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NEWSLETTER
Updated: November 24, 2005
One month until Christmas! Yikes. Happy Thanksgiving to those
of my readers south of the border!
The HOT events this week include When Brothers Speak on Saturday night
and the fab John Legend at Massey Hall on Sunday
night - check out all the details below!
Check out all categories - tons of Canadian content in MUSIC NEWS, FILM NEWS, TV NEWS, THEATRE NEWS, and OTHER NEWS! Have a read and a scroll!
This newsletter is designed to give you some updated entertainment-related news
and provide you with our upcoming event listings. Welcome to those who are new
members. Want your events listed by date? Check out EVENTS. Want to be removed
from the distribution, click REMOVE.
::HOT EVENTS::
Brothers Getting Ready to
Work it Out!
Source: Up From the Roots
(Nov. 1, 2005) TORONTO, ON – Spoken word
fans throughout the GTA and surrounding areas, are anxiously awaiting the 7th Annual When Brothers Speak Spoken Word
Concert, which rolls into the St. Lawrence Centre
for the Arts on Saturday November 26th; this year, for one night
only. When Brothers Speak began in 1999 inside of
a crammed Comfort Zone, and has now grown to become the largest spoken word
event of its kind in North America; each year celebrating the work of
six spoken word artists from across Canada, the US, or the U.K. The 2005
edition of the show, will feature performances by Toronto’s Al. St. Louis and
Dwayne Morgan, New York’s Brother Earl and Ainsley Burrows, New Jersey’s
Flowmentalz, and Ottawa’s John Akpata, who ran for the Marijuana Party in the
last Federal election. If you’re only going to see one spoken word show this
year, this should be it! Tickets are on sale now
through the St. Lawrence Centre Box Office at 416.366.7723, in person at 27 Front St., or on line at www.stlc.com. Tickets are $25/$30 in advance.
Groups of 10 or more receive $5 off of each ticket purchased in advance. The 7th
Annual When Brothers Speak Spoken Word Concert is proudly sponsored by Dose
Magazine, Langfield Entertainment, toflo.com, urbanology101.com, and
afrotoronto.com For media accreditation for When Brothers
Speak please call Dwayne Morgan @ (647) 284.9135 or email info@upfromtheroots.ca
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 26
Up From The Roots presents
The 7th Annual When Brothers Speak
Spoken Word Concert
St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts, Jane Mallett Theatre
27 Front E
Featuring
Toronto’s Al St. Louis and Dwayne Morgan, Ottawa’s John Akpata, New York’s
Ainsley Burrows and Brother Earl, and New Jersey’s Flowmentalz
9:00 pm
Tickets $25/$30 in advance
Groups of $10 or more receive $5 off per ticket, in advance
Box Office 416.366.7723
For more info, info@upfromtheroots.ca
or 416.822.1465
John Legend LIVE in Concert – November 27, 2005
Source: REMG
Concerts
John Legend, recently nominated for
an American Music Award as one of the year's "Favourite Male R&B
Artists," is the keyboard genius
behind hits for Alicia Keys, Janet Jackson, Lauryn Hill, Black Eyed Peas, Kanye
West and Jay-Z. Combining the sensuality of Marvin Gaye and sincerity of Stevie
Wonder, with the directness of Snoop Dogg and the wit of Kanye West, John
Legend's Get Lifted has rocketed to the top of the charts and helped him sell
out concerts around the world.
With a voice described by the New York Times as "supple and bold, echoing
the gliding, curving lines and impulsive dynamics of Donny Hathaway and Stevie
Wonder, the rasp of Otis Redding and the falsetto of Al Green," there's
little doubt that John Legend is one artist not to be missed when he performs
at Toronto's Massey Hall on November 27th.
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 27
JOHN LEGEND LIVE IN CONCERT
Massey Hall
178 Victoria St.
8:00 pm
Tickets are $57.50, $47.50, $38.50
Reserved Seating in advance (does not include service charge) and are available
at: Ticketmaster, Massey Hall, HOB
19+ event
Doors @ 8 pm
::OPPORTUNITY::
Langfield Entertainment Special Offer in Bahamas!
Langfield
Entertainment treats its readers to the life of a celebrity in "The
Bahamas", with a free limousine and chauffeur. And TO QUALIFY, all you have to do is visit www.kenslimo.com
and go to RESERVATIONS and request it in the name of LANGFIELD ENTERTAINMENT - CANADA.
We
know you dream of the Bahamas... the sun, the sand and the beach, but
you can also enjoy the local culture and many local attractions. Nassau and Paradise Island offer visitors
every Bahamian experience, and most are packaged in the convenience of a
"guided tour excursion" of the points that interest youmost.
Nassau is the home of the Bahamian national capital, the bustling hub of
The Islands Of The Bahamas that traces its heritage back to the shipwrecking
days of the legendary pirate Blackbeard. Prized for its sheltered harbour, the
city made history and preserved it beautifully in colonial mansions,
cathedrals, 18th-century fortresses and a Queen's Staircase whose 66 steps lead
to a view not to be missed. Nassau is home to weather-beaten, ancient
forts; elegant, noble architecture; and fine local and international crafts and
goods, from
handmade lengths of batik to Rolex watches. An abundance of posh resort hotels,
casinos, cabaret shows, and cruise ship docks make Nassau a vibrant center for
entertainment as well as commerce. For those who prefer a quieter, more
serene Nassau/Paradise Island, it can be found farther west. Indeed, once you
leave Nassau, the pace is slower. For example, the section of West Bay
Street that leads to Cable Beach is nicknamed "Go Slow Bend." Beyond
Cable Beach, the island is transformed. Large tracts of pine trees and
rolling hills dominate the central portions of Nassau/Paradise Island, and the
island's perimeter is marked by miles of fine white sand beach Paradise
Island.
The
685 acres of Paradise Island are connected to the city of Nassau by
two 600-foot bridges. The island is developed almost exclusively to accommodate
travelers, with resorts, hotels, restaurants, shops, a golf course, an
aquarium, and a casino rounding out the amenities. Very few private residences
exist on the island. For encounters of a different kind, venture east and cross
the bridge from the town of Nassau to "Paradise," with resorts,
casinos and exciting
nightlife on an island formerly called "Hog." Its transformation is
not unlike Cinderella's putting on the glass slipper. For years the island
stood completely undeveloped, its beaches and tropical splendour unnoticed by
the world. Suddenly, with the addition of luxurious hotels and a sparkling
casino, it was transformed into one of the most glamorous and celebrated resort
centers in the world, combining exclusive tranquillity and lots of action.
Reclusive millionaire Howard Hughes and the former Shah of Iran are among those
who have found refuge here. As you go east, just past the bridge to
Paradise Island, there is the boating heart of Nassau/Paradise Island with a
number of marinas and boats for hire. The East End is also a delightful
residential area showing the full flavour of the colonial past in its
architecture and horticulture.
So,
plan your trip to Bahamas and reserve your Langfield
Entertainment Limo and Chauffeur TODAY!
::MUSIC NEWS::
New Bob Marley?
Source: Universal Music
Enterprises
(Oct. 7, 2005) In the year Bob Marley would have
turned 60, the past, present and future of his music are celebrated not only
with the first Bob Marley & The Wailers greatest hits package
to include both his early sides and his Island Records hits but also a new
recording and two new remixes. Along with 17 vintage tracks, Africa Unite: The Singles Collection (Island/Tuff Gong/Universal Music
Canada), in stores November 15, 2005, spotlights "Slogans," the first
new official Marley track released in more than a decade. It is believed Marley
recorded the song "Slogans" in a Miami bedroom in 1979. The
tapes were kept at Marley's mother's house and last year the reggae legend's
sons Stephen and Ziggy revisited the acoustic demo. In 2005, Stephen
overdubbed the tracks with other instruments, including guitar by Eric Clapton.
Stephen and Ziggy produced "Slogans" specifically for this
release. Another new recording is a remix of "Africa Unite," whose
original was heard on the 1979 album Survival. The song is presented here
in an anthemic remix by will.i.am of The Black Eyed Peas, who was personally
invited to create the remix by Rita Marley, Bob's wife. Also new is the
Ashley Beedle Remix of "Get Up, Stand Up Vs. Jamrock," a mash-up of
Bob's classic and "Welcome To Jamrock," the 2005 hit from youngest
son Damian. Africa Unite: The Singles Collection commemorates Marley's
life on record just as the 2005 Africa Unite concert in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia,
on his 60th birthday (February 6) commemorated it on stage. Africa Unite: The
Singles Collection includes the early classics "Soul Rebel,"
"Lively Up Yourself," "Trenchtown Rock" and "Concrete
Jungle" alongside the Island hits "I Shot The Sheriff,"
"Get Up, Stand Up," "No Woman, No Cry," "Exodus,"
"Jamming," "Could You Be Loved," "One Love/People Get
Ready," "Roots, Rock, Reggae," "Waiting In Vain,"
"The Sun Is Shining," "Is This Love," "Three Little
Birds" and "Buffalo Soldier." Marley's stature in music grows
with each passing year. Africa Unite: The Singles Collection continues his
legacy.
Bob Marley Background
Bob Marley has been called "the first Third World superstar", a
visionary, a revolutionary and even a prophet. Certainly he was one of the most characteristic and challenging
performers of this century. His timeless and evocative music continues to have
an enormous impact on people of all races throughout the world. Like
most popular artists, Marley wrote about love. But his music also reflected a
militant spirituality, a blood-red hatred of racism and colonialism, and a deep
yearning for personal, artistic, political and social freedom. It is important
to consider the roots of this legend. All these themes reflected the
experiences of a man of mixed racial heritage growing up in a poverty-stricken
crown colony. Marley was the product of Jamaica, a country with a unique
mixture of black pride and fundamentalist religions set against a background of
extreme economic deprivation. Although there was clearly genius in his
vocal abilities, in his on-stage charisma and in his vastly underrated guitar
work, it was Marleys attitude and lyrics that made a lasting impact on
listeners. He mined fresh artistic territory by reflecting the concerns of
impoverished people everywhere. Marleys musical career stretched
over twenty years. During that time his style reflected every new development
in the rise of modern Jamaican music-from ska to contemporary
"international" reggae. His first recordings were made as the
beginning of the 1960s as a solo artist. In 1962 Marley auditioned for a local
music entrepreneur named Leslie Kong. Impressed by the quality of Bobs vocals,
Kong took the young singer into the studio. He cut three sides, the first of
which, Judge Not, was his first release on Kongs Beverly label. Bob was
tutored during these early years by Joe Higgs, an established singer from the
area who held informal lessons for aspiring vocalists in the tenement yards of
Trench Town, Kingston. It was here that Marley and his friend Bunny Livingston
met Peter Macintosh and decided to form the Wailing Wailers. (Macintosh later
shortened his name to Tosh, while Livingston became known as Bunny Wailer.)
The new group had a mentor, a Rastafarian hand drummer named Alvin Patterson
who introduced the youths to Clement "Coxsone" Dodd, an important record produced in
Kingston. In the summer of 1963 Dodd auditioned the Wailing Wailers and agreed to
record them. It was in early 1964, as a founding member of the Wailing Wailers
that Bob first hit the Jamaican charts. The record was Simmer Down,
recorded in the last weeks of 1963 on Dodd?s Downbeat label. By January of 1964
it was number one. Simmer Down caused a sensation in Jamaica and the Wailers
began recording regularly for Dodds Studio One company. This was the era of
ska; a hot new music with a pronounced backbeat. Ska had its origins in the New
Orleans rhythm & blues picked up from American radio stations and played at
local "sound systems". Over the next few years the Wailers - a
group that also included at various times Junior Braithwaite and the back-up
singers Beverly Kelso and Cherry Smith - put out some 30 sides and established
themselves as one of the hottest groups in Jamaica. Despite their popularity
however, the economics of staying together proved too much and Braithwaite,
Kelso, and Smith left the band. At roughly the same time Bob joined his mother
in the United States. She had moved to Delaware and saved enough money to send
him a ticket. Just before he moved he met young Rita Anderson, and on February
10, 1966, the two were married. Marleys stay in the US was short-lived.
He worked just enough to finance his real ambition: music. He returned in
October to Jamaica to join up again with Peter and Bunny and re-form the group,
now simply known as the Wailers. It was during these years that Marley
fully embraced Rastafari. One can not fully comprehend Marley or the Wailers
music without reference to this movement. There is a mystery at the heart of
every religion; Rastafaris main object of worship is the former Emperor of
Ethiopia Haile Selassie, who is seen as the personification of God on earth.
Rastas acknowledge the origin of their religion in Christianity and Judaism
while rejecting the "babylon hypocrisy" of the modern church. In
addition to proclaiming the divinity of Salassie, worshippers yearn for a
return to a homeland in Africa.
Jamaicans in general have managed to maintain many cultural connections to
Africa. That African heritage was given serious political expression by Marcus
Garvey, a Jamaican preacher and entrepreneur who founded the Universal Negro
Improvement Association. This organisation advocated the creation of a new
black state in Africa, free from white domination. Garvey also predicted the
crowning of a new black king. A few years later, in 1930, Ras Tafari Makonnen
became Emperor of Ethiopia and had taken a new name, Haile Selassie. The
Emperor claimed to be the 225th ruler in a line that stretched back to Menelik,
the son of Solomon and Sheba. Garveys prediction inspired his followers to
found the Rastafarian movement. Marleys conversion was part of a
religious revival that had touched many other Jamaican artists, many of whom
had begun writing songs about exile and return to Africa. Such songs as Maytals
Six & Seven Books of Moses, Bob Andys Ive Got to Go Back Home, and Desmond
Dekkers Israelites mark the early influences of the Rasta movement on reggae
music. The Wailers growing commitment to Rastafari brought them into
conflict with Clement Dodd. Determined to control their own destiny, they
formed their own record label, Wailin N Soul. Despite a few early successes,
the Wailers limited experience forced the label out of business in late 1967.
The group survived, however, initially as songwriters for a company associated
with the American singer Johnny Nash. The following decade Nash had an
international hit with Marleys Stir It Up. The Wailers then joined
forces with Lee "Scratch" Perry, the production genius who virtually
re-invented the sound of Jamaican music. By the end of the Sixties, with Perry
at the mixing desk, the Wailers were again back at the top in Jamaica. The
combination of the Wailers and Perry resulted in some of the finest music the
band ever made. Tracks like Soul Rebel, Duppy Conqueror, 400 Years, and Small
Axe were classics that defined the future direction of reggae. By the late
sixties the Wailers music reflected Marleys new beliefs. Gone were the rude boy
anthems; in their place was a growing commitment to spiritual and social issues
? the cornerstone of his real legacy. With its emphasis on "getting yours
here on earth" Rastfarian unabashedly mixes spirituality with social criticism.
In 1970 Aston "Familyman" Barrett and his brother Carlton
(bass and drums, respectively) joined the Wailers as musicians. The rhythm
nucleus of Perrys studio band the Upsetters, they came to the Wailers
unchallenged as Jamaica?s hardest rhythm section. With the addition of the
Barrett brothers the Wailers reputation continued to grow throughout the
Caribbean, though they remained essentially unknown internationally.
That same year Bob accepted an invitation from Johnny Nash to accompany him to
Sweden, where the American singer had taken a film score commission. While in
Europe Bob secures a recording contract with CBS, which was also Nashs company.
By the autumn of 1971 the Wailers were in London, ostensibly promoting their
CBS single Reggae on Broadway. Instead they found themselves stranded in
Britain. In December Marley walked into Basing Street studio of Island
Records and asked to see its founder, Chris Blackwell. Blackwell had launched
Island in Jamaica in the late 1950s. By 1962 he realised that, by re-locating
to London, he could represent all his Jamaican rivals in Britain. The company
was re-born in May, 1962, selling initially to the Jamaican population, centred
mostly in London and Birmingham. Blackwell then produced a worldwide smash with
My Boy Lollipop, a pop/ ska tune by the young Jamaican singer Millie Small.
Through the Sixties Island had grown to become the UKs prime source of
Jamaican music, from ska through rock-steady and reggae. The company had also
embraced white rock music, with such bands as Traffic, King crimson, Cat
Stevens, Free and Fairport Convention. When Marley arrived at Island, it was
the hottest independent in the world. Blackwell knew of Marleys Jamaican
reputation. Island had released his first records in Britain. More importantly,
Blackwell had also heard the groups recent demo tapes and had been impressed.
He offered the group a deal unique for Jamaican music; the Wailers were
advanced $8000 to make an album. The relationship that developed between
Island and the Wailers was unprecedented. For the first time a reggae band had
access to the best recording facilities and were treated in the same way as a
rock group. Before the Wailers signed to Island, reggae had been sold only as
singles and on cheaply produced compilations. The Wailers first album, Catch A
Fire broke all the rules. Beautifully packaged and heavily promoted, its
releases marked the start of Marleys long climb to international fame and
recognition.
Years later the acclaimed reggae dub poet Linton Kwesi Johnson, commenting on
Catch A Fire, wrote: " A whole new style of Jamaican music has come into
being. It has a different character, a different sound what I can only describe
as International Reggae. It incorporates elements from popular music: rock and
soul, blues and funk. These elements facilitated a breakthrough on the
international market." Island also decided The Wailers should tour
both Britain and America, again a complete novelty for a reggae band. Marley
and the band came to London in April 1973, embarking on a club tour, which
sharpened them as a live group. After three months, however, the band returned
to Jamaica and Bunny, disenchanted by life on the road, refused to do the
American tour. His place was taken by Joe Higgs, the original teacher of the
Wailers. The tour drew packed houses, including a weekend engagement playing
support to a young Bruce Springsteen. Such was the demand for a group
that and autumn tour was arranged, with 17 dates as support to Sly & The
Family Stone, at that time the top band in Black American music. Four shows
into the tour, however, the Wailers were taken off the bill. It seems they had
been too good; support bands should never detract from the main attraction. The
Wailers made their way to San Francisco where they broadcast a live concert for
the pioneering rock station, KSAN. The bulk of that session was finally made
available in February 1991, when Island releases the commemorative album Talkin
Blues. Catch A Fire was followed a year later by Burnin, an LP that
included remakes of some of the bands older songs such as Duppy Conqueror,
Small Axe and Put It On, together with such stand out tracks as Get Up, Stand
Up and I Shot The Sheriff (the latter recorded by Eric Clapton, who had a number
one hit with the song in America). The following year Marley spent much
of his time in the studio working on sessions that eventually provided Natty
Dread, an album that included such fiercely committed songs as Talkin Blues, No
Woman No Cry, So Jah Seh, revolution, and Them Belly Full (But We Hungry). By
the start of the next year, however, Bunny and Peter had left the group. They
were late to embark on solo careers while the band was re-named Bob Marley
& the Wailers.
Natty Dread was released in February 1975. By the summer, the band was on the
road again. Bunnys and Peters harmonies were replaced by the I-Threes, the
female trio comprised of Rita with Marcia Griffiths and Judy Mowatt. Among the
concerns were two shows at the Lyceum Ballroom in London which, even now, are
remembered as highlights of the decade. The shows were recorded and the
subsequent Live! album, together with the single, No Woman No Cry, climbed into
the UK charts. By November, when the Wailers returned to Jamaica to play a benefit
concert with Stevie Wonder, they were without question the countrys biggest
stars. Their next album, released in 1976, finally cracked the American
charts. Rastaman Vibration was, for many, the clearest exposition yet of
Marleys music and beliefs. It included such brilliant tracks as Crazy Baldhead,
Johnny Was, Who the Cap Fit and, perhaps most significantly of all, War, the
lyrics of which were taken from a speech by Haile Selassie. Rastaman
Vibrations international success cemented Marleys growing political importance
in Jamaica, where his strong Rastafarian stance had resonated with the ghetto
youth. By way of thanking the people, Marley decided to play at a free concert
at Kingston's National Heroes Park in December of 1976. The idea was to emphasize
the need for peace in the slums of the city, were warring factions had brought
turmoil and murder. Just after the concert was announced, the Government
called an election for December 20th. The campaign was a signal for renewed
ghetto fighting and, on the eve of the concert, gunmen broke into Marley's
house and shot him. In the confusion the would-be assassins only wounded
Marley, who was hastily taken to a safe haven in the hills surrounding
Kingston. Rita Marley and Bobs then manager, Don Taylor, were also wounded. For
a day he deliberated about playing the concert and then, on December 5, came on
stage and played a brief set in defiance of the gunmen. It was to be Marleys
last appearance in Jamaica for nearly eighteen months. Immediately after the show
he left the country and, during early 1977, lived in London where he recorded
his next album. In 1977 Exodus firmly established Marleys international
superstar status. It remained in the British charts for 56 straight weeks, and
netted three UK hit singles, Exodus, Waiting in Vain, and Jamming. The band
also played a week of concerts at London's Rainbow Theatre, their last dates in
the city during the Seventies. 1978s Kaya saw the band capitalise on
their new international success. It hit number four on the UK charts the week
of its release. The album saw Marley in a different mood Kaya was an album of
love songs, and of course, homages to the power of ganga. There were
several other events in 1978 which were of extraordinary significance to Marley.
In April that year he returned to Jamaica to play the One Love Peace Concert in
front of prime Minister Michael Manley, Opposition Leader Edward Seaga and a
crowd of tens of thousands. And at the end of the year he visited Africa for
the first time, initially going to Kenya and then on to Ethiopia, spiritual
home of the Rastafarians. In the same year he received the United Nation?s
Medal of Peace. That same year the band toured Europe and America, a
series of shows that provided a second live album, Babylon By Bus. The Wailers
also broke new ground by playing Australia, Japan and New Zealand.
In 1979 the Survival LP was released, Marleys ninth album for Island records.
It included Zimbabwe, a stirring anthem for the soon-to-be liberated Rhodesia,
together with So Much Trouble in the Night and the anthemic Africa Unite. As
the sleeve design (comprising the flags of the independent nations) indicated,
Survival was an album devoted to pan-African solidarity. At the start of
the following year - a new decade ? Marley & the Wailers flew to Gabon to
make their debut on the African continent. It was not the event that Marley had
anticipated however as it quickly became evident that the band would be
performing only for that country's elite. Marley returned to Africa in 1980 at
the official initiation of the Government of Zimbabwe to play at that countrys
independence Ceremony. It was perhaps the greatest honour ever afforded the
band, and one which underlined the Wailers importance in the Third World.
A European tour came the following year: the band broke festival records
throughout the continent, including a 100,000 capacity show in Milan. His new
Uprising album hit every chart in Europe. It was a period of maximum optimism
and plans were being made for an American tour, including an opening slot for
Stevie Wonder the following wither. At the end of the European tour,
Marley went to America. He played two shows at Madison Square garden but
immediately afterwards became seriously ill. Cancer was diagnosed. A melanoma
on one of his toes had led to the spread of the disease throughout his body.
Marley fought the disease for eight months. He then left Germany, where he was
receiving treatment, for his home in Jamaica. Unable to complete the journey,
he died in a Miami hospital May 11, 1981. Marley was given an official state
funeral by the people of Jamaica. Following the funeral, his body was taken to
his birthplace of Nine Miles in St. Anns Parish where it now rests in a
mausoleum. Marley was just 36 years old. The Legend lives on. Marleys
stature and popularity have continued to grow in the years since his passing,
and today there are few places in the world that have not been touched by his
music. The Legend compilation, released in 1984 and featuring some of his most
popular songs, remains one of the best-selling catalogue albums on the
Billboard charts. 1992s Songs of Freedom, a limited edition of one million
four-CD boxed sets featuring rare and previously unreleased material, quickly
sold out, and became a much sought after collectors item prior to its
re-release.
Kardi Flaunts Jamaican Roots
Excerpt from The Globe and Mail - By
Robert Everett-Green
Globe and Mail CD of the Week: Fire and Glory
Kardinal Offishall
Black Jays/Virgin (EMI)
***˝
(Nov. 18, 2005) There must have been many times during the past four years when
Kardinal Offishall (Jason Harrow)
wished he were recording the Jamaican way. The single has always been king in
Kingston, where anyone with a good song and a little cash can go to one of
innumerable small studios and put a record on the street within weeks. Kardi,
however, was trying to do it North American style, with the industrial clout of
a big international label. Unfortunately, the label (MCA) died before the
Toronto rapper's sophomore album could be released. Fire and Glory is
not that record, and Kardi seems keenly aware that he may have missed the
moment that could have been his in the wake of Firestarter Vol. 1, his
excellent 2001 debut. Dancehall rap rhythms were still rare on the scene then,
till Sean Paul and Shaggy scattered them across mainstream radio. As if to
compensate, Fire and Glory flaunts Kardi's Jamaican roots from the very
beginning, with a spoken-word introduction in patois so thick that only those
to the island born will get it the first time through. That gives way to The
Last Standing Soldier, a shuffling rock steady number about battles lost
and campaigns yet to come. The album's best tracks keep a stimulating distance
from anything on the American rap scene. Everybody Gone Gangsta critiques
the dominant flava, over a buzzy keyboard and bass ground that could suit many
a grime star from Britain. Freshie documents the rise and fall of a
Jamaican immigrant in Toronto, with a plaintive chorus, bottom-heavy yet
delicate groove, and rhythmic flow that make up for the predictable narrative.
Neva Knew (Till I Kissed You) reveals Kardi to be a credible singer in
the soulful rock steady mode, and features a nice sampled tribute to Canadian
reggae pioneer Nana McLean. The title track offers a rueful look in the mirror,
as Kardi recounts all the symptoms of being recognized by people whose memories
of his past music have been fogged by the long wait-out with MCA. Like most other
rappers, Kardi sometimes feels the need to bang his chest, and does so to
tedious extremes in Heads Up and Kaysarasara ("I talk in
thunderclaps"). If he honestly wonders why "everybody gone
gangsta," the answer is here, in the eternal contest to prove who is the
baddest brother in the 'hood.
Canada Gets Second
Satellite Radio Operation
Excerpt from The
Toronto Star - Greg
Quill, Entertainment Reporter
(Nov. 17, 2005) Canadian Satellite
Radio will be up
and running across the country in early December. CSR is the second of two
discretionary,
subscription-based satellite radio operations originating in the U.S. and
licensed earlier this year by the federal broadcast regulator. Jointly
owned by Toronto entrepreneur John Bitove and Washington-based XM Satellite
Radio, CSR will air 80 channels in Canada. Four will be 100 per-cent
English-language Canadian content and four French-language Canadian content,
the company’s director of programming, Ross Davies, said yesterday. CSR
will carry an additional four “occasional” channels for play-by-play hockey, as
well as a “quick update” hockey score and information service. Rival
Sirius Radio Canada — jointly owned by Toronto-based Standard Radio, CBC and New
York-based Sirius Radio — recently announced plans to launch in early December
as well. It will carry 100 channels, 10 of which will be devoted to Canadian
content — four in English, five in French, and one multi-lingual service — for
$14.99 a month.
Subscription to CSR/XM, which will carry 72 music, news, sports, talk, comedy,
general entertainment and children’s content channels programmed in the U.S.,
in addition to its eight Canadian channels, will cost $12.99 per month.
CSR/XM receivers will be available in major appliance, hardware and electronics
stores within three or four weeks, and range in price from $99.99 for the
popular, ultra-thin Delphi RoadyXT model, to $399 for the Delphi XM MyFi, the
world’s first portable handheld XM satellite radio, Davies said. The
eight Canadian channels on CSR/XM are:
· (un)Signed — A rock music channel featuring new, emerging and recently
established Canadian rock artists.
· Laugh Attack — Uncensored comedy programmed by Canadian entrepreneur
Mark Breslin, highlighting Canadian comics.
· Canada 360 — A national news and information channel.
· Air Musique — Punk, hip-hop, metal, electronic and alternative rock
music.
· Franc Parler — News, talk, information and sports.
· Sur La Route — Modern and classic pop, folk, rock and roll, “chanson”
and soul.
· Quoi de Neuf — Arts and entertainment news and information.
Despite the massive show of support both CSR and Sirius Radio received from a
nationwide lobby by independent Canadian musicians during both the licence
application hearings and a subsequent appeal against the two satellite licences
that were approved, only three of the eight Canadian channels are devoted to
Canadian music — one in English and two in French. “We hope to develop
more Canadian music channels down the road,” said Davies, who recently jumped
ship from an advisory position at Sirius to take the CSR/XM programming job
held by Toronto radio guru Bob Mackowycz during the two-year planning and
application process. “And we hope the Canadian independent music sector
will be thrilled by our content, which will cover all the bases.” CSR has
also appointed a Canadian talent coordinator whose job will be “to take the
message to XM in Washington and boost Canadian content on the American
channels,” Davies added. Unlike Sirius Canada, which has opted for the
time-being not to carry controversial American “shock jock” talk radio star
Howard Stern on its roster, CSR/XM will air the equally irreverent and
uncensored The Opie and Anthony Show on its High Voltage channel, Davies
said. “We are not shying away from controversial programming, which will
be coded on our receivers so listeners can lock it out if they want to, but
we’re having meetings with Opie and Anthony to make them aware of our position
as members of the Canadian Broadcast Standards Council. We hope satellite radio
will be regulated differently from regular radio — as discretionary TV is. But
we have to be smart and abide by our own rules.”
Jamie Foxx Re-Introduces Himself
Source: Amina Elshahawi, ICED Media amina@icedmedia
(Nov. 23, 2005) The release of Foxx’s
long-awaited J Records debut, UNPREDICTABLE, demonstrates the lessons the
Oscar-winner learned at the feet of one of music’s true giants. With a wide
range of sounds and emotions, and a breathtaking list of guest stars adding to
the mix, the one-time music student at San Diego’s United States International
University finally fulfills his true dream. From the party-starting first
single "Unpredictable" to the smouldering "Love Changes,"
UNPREDICTABLE reveals an artist ready to play in R&B’s big leagues. Of
course, Foxx’s musical skills are no secret — the album follows his appearance
on Kanye West’s #1 single "Gold Digger," which reprised the magic of
their collaboration on last year’s Grammy-nominated smash "Slow
Jamz." That hit was just one taste of Jamie Foxx’s recent
unprecedented accomplishments. In addition to winning the 2005 Oscar Academy
Award as Best Actor for his career-defining performance in Ray, he was
nominated in the Best Supporting Actor category for his part in Collateral,
making him just the second male actor with nominations for two different films
in the same year. Those roles, in conjunction with his acclaimed turn in the FX
Networks’ Redemption, led to him being the first person ever nominated for
three acting awards at the Golden Globes and four SAG awards in one year. But
Foxx, 37, is quick to point out that music isn’t just a sideline to his
history-making acting career. "I’ve been working on music for the last 15
years," he says. "I don’t do nothing sideways. If I’m gonna get it,
I’m gonna get it 100 percent." He did much of the work on UNPREDICTABLE at
his own home studio, and even on the set of his current production, Miami Vice,
he’s been logging hours in a portable studio lent to him by super producer
Timbaland (who manned the boards on the album’s "Can I Take You
Home"). In fact, Foxx says that the success and notoriety he’s enjoyed
since his breakthrough performance in 1999’s Any Given Sunday is sometimes held
against him when he focuses on a different medium. "I’ve been told many
times, ‘I know what you did on the acting side and the Oscars and all that, but
that doesn’t mean anything on the music side!,’" he says. "And that’s
completely wrong, because the medium of television has bashed that in the head.
Music is visual now, as well." To convince the sceptics, he says, "I
had to make sure that the album was tight even if I didn’t have anybody to
enhance it." But in the end, Foxx was also able to assemble a line-up of
guests that reads like a Billboard Top Ten chart— Mary J. Blige, Ludacris, and
Twista all add their flavours to UNPREDICTABLE, with production by Timbaland,
Babyface and others.
Foxx says that these collaborations all came together naturally. "Those
are my friends," he says. "These are people I’ve formed relationships
with over the years, thrown parties for, hung out with." The Texas-born
former star of In Living Color and The Jamie Foxx Show notes that these artists
all share a drive and passion he was able to relate to and learn from.
"They’re all going to be legends," he says. "They want to
win—not just for the monetary thing, but for the soul and the spirit. That
history does something fantastic to your body and your soul. If it feels that
good in the studio, when it gets out there with that Clive Davis presentation,
man, people are in trouble!" Hooking up with Clive Davis—Chairman
& CEO, BMG, US, and the music legend behind superstars from Janis Joplin to
Santana to Alicia Keys—was part of Foxx’s vision for his music career. In 2005,
he engineered a performance at Davis’s famous pre- Grammy party at the Beverly
Hills Hotel, as a way to showcase his talent directly to the top. "I’d
been to the Clive Davis party before," he says, "and I was like, I
know how it is, it’s high ground up in here, you got to come in legendary
already. So I used a little of my comedy to break the ice, and then slipped my
singing in on them before they even knew what was happening." A
performance of "Slow Jamz" alongside Kanye West and Twista led to an
impromptu sing-off with Alicia Keys and Angie Stone. By evening’s end, Davis
was a believer and, says Foxx, "I knew I had performed in the right place
for the right people at the right time." True to the album’s title,
Foxx points to a few songs on UNPREDICTABLE as the most surprising, and thus
the ones he’s proudest of. "There’s a song called ‘I Wish You Were Here,’
about my grandmother," he says. "It’s a heavy, heavy song — we put it
at the end of the album, because I want people to bump and grind and enjoy
themselves before they get to that. That’s the one that measures your
soul." The track "Til I Met Your Sister," he says, presents a new
perspective on a slippery situation. "It’s about a guy having this
infidelity with his girl’s sister," says Foxx, "but nobody ever has
sung about that in a way where it’s not embarrassing, it’s not jokey, it’s
really serious—like, we really did click and there’s no way I can fight
it." So did he feel any pressure in following Ray? Was it hard to find the
motivation to be creative after giving the performance of a lifetime? Foxx
waves off such concerns. "If you go to the mountaintop," he says,
"and you hit the very top, even if you go down a hundred feet, you’re
still on that mountain, and you can still see a whole lot of things. We got a
lot of things we passed up ‘cause we were on our way to the top. Now we’re
gonna go down and maybe set up camp, have a barbecue down here, have a little
party over there. That’s what we’re doing now. "We just didn’t let the
curtain go down," says Jamie Foxx with a laugh. "We’re at the after
party right now."
Overcast night (as
in, few stars) at AMAs
Excerpt from The Toronto Star - Sandy
Cohen, Associated Press
(Nov. 23, 2005) LOS ANGELES - Kelly Rowland of Destiny's Child had good reason to
feel all alone at this year's American Music
Awards: She was
one of the few big-name stars to win an award and actually show up to take it
home. "This feels very awkward being up here by myself,"
Rowland said as she accepted the favourite band trophy in the soul-R&B
category for her now-defunct group. "I miss my girls." The group also
won for soul-R&B album for Destiny Fulfilled. Former members Michelle
Williams and Beyonce Knowles were not the only ones to stay away from Tuesday's
awards. Also missing were award winners Green Day, Kelly Clarkson and Black
Eyed Peas who, like Destiny's Child, each won a leading two awards.
Crooner R. Kelly and rappers Eminem and 50 Cent also let others accept their
honours. Country made a good showing though. Not only did stalwart duo
Brooks & Dunn and singer Tim McGraw
each take home trophies, but Atlanta trio Sugarland was named the night's
breakthrough new artist. McGraw, Kenny Chesney, Keith Urban and Rascal Flatts
also contributed country numbers to the night's performances. Mariah
Carey sang the show's opening song, Don't Forget About Us, in an eye-catching silver,
sequined, slit-to-the-waist gown. She changed into a cleavage-baring
black dress to claim the night's first prize, for favourite female artist in
the soul-R&B category. Nominated a leading four times, the pop diva took
home just the one trophy. "I'm so glad Mariah won that award,"
Kix Brooks said as he presented the next category. "I need to see that
dress again.'' The three-hour program was anchored by spirited
performances from more than 20 artists, including a reunited Eurythmics and an
inspired pairing of Cyndi Lauper and Sarah McLachlan for a soulful version of
Lauper's 1980s hit Time After Time.
Singer and style maven Gwen Stefani landed onstage in a hot air balloon
shaped like an ice cream cone for a duet with rapper Pharrell. She had hardly
finished the song when it was announced she had won the favourite female pop
artist award. "What did I win?" asked Stefani who said she
hadn't heard what award had just been announced. "I guess whatever I won,
I just want to say thank you to the fans, especially all my girls.''
Missy Elliott, who is recovering from a torn Achilles tendon, limped to the
stage with the aid of a crutch to collect the favourite female artist award in
the rap/hip-hop category. She dedicated the prize to singer Aaliyah, who died
in a plane crash in 2001. "This is a male-dominated world,"
Elliott said backstage later. "Females just gotta stand up and be strong
and keep it going.'' Rapper 50 Cent's The Massacre won the favourite rap/hip-hop
album award, but he was edged out for favourite male hip-hop artist by Eminem and by Will Smith
for favourite pop-rock performer. The Black
Eyed Peas crossed genres to take home favourite group honours in both the
rap/hip-hop and pop-rock categories. In the country category, McGraw was
named favourite male artist and his record, Live Like You Were
Dying, took
favourite album honours. Gretchen Wilson won the favourite female artist award
and Brooks & Dunn were chosen as favourite group. Green Day took home
top pop-rock album honours for their 14-month-old political manifesto, American Idiot. The trio also was named favourite alternative artist.
Clarkson won the favourite adult contemporary artist award, and fans chose her,
via text message, for the special T-Mobile text-in award. Colombian-born
Shakira, who picked up the favourite Latin music artist award, praised the
trend toward the presentation of more Spanish music on U.S. radio.
"America is a cross-cultural open country and music is a language on its
own," she said. Sister act Mary Mary, named favourite contemporary
inspirational artist, treated a backstage audience to an a cappella sampling of
their new material. Nominees were chosen on the basis of record sales,
with winners selected through a survey of about 20,000 listeners.
Comedian Cedric The Entertainer hosted the event, broadcast live on ABC from
the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles. Two more no-shows, sort of, were
the Rolling Stones who nonetheless had the last word. The band performed
two songs via satellite from Salt Lake City, closing with It's Only Rock 'n' Roll (But I Like It).
Winners at the
33rd annual American Music Awards:
• Pop-Rock:
Male artist:
Will Smith
Female artist:
Gwen Stefani
Band, duo or group: The Black Eyed Peas
Album: "American Idiot," Green Day
• Soul-R&B:
Male artist: R. Kelly
Female artist:
Mariah Carey
Band, duo or group: Destiny's Child
Album: "Destiny Fulfilled," Destiny's Child
• Country:
Male artist:
Tim McGraw
Female artist:
Gretchen Wilson
Band, duo or group: Brooks & Dunn
Album: "Live Like You Were Dying," Tim McGraw
• Rap/Hip-Hop:
Male artist: Eminem
Female artist: Missy Elliott
Band, duo or group: The Black Eyed Peas
Album: "The Massacre," 50 Cent
• Adult Contemporary:
Artist:
Kelly Clarkson
• Latin Music:
Artist: Shakira
• Breakthrough:
New artist: Sugarland
T-Mobile Text-In Award (voted by public):
• Kelly Clarkson
Globetrotter/Marksman Bruce Cockburn Rediscovers Old Song
Excerpt from The
Toronto Star - Greg Quill. Entertainment Columnist
(Nov. 20,
2005) I went to Baghdad for a vacation and I had a really good
time," Bruce Cockburn says about
his recent visit to the war-torn Iraqi capital. "Sounds like a song
title, something deeply ironic, doesn't it?" the legendary Canadian
songwriter, guitarist, environmental and anti-war activist continues. "But
it's the truth. I went there for a week with some American friends to check out
Iraq under (American military) occupation. Admittedly it was the quietest week
in Baghdad since the war started, but there was automatic weapons fire in the
street one night outside the hotel where we were having dinner.
"Someone yelled out, `It's okay — just a wedding!'" Dedicated
to improving the human condition — Cockburn has been invited to take part in
the opening ceremonies for the United Nations Conference on Climate Change Dec.
6 in Montreal — the songwriter is no stranger to gunfire. It was during a
similar fact-finding trip to Nicaragua in the 1980s that he was provoked to
write his controversial hit "If I Had a Rocket Launcher." It's a powerful
and vengeful rant against supposedly covert American military intervention in a
civil struggle, and its devastating effects on impoverished and undefended
bystanders. Bystanders, he says, like the ordinary Iraqis he met in Baghdad a
few moths ago, who were "just trying to lead regular lives, get to work,
get their kids to school, and doing their best to keep up their spirits while
the bullets are flying all around them. "You never see these kinds
of stories on American television — or Canadian television, for that
matter." That trip to Nicaragua also inspired a decade-long
fascination with guns, admits Cockburn, who's in the middle of a North American
tour. He taped a live performance Thursday for an upcoming Live at the
Rehearsal Hall Bravo! series, and has solo concerts around — but not in —
Toronto over the next two weeks, with material from his recently released CD Speechless,
a collection of instrumental guitar compositions. He's appearing at
Markham Theatre tomorrow, Brock University's Centre for the Arts in St.
Catharines on Wednesday, the Sanderson Centre in Brantford on Friday, the
Oakville Centre next Saturday, the Kiwanis Theatre in Chatham Nov. 27 and
Kitchener's Centre In The Square Nov. 28.
In contrast to the public perception of Cockburn as a hippie peacenik, he was a
member of a suburban Toronto gun club during the 1980s and early '90s, a
competitive marksman who racked up decent scores and earned the respect of his
peers. "I shot at bits of paper," he says. "I don't hunt.
I deplore hunting for sport, though I have no problem with people hunting for
food. I wasn't brought up with guns, but my grandfather hunted partridges and
pheasants." It all started, Cockburn explains, when a soldier in
Nicaragua tossed over an unloaded weapon the singer had been admiring.
"I've always been ambivalent about guns," he explains. "I like
the idea of knowing how they work, but I was scared of them. When I held that
rifle for the first time, it felt pretty good." His interest in
target shooting abated in the mid-1990s, he says, though the memory of the
destructive power of guns, rocket launchers and other weapons still
remains. "At the time I remember a feeling of outrage after reading
in Soldier of Fortune magazine stories with people boasting about all
the things Reagan was denying were happening in Nicaragua. There were RPGs —
rocket-propelled grenade launchers — all around me. I was fascinated by them,
and horrified when I learned what damage they could inflict. That's when I
wrote `Rocket Launcher.'" He stopped performing the song after 9/11,
for fear it would be misunderstood in the rage of revenge that was sweeping the
U.S., he says. "I didn't want the song to be misinterpreted. I
didn't want to play into the `Let's go get 'em' thing that was going on.
"But it's back in the repertoire now, because Americans seem to be more
interested in what I have to say than they were the last time out. A couple of
years ago they were demoralized and depressed, and a lot of my songs were too
dark and politically pointed. "Now they're pissed. They feel duped
about the reasons for going to war. They've made a connection between Iraq —
Iraqis aren't allowed to fix their own cities, and foreign contractors are
getting all the money and work — and what's going on in New Orleans, where the
millions for rebuilding the city after the hurricane are going to big,
out-of-state operations, not to local businesses. "Now it's all out
in the open. Nothing remains concealed. And they're angry. "Suddenly
`Rocket Launcher' makes sense. "
Out Of Africa With Strings Attached
Excerpt from The Globe and Mail - By
Tony Montague
(Nov. 18, 2005) What's the most popular instrument in Africa? In rural areas the
drum still rules, as it has for thousands of years. But in cities from Dakar to
Durban, the guitar is now king. Whether acoustic or electric, the six-stringed
axe has adapted itself to a huge range of styles, and introduced African
artists to blues, rock, pop, jazz and Latin music. The musical hybrids that
emerged, like Congolese soukous and the desert blues of Mali, have in turn
influenced Western artists such as Sting, Peter Gabriel and Carlos Santana. And
the criss-crossing over the Atlantic continues. Spearheading the latest phase
of this exchange are African guitarists who, for reasons economic or political,
emigrated to Europe and, increasingly, to Canada. Last year, CBC producer Todd
Fraracci invited six masters to Toronto for a special collaborative project.
Each of them -- Vancouver's Alpha Yaya Diallo (originally from Guinea), Mighty
Popo (Rwanda, Burundi), Pa Joe (Ghana), Adam Solomon (Kenya), Madagascar Slim
and Donné Robert (Madagascar) -- brought a couple of his own songs to the African Guitar Summit, which takes place
tomorrow at the Chan. We spent three days getting to know each other and
working on arrangements," says Popo, who lives in Ottawa. "Sometimes
we played all together, with interlocking guitars and people taking solos -- as
on my song Mwembo. Sometimes we were in smaller groupings. For Urwibutso,
a song for friends and relatives killed during the genocide in Rwanda, there's
just me and Alpha." The guitarists gave a concert at CBC's Glenn Gould
Studio, then spent another three days recording African Guitar Summit --
Juno-winner for best world-music album earlier this year. "It was an
amazing experience to discover how much we shared. The blues was certainly a
common ground," says Popo.
Most of Popo's family, like many Rwandans, moved to neighbouring Burundi in the
sixties. The first guitarist he heard was his uncle Mwembo playing
Congolese-style rumba every evening in the courtyard with his friends.
"But when I started to play myself it was the blues that really drew me.
The sound is very similar to music played on the inanga, a kind of harp or lyre
traditional to Burundi and Rwanda." Popo listened to blues on the radio
and the few albums circulating among his guitar-playing pals. But a rare visit
by two black Americans, Taj Mahal and Memphis Slim, really lit the fire in his
fingers. "I was just 12 and remember it really well. An inanga player
performed for them -- and Memphis Slim cried when he heard him. That's when I
decided I wanted to be a bluesman." Popo's development was also shaped by
a lack of guitars -- and of proper strings. "To date there still is
nowhere in Burundi you can buy strings. So people made 'guitars' from anything
that resonated -- steel oil cans with motorbike or scooter cables as strings
were particular favourites. For several years I played on a guitar with just
the lower three strings. That way I learned all the bass lines of songs. I
remember the pleasure of playing a six-string for the first time on a regular
basis when I moved here." Since then Popo has focused increasingly on the
inanga music of his Central African homeland, reinterpreting it for electric
and acoustic axe. "It's typical of a process all the other guitarists of
African Guitar Summit have gone through," he says. "In Africa you're
drawn to Western sounds because they're the latest thing, and in Canada you
want to explore your own traditional music and adapt it for a new time and
place. So it travels, and brings in new players, and grows." The
African Guitar Summit takes place tomorrow night at 8, at the Chan Centre, 6562
Crescent Rd., 604-280-3311.
Public Rejecting
Copy-Protected CDs: Retailers
Excerpt from The Toronto Star - Angela Pacienza, Canadian
Press
(Nov. 20, 2005) It's becoming a regular occurrence in CD shops across the
country: an irate customer comes in complaining the CD they bought won't play
on their computer, and worse yet, they can't transfer the tunes to their
IPod. The culprit is copy-protected or copy-controlled CDs — something
many Canadian music retailers say they would like to see pulled from store
shelves. "This is just another really, really ridiculous way of
telling our customers, `We don't want your business,' " said Tim Baker of
Sunrise Records, which has 31 shops in southern Ontario. "It's so
stupid." The issue was underscored last week with news that the
anti-piracy technology used on about 50 Sony BMG titles released in the United
States and 37 in Canada secretly left spyware behind on people's
computers. The software — developed as a way to fight music piracy — made
the machines susceptible to viruses and hackers. And trying to remove the
software disabled CD drives. Needless to say, the technology irked
consumers. Thousands flocked to the web to vent, using blogs and online
petitions to encourage people to boycott Sony products altogether.
"There's still plenty of work to be done if we are to achieve our goal of
being treated like the music lovers we are rather than the criminals that
(Sony) assumes us to be," read one posting on http://www.boycottsony.us.
Sony BMG said Friday that about 120,000 of the 4.7 million faulty CDs were sold
in Canada.
They are not the only company to issue copy-protected CDs in Canada. EMI
has been releasing select albums — including the latest Nickelback album, All The Right Reasons — this way for about three years. The company intends to ship out all
its releases with the technology by year's end. The EMI discs use
different software than Sony BMG, and have yet to cause any computer
troubles. Labels say they need the technology in order to stop people
from sharing music with those who haven't paid for it. Still, retailers
say such technology is punishing those who are actually willing to fork over
cash for music — an ever-dwindling group as it is. "Consumers are
not liking it," says Leslie Purchase, assistant manager at CD Plus in the
Halifax Shopping Centre. "People are getting very frustrated by
(copy-protected CDs)." She's noticed an increase in customers who
put CDs down after noticing the "copy-controlled" or
"copy-protected" label. "A lot of customers won't buy them
now. They say `I don't want it'," she said. The copy controls are possible
through digital rights management technology, or DRM. It lets labels restrict
the number of times a CD can be shared — meaning burned or copied. More
controversial is the ability to control which programs consumers can use to
playback their music. With EMI and Sony BMG discs, for instance, the music is
compatible only with Windows Media Player but not with ITunes (for PC
users). That means people with IPods can't add the newly purchased CD to
their playlists without some complicated steps.
CDs with this technology are marked with a warning on the back, usually in a
black box. EMI and Sony openly admit its copy protection measures have
upset and annoyed some of its music fans — specifically IPod users. They've
even provided websites outlining ways to override the controls, http://www.emimusic.info
and cp.sonybmg.com respectively, in order to get the songs on IPod
players. Complaints even trickled down to the actual musicians, who
subsequently posted ways to circumvent the protection measures on their own
websites. Bands include Dave Matthews and the Foo Fighters. The grumbling
doesn't come as a surprise, says Terry Millar, director of manufacturing at EMI
Canada. "People have had the freedom to give 10 friends a copy of a
disc. For anybody that's used to doing that, all of a sudden they're
limited," he said. "We're going to get complaints. We know that
people are used to a certain thing. The thing about it is that it's not the
right thing to be doing." He expects other labels, like Universal
and Warner, will eventually follow with similar technology. But at least
one label says it's vehemently opposed to the content protection practice
saying it unfairly punishes the music buying public. "It's backwards
thinking. It's protectionism," said Terri McBride, president of
Vancouver-based Nettwerk, whose roster includes the Be Good Tanyas. "The
average consumer who's not tech-savvy is going to buy the CD, thinking that
they can load it onto their IPod . . . They're going to be royally pissed
off." He added: "Why do you want to piss off the people who
buy?"
Stones-Struck Teacher A Class Hero
Excerpt from The Toronto Star - Vit Wagner, Pop Music Critic
(Nov. 22, 2005) It isn't every high school music teacher who can summon the
undivided attention of his class by reciting a private conversation with Rolling
Stones guitarist Keith Richards. But
then, Norman McIntosh is not just any
high school music teacher. McIntosh, a staff member at Confederation
Secondary School in Val Caron, Ont., is the first recipient of the MusiCan
Teacher of the Year Award, a prize administered by the Canadian Academy of
Recording Arts and Sciences (CARAS) and bankrolled for its first year by the
Rolling Stones. The winner receives a statuette hand-crafted by Shirley Elford,
designer of the Juno Award, $10,000 cash, another $10,000 for his school's
music program and an all-expenses paid trip to next year's Junos in Halifax.
The official announcement won't be made until later today, but McIntosh
has known about the honour for a couple of months. It was why he met backstage
with the Stones during the band's Sept. 26 concert at Rogers Centre.
"They congratulated me on the award," said McIntosh yesterday
on the phone from Val Caron, 19 kilometres north of Sudbury. "I shook
hands with all of them. They were very genuine. "Keith put his arm
around me and said, `I'm still learning about music every day.'"
McIntosh used the anecdote to motivate his students, without entirely
explaining the circumstances: "I just said, `Bob Ezrin invited us down for
the concert and guess what happened? I met the Stones.' "They were
all completely awestruck that their music teacher had met the greatest band in
the world. They wanted to hear every little detail." The Toronto-bred
Ezrin, a Canadian Music Hall of Fame inductee who has produced albums by Pink
Floyd, Peter Gabriel and Kiss, is on the committee for MusiCan, the CARAS
initiative that administers the prize. He used his long-time friendship with
Stones tour manager Michael Cohl, another Toronto native, to bring the band on
board.
Since 1997 CARAS has donated more than $1 million to school music programs
across the country, mostly through Band Aid, which awards grants of $10,000 to
schools for instruments. "If you go to the Band Aid presentations
and listen to the artists talk about what inspired them, there is always a
story about a spectacular music teacher," said CARAS president Melanie
Berry. "The award grew out of that." McIntosh, 51, has taught
for 26 years. In addition to his regular classroom duties, he runs an
after-school credit program involving a 24-piece rock band, including a
14-strong horn section, and a 16-member stage crew. The band rehearses from
October to March and then performs 12 to 14 shows at schools in the region from
March until June. "The fact that the program happens to be a rock
program might be a bit controversial, but it shouldn't be," said Ezrin.
"Under Norm's direction, the kids have to create a whole performance, from
the choreography to the lighting. And they have to run it as a business. These
are phenomenal life skills they are learning. "There are thousands
of great teachers. We tried to pick the person we felt most exemplified them as
a group. We picked Norm for his dedication, his resourcefulness, his passion,
his commitment and for going way above and beyond the call of duty for more
than 25 years." The Confederation Secondary School repertoire
includes songs by heavyweights U2 and the Rolling Stones, as well as Canadian
upstarts The Trews, all chosen and arranged by McIntosh. "I decide
what is going to be played," he said. "I tried letting the kids
choose and I got 20,000 suggestions." McIntosh, who will fly to
Toronto today to receive the award, said his wife and three children have
already decided how to spend his $10,000. And the school's share?
"The money will definitely be used for upgrading the equipment, so
that many kids — for many years to come — can benefit."
'Still In Love' Hits
Urban Radio In The Heart
Source: Trevor Rasmussen,
Solters & Digney PR , trevor@solterspr.com
(Los Angeles, CA.) ----- The next urban queen is arriving. Tyra's "Still in Love" followed Ludacris' "Georgia" as the #2 added title at
Urban Radio this week with 38 stations in all the major markets picking it
up. The new single (her third) is getting high scores in markets across
the country and being touted by DJs and PDs as one of the Holiday's hottest picks.
Hear it here.
Written by Tyra herself, "Still in Love," is a heartfelt ballad,
showing us the softer side of this dynamic artist. The song is about a young
woman who gets caught cheating. Despite her attempts to make up for it and the
true intentions of her heart, nothing will ever be the same. Tyra
comments, "Everybody makes mistakes. It's just sometimes, no matter how
hard you try, there's just nothing you can do to make up for them. You just
gotta live and learn." Tyra's star began to rise early in 2005 as her
first single "Country Boy," shot up the radio charts (peaked at 16 on
the Billboard Urban chart) and became a fixture on video countdowns like BET's
106 & Park Top 10 Countdown. After opening for Destiny's Child
alongside Amerie and Mario on DC's final tour her second single, "Get No
Ooh Wee," stayed on the Billboard Urban Chart for over 16 weeks. A
talented singer, dancer, and songwriter, Tyra's resume has superstar written
all over it. Called the "next big star" by the Beyonce herself, it's
the way she handles herself, both onstage and off, in front of a camera or
walking down the street of her hometown of Petersburg, VA that you get a feeling
this young entertainer has something special. Her upcoming album is called
"Introducing Tyra 'The Entertainer' B." and is slated for release
February 14th on GG&L Music/Universal/Motown. Tyra's professional
career began in elementary school. By 4th grade she was writing her own
songs and at the tender age of nine started the group Kra'ze that eventually
opened for acts like Immature and the O'Jay's.
Her love of singing and performing ultimately led her to Danger Mowf, the
producer behind her breakout single, "Country Boy." Tyra signed a
deal with GG & L Music in late 2004 and things have been moving quickly
ever since. Tyra's debut highlights her writing skills and the raw emotional
honesty and pure power of her voice, evoking the spirit of a young Mary J.
Blige or Alicia Keys. Album cuts like "U Got The Goods,"
a haunting mid-tempo cut flow with an adolescent earnestness while the funky
"Country Boy" remix featuring Chingy and Trillville is sure-fire
car-stereo blasting, dance-floor rocking jams. "Most of my
songs come from personal experience," she says. And though her songs
are interlaced with mature themes, her music is always mindful of her youngest,
most impressionable fans. "I always keep my lyrics clean," she adds.
MUSIC TIDBITS
Hallelujah! Cohen in Songwriters Hall of Fame
Excerpt
from The Toronto Star - Greg
Quill, Entertainment Reporter
(Nov. 17, 2005) Legendary Canadian composers and poets Leonard Cohen and Gilles
Vigneault are among five new inductees in the 2006
Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame's third annual gala, to be staged Feb. 5 at
the Metro Toronto Convention Centre's John Bassett Theatre. Canadian ragtime
composer William Eckstein, big-band leader Carmen Lombardo, and classical
composer and lyricist Lionel Daunais will also be inducted at the ceremony,
which will honour jazz singer Lucille Dumont, Canada's songbird Anne Murray and
Canadian recording industry pioneer Herbert Berliner for their contributions to
— and support of — the Canadian songwriting industry. Among 26 songs also
being inducted into the hall of fame this year are the traditional folk ballad
"Farewell to Nova Scotia"; The Stampeders hit "Sweet City
Woman," written by Rich Dodson; Andy Kim's "Sugar, Sugar";
"A Québec au clair de lune" by Marius Delisle; Gene MacLellan's
country gospel classic "Put Your Hand in the Hand"; Lombardo's
"Sweethearts on Parade" and "Boo Hoo"; and Cohen's
"Bird on the Wire," "Suzanne," "Ain't No Cure for
Love," "Hallelujah" and "Everybody Knows." The
gala will air on CBC Radio One Feb. 6 at 11 a.m. and on CBC Radio Two and
Radio-Canada at 8 p.m.
Tanto Metro And Devonte's New Album Musically Inclined Drops In
January 2006
Excerpt from www.eurweb.com -
Dancehall's dynamic duo, Tanto
Metro and Devonte will
release their new album Musically Inclined via VP Records in January next year.
The set features some already familiar material as well as new tracks with
producers including Tony 'CD' Kelly, Christopher 'Longman' Birch, Robert Livingston
(of Big Yard Productions), Troyton Rami (of Black Shadow) and Richard 'Richie
D' Martin. The duo has stepped up the game on this upcoming disc with primed
tracks including In There and Sexy Lady. The radio hit single I've Got News For
You produced by Ryan Leslie, a Bad Boy Entertainment affiliate, has been making
moves on the video channels. Having scored hits as solo acts and as a duo,
Tanto Metro and Devonte are credited for the success of two of the biggest
reggae/dancehall records on the Billboard pop and R&B charts. The songs
Give It To Her and Everyone Falls In Love effectively propelled the duo to
international status. Musically Inclined is the group's third release on VP
Records. Collaborations with artistes on the album include Morgan Heritage on
the upbeat Time To Party, Courtney Melody on Cross The Boarder and Lady Ru on
The Only One. Also included in the set are the dancehall favourites Hey Girl
and Burn. In an interview with this column, Devonte said: "We are trying
to get across to the people that we are still there and still making good
music. The album is blending all sorts of music, it shows our versatility and
during the recording process, the vibe in the studio was good. It took a while
to put together as all our energy was focused and we put a lot of work into the
album. It is a healthy mix of singles and tracks recorded specifically for the
album."
Warren G “In Case Some Sh$# Go Down”
Source: MVD Inc.
(Oct. 7, 2005) New York— Legendary hip-hop artist/producer Warren G is back to re-introduce the world to
the “G Funk Era” with his fifth studio album, and
first release in four years entitled “In The Mid-Nite Hour.” The West Coast
meets the South with the current single making its way up the charts “In Case
Some Sh$# Go Down,” featuring Mike Jones. The nostalgic flow of Warren G and
the screwed-up hook by Mike Jones over the smooth feel of the track has all the
makings of a future classic. The release date of “In The Mid-Nite Hour is
October 11th, 2005. The “G-Funk Regulator” has returned.
New R&B Sensation Na'sha's Music To Be Featured In 'In The
Mix'
Source: Ben-David Fenwick, bfenwick@ksapublicity.com
(Nov. 21, 2005) MIAMI, FL -- Music from up-and-coming R&B sensation Na'sha (pronounced Nay-sha) will be featured
in Lion's Gate film In The Mix.
She has contributed two songs - "Fire" and "Saturday" - for
the romantic comedy that features Usher in his first starring role. The
movie bows nationally this Wednesday, November 23. Blending R&B, hip hop
and outright soul, Na'sha is turning heads with her September 20th debut
release My Story on Miami-based Pure Records. The fifteen-track ride, 14
of which were penned by Na'sha, is called "stunning- a seamless
assimilation of 30 years of pop, R&B, gospel & soul," by the Miami
New Times. My Story brings out a cast of all-star talent. The album is produced
by an array of hitmakers including Grammy Award winners Scott Storch (Beyonce,
Mariah Carey, Terror Squad) & James Poyser (Common, Jill Scott, Leela
James), Sting International (Shaggy) and R&G Productions.
Na'sha is joined by Shaggy on the sexy track "What U Waiting 4" and
features Cash Money alum B.G. on "No Good." The lead track "Get
To Go Home" was co-written with newcomer Ne-Yo. Na'sha made
her national television debut with Shaggy on The Tonight Show on September 23rd
filling in for Olivia on Shaggy's latest single "Wild 2Nite."
www.na-sha.com
www.purerecords.com
The Emotions & Chi-Lites Headline 25th Annual Chicago Music
Awards
Source: ACM PR: A.C. McLean, TEL: (312)
373 1778, acm@acmpr.com,
www.acmpr.com
(Nov. 21, 2005) CHICAGO, IL – Celebrating 25 years of total commitment to
Chicago area artists like no other organization, Ephraim Martin, executive
producer of the 25th Annual Chicago Music Awards
announces headliners The Emotions and
Chi-lites of this year’s historic
event. They will top a host of other performers including Willie Rogers of the
Soul Stirrers, the Sudakial Family, Adero Neely, Redstorm and Carl Brown
amongst others on December 10, 2005 at the Museum of Science and Industry. This
year’s Awards will be dedicated to over 80 years of Gospel Music. The 25th
Annual Chicago Music Awards will also present Special Awards of Honour to those
who have made exceptional contributions to the music industry. They are V-103’s
Ramonski Luv, Listen Here Radio’s Neil Tesser, The Illinois Entertainer, Mama
Curtis, the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians and the
Creative Arts Foundation. “For 25 years, the Chicago Music Awards have
recognized home-grown talent,” Mr. Martin commented. “The main objective of the
Awards celebration is to give recognition to Chicago musical artists.” This
year’s gala event will be held on Saturday December 10, 2005 at the Museum of
Science & Industry, 57th Street & South Lake Shore Drive, Chicago, IL.
VIP pre-show reception is 7:00PM and the Awards ceremony begins 8:00PM. Tickets
are $49 general admission; $75 [$125 per couple] for VIP tickets (includes
reception with special guests); Groups of 25 or more and adults 25 and under
pay $25 in recognition of the 25th year anniversary. Tickets are available at
[www.ticketmaster.com] and at all Ticketmaster outlets. Call (312)
559-1212. For general information, call Martin's Inter-Culture: (312)
427-0266, email: chitownmusicbest@aol.com, or visit www.chicagomusicawards.com.
Tom Green Gets Back To His Rap Roots
Source: Canadian Press
(Nov. 22, 2005) VANCOUVER—Tom Green's
cellphone number is 310-717-1919. Call him, and he'll tell you about his special
passion for rapping about
naked ladies. This, he says, was his true calling long before he became a
famous shock comedian on MTV. At a quiet Vancouver restaurant he showed
elderly diners exactly how much he loves to rap, cranking up beats on his boom
box and singing a song about Hooters off his new album. Grey heads craned
over their scrambled eggs trying to figure out what was going on as Green
shouted: "I like naked ladies! I like making babies! I want to make them
with girls all around the world! I like to go to Hooters." Green has
a background in rap with Organized Rhyme, the trio he started at Colonel By
High School in Ottawa. They were nominated for a 1993 Juno. His new
album, Prepare for Impact, has an old-school sound. Green uses DJ EZ
Mike, the producer behind the Beastie Boys' Paul's Boutique. Green
says the most serious song on the record is "My Bum Is on Your Lips,"
based on a song he did on MTV. Later, rapper Eminem talked about the
``Bum Bum'' song in one of his mixes, and took the gag further, saying "My
bum is on your lips." For his new album, Green turned that line into a
song. Green will be playing dates across Canada starting in January. They
have not yet been announced. The album comes out Dec. 6.
Laurels For Canadian Songwriters
Source: Canadian Press
(Nov. 22, 2005) Pat Benatar's "Hit Me With Your Best Shot" and
Trooper's "Pretty Lady" were among five oldies added yesterday to the
list of homegrown classics by the Society of
Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada. Jann Arden's
"Insensitive," Paul Carrack's "Don't Shed a Tear" and Nick
Gilder's "Hot Child in the City" were other tracks that passed the
100,000-airplay mark on domestic radio. Benatar's 1980s hit was penned by
Toronto's Eddie Schwartz. The singer once gave him credit of sorts in an
interview with Songwriter magazine. "One night — you know
sometimes you announce people's names, this is by so-and-so? — when I said
Eddie Schwartz, I swear to God, the room (of) about 1,500 people just went dead
silence, like `Eddie Schwartz?' I really don't know much about him, I know we
met him one time in Canada." Benatar's producer added, "He's Canadian
and he's very short. He was nice." Socan also cited new songs which
dominated radio last year. They included Nelly Furtado's "Powerless"
and "Try," Sarah McLachlan's "Fallen" and
"Stupid," Sarah Harmer's "Almost," k-os's
"Crabbuckit" and Emerson Drive's "Waitin' on Me." The
songwriters were to receive trophies at a gala last night.
::FILM NEWS::
Rent Gets Its Due
Excerpt from The
Toronto Star - Richard Ouzounian
(Nov. 20, 2005) NEW YORK Rosario Dawson
slinks down a flight of stairs in a subterranean East Village dive called The
Cat Scratch Club. Her hips swivel
with the promise of unlimited good times, but the druggy fog behind her eyes hints
at how much it's going to cost. She holds out her arms, inviting the
crowd of leering men to join her in a place "where all the scars from the
nevers and maybes die." Rent
has finally made it to the silver screen. But for the hit musical that
took the basic plot of La BohŹme, added a driving rock score and moved
it to Manhattan's Alphabet City, it's been a long time coming. How
long? "525,600 minutes. How do you measure, measure a year?"
ask the cast in the song "Seasons of Love." Multiply that by 10 and
you'd come pretty close. At long last, as tourists line up outside the
plush Ritz Carlton Hotel to see the Statue of Liberty, the press are converging
inside on the creative team of Rent, the movie. "It's been an
incredible journey," says Julie Larson. She's the sister of Jonathan
Larson, who wrote the book, music and lyrics of Rent. She's
speaking for her brother, because he died before his show could be turned into
a film. In fact, he died before he ever saw it played in its final form.
That's one of the major items that has helped turn a successful show into a
cult, a myth, a touchstone for a generation of young theatregoers. Not among
their number, at first, was Rosario Dawson. "I was a teenager when
it first came out and I heard all the buzz. But I thought, `Why do I have to
see this? I've been living it,'" she says now. "I grew up in a
squat on the Lower East Side with no running water or electricity. We had an
extension cord that went from the building across the courtyard for the one
refrigerator that we had for the entire building."
But Dawson came around. She's joined a cast remarkable not for its big names,
but for the fact that six of the eight leading roles are being played by the
actors who created the parts nearly a decade earlier. Rent's
arrival on the big screen, then, is no less emotional for the actors than for
the show's horde of ardent fans. Cast member Anthony Rapp, who plays the
Larson surrogate, Mark, recalls that "Jonathan used to come up to people
and introduce himself as the future of the American musical
theatre." It took a great deal of determination to feel that way
because Larson went through nearly a decade after graduating from college
before things started to move at all for him. There was the usual mix of
workshops, small productions and grants that struggling authors cling to while
slogging away at their day jobs. Larson earned his living as a waiter at
a stylized little diner called Moondance at the base of Sixth Ave. while
subsisting on a diet of shredded wheat and pasta in an apartment where the
bathtub was in the kitchen. The idea for Rent started percolating
in 1989, which is the reason director Chris Columbus decided to set the film
then, rather than in 1996, when it opened. Originally conceived as a
yuppie take on La BohŹme, Larson decided to move the show way down the
economic scale and write about the addicts, hustlers, transvestites and loners
who lived in that chunk of the Lower East Side where streets with names like
Avenue A had led to the designation "Alphabet City." His Mimi
didn't have tuberculosis, as per Puccini, but AIDS. And her recovering addict
lover Roger (instead of Rudolfo) is HIV-positive, as well. Larson added
same-sex couples of both genders and set it to a sound that married genuine
rock with the musical theatre tradition. Everyone who heard it in
progress thought it had promise, but it still took Larson five years to get a
showcase at the N.Y. Theater Workshop. That mounting attracted sufficient
buzz to generate a full production, slated to start previews on January 25,
1996. The night before, there was a dress rehearsal that went like a
dream. "We really knew we had something," recalls Idina Menzel, who plays the bisexual
performance artist Maureen, "but we didn't quite know just how big it
was." Word had spread uptown and in the audience that evening was a
reporter from the New York Times who wanted to speak to Larson.
Taye Diggs, who plays the upwardly
mobile Benny, can still remember that night. "Jonathan was crowded
around by scores of people, all of them wanting a piece of him. You had a sense
in the air of something happening. I wanted to talk to him, but as I started
over, the guy from the Times got to him first. I said to myself, `That's
okay, I'll do it tomorrow.'" But he never did. Larson had been
feeling poorly for a few weeks and had paid visits to several emergency
rooms. In the early hours of the morning after that triumphant rehearsal,
Larson went home, made himself a cup of tea and collapsed on the floor of his
apartment. He died of an aortic aneurysm at age 35. "The next day,
they phoned us and asked us to all come down to the theatre ..." Diggs
starts, but he can't continue. Even after all this time, the memory hurts too
much. Jesse L. Martin played the burly, lovable Collins who winds up in a
doomed love affair with the transvestite Angel. Back then he was an unknown
actor; now everybody recognizes Det. Ed Green from Law & Order.
He tries to explain what the next few months were like. "We were
dealing with a whole lot of heaven and a whole lot of hell. "After
Jonathan's death, it became the most important thing in the world to see that
what he wrote got out to the people." By the time the show
officially opened to the public on Feb. 13, it was already the media event of
the winter. The rave reviews made sure that an immediate transfer to Broadway
was in order. The date was set for April 29; before it could happen, the
Pulitzer Prize committee posthumously gave the award for drama to Jonathan
Larson. Rent was everywhere that year. It won most of the major
Tony Awards, generated an amazing advance sale and created a crowd of fanatical
fans called Rentheads who lined up for rush seats to every performance.
One of them was Tracie Thomas. She's now one of the new cast members, playing
the lesbian lawyer Joanne, but back then she was just a fan. "From
the moment I saw the original cast, it became my mission in life to be a part
of Rent in any way, whether it was on tour or playing the 14th homeless
woman in the ensemble on Broadway, I didn't care." Eventually even
Rosario Dawson was won over. "When I finally saw Rent, I was
grateful, because it gave me the articulation to look back on my life and where
it could have gone. I love Mimi, but I'm glad I'm not Mimi."
Rent spawned numerous successful satellite productions while continuing
to sell out on Broadway and obviously a property this hot had to make its way
to Hollywood, but there were many problems. The first was the Larson
family. As administrators of Jonathan's estate, they were hesitant about what
might happen to his work in being translated to the screen. "It was
a big discussion among our family whether we would allow the whole idea of a
movie to be made," admits Julie Larson. "We realized that a lot
more people would be able to hear Jonathan's music. We also finally realized
what would have kept us from going ahead would have been fear. And so much of
what Rent is about is not choosing fear." Once they agreed
there was still the question of who would direct and who would star.
Spike Lee was initially tapped to direct. He interviewed the original cast but
then announced he wasn't going to use them, preferring instead to sign the
likes of Justin Timberlake and Christina Aguilera. Soon, Lee was gone and
the project was put into turnaround. Then, a surprising fan came to its
rescue. Chris Columbus is best known as the director of family-friendly
flicks like Home Alone and the first two Harry Potter films, but he had
been a Renthead from the start. "I've lived in Manhattan for 17
years. I've lived in a loft. I knew these people and I loved the
show." Like Lee, he wanted to bring the original cast together
because "these people had lived through Jonathan's death and were
connected in a very strong way." But once burned, twice shy.
"Tell Chris Columbus he doesn't have to waste my time in a f--king pity
meeting," is how Menzel recalls her initial reaction to what she saw as a
repeat of Lee's condescension. Columbus prevailed. Only two original cast
members are not in the movie: Daphne Rubin-Vega, because she was pregnant, and
Fredi Walker because, in her opinion, she is now too old for the role. So
Rent is finally a film. But will it still work for audiences nearly 10
years after its first production? Columbus feels it needs to because
"we as a country have taken a huge step backwards since the play was
written. We've become more isolated, more defensive and we need to shake people
up a little bit." Which is precisely what Jonathan Larson wanted to
do all along.
Usher Mixes Business With Pleasure
Excerpt from www.eurweb.com
(Nov. 18, 2005) *Usher Raymond IV’s
film “In the Mix” arrives in theatres
Wednesday hoping to capture some of that long holiday weekend money, and
without all of the controversy and picket signs that accompanied his hip hop
colleague’s entrance into multiplexes last weekend. In fact, Usher says it was
no accident that his flick is about as clean as a PG-13-rated movie can
be. “One thing I must say, being mindful of the entire demographic
that I cater to as an artist - I considered that with this film,” the actor
told us this past Monday in Los Angeles. “Through the writing, through
the screenplay, all of the above, I was very conscious about that. So, this is
the type of film that you can take your kids to.” But not so fast. Part
of that PG-13 was for sexual content, something fans of Usher’s music are
certainly familiar with. While his “Confessions” album was the biggest event of
2004 until the Asian tsunami hit in December, the set’s lyrics always left a
little to the imagination, to the eternal gratitude of parents. The same
could be said for the romantic scenes with his “In the Mix” co-star Emmanuelle
Chriqui. “It remained very classy,” he said of their characters’
intimate encounters. “It’s not too vulgar, although there is a love scene, it’s
still appropriate.” Usher diehards will tell you that this is not the first film
to feature the 27-year-old Atlanta-based phenom.
“I caught the acting bug a few years ago,” he said. “I’ve been in a collection of about
five movies, but this one tops them all. This is the first time I’ve ever taken
that lead.” After small supporting roles in "The Faculty,"
"She's All That" and "Texas Rangers," the kid finally steps
into the limelight in “Mix” as Darrell, a New York nightclub DJ who saves the
life of a mob boss, played by Chazz Palminteri. As a thank you, he hires
Darrell as a bodyguard for his daughter Dolly (Chriqui). The two soon find
themselves smitten with each other, to the dismay and disgust of her daddy.
“In this film, there’s a little bit of something for everybody,” says Usher.
“The drama, the suspense, the relationship and us keeping it a secret; the
tension that goes on between the mafia and their struggle for power, the racial
tension between Italians and blacks in the film – there’s not a lot of it but
my character does experience some of it.” In between selling folks on the film,
Usher has been busy juggling the numerous ventures on his crowded plate.
This year, he became part-owner of the NBA’s Cleveland Cavaliers. He served as
an executive producer on both the “In the Mix” film and its soundtrack, finding
the latter experience of having to deal with other artists for the first time,
“uncomfortable.” “All those times that I decided to be difficult as
an artist, I guess karma caught me,” he laughed. Usher also has his new
US Records label to run, new artists to cultivate, and a fashion line to help
design. This busy schedule was blamed, albeit indirectly, for his
inability to sign onto the forthcoming film adaptation of “Dreamgirls.”
When asked if the rumours were true about his one-time attachment to the
project, he would only answer: “There’s been a lot of films that I’ve
been considered for. There’s been a lot of films I’ve had to walk away from
because of scheduling. It’s very hard to balance being somewhat of a
renaissance man. You’ve got basketball, the new label coming, the soundtrack,
the movie, you got your next album, then you got your life, the clothing line,
all of the above. So it’s kind of hard to balance it all. And if it doesn’t
perfectly fit into my schedule like a puzzle, you might have to pass up on
it.” “In the Mix,” however, was a project that fit flawlessly into
Usher’s master plan. His popularity, combined with the film’s PG-13 appeal is
something he hopes will give the picture legs through the middle of next
year. “That’s part of the reason I associated myself with this film
as an executive producer, because I really felt like this is the type of film
[could last from] Thanksgiving all the way through Christmas and through the
DVD release,” he said. “This is the type of film that everyone would wanna be
associated with.”
Auditor-General Criticizes Ottawa's Film
Funding
Excerpt from The Globe and Mail -
By Michael Den Tandt
(Nov. 23, 2005) Ottawa — More than $800-million in annual federal spending on
film, television and publishing is spotted with poor oversight, weak controls
and a lack of clear objectives, Auditor-General
Sheila Fraser says. In her latest audit of government operations,
Fraser found that Canadian content on film projects is not systematically
verified, that criteria for choosing which projects will receive Telefilm
funding are unclear and that the Canadian Television Fund board's structure
makes it prone to conflicts of interest. All told, the federal government
spends about $2.2-billion each year to support cultural industries. That
includes $1.6-billion for broadcasting and television, of which about
$1-billion goes to the CBC. The rest of the money is apportioned to various
cultural agencies, bodies and funds, including Telefilm Canada, the Canadian
Television Fund, the Canada Council, the Canada Magazine Fund and the Canada
Music Fund. Telefilm Canada alone receives $200-million a year. There is also
some $300-million in available tax credits for production companies, many of
them linked to Canadian-content requirements. The general state of oversight in
funding and tax credits for the arts is poor, Fraser's report found.
"Canadian Heritage, Telefilm Canada and the Canada Revenue Agency do not
apply controls rigorously enough to ensure that requirements covering Canadian
content, project selection and eligibility of expenses are met," she said
at a news conference yesterday. In particular, policing of Canadian-content
restrictions is lax, the audit found. Under current rules, productions receive
points based on the number of Canadians involved. But Heritage Canada's Canadian
Audio-Visual Certification Office, which polices Canadian content, takes a
great deal on faith, the audit found. "CAVCO never requires key creative
personnel to submit documentation supporting their declaration of citizenship
or permanent residence, even though it has the right to." Moreover, there
are significant gaps in the process by which Telefilm Canada doles out cash.
"Project selection was not always justified through supporting
documentation," the audit states. "Telefilm could not provide us with
written justification on its decision to select some feature films in
2002." The Canadian Television Fund board, meanwhile, is prone to
conflicts of interest because many of its board members come from the very
groups that apply for and receive funding. Beyond issues of governance,
"Canadian Heritage needs a clearer overall strategy and a better idea of
what it's trying to achieve," Fraser's report says.
Producer Empties Pockets For ‘Phat Girlz’
Excerpt from www.eurweb.com
(Nov. 18, 2005) *While actress and comedienne Mo’Nique
has been cast in the new film “Phat Girlz,”
the real story is the struggle behind the film’s journey to the big
screen. To get the movie made, producer Bobby Newmyer simply
ignored the first lesson taught in film school – never put up your own
money. After pouring every dime he had into the production – including
his kids’ college fund – his gamble paid off this week, as Fox Searchlight
handed him a ‘phat’ check for distribution rights. "I think it
represents a milestone in that someone was gutsy enough to tell the story of a
fat woman and of what they go through in this country," Steven Imes,
Mo'Nique's brother, manager and producing partner, told Daily
Variety. “Phat Girlz,” which also features Jimmy Jean-Louis,
Godfrey and Kendra Johnson, follows an acid-tongued, aspiring fashion designer
and another woman who are frustrated and obsessed by their weight. They're
thrown a major curveball when they meet the men of their dreams in unexpected
ways. Newmyer's Outlaw Productions, which was paid in the mid-seven
figures and will see back-end money as part of the deal, is producing along
with Sneak Preview Entertainment’s Steven Wolfe. Imes and Mo'Nique are
executive producing through their company, 10 Times Greater Prods.
Newmyer and writer-director Negest Likke had both seen Mo'Nique in "The
Queens of Comedy." Likke subsequently wrote the script with the “Domino”
star in mind. Newmyer, who also wanted to work with Mo'Nique, quickly bought
the screenplay when it came across his desk. Newmyer said production on
the film was actually shut down last year when he ran out of money. Last November
and December, he went back to the studios with footage. Still, everyone passed.
He liquidated what he could and took out second mortgages on homes in L.A. and
Telluride to come up with the $1.5 million he needed to complete
production. "I thought we would find financing partners along the
way, but we didn't," Newmyer said. "But I had to finish."
Likke and Newmyer promoted the film as having wide crossover appeal. Fox
Searchlight president Peter Rice was convinced enough to pay for a test
screening, and quickly found out for himself that the movie could work beyond
urban audiences. "It represents plus-size women around the world,"
Likke said.
Reel Asian Fest
Excerpt from The Globe and Mail - By
Jennie Punter
(Nov. 18, 2005) If you ever wondered what the term "running amok"
really
means, look no further than the 9th-annual Reel
Asian International Film Festival, which shines its National
Spotlight on the cinema of Malaysia this year. "Amok," a Malay word,
denotes homicidal frenzy, thus "running amok" is akin to the modern
term "going postal." That's what a Malay army private did with an
M-16 in October, 1987, in a Chinese district of Kuala Lumpur, throwing the
capital city dangerously close to the edge of racial riots. The notorious
incident is the jumping-off point for The Big Durian (2003), Amir
Muhammad's wry and revealing docu-fiction exploration of multicultural Malaysian
society, in which characters (both real and fictional) recollect events
surrounding that day and share thoughts about politics and ethnicity. (Like the
Big Apple, the Big Durian is a nickname for Kuala Lumpur; durian is the name
for both the tree and its oval-shaped spiky fruit.) Born in 1972, Muhammad is
the provocateur of a vibrant low-budget, digital-video auteur movement that has
been making waves on the international festival circuit and whose leading
lights are reflected in the Reel Asian festival's Malaysia program. The Big
Durian (preceded by three shorts from Muhammad's acclaimed 6horts video
series) is produced by Doghouse73, a company founded by the prolific James Lee
(born 1973). Lee's fourth DV-feature, The Beautiful Washing Machine,
which picked up two major awards at this year's Bangkok Film Festival, is a
darkly humorous spin on modern Chinese Malaysian life and love (and dirty
laundry) in Kuala Lumpur.
But the urban jungle isn't the only place inspiring young Malaysian filmmakers.
Deepak Kumaran Menon (who created animation sequences for The Big Durian)
makes his feature debut with the quietly powerful, gently humorous and
beautifully filmed The Gravel Road (2004), a household drama loosely
based on his mother's experiences growing up on a rubber plantation in the
1960s. Directly inspired by the great Indian filmmaker Satyajit Ray's Apu
trilogy, Menon tells the story of a close Tamil family and is centred on the
academic aspirations of Shantha, the second of four daughters. In addition to
these three features, the National Spotlight includes a shorts program,
Malaysian Deluxe Platter, a diverse demonstration of the country's designation
as the next hot spot in Southeast Asian cinema. Of the 29 Canadian films at the
Reel Asian festival this year, most are shorts scattered throughout a variety
of thematic programs. Of Love and Minorities is a program of three shorts
devoted to Hong Kong-born filmmaker Simon Chung, this year's Canadian artist in
focus. Chung's feature debut, Innocent, which revolves around a young
immigrant to Toronto struggling with his both sexual and ethnic identity,
receives its Canadian premiere. One accomplished feature from south of the
border is a funny, subtly insightful crowd-pleaser. Opening-night film The
Motel, director Michael Kang's feature debut and winner of the Humanitas
Prize at Sundance, is about the misadventures of chubby 13-year-old aspiring
writer Ernest, whose nagging mother runs a flea-bitten motel that rents rooms
by the hour (nudge, nudge); with no dad around for guidance, Ernest strikes up
an unlikely friendship with the flashy tenant Sam who, in the midst of a
boozy-floozy bender, teaches the kid how to handle cars and women. The
9th Annual Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival run Nov. 23 to 27.
The opening film is at the Bloor Cinema (506 Bloor St. W); the closing night
film at The Royal (606 College St.). All other screenings take place at either
Innis Town Hall (2 Sussex Ave.) or NFB Mediatheque (150 John St.). Information
and tickets are available in person at Manulife Centre (55 Bloor St. W.), by
calling 416-967-1528 or by visiting http://www.reelasian.com.
::TV NEWS::
Instant Star Scores Three Gemini Nominations
With excerpts from www.ctv.ca
Instant Star was nominated for three Geminis at the outset of Saturday’s Gemini Awards including Best Direction in a Children's or Youth Program or Series
(Graeme Campbell winner!), Best Children's or Youth Fiction Program or
Series, Best Performance in a Childrens' or Youth Program or Series.
Wes 'Maestro' Williams has a recurring role as Darius Mills, a mogul
of a publishing company. Wes is thrilled to be part of such an exciting
series to earn nominations for the 20th Annual Gemini Awards.
Synopsis: 15-year-old Jude Harrison (Alexz Johnson) wins an enormously popular
singer-songwriter contest. The accompanying recording contract and her newfound
fame promises to transform her life forever. Will she resist the record
company's attempts to "change" her, or will she accept the help of
her hot new producer and make music that blows away her fans? Instant Star
follows Jude as she navigates through this extraordinary new world of overnight
celebrity.
The History of the Gemini Awards
Source: www.geminiawards.ca
The purpose of creating a national television showcase is to assist the
industry as a whole in building television audiences and public awareness, as
well as an appreciation of Canadian production and talent. The Geminis
celebrate excellence in Canadian English-language television, acknowledging our
country's triumphs in 87 award categories, in three gala presentations. Since
its first broadcast in 1986, the event has grown in prominence and stature to
become one of the most prestigious cultural events in Canada. This year marks
the 20th anniversary of the awards.
In January of each year, the Gemini Rules and Regulations booklets and the
official Gemini Awards Entry Forms are sent to Academy members and related
industry people across Canada. Through the Rules and Regulations Guide,
developed by the Gemini Rules and Regulations Committee, any Canadian
television production meeting the eligibility criteria may be entered for
consideration. This year's entry qualifying period is for shows aired between
May 1st, 2004 and April 30, 2005. Once a program has been entered it becomes an
Official Entry of the Gemini Awards.
Women 18 To 27 Can Enter Cattle Call To Appear On Canada's Next
Top Model
Excerpt from The Toronto Star - David
Graham, Fashion Writer
(Nov. 22, 2005) Tricia is the new Tyra. Canadian model-turned-actor Tricia Helfer will host the Canadian version
of America's Next Top Model,
performing
the role made famous by Tyra Banks on the U.S. series. Starting today, Canada's Next Top Model will be searching
for the prettiest of the pretties across the country. CHUM Television's
Citytv will recruit until Dec. 21 for its spinoff of the American reality show
that's an enormous hit with women between 18 and 34, and male model-izers of
all ages. This is not the first time an American reality show has been
replicated in Canada with high-ish profile locals as host. Who Wants to Be a
Millionaire hired Pamela Wallin. Canadian Idol chose Ben Mulroney.
The new Citytv series, which will air next May, brings the much-maligned
and misunderstood world of modelling close to home. "Viewers can fantasize
about the contestants being the girl next door, their best friend or even
themselves," says Roma Khanna, senior vice president content at CHUM
Television. Khanna is excited that Helfer signed on, admitting they had a
few candidates in mind, but the Alberta native "was at the top of
everyone's list." Helfer was discovered as a 16-year-old ingénue in
her hometown of Donalda, Alta. In 1992 she gained international attention when
she won the Ford Supermodel of the World contest. Now 31, she is famous among
sci-fi fans for her role in the series Battlestar Galactica, being
filmed in Vancouver. Now a California resident and married to an
entertainment lawyer, she is also a Maxim sex kitten. She is currently
on the cover of the magazine's U.K. edition. "I did it to promote the
show," she says. Says Khanna, "We've been in negotiations for
the past few weeks (with CBS-Paramount), but we were waiting on a confirmation
from Tricia before making an announcement."
Helfer, who has struggled to prove she's more than just a pretty face, admits
she initially had reservations about the project. "When you've been a
model and you try to make the transition into film or television, it's
sometimes difficult to be taken seriously. I've worked hard to prove myself and
gain respect. I didn't want to go into anything that would undo that."
Helfer hasn't seen many episodes of the American series and confesses,
"I have a lot to catch up on." Both Khanna and Helfer accept there
will be obvious comparisons between the feisty Banks, who now has a midday talk
show, and the more laid-back Helfer. They know it's impossible to predict what
the interaction of host, contestants and judges will produce. But Khanna
is confident that Helfer's experience as a model and actor, as well as her
obvious sex appeal, will draw viewers. Helfer has heard the American version
often exploits the hissy fits, catfights and ego trips that occur among the
more fierce competitors and demanding judges. "I am going to be
myself. I'm Canadian," she says, introducing the ``nice'' factor. So
the call is out for Canadian girls who feel they possess the right mix of
looks, personality and determination to make it in the shamelessly superficial
world of modelling. At the very least, you must be female and between 18 and
27. Khanna calls the recruits "diamonds in the rough," though
the fashion industry routinely signs up models as young as 15. Over eight
episodes, the original 10 will be whittled down to one winner. "It's
about the journey," says Khanna, who admits that in reality any girl can
approach an agency to determine her chances in the world of modelling.
This rings particularly true in Canada, which spawned several
international models recently, including Daria Werbowy, Jessica Stam, Heather
Marks and Lisa Cant, not to mention supermodel Linda Evangelista and other
alumnae from Shalom Harlow to Yasmin Ghauri. "Tricia is a fantastic
woman," says Khanna. "She is a credible mentor with a lovely
temperament. But it remains to be seen if she will suffer fools."
He's 8 Years Old And Already A Star
Excerpt from The
Toronto Star - Patrick Evans, Staff Reporter
(Nov. 20, 2005) It's a kid's show without puppets, without animation,
without any
kind of surreal, attention-grabbing landscape. This
Is Daniel Cook is about an 8-year-old exploring the world
as it is. So simple. So dull? Not according to the kids at home who
have made it a hit. Not according to the Geminis, either. The episode This
Is Daniel Cook doing magic garnered three nominations: Best Pre-School
Program; Best Direction in a Children's Program; and Daniel, the star himself,
was up for Best Performance in a Children's Series. The show didn't
capture any of those Geminis, but no matter. Having aired its first season on
Treehouse and TVOntario, they've got season two in the can — ready for its
premiere Dec. 5. And now that Disney's Playhouse network has picked up the
show, Daniel's red hair is starting to set the American market on fire.
Each episode starts with poor Daniel, obviously ordered by his director to
stand still for 10 seconds, staring into the camera and introducing the show in
a monotone. "Hi. I'm here with Bill. And today he's going to teach me some
magic tricks." These agonizing introductions are a terrific
counterpoint to the explosive action that follows as Daniel, released from the
script, blazes wide-eyed through the rest of the six-minute episode. Rapid-fire
edits perfectly mimic the explosive energy and spastic attention span of the
show's young host. Writer and director J.J. Johnson of Sinking Ship
Productions says kids connect with the show because Daniel drives the material.
Johnson just follows him with a camera, confident that whatever makes Daniel's
eyes grow wider will affect his audience the same way. "We shoot for
about three hours per episode," says Johnson. A lot of what we keep are
things other shows would cut right off the bat, like Daniel making a joke a kid
would get that we can't necessarily understand."
And in reverse, there are moments for grown-ups to love. Daniel has occasional
bursts where he turns the show into a kiddie version of 60 Minutes.
In one episode, kindly outdoor specialist Amy Wilson, preparing Daniel for a
nature walk, tells him, "Hikes are about looking and searching and
listening as well. Because often, you'll hear a lot of birds — you won't
necessarily see them." "Yeah," says Daniel, cutting her
off impatiently. "I've seen a whole bunch of birds. A million."
It's good TV. But is it good for the TV star? Daniel's innocence is the
heart of the show. Imagine the nightmare if he was robbed of that. Fame has
already damaged too many kids — Dana Plato, Danny Bonaduce, Drew Barrymore. And
those are just the Ds. The Star's reporter was afraid Daniel would
show up for his interview wearing a red velvet blazer, toss a pack of
cigarettes on the table, and order a 17-year-old girlfriend to wait for him
outside. But Daniel is either a real, sweet kid, or he does a
diabolically good impersonation of one. His mother, Deborah Cook, says
she's kept a close watch on him ever since a talent agent spotted him when he
was 3 and said he belongs in show business. The Cooks dragged their heels until
Daniel was 5, which time they'd received assurances that he would be sheltered
from the nasty side of the business. Daniel did some commercials before
meeting Johnson at the talent agency where he was working. The meeting inspired
Johnson to create a kid's show that was anchored in reality. And other
adults around Daniel say they're determined to keep the young actor anchored in
reality, too. This Is Daniel Cook shoots in spring and summer, so it's
more like TV camp than a full-time job. The rest of the year, Daniel gets to be
a regular kid. And his parents intend to keep him safe in body as well as
soul. Asked where Daniel lives, Cook gives her standard answer: "The GTA
or Hamilton area. Take your pick." Cook says she allows Daniel to
act because he loves it. "The trappings of celebrity, the attention and
all the accolades, that just doesn't really matter to him. If that does become
important, and he starts to listen to and believe the hype, then we need to
have a conversation."
That hype is growing. Johnson says after the first season aired, Daniel started
getting noticed on the street. "We would literally be kind of
mobbed," he says. But to Johnson's delight, the mobs were made up of kids.
"From a 5-year-old's perspective, they're never going to run into Barney
the Dinosaur. But they can run into Daniel. For them, he's a friend in their
house. When they see him, they know so much about him, and they're like, `I
like dinosaurs, too!'" Early shows had Daniel going to the zoo and a
pool. "Now that we've had elephants and planes, we have to keep upping the
ante," says Johnson. He says his love for his star makes it harder
to make business decisions. "I feel a huge sense of responsibility. Not
only to him, but if a third season doesn't happen with him." And it
might not. A reboot could be imminent. To balance the gender scales,
Johnson says, "We're looking into doing a girl version." Which
isn't to say Daniel's headed for the show business gutter. Johnson says he and
Daniel are discussing other projects. "He loves dinosaurs. Right now he
and I are coming up with an idea called Dino Dan." But while
the adults fret about his future, Daniel has plans of his own. They don't
involve acting — or holding up gas stations. Dinosaurs are the future.
"I want to invent video games and be a paleontologist," he says with
utter confidence. Then he talks happily about his favourite dinosaur, the
meat-eating giganotosaurus — a reptile Daniel plugs on his show every chance he
gets. In the short term, Daniel said he wants to go underwater in a
submarine. Johnson says he's been begging the military to make it happen, but
no luck. And asked what adventure he'd least like to film for his show, Daniel
replies, "Eat my barf." No worries, kid. There are already
shows where they eat their barf. Keep shooting for the submarine.
Parting Gift For Eleventh Hour
Excerpt from The
Toronto Star
(Nov. 20, 2005) There will be no 11th-hour reprieve for The Eleventh Hour, but the cancelled CTV
drama is going out on a high note anyhow after winning
the Gemini Award for best dramatic
series last night. Last night's black-tie gala, aired on Global,
concluded the three-evening Gemini event by concentrating on the highest profile
categories in the Canadian TV honours. Actor Michael Riley took home the
best-actor award for his portrayal of rumpled lawyer Elliot Sacks on CBC's
legal drama This is Wonderland. Castmate Cara Pifko took home a
trophy for portraying Riley's co-worker Alice De Raey. But the story of the
night may have been the gush of recognition for Eleventh Hour, which was
nominated for 15 Geminis and took home five, having won on Friday for best
writing, direction, makeup and guest actor (Henry Czerny). Elsewhere last
night, Global's Kevin Newman won the prize for top news anchor, nosing out both
CBC's Peter Mansbridge and CTV's Lloyd Robertson. Earlier, Newman told
Canadian Press: "I've jokingly taken to calling it the Peter Mansbridge
Award," as the CBC anchor had won the award for four straight years going
into last night.
Last night's Gemini winners include:
Best Dramatic Mini-Series
Sex Traffic
Best Dramatic Series
The Eleventh Hour
Best Comedy Program
or Series
Corner Gas
Best Social/Political
Documentary Program
Runaway Grooms
Best Direction in a Dramatic Program or Mini-Series
Chris Abraham, I, Claudia
Best Writing in a Dramatic
Program or Mini-Series
Alan DiFiore, Chris Haddock,
The Life
Best Writing in a Comedy or Variety Program or Series
Ken Finkleman,
The Newsroom
Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Dramatic Program or
Mini-Series
Brendan Fletcher, The Death
and Life of Nancy Eaton
Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Dramatic Program or
Mini-Series
Kristen Thomson, I, Claudia
Best Performance by an Actor in a Continuing Leading
Dramatic Role
Michael Riley,
This is Wonderland
Best Performance by an Actress in a Continuing Leading Dramatic Role
Cara Pifko, This is Wonderland
Best Ensemble Performance in a Comedy Program or Series
Trailer Park Boys
Best News Anchor
Kevin Newman, Global
National with Kevin Newman
Best Host or Interviewer in a Sports Program or Sportscast
Scott Russell,
CBC Sports Saturday
Gemini Viewers' Choice Award
Marilyn Denis, Cityline
A complete list of winners is available at http://www.geminiawards.ca
Hit TV Shows Leaping Out Of The Box
Excerpt from The
Toronto Star - . Raju Mudhar, Entertainment Reporter
(Nov. 20, 2005) Television anywhere, any time, and however you want to
watch it. That's the prediction of media experts since the rise of the
Internet and with it, the idea of convergence — in which content can be
consumed on a variety of devices, such as your computer or iPod. With a flurry
of recent announcements from American networks, there's talk about television's
new frontiers. But, according to analysts, it might not come as quickly
as predicted — and perhaps may be even slower coming to Canada. The
television industry has been forced into action by threats of online piracy
through software like BitTorrent, as well as the growth in popularity of DVDs
and digital video recorders (DVRs) that allow viewers to skip ads. And
with the rise of portable video devices, viewers are starting to change the way
they watch television. The networks, meanwhile, don't want to be left behind.
In many ways, TV is where the music industry was five years ago when
Napster came on the scene. Having the benefit of those lessons in how to lose
the revenues and the attention of a fan base, television networks are seeking
remunerative new ways to distribute their programs. Apple kicked things
off by introduced video capabilities in its latest iPod model. For television
execs, that innovation has been overshadowed by the ABC/Disney content deal
that allows Desperate Housewives and Lost to be downloaded for
iPod viewing after their prime-time airings. It's going well; Apple announced
this past week that there have already been a million downloads
purchased. The ABC/Disney deal spurred the other TV networks into action.
CBS and NBC have both announced video-on- demand deals for top-rated shows —
the CBS list has NCIS, Survivor and powerhouse CSI, while NBC's
six offerings include Law & Order: SVU and The Office. The
shows are available through U.S. cable giant Comcast, America's largest cable
company, for $1.99 (U.S.) an episode. "We've been waiting for a long
time for the most popular shows on television to get into the on-demand area.
There's 5,000 television on-demand programs at Comcast, and none of them are
the top Nielsen-rated shows," says Josh Bernoff, a cable television
analyst at Forrester Research.
"The Comcast CSI announcement is, I think, the beginning of a real
shift in the way that television is distributed. You will see, one by one, the
most popular shows on television starting to appear on video on
demand." Here at home, it's something the head of Rogers' television
division has also been waiting for. "The biggest news is the CBS
Comcast deal," says David Purdy. "The holy grail, for me, has long
been acquiring network-produced, prime time television on demand. It's those
high-profile shows that will drive people to these new offerings."
What's not known is whether existing viewers will move to the new services.
That's part of the networks' experimenting: to see what will fly. As in, how
much are viewers willing to pay to watch a single episode of a show? Just as
the music industry tried various models in the early days of online — such as
subscription-based services, which failed — television is trying to determine
the formula that works. There have been several attempts with streaming.
The pilot for Everybody Hates Chris was available on Google Video. CBS's
Threshold has been aired on Yahoo! and Fox just put an episode of Kitchen
Confidential on myspace.com, the social networking site. (However this week
say Fox has pulled the comedy from its schedule, a likely precursor to
cancellation). The networks "are trying everything out to see what
works," says Bernoff. "I mean, take a look at those shows. Not a hit
among them. Buzz-building is a good way to look at it."
***********
Webcasting is another area starting to see fierce competition. Google Video and
Yahoo! have been the industry leaders, but last week AOL announced plans to
launch In2TV, a Web TV service that will offer 4,800 episodes from old Warner
Bros. series such as Welcome Back Kotter and Growing Pains. The
service will launch in 2006, and unlike the new pay-to-play offerings, AOL says
it will be advertiser-supported, meaning viewers will still have to watch
commercials. As the backbone of the current industry, it's an easy model to
fall back on. "They want to see if they can continue to make money
the way that they always have," Bernoff says. "I think the
lesson of the Napster era was that if you make all of your money from one form
of distribution, then you're vulnerable ... so the lesson that the television
industry needs to follow is to embrace all these different forms of
distribution, and beef them up to protect itself as best as
possible." But one thing Bernoff says not to wait for is advance
viewing of new TV episodes before they've aired in prime time. "You'll see
that the day you buy a DVD of a movie before it gets into the theatres,"
he says. And despite the flurry of announcements, many new developments
are still a long way off. And such advances seldom turn out the way they're
planned. "Just look at TiVo," says Sajeeth Cherian, a
21-year-old computer sciences student at Carleton University in Ottawa.
"In 1998, everyone expected digital video recorders (DVRs) to become
standard, but they still aren't. It's a very slow process."
***********
Cherian is the inventor of Videora, software that basically works like a DVR
for web-based video content — you tell it what you want, and it searches
various sites to download it for you. He's at the forefront of the online TV
movement, but he admits the technology is not yet good enough to dominate.
"I still watch some shows on network TV, because sometimes you want to
watch a thing at the same time as everybody else, or with people," he
says. "I'll use my own product to get something that I missed, or some
Internet video-only tech shows that I like to watch." Cherian is a
good example of the new TV viewer: he's mostly wrestled free of the rigid
network schedule. Rogers' Purdy sees this as how things are supposed to
evolve. He believes it's a matter of time before users will be able to move
shows across different platforms — an attractive prospect for Rogers,
considering its many arms (Maclean's, Fido cellphones, the Toronto Blue
Jays, cable TV channels, radio stations). Rogers Cable already has some shows
on demand, like Fat Actress and Huff. Purdy hints at a deal in
the works with a major U.S. network. "From a technological
standpoint, there's nothing holding us back. Anything Comcast can do, we can. I
hope there won't be too much of a hangover until many of these options are available
in Canada, but there are rights management issues," he says. Rights
issues are the likely reason why Lost and Desperate Housewives aren't
yet available in Canada on iTunes.ca. As the owner of those shows, ABC can sell
them to Americans on iTunes if it wants to. However, in Canada, CTV pays for
the right to air both shows, and it might not appreciate having its ratings
undermined. (However a spokesperson said CTV has nothing to do with the shows
not being available on iTunes.ca and suggested we call Apple.) However
Purdy is optimistic that most prime time shows will be available on demand, at
least, in this country within two years. "The one thing we have all
learned it's that we must be more attentive to how the customer wants to consume
things," he says. "Because if you're slow, then their only
response is to go and find it elsewhere."
CRTC Ponders Product
Placement
Excerpt from The
Globe and Mail - By Keith Mcarthur And Grant Robertson
(Nov. 21, 2005) The federal broadcast regulator is watching the rapid rise of
product placements on Canadian TV shows
to see whether it needs to
overhaul the way advertising is allowed onto the small screen. Current rules
prevent Canadian broadcasters from running more than 12 minutes of traditional
television commercials an hour. But advertisers are increasingly looking for
ways to embed marketing messages directly into programs. That's partly because
new technologies -- like personal digital video recorders -- allow viewers to
skip commercials. "We're keeping an eye on it. Obviously, we're seeing it
more and more in programs,"
said Doug Wilson, director of industry analysis and program monitoring for the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications
Commission. "At some point in time, the commission may have to
adapt to the new advertising model out there." Mr. Wilson emphasized that
no decisions have been made about changing the regulations, and said there
would be public consultations prior to any amendments. Canada's broadcasters,
meanwhile, want the rules loosened so they can be more responsive to advertiser
demands. "We have to attract more dollars to the system, not close
opportunities. That's the direction we think [the CRTC] should be going,"
said Glenn O'Farrell, president of the Canadian Association of Broadcasters.
Product placements and product integration are a multibillion-dollar industry
in the United States. Placements involve strategically inserting items, from
cars to soda cans, into the background of TV shows. Integration features those
products in the script.
In the U.S., the techniques range from placing Ford Explorers on the network
hit 24, to integrating Burger King and Sony PlayStations into the
storylines of The Apprentice. While the strategy is becoming more
prevalent in Canada, the market is much smaller with not as many homegrown
productions. "There are far fewer opportunities as a Canadian marketer to
get involved in those types of things," said Scott Cooper, marketing
director at Unilever Canada. The company is integrating its Knorr brand into The
Next Great Chef, which airs in December on Global. The program, which will
see prospective chefs compete in a documentary-style cook-off, has worked
several products into the show, including pots, pans and dairy products. On
CTV, a December episode of Corner Gas will integrate the Sears Wish Book
catalogue into the script, while CBC's hockey mockumentary, The Tournament,
again features a Kia dealership this season. "The traditional 30-second
commercial isn't dead yet, but it is dying," said Andy Levine, executive
producer of The Next Great Chef. While all three networks are boosting
their revenue with product placements in domestic shows, they say they're being
selective. "At the end of the day, it must make sense in a script and the
bottom line is that show integrity is not compromised," CTV spokesman Mike
Cosentino said. But Canadian broadcasters must be careful about how much
product placement they attempt on domestic productions. If a Canadian program
exceeds the rule of 12 commercial minutes an hour, it can be labelled an
infomercial. If that happens, the show is no longer considered Canadian content
and is also not eligible for federal funding incentives. The CRTC has ruled
certain programs offside. One example was Rona Inc.'s involvement with TVA's Ma
Maison Rona and Global TV's Rona Dream Home, where episodes
prominently featured the sponsor. Those shows contained too much commercial
content and could not be counted as Canadian programming, the CRTC said. With a
much smaller TV market, and no guarantees that a new production will make it to
air in Canada, advertisers must choose their campaigns wisely. The idea is also
in its infancy in terms of pricing. "Where in the U.S. you could look at
it costing you $3-million to be on The Apprentice; here it's all
generally custom opportunities, so it's not an easy comparison to make,"
Mr. Cooper said.
Danny DeVito Returns To TV In Comedy Series
Excerpt from The Toronto Star
(Nov. 17, 2005) NEW YORK (AP) — Danny
DeVito — who hasn't starred in a TV series since Taxi ended
its run in 1983 — will return to the small screen
next year in the FX comedy It's Always Sunny
in Philadelphia. "Getting the news from FX that our
show got a second season pickup was fantastic," said series creator Rob
McElhenney in a statement. "Getting the news that Danny has signed on to
co-star feels like we just hit the lottery." DeVito will play a
retiree who has moved back to Philadelphia to spend time with his
children. The series' second season is set to debut in June. DeVito, 61,
will co-star in all 10 episodes. He will be able to shoot his scenes within a
period of 10 to 15 days, the network said. Taxi began its run in
1978. DeVito played Louie De Palma, a New York City dispatcher who bullied and
insulted his drivers. After the series ended, he turned his attention to
producing (Get Shorty, Man on the Moon) and directing (Throw Momma
From the Train, The War of the Roses, Hoffa). His screen credits
include roles in Romancing the Stone, Twins and Batman Returns.
CBC, CTV Clean Up At News Geminis
Source: John McKay, Canadian Press
(Nov. 18, 2005) CBC and CTV picked up most of the key awards in news,
sports and documentary categories of the 2005
Geminis, honouring the best in Canadian television. At the
first of three consecutive galas, CTV News won Thursday for best newscast and
best reportage. CTV's W-Five also won in the best news information
series category. But CBC's Witness took home a Gemini for best
documentary series, while CBC News coverage of the memorial service for the
four RCMP officers slain in Mayerthorpe, Alta., won for best special event
coverage. CBC's The National won best news magazine segment (for
an episode titled "Strange Destiny") while Wendy Mesley won for best
host or interviewer for her work on Marketplace. CTV's Ronnie
Hawkins: Still Alive and Kickin' won for best biography documentary
program. CBC's venerable newsmagazine show The Fifth Estate won three
Geminis for direction, editing and writing. In sports, CBC took the
trophy for best live event for its coverage of the 2005 Tim Hortons Brier, and
best direction in a live sporting event for its broadcast coverage of the CFL's
2004 west division championships. The Thursday gala and Friday night's
industry gala are considered preludes to Saturday night's main event, airing
live on Global Television and featuring the most high-profile awards.
There are some 86 categories in all. Leading the Gemini race this year with 15
nominations each are the now-cancelled CTV drama The Eleventh Hour and
CBC's The Fifth Estate. The CBC miniseries Sex Traffic has 14
nods and the legal drama This Is Wonderland has 12. Global news
anchor Kevin Newman will be in the running Saturday with CBC's Peter Mansbridge
and CTV's Lloyd Robertson for best anchor. Newman has his fingers
crossed. "I've jokingly taken to calling it the Peter Mansbridge
Award because it just seems to be appropriate," he said. This is the
Geminis' 20th anniversary.
Bernie Mac To Develop New Fox Series
Excerpt from www.eurweb.com
(Nov. 21, 2005) *Bernie Mac is coming
back for seconds at Fox. With “The Bernie Mac Show” currently in its fifth
season, the comedian is developing a new
“All in the Family” flavoured sitcom as the first project under his Mac
Productions banner, which has an overall deal with Regency and 20th CentSury Fox
TV. The series, expected to be set in either New York or Chicago, will follow a
young woman and her new husband who end up living next door to her father and
mother. The pilot will be written and co-executive produced by Mac’s production
partner and “King of the Hill” writer, Dean Young. Young tells Daily Variety
that the father and son-in-law "are complete opposites: religiously,
politically, the (son) doesn't have a job,” as was the case with “All in the
Family.” Young adds: “The show's really about these two people building a
relationship.” Unlike Archie Bunker and his clan, the family for Mac’s
as-yet-untitled sitcom will be African-American. Mac will not star in the
series, however, the story is loosely based on his recent experience as a new
father-in-law and Young's own life as a newlywed.
Canadian Shows Scoop International Emmys
Excerpt from The Toronto Star - Vit Wagner, Pop Music Critic
(Nov. 22, 2005) NEW YORK (CP) — Three Canadian shows overcame
competition from Sweden, Germany and France, among others, to snag International Emmys Monday night in New York.
Fresh off its Gemini win, Ken Finkleman's
The Newsroom won the International Emmy Award for comedy. The
series was first launched on the CBC in 1996. YTV's Dark Oracle won
the International Emmy in the children & young people category. Using both
live action and animation, the series follows the adventures of two
15-year-olds as they investigate the mysteries behind a strange comic book.
A second season of 13 half-hour episodes is scheduled to air on YTV next
year. A CBC co-production claimed Canada's third win of the evening.
Holocaust — A Musical Memorial Film from Auschwitz took the Emmy
for arts programming. The 90-minute piece, shot entirely on location at
the museum at Auschwitz-Birkenau, interweaves music connected to the Holocaust
with accounts of three survivors from the men's and women's orchestras, which
were forced to perform for SS and Nazi officers. The film is a
co-production between the CBC, BBC, Poland's TVP and Germany's ZDF.
::THEATRE NEWS::
Canadian Lights Up Lloyd Webber Musical
Excerpt from The
Toronto Star - Richard Ouzounian, Theatre Critic
(Nov. 21, 2005) Adam Brazier
woke up Friday morning to the classic good
news/bad news scenario. The bad news first: New York critics were sharply
divided about the merits of The Woman in
White, Andrew Lloyd Webber's latest musical, which had opened
the night before with Brazier playing the romantic male lead. But then
came the more cheerful stuff: the critics were universally enthusiastic about
the 30-year-old guy from Unionville who was playing the heroic young
Walter. "Extremely appealing," said the New York Daily News;
"amiable high tenor ardour," pronounced Newsday; while the
Associated Press said his role was "strongly sung" and Variety
pronounced him "a vigorous, youthful romantic lead." If that
wasn't enough to turn a young man's head, no less than five reviewers,
including The New York Times' decided to single him out as
"handsome." None of this would come as news to Toronto
audiences, who've been cheering Brazier's work for years now. Whether it
was as the original Sky in Mamma Mia!, Aladdin and Prince Charming in
Ross Petty's Christmas pantos, or in the title role of the Shaw Festival's hit
2004 production of Pal Joey, Brazier has always stood out from the
crowd. When reached on the phone Friday afternoon, he was still coming to
grips with it all. "It was a very exciting evening, the audience was receptive, and
the whole thing had a positive and genuine energy."
Brazier's Canadian cheering section included his mother, father, brother,
sister-in-law and 96-year-old grandmother, as well as his significant other,
Melissa Kramer. Also present was Canada's consul general to New York,
Pamela Wallin. Brazier said the most exciting part of the night for his parents
was getting to meet the former broadcaster. She graciously invited the
Brazier clan to her official Park Ave. residence for lunch on Friday, which
made a nice way for them to come down from the buzz of opening night. The
whole experience has been an intense one, not just because of what Brazier
calls "the incredibly high stakes of opening a multi-million-dollar
musical on Broadway," but for an additional bit of drama no one could have
predicted or wanted. On Nov. 1, with the show already in previews,
Brazier and the company were called into a special rehearsal by director Trevor
Nunn, who broke some shocking news to them about their leading lady, Maria
Friedman. "He told us that Maria had discovered a lump in her breast
the day before and had immediately seen her doctor. It was diagnosed as
stage-one cancer and Maria had decided to go for surgery that
Thursday." The company was in shock, but Nunn communicated her
wishes. "We were not to talk about it," recalls Brazier, "just
go on with business as usual." One week to the day after her
successful surgery, Friedman returned to the show's previews, earning Brazier's
eternal admiration. "You would never have known what she'd gone through.
Her sense of humour was amazing and her courage was unforgettable."
Brazier also was impressed with the legendary Andrew Lloyd Webber, whom he
pronounced "very professional, but very excitable. When you get it right,
he lets you know it immediately. "What I wasn't expecting is that
with him it's ultimately all about the storytelling. He's more interested in
the emotion and the narrative clarity rather than whether or not you hit a note
just right." Critics praised Brazier for his sense of Victorian
style, which he eagerly attributes to his training at George Brown Theatre
School, where "we studied period movement, posture, behaviour, etiquette.
It gave me all the tools I needed." Right now Brazier is hoping to
settle in for a long run with The Woman in White and planning to relax.
"Finally," he sighed, "I feel I can just sit back and enjoy
it."
Fringe Product Drowsy Earns Plaudits In LA
Excerpt from The Toronto Star - Richard Ouzounian, Theatre Critic
(Nov. 22, 2005) The Drowsy Chaperone
is proving to be a true Sleeping Beauty in La-La Land, which is just one
more indication of the far-reaching
influence of the Toronto Fringe Festival.
The spoofy musical romp, which premiered here at the 1999 Fringe
Festival, opened to very positive reviews at the Ahmanson Theatre in Los
Angeles on Saturday night. The Los Angeles Times called it
"an unabashed love letter to musical comedy" and Variety raved
that "it emits enough intoxicating charm for anyone to get drunk on."
This California run is being viewed as a pre-Broadway tryout by its lead
producer, Kevin McCollum, a two-time Tony Award-winner for Rent and Avenue
Q. After its Fringe premiere, Drowsy was successfully
remounted at Theatre Passe Muraille later in 1999 and then given a whole new
production at the Winter Garden in 2001 as part of the Mirvish subscription
series. It lay dormant for several years until a presentation at the
Festival of New Musicals in Manhattan last fall generated considerable buzz and
resulted in the current production. The major focus for the reviews'
enthusiasm has been the narrator figure of "Man in Chair," played by
Bob Martin, who created the role back in 1999. Variety hailed it as a
"breakout role" for Martin and the Times praised the way he
managed to be "silly but sincere." Reviews were also full of
enthusiasm for the cleverness of the staging by Casey Nicholaw and the work of
the cast, in particular Sutton Foster, who stopped the show despite a broken
wrist she incurred during rehearsals. They also enjoyed the wit of the book by
Martin and Don McKellar. The critics' major reservations concerned the
lyrics of Lisa Lambert and music of Greg Morrison. The Times complained
that "they don't have the intoxicating power of the standards that
inspired them, while Variety lamented the fact that "we're never
quite allowed to get lost in a song."
Still, the overall verdicts have been positive and there's a good chance of
further life for The Drowsy Chaperone. That would put it in the
company of other Toronto Fringe-created hits currently on the boards in
America. Da Kink in My Hair just
concluded a successful run at the San Diego Repertory Theatre, the latest
victory for trey anthony's popular show, which began at the 2001 Fringe and
went on to a record-breaking run at the Princess of Wales Theatre. Job,
the Hip-Hop Musical is a show that has enjoyed more lives than Shirley
MacLaine since it began at the 2002 Fringe. It's been revised and revamped,
playing sold-out runs in our city every step of the way. Now in a new
expanded version as Job the Hip-Hopera, it's about to conclude a
well-received month in L.A. at the Stella Adler Theatre and we can only hope
this latest reincarnation will come back here as well. And finally,
Charlie Ross's One Man Star Wars, which also premiered at the 2002
Fringe, is in the middle of a lucrative run at the Lambs' Theatre in N.Y.,
where it will play until Dec. 31, before Ross continues to tour it across North
America.
THEATRE TIDBITS
How’s ‘The Color Purple’ Doing On Broadway?
Excerpt from www.eurweb.com
(Nov. 18, 2005) *Because of the cast’s recent field trip to appear on their
benefactor’s top rated talk show, “The Color
Purple” played only six preview performances on Broadway last week,
but their visit to the “Oprah Winfrey Show” kept the new musical strong at the
box office. According to Broadway.com, the production filled the large Broadway
Theatre to 82.2% capacity, up 10.7% from its first week of previews (before the
“Oprah” show aired). The musical also netted a substantial $499,572 in those
six previews. The top grossing Broadway play was the Ben Vereen musical,
“Wicked,” which earned $1,318,294 for the week ending Nov. 13. The top show by
capacity was “Spamalot,” which averaged 101.76%. “Oprah Winfrey Presents
The Color Purple” is based on the Alice Walker novel and 1985 film of the same
name.
'Black Face' Ends At
Royal Opera
Source: Associated Press. By
Jenn Wiant
(Nov. 21, 2005) London — White opera singers will no longer wear black face
paint when playing black characters at the British
Royal Opera House. The practice of putting black makeup on white
performers was used in dress rehearsals for Verdi's Un Ballo in Maschera
( A Masked Ball), but the singer portraying the sorceress Ulrica did not
use the makeup in Thursday's opening night performance, Royal Opera House
spokesman Christopher Millard said. Novelist Philip Hensher noticed it while
attending a dress rehearsal and criticized the practice in The Independent
newspaper. The Royal Opera House would not discuss the reason for the timing of
its new policy, which was announced within a day of Hensher's article. The
Italian director of the opera, Mario Martone, accepted the decision not to use
black make-up on mezzo Stephanie Blythe, Millard said Monday. “We had
tried various means to see if there was a way in which we could resolve the
issue of whether a white actor should be 'blacked up' and decided we should cut
it,” Millard said. “It doesn't work. It's racially insensitive." He added
that operas calling specifically for black characters “are incredibly rare,”
although exceptions to the policy are possible. “Blacking up” was common in the
United States for about 100 years, from the first minstrel shows in the 1840s
until civil-rights activists began criticizing the practice in the 1940s. In
Britain, The Black and White Minstrel Show, a popular musical variety
show featuring blackface actors, was on TV until 1978.
::OTHER NEWS::
Jesse Joins Push To Save Tookie
Excerpt from www.eurweb.com
(Nov. 23, 2005) *Convicted murderer Stanley
“Tookie” Williams got a visit from Rev.
Jesse Jackson on Monday as the clock ticks down
toward his scheduled execution on Dec. 13. The Death Row inmate, convicted of
killing four people in a robbery, awaits a decision by California Governor
Arnold Schwarzenegger on whether or not he’ll be granted clemency. Jackson’s
visit included prayer with the former gang leader and words of encouragement in
the battle to save his life. “At the conclusion of our one and a half
hour visit I told him ‘We are going to fight for you and we are going to
win.’ He told me that his work here is not finished,” said Jackson.
Jackson’s visit comes on the heels of a rally held outside of San Quentin last
weekend to support Tookie’s plea for clemency. Snoop Dogg was among the supporters
whoattended.
Rev. Jackson released a statement following his visit with Williams. It read in
part: “Tookie Williams is a changed man. He stands before
Governor Schwarzenegger requesting clemency. There are those who state
that he should not receive clemency because he has not acknowledged guilt and
remorse. But this is not a legal requirement for clemency. It
cannot be predicated upon a false or coerced confession of guilt or
remorse. “What is certain is that since 1992, Tookie has been
a voice reaching out to the voiceless. He has encouraged youth to lift
themselves up so as not to end up locked up. His voice has reached
impoverished and alienated youth in places police dare not tread. Through his
personal transformation in prison, he has brought light to dark places because
he knows where to look. He speaks truth to power with a sincere knowledge of
what lies ahead for these youth and gives them a stark look at what their
future could be if they don’t renounce gang life and all that it stands for.
And they listen, because he was one of them. “Tookie Williams
personifies what ‘redemption’ is all about. He has used his time in
prison to reach others and save lives. We may not be able to quantify the
number of children he has saved, but I am certain that there are children in
this country and abroad that would not be here had they not received his
powerful message.
"In the days to come we will bear witness to our criminal justice system
at its lowest point. As California gears up for the taking of a life, the eyes
of the world are upon us. We must kill the idea of killing as a remedy to
societal problems and shortcomings. We do not condone Tookie Williams past
actions, however, the streets of California will be no safer on Dec. 14 should
he be executed. In fact, there is reason to believe that they will be
even less safe as those he would have reached in his ongoing efforts to stop
children from joining gang life will never hear his message. “Today I have
requested a meeting with Governor Schwarzenegger. I will urge him to grant
clemency and convert Tookie Williams’ sentence to life without possibility of
parole. By granting clemency in this case he would be setting an example of
courage over cowardice, of humanity over brutality. Commutation in this case
would follow in the best traditions of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Nelson
Mandela, Mahatma Gandhi and Cesar Chavez. Gov. Schwarzenegger has the ability
to come down on the right side of history and make it clear by this single act
of courage that he remains committed to the principles of justice.
“I will also urge the Governor to halt all executions while the California
Commission on the Fair Administration of Justice conducts a thorough study of
the state’s criminal justice procedures. This Commission was formed by the
state Senate in August 2004, ‘to study and review the administration of
criminal justice in California to determine the extent to which that process
has failed in the past, resulting in wrongful executions of innocent
persons.’ There should be a moratorium on all executions pending the
completion of this official governmental body’s investigation.” The
legislative findings will be presented to the Governor by December 31,
2007.
Journalists In The Frame And Under Fire
Excerpt from The Globe and Mail - By
Guy Dixon
(Nov. 18, 2005) If journalism is the first draft of history, then the second
draft
inevitably includes a re-evaluation of the media. Three events this weekend are
set to stir up the tendency to reassess, with a focus mainly on
photojournalists and television camera crews. These days, there's a renewed
interest in how journalism gathers the news, matched only by heightened
criticism of the media's failings. Yet the images of lone photojournalists
travelling through foreign lands or camera crews holding their position in a
besieged city maintain their integrity. All this remains, somehow, a special
case. How far, though, does this hold true? Are photographers and camera crews
more interested in building drama than simple truth-telling? Are they too quick
to follow the constant rush for the next story? Steve
McCurry would be one to ask. At 55, he's taken some of the world's
most recognizable photos, and tomorrow he will be conducting a seminar at the
University of Toronto about life as a photojournalist. Known mostly for his
images for National Geographic, including his famous photo of a staring,
beautiful Afghan girl, McCurry is a solitary documentarian -- almost like a
tourist, he says. He shoots people with whom he feels a connection. Sometimes
it's immediate. Sometimes the connection takes a little time. Yet in this way,
his work stresses a certain humanitarianism. That's how he gets his best shots.
"If you appreciate them, then people will respond positively [to being
photographed]," McCurry says in a phone conversation from his home in New
York. The downside, after more than 25 years of shooting in foreign lands, is
that people expect a certain kind of image from him: of children and older
people; of intimate moments in the world's farthest reaches. But some of his
photos also have a sweeping, National Geographic-like scope.
McCurry acknowledges that some photo editors, too, ask for a particular look,
or they will tell other photographers to take a "McCurry shot." Does
this style, though, always accurately reflect the subject matter? Are editors
trying for a certain effect that may not be entirely truthful? Some of these
themes echo in French-American director Marcel Ophuls's The Troubles We've
Seen: A Story of Journalism in War Time, a tour de force of foreign-correspondent
soul-searching that screens Sunday afternoon at Cinematheque Ontario. Ophuls
interviews seemingly everyone working or connected with Sarajevo when it was
under attack, from freelance journalists holed up in the city to former Serbian
president Slobodan Milosevic himself. It's a fascinating look at reporters
working in wartime. Throughout the film, Ophuls includes old movie clips, often
musical bits from Hollywood films. It can be jarring, but it perfectly captures
a certain irreverence all journalists have at times -- and that war
correspondents particularly have in order to stay sane amid the danger and
destruction. As the New York Times' John Burns said in an interview while in
Sarajevo: "The fact is that if you are a newspaper reporter, inappropriate
as it might be to say, this is a story that has everything. Everything you ever
wanted." The film shows how differently a war can be covered from various
perspectives. French camera crews were more interested in the human aspects of
the war in the former Yugoslavia -- the little details such as a general's
garden that became packed with birds because the trees in the city park had
been chopped down for firewood. The British, though, were more removed and
didn't want to be seen as compromising their objectivity. Approaching the story
from multiple views, the director even interviews Martha Gellhorn, the grand
dame of war reporting, who said that war is really as much about the endless
hours of boredom after intense moments of terror. There is the long wait of
simply sitting in tents and mud. Yet war correspondents are able to follow the
action. "I think war correspondents are highly privileged and shouldn't be
glorified," she said.
You can ponder this thought in another forum this weekend, as Ryerson's Image
Arts Gallery exhibits some of the highlights from its collection of historical
images from the New York-based Black Star photo agency. Following a timeline of
world events from the First World War to the fall of the Berlin Wall, the
actual photos aren't on exhibit, but replicas are projected on the wall and
shown on interactive screens. Many of the iconic images appeared in Life
magazine, and they are the kind of photojournalism long upheld as beyond
reproach. But as time passes and new drafts of history are written, will we
start to see these Life magazine shots in a different light? As Ophuls says in
his film: "History never ends." Steve McCurry's full-day
photography seminar is tomorrow at the University of Toronto's Medical Sciences
Auditorium, 1 King's College Circle, 8:30 a.m., $90, call
416-927-0623. Cinematheque Ontario screens The Troubles We've Seen at 1 p.m.
Sunday at the Art Gallery of Ontario's Jackman Hall, 317 Dundas St. W., call
416-968-FILM. Ryerson's exhibit of highlights from its Black Star
photography collection opens today at the university's Image Arts Gallery, 122
Bond St., 3rd Floor, Monday to Saturday 12 to 5 p.m.
Ray Nagin Looks To Jamaica For Love
Excerpt from www.eurweb.com
(Nov. 21, 2005) *New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin
says he is looking to
strengthen his city’s ties with Jamaica in continuing efforts to recover from
the devastation of Hurricane Katrina. "As we look to rebuild New
Orleans, we are also looking to rebuild relationships and the first place that
we are looking to rebuild and strengthen relationships is Jamaica," said
Nagin, who is vacationing in Montego Bay with his wife Seletha and three
children. Plans were already in place for New Orleans and Montego Bay to team
for the staging of a food and music festival this month in the Jamaican city,
when Katrina wiped out 80 percent of New Orleans in August. "The festival
was supposed to kick off something big," said Nagin, who is staying at a
private villa owned by Sandals chairman, Gordon 'Butch' Stewart. "We were
planning to rotate this festival between Jamaica and New Orleans where we could
bring the best music, the best food and the best people together and then, for
example, take advantage of the tourism of both places." He noted that in
addition to the festival, the hurricane also forced the postponement of a
planned visit in August of a Montego Bay-based trade delegation to his city.
Speaking to reporters at a brief ceremony hosted by Sandals Resorts, Nagin
noted that Jamaica and New Orleans already share interests, particularly in the
area of culture. "We both have unique characters, unique styles, wonderful
food and, most importantly, wonderful people," he said. "The wonderful
people you see when you go to Jamaica or New Orleans ... they make you feel
welcome, they treat you like your brother or sister."
President of the Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association (JHTA) Horace Peterkin
said at Friday's welcome ceremony for the Nagins that the trade delegation was
to examine ways in which Montego Bay and New Orleans could establish long-term
relations. "The invitation was for us to go there (New Orleans), get the
businessmen to look at some investment opportunities in Jamaica and for
discussion on the twinning of the cities," said Peterkin, who is also
manager of one of Stewart's Sandals properties. Nagin said he was pleased with
the massive rebuilding effort in his city, and noted that several annual
cultural events, including Mardi Gras and the jazz festival, would return to
the city next year. "We are moving in the right direction," he said.
"The hotel industry is now up to 75 percent of its capacity and it should
be up to 100 percent by year-end, and electricity has returned to almost 75
percent of the city." Nagin told the Jamaica Sunday Observer that Congress
had appropriated $1.6 billion to assist in the recovery exercise. "But we
are also pushing Congress for tax incentives for businesses and people to move
back to the city," he said.
OTHER TIDBITS
Yuk Yuk's Contest Punchline: $25,000
Excerpt from The Toronto Star - Martin Knelman
(Nov.
23, 2005) No one will be wearing a black tie, but you could call it the Giller
Prize of comedy. Mark Breslin, founder and ringmaster of Yuk Yuk's, has cooked up what he's calling
"the great Canadian Laugh Off."
Comedians from all over Canada and the rest of the world — both professional
and amateur — will compete for a grand prize of $25,000, and possibly a shot at
fame and fortune. "We live in a world of contests, and I thought
this would be fun, and also a way to draw attention to live comedy."
I asked Breslin whether he has morphed into Jack Rabinovitch, founder of the
Giller Prize. "I don't think there's any chance I am going to be
mistaken for Jack," says Breslin. Indeed, one of the features that makes
this a clever deal is that Breslin does not have to write the big cheque. That
will be taken care of by the Comedy Network, which gets a TV special out of the
event. Laugh-off finals will happen over eight nights in February at his
company's flagship Toronto comedy club on Richmond St. W. in the Entertainment
District. Juries will whittle 64 contestants to eight survivors who will
compete on the final night. "It's open to almost everyone," says
Breslin. "The only rules are that you have to speak English. Mimes aren't
eligible."
Shaq Parties ‘Downstairs’ With Payless
Excerpt from www.eurweb.com
(Nov. 21, 2005) *You gotta give it to Payless.
The discount shoe company gets folks you’d never in your most feverish
hallucination believe would even
step foot in the store, much less partner with them in business. But alas,
the chain that hired proud designer label-lover Star Jones Reynolds as a
spokeswoman has signed an exclusive five-year deal with Miami Heat center Shaquille O’Neal to distribute his own
signature Dunkman athletic shoe. While regular NBA signature shoes can sport
prices in the triple digits, Dunkmans will be available beginning Dec. 1 at
Payless ShoeSource for $39.99 (men) and $24.99 (kids). "When I
was a kid, I got a lot of my shoes at Payless," O'Neal said in a
statement. "Now having kids of my own, I wanted to create a performance
shoe that parents everywhere felt good about providing for their kids or
themselves." The idea for the partnership came after Shaq was dissed by
some random woman in Orlando who thought the price of his Reebok shoe was out
of control. “She was crying so much, I reached in my pocket and handed
her some money," O'Neal told South Florida’s Sun Sentinel. But she didn't
want money. Instead, she asked the ball player: "When is somebody going to
make some shoes affordable?" The Dunkman is licensed by Exeter
Brands Group, a subsidiary of Nike. They feature a distinctive logo of Diesel
dunking a basketball. "Nobody was doing the downstairs market,"
O'Neal said, referring to the Wal-Marts and K-Marts of the world. "See,
you've got to realize this world we live in there's more downstairs people than
there is up."
Bassett To Promote New Lotion For Black Women
Excerpt from www.eurweb.com
(Nov. 22, 2005) *Olay has announced that Angela
Bassett will star in a
national television and print campaign to promote its new lotion product
designed specifically for African American women. Olay’s Quench Body Lotion, made with shea
butter formula and an exclusive amino-vitamin formula to get at that ash,
purports to eliminate the need for constant reapplication.
Bassett’s ad campaign, to premiere this month, will be handled by Burrell
Communications, one of the nation's leading African-American owned full-service
communications agencies. "Angela Bassett personifies the kind of
woman who buys Olay products. She has ageless beauty and an aura of
sophistication but she's also very likable and real, a very rare
combination," said Brenda Blonski, senior vice president/group creative
director at Burrell. "Research shows African-American women have different
skin conditions and behaviours as it relates to how they use beauty products.
Burrell's consumer insight and innovation will develop specific messages about
Olay products that should have amazing appeal and resonance among
African-American women," adds L.T. Cushon-Dillard, vice president/account
director, who is also a beauty and skincare expert at Burrell. In
addition to the Olay ads, Bassett will next be seen in the film “Akeelah and
the Bee” opposite her “Boyz N the Hood” co-star, Laurence Fishburne.
Canadian Authors Make The
Dublin Long List
Excerpt from The Globe and Mail - By
Rebecca Caldwell
(Nov. 23, 2005) Toronto — A handful of Canadian authors -- including Globe and
Mail columnist Russell Smith and 2004 Governor-General's Award-winner Miriam
Toews -- have made it to the long list of the International
IMPAC Dublin Literary Award, the world's richest prize for
literature with a purse of €100,000 ($138,500). Revealed yesterday in Dublin,
the long list of 132 books was selected by libraries in 43 countries.
Among the Canadian nominees are: Wayson Choy for All That Matters,
Trevor Cole for Norman Bray in the Performance of his Life, Greg
Hollingshead for Bedlam, Robert Hough for The Stowaway, Joel
Hynes for Down to the Dirt, Beth Powning for The Hatbox Letters,
Smith for Muriella Pent, Toews for A Complicated Kindness, Thomas
Wharton for The Logogryph, Michael Winter for The Big Why and
Richard B. Wright for Adultery. Other nominees include Alan Hollinghurst
for The Line of Beauty, Marilynne Robinson for Gilead and Andrea
Levy for Small Island. The short list will be announced on April 5. The
winner will be announced on June 14.
::FITNESS::
::MOTIVATION::
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