Sam Hunt has spent a lot of time since the release of 2014’s Montevallo reading and watching documentaries, most recently Ken Burns’ Country Music, which left him fascinated with and inspired by the deepest roots of the genre. As he wraps up work on his second album, the singer-songwriter says he’s trying to figure out a way to incorporate an old country song into something new as a “nod to tradition,” but in a modern, Sam Hunt-esque way.
“I feel like it’s important that we break down some...
“I feel like it’s important that we break down some...
- 1/3/2020
- by Marissa R. Moss
- Rollingstone.com
Mary Steenburgen has a long and storied enough career that it may be difficult to think of her as an underdog. But as a songwriter, she counts. The actress has been moonlighting as a tunesmith for the last 12 years, and now may be coming into the daylight with a number that’s getting a fair amount of attention in the best original film song conversation. “Glasgow (No Place Like Home),” which she co-wrote with Caitlyn Smith and Kate York, is performed as the on-screen climax of the well-reviewed indie film “Wild Rose,” and it’s suddenly gathering some heat, six months after the movie’s premiere.
“It’s up against some big juggernaut movies,” Steenburgen said after screening the film for friends Friday night at Raleigh Studios. “I suppose it’s a long shot, and I’ve never been through this with a song before, so I don’t really know what to think.
“It’s up against some big juggernaut movies,” Steenburgen said after screening the film for friends Friday night at Raleigh Studios. “I suppose it’s a long shot, and I’ve never been through this with a song before, so I don’t really know what to think.
- 12/9/2019
- by Chris Willman
- Variety Film + TV
The 2019 Cma Awards embraced its theme of celebrating women in country music with a surprise performance of Little Big Town’s 2014 hit “Girl Crush.”
Immediately following her own performance of “Homecoming Queen,” Kelsea Ballerini was joined onstage by Lindsay Ell, who played the opening notes of the ballad on her guitar and mixed her voice with Ballerini’s. The trio Runaway June handled a few lines, before Duo of the Year nominees Maddie & Tae appeared. Ashley McBryde, fresh off being named New Artist of the Year, and Carly Pearce sang another verse,...
Immediately following her own performance of “Homecoming Queen,” Kelsea Ballerini was joined onstage by Lindsay Ell, who played the opening notes of the ballad on her guitar and mixed her voice with Ballerini’s. The trio Runaway June handled a few lines, before Duo of the Year nominees Maddie & Tae appeared. Ashley McBryde, fresh off being named New Artist of the Year, and Carly Pearce sang another verse,...
- 11/14/2019
- by Joseph Hudak
- Rollingstone.com
The latest Ken Burns opus for PBS brought strong viewership for the public broadcaster.
The eight-part Country Music drew the biggest audience for a Burns project since The Roosevelts: An Intimate History in 2014. Across all platforms, the series averaged 6.8 million viewers per episode, beating the average for the last four Burns films.
"We couldn't be happier with the audience we reached with Country Music," said Burns. "We were fortunate to travel across the country to towns large and small to discuss this film and this history, and in each, we were met with new stories about ...
The eight-part Country Music drew the biggest audience for a Burns project since The Roosevelts: An Intimate History in 2014. Across all platforms, the series averaged 6.8 million viewers per episode, beating the average for the last four Burns films.
"We couldn't be happier with the audience we reached with Country Music," said Burns. "We were fortunate to travel across the country to towns large and small to discuss this film and this history, and in each, we were met with new stories about ...
- 11/11/2019
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
Bob Dylan’s late-Sixties Nashville studio sessions — and his collaborations with Johnny Cash — are explored in the mini-documentary The Story Of Travelin’ Thru, 1967 – 1969, the companion visual to the just-released 15th volume in Dylan’s Bootleg Series.
The seven-minute film features new interviews with Rosanne Cash, Darius Rucker and Jason Isbell, and includes archival footage from Dylan’s Nashville sojourn, including in-the-studio video of Dylan and Cash.
“It was a revolution in music, in attitude, and understanding how incredibly powerful the cross-pollination of country and folk and rock was, and natural for the time,...
The seven-minute film features new interviews with Rosanne Cash, Darius Rucker and Jason Isbell, and includes archival footage from Dylan’s Nashville sojourn, including in-the-studio video of Dylan and Cash.
“It was a revolution in music, in attitude, and understanding how incredibly powerful the cross-pollination of country and folk and rock was, and natural for the time,...
- 11/1/2019
- by Daniel Kreps
- Rollingstone.com
Documentarian Ken Burns is partnering with the Library of Congress and two philanthropic organizations to present a new award to “Flannery,” a documentary about Flannery O’Connor.
Filmmaker Elizabeth Coffman and Jesuit priest Mark Bosco will be presented the first Library of Congress Lavine/Ken Burns Prize for Film on Oct. 17 at the library. The award includes a $200,000 grant to finish the film.
“‘Flannery’ is an extraordinary documentary that allows us to follow the creative process of one of our country’s greatest writers,” Burns said. “It also provides us a glimpse into her life, including her Catholic faith, her unusual sensitivity to race as a Southern white woman, and her daily struggles with illness and the prospect and reality of an early mortality. The story is
beautifully told and captures the power of her southern birth and life. We’re hopeful that a new generation of readers will re-discover...
Filmmaker Elizabeth Coffman and Jesuit priest Mark Bosco will be presented the first Library of Congress Lavine/Ken Burns Prize for Film on Oct. 17 at the library. The award includes a $200,000 grant to finish the film.
“‘Flannery’ is an extraordinary documentary that allows us to follow the creative process of one of our country’s greatest writers,” Burns said. “It also provides us a glimpse into her life, including her Catholic faith, her unusual sensitivity to race as a Southern white woman, and her daily struggles with illness and the prospect and reality of an early mortality. The story is
beautifully told and captures the power of her southern birth and life. We’re hopeful that a new generation of readers will re-discover...
- 10/16/2019
- by Dave McNary
- Variety Film + TV
All for the Hall, the concert series benefiting the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum will return to Nashville on Monday, February 10th. Hosted by Keith Urban, the all-star lineup at the Bridgestone Arena in downtown Music City includes Luke Combs, Brothers Osborne, Blake Shelton, Tanya Tucker, Chris Stapleton, Lauren Daigle, Ingrid Andress and Tenille Townes, with other special guests to be revealed in the coming weeks. Tickets go on sale Friday, October 18th at 10 a.m. Central Time.
The event marks Urban’s seventh All For The Hall benefit concert,...
The event marks Urban’s seventh All For The Hall benefit concert,...
- 10/4/2019
- by Stephen L. Betts
- Rollingstone.com
Kathy Mattea could hardly contain her amusement. The West Virginia-born country singer hasn’t had a song on the country charts in nearly 30 years, but after the airing of Ken Burns’ eight-part Country Music documentary, she woke up last week to find that both her greatest hits collection and her 1989 song “Where You’ve Been” were included among the 40 top-selling country songs and albums on online retailers like Amazon and iTunes.
“I’ve been laughing about it all day,” says Mattea, who served as a consultant and talking head in the documentary.
“I’ve been laughing about it all day,” says Mattea, who served as a consultant and talking head in the documentary.
- 10/1/2019
- by Jonathan Bernstein
- Rollingstone.com
Fifty-one years ago, Johnny Cash was emerging from one of the lowest ebbs in his personal life and in his already-legendary career in country music. With the electrifying live album Johnny Cash at Folsom Prison and a groundbreaking network TV series on the horizon, Cash was on his way to becoming an American icon. On November 11th, YouTube Originals will premiere the documentary film The Gift: The Journey of Johnny Cash, a searing portrait of the Man in Black, whose personal character and bold artistry were shaped by deep spirituality and unshakable tragedy.
- 10/1/2019
- by Stephen L. Betts
- Rollingstone.com
Ken Burns’ “Jazz” had a huge impact on jazz catalog sales — the tail of which is still being felt, 18 years later — so it’s no surprise that his “Country Music” series would instigate some kind of stampede back to classic country. Still, there’s room to be additionally impressed at just how thoroughly decades-old albums by artists featured on the PBS show are taking over the Amazon and iTunes charts.
As of Thursday morning, on Amazon’s physical media chart, classic country artists who’ve been given the spotlight on “Country Music” command eight of the top 20 spots among all-genre sales and 35 of the general top 100.
On iTunes’ all-genre album download chart, which is naturally going to skew a bit younger, albums by artists featured on Burns’ “Country Music” account for 14 out of the top 80 spots.
If you’re looking strictly at the country charts, of course, the numbers are even more impressive.
As of Thursday morning, on Amazon’s physical media chart, classic country artists who’ve been given the spotlight on “Country Music” command eight of the top 20 spots among all-genre sales and 35 of the general top 100.
On iTunes’ all-genre album download chart, which is naturally going to skew a bit younger, albums by artists featured on Burns’ “Country Music” account for 14 out of the top 80 spots.
If you’re looking strictly at the country charts, of course, the numbers are even more impressive.
- 9/26/2019
- by Chris Willman
- Variety Film + TV
On April 12th, 1972, at Nashville’s Municipal Auditorium, a tradition began that has today morphed into one of Music City’s most popular annual events for country fans around the globe. Then known as Country Music Fan Fair and now christened Cma Fest, the event still includes Fan Fair X, which offers artist meet-and-greets throughout the Music City Center. Although recent Cma Fests dwarf the scope of those early Fan Fair gatherings, the enthusiasm fans have brought with them to the event for nearly 50 years remains an inspiration to many...
- 9/25/2019
- by Stephen L. Betts
- Rollingstone.com
For nearly 94 years, since it began as the Wsm Barn Dance in the fall of 1925, the Grand Ole Opry has been a country-music institution. But few fans really know what the Opry is, how an artist is inducted, and what comes along with membership.
As Ken Burns’ new documentary Country Music sparks renewed interest in the Opry, we take a look back at its rich, colorful history, recalling some of its most iconic moments and spelling out what it takes to become a cast member of the longest-running radio show in American history.
As Ken Burns’ new documentary Country Music sparks renewed interest in the Opry, we take a look back at its rich, colorful history, recalling some of its most iconic moments and spelling out what it takes to become a cast member of the longest-running radio show in American history.
- 9/24/2019
- by Stephen L. Betts
- Rollingstone.com
By the second half of the 20th century, country music was big business. Radio, records, television and movies all played a part in its popularity, but its artists and its songs were still at the forefront, even as profits soared or slumped. The second half of Ken Burns’ Country Music begins in 1964 and runs through the mid-Nineties, exploring everything from the rise of the Bakersfield Sound to the pop-country explosion of the Seventies, right up to Garth Brooks’ unprecedented approach to superstardom. Rolling Stone Country looks at 10 key moments from...
- 9/22/2019
- by Stephen L. Betts
- Rollingstone.com
Though an instantly recognizable face from films such as “E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial,” “A Walk to Remember” and “Erin Brockovich,” it is Peter Coyote’s voice — a coolly authoritative baritone with a Zen master’s holy roll — that has endeared him to documentary lovers and makers. Alrhough director-writer Alex Gibney used Coyote’s wisened narration for “Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room,” and “The Pacific Century,” it is Ken Burns’ work where Coyote’s tones are most welcomed. In a collaboration that started with the 1992 documentary “The West,” Coyote has gone on to narrate 11 of Burns’ PBS film series, becoming almost a DeNiro to the documentarian’s Scorsese.
Being a musician and musical collector since his adolescence made Coyote an apt choice to narrate Burns’ epic new “Country Music” series. But it is the actor-writer’s activist past in the 1960s, cofounding the Diggers — the anarchist communal group that sought...
Being a musician and musical collector since his adolescence made Coyote an apt choice to narrate Burns’ epic new “Country Music” series. But it is the actor-writer’s activist past in the 1960s, cofounding the Diggers — the anarchist communal group that sought...
- 9/20/2019
- by A.D. Amorosi
- Variety Film + TV
Ken Burns has been a great film creator over the years and has produced some of the most-watched documentaries. His works are very informative as well as entertaining. Some of Ken’s most notable works include “The Dust Bowl, “The Civil War,” “Lewis $ Clark: The Journey of the Corps of Discovery” and “The National Park: American’s Best Idea.” Ken has once again reached into his quiver and released another deadly arrow that will hit the bull’s eye. His new film, “Country Music” is expected to rock the big screen. If you are a true country music enthusiast, the new Ken
Why Should Watch New Ken Burns Film “Country Music”...
Why Should Watch New Ken Burns Film “Country Music”...
- 9/17/2019
- by Aiden Mason
- TVovermind.com
Musician Rosanne Cash is used to speaking about her father Johnny Cash. After all, she’s been living in his shadow her entire life and even wrote a memoir in 2010 that in part examines her rocky relationship with him. But for Ken Burns’ new miniseries “Country Music” – which details the creation of modern country music – she was unprepared for the emotional journey that revisiting the past would bring.
“Well, some places they went were painful like, ‘What did you sing at your dad’s deathbed?'” Rosanne Cash told IndieWire. “I think that was the first time I told that.”
“Country Music,” delves into these details – not to mine personal tragedy – but to highlight the often complex and tumultuous lives that these legends in the industry led. So much heartache, loneliness, and yes, drama, made headlines and yet simultaneously fueled art.
Straight From the Musician’s Mouth
There’s an additional storytelling benefit,...
“Well, some places they went were painful like, ‘What did you sing at your dad’s deathbed?'” Rosanne Cash told IndieWire. “I think that was the first time I told that.”
“Country Music,” delves into these details – not to mine personal tragedy – but to highlight the often complex and tumultuous lives that these legends in the industry led. So much heartache, loneliness, and yes, drama, made headlines and yet simultaneously fueled art.
Straight From the Musician’s Mouth
There’s an additional storytelling benefit,...
- 9/15/2019
- by Hanh Nguyen
- Indiewire
The phrase “the Ken Burns effect” is specifically the name of a function on Apple computers that makes all your static old family photos move around on screen like something out of “The Civil War.” But there’s another Ken Burns effect worth talking about as his “Country Music” comes to TV screens: the impact one of his documentary mini-series can have on an entire major musical genre. As heavily debated as the inclusions and exclusions of “Jazz” might have been in 2001, few would argue that the art form isn’t still enjoying some kind of afterglow from that massively seen series. Country isn’t nearly as in need of the same commercial boost, but it’s going to get a consciousness-raising lift anyway from Burns’ 20th-century-spanning look at the genre’s ascendance from hollers to stadiums.
The director spoke with Variety just before the Sept. 15 premiere of a project...
The director spoke with Variety just before the Sept. 15 premiere of a project...
- 9/15/2019
- by Chris Willman
- Variety Film + TV
In the opening minutes of the engrossing Ken Burns film Country Music, premiering Sunday on PBS, Cma Award-winning singer Kathy Mattea recalls her days as a tour guide at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum and the hours she spent in close study of one of the museum’s greatest treasures, “The Sources of Country Music,” a six-by-ten-foot mural painted by Thomas Hart Benton and completed just before his death in 1975. With gospel singers, a cowboy strumming guitar, fiddlers, a dulcimer player, and an African-American banjo picker, the...
- 9/15/2019
- by Stephen L. Betts
- Rollingstone.com
Marty Stuart’s led a willfully charmed life. As an 11-year-old, he met hit singer Connie Smith at a concert he attended, and told his mom he’d marry Smith some day (he did). He hit his career stride at 13 playing virtuoso mandolin and guitar with bluegrass architect Lester Flatt; he joined Johnny Cash’s band (and married his daughter Cindy) in the Eighties, became a solo hitmaker in the Nineties, and an expansive Americana standard-bearer in the 2000s. Stuart’s also one of the world’s foremost country experts...
- 9/15/2019
- by Will Hermes
- Rollingstone.com
Country Music, Ken Burns’ PBS docuseries on a musical journey that spans from hollers to honkytonks to hit parades, is a whole lotta things. It’s long, which is a given when you consider the authorship — clocking in at a shade over 16 hours, this eight-episode megillah’s running time falls somewhere in between Burns’ look at WWII (The War) and his recent exploration of the conflict in Vietnam (The Vietnam War). It’s a tribute to artists with colorful nicknames like “The Singing Brakeman” and “The Hillbilly Shakespeare,” and those...
- 9/14/2019
- by David Fear
- Rollingstone.com
The week of September 15, 2019, brings a series finale, a season finale that may be a series finale, a new weekly series, some season premieres and a whole lot more.
Whether you're into American Horror Story, Live Pd, or Lifetime movies, there is something for everyone here.
And don't forget to catch up on all of you favorite broadcast series because they start airing the following week. We're running out of time!
Sunday, September 15
8/7c on PBS sees the beginning of the Ken Burns treatment of country music on a new, 16-part documentary series aptly titled Country Music.
Get ready to hunker down for the PBS binge-watch experience, as episodes will air nightly from Sunday to Wednesday for the next two weeks.
These Couples Inspired Each Other's Inner Comedian
Are any of you old enough to remember Phil Hartman?
The talented comedic actor and his family suffered a terrible tragedy when his wife,...
Whether you're into American Horror Story, Live Pd, or Lifetime movies, there is something for everyone here.
And don't forget to catch up on all of you favorite broadcast series because they start airing the following week. We're running out of time!
Sunday, September 15
8/7c on PBS sees the beginning of the Ken Burns treatment of country music on a new, 16-part documentary series aptly titled Country Music.
Get ready to hunker down for the PBS binge-watch experience, as episodes will air nightly from Sunday to Wednesday for the next two weeks.
These Couples Inspired Each Other's Inner Comedian
Are any of you old enough to remember Phil Hartman?
The talented comedic actor and his family suffered a terrible tragedy when his wife,...
- 9/14/2019
- by Carissa Pavlica
- TVfanatic
With few exceptions, the titles of Ken Burns documentaries serve as their own declarative statements. The prolific documentary filmmaker’s works have long had names that are unequivocal, as if there was any doubt about the subject matter contained within. “Country Music” — like “Baseball,” “Jazz,” “The Civil War” and “Jackie Robinson” before it — presents itself as a century-spanning compendium of a particular kind of music that’s been woven into the fabric of American life. While the series itself makes a compelling case for the importance of this music to a vast number of individuals across the country, it also raises plenty of questions about who decides what gets included in that sense of appreciation.
Told over eight installments, spanning 16 hours, “Country Music” is a largely chronological examination of milestone moments and figures within the evolution of the genre. The series doesn’t stray too far from the particular Florentine house style.
Told over eight installments, spanning 16 hours, “Country Music” is a largely chronological examination of milestone moments and figures within the evolution of the genre. The series doesn’t stray too far from the particular Florentine house style.
- 9/13/2019
- by Steve Greene
- Indiewire
Earlier in 2019, Ken Burns and his Florentine Films collaborators Dayton Duncan and Julie Dunfey took a whirlwind bus trip that whisked them around and across the entire state of Tennessee in a few short days. Their itinerary included several places with significant ties to the history of country music: Bristol, site of Ralph Peer’s 1927 and 1928 recording sessions that first captured the Carter family and Jimmie Rodgers; Knoxville and Sevierville, central to Dolly Parton’s story among others; Memphis, the birthplace of rock & roll with Sam Phillips’ Sun Studio and...
- 9/13/2019
- by Jon Freeman
- Rollingstone.com
There may be no documentarian who’s ever taken the dictation to “show your work” more seriously than Ken Burns. The omnipresent filmmaker has made his name on deep, dense dives into American culture that provide as much context and archival material as possible without fogging up the overall narrative. It’s an impressive balancing act that has helped him direct and produce examinations on everything from the evolution of baseball, the lasting legacy of the Roosevelts, the intricate horrors of the Vietnam War, and beyond. Now, alongside producer Julie Dunfey and writer/producer Dayton Duncan, Burns has set his sights on the origins and impact of country music, a thoroughly American genre with an extremely complicated history. It’s a hugely ambitious project given just how many decades the genre has encompassed. While Burns’ “Jazz” zoomed in on about 30 years of history over the course of 4 episodes, “Country Music...
- 9/12/2019
- by Caroline Framke
- Variety Film + TV
Filmmaker Ken Burns and his collaborators on PBS’ upcoming “Country Music” documentary series had no inside connections to the country music community when they began work on the eight-part series more than eight years ago. And that’s a good thing, in the view of Vince Gill, the renowned singer-songwriter.
“Country Music,” a masterful chronicle of what Burns calls “a uniquely American art form,” is set to debut Sept. 15. The fact that Burns and his longtime producers Dayton Duncan and Julie Dunfey were not “insiders” allowed them to tell the story with a level of objectivity that made for a more powerful work, Gill said.
“It’s finally go the respect that it’s never had,” Gill said Monday night as he joined Burns, Duncan and Dunfey at New York’s 92Y for a screening of clips and Q&a about the series, moderated by music journalist Alan Light.
“The...
“Country Music,” a masterful chronicle of what Burns calls “a uniquely American art form,” is set to debut Sept. 15. The fact that Burns and his longtime producers Dayton Duncan and Julie Dunfey were not “insiders” allowed them to tell the story with a level of objectivity that made for a more powerful work, Gill said.
“It’s finally go the respect that it’s never had,” Gill said Monday night as he joined Burns, Duncan and Dunfey at New York’s 92Y for a screening of clips and Q&a about the series, moderated by music journalist Alan Light.
“The...
- 9/10/2019
- by Cynthia Littleton
- Variety Film + TV
As the 1990s were coming to a close, musician Marty Stuart was newly married – to fellow Grand Ole Opry member Connie Smith – and looking back on a 10-year period that would afford him his greatest commercial success. His final record of the decade, The Pilgrim, while among his poorest selling at the time, has since become one of the country music Renaissance man’s most significant contributions to the genre, changing the trajectory of Stuart’s musical output and growing in stature since its release 20 years ago. A sweeping, yet...
- 9/10/2019
- by Stephen L. Betts
- Rollingstone.com
Martina McBride pointedly addressed Spotify on Monday, posting a series of Instagram stories that asked some tough questions of the streaming giant and its ratios of male and female performers. McBride even reached out to her Twitter followers to follow along.
“Check out my insta story if you haven’t already. I’m fired up this morning!” she wrote.
Please follow me on Instagram to check out my insta story if you haven’t already. I’m fired up this morning!
— Martina McBride (@martinamcbride) September 9, 2019
The whole thing began when McBride,...
“Check out my insta story if you haven’t already. I’m fired up this morning!” she wrote.
Please follow me on Instagram to check out my insta story if you haven’t already. I’m fired up this morning!
— Martina McBride (@martinamcbride) September 9, 2019
The whole thing began when McBride,...
- 9/10/2019
- by Jon Freeman
- Rollingstone.com
Welcome back to Tune In: our weekly newsletter offering a guide to the best of the week’s TV.
Each week, Variety’s TV team combs through the week’s schedule, selecting our picks of what to watch and when/how to watch them. This week, the third and final season of “The Deuce” premieres on HBO, and “Undone” season 1 drops on Amazon.
“The Deuce,” HBO, Monday, 9 p.m.
The third and final season of “The Deuce” premiere on HBO this week. James Franco and Maggie Gyllenhaal return for one final rodeo in the 70’s-set series which tells the story of the rise of the porn industry in New York.
“Undone,” Amazon, Friday
This Friday, the first season of the adult animated series “Undone” drops on Amazon. Tune in to see Rosa Salazar and Bob Odenkirk star in this show which follows a woman who sees visions of her late...
Each week, Variety’s TV team combs through the week’s schedule, selecting our picks of what to watch and when/how to watch them. This week, the third and final season of “The Deuce” premieres on HBO, and “Undone” season 1 drops on Amazon.
“The Deuce,” HBO, Monday, 9 p.m.
The third and final season of “The Deuce” premiere on HBO this week. James Franco and Maggie Gyllenhaal return for one final rodeo in the 70’s-set series which tells the story of the rise of the porn industry in New York.
“Undone,” Amazon, Friday
This Friday, the first season of the adult animated series “Undone” drops on Amazon. Tune in to see Rosa Salazar and Bob Odenkirk star in this show which follows a woman who sees visions of her late...
- 9/9/2019
- by Will Thorne
- Variety Film + TV
The 8,750-feet-elevation hills were alive with the sound of music at the Telluride Film Festival. When it came to tuneage, it was as if Telluride almost wanted to give the heavily music-focused South by Southwest Film Festival a run for its mellifluous money this year.
The 46th annual gathering of the cineastes kicked off with Renee Zellweger singing nearly a full concert’s worth of material, and well, as part of her Judy Garland biopic, “Judy”; offered the Weeknd playing himself, briefly but hilariously, in a crime drama, “Uncut Gems”; gave the world multiple versions of a strong new Thom Yorke song, with Edward Norton’s noir-ish “Motherless Brooklyn” as the jazzy delivery system; and unveiled a slate of fall music documentaries on Billie Holiday, Linda Ronstadt, Johnny Cash and “Country Music” itself.
And, oh yes, there was another music doc not quite so fresh out of the editing bay:...
The 46th annual gathering of the cineastes kicked off with Renee Zellweger singing nearly a full concert’s worth of material, and well, as part of her Judy Garland biopic, “Judy”; offered the Weeknd playing himself, briefly but hilariously, in a crime drama, “Uncut Gems”; gave the world multiple versions of a strong new Thom Yorke song, with Edward Norton’s noir-ish “Motherless Brooklyn” as the jazzy delivery system; and unveiled a slate of fall music documentaries on Billie Holiday, Linda Ronstadt, Johnny Cash and “Country Music” itself.
And, oh yes, there was another music doc not quite so fresh out of the editing bay:...
- 9/4/2019
- by Chris Willman
- Variety Film + TV
The page is turning this weekend from summer into what promises to be a busy fall season, filled with music, football and Lindsay Lohan. There will be no Ed Sheeran, though, at least on the concert stage.
This week in music:
Nashville Braces For Burns: The Ken Burns documentary Country Music premieres on PBS September 15. Given the controversial background of the filmmaker, many are looking at the 16-hour series as a potential time bomb that may revive some things that the town would rather forget. This is Burns’s second music documentary, following 2001’s Jazz. It will be delivered in 16 episodes across eight hours, and has an accompanying all-star concert filmed at the Ryman Auditorium that will air on PBS in conjunction with the documentary’s release.
Lilo New Music: Actress and occasional singer Lindsay Lohan, whose MTV series was unexpectedly cancelled earlier this year, is heading back to music with the release of Xanax,...
This week in music:
Nashville Braces For Burns: The Ken Burns documentary Country Music premieres on PBS September 15. Given the controversial background of the filmmaker, many are looking at the 16-hour series as a potential time bomb that may revive some things that the town would rather forget. This is Burns’s second music documentary, following 2001’s Jazz. It will be delivered in 16 episodes across eight hours, and has an accompanying all-star concert filmed at the Ryman Auditorium that will air on PBS in conjunction with the documentary’s release.
Lilo New Music: Actress and occasional singer Lindsay Lohan, whose MTV series was unexpectedly cancelled earlier this year, is heading back to music with the release of Xanax,...
- 8/31/2019
- by Bruce Haring
- Deadline Film + TV
Ken Burns was in Dallas some years ago visiting a good friend, philanthropist Cappy McGarr. The filmmaker was working on his 2012 Depression-era miniseries, The Dust Bowl, and as usual for a workaholic who often has six or seven films brewing, Burns was turning over ideas for his next project. When McGarr suggested tackling country music, “it just exploded in my brain — like, of course,” Burns says. “And as we got into it, we saw that it was as real, important, and emotionally compelling as any film we’ve made.”
Related:...
Related:...
- 8/30/2019
- by Will Hermes
- Rollingstone.com
Colorado’s Telluride Film Festival, part of the late-summer trifecta of such cinematic binges — including those in Venice and Toronto– that officially kick off awards season each year, has revealed its slate of titles. The festival’s 46th year officially starts on Friday Aug. 20 and ends Monday Sept. 2.
Among the the must-see movies is “Marriage Story,” filmmaker Noah Baumbach‘s portrait of a broken marriage and the bitter and twisted process of dissolving such a union. The film already premiered at the Venice International Film Festival to passionate raves for both its writer/director as well as stars Adam Driver and Scarlett Johansson.
The much-anticipated high-altitude world premieres include director Rupert Goold‘s “Judy,” with Renee Zellweger (see above) bringing to life Judy Garland in the last few weeks of her life while doing a run of sold-out concerts in London in 1969 — the year of her death from an accidental...
Among the the must-see movies is “Marriage Story,” filmmaker Noah Baumbach‘s portrait of a broken marriage and the bitter and twisted process of dissolving such a union. The film already premiered at the Venice International Film Festival to passionate raves for both its writer/director as well as stars Adam Driver and Scarlett Johansson.
The much-anticipated high-altitude world premieres include director Rupert Goold‘s “Judy,” with Renee Zellweger (see above) bringing to life Judy Garland in the last few weeks of her life while doing a run of sold-out concerts in London in 1969 — the year of her death from an accidental...
- 8/30/2019
- by Susan Wloszczyna
- Gold Derby
Colorado weekend festival runs from Aug. 30 to Sept. 2.
World premieres of Rupert Goold’s Judy, Tom Harper’sThe Aeronauts and Kelly Reichardt’s First Cow lead the programme of the 46th Telluride Film Festival, which starts on Friday (30).
Fourteen of the 30 titles announced for the festival’s central ‘Show’ programme are world premieres, and five are directed by women.
Also launching at the festival are James Mangold’s car-racing drama Ford v Ferrari starring Christian Bale and Matt Damon; Edward Norton’s 1950s New York noir film Motherless Brooklyn; and Uncut Gems, a crime comedy from Good Time directors Benny and Josh Safdie.
World premieres of Rupert Goold’s Judy, Tom Harper’sThe Aeronauts and Kelly Reichardt’s First Cow lead the programme of the 46th Telluride Film Festival, which starts on Friday (30).
Fourteen of the 30 titles announced for the festival’s central ‘Show’ programme are world premieres, and five are directed by women.
Also launching at the festival are James Mangold’s car-racing drama Ford v Ferrari starring Christian Bale and Matt Damon; Edward Norton’s 1950s New York noir film Motherless Brooklyn; and Uncut Gems, a crime comedy from Good Time directors Benny and Josh Safdie.
- 8/29/2019
- by Ben Dalton
- ScreenDaily
The weekend festival runs from August 30 to September 2nd.
World premieres of Rupert Goold’s Judy, Tom Harper’sThe Aeronauts and Kelly Reichardt’s First Cow lead the programme of the 46th Telluride Film Festival, which starts tomorrow (August 30).
Thirty titles have been announced for the central ‘Show’ programme of the festival, of which 14 are world premieres.
Also launching at the festival are James Mangold’s car-racing drama Ford v Ferrari starring Christian Bale and Matt Damon; Edward Norton’s 1950s New York crime film Motherless Brooklyn; and Uncut Gems, a crime comedy from Good Time directors Benny and Josh Safdie.
World premieres of Rupert Goold’s Judy, Tom Harper’sThe Aeronauts and Kelly Reichardt’s First Cow lead the programme of the 46th Telluride Film Festival, which starts tomorrow (August 30).
Thirty titles have been announced for the central ‘Show’ programme of the festival, of which 14 are world premieres.
Also launching at the festival are James Mangold’s car-racing drama Ford v Ferrari starring Christian Bale and Matt Damon; Edward Norton’s 1950s New York crime film Motherless Brooklyn; and Uncut Gems, a crime comedy from Good Time directors Benny and Josh Safdie.
- 8/29/2019
- by Ben Dalton
- ScreenDaily
The world premieres of James Mangold’s “Ford v Ferrari,” the Safdie brothers’ “Uncut Gems,” Edward Norton’s “Motherless Brooklyn,” Tom Harper’s “The Aeronauts,” Kelly Reichardt’s “First Cow” and Rupert Goold’s “Judy” will highlight the lineup of the 2019 Telluride Film Festival. The festival announced its slate of films on Thursday, one day before the three-day event will kick off in the Colorado mountain town.
Stars headed to the Colorado mountain town should include Matt Damon and Christian Bale for the auto-racing drama “Ford v Ferrari,” Adam Sandler for “Uncut Gems,” Eddie Redmayne and Felicity Jones for the period piece “The Aeronauts” and Renee Zellweger for the Judy Garland story “Judy.”...
Stars headed to the Colorado mountain town should include Matt Damon and Christian Bale for the auto-racing drama “Ford v Ferrari,” Adam Sandler for “Uncut Gems,” Eddie Redmayne and Felicity Jones for the period piece “The Aeronauts” and Renee Zellweger for the Judy Garland story “Judy.”...
- 8/29/2019
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
Colorado’s San Juan Mountains will soon be alive with the sights and sounds of movies.
The line-up for the 46th Telluride Film Festival has been announced.
The starry slate includes the world premiere of “Judy,” director Rupert Goold’s biopic about the final months of Judy Garland’s life with Renée Zellweger in the title role. “Maybe because Renée hasn’t done a huge number of things in the past few years, she’s saved up all of her tenderness, all of that vulnerability to bring to this role,” Telluride co-director Julie Huntsinger told Variety.
“Judy” is certainly not the only world premiere during this year’s festivities, which run from Friday, Aug. 30 to Monday, Sept. 2. James Mangold’s real-life car racing drama “Ford v Ferrari” starring Matt Damon and Christian Bale is on the bill. Edward Norton will premiere his directorial debut “Motherless Brooklyn,” with an ensemble including Gugu Mbatha-Raw,...
The line-up for the 46th Telluride Film Festival has been announced.
The starry slate includes the world premiere of “Judy,” director Rupert Goold’s biopic about the final months of Judy Garland’s life with Renée Zellweger in the title role. “Maybe because Renée hasn’t done a huge number of things in the past few years, she’s saved up all of her tenderness, all of that vulnerability to bring to this role,” Telluride co-director Julie Huntsinger told Variety.
“Judy” is certainly not the only world premiere during this year’s festivities, which run from Friday, Aug. 30 to Monday, Sept. 2. James Mangold’s real-life car racing drama “Ford v Ferrari” starring Matt Damon and Christian Bale is on the bill. Edward Norton will premiere his directorial debut “Motherless Brooklyn,” with an ensemble including Gugu Mbatha-Raw,...
- 8/29/2019
- by Marc Malkin
- Variety Film + TV
The BBC has commissioned a feature length documentary about country music legend Dolly Parton, it announced Wednesday. The documentary, tentatively titled “Dolly’s Country” will air on BBC Two this fall as part of a season of programs dedicated to country music. The broadcaster announced earlier in the day that it had acquired Ken Burns’ upcoming PBS documentary series “Country Music,” which will air on BBC Four as part of the season.
“Dolly’s Country” promises to uncover a very different Parton “a Dolly that is no less extraordinary, but far more authentic and far more surprising.” It reveals the genius songwriter behind the glamor; the private individual who reveals all in her lyrics; the modern feminist who doesn’t want to be called a feminist.
The film is directed and produced by Francis Whately, best known for his trilogy of documentaries about David Bowie “Five Years,” “The Last Five Years” and “Finding Fame,...
“Dolly’s Country” promises to uncover a very different Parton “a Dolly that is no less extraordinary, but far more authentic and far more surprising.” It reveals the genius songwriter behind the glamor; the private individual who reveals all in her lyrics; the modern feminist who doesn’t want to be called a feminist.
The film is directed and produced by Francis Whately, best known for his trilogy of documentaries about David Bowie “Five Years,” “The Last Five Years” and “Finding Fame,...
- 8/21/2019
- by Robert Mitchell
- Variety Film + TV
The BBC has acquired FX’s “American Crime Story: Impeachment” and Ken Burn’s upcoming PBS documentary series “Country Music,” the broadcaster announced Wednesday at the Edinburgh TV Festival. “American Crime Story: Impeachment” will air on BBC Two in the U.K., while “Country Music” has been picked up by sister channel BBC Four.
“Impeachment: American Crime Story” is the third instalment of the award-winning franchise, and tells the story of the impeachment of President Bill Clinton. Beanie Feldstein will star as Monica Lewinsky, with Sarah Paulson as Linda Tripp and Annaleigh Ashford as Paula Jones. The season is based on Jeffrey Toobin’s book “A Vast Conspiracy: The Real Story of the Sex Scandal That Nearly Brought Down a President,” and is set to air in the U.S. in on Sept. 27, 2020.
BBC Two served as the U.K. home of the previous “American Crime Story” instalment, “The Assassination of Gianni Versace.
“Impeachment: American Crime Story” is the third instalment of the award-winning franchise, and tells the story of the impeachment of President Bill Clinton. Beanie Feldstein will star as Monica Lewinsky, with Sarah Paulson as Linda Tripp and Annaleigh Ashford as Paula Jones. The season is based on Jeffrey Toobin’s book “A Vast Conspiracy: The Real Story of the Sex Scandal That Nearly Brought Down a President,” and is set to air in the U.S. in on Sept. 27, 2020.
BBC Two served as the U.K. home of the previous “American Crime Story” instalment, “The Assassination of Gianni Versace.
- 8/21/2019
- by Tim Dams
- Variety Film + TV
Carrie Underwood will host the 53rd Annual Cma Awards in November, with special guest hosts Reba McEntire and Dolly Parton in a celebration of legendary women of country music.
The Country Music Association made the announcement today. The awards show broadcasts live from Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena on Wednesday, Nov. 13, 8-11 pm Et on ABC.
“It’s an incredible honor to welcome Carrie, Reba and Dolly to the Cma Awards stage this year,” says Sarah Trahern, Cma chief executive officer. “In addition to awarding the year’s best and brightest in the genre, The 53rd Annual Cma Awards will celebrate the legacy of women within Country Music, and we couldn’t think of a more dynamic group of women to host the show.”
Combined, Underwood (who has co-hosted since 2008), Parton and McEntire have scored 124 Cma Awards nominations and 22 total wins over the years, 11 of the wins for Female Vocalist of the Year.
The Country Music Association made the announcement today. The awards show broadcasts live from Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena on Wednesday, Nov. 13, 8-11 pm Et on ABC.
“It’s an incredible honor to welcome Carrie, Reba and Dolly to the Cma Awards stage this year,” says Sarah Trahern, Cma chief executive officer. “In addition to awarding the year’s best and brightest in the genre, The 53rd Annual Cma Awards will celebrate the legacy of women within Country Music, and we couldn’t think of a more dynamic group of women to host the show.”
Combined, Underwood (who has co-hosted since 2008), Parton and McEntire have scored 124 Cma Awards nominations and 22 total wins over the years, 11 of the wins for Female Vocalist of the Year.
- 8/19/2019
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
At a panel previewing his forthcoming PBS documentary “Country Music,” legendary filmmaker Ken Burns addressed inevitable questions about the origins of country music and the genre “not having a mass appeal.”
The director, who was joined on stage by some of the musicians featured in the marathon 16-hour endeavor, bristled a little when asked about the latter.
“I don’t know what could have more mass appeal than country music,” Burns said in response, before pointing the fact that each member of the Beatles discovered their love for music through various country stars and lamenting the fact that country music “tends to be siloed into one single thing.”
“We cloak country music in hound-dogs and pickup trucks and good old boys and six packs of beer,” Burns went on to say. “But it deals with love and loss, particularly love, and it’s hard to address it…The arguments we...
The director, who was joined on stage by some of the musicians featured in the marathon 16-hour endeavor, bristled a little when asked about the latter.
“I don’t know what could have more mass appeal than country music,” Burns said in response, before pointing the fact that each member of the Beatles discovered their love for music through various country stars and lamenting the fact that country music “tends to be siloed into one single thing.”
“We cloak country music in hound-dogs and pickup trucks and good old boys and six packs of beer,” Burns went on to say. “But it deals with love and loss, particularly love, and it’s hard to address it…The arguments we...
- 7/30/2019
- by Will Thorne
- Variety Film + TV
Through war, baseball and music, Burns’ monumental TV documentaries have told the story of the USA – a mission he says is even more urgent in the age of ‘alternative facts’
Many birthday presents are rapidly discarded or forgotten, but a gift given to a 17-year-old Michigan high-school student, on 29 July 1970, changed American television. Ken Burns received an 8mm movie camera, the first step on a path that made him such a revered figure in documentary film-making that, five decades later, his birthday this year will be celebrated with a whole day of his work on the PBS network.
If 66 seems an odd birthday to be so honoured, it is because, on the more conventional landmark last year, Burns was locked away editing his latest eight-part, 16-hour series, Country Music, which airs in September. That work forms, with Baseball and Jazz, a loose trilogy about emblematically American sports and culture. Those...
Many birthday presents are rapidly discarded or forgotten, but a gift given to a 17-year-old Michigan high-school student, on 29 July 1970, changed American television. Ken Burns received an 8mm movie camera, the first step on a path that made him such a revered figure in documentary film-making that, five decades later, his birthday this year will be celebrated with a whole day of his work on the PBS network.
If 66 seems an odd birthday to be so honoured, it is because, on the more conventional landmark last year, Burns was locked away editing his latest eight-part, 16-hour series, Country Music, which airs in September. That work forms, with Baseball and Jazz, a loose trilogy about emblematically American sports and culture. Those...
- 7/29/2019
- by Mark Lawson
- The Guardian - Film News
PBS has unveiled its fall programming slate, which includes premiere dates for Ken Burns’ 16-hour Country Music along with several other docunmentaries and the new contemporary-history series Retro Report on PBS.
Also on tap are new editions of Frontline, Pov, Great Performances, American Masters and Independent Lens; four-part documentary series College Behind Bars; and the fifth and final season of British drama Poldark. Check out the full slate below.
“PBS is the most prolific platform for documentaries, with more than 200 hours per year,” said Perry Simon, the pubcaster’s Chief Programming Executive and General Manager of General Audience Programming. “This fall, we are showcasing first-rate programs featuring award-winning directors, diverse storytellers, hard-hitting investigations and untold stories, solidifying our status as America’s premier destination for documentary film. We are also excited about our programs representing the best in news, arts, drama, history and science.”
The new four-part docuseries College Behind Bars runs Monday-Tuesday,...
Also on tap are new editions of Frontline, Pov, Great Performances, American Masters and Independent Lens; four-part documentary series College Behind Bars; and the fifth and final season of British drama Poldark. Check out the full slate below.
“PBS is the most prolific platform for documentaries, with more than 200 hours per year,” said Perry Simon, the pubcaster’s Chief Programming Executive and General Manager of General Audience Programming. “This fall, we are showcasing first-rate programs featuring award-winning directors, diverse storytellers, hard-hitting investigations and untold stories, solidifying our status as America’s premier destination for documentary film. We are also excited about our programs representing the best in news, arts, drama, history and science.”
The new four-part docuseries College Behind Bars runs Monday-Tuesday,...
- 7/18/2019
- by Erik Pedersen
- Deadline Film + TV
At Monday night’s all-star birthday tribute to Loretta Lynn in Nashville, Keith Urban popped out of a huge birthday cake and dazzled the crowd with an unexpected but lovingly rendered version of “Blue Kentucky Girl.” The song, penned by Johnny Mullins, was a Top Ten hit for the Coal Miner’s Daughter in 1965.
Fourteen years after Lynn recorded the song, Alabama native Emmylou Harris, who celebrates her 72nd birthday today (April 2nd), chose it as the title track for an album that more heavily on traditional country than her previous LPs.
Fourteen years after Lynn recorded the song, Alabama native Emmylou Harris, who celebrates her 72nd birthday today (April 2nd), chose it as the title track for an album that more heavily on traditional country than her previous LPs.
- 4/2/2019
- by Stephen L. Betts
- Rollingstone.com
Country music tradition meets legendary rock & roll as Marty Stuart and His Fabulous Superlatives join the Steve Miller Band for a 34-date tour beginning June 13th in Des Moines, Iowa. The trek, which includes stops in New York, Los Angeles and Boston, is currently slated to stretch through August 31st.
A country music historian, collector and longtime Grand Ole Opry member, Stuart paid tribute to bluegrass icon Del McCoury during a special Nashville event commemorating McCoury’s 80th birthday last week. He also recently appeared on CBS Sunday Morning to...
A country music historian, collector and longtime Grand Ole Opry member, Stuart paid tribute to bluegrass icon Del McCoury during a special Nashville event commemorating McCoury’s 80th birthday last week. He also recently appeared on CBS Sunday Morning to...
- 2/18/2019
- by Stephen L. Betts
- Rollingstone.com
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.