. 24, 2011 release of “Clancy’s Tavern,” which is his 15th studio album.
To win your free “Clancy’s Tavern” deluxe CD courtesy of HollywoodChicago.com, just answer our question in this Web-based submission form. That’s it! Directions to enter this HollywoodChicago.com Hookup and win can be found beneath the graphic below.
Toby Keith released his new album “Clancy’s Tavern” on Oct. 24, 2011.
Image...
Arena-filling entertainer Toby Keith stunned fans and music critics alike with his unannounced, intimate New York club jam in 2010. He delighted his fans by including four songs recorded live that night on the deluxe edition of his “Bullets in the Gun” album last October. Now, Toby’s doing it again with the Oct. 24, 2011 release of “Clancy’s Tavern,” which is his 15th studio album.
To win your free “Clancy’s Tavern” deluxe CD courtesy of HollywoodChicago.com, just answer our question in this Web-based submission form. That’s it! Directions to enter this HollywoodChicago.com Hookup and win can be found beneath the graphic below.
Toby Keith released his new album “Clancy’s Tavern” on Oct. 24, 2011.
Image...
- 11/22/2011
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
We finally find out the format for the "X Factor" Top 17. Each group performs and each judge sends home one person from his or her group (Simon has to cut two girls) and that gives us the Top 12 that presumably the American public will get to start voting on.
Also, I have to apologize right up front if I can't identify all the songs. They're doing mash-ups and I don't know them all and they don't tell us, which is really irksome.
The Boys
1. Astro, "Jump" and something else
I'm not entirely sure what the song was - Astro's original lyrics mashed-up with the chorus of "Jump" by Kriss Kross? Hmm. Anyway, it was good. He's a very talented rapper. The lyrics with "X Factor" added in were dumb. That needs to stop, it's like when artists insert the name of the town where they're performing into their lyrics to get crowd response (i.
Also, I have to apologize right up front if I can't identify all the songs. They're doing mash-ups and I don't know them all and they don't tell us, which is really irksome.
The Boys
1. Astro, "Jump" and something else
I'm not entirely sure what the song was - Astro's original lyrics mashed-up with the chorus of "Jump" by Kriss Kross? Hmm. Anyway, it was good. He's a very talented rapper. The lyrics with "X Factor" added in were dumb. That needs to stop, it's like when artists insert the name of the town where they're performing into their lyrics to get crowd response (i.
- 10/26/2011
- by editorial@zap2it.com
- Zap2It - From Inside the Box
Plot: In the seventies, there were few bigger stars than Paul Williams. Standing a diminutive 5.2, Williams, famous for having written a slew of hit songs for The Carpenters, Three Dog Night, Kris Kristofferson, and Barbara Streisand (winning an Oscar for his track off A Star Is Born), was a popular guest on The Tonight Show, and The Muppet Show (for which he wrote .The Rainbow Connection.). He even penned the theme song for The Love Boat. But, after the mid-eighties, Williams disappeared,...
- 9/20/2011
- by Chris Bumbray
- JoBlo.com
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