Rolling Stone interview series Unknown Legends features long-form conversations between senior writer Andy Greene and veteran musicians who have toured and recorded alongside icons for years, if not decades. All are renowned in the business, but some are less well known to the general public. Here, these artists tell their complete stories, giving an up-close look at life on music’s A list. This edition features drummer Steve Distanislao
By the summer of 2005, drummer Steve Distanislao felt like his career had reached a pinnacle. After years of struggling to earn a living as a musician,...
By the summer of 2005, drummer Steve Distanislao felt like his career had reached a pinnacle. After years of struggling to earn a living as a musician,...
- 5/26/2024
- by Andy Greene
- Rollingstone.com
Mediawan Rights will rep international sales rights and has released a first teaser clip for “My Way,” a documentary about the iconic song that features a star-studded cast including Ol’ Blue Eyes himself and is narrated by Jane Fonda. The film premieres May 16 with a screening at the Cannes Film Festival’s Cinema de la Plage.
Directed by Thierry Teston in collaboration with Lisa Azuelos, “My Way” is billed as “a captivating journey into the heart of an iconic song that explores the universal appeal and enduring legacy of a timeless classic.”
Through the lens of performers including Frank Sinatra, Ben Harper, Paul Anka, David Bowie, Claude François, Clara Luciani and Sparks, and full of never-before-heard anecdotes, the documentary aims to paint a vivid portrait of the song’s evolution and impact on different generations and cultures, using rare archival footage to trace the remarkable journey of a single melody...
Directed by Thierry Teston in collaboration with Lisa Azuelos, “My Way” is billed as “a captivating journey into the heart of an iconic song that explores the universal appeal and enduring legacy of a timeless classic.”
Through the lens of performers including Frank Sinatra, Ben Harper, Paul Anka, David Bowie, Claude François, Clara Luciani and Sparks, and full of never-before-heard anecdotes, the documentary aims to paint a vivid portrait of the song’s evolution and impact on different generations and cultures, using rare archival footage to trace the remarkable journey of a single melody...
- 5/16/2024
- by Christopher Vourlias
- Variety Film + TV
Michael Jackson was the King of Pop and every king has a court. It’s no surprise he worked with several other megastars across genres over the course of his life. Some of those collaborations are classic and others are tragic.
1. Justin Timberlake
“Love Never Felt So Good” is a posthumous disco duet with Justin Timberlake. It’s not as good as Jackson’s classic disco tracks but it has an infectious, cherry energy. It feels more like a prequel to Timberlake’s “Can’t Stop the Feeling!” than anything else.
The song has some great timing. It came out in 2014. 2013 saw a huge revival of disco music with hits like Robin Thicke’s “Blurred Lines,” Daft Punk’s “Get Lucky,” Bruno Mars’ “Treasure.” while it was a song from the vaults, “Love Never Felt So Good” felt practically modern! The tune appeared on the posthumous album Xscape. Xscape is not Thriller,...
1. Justin Timberlake
“Love Never Felt So Good” is a posthumous disco duet with Justin Timberlake. It’s not as good as Jackson’s classic disco tracks but it has an infectious, cherry energy. It feels more like a prequel to Timberlake’s “Can’t Stop the Feeling!” than anything else.
The song has some great timing. It came out in 2014. 2013 saw a huge revival of disco music with hits like Robin Thicke’s “Blurred Lines,” Daft Punk’s “Get Lucky,” Bruno Mars’ “Treasure.” while it was a song from the vaults, “Love Never Felt So Good” felt practically modern! The tune appeared on the posthumous album Xscape. Xscape is not Thriller,...
- 5/2/2024
- by Matthew Trzcinski
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
Los Angeles, May 2 (Ians) Hollywood star Alec Baldwin has revealed his potential plans for having another baby with his wife Hilaria.
The actor, who appeared on the Our Way with Paul Anka and Skip Bronson podcast, is father to daughters Carmen Gabriela, 10, Maria Lucia Victoria, 3, and Ilaria Catalina Irena, 16 months, as well as sons Rafael Thomas, 8, Leonardo “Leo” Angel, 7, Romeo Alejandro, 5, and Eduardo “Edu” Pao Lucas, 3, with Hilaria.
He also has a daughter named Ireland, 28, with former wife Kim Basinger, 70.
“I’m the only person I know who drops four kids off at school in the morning and comes home, and I still have three kids waiting for me when I get home,” Baldwin said.
Reflecting on his family size, Baldwin humorously added, “I have eight children. I got my oldest daughter. She has a baby, and she and her boyfriend are living in Oregon. I met my wife, and...
The actor, who appeared on the Our Way with Paul Anka and Skip Bronson podcast, is father to daughters Carmen Gabriela, 10, Maria Lucia Victoria, 3, and Ilaria Catalina Irena, 16 months, as well as sons Rafael Thomas, 8, Leonardo “Leo” Angel, 7, Romeo Alejandro, 5, and Eduardo “Edu” Pao Lucas, 3, with Hilaria.
He also has a daughter named Ireland, 28, with former wife Kim Basinger, 70.
“I’m the only person I know who drops four kids off at school in the morning and comes home, and I still have three kids waiting for me when I get home,” Baldwin said.
Reflecting on his family size, Baldwin humorously added, “I have eight children. I got my oldest daughter. She has a baby, and she and her boyfriend are living in Oregon. I met my wife, and...
- 5/2/2024
- by Agency News Desk
- GlamSham
‘Friends’ star Jennifer Aniston, though not very active on Instagram, recently offered her followers a glimpse into her busy life. The actress took to her Instagram and shared a carousel of images, including a selfie where she pouted her lips in a car, reports ‘People’ magazine.
Jennifer displayed her grown-out lob hairstyle, which she sported for much of the awards season in support of her series ‘The Morning Show’ this year.
According to ‘People’, several other photos in the carousel featured two of her three dogs, Lord Chesterfield and Clyde, lounging around and giving her some puppy-dog eyes.
Another shot captured Jennifer during a workout session at Pvolve — the celebrity-endorsed workout brand she previously partnered with — posing for a mirror selfie with the company’s director of training, Dani Coleman.
In other images, the actress was seen with friends, including TV writer Molly McNearney (wife of Jimmy Kimmel and producer...
Jennifer displayed her grown-out lob hairstyle, which she sported for much of the awards season in support of her series ‘The Morning Show’ this year.
According to ‘People’, several other photos in the carousel featured two of her three dogs, Lord Chesterfield and Clyde, lounging around and giving her some puppy-dog eyes.
Another shot captured Jennifer during a workout session at Pvolve — the celebrity-endorsed workout brand she previously partnered with — posing for a mirror selfie with the company’s director of training, Dani Coleman.
In other images, the actress was seen with friends, including TV writer Molly McNearney (wife of Jimmy Kimmel and producer...
- 4/28/2024
- by Agency News Desk
- GlamSham
Melania Trump lives a fascinating, opulent life as the wife of former Potus Donald Trump. She is former supermodel and has carved out a niche as a savvy businesswoman.
Today Melania lives with Donald and their only child Barron at their Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida. Will Melania get a second chance to be a First Lady in 2024?
Only the future knows the answer, but today we have five fascinating facts to share about this glamorous multihyphenate!
1. Melania Trump Is A Celeb Surrounded By Famous Friends
Melania is a gorgeous woman familiar with the world of celebrity. She was in the first Zoolander” movie that debuted in 2001.
Prior to that cameo, her 2005 wedding to Donald Trump had a superstar lineup to entertain their guests. Melania and Donald wed at the Bethesda-by-the-Sea Episcopal church in Palm Beach, Florida and it was star-studded event.
Billy Joel, Elton John, Paul Anka, and Tony Bennett...
Today Melania lives with Donald and their only child Barron at their Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida. Will Melania get a second chance to be a First Lady in 2024?
Only the future knows the answer, but today we have five fascinating facts to share about this glamorous multihyphenate!
1. Melania Trump Is A Celeb Surrounded By Famous Friends
Melania is a gorgeous woman familiar with the world of celebrity. She was in the first Zoolander” movie that debuted in 2001.
Prior to that cameo, her 2005 wedding to Donald Trump had a superstar lineup to entertain their guests. Melania and Donald wed at the Bethesda-by-the-Sea Episcopal church in Palm Beach, Florida and it was star-studded event.
Billy Joel, Elton John, Paul Anka, and Tony Bennett...
- 4/18/2024
- by Tanya Clark
- Celebrating The Soaps
Chicago P.D. has finished filming for Season 11. And that means Tracy Spiridakos has filmed her final scenes.
Tracy has been an integral part of the Chicago P.D. cast for years, but the Season 11 finale is her final episode.
Fellow cast members have often shared goodbye messages on social media this spring. That included a comment from Laroyce Hawkins (Officer Kevin Atwater) that read #SaveUpton.
Star Jason Beghe (Hank Voight) also recently stated, “It’s not going to be the same” when Tracy leaves the show. He is 100 percent correct in his assessment that the show must now adapt.
Marina Squerciati also posted about getting as many Tracy hugs as possible. Marina continues to play Officer Kim Burgess – a character who has been with the show since the beginning.
Now, some sweet videos of Tracy on set have been shared by Chicago P.D. producer Brian Luce. He is...
Tracy has been an integral part of the Chicago P.D. cast for years, but the Season 11 finale is her final episode.
Fellow cast members have often shared goodbye messages on social media this spring. That included a comment from Laroyce Hawkins (Officer Kevin Atwater) that read #SaveUpton.
Star Jason Beghe (Hank Voight) also recently stated, “It’s not going to be the same” when Tracy leaves the show. He is 100 percent correct in his assessment that the show must now adapt.
Marina Squerciati also posted about getting as many Tracy hugs as possible. Marina continues to play Officer Kim Burgess – a character who has been with the show since the beginning.
Now, some sweet videos of Tracy on set have been shared by Chicago P.D. producer Brian Luce. He is...
- 4/13/2024
- by Ryan DeVault
- Monsters and Critics
I suppose there’s a more interesting film to be made about the great composer Ennio Morricone, but watching Giuseppe Tornatore’s loving and comprehensive “Ennio” makes it almost impossible to care. An uncomplicated and reverent tribute that was shot before the late maestro’s death in 2020 (and would feel like a two-and-a-half-hour tribute reel if not for the fact that Morricone himself is the film’s most frequent talking head), this straightforward biodoc is almost perversely generic for a movie that’s meant to honor one of cinema’s greatest radicals.
And yet, do you really not want to see Clint Eastwood deadpanning that Morricone’s music “helped dramatize me, which is really hard to do”? Would a less conventional documentary have been able to squeeze Bruce Springsteen, Wong Kar-wai, and James Hetfield into the same film, or include so much of what Bernardo Bertolucci had to say about...
And yet, do you really not want to see Clint Eastwood deadpanning that Morricone’s music “helped dramatize me, which is really hard to do”? Would a less conventional documentary have been able to squeeze Bruce Springsteen, Wong Kar-wai, and James Hetfield into the same film, or include so much of what Bernardo Bertolucci had to say about...
- 2/7/2024
- by David Ehrlich
- Indiewire
CNN, meet Sin City.
As CNN appears poised to expand its original series offerings, the cable channel has set its next series: Vegas: The Story of Sin City.
The series will premiere Sunday, Feb. 25 at 10 p.m., and will explore “the past seventy years of America’s cultural maturation through the lens of this unique city, featuring the entertainment acts, the visionary entrepreneurs, the infamous mafia figures, and the colorful political history that put it on the map,” per CNN.
That will include interviews with Vegas icons like Wayne Newton and Paul Anka, as well as journalists, showgirls, and historians. The series is produced for CNN by Bungalow Media+ Entertainment.
“Vegas is another of our acclaimed CNN Original Series that brings new life and color to major stories and events in our collective history,” said Amy Entelis, executive VP of talent for CNN Originals, and creative development for CNN Worldwide.
As CNN appears poised to expand its original series offerings, the cable channel has set its next series: Vegas: The Story of Sin City.
The series will premiere Sunday, Feb. 25 at 10 p.m., and will explore “the past seventy years of America’s cultural maturation through the lens of this unique city, featuring the entertainment acts, the visionary entrepreneurs, the infamous mafia figures, and the colorful political history that put it on the map,” per CNN.
That will include interviews with Vegas icons like Wayne Newton and Paul Anka, as well as journalists, showgirls, and historians. The series is produced for CNN by Bungalow Media+ Entertainment.
“Vegas is another of our acclaimed CNN Original Series that brings new life and color to major stories and events in our collective history,” said Amy Entelis, executive VP of talent for CNN Originals, and creative development for CNN Worldwide.
- 1/25/2024
- by Alex Weprin
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
As it turns out, Anderson Cooper getting drunk and giggling uncontrollably on live television at the site of a cat’s butt in John Mayer’s face makes for good television.
The news network announced on Thursday that its New Years Eve special hosted by Cooper and Andy Cohen brought in about 2.33 million viewers this year, a 12 percent bump compared to the year prior, according to the network. This year’s broadcast ended the annual special’s short-lived prohibition, as the network decided to dial back the booze last year...
The news network announced on Thursday that its New Years Eve special hosted by Cooper and Andy Cohen brought in about 2.33 million viewers this year, a 12 percent bump compared to the year prior, according to the network. This year’s broadcast ended the annual special’s short-lived prohibition, as the network decided to dial back the booze last year...
- 1/5/2024
- by Ethan Millman
- Rollingstone.com
Paul Anka rang in the new year on across several networks while singing “Imagine” on New Year’s Eve 2024 late Sunday night (December 31)!
The legendary 82-year-old singer performed the song “My Way,” as well as the John Lennon song live from Times Square, and it was aired on all of the major broadcasts airing just before midnight.
While the singer has had a long and illustrious career, many viewers had some mixed reactions to his performance to bring in 2024.
Keep reading to find out more…
“I’m sorry but Paul Anka singing on #Cnnnye seems incredibly outdated. Or is he just here because the audience is actually people who stay home on Nye.
The legendary 82-year-old singer performed the song “My Way,” as well as the John Lennon song live from Times Square, and it was aired on all of the major broadcasts airing just before midnight.
While the singer has had a long and illustrious career, many viewers had some mixed reactions to his performance to bring in 2024.
Keep reading to find out more…
“I’m sorry but Paul Anka singing on #Cnnnye seems incredibly outdated. Or is he just here because the audience is actually people who stay home on Nye.
- 1/1/2024
- by Just Jared
- Just Jared
We can’t believe it’s New Year’s Eve and we’re about to ring in 2024 with the iconic Times Square ball drop live from New York City.
If you don’t have the ability to watch the ball drop live on TV via any of the network channels, you’re in luck…because there’s a live stream of the festivities, and we’re bringing you the video right here!
Head inside to watch the live stream…
This year’s webcast will be co-hosted by Jonathan Bennett and Jeremy Hassell. If you watch the stream ahead of the ball drop, you’ll be able to see performancecs by Paul Anka and Flo Rida, among others.
The six hour celebration will kick off at 6 p.m. Et and continue through midnight when the ball drops. Be sure to tune in!
See the embedded video below to catch all the festivities live!
If you don’t have the ability to watch the ball drop live on TV via any of the network channels, you’re in luck…because there’s a live stream of the festivities, and we’re bringing you the video right here!
Head inside to watch the live stream…
This year’s webcast will be co-hosted by Jonathan Bennett and Jeremy Hassell. If you watch the stream ahead of the ball drop, you’ll be able to see performancecs by Paul Anka and Flo Rida, among others.
The six hour celebration will kick off at 6 p.m. Et and continue through midnight when the ball drops. Be sure to tune in!
See the embedded video below to catch all the festivities live!
- 12/31/2023
- by Just Jared
- Just Jared
Prefer to ring in 2024 from home? You can still bid adieu to 2023 and tune into live countdowns in New York’s Times Square, California’s Disneyland and beyond. And whether you’re into pop, country or comedy, there’s a show for everyone. Keep reading for the best 2024 New Year’s Eve specials to watch online, from the annual Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve hosted by Ryan Seacrest to CNN’s countdown with Anderson Cooper and Andy Cohen.
How to Watch 2024 New Year’s Eve Specials Online
If you watch the best 2024 New Year’s Eve specials on your TV, smartphone or tablet, you’ll need a subscription to cable or streaming video-on-demand (SVOD) service to livestream the events. Most smart TVs already support SVOD apps, but if yours doesn’t, you’ll need to connect it to a streaming stick or device such as the Amazon Fire Stick,...
How to Watch 2024 New Year’s Eve Specials Online
If you watch the best 2024 New Year’s Eve specials on your TV, smartphone or tablet, you’ll need a subscription to cable or streaming video-on-demand (SVOD) service to livestream the events. Most smart TVs already support SVOD apps, but if yours doesn’t, you’ll need to connect it to a streaming stick or device such as the Amazon Fire Stick,...
- 12/30/2023
- by Danielle Directo-Meston
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Las Vegas’ fall/winter 2023 calendar has been nonstop with major events from the opening of Sphere with U2:uv Achtung Baby Live in September to the long-awaited debut of Fontainebleau with Justin Timberlake and Paul Anka helming the festivities in December. Of course, there was also a little street race called Formula 1 Las Vegas Grand Prix sandwiched in between.
Related: The Best Vegas Residencies to Catch Through 2024: U2 and Adele’s Extended Stays, Usher’s Sin City Finale and More
With New Year’s Eve 2023 falling ideally on a Sunday — making it a four-day holiday weekend — the city hosts a private club and theater christening and residency openings as eight fireworks displays from The Strat to MGM Grand light up the sky above the Strip.
Christina Aguilera opens her show Voltaire in Venetian on Dec. 30.
Below, keep reading for the best New Year’s Eve 2023 parties, concerts and events in Las Vegas,...
Related: The Best Vegas Residencies to Catch Through 2024: U2 and Adele’s Extended Stays, Usher’s Sin City Finale and More
With New Year’s Eve 2023 falling ideally on a Sunday — making it a four-day holiday weekend — the city hosts a private club and theater christening and residency openings as eight fireworks displays from The Strat to MGM Grand light up the sky above the Strip.
Christina Aguilera opens her show Voltaire in Venetian on Dec. 30.
Below, keep reading for the best New Year’s Eve 2023 parties, concerts and events in Las Vegas,...
- 12/30/2023
- by Melinda Sheckells
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
It’s almost time to ring in the new year, which means it’s also nearly time for the annual New Year’s Eve ball drop in Times Square.
But don’t worry because you can also enjoy the festivities from home via live stream. The free live webcast begins at 6 p.m. Sunday, and features backstage access, behind-the-scenes stories, performances and more.
This year, actor and TV personality Jonathan Bennett and Jeremy Hassell return to host the Nye 2024 webcast.
Bennett, best known for his starring roles in Mean Girls and the Hallmark Holiday film The Holiday Sitter, previously hosted the event in 2016, 2019, 2020 and 2021. Bennett has also hosted Cake Wars, Halloween Wars and Holiday Wars. As for Hassell, he has been part of the Times Square New Year’s Eve celebration since 2016. Throughout his career, he has hosted several live events and celebrity interviews.
The event will feature musical performances by Paul Anka,...
But don’t worry because you can also enjoy the festivities from home via live stream. The free live webcast begins at 6 p.m. Sunday, and features backstage access, behind-the-scenes stories, performances and more.
This year, actor and TV personality Jonathan Bennett and Jeremy Hassell return to host the Nye 2024 webcast.
Bennett, best known for his starring roles in Mean Girls and the Hallmark Holiday film The Holiday Sitter, previously hosted the event in 2016, 2019, 2020 and 2021. Bennett has also hosted Cake Wars, Halloween Wars and Holiday Wars. As for Hassell, he has been part of the Times Square New Year’s Eve celebration since 2016. Throughout his career, he has hosted several live events and celebrity interviews.
The event will feature musical performances by Paul Anka,...
- 12/30/2023
- by Carly Thomas
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Breaking Bad stars Aaron Paul and Bryan Cranston attended the grand opening of Fontainebleau Las Vegas together.
The two men posed on the carpet side by side. Paul wore a maroon suit with a black dress shirt underneath, while Cranston, on the other hand, decided on a classic black and white suit.
The two men have remained close ever since the show ended, as they own the tequila company Dos Hombres Mezcal together and have recently dropped merch promoting the brand.
Paul spoke about their friendship to Fox News, “Bryan, he is my mentor, one of my best friends on the planet. I’ve learned so much from this guy. To be able to tackle something yet again with him, that was really our own brainchild – a dream come true.”
Many other A-listers attended the event, including Tom Brady, Cher, Kim Kardashian, Lenny Kravitz and more. In addition to this,...
The two men posed on the carpet side by side. Paul wore a maroon suit with a black dress shirt underneath, while Cranston, on the other hand, decided on a classic black and white suit.
The two men have remained close ever since the show ended, as they own the tequila company Dos Hombres Mezcal together and have recently dropped merch promoting the brand.
Paul spoke about their friendship to Fox News, “Bryan, he is my mentor, one of my best friends on the planet. I’ve learned so much from this guy. To be able to tackle something yet again with him, that was really our own brainchild – a dream come true.”
Many other A-listers attended the event, including Tom Brady, Cher, Kim Kardashian, Lenny Kravitz and more. In addition to this,...
- 12/19/2023
- by Nina Hauswirth
- Uinterview
Justin Timberlake dusted off his dancing shoes and microphone for one of his first live performances in almost four years on Wednesday night, taking the stage at the grand opening of the Fontainebleau Las Vegas.
Dressed in a crisp white tux and G.H. Bass loafers, Timberlake performed a 70-minute set of his greatest hits to help christen the Fontainebleau’s new 3,800-seat BleauLive Theater, opening with 2006’s “SexyBack,” before launching into a medley of fan favorites like “LoveStoned,” “Señorita,” “Cry Me a River” and “Summer Love.”
In front of a star-studded crowd that included wife Jessica Biel, Kim Kardashian, Kendall Jenner, Lenny Kravitz and Cher, Timberlake also performed a mashup of “Can’t Stop the Feeling” and Bill Withers’ “Lovely Day,” then took to the piano for an acoustic rendition of “Until the End of Time” that he dedicated “to all the lovers out there.” Toward the end of the night,...
Dressed in a crisp white tux and G.H. Bass loafers, Timberlake performed a 70-minute set of his greatest hits to help christen the Fontainebleau’s new 3,800-seat BleauLive Theater, opening with 2006’s “SexyBack,” before launching into a medley of fan favorites like “LoveStoned,” “Señorita,” “Cry Me a River” and “Summer Love.”
In front of a star-studded crowd that included wife Jessica Biel, Kim Kardashian, Kendall Jenner, Lenny Kravitz and Cher, Timberlake also performed a mashup of “Can’t Stop the Feeling” and Bill Withers’ “Lovely Day,” then took to the piano for an acoustic rendition of “Until the End of Time” that he dedicated “to all the lovers out there.” Toward the end of the night,...
- 12/14/2023
- by Tim Chan
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Frank Sinatra’s “My Way” has become of of the biggest standards in the history of music. Notably, it didn’t chart as highly as his cover of “Old MacDonald.” Regardless, Sinatra’s “My Way” changed Paul Anka’s career.
Frank Sinatra | Bettmann / Contributor Frank Sinatra’s ‘My Way’ was overshadowed by many of his other 1960s songs at 1st
While “My Way” is possibly Sinatra’s most famous song today, it didn’t even hit the top 10 or the top 20! The tune peaked at No. 27 on the Billboard Hot 100, lasting on the chart for eight weeks. It was outperformed by “Somethin’ Stupid,” “That’s Life,” “Strangers in the Night,” and other 1960s Sinatra songs that get less airplay today.
It was even outperformed by Sinatra’s cover of “Old MacDonald,” which he gave the variant title “Ol’ McDonald.” That tune peaked at No. 25 on the Billboard Hot 100 and stayed on the chart for nine weeks.
Frank Sinatra | Bettmann / Contributor Frank Sinatra’s ‘My Way’ was overshadowed by many of his other 1960s songs at 1st
While “My Way” is possibly Sinatra’s most famous song today, it didn’t even hit the top 10 or the top 20! The tune peaked at No. 27 on the Billboard Hot 100, lasting on the chart for eight weeks. It was outperformed by “Somethin’ Stupid,” “That’s Life,” “Strangers in the Night,” and other 1960s Sinatra songs that get less airplay today.
It was even outperformed by Sinatra’s cover of “Old MacDonald,” which he gave the variant title “Ol’ McDonald.” That tune peaked at No. 25 on the Billboard Hot 100 and stayed on the chart for nine weeks.
- 6/12/2023
- by Matthew Trzcinski
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
Pat Cooper, an acerbic stand-up comedian who later had a career acting in films and TV series including Analyze This, Seinfeld and the original Charlie’s Angels and was a favorite of Howard Stern, died Tuesday at his home in Las Vegas. He was 93.
His wife, Emily Connor, announced the news.
Born Pasquale Caputo on July 31, 1929, in Brooklyn, he tried to join multiple branches of the U.S. Armed Forces but was rejected and turned to comedy. He adopted his stage name during an early-’60s stint doing stand-up, which further angered the Italian family he often roasted in his act.
Cooper became estranged from his parents while focusing on his insult-heavy comedy career. His angry onstage persona led to multiple firings from stints opening for the likes of Frank Sinatra and Paul Anka. By the mid-’60s, he was being booked on many of the era’s most popular variety...
His wife, Emily Connor, announced the news.
Born Pasquale Caputo on July 31, 1929, in Brooklyn, he tried to join multiple branches of the U.S. Armed Forces but was rejected and turned to comedy. He adopted his stage name during an early-’60s stint doing stand-up, which further angered the Italian family he often roasted in his act.
Cooper became estranged from his parents while focusing on his insult-heavy comedy career. His angry onstage persona led to multiple firings from stints opening for the likes of Frank Sinatra and Paul Anka. By the mid-’60s, he was being booked on many of the era’s most popular variety...
- 6/7/2023
- by Erik Pedersen
- Deadline Film + TV
Frank Sinatra’s “My Way” is one of the most moving ballads in the history of pop music. Notably, the tune was penned by songwriter extraordinaire Paul Anka. Subsequently, Anka explained why he gave the tune to Ol’ Blue Eyes.
Frank Sinatra | Joan Adlen Photography / Contributor Paul Anka based Frank Sinatra’s ‘My Way’ on a French song about a boring relationship
“My Way” is based on a French song called “Comme d’habitude,” which means “As Usual.” “Comme d’habitude” is about a couple falling out of love because their relationship become mundane. In his 2013 book My Way: An Autobiography, Anka said the song was average and stereotypically French, but he was intrigued by its melody. He negotiated the rights to the song and wrote new lyrics for it. He gave the track to Sinatra instead of keeping it for himself.
Anka explained this decision. “Hanging out with Sinatra...
Frank Sinatra | Joan Adlen Photography / Contributor Paul Anka based Frank Sinatra’s ‘My Way’ on a French song about a boring relationship
“My Way” is based on a French song called “Comme d’habitude,” which means “As Usual.” “Comme d’habitude” is about a couple falling out of love because their relationship become mundane. In his 2013 book My Way: An Autobiography, Anka said the song was average and stereotypically French, but he was intrigued by its melody. He negotiated the rights to the song and wrote new lyrics for it. He gave the track to Sinatra instead of keeping it for himself.
Anka explained this decision. “Hanging out with Sinatra...
- 6/7/2023
- by Matthew Trzcinski
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
Jim Gordon, a drummer who played on Derek and the Dominos’ Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs and the Beach Boys’ Pet Sounds, died Monday at the age of 77. The musician, who was diagnosed with schizophrenia and was serving a prison sentence for killing his mother in 1983, died in a state-run medical facility in Vacaville, California. Publicist Bob Merlis confirmed Gordon’s death in a statement, adding that Gordon died of natural causes.
In addition to his incredible catalog of recordings, Gordon is also known for sharing a songwriting credit on “Layla” with Eric Clapton,...
In addition to his incredible catalog of recordings, Gordon is also known for sharing a songwriting credit on “Layla” with Eric Clapton,...
- 3/16/2023
- by Kory Grow and Daniel Kreps
- Rollingstone.com
Jay Weston, producer of films like “Lady Sings the Blues” and “Buddy Buddy,” died of natural causes Feb. 28 at the Motion Picture Home in Woodland Hills, Calif. He was 93.
Weston first met Billie Holiday at the Newport Jazz Festival — a chance encounter that would ultimately lead to Weston producing a biopic about her starring Diana Ross in 1972. “Lady Sings the Blues” marked Ross’ feature debut and went on to score five Academy Award nominations, including best actress for Ross and original screenplay.
“I read the book and I said to [Holiday’s] agent, ‘I want to make a movie out of it,’” Weston said in a 2011 interview with the Los Angeles Business Journal, referring to the jazz singer’s autobiography. “He said, ‘Give me $5,000, and I’ll think about it.’ So I gave him $5,000, and it took 13 years and many $5,000 payments to keep the rights because everybody wanted it.”
The veteran filmmaker...
Weston first met Billie Holiday at the Newport Jazz Festival — a chance encounter that would ultimately lead to Weston producing a biopic about her starring Diana Ross in 1972. “Lady Sings the Blues” marked Ross’ feature debut and went on to score five Academy Award nominations, including best actress for Ross and original screenplay.
“I read the book and I said to [Holiday’s] agent, ‘I want to make a movie out of it,’” Weston said in a 2011 interview with the Los Angeles Business Journal, referring to the jazz singer’s autobiography. “He said, ‘Give me $5,000, and I’ll think about it.’ So I gave him $5,000, and it took 13 years and many $5,000 payments to keep the rights because everybody wanted it.”
The veteran filmmaker...
- 3/3/2023
- by Katie Reul
- Variety Film + TV
Jay Weston, a veteran producer of Hollywood films including 1972’s “Lady Sings the Blues” starring Diana Ross and 1968’s “For Love of Ivy” starring Sidney Poitier, has died at the age or 93.
Weston, who also built a respected career as a restaurant critic, died at the Motion Picture Home in Woodland Hills, California.
Weston’s most notable producing efforts likely came on “Lady Sings the Blues,” which was nominated for five Academy Awards. Other features included “Buddy Buddy” (notable for being Billy Wilder’s final film), “Chu Chu and the Philly Flash” and “W.C. Fields and Me.”
Weston was born in Brooklyn, New York, on March 9, 1929, to Phillip and Shirley Weinstein. He went to NYU as a pre-med student, but soon switched to an arts curriculum. After earning a BA, he began a career in publicity before being drafted and sent to Korea in 1952. There he started a newspaper, The Hialean,...
Weston, who also built a respected career as a restaurant critic, died at the Motion Picture Home in Woodland Hills, California.
Weston’s most notable producing efforts likely came on “Lady Sings the Blues,” which was nominated for five Academy Awards. Other features included “Buddy Buddy” (notable for being Billy Wilder’s final film), “Chu Chu and the Philly Flash” and “W.C. Fields and Me.”
Weston was born in Brooklyn, New York, on March 9, 1929, to Phillip and Shirley Weinstein. He went to NYU as a pre-med student, but soon switched to an arts curriculum. After earning a BA, he began a career in publicity before being drafted and sent to Korea in 1952. There he started a newspaper, The Hialean,...
- 3/3/2023
- by Drew Taylor
- The Wrap
Jay Weston, who was working as a publicist when a chance meeting with Billie Holiday at the 1958 Newport Jazz Festival would lead to the producing of her 1972 biopic Lady Sings the Blues, died February 28 of natural causes at the Motion Picture Home in Woodland Hills, CA. He was 93.
His death was announced by spokesperson Jeff Sanderson on behalf of the Weston family.
Related Story Hollywood & Media Deaths In 2023: Photo Gallery & Obituaries Related Story Ricou Browning Dies: 'Creature From The Black Lagoon's Gill-man Was 93 Related Story Brett Radin Dies: Talent Manager With Knitting Factory Management Was 53
A prominent restaurant critic later in life, Weston’s show business career in the 1960s, ’70s and ’80s was marked by such high points as producing Billy Wilder’s last film, Chu Chu and the Philly Flash with Carol Burnett and Alan Arkin, W.C. Fields...
His death was announced by spokesperson Jeff Sanderson on behalf of the Weston family.
Related Story Hollywood & Media Deaths In 2023: Photo Gallery & Obituaries Related Story Ricou Browning Dies: 'Creature From The Black Lagoon's Gill-man Was 93 Related Story Brett Radin Dies: Talent Manager With Knitting Factory Management Was 53
A prominent restaurant critic later in life, Weston’s show business career in the 1960s, ’70s and ’80s was marked by such high points as producing Billy Wilder’s last film, Chu Chu and the Philly Flash with Carol Burnett and Alan Arkin, W.C. Fields...
- 3/3/2023
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
Jay Weston, who produced the Diana Ross-starring Lady Sings the Blues and Billy Wilder’s final feature, Buddy Buddy, has died. He was 93.
Weston died Tuesday of natural causes at the Motion Picture & Television Country House and Hospital in Woodland Hills, his family announced.
Weston also served as head of ABC’s feature film division, Palomar Pictures, where his first project was the Sydney Pollack-directed They Shoot Horses, Don’t They? (1969), nominated for nine Oscars.
And he produced the 1969 Broadway drama Does a Tiger Wear a Necktie?, starring Al Pacino in a career-launching, Tony-winning turn.
A chance meeting with Billie Holiday at the Newport Jazz Festival led him to securing the rights to her autobiography. He then produced Lady Sings the Blues (1972), the Sidney J. Furie-helmed biopic that collected five Academy Award nominations.
Weston followed with films including W.C. Fields and Me (1976), starring Rod Steiger; Chu Chu and...
Weston died Tuesday of natural causes at the Motion Picture & Television Country House and Hospital in Woodland Hills, his family announced.
Weston also served as head of ABC’s feature film division, Palomar Pictures, where his first project was the Sydney Pollack-directed They Shoot Horses, Don’t They? (1969), nominated for nine Oscars.
And he produced the 1969 Broadway drama Does a Tiger Wear a Necktie?, starring Al Pacino in a career-launching, Tony-winning turn.
A chance meeting with Billie Holiday at the Newport Jazz Festival led him to securing the rights to her autobiography. He then produced Lady Sings the Blues (1972), the Sidney J. Furie-helmed biopic that collected five Academy Award nominations.
Weston followed with films including W.C. Fields and Me (1976), starring Rod Steiger; Chu Chu and...
- 3/3/2023
- by Mike Barnes
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life was a highly-anticipated sequel series to the iconic early 2000s show Gilmore Girls. The series gave fans a chance to catch up with their favorite characters. And for the actors who inhabited those characters, it served as a bit of a homecoming. Lauren Graham, who played Lorelai in the franchise, has frequently talked about her love for the series, and what it was like to film the sequel show. In a recent interview, Graham discussed one of the celebrity guest stars from Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life. This unlikely source gave her some fantastic insight into the craft of acting.
‘Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life’ featured a lot of celebrity cameos Lauren Graham attends the 2020 NBCUniversal Winter Press Tour 45 at The Langham Huntington, Pasadena on January 11, 2020 in Pasadena, California. | Frazer Harrison/Getty Images
Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life...
‘Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life’ featured a lot of celebrity cameos Lauren Graham attends the 2020 NBCUniversal Winter Press Tour 45 at The Langham Huntington, Pasadena on January 11, 2020 in Pasadena, California. | Frazer Harrison/Getty Images
Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life...
- 2/23/2023
- by Christina Nunn
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
There are classic rock songs about every topic under the sun. For example, some great classic rock songs deal with getting older. Notably, Paul McCartney once produced such a song for another singer.
The Beatles’ ‘Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band’ | Science & Society Picture Library / Contributor 5. The Beatles’ ‘When I’m Sixty-Four’
Getting older can be difficult, but The Beatles’ “When I’m Sixty-Four” makes it seem fun. Paul had a thing for vaudeville music, and this is probably his best stab at the genre. It’s not one of the more experimental classic rock songs on Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, but it’s still a lot of fun.
Paul turned 64 in 2006. During that year, he told the Los Angeles Times he had a regret about the song: it should’ve been “When I’m Ninety-Four.” He said some listeners don’t even think “When I’m Sixty-Four” is about old age.
The Beatles’ ‘Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band’ | Science & Society Picture Library / Contributor 5. The Beatles’ ‘When I’m Sixty-Four’
Getting older can be difficult, but The Beatles’ “When I’m Sixty-Four” makes it seem fun. Paul had a thing for vaudeville music, and this is probably his best stab at the genre. It’s not one of the more experimental classic rock songs on Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, but it’s still a lot of fun.
Paul turned 64 in 2006. During that year, he told the Los Angeles Times he had a regret about the song: it should’ve been “When I’m Ninety-Four.” He said some listeners don’t even think “When I’m Sixty-Four” is about old age.
- 2/18/2023
- by Matthew Trzcinski
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
Classic rock songs shouldn’t be immune from criticism. Some of the most famous classic rock songs are sexist. For example, one of The Beatles’ songs includes lyrics about a teenager that hasn’t aged well.
The Beatles | Central Press/Getty Images 5. The Beatles’ ‘I Saw Her Standing There’
In The Beatles’ “I Saw Her Standing There,” Paul McCartney says, “She was just 17 if you know what I mean.” Paul would have been 20 when that track was released in the United Kingdom. “I Saw Her Standing There” wasn’t the first or last classic rock song to sexualize a teenage girl, but it’s definitely one of the most prominent examples of this problem.
If you’re being charitable, you can imagine Paul is singing from the perspective of another teenager. However, this is a song that probably would have made more sense in the hands of one of the...
The Beatles | Central Press/Getty Images 5. The Beatles’ ‘I Saw Her Standing There’
In The Beatles’ “I Saw Her Standing There,” Paul McCartney says, “She was just 17 if you know what I mean.” Paul would have been 20 when that track was released in the United Kingdom. “I Saw Her Standing There” wasn’t the first or last classic rock song to sexualize a teenage girl, but it’s definitely one of the most prominent examples of this problem.
If you’re being charitable, you can imagine Paul is singing from the perspective of another teenager. However, this is a song that probably would have made more sense in the hands of one of the...
- 2/10/2023
- by Matthew Trzcinski
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
Released by David Bowie’s estate in 2022, Divine Symmetry, subtitled “An Alternative Journey Through Hunky Dory,” is a 4-disc collection chronicling the year’s work leading to David Bowie’s fourth studio album. Demos, previously unreleased tracks, and live recordings capture the sound of a vision in a state of flux.
As its lead single, “Changes,” makes clear, Hunky Dory, released on Dec. 17, 1971, presented a notable metamorphosis for the artist who would go on to define transformation. This worked against Bowie as his label, RCA Records, worried he would reframe his image again, and did not promote the single. Hunky Dory didn’t chart until after the release of Bowie’s 1972 album The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust.
Bowie had only landed one hit during his tenure at Mercury Records, and it would have marked him as a novelty singer. “Space Oddity” charted five days before the Apollo 11 launch in 1969. His third album,...
As its lead single, “Changes,” makes clear, Hunky Dory, released on Dec. 17, 1971, presented a notable metamorphosis for the artist who would go on to define transformation. This worked against Bowie as his label, RCA Records, worried he would reframe his image again, and did not promote the single. Hunky Dory didn’t chart until after the release of Bowie’s 1972 album The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust.
Bowie had only landed one hit during his tenure at Mercury Records, and it would have marked him as a novelty singer. “Space Oddity” charted five days before the Apollo 11 launch in 1969. His third album,...
- 1/10/2023
- by Mike Cecchini
- Den of Geek
BMG, the world’s largest international music company outside the three ‘majors’, has struck a sub-publishing agreement for India with Turnkey Music & Publishing, one of the country’s only standalone music publishing companies.
BMG’s music publishing catalogue comprises over three million songs, made up of works by legends including George Harrison, Ringo Starr, Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Roger Waters, Ray Davies, Buddy Holly, Paul Anka, Diane Warren, Kurt Cobain and Chris DeBurgh as well as contemporary superstar songwriters, including Lewis Capaldi, Bebe Rexha, Kings Of Leon, Juice Wrld, and thousands of others.
Some of the greatest songs in music history are represented by BMG, such as ‘Another Brick In The Wall’ (Pink Floyd), ‘Walk This Way’ (Aerosmith), ‘Everybody Wants To Rule The World’ (Tears For Fears), ‘Wild World’ (Cat
Stevens/Yusuf Islam) and ‘Come As You Are’ (Nirvana).
BMG also owns the publishing of catalogues including Virgin, Chrysalis, Stage Three,...
BMG’s music publishing catalogue comprises over three million songs, made up of works by legends including George Harrison, Ringo Starr, Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Roger Waters, Ray Davies, Buddy Holly, Paul Anka, Diane Warren, Kurt Cobain and Chris DeBurgh as well as contemporary superstar songwriters, including Lewis Capaldi, Bebe Rexha, Kings Of Leon, Juice Wrld, and thousands of others.
Some of the greatest songs in music history are represented by BMG, such as ‘Another Brick In The Wall’ (Pink Floyd), ‘Walk This Way’ (Aerosmith), ‘Everybody Wants To Rule The World’ (Tears For Fears), ‘Wild World’ (Cat
Stevens/Yusuf Islam) and ‘Come As You Are’ (Nirvana).
BMG also owns the publishing of catalogues including Virgin, Chrysalis, Stage Three,...
- 10/29/2022
- by Glamsham Bureau
- GlamSham
“Just don’t look.”
Those three words mean many things to horror fans when put together in a short but sweet sentence. We utter the phrase when watching our favorite movies with someone squeamish. It’s sometimes what we tell ourselves when something gruesome is happening on screen as we play peek-a-boo from behind our fingers. And it’s something we tell those who criticize our love of the genre and don’t understand why we adore it so. If they don’t like it, just don’t look.
Jordan Peele is interested in another context for the phrase. Nope, like a famous “Treehouse of Horror” segment, explores the fact that no matter what is on screen, we, as horror fiends, can’t help ourselves. Without spoiling the movie for those who haven’t seen it, Nope asks us as horror fans and as a society what it will take...
Those three words mean many things to horror fans when put together in a short but sweet sentence. We utter the phrase when watching our favorite movies with someone squeamish. It’s sometimes what we tell ourselves when something gruesome is happening on screen as we play peek-a-boo from behind our fingers. And it’s something we tell those who criticize our love of the genre and don’t understand why we adore it so. If they don’t like it, just don’t look.
Jordan Peele is interested in another context for the phrase. Nope, like a famous “Treehouse of Horror” segment, explores the fact that no matter what is on screen, we, as horror fiends, can’t help ourselves. Without spoiling the movie for those who haven’t seen it, Nope asks us as horror fans and as a society what it will take...
- 9/22/2022
- by Marcus Shorter
- bloody-disgusting.com
The appearance of disgraced former New York City mayor and “Borat” co-star Rudy Giuliani on “The Masked Singer” chummed the waters of late-night hosts on Thursday night. The vision of Donald Trump’s disbarred lawyer singing George Thorogood’s “Bad to the Bone,” was too surreal of a moment to ignore.
When the Fox reality competition revealed that the rainbow-colored chicken in a Jack in the Box was indeed the keynote speaker from the Four Seasons Total Landscaping press conference, “Masked Singer” judge Ken Jeong realized that whatever they were paying him to stand there and grin wasn’t enough and walked off the set. Robin Thicke reportedly bolted, too, but did not pronounce “yeah, I’m done,” like Jeong did. Nicole Scherzinger and Jenny McCarthy stayed to do some humiliating dance moves.
“Is Jared from Subway and the Zika virus next?” Jimmy Kimmel asked when talking about the incident...
When the Fox reality competition revealed that the rainbow-colored chicken in a Jack in the Box was indeed the keynote speaker from the Four Seasons Total Landscaping press conference, “Masked Singer” judge Ken Jeong realized that whatever they were paying him to stand there and grin wasn’t enough and walked off the set. Robin Thicke reportedly bolted, too, but did not pronounce “yeah, I’m done,” like Jeong did. Nicole Scherzinger and Jenny McCarthy stayed to do some humiliating dance moves.
“Is Jared from Subway and the Zika virus next?” Jimmy Kimmel asked when talking about the incident...
- 4/22/2022
- by Jordan Hoffman
- Gold Derby
La Lupe never seemed to second-guess herself onstage. The Afro-Cuban singer — who died 30 years ago this week, on Feb. 29, 1992 — was infinitely watchable, unafraid to kick and howl and twitch, as if the music were sending electric jolts throughout her body. In Cuba, where she headlined nightclubs in the early 1960s, she enthralled novelists like Ernest Hemingway and Guillermo Cabrera, both of whom wrote about the rhapsodic fury that seemed to overtake her when she sang. Her first husband Eulogio Reyes once said that the first time he saw her perform,...
- 2/28/2022
- by Julyssa Lopez
- Rollingstone.com
I am sitting with Doja Cat in an Airbnb in Universal City, California, in mid-November, listening to a punk cover of “I Saw Her Standing There” and polishing off the toothsome lobster-caviar rolls she made. She’s talking about an ex-boyfriend and puffing on her omnipresent highlighter-colored tobacco vape (“I don’t crave many things other than this stupid thing. That’s pretty much it. Chocolate, sex, and vape”). All of a sudden, after about an hour of chatting about her last album and past relationships, she looks down at...
- 12/16/2021
- by EJ Dickson
- Rollingstone.com
James Brown’s estate has sold the late singer’s music assets to Primary Wave, the publishing and management company announced on Monday, marking the latest blockbuster deal in the booming song acquisition market.
Primary Wave didn’t comment on the financial details of the deal or how much of a stake it purchased, but a source familiar with the deal tells Rolling Stone Primary Wave bought the entirety of Brown’s publishing, master income stream, and name and likeness rights that were owned by the estate. As the New York Times reports,...
Primary Wave didn’t comment on the financial details of the deal or how much of a stake it purchased, but a source familiar with the deal tells Rolling Stone Primary Wave bought the entirety of Brown’s publishing, master income stream, and name and likeness rights that were owned by the estate. As the New York Times reports,...
- 12/13/2021
- by Ethan Millman
- Rollingstone.com
Pop music brothers Ron and Russell Mael, who perform as Sparks, were ‘meta’ before it became a thing, and certainly before Mark Zuckerberg decided to call his company by that name.
They’re meta in the way some of their songs comment on songwriting itself (a bit like how Monty Python would sometimes stop in the middle of a comedy sketch to comment on the sketch). Edgar Wright, director of the Oscar-contending documentary The Sparks Brothers, cites one example from the brothers’ oeuvre.
“‘When I’m with You’ has a middle eight [section] where it says, ‘It’s the break in the song/Where I should say something special/But the pressure is on and I can’t make up nothing special,’” Wright notes. “That’s hilarious. That’s so Sparks. What a brilliant thing to put in a pop song.”
The brothers—Ron was born in 1945, Russell in 1948—have been...
They’re meta in the way some of their songs comment on songwriting itself (a bit like how Monty Python would sometimes stop in the middle of a comedy sketch to comment on the sketch). Edgar Wright, director of the Oscar-contending documentary The Sparks Brothers, cites one example from the brothers’ oeuvre.
“‘When I’m with You’ has a middle eight [section] where it says, ‘It’s the break in the song/Where I should say something special/But the pressure is on and I can’t make up nothing special,’” Wright notes. “That’s hilarious. That’s so Sparks. What a brilliant thing to put in a pop song.”
The brothers—Ron was born in 1945, Russell in 1948—have been...
- 11/29/2021
- by Matthew Carey
- Deadline Film + TV
Deck the halls with bows and arrows. It is a wonderful time of the year for Disney+, which dropped the first Hawkeye trailer down the chimney.
Marvel’s latest live-action series will be a Christmas show, and Clint Barton, a.k.a Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner), is re-gifting his archery set to young hero Kate Bishop (Hailee Steinfeld). Clint still has the vision to hit a target, but his hearing may not be so great anymore. We can plainly see Hawkeye’s hearing aid, which could end up being the result of an injury suffered on the show.
You can watch the trailer here:
The trailer features one of the most rousing fast-waltz celebrations ever crooned. “It’s The Most Wonderful Time of The Year” was written by the songwriting team of Eddie Pola and George Wyle. It is such a standard it’s been the theme song for Christmas Seals several times.
Marvel’s latest live-action series will be a Christmas show, and Clint Barton, a.k.a Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner), is re-gifting his archery set to young hero Kate Bishop (Hailee Steinfeld). Clint still has the vision to hit a target, but his hearing may not be so great anymore. We can plainly see Hawkeye’s hearing aid, which could end up being the result of an injury suffered on the show.
You can watch the trailer here:
The trailer features one of the most rousing fast-waltz celebrations ever crooned. “It’s The Most Wonderful Time of The Year” was written by the songwriting team of Eddie Pola and George Wyle. It is such a standard it’s been the theme song for Christmas Seals several times.
- 9/13/2021
- by John Saavedra
- Den of Geek
Is HBO Max’s “Hacks” really based on the life of comedy legend Joan Rivers, or was she just an “inspiration” for Jean Smart’s Deborah Vance?
The HBO Max dramedy series stars Smart and Hannah Einbinder as comedians on opposing sides of a generational gap, with the former playing a fading showbiz legend very much in the vein of Rivers. And one thing the two have very much in common is their love of being on stage. “This is where I belong,” Rivers, who died in 2014, once said. “Only time I’m truly, truly happy is when I’m on a stage. I am a performer. That’s my life. That is what I am. That’s it.”
The similarities don’t stop there. We’ve taken a very close look at Smart’s snarky but hilarious “Hacks” character and compared it to Rivers’ own words from the 2010 documentary...
The HBO Max dramedy series stars Smart and Hannah Einbinder as comedians on opposing sides of a generational gap, with the former playing a fading showbiz legend very much in the vein of Rivers. And one thing the two have very much in common is their love of being on stage. “This is where I belong,” Rivers, who died in 2014, once said. “Only time I’m truly, truly happy is when I’m on a stage. I am a performer. That’s my life. That is what I am. That’s it.”
The similarities don’t stop there. We’ve taken a very close look at Smart’s snarky but hilarious “Hacks” character and compared it to Rivers’ own words from the 2010 documentary...
- 5/28/2021
- by Rosemary Rossi
- The Wrap
Tonight on the Saturday Night Live season finale, Weekend Update anchors Colin Jost and Michael Che waxed nostalgic about the tumult of the past year, and reflected on better days to come.
“I have to say, I think that the country is in a better place than when we started this season,” Jost deadpanned. “In September, there were headlines like ‘Will The President Destroy Democracy?’ and now I’m seeing headlines like, ‘Will This Be The Most Turnt-Ass Summer Ever?’”
In thinking back on the past year, “who can forget that time when the President tried to murder Congress?” Jost wondered.
“Apparently, Congress can,” he added, “since the Senate is likely to block a bipartisan investigation into the Capitol riots, thanks to opposition from Mitch McConnell.”
Republicans seem to just “want to forget that the riots ever happened and focus on the future of their party,” Jost continued. Unfortunately for them,...
“I have to say, I think that the country is in a better place than when we started this season,” Jost deadpanned. “In September, there were headlines like ‘Will The President Destroy Democracy?’ and now I’m seeing headlines like, ‘Will This Be The Most Turnt-Ass Summer Ever?’”
In thinking back on the past year, “who can forget that time when the President tried to murder Congress?” Jost wondered.
“Apparently, Congress can,” he added, “since the Senate is likely to block a bipartisan investigation into the Capitol riots, thanks to opposition from Mitch McConnell.”
Republicans seem to just “want to forget that the riots ever happened and focus on the future of their party,” Jost continued. Unfortunately for them,...
- 5/23/2021
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Mumbai, March 25 (Ians) Actress Deepika Padukone has uploaded a fun video on her social media page on Thursday, in which she along with her actor-husband Ranveer Singh recreated the popular silhouette challenge but ended it in a witty way.
For the uninitiated, the silhouette challenge gained popularity on social media with people transitioning from a regular self into a beautiful silhouette with a red backdrop. Late singer Paul Anka's classic track "Put you head on my shoulders" plays in the backdrop of the person in the video.
The couple started the video with a romantic scene and eventually transitioned into the silhouette with a similar backdrop. However, instead of keeping up the regular sultry tone, the two playfully danced in circles to a different track in the second half of the video.
Deepika, captioned the video, "Should we Ring-a-Ring-a-Roses instead @ranveersingh!?"
Deepika and Ranveer will soon share the screen...
For the uninitiated, the silhouette challenge gained popularity on social media with people transitioning from a regular self into a beautiful silhouette with a red backdrop. Late singer Paul Anka's classic track "Put you head on my shoulders" plays in the backdrop of the person in the video.
The couple started the video with a romantic scene and eventually transitioned into the silhouette with a similar backdrop. However, instead of keeping up the regular sultry tone, the two playfully danced in circles to a different track in the second half of the video.
Deepika, captioned the video, "Should we Ring-a-Ring-a-Roses instead @ranveersingh!?"
Deepika and Ranveer will soon share the screen...
- 3/25/2021
- by Glamsham Bureau
- GlamSham
Doja Cat has released the sultry — and scary — new music video for her viral single “Streets,” originally featured on her 2019 album Hot Pink.
In the horror-fantasy clip, directed by Christian Breslauer, a taxi driver stares out at a mannequin while Paul Anka’s “Put Your Head on My Shoulder” plays in the background. As the song transitions into “Streets,” the mannequin transforms into Doja playing a red-light dancer shown in silhouette — an homage to the viral silhouette challenge on TikTok that has been built around the song.
Doja then seduces the taxi driver,...
In the horror-fantasy clip, directed by Christian Breslauer, a taxi driver stares out at a mannequin while Paul Anka’s “Put Your Head on My Shoulder” plays in the background. As the song transitions into “Streets,” the mannequin transforms into Doja playing a red-light dancer shown in silhouette — an homage to the viral silhouette challenge on TikTok that has been built around the song.
Doja then seduces the taxi driver,...
- 3/9/2021
- by Claire Shaffer
- Rollingstone.com
Buckle up: Fleabag and Childish Gambino are prepping a new project.
Friday afternoon, “Atlanta” star Donald Glover dropped a video on his Instagram, wherein he starts to dance to Paul Anka’s “Put Your Head on My Shoulder” as Phoebe Waller-Bridge, of “Fleabag” fame, looks unimpressed. As she gets up to do a seductive dance of her own, the reveal is that the two will be teaming up for a property titled “Mr. and Mrs. Smith.”
Little more is known about the project, short of the stars, participation from Amazon Studios and New Regency, and that it’s co-created by Francesca Sloane, a producer on the FX series “Fargo” and writer on Hulu’s short-lived space drama, “The First.”
Update:
Amazon confirmed the series announcement in a press release, providing further details on the future production and initial conception of “Mr. and Mrs. Smith,” the TV show.
Glover and Waller-Bridge...
Friday afternoon, “Atlanta” star Donald Glover dropped a video on his Instagram, wherein he starts to dance to Paul Anka’s “Put Your Head on My Shoulder” as Phoebe Waller-Bridge, of “Fleabag” fame, looks unimpressed. As she gets up to do a seductive dance of her own, the reveal is that the two will be teaming up for a property titled “Mr. and Mrs. Smith.”
Little more is known about the project, short of the stars, participation from Amazon Studios and New Regency, and that it’s co-created by Francesca Sloane, a producer on the FX series “Fargo” and writer on Hulu’s short-lived space drama, “The First.”
Update:
Amazon confirmed the series announcement in a press release, providing further details on the future production and initial conception of “Mr. and Mrs. Smith,” the TV show.
Glover and Waller-Bridge...
- 2/12/2021
- by Kristen Lopez
- Indiewire
In today’s TV news roundup, Netflix released the trailer for “Behind Her Eyes” and Peacock announced it is adding the third season of “Mr. Mercedes” next month.
Dates
Pluto TV will stream a special two-week sampling of the premiere episodes of the Queen Latifah-starring “The Equalizer” and “The Silence of the Lambs” sequel series “Clarice” following their broadcast debuts on CBS. “The Equalizer” premieres on CBS immediately after Super Bowl Lv on Feb. 7 and “Clarice” kicks off on Feb. 11 at 10 p.m. In addition, Amazon Prime Video will offer the pilot of both series in front of its paywall and YouTube will run the episodes for free on its CBS channel.
Peacock will add the third season of “Mr. Mercedes” to its content library on March 4, with all 10 episodes dropping at once. The show originally ran the Audience Network from 2017 to 2019. (Season 3 episodes first premiered in September 2019.) Peacock...
Dates
Pluto TV will stream a special two-week sampling of the premiere episodes of the Queen Latifah-starring “The Equalizer” and “The Silence of the Lambs” sequel series “Clarice” following their broadcast debuts on CBS. “The Equalizer” premieres on CBS immediately after Super Bowl Lv on Feb. 7 and “Clarice” kicks off on Feb. 11 at 10 p.m. In addition, Amazon Prime Video will offer the pilot of both series in front of its paywall and YouTube will run the episodes for free on its CBS channel.
Peacock will add the third season of “Mr. Mercedes” to its content library on March 4, with all 10 episodes dropping at once. The show originally ran the Audience Network from 2017 to 2019. (Season 3 episodes first premiered in September 2019.) Peacock...
- 2/4/2021
- by Haley Bosselman
- Variety Film + TV
For the past few weeks, a trend called the #silhouettechallenge has been going viral on TikTok. To a remix of Paul Anka’s “Put Your Head on My Shoulder,” participants in the trend (mostly, but not all, women) stand in front of the camera fully clothed, then stand in their doorway in silhouette with a red filter, dancing provocatively and showing off their bodies.
The trend was intended to be a sexy, body-positive challenge, but it was hijacked by individuals who used software to remove the red filter from the...
The trend was intended to be a sexy, body-positive challenge, but it was hijacked by individuals who used software to remove the red filter from the...
- 2/2/2021
- by EJ Dickson
- Rollingstone.com
Welcome to this week’s All Elite Wrestling: Dynamite review, right here on Nerdly. I’m Nathan Favel and we have Kenny Omega fighting Joey Janela for a title shot…Joey’s title shot…screw it. Why don’t they just come right out and explain that this is a shot at a title shot for Joey? World Title Eliminator? They didn’t make it very clear that it was an extension of the actual Eliminator Tournament from just a month or so ago. The instupidable Tony Khan has confused me with his instupidableness, so I’ve contacted a recent addition to the Nerdly wrestling family to handle the review this time:
Wrestling! Wresssssssstlinnnnnng!!!!!!! Brad Britch here! Brad Britch loves wrestling! Aew has wrestling! Yeahhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!! I hate therapy! That’s not wrestling! My wife says I’m obsessed. Bull-s—! I like wrestling! You’re reading about wrestling. Stop Iiiiiiit!!!!!!!! Go Watch Wrestling!
Wrestling! Wresssssssstlinnnnnng!!!!!!! Brad Britch here! Brad Britch loves wrestling! Aew has wrestling! Yeahhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!! I hate therapy! That’s not wrestling! My wife says I’m obsessed. Bull-s—! I like wrestling! You’re reading about wrestling. Stop Iiiiiiit!!!!!!!! Go Watch Wrestling!
- 12/17/2020
- by Nathan Favel
- Nerdly
“Music is truly the language that connects us all,” explained singer-songwriter Aloe Blacc, aka Mushroom, during his unmasked interview with host Nick Cannon during Wednesday night’s finale of “The Masked Singer.” “I got a chance to experience that and do just that, here on this stage.” The Grammy-nominated performer was the Season 4 runner-up, losing to the Sun after edging out the Crocodile earlier in the episode. Watch Mushroom‘s performance of “I Wish” by Stevie Wonder above.
See ‘The Masked Singer’ reveals for all seasons: Celebrities and costumes through the years
“My daughter was definitely inspiration,” Aloe revealed when describing how he transformed into Mushroom. “It’s not a skirt! This is a mushroom stem. But, because it had a little bit of a skirt feel, I thought okay, my seven-year old daughter, Mandela. I could embody her spirit while I’m doing this.”
More than anyone this season,...
See ‘The Masked Singer’ reveals for all seasons: Celebrities and costumes through the years
“My daughter was definitely inspiration,” Aloe revealed when describing how he transformed into Mushroom. “It’s not a skirt! This is a mushroom stem. But, because it had a little bit of a skirt feel, I thought okay, my seven-year old daughter, Mandela. I could embody her spirit while I’m doing this.”
More than anyone this season,...
- 12/17/2020
- by Denton Davidson
- Gold Derby
(Warning: This post contains spoilers for the Season 4 finale of “The Masked Singer.”)
“The Masked Singer” ended its fourth season tonight with the crowning of a new winner of the show’s Golden Mask trophy — and the first winner of its Golden Ear trophy.
As viewers who have been keeping up with the show already know, “The Masked Singer” introduced the Golden Ear trophy at the start of Season 4, with host Nick Cannon explaining that one panelist — either Ken Jeong, Jenny McCarthy, Nicole Scherzinger or Robin Thicke — would win the prize at the end of the season based on who had the most correct “first impression” guesses by the finale.
On Wednesday’s two-hour season closer, we learned that McCarthy had won the coveted prize — well, less coveted than the Golden Mask trophy, but pretty important to the judges competing for it. The overall competition was won by Sun, who...
“The Masked Singer” ended its fourth season tonight with the crowning of a new winner of the show’s Golden Mask trophy — and the first winner of its Golden Ear trophy.
As viewers who have been keeping up with the show already know, “The Masked Singer” introduced the Golden Ear trophy at the start of Season 4, with host Nick Cannon explaining that one panelist — either Ken Jeong, Jenny McCarthy, Nicole Scherzinger or Robin Thicke — would win the prize at the end of the season based on who had the most correct “first impression” guesses by the finale.
On Wednesday’s two-hour season closer, we learned that McCarthy had won the coveted prize — well, less coveted than the Golden Mask trophy, but pretty important to the judges competing for it. The overall competition was won by Sun, who...
- 12/17/2020
- by Jennifer Maas
- The Wrap
(Warning: Major spoilers ahead for the Season 4 finale of “The Masked Singer.”)
The fourth season of “The Masked Singer” came to a close Wednesday with the identity reveals for the final three contestants, one of whom was awarded the Golden Mask trophy by the end of the episode.
The two-hour finale included a recap of Season 4 of the wacky Fox singing competition, which saw the unmaskings of 16 contestants in total. The first 13 were Seahorse (Tori Kelly), Jellyfish (Chloe Kim), Popcorn (Taylor Dayne), Broccoli (Paul Anka), Serpent (Dr. Elvis Francois), Whatchamacallit (Lonzo Ball), Snow Owls (Clint Black and Lisa Hartman Black) Squiggly Monster (Bob Saget), Lips (Wendy Williams), Baby Alien (Mark Sanchez), Giraffe (Brian Austin Green), Gremlin (Mickey Rourke) and Dragon (Busta Rhymes).
On tonight’s finale, finalists Crocodile, Mushroom and Sun all performed again for panelists Jenny McCarthy, Nicole Scherzinger, Ken Jeong and Robin Thicke, as well as “The Masked Singer...
The fourth season of “The Masked Singer” came to a close Wednesday with the identity reveals for the final three contestants, one of whom was awarded the Golden Mask trophy by the end of the episode.
The two-hour finale included a recap of Season 4 of the wacky Fox singing competition, which saw the unmaskings of 16 contestants in total. The first 13 were Seahorse (Tori Kelly), Jellyfish (Chloe Kim), Popcorn (Taylor Dayne), Broccoli (Paul Anka), Serpent (Dr. Elvis Francois), Whatchamacallit (Lonzo Ball), Snow Owls (Clint Black and Lisa Hartman Black) Squiggly Monster (Bob Saget), Lips (Wendy Williams), Baby Alien (Mark Sanchez), Giraffe (Brian Austin Green), Gremlin (Mickey Rourke) and Dragon (Busta Rhymes).
On tonight’s finale, finalists Crocodile, Mushroom and Sun all performed again for panelists Jenny McCarthy, Nicole Scherzinger, Ken Jeong and Robin Thicke, as well as “The Masked Singer...
- 12/17/2020
- by Jennifer Maas
- The Wrap
Spoiler Alert: Do not read ahead if you have not watched Season 4, Episode 12 of “The Masked Singer,” which aired Dec. 9 on Fox.
The unmaskings took a week off, as Wednesday’s episode of Fox’s “The Masked Singer” was instead a special one-hour holiday-themed sing-a-long edition.
The competition returns next week with the Season 4 finale and the presentation of the Golden Mask trophy. But for now, viewers were treated to some of the most memorable performances from this fall — along with lyrics and a bouncing mask, for fans to sing along.
Besides reprises of performances from earlier in the season, the episode also featured new, holiday-themed songs from the show’s three finalists: Sun, Crocodile and Mushroom.
Sun performed “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree,” while Crocodile sang “Silent Night” and Mushroom did “The Christmas Song.”
Panelists, Jenny McCarthy Wahlberg, Nicole Scherzinger, Robin Thicke and Ken Jeong also got a week off from the guessing game.
The unmaskings took a week off, as Wednesday’s episode of Fox’s “The Masked Singer” was instead a special one-hour holiday-themed sing-a-long edition.
The competition returns next week with the Season 4 finale and the presentation of the Golden Mask trophy. But for now, viewers were treated to some of the most memorable performances from this fall — along with lyrics and a bouncing mask, for fans to sing along.
Besides reprises of performances from earlier in the season, the episode also featured new, holiday-themed songs from the show’s three finalists: Sun, Crocodile and Mushroom.
Sun performed “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree,” while Crocodile sang “Silent Night” and Mushroom did “The Christmas Song.”
Panelists, Jenny McCarthy Wahlberg, Nicole Scherzinger, Robin Thicke and Ken Jeong also got a week off from the guessing game.
- 12/10/2020
- by Michael Schneider
- Variety Film + TV
As “The Masked Singer” counts down to the December 16 finale, “Last Mask Standing,” here are our up-to-date guesses of the real names of the famous folk hiding inside those elaborate costumes. The trio of remaining contenders for the Golden Mask are disguised as the Crocodile, Mushroom and Sun. Keep reading for “The Masked Singer” spoilers for season 4.
Before making our best guesses, we considered the singing styles of the contestants as well as the clues provided in their pre-performance videos and their post-performance answers to the four judges.
Season 4 of “The Masked Singer” started off with 17 contestants. All but three of them have been eliminated. In order of departure, they were: Dragon (Busta Rhymes), Gremlin (Mickey Rourke), Giraffe (Brian Austin Green), Baby Alien (Mark Sanchez), Lips (Wendy Williams), Squiggly Monster (Bob Saget), Snow Owls (Clint Black and Lisa Hartman Black), Whatchamacallit (Lonzo Ball), Serpent (Dr. Elvis Francois), Broccoli (Paul Anka...
Before making our best guesses, we considered the singing styles of the contestants as well as the clues provided in their pre-performance videos and their post-performance answers to the four judges.
Season 4 of “The Masked Singer” started off with 17 contestants. All but three of them have been eliminated. In order of departure, they were: Dragon (Busta Rhymes), Gremlin (Mickey Rourke), Giraffe (Brian Austin Green), Baby Alien (Mark Sanchez), Lips (Wendy Williams), Squiggly Monster (Bob Saget), Snow Owls (Clint Black and Lisa Hartman Black), Whatchamacallit (Lonzo Ball), Serpent (Dr. Elvis Francois), Broccoli (Paul Anka...
- 12/9/2020
- by Paul Sheehan
- Gold Derby
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