Langfield
Entertainment
88
Bloor Street E., Suite 2908, Toronto, ON
M4W 3G9
(416)
677-5883
langfieldent@rogers.com
www.langfieldentertainment.com
NEWSLETTER
Updated: August 3, 2006
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The time is here, the time is
now - Caribana 2006! Despite all the controversies, we all know that the parade will be a
smash! Welcome to those visiting our city for this unique cultural
event. Go catch your Caribana chuckle at Karnival Komedy Xplosion! See below to get your tickets. Island Soul this weekend at Harbourfront - check out the amazing line-up -
something for everyone! Check out all the details below. |
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::HOT EVENTS::
Debut and Toronto Coach Sam Mitchell Presents the Karnival
Komedy Xplosion
Source: Debut Sports & Entertainment
LAUGH HARD! Join one of Canada’s fastest
rising urban comics, Jay Martin as he hosts the Karnival Komedy Xplosion. Presented by Debut Sports & Entertainment, the
show will feature Don DC Curry and Earthquake. DC Curry is best known for his memorable portrayal of
“Uncle Elroy” in the hits Next Friday and Friday after Next and
his reign as BET’s comedian of the year. Earthquake attracted fans
during his time on the Def Comedy Jam Circuit and BET’s Comic View.
Special guest hosts include Caribbean comedians Marc
Trinidad and Jean Paul. There will be two chances to catch this comedy extravaganza,
with shows on Friday, August 4 and Sunday, August 6, 2006.
Be sure to catch special performances by Juno award winning hip hop artist Choclair and the hot new Canadian
R&B artist Karl Wolf!
Choclair and Karl Wolf will perform Wolf’s hit that is currently burning up the
airwaves, “Desensitize,” and will also debut Choclair’s new single featuring
Karl Wolf, “Weekend.” Look out for Choclair’s much anticipated album,
“Flagship”, hitting stores this fall and be
sure to pick up Karl Wolf’s debut release “Face Behind The Face.”
FRIDAY, AUGUST 4 & SUNDAY, AUGUST 6, 2006
DEBUT SPORTS & ENTERTAINMENT PRESENTS KARNIVAL KOMEDY XPLOSION
*Featuring performances by Choclair & Karl Wolf*
**TWO PERFORMANCES**
Toronto Centre for the Performing Arts
5040 Yonge Street, Toronto
Friday, August 4, 2006
8:00 p.m.
Sunday, August 6, 2006
2:00 p.m.
Toronto Centre for the Performing Arts
5040 Yonge Street
Friday, August 4-, 2006 - 8:00 p.m.
Sunday, August 6, 2006- 2:00 p.m.
For event information please visit www.debutsports.com
Or call Kirk Brooks at (416) 213-0123 ext 555
To purchase tickets, please visit www.tocentre.com or
www.ticketmaster.ca
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::ISLAND
SOUL - AUGUST 4 - 7, 2006::
For the
full schedule, please click the logo above! All Island Soul events will
be held at 235 Queens Quay West, 416-973-4000.
Check out Island Soul at Harbourfront Centre!! Perhaps you’d like an alternative to the other Caribana
festivities and I can’t think of a better place! Now, look carefully as
there are some of our favourite people here including performances by legends Mighty Sparrow and Roy Cape as well as Blessed, Big Black Lincoln, Ibadan and
also food by Carl Cassell from Irie Food Joint. Not an
all inclusive list but only an indication of all the jammin’ going down at
Harbourfront Centre! Sample the Caribbean's finest artistic, cultural and
culinary offerings! Watch fire dancers, savour the flavour of roti and jerk at
cooking demos, then work it off to the island rhythms of reggae, soca, calypso
and at RastaFest! Island Soul features highlights from African Caribbean, Latin
Caribbean, French Caribbean, Chinese Caribbean and Rasta cultures...
::MUSIC::
Black Market
Harbourfront Centre Concert Stage
Friday August 4, 8pm
Led by master percussionist Robelcys Martinez, celebrated Cuban
timba band Black Market delivers high-energy Cuban dance music incorporating
classical, nueva trova, latin jazz, funk and soul music styles.
The Mighty Sparrow
Harbourfront Centre Concert Stage
Friday August 4, 9:30pm
This legendary Calypsonian has over 70 albums to his
credit. Able to sing any type of song - opera, pop, jazz, gospel and ballads in
several languages - he’s an 11 time Calypso Monarch and has won the King of
Kings Competition in Trinidad.
Blessed with special guest Lindo P
Harbourfront Centre Concert Stage
Saturday August 5, 8pm
In 2002, Blessed won a Juno for his break-out hit "Love
(African Woman)" and has become Canada's hottest reggae artist,
winning award after award including a second Juno in 2006. Past performances
include gigs with Kardinal Offishall, Lauryn Hill, Gregory Isaacs and Sizzla.
Lindo P is Toronto's "buzz"
artist to watch. Currently a member of the Black Jays, a group of top Toronto
urban artists led by Kardinal Offishall, he's also been a part of notable
reggae sound crews like Lone Star, Red Flame and Heat Wave, and has played with
world renowned DJ group Stone Love.
Tony Rebel
Harbourfront Centre Concert Stage
Saturday August 5, 9:30pm
A talented Rastafarianmusician and producer who didn't just smash the charts in
Jamaica, New York, Canada and Miami with his hits Fresh Vegetable & If
Jah (Is Standing by my Side), and his collaboration with Swade, but also
founded Rebel Salute, one of the most popular music festivals in Jamaica!
Aba Shaka and The Ark of The Covenant Sound with Superheavy
Reggae
Brigantine Room
Saturday August 5, 11pm
This one’s for the crate diggers! UK bred, Atlanta-based Imhotep aka Aba
Shaka is known as the “Keeper of the Ark” for his unmatched collection
of rare 1970s music and his selection, delivery and mastery on the turntables.
Alongside him the Superheavy Reggae Crew selectors unite fans of modern roots
and old time reggae with horn improvisations courtesy of I-sax.
Mika
Harbourfront Centre Concert Stage
Sunday August 6, 2pm
A leading figure in the contemporary Haitian Creole
movement and compas scene, his music blends influences ranging from Dominican
meringue to Trinidadian calypso and American jazz and swing. Now Magazine
describes his music as “the pop patois crossover joint Paul Simon would have
loved to make.”
St. James Town Youth Steel Orchestra
Pan Workshop
Brigantine Room
Sunday August 6, 4:30pm
The talented youths from the St. James Town Youth Steel Orchestra
teach you how to play the steel pan in this 30 minute one-on-one session. A rare
opportunity to try your hand at this amazing instrument!
Limited to 20 participants.
St. James Town Youth Steel Orchestra
Ann Tindal Lawn
Sunday August 6, 3pm
This steel band, composed of dedicated youths who practice
regularly in an after-school program, is a Caribana regular and a favourite at
festivals around Toronto.
Afropan
Harbourfront Centre Concert Stage
Sunday August 6, 3:30pm
Known as the "People's Band", Afropan Steelband is
Toronto's oldest and most successful community steelband. Led by Earl La
Pierre, these amazing musicians are Caribana's perennial "Best
Steelband" champions!
Pan Fantasy
Ann Tindal Lawn
Sunday August 6, 5:30pm
Formed in 1986 as part of a North York non-profit organization,
over the past 20 years the band has grown from an intimate group of players to
a collective of vibrant and versatile musicians who took 1st place in the 2005 Pan
Alive competition.
Big Black Lincoln
Harbourfront Centre Concert Stage
Sunday August 6, 8pm
::TOP
STORIES::
Miss Lou To Be Buried August 9
Source: JamaicaObserver.com
(Aug. 1, 2006) Louise Bennett Coverley, Better Known As "Miss Lou", is
to be given an official funeral next week, Wednesday, August 9, At The Coke
Methodist Church In Kingston, Starting At 2:00 pm.
Miss Lou who died at age 86 last week in Canada, will be buried at National
Heroes Park in the section reserved for cultural icons. Tributes will be given
by the prime minister and the leader of the opposition, while the eulogy will
be presented by Professor Rex Nettleford. The body will be available for
viewing at the National Arena on August 7 and 8, with performances planned for
the Arena in her honour on the night of August 8. No decision has yet been
taken on when her husband's remains will be reinterred, but it will be prior to
her funeral, Minister of Information and Development Senator Colin Campbell
told reporters yesterday. Campbell told reporters yesterday that Cabinet was
briefed on the arrangements for Miss Lou's funeral, including a memorial
service in Toronto on Thursday, which will be attended by a Jamaican delegation
headed by Robert Pickersgill, Minister of Housing, Water, Transport and Works.
The delegation will also include Minister of State for Tourism and Culture Dr
Wykeham McNeill and Opposition Member of Parliament Olivia "Babsy' Grange.
Miss Lou's body and the remains of her husband Eric, whose death preceded hers,
will both be flown home on August 5 at 4.20 pm and will be met by the Minister
of Tourism and Culture Aloun Assamba, along with representatives of various
cultural organisations.
Jamaicans.com Exclusive - Interview With Miss Lou
By Marcia Davidson (Posted Sunday, July 1, 2001)
Miss Lou, the Honourable Louise
Bennett-Coverley O.M., O.J., finally has her
day! September 7 has officially been declared, by Governor-General Sir Howard
Cooke, to be 'Miss Lou Day'. The day marks the works of the esteemed first lady
of comedy in promoting, celebrating, and exploring Jamaican culture. It also
marks the day of her birth. Born in 1919 in Kingston, Jamaica, to a widowed
dressmaker, Miss Lou's artistic learnings, creativity, and love for performance
were nurtured by her mother and grandmother. Miss Lou recalls that as early as
age seven, she delighted in telling stories and performing for playmates and
family members. Clap yuhself, Miss Lou! We here at Jamaicans.com
have declared May 2003 as Miss Lou Month. Jamaicans.com will continue to root
for Miss Lou in becoming our next National Heroine. Louise
Bennett, Caribbean cultural icon, linguist and poet, has been writing and
performing using the Jamaican Creole since the 1950s. For a long time, despite
the fact that her work gained limited favour among the working class and some
intellectuals, her writings did not appear in the important Jamaican
anthology Focus in the 1940s to the 1960s, and the Jamaica Poetry
League ignored her. In 1962, she was included in the Independence Anthology of
Jamaican Literature, but not in the section for poetry. It took the social and
political upheaval of the 1970s for academics and others to accept Louise
Bennett as a guru of the Jamaican Creole. She received the Order of Jamaica in
1974.
Louise Bennett had a programme called Miss Lou's Views on Jamaican
JBC Radio in the 1970s. One correspondent wrote in a daily newspaper that such
a programme should be scrapped because it tended to perpetuate ignorance in
Jamaicans. Though Louise Bennett has sought to foster love and respect
for the Jamaican dialect, she has never advocated that Standard English be
abandoned. She argued that for far too long it was considered not respectable
to use the dialect, because there was a social stigma attached to the kind of
person who used it. She added that many people still did not accept that for
many Caribbean people, there were many things best said in the language of the
folk. ("Bennett on Bennett" 101). The debate as to the
rightful place that Caribbean dialects should play in the life of the people is
ongoing and contentious. Many people mostly the middle-class, seem unable to
accept the proposition that Caribbean people may be armed with both Standard
English and the Creole.
Marcia: Our dear Miss Lou, please accept our sympathies here at
Jamaicans.com on the passing of Mr. Eric Coverley. Jamaica Labrish has been
your most requested book to date. Are there any other books published by you?
People are always asking about where to buy tapes/cds with your work, where
would you direct them to start looking for your works?
Miss Lou: Yes there are other books currently in print Selected
Poems, Aunty Roachy Seh, Anancy and Ms. Lou. Books out of print - Songs from
Pantomine published in 1949, Laugh with Louise 1962, Editor for Jamaican Mother
Goose, and others published by Pioneer Press which was owned by The Gleaner
Company. Sangsters Book Store is the publisher, and carries the books.
Marcia: Most of us grow up seeing you on Ring Ding on JBC, are there any
tapings of this programme available for purchasing?
Miss Lou: To my understanding when I asked about it, the tapes were
scrubbed and recorded over with other programs. None to my knowledge were
preserved, so there are none available for sale.
Marcia: We are indebted to you for bringing pride to the Jamaican Patois
and giving it international recognition. Who in your estimation does a great
imitation of you? Is this person one of your protégés?
Miss Lou: Without hesitation I will say Faith D’Aguilar. She has me
down pat . She once fooled my late husband when he heard her voice over a loud
speaker, and thought I had returned from a performance overseas without telling
him. I could not say she was my protégé.
Marcia: Let us play "What If"; What if you were asked to
rewrite the National Anthem of Jamaica, what would you do differently to the
words?
Miss Lou: Nothing, they are just fine.
Marcia: What does it mean when you say, "Jack Mandora mi nuh choose
none" at the end of one of your stories?
Miss Lou: Each Anancy story ends with "Jack Mandora mi noh choose
none", which means "take no responsibility for the story I have
told". ("Jack Mandora -Keeper of Heavens door. Me noh choose
none"). It is not of my choosing.
Marcia: How did you and the late Mr. Ranny Williams start out on radio?
Are any of those programmes available for sale?
Miss Lou: The Lou and Ranny Show was the first radio sit-com and was the
show that opened JBC when it started. We were approached by the Matalons to do
a comedy programme for JBC radio. Ranny was an outstanding comedian.
Marcia: How many pantomimes did you appear in and did Ranny Williams
appear in any of the earlier pantomimes?
Miss Lou: I did about twenty-five, starting in 1943. I have lost count.
Ranny and Lee Gordon (Amos and Andy) appeared as comic relief, front of curtain
in Jack and the Bean Stalk 1941 and Babes in the Woods 1942 and the third
Pantomine written by Vera Bell a dramatization from Soliday and the Wicked Bird
1943, and it was the first one that was really Jamaican. Ranny's first leading
role was "Anancy" in Busha Bluebeard in 1949
Marcia: As our First Lady of Comedy, are there any comedians that you
get a good laugh from?
Miss Lou: Nuff, Nuff too many to mention.
Marcia: Who are some of the people who influenced you?
Miss Lou: Too many to mention but two are Philip Sherlock Former
Head master of Wolmers Boys School, vice chancellor of the UWI, and one of the
founding fathers of UWI. He published a book on Anancy and was very interested
in Folklore and was the head of Extra Mural Studies at the University of The
West Indies. An outstanding man in the field of Education. A great Jamaican.
Also Ashley Clark a musician, he started the idea of Christmas
Morning concerts in his music store on King Street. He was always interested in
my writings and cultural activities and we were working together to produce a
dictionary of Jamaican Folk Speech. I have no idea what happened to the
manuscript
Marcia: Do you have an official website? Do you think the Internet is a
helpful tool to showcase your work to the younger generation?
Miss Lou: Yes, I do it is currently under construction but it has a few
current photos. The address is www.louisebennett.com. When it is finished it will have my biography, general
information and some of my works.
Marcia: What is your philosophy? Do you have a favourite quote?
Miss Lou: "Treat all with respect"
Teck kin-teet kibba heart bun - Use a smile to disguise your sorrow.
Dark night got peeny-wally - Behind every dark cloud is a silver lining.
Howdy-an-Tenky bruk no square - Caring and Gratitude create harmony.
Marcia: Thank you from all of us here at Jamaicans.com for being the
only poet to really tell the truth about our society in Jamaica through our own
language. Walk good Miss Lou, and may good duppy always walk with you. Walk
good.
Russell Peters Outsourced Comedy DVD/CD Set For August 29
Release
Source: Warner Music
(Aug. 2, 2006) No race is safe when Toronto native, Russell Peters
steps
on stage. Even less so on his new live DVD and CD Russell Peters Outsourced, taped
in San Francisco earlier this year. Russell’s quick wit and uncanny mimicry of
all races and cultures has audiences rolling in aisles all over the world. Now
fans can enjoy a riotous Russell Peters performance in their own living rooms
on August 29th – when the DVD and CD are released through Warner
Brothers Records. The South Asian comedian sets himself up for embarrassing
tales of growing up Indian in a multicultural neighbourhood. On the advice of a
white friend, Russell threatens to call child services when he’s about be
spanked. In response, his dad warns a young Russell that, if he does, “somebody
gonna get a hurt real bad!!!” If you’re white, watch out! If you’re
Korean, Jamaican, Chinese, Nigerian, Indian, Canadian or even Pakistani –
Russell’s gonna get you with his sweet smile and sharp tongue. “A little Dave
Chappelle, a little Dave Attell,” as the Houston Press describes him, Russell
doesn’t discriminate when it comes to taunting his audience.
Nominated for four Gemini Awards, Russell was the first South Asian to
headline at New York City’s Apollo Theatre. He appeared at Montreal’s "Just
For Laughs" Comedy Festival, the Winnipeg Comedy Festival and the
Edinburgh Comedy Festival. His television appearances include: BBC-TV’s David
Frost Comedy Festival, CBC-TV's Comics, two Comedy Now shows and specials on
The Comedy Network. Russell is currently in talks to produce a sitcom with a
major US network and will appear next year in “The Take”, a movie starring
Rosie Perez and John Leguizamo. To support the August 29th
release of Russell Peters Outsourced, Russell will be
appearing on Jimmy Kimmel Live TONIGHT on ABC (Check local listings. In
Toronto: CITY-TV at 12:06AM), and there will be a series of Canadian
performances.
Russell Peters Canadian Tour Dates:
September 8,
2006
Brampton, ON The Rose Theatre
September 9, 2006
Ottawa, ON Yuk Yuk’s Comedy
Cabaret
September 10,
2006
Ottawa, ON Yuk Yuk’s Comedy
Cabaret
September 12,
2006 Montreal,
QC Place Des Artes
Am I Damaging My Voice?
By Donna Flynn, www.vocalcoach.ca
Perhaps you have sensed that something is wrong with your voice but are
unable to identify the problem. You may feel soreness when singing or
afterwards. You are able to sing notes some days but unable to sing those same
notes other days. You may have lost a portion of your range completely. What is
normal and what is not? Let me tell you.
When your throat feels tight or hoarse it is because incorrect vocal cord
adjustments occur when moving from one note to the next. Support is lacking,
such as breath, to produce sound correctly. Power, fullness and style are
attempted by shouting, pushing or forcing the sound into place. Your body is
tight when singing causing your throat to become restricted. This produces
vocal cord damage. You may grow nodes on your vocal cords; lose a portion of
your voice or all of it, permanently. The main culprit is a lack of balance
between the individual components necessary for singing. These include your
mental thoughts while singing, correct posture, breath, tone production, vocal
cord adjustments, understanding chest and head registers, resonant sound, and
creative expression used to create your distinct style.
Many singers focus on scales only. Doing scales that are redundant or isolated
from other areas needing focus will result in some areas being over-developed
while other areas remain undeveloped. Yes, scales are extremely important and
need to be practiced on a regular basis. These simple routine exercises will
greatly improve the quality of your voice. When first beginning to sing, focus
may be on scales in order to develop precision when producing sound and to make
the act of singing look and feel effortless. Once mastered, this allows you to
get the most results with the least amount of effort. If scales, however, are
the only thing you are doing, you are wasting your time. You need to know how
to activate and build every aspect of singing and deactivate everything that is
not used to produce the desired sound. This may appear to be common sense but
with conflicting information available, most find it confusing. You must
maintain a balance between each component in order to reach your full singing
potential in a safe and healthy manner.
Those who experience damage often rely on improper instruction, copy singing
techniques from other singers whose training is not appropriate for them, or
worse, are self-teaching themselves through CD’s and books. None of these
methods allow you to identify your specific problem areas. They provide general
information for all voice types whether they are male or female, sing high or
low, soft or loud etc. They use buzz words and terms making their explanations
difficult to understand and apply. While CD’s and books can greatly enhance the
learning process, the opposite is true if they are not used correctly. If you
are relying on these methods, you are playing a dangerous game. While it may be
common for your throat to feel strained while singing in groups, such as
choirs, it is not normal. This happens when you cannot hear yourself clearly
and attempt to be heard by singing over other voices or instruments. You may
adjust your singing style in order to blend with the group. To alleviate this,
work on your material individually allowing imbalances that are occurring and
unable to be heard by the conductor due to the group environment to be
corrected before bad habits form and damage takes place.
So what is normal? When you learn to sing in a way different from what you are
used to you will engage muscles that feel unfamiliar. If you currently sing
with tension in the throat you could feel the jaw muscles as you learn to
redirect the sound. This may happen during class time which is focused and
intense. This is normal and safe when monitored by a professional. If, however,
the tension continues when practicing on your own you may be causing damage. To
help relieve this, practice for shorter periods of time, such as 15 minute
intervals. Sing at a softer volume until your voice is conditioned allowing you
to sing louder. If you hold tension in your body you will project that tension
to new areas as you learn to sing correctly. This is normal but difficult to
overcome for those who sing primarily from their intellect. The tension will be
elevated once a solid foundation for singing has been achieved. If your throat
feels dry it may be due to the constant flow of air passing through the vocal
cords and windpipe. Drink lots of water to minimize this. If it persists, see a
doctor. At times you may feel you are not progressing or progressing as quickly
as you would like. This is normal for most singers. You will hit plateaus where
additional work is needed to break through the block. As your technique
improves these temporary problems will be eliminated.
As you can see, there is nothing complicated about understanding voice damage.
Having a voice that sounds good is different from having a voice that is
healthy and that functions correctly. Many singers give up just as they begin
to make noticeable progress and fall back into old harmful habits. They hold
onto outdated ideas and resist breaking through barriers that will elevate them
to a higher level. You can achieve all your singing goals and build a stronger
and healthier voice in the process. Don’t give up!
::MUSIC NEWS::
Former Canadian Idol Finalists Release CD As Members Of New
Group Braided
Source: Canadian Press - By Carlye Malchuk
(July 30, 2006) TORONTO (CP) - There's more than one way to cash in on
your Canadian Idol fame. Three former Idol contestants are releasing
their debut CD on Tuesday as members of the new group Braided. The trio - Casey
LeBlanc, 18, of Nackawic, N.B., Ashley Leitao, 19, of Burnaby, B.C., and Amber
Fleury, 27, of Calgary - are all top-10 finalists from last season's show,
which crowned Melissa O'Neil as the winner. The group was the idea of
producer and Idol accompanist Mark Lalama, who LeBlanc said contacted them
after their Idol contracts were over about putting out an album.
"When he pitched us the idea it was hard not to like, get excited about
it," said Leitao when the group was in Toronto last week to promote the CD
and make an appearance on Idol. The trio reunited in Fenwick, Ont., in
March to record the album at Lalama's studio, and say they're incredibly happy
with the result. "There's something for everyone on the album,"
said LeBlanc. "There's pop-ish songs that you'll hear on the radio and
things like that, and there's more ... almost spiritual songs."
In mid-June the first single, A Little Bit Closer, off the album was released
across the country. The album includes four songs with the three singing
together, as well as others where they have solos. "I think Mark
(Lalama)'s main concern with doing it that way is that he just really wanted
Canada to get to know each of us as a person, what each of our individual style
is all about," said Fleury. "It shows that as a group, we have
a really great blend, but as solo artists, we're also very strong."
The album also includes Leitao in a duet with figure skating champion Elvis
Stojko, who she says is working on an album of his own. As for the
group's name, the women say it symbolizes the three coming together from across
the country and braiding into one. Canadian Idol host Ben Mulroney,
speaking after this season's Top 10 performance, said he's happy that the show
provides opportunities for singers like the Braided trio. "When I
hear that someone gets in a play or forms a new band or two years later does
something interesting, I'm really happy for them because (Canadian Idol) was a
vehicle to help them," he said. "We're not promising super-stardom,
we're promising access, and what they do with that opportunity is entirely up
to them." Past Idol finalists who've continued working in the music
industry include last year's runner-up Rex Goudie, whose recent album Under the
Lights was nominated for two 2006 Juno Awards. Theresa Sokyrka, the
second-place contestant from the show's second season, was recently signed to
MapleMusic Recordings. Her second solo album, Something Is Expected, will be in
stores Aug. 29.
Usher Gives Group Their One Chance
Source: Amina Elshahawi , ThinkTank
Marketing, amina@thinktankmktg.com , www.thinktankmktg.com
(July 28, 2006) For Courtney, Jon, Michael and Rob, One Chance is the
perfect name for a foursome that has invested their heart and soul into their
musical dreams and now stands on the verge of savouring the fruits of their
labour. “This name really suits us,” says Jon Gordon, 20. “One Chance
means we only have one life and this is our one dream and you’ve only got once
chance to do it. We feel like all we need is one chance for people to hear us
and they’ll love us.” Bound by their love of music and their undeniable
talent, these four Chicago natives came together three years ago and overcame
all the obstacles that littered their road to success. After a few detours and
more than a few roadblocks, the guys found themselves face to face with the
biggest R&B superstar in the world and, much to their delight, he liked
what he saw. “Two years ago we got the opportunity to showcase for Usher,” Jon recalls. “He could tell
that we were already polished. We had been working so hard for so long and it
must have shown on stage because we were chosen by Usher over several other
acts who showcased for him and his staff that day.” Usher signed One
Chance to his label, US Records, and began the diligent task of developing them
as only Usher can do. The multi-platinum, Grammy-winning artist said he saw
reflections of himself in the group. "As an artist, I know what it takes
to be successful,” Usher says. “I know what it takes to make a mark and have
longevity. As a label owner, I want my artists to possess those same qualities.
One Chance does. I have no doubt that these guys have what it takes to not only
live up to the great R&B legends of the past, but to have the same kind of
respect and longevity that many of those greats still enjoy today."
There’s no question that One Chance in next in a long lineage of great R&B
male groups. “We got a mean swagger,” says 21-year-old Courtney Vantrease,
describing the group’s uniqueness. “It’s a Chicago swagger but it’s real and
we’ve got things that you will remember from previous groups, like little
things you might remember from Jodeci and Boyz II Men.” Jon adds, “One
thing that will set us apart from other groups is that most of them are missing
something. Some of them can dance but aren’t that strong vocally or maybe they
can sing but they’re not solid entertainers but with this group we cover the
whole spectrum. We’re not trying to be something we’re not. We can sing. For
real. Take away all the music, all the beats, you can even take away the
microphones and you will hear natural voices blending in harmony.”
Hearing them sing ‘for real’ is the treat listeners get when they lend an ear
to any of the songs featured on the group’s debut CD. The lead single,
“Look At Her,” (scroll down to listen to it) featuring D4L’s Fabo, serves up a
refreshing new style called Snap & B. “It’s something new we’re trying,”
explains Courtney. “I think we’re probably the first guy group to do this. The
snap movement is really strong right now so we just decided to incorporate some
R&B into it. It’s just all about giving people something fresh.” Produced
by Chocolate Star and Soundz, the song conjures up images of a club scene and a
group of men eyeing a special lady who has captivated them with her sexy dance
moves. The guys covet a special lady yet again in the melodic midtempo
joint “Private,” featuring Akon, and extol her virtues on vocally superior
“Don’t Stop.”
Shondrae aka Bangladesh (Ludacris, 8Ball & MJG) takes production credits on
“Emotional.” Notes member Rob Brent, 19, “I think it’s one of our hottest songs
and it shows the versatility of the group.” Adds Jon, “The song is about a guy
whose girl is about to leave him and he doesn’t know what to do so he runs
after her and becomes very emotional.” The group’s music creates various
nuances. The songs are alternately bright and fun and dark and pensive. “We
have some really bright voices. We have a couple of dark records but for the
most part it’s a young feel, youthful but not too young and not too old either.
It’s right down the middle.” Adds Jon’s brother Michael, 22, “Some of the
songs address situations that young people are going through in relationships
and in life in general.” Just as their songs run the gamut of styles and
emotions, the personalities of the group’s members and the talent they possess
covers all the bases. “Rob is the young guy with the non-stop dancing,
the popping and locking all over the stage,” offers Jon. “He has the spunk and
a voice that sounds like he’s got auto tune on it. He’s the guy that likes to
riff and run you down the street.” “Jon’s the spokesman of the group,”
says Courtney. “He’s the gel that keeps everything together. He keeps our
business tight, keeps us practicing and on stage he’s the improviser and the
one in the group who has the most hip hop flavour.” “Courtney is the
quiet, smooth entertainer,” chimes in Rob. “He’s young but grown and sexy too.
Out of all of us he has that in-between look that can go in either
direction.” “And Mike is that sexy, fly dude,” notes Courtney. “Mike is
the one that’ll take his shirt off on stage and go wild. He’s like Jekyll and
Hyde.”
The mutual love and respect that the members of One Chance have for each other
have sustained them through some very trying times over the years, times that
often found them chasing down one elusive opportunity after another.
“It’s been a real rough grind,” recalls Courtney. “We left home, sold CDs to
rent a van to go to New York and went to different record labels to perform. We
all stayed in one hotel room or when we didn’t have enough money we all slept
in the van.” Undaunted, the group packed up the Gordon brothers’
not-too-dependable van and hit the road to Atlanta for Usher’s showcase. “Even
after going through ups and downs we took it upon ourselves to drive down to
Atlanta where we slept on the floor in a cold studio, going daily without
eating. It’s been a struggle but we’ve gotta say it’s been a blessing and it
allows us to appreciate everything that’s going to come to us even more.”
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Paul Simon Delivers Plenty Of Surprises
Source: Hollywood Reporter - By Erik Pedersen, Reuters/Hollywood Reporter
(July 29, 2006) LOS ANGELES - For all the accolades Paul
Simon has
racked up in the past 40 years, he remains a master of the set list. Concert
songs are carefully chosen -- lyrically and/or musically -- to weave a pattern
of thought and feelings among his audience while Simon and a typically ace band
tweak classic arrangements. Such was the case Friday night as Simon presented
beloved oldies and tastes of his fine new album to a receptive, all-ages
outdoor crowd at the Pacific Amphitheater. Some song combinations were more overt,
even playful, as when disparate aspects of motherhood were nodded at with an
early run of "Mrs. Robinson" -- complete with an extended, teasing
intro -- "Loves Me Like a Rock" and "That Was Your Mother."
But other planned presentations were subtle, like the positioning of the lovely
"Wartime Prayers," from Simon's fine new Warner Bros. album "Surprise," his first in six
years. With the song's title alone making a statement, Simon strategically
placed it in the encore after fan favourite "The Boxer," when he knew
he had the crowd's attention. That emphasis on having the new song heard was
apparent given its opening verse: "Prayers offered in times of peace are
silent conversations/Appeals for love or love's release in private
invocations," it begins. "But all that is changed now." Wartime
prayers, he sings a few lines later, are for "every family scattered and
broken." It wasn't a political declaration but a human one. And it was
deliberately followed by the comforting message of "Bridge Over Troubled
Water," which was shorn of its huge sound on record and delivered as a
gentle, even pacifying signal of hope. Simon sidestepped trying to replicate
Art Garfunkel's soaring climactic vocal, instead moving to a slightly uptempo
groove as the song ebbed.
Since Simon is touring with a band half the size of the one he employed on his
2000 solo jaunt, some of the night's material begged for a bigger sound. That
was especially true for the band's multiple trips to the album
"Graceland," the Grammy-winning album that turns 20 this summer. The
title track was rather plodding, while "Diamonds on the Soles of Her
Shoes" sorely missed Ladysmith Black Mambazo's stirring vocals. It did,
however, feature bursts of growling simultaneous sax and grumbling thumps of Bakithi
Kumalo's bass. As usual, none of the evening's material sounded exactly like
the records. Anchored by dual drummers Steve Gadd and Robin DiMaggio, the band
redirected familiar arrangements into a travelogue of world music. African and
Cuban rhythms were juxtaposed with bayou zydeco and some good ol' New York
coffeehouse folk. Simon was in laid-back voice, adding a little early-career
falsetto to "Loves Me Like a Rock" and delivering a gentle version of
"The Only Living Boy in New York." Two years removed from his
triumphant reunion tour with Garfunkel, Simon continues to challenge audiences
and himself rather than simply reciting his Hall of Fame catalogue. It's that
dedication to forward thinking that continues to makes him a viable songwriter
and musician -- and makes his concerts such gems.
At 60, Sony Focuses On Rebuilding Brand, Restructuring
Source: Canadian Press - By Yuri Kageyama
(July 30, 2006) TOKYO (AP) - Three years ago, Sony
Corp. (NYSE:SNE) launched the Qualia line of
luxury gadgets that included a tiny $3,300-US
digital camera and a $13,000-US audio console that automatically centred a
compact disc regardless of how carelessly it was tossed into the player.
Problem was, Sony engineers seemed more enamoured with the extravagantly priced
technology than consumers were, and the products meant to highlight Sony's
fine-tuned prowess received little interest beyond the initial gee-whiz.
The gadgets were a sign of a growing gap between Sony creations and consumer
sensibilities at the company that brought the world the Walkman portable music
player. The company, which turned 60 this year, appeared to be losing touch
with its customers. "Sony used to be a company that had superior
technology and cool design and created products that other companies didn't
have," said Akihiko Jojima, author of Sony's Sickness. "Sony has
become merely a brand for brand's sake." A turnaround effort led by
CEO Howard Stringer, who a year ago became the first foreigner to head the
Japanese company, is showing early signs of paying off. Stringer - the former
head of Sony's U.S. unit and previously a top executive at CBS - adopted a
two-pronged strategy of downsizing and focusing on growth areas. It's no
simple task. Sony has sprawling operations spanning everything from electronics
and video games to Hollywood movies, financial services and a music joint
venture. Stringer says Sony can't allow itself to grow obsolete.
"Any time a company is 60 years old, it has to say to itself: Are the
advantages of age outweighed by the weaknesses, and the weaknesses are that you
get stuck in your ways and you get conservative? The opportunities to reinvent
yourself are the ones that have to be taken," Stringer said. "You
adapt or you die."
One of his first moves was to pull the plug on the Qualia line. He also
reversed some decisions of his predecessor Nobuyuki Idei, a marketing expert
who helped raise Sony's stature but never achieved the lucrative
"synergy" he had repeatedly promised would come between electronics
and the movie, music and other content businesses. Stringer has ordered
10,000 job cuts by March 2008, of which 9,600 have already occurred. That
amounts to about six per cent of Sony's global payroll of 158,500. Sony
also has sold off $975 million US of assets and lowered its stake in a Japanese
retail chain that sells candy, cosmetics and other trinkets unrelated to
electronics. It also scrapped its Aibo pet robot division and stopped making
plasma TVs. In February, the company stopped promoting retired executives
to advisory positions, a common practice at Japanese companies. It removed 45
advisers who served a symbolic purpose but required a chauffeur-driven
car. Jojima and other analysts say Sony is faring better under Stringer.
But more time is needed to assess whether the Tokyo-based company can make a
full recovery to its heyday that ran from the 1960s through the 1980s, when it
scored hits with the transistor radio, Walkman, videotape recorder, compact
disc, colour TV and other pioneering products. There have been some
successes. On Thursday, Sony posted a $276-million-US profit for its
fiscal first quarter, compared with a $65.2-million-US loss last year. In the
most recent period, it credited strong sales of liquid-crystal display TVs,
digital cameras, camcorders and laptops. Even its electronics division,
which accounts for more than two-thirds of overall revenue, returned to the
black. Still, the unit hasn't posted a profit for a full year since fiscal
2002. And Sony shares are worth only about half of what they were five years
ago.
Sony president Ryoji Chubachi, who heads the electronics business, believes
that TVs and portable music players are two products in which Sony must show
it's a winner. "If we lose in either category, it's inevitable that
people are going to have doubts about Sony," he said. Sony has
fallen behind Apple Computer Inc.'s (NASDAQ:AAPL) iPod in portable digital
music players: Sony has sold one-fifth as many players as the 58 million iPods
that consumers have snapped up. A book on Sony by Japan's top business
daily, Nihon Keizai Shimbun, said the success of the iPod and the iTunes
download service made Sony's brand power "a thing of the past."
"As an outsider to the music industry, Apple acted extremely
quickly," according to the book Sony Versus Sony. "Sony, which
had its own music division, worried about possible damage to CD sales and could
not act as quickly." One error Sony made was sticking to a format
for music files called ATRAC3, which protected against illicit copying. Sony
only belatedly adapted to the more widely used MP3 file format. The iPod played
MP3s from its inception. Although Sony won't say much more about its plans
for future music players, Stringer is giving more say to software designers and
requiring greater interaction among the various teams developing
products. Late last year, Sony brought Tim Schaaff from Apple and
appointed him senior vice-president of Sony's software development. Schaaff
oversaw interactive media at Apple and the development of Apple's QuickTime
media player for computers. Sony has scored in one category, the TV, with
new flat-panel models that have commanded top global market share in the category
during some periods. A venture for liquid crystal displays Sony set up
with Samsung Electronics of South Korea in 2004 has helped Sony play catch-up
and boost profits, but it also demonstrated Sony had fallen too behind to go at
it alone.
Chubachi acknowledged Sony had grown overly confident of its cathode-ray tube
TV technology, failing to see how slimmer TVs were "an entirely new
category." In fact, Sony had grown arrogant about designing products
that anticipated, rather than followed, consumer tastes, Chubachi said. Some
colleagues were appalled when he started a basic customer-satisfaction push
within the ranks. The original Walkman, which sent on sale in 1979, was
long heralded as an innovative product that was ahead of its time. But
over the years, Sony grew complacent about its ability to come up with
cutting-edge products and lost sight of the consumer. "Producing a
hit without listening to customers is inefficient, and we may even strike
out," said Chubachi.
Heart To Heart With Vickie Winans
Excerpt from www.eurweb.com - By Mona
Austin
(July 28, 2006) Entertainers often use their audiences for therapy,
divulging
all kinds of interesting details about their personal lives. For twenty
years, the elegant Vickie Winans has been the patient on stage, sharing her thoughts with hilarity
on everything from hair weave to heftiness. But with her commanding voice she
always encourages her fans to leave their problems at the feet of Dr. Jesus as
she does. On the helm of her latest release, Vickie Winans is the
happiest she has ever been. Ironically, she has waded through rivers of
emotional, physical, mental and spiritual strain reach the mountain top of
personal and professional comfort where she now stands—happiness. She is
as free as they come and about what other people think, frankly my dear, she
doesn’t have time to mince words. “Woman to Woman: Songs of Life” is the
gospel diva’s 10 year d’nouement to pain. Suffice it to say, it has no
correlation to or inspiration from R&B singer Shirley Brown’s dramatic
“Woman to Woman,” where the wife confronts her husband’s lover in a phone call.
But ‘Songs of Life’ is determined to be the balm for such wives and other
women who have walked in the shoes of heartache and heartbreak, sickness,
rejection, disappointment. Dedicated to her 82-year old mother
Mattie Bowman, the CD is a fusion of traditional gospel, R&B, and smooth
jazz that is a bundle of inspiration. Taking over ten years to complete, it is
two volumes her most extensive musical work to date, thirty-three tracks (half
recorded live, half in studio). I “girl talk-ed” with Winans
recently and discussed her latest work:
Mona Austin: You must be proud of yourself.
Vickie Winans: It was a lot of work. (Referring to an earlier EUR
report about the CD release) I got so tickled when you said ‘she lost sleep
over this one.
MA: What I love the most about what you’ve done is that you were pouring
your heart out for the sake of other women.
VW: Yes.
MA: What experiences from your personal life inspired you to dedicate it to
women? (And I know it’s not just for women, but to women.)
VW: Because we hurt heavy. There’s a song I sing, ‘who knows how
she’s hurting, how she’s falling apart. Who knows the pain inside her
broken heart? Who sees behind the smile she wears . . .Jesus is the one
who knows.’ That’s about eighty percent of women because we have to
perpetrate and be something that we’re not. We hurt so bad and sometimes
we can’t even say it, so I wrote songs for those times when you can’t speak you
can always put in my CD and soothe yourself with a song.
MA: Did you write most of the songs on the album?
VW: No, but I selected every single song on the album. I’ve been
through divorce twice and sickness and I’ve been evicted, convicted you name it
I’ve been through it. I told somebody I’ve been re-possessed, possessed,
I just have them screaming on stage. But anyway, I’ve written songs that
would have healed anything I would have gone through. So obviously it can
heal someone else and it’s for men too.
MA: What was your experience that caused you the most pain that you feel
women can identify with?
VW: It probably is divorce. Even a lot of people don’t get
divorced, but the pain they go through in marriage when they can’t seem to get
healed. It is the worst pain in the world to be in a relationship--
MA: Are you currently married?
VW: Oh, yeah. I’m happy now.
MA: I’ve been to a few concerts and over the last few years you’ve just been
beaming.
VW: Yes. Because I’m very, very happy now. I’ve been married—it’ll be
three years November 24.
MA: Who is this lucky gentleman?
VW: Joe McLemore and he’s doing a duet with me on my CD. (Track #18m Disc
1).
MA: So he’s a singer?
VW: Yeah, not like me [sic professionally], but he can sing.
MA: Did you meet in the business?
VW: I met him at a Mars auction. He was buying a keyboard.
MA: Hasn’t it been about 3 years since you turned 50 and had this huge
celebration?
VW: Yep. I’ll be 53 in October.
MA: So that was a good year.
VW: Yes it was. I got married the next month after my birthday
celebration at the Bellagio in Las Vegas.
MA: Have you been celebrating ever since.
VW: Yes. I’m just so happy. . .
MA: What do you like in a man Vickie Winans?
VW: Somebody who can and will say their sorry. Most men won’t say
that because most men don’t feel they do things wrong or that they can offend
you or hurt you.
Part 2 of this interview will resume in next week’s Gospel EUR. However,
you can listen to song samples from the new project and attempt to win it at www.lagospelscene.com/w2wwinans-promo-html.
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Fantasia Frees Herself From 19 Entertainment
Excerpt from www.eurweb.com
(August 1, 2006) *As Lifetime prepares to premiere its film about
the life of
Fantasia Barrino this month, the "American Idol" champ has reportedly
made moves to cut the final string tying her to the popular Fox show by
splitting with 19 Entertainment, the management company that also owns the
program. Meanwhile "Idol" producers are already up in arms about a
suggestion in Fantasia’s movie that they wanted her off the show because her
rocky past – including a teen pregnancy – made for a poor role model.
"Certainly, under no circumstances was she ever approached to be talked
out of taking part in (the show)," "Idol" executive producer Ken
Warwick told the New York Post. "We knew she had a baby right from day
one, and she was always strongly tipped to win the competition because she was
so good. I can absolutely refute that nothing was done, or even remotely
suggested to her that she shouldn't take part in the competition. It's a
complete fabrication." According to the Post, "The Fantasia Barrino Story:
Life is Not a Fairy Tale" opens with the then 19-year-old ‘Tasia exiting
the "Idol" stage and running into producers, who confront her with
Internet postings questioning her eligibility to compete. "It's absolutely
and totally untrue," Warwick says of the scene. "I'm the executive
producer, Nigel [Lythgoe] is the other executive producer and nobody – to my
knowledge – would have said anything like that to her."
Barrino’s camp had no comment for the New York Post. But, at the Television
Critics Association Press Tour last month, she spoke briefly about being told
of the show’s Internet message board, which she said contained postings that
criticized her presence on the show. "They wouldn’t allow us to go on the
Internet," she said during the panel for her Lifetime film. "You
weren’t supposed to go on the Internet because they didn’t want you to see what
other people were saying about you. But people from home could go on the
Internet, and they would call [me] and say, ‘Listen, let me tell you what they
are saying. You know, they are saying that you are not good for kids, and
you are not a good role model, and how could you be this, and how could you be
that?’ And I could have given up then. But I said, ‘You know what? I’m going to
tough it out. I’m going to fight it to the end. I’m going to take it as
far as I can take it.’" Meanwhile, Fox411.com columnist Roger Friedman is
reporting that Fantasia is the latest "Idol" alumnae to run screaming
from 19 Entertainment, the company which produces the show and is said to force
heavy contracts on top "Idol" finalists. Former contestants
Clay Aiken, Mario Vasquez and Kelly Clarkson resorted to hiring high-powered
attorneys to get out of their ironclad contracts with 19 Entertainment. Most of
their discontent had to do with the company’s manager, Simon Fuller.
"Simon doesn’t really care," a source told Friedman Monday. "He
encourages everyone to leave as soon as they can. Because of the contract, he
still makes money from them anyway."
Fantasia, 22, did not seem angry or disgruntled under 19 Entertainment’s
guidance during last month’s TCA panel. When a reporter asked her point blank
about the pressures of being held contractually to the company, her response
was: "It’s not like that at all. Even after you win, you choose to
stay or you choose to go. And I choose to stay because they take good
care of me, and we’ve done a lot of things. If I don’t want to do
[something], I can say ‘No.’ …After you win it, it’s your train. You take
it and you ride it how you want to ride it." Friedman says Fantasia
is currently considering other offers from several new advisors after splitting
with 19. "The Fantasia Barrino Story: Life is Not a Fairy
Tale" airs in a special three-night premiere: Saturday, August 19 at 9 p.m.;
Sunday, August 20 at 8 p.m. and Monday, August 21 at 9 p.m. on Lifetime
Television. Her second album is due out on J Records in October.
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Thwarted By Stage Fright, A Resilient Emigre Is Now The Star In
A Thornhill Showroom
Excerpt from The Toronto Star - John Terauds, Classical Music Writer
(Jul. 19, 2006) No one has to tell Jeannie Kim about life's unpredictable
twists and turns. Ambition, displacement and surprise endings are common among
the thousands of immigrant tales in the cultural magnet that is Toronto. Yet
this story is uniquely her own. It's been 10 years since Kim set foot on
Canadian soil from Seoul, South Korea, brandishing a music degree and designs
on a career as a concert pianist. Today she is the No. 1 salesperson at a
Thornhill new car showroom, having put dreams of a music career aside for the
time being, and channelling her creativity into her Christian faith. The word
"plucky" was invented for people like Kim. Whenever adversity has
knocked her down, she has dusted herself off and soldiered on. It took courage
to leave her homeland and to choose a career as a classical musician, which
entails hours of hard work every day with no guarantee of a payoff. It took
even more boldness to re-evaluate her life and try something completely
different. Kim came to Toronto in 1996 with a six-month visitor's visa via
Bangalore, India, where she had spent five months teaching music at a Christian
school. "I knew the moment I arrived that this is the place I want to live,"
she says. As is the case with most recent arrivals, Kim headed straight to her
ethnic community for help. The forthright, bubbly 30-something tells of walking
into a convenience store at Bloor and Christie Sts. in Koreatown at a time when
"I had no money, no place to stay." She chatted with the store
owner's wife, who revealed that she was looking for a piano teacher for her
daughter. "I prayed that I would find a room to rent in a house that had a
piano," says Kim. That came to pass, courtesy of a Korean family in Don
Mills. Soon she was playing piano for Sunday services in a local Korean church.
Kim also auditioned for the Royal Conservatory of Music's Glenn Gould
Professional School. She was accepted and awarded a scholarship, but first she
needed to return to Seoul to apply for a student visa. The start of the school
year came, September of 1997, but the visa didn't. So Kim retrieved her
passport from the authorities, bought a plane ticket and "prayed for 10
hours" as her flight crossed the Pacific Ocean to Vancouver. In an episode
bordering on fiction, a sympathetic, music-loving immigration officer at the
Vancouver airport issued a student visa on the spot when she saw Kim's
conservatory acceptance and scholarship letters. After several years of school,
practising for eight hours a day and waitressing eight-hour shifts at a
Japanese restaurant, teaching piano to children and playing at her church, Kim
finally got her big local break with the Toronto Philharmonia. Music director
Kerry Stratton invited her to play with the orchestra in October 2004, at the
George Weston Recital Hall. "It was Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 20 in D
minor (K. 466). It's such a wonderful piece of music," says Kim
wistfully. But she was so petrified at her first rehearsal with the Philharmonia
that she couldn't come in on her first cue. She finally got through the piece
on the morning of the performance day, but her nerves were shot. Stratton
describes Kim as "very gifted" and as "a passionate music
lover," and repeats how difficult life is for anyone looking for a career
in classical music. But for Kim (and so many others), performing was all that
mattered — until nerves got the better of her.
It was time to reconsider her options. "I thought I should either become a
missionary or make money," Kim recalls. Music degrees don't count for much
in the working world, but Kim's enterprising energy triumphed over her
inexperience. She was browsing the showroom at Thornhill Hyundai for a new car.
She had spent several minutes chatting with the manager when he asked if she
might be interested in working there. "I told him I didn't know anything
about cars, or selling anything, but he said they would give me some
training," says Kim. Game for an adventure, she started at the dealership
in January 2005. In February, she sold 17 cars. "My manager says he had
never seen someone sell so many cars in their second month." Now she's the
top salesperson and has a salaried assistant. Kim shrugs and smiles. "If
you can go through piano, you can go through anything." She intends to
return to piano full-time one day, "perhaps when I'm 50 or 55." Music
is still a big part of her daily life. "I don't have a TV at home, but I
do have a new Yamaha C3 grand piano," she says, beaming. Weekdays, the
Downsview resident, soon to be a Canadian citizen, rises at 4:30 to play a 5:30
a.m. service (6:30 a.m. on Saturdays) at the 3,000-member The Light Korean
Presbyterian Church in Rexdale. On Sundays, she plays for a Meeting House
service held at Yorkdale Mall. "I have my own concert every morning,"
she says.
Gert: Members, Meet The Band
Excerpt from The Toronto Star - Michael Mckinnon, Special To
The Star
(Aug. 1, 2006) My band rocks — well, rocks the Internet anyway. We're
Gert, a six-member crew that writes
and records regularly and hopes to finish our first album by the end of the
year. The bonus? We do it all without leaving our own homes. Until last
weekend, Gert had never been in the same room together — we don't all live in
the same country, let alone the same city — and most of us hadn't even met.
Just as the Internet has made working remotely commonplace, so has it paved the
way for remote rocking, and it's proven to be a great way for a family man like
me to relive my high-school glory days. It started a year ago when Rich Brewer
from Boston, Mass., Rob Cosh from Ottawa, Des McKinney from Mississauga, Tom
Skillman from Campbell River, B.C., fellow Torontonian Paul Gosse and myself
were six lonely solo musicians "hanging out" at http://www.songfight.org,
the home of a thriving music community and free songwriting competition. Once a
week, a song title is posted there (or two, or three, or in one case, 11), and
amateur musicians have about a week to write, record and submit an mp3 version
of their song based on that title. (Recent titles have included "Stairway
to the Moon" and "Covered in Bugs." "Toronto Star" was
even a title in 2003.) The songs are posted, votes are cast and the winner
earns nothing more than a few days' bragging rights. Not a penny changes hands.
Through the site, the six of us got the idea to collaborate on a song. Online
collaborations weren't rare at Song Fight — I had already entered a couple of
fights with Skillman, the only guy I'd previously known. But Gert was a
supergroup, six musicians rocking out with thousands of kilometres between us.
The result was greater than we'd hoped; Gert has won six of the eight Song
Fights we've entered.
Like the other guys, I started in bands the traditional way. You know the deal:
a group of guys with enormous egos get together to make the kind of music they
think is going to change the world, or at least help them meet chicks. Instead
of actually writing songs, they butt heads over who sings what and who plays
which solo, and eventually break up over the much-celebrated "creative
differences." Not so with Gert. One of us records a structure, usually a
guitar track, and posts it to our website forum. The rest of us download it,
and use the forum to bat around ideas as to who wants to do what. (With six
singers, sound engineers and guitarists, and a handful of bassists, drummers
and keyboardists among us, our roles change from song to song.) And then,
unlike other bands, we're alone in our own homes to rock the mic, bang the
drums or carve out the lead guitar. Each imports that original structure into
his computer-based studio and records his part in sync; those parts are saved
as WAV files and posted to Cosh's server to be downloaded by whoever is mixing
that week. "We're the love child of a four-track recorder and the
Internet," jokes McKinney, who has variously lent his keyboard, guitar,
bass and vocal skills to Gert, and has even mixed a tune or two. "Online
collaboration like this couldn't have happened 10, or even five years ago. Gert
is a defining example of what's possible given the communications and
technology advancements of the last decade." Does online collaborating
rival the feeling of rocking out in the garage, the six of us disturbing the
neighbours? No, not even close. But with families, careers and lives, it's the
only way it could work for most of us. I don't have the luxury of blowing off
an afternoon a week to make noise with the boys, but I can find an hour here or
there on my own to make Gert work. If I want to record my guitar on Sunday at 7
a.m. while my 3-year-old watches cartoons, I can. What other rock band would allow
that kind of schedule?
Still, after more than a year of playing together online, we decided to give
the "old-fashioned way" a shot at McKinney's Mississauga home. Of
course, there was a good chance it would go horribly. Would personalities clash
when we met? Musicians can be a difficult lot — it's the egos, you know — and
having a buffer of a few thousand kilometres can be nice sometimes. "When
I play on a Gert tune, I can feel the band in the room with me, but I think
remote communication has been the key for it working for Gert," Skillman
said in the days leading up to last weekend. When we finally crammed ourselves
into McKinney's basement to see if we could actually play our songs together,
we couldn't — not at first. None of us had actually played those songs again
since recording them up to a year ago. But the riffs and rhythms came back
quickly. By Sunday afternoon we were tighter than we could have hoped, six
sweaty guys making noise the way it was supposed to be made. "This is more
fun than should be legal," McKinney said, and he was right. I felt 18
again. But even more important is that we got along. They're the best musicians
I've ever worked with, but they're more than that: guys with great senses of
humour, families and careers. We weren't strangers at all, but friends. Now
we're talking about having an annual "Gert Together." Who knows if
that will happen? One thing is for sure: next time I rock the mic in the
basement by myself, it's going to be a lot easier to picture my friends in Gert
there with me.
Gert recorded the jam, of course; mp3s can be found at http://www.gertband.com.
The Girl Just Wants To Have ... 'As Much
Sex As You Can Get'
Excerpt from The Globe and Mail -
Gayle Macdonald
(Aug. 2, 2006) "How you doing, doll?" eighties punk/pop princess Cyndi Lauper booms in her heavy New York
twang when she picks up the
phone. Clearly, at 53, the spiky-haired Lauper -- in Toronto this week to coach
the Canadian Idol contestants through some of the top songs of her
decade -- hasn't lost her sizable spunk. Asked the secret to a long life (and
career), the singer doesn't skip a beat: "Yoga, physical exercise, eating
well and sex. Lots of sex. As much sex as you can get." Last weekend,
Lauper, whose chart toppers include Girls Just Want to Have Fun and Time
After Time, bunked down at the Idol mansion, where she spent eight
hours (they toiled until 1 a.m.) working with each of the teenagers vying for
the Idol crown. The New York-bred singer said, "Each one needed a
different thing, and I talked to them together and said I can only offer you
what I know -- my style, my vocals. "I studied vocal therapy, so I showed
them that," added Lauper, who recently starred on Broadway in Bertolt
Brecht's The Threepenny Opera and is currently promoting her latest CD, The
Body Acoustic, which features nine reworked songs and three new ones.
"I also told them if they want to do a Bon Jovi song, they have to listen
to the original and study all the interpretations that came after. You always
want to hear what it was before you do your thing, so you understand what
you're singing. Then you go and do your own interpretation." Lauper, whose
clanging jewellery delayed the recording of We Are the World in January,
1985, said what impressed her most about the Idol wannabes was
"their willingness to learn. "It was very touching to see them so
young and trying so hard. This [show] is a great opportunity for them because
we no longer have a club scene. There's nowhere for emerging talent to perform
in front of people and get their skills up." Lauper, who began her career
16 years ago with a band named Blue Angel before striking out solo in 1983,
appeared live on Canadian Idol last night, employing her considerable
lungs to belt out a solo called Shine from her latest album, as well as
her classic Time After Time. In her heyday, Lauper -- like Madonna --
was a female pop icon. In the ensuing years, her star power has been hugely
eclipsed by Madonna's, but Lauper bears her no ill will. "I think
Madonna's fantastic," she says. "I love the artwork on her [videos
and concerts]. I love the fact that she works two hours [a day] just on her
body. She's a dancer and a singer. And a dancer has to be strong. "I think
Madonna has a lot of sex too," says Lauper, cracking up.
No Shortcuts, Lauper Tells Idols
Excerpt from The Toronto Star - Jen Gerson, Entertainment Reporter
(Aug. 1, 2006) She was the '80s poster girl for mainstreamed punk to pop
and tonight on CTV Cyndi Lauper will teach the eight remaining Canadian Idol contestants
how to party like it's 1984. The wild-eyed icon known for her fashion sense —
considered edgy and outlandish even in the '80s — and superpop singles
("Girls Just Want To Have Fun" and "Time After Time")
spared a chunk of her schedule while in Toronto to explain what it feels like
to mentor wannabes who probably weren't alive when she peaked.
Q. Dude, why are you on Canadian Idol?
A. Cause, well, I don't know. It was suggested, and I thought, well, one of the
really frustrating things watching the show was that nobody really tells the
kids, like `Okay, you want to do this? Adjust that. Did you ever see this? Look
at that. Study this' and you know? Of course, I'm radical. They have a bit of a
radical person telling them what to do. I thought I could really help them in
doing something, as opposed to kind of help and not help. You know?
Q. What sage words of Idoldom do you have to impart to these kids?
A. That there's many chapters in your life and this is just one of them, and
this is on your way. A lot of times if you visualize a door and you're in a
line to get through. You have just got to stay on that line because,
eventually, it's going to be your turn to walk through. And you have to think
like that. So if somebody tells you `No you can't,' that's just that person.
You're still in line. You just go around them, find a way around. That's what
you always have to do. Find a way around to get to where you gotta go. And
learn as much as you can.
Q. Have you seen the (contestants)? Have you talked to them so far yet?
A. I worked with them relentlessly on Saturday. On Saturday I worked with them
from 3 (p.m.) to 1 a.m. I can't even remember.
Q. And do any of these kids have any hope?
A. They all have talent. They're young. The problem a lot of the time is that
when we were coming up we had clubs to work in and those are the things that
make music scenes come alive. There's no replacement for experience onstage.
None. But if somebody with experience onstage can show you how to overcome the
things that you need to overcome, well that's a few short steps. And I think
all these kids have something. It depends, they're all young, on how they're
going to approach it. I showed them as many things as I could show them. I
didn't have days with them, I had maybe an hour with each one.
And there were eight of them.
Q. Some of these kids weren't even, or were just being born, when you were
huge. Did they all recognize the greatness that is Cyndi Lauper?
A. That's weird. That's weird to say. They knew my work, but I wouldn't want
them to think like that when I was trying to tell them something because then
that would be too intimidating for them.
Q. What kind of things did you work on, specifically, with them?
A. Everyone had a different thing. Mostly to put their voice into their body.
To use their body and their voice together, because with the use of your body,
your voice becomes more powerful.
Q. What do you think about the Canadian Idol, or the American Idol
phenomena versus the old-fashioned way of getting noticed?
A. There're no shortcuts, but right now, the way the industry is, it's the
venue that they have. So that's what they're using.... Also, (this show offers)
familiar melodies. In times like these, in troubled times, people want to hear
familiar melodies and comforting things.
Q. Do you think it's producing the same authenticity in talent?
A. Essentially yeah. I mean, a singer's a singer and you either give it all or
you don't.... You see, here's the thing, everybody's got a different story to
tell. You can't forget the individual and you can't forget the fact that each
individual, all of us, has our own perception, because we know our own story.
If you don't tell your story, then your story's going to be lost to the world
forever, because each person is an individual, so imagine all those stories to
tell. That's why, when a singer sings a song, whether they wrote it or not,
they have to be very specific in what story they're telling and lose themselves
to find themselves in that moment, and speak their truth. And that's what makes
a great singer and storyteller.
Q. I think those are all my questions, unless you have anything you'd like
to add.
A. Uh, gosh, no. I hope I didn't get too deep on any of these things for you.
1980s Pop Princess Cyndi Lauper Dispenses Advice To Canadian
Idols
Source: Canadian Press - By Brett Popplewell
(July 31, 2006) TORONTO (CP) - Cyndi Lauper was in town to give
advice to the Canadian Idols over the weekend, but the '80s diva says she
probably wouldn't have done well on the show. "I don't know if
someone was a radical, how (the audience and judges) would feel. I probably
would have done terrible," she said. Lauper, 53, was staying at the
Idol mansion to workshop with the contestants as they prepare for '80s themed
episodes to air Monday and Tuesday nights. "I can only tell them
things that I know, show them how I do it, and that's all I can do," said
a dyed-blond Lauper in her thick New York accent. Lauper is just the
latest singer to dispense tips to the Idols; they have already worked with
Nelly Furtado and are also set to perform for former Styx singer Dennis DeYoung
and country star Martina McBride. But while Lauper says she'll show the
contestants her way of doing things, she's not sure how her style will resonate
with the Idol audience. "I don't know that my personal vision is
what they need to achieve, because each one of them is different, and my ideas
are radical. I don't do conservative stuff, and their challenge is that some of
it has to be conservative because they're going right down the
mainstream," she said. Lauper shot to fame in the early '80s as pop
music's punk-inspired rebel princess with hits like Girls Just Want to Have Fun
and Time After Time.
Last fall, she released The Body Acoustic, which included unplugged versions of
her hits as well as a few new tunes. Some of the contestants are younger
than Lauper's best-known songs, but she says that makes her feel more flattered
than old. And although it's been a couple of decades since she was riding high
on the pop charts, she says time hasn't taken the wind out of her pipes.
"I never thought this, but as you get older you have much more
energy." Lauper said she appreciates shows like Canadian Idol
because they help train wannabe musicians. "I think nowadays, with
the state of the industry...I think this show is one of the few places that
young performers can actually get a kick-start," she said. The
singer will be staying with the Idols in the basement of the mansion until
Tuesday when she will perform a number on the show. But don't expect her to
lose sleep over any possible remarks from the Idol judges. "Judges
be damned. You know what, everybody's going to judge you. And some people hate
you and some people love you, and it doesn't matter," she said.
Tupac Shakur Legacy: An Interactive Biography
Source: Versa Manos / Gorgeous PR / versa@gorgeouspr.com
/ www.Gorgeouspr.com
(August 1, 2006) Tupac
Shakur Legacy is
far more than just a book. As
a unique and special tribute to the memory of Tupac’s irreplaceable genius,
becker & mayar and Atria Books have put together a hands-on, interactive,
portable museum that’s not just a portrait of the artist, but a knowing,
revealing glimpse into the world – and mind – of one of hip-hop’s most revered
poets. Jamal Joseph, the author of the book, worked closely with Shakur’s aunt,
Gloria Cox, and Molly Monjauze, one of Tupac’s best friends and trusted
confident of the Shakur family, are to reveal a personal side to Tupac that’s
rarely been seen by the public. Both Cox and Monjauze are story consultants on
the book and worked for years to gather Tupac’s never before seen personal
articles for inclusion in the book. "My sister, Afeni Shakur and I feel
it’s time to share his personal memorabilia with his ardent fans who are so
devoted and are constantly seeking a deeper connection to him. This book gives
them a glimpse into Tupac’s life through his eyes, in a different more special
way," says Tupac’s aunt and Afeni Shakur’s sister, Gloria Cox. Using
recovered and removable exact replicas of documents, including everything from
a 1984 playbill for a Harlem festival featuring a very young Shakur to the
infamous handwritten contract with Death Row Records, TUPAC SHAKUR LEGACY
stands alone in revealing the superstar as he saw himself: both supremely
confident and supremely vulnerable.
Far from superfluous, the documents (and the audio CD that also accompanies the
book) serve as reminders that before he was known as an amazing artist, Tupac
was already an extraordinary person. In stories only known to his closest
friends and family, TUPAC SHAKUR LEGACY covers everything, from his early
childhood in Harlem, to his quick rise to stardom, through his incarceration
and subsequent release, to his last, triumphant years in the eyes of his
adoring public,. In this unusual scrapbook, TUPAC SHAKUR LEGACY tells of a
singular life, one full of grittiness and heart – and one imbued, at its core,
in honesty and passion.
About the Author: Jamal Joseph is a writer, director, producer, poet,
activist and educator who credits his time spent in prison as the inspiration
that forged his creativity. Jamal earned two college degrees, wrote five plays
and two volumes of poetry while incarcerated. He is currently an associate
professor at Columbia University’s Graduate Film Division and the artistic
director of the New Heritage Theater in Harlem. Jamal Joseph was also the
youngest Black Panther whom Afeni Shakur met when he was only 15 years old when
she was the section leader in the Bronx. Atria Books; Hardcover, 50 b&w
illus; 50 color illus; 20 removable features; 60-min. audio CD; $45.00;
0-7432-9260-X; August 29, 2006
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Meat Loaf Goes Back To Hell
Excerpt from The Toronto Star - Tim
Mckeough, Special To The Star
(Aug. 2, 2006) NEW YORK—Operatic ballad king Meat
Loaf, with a freshly
mended relationship with long-time collaborator Jim Steinman, is set to
complete an unlikely rock trilogy this Halloween with the release of Bat Out
of Hell III: The Monster is Loose. "The whole album is very,
very intense. Very edgy," warned Meat Loaf from a gnarled gothic throne,
taking a moment out from an album preview party in Manhattan to talk about his
upcoming release. "Even the ballads are edgy. Everything is
edgy." While the singer has released other albums over the years,
none have achieved the same success as Bat Out of Hell, released in
1977, and Bat Out of Hell II: Back Into Hell, released in 1993, which
sold a combined 45 million copies worldwide. Steinman wrote the songs on both
those records and produced the second one. Until this week, the pair had been
wrangling over trademark rights for the franchise's title. "I was
never going to take it to an all-out war, because I have too much respect and
he's been my friend too long," said Meat Loaf, now 58 (birth name: Marvin
Lee Aday). "Even though we've gone years without communicating, we just
know each other so well ... because we've touched each other: he's written for
me and I've sung his songs. His mother once said to me, `You know him better
than anyone else in the world. You know him better than I do.' That pretty much
summed it up for me." The third Bat album includes seven
songs written by Steinman, but it was produced by freelance hit-maker Desmond
Child, who has worked with the likes of Bon Jovi and Aerosmith. For the album's
title track, "The Monster is Loose," Child recruited Nikki Sixx of
Mötley Crüe and John 5 of Marilyn Manson. Other guests on the album include
Steve Vai and Brian May of Queen.
Almost 30 years after the release of the original Bat Out of Hell
record, listeners are sure to notice that Meat Loaf's latest effort is
significantly heavier than anything he has done before. "The first
thing that Desmond played to the band, before we cut any tracks, was
Slipknot," said Meat Loaf. "I started listening to it, going `Well
how in the hell can this relate to Bat Out of Hell?'" The
answer becomes clear on the album's title track, which has the sound of
diamond-hard rock (the song is on Meat Loaf's MySpace page http://www.myspace.com/meatloaf).
Even the singer was taken aback when he first heard the song's chugging guitar
tracks. "John 5 scared the hell out of me," he said. "Then all I
could say later on was `Can we get those guitars louder please?'"
Child said he jumped at the chance to produce the album. "When I heard
that Jim Steinman wasn't going to be making Bat III, I got on the horn
and I started networking," he said. "I called up Allen Kovac, Meat's
manager, and said `This is the record I should be making. I've waited my whole
life to make this record.'" Sixx, who had worked on three songs for
the second Bat album, was also happy to be back. "It was great
working with Desmond and then we brought in John 5 and it was really
interesting, the three different songwriting styles," he said. "To me
it was awesome. Meat Loaf wanted to push his own envelope." Yet for
all the unapologetically heavy tunes, the album also has more of the
heart-wrenching ballads Meat Loaf is famous for. The most peculiar one is a
cover of "It's All Coming Back to Me Now," the Steinman song first
propelled up the charts by none other than Céline Dion. Meat Loaf's is a more
strenuous version, sung as a duet with Marion Raven, a 22-year-old Norwegian
rocker, and it's been handpicked as the album's first hopeful hit (the video
premiered Monday).
For the album preview party, an old church turned nightclub had been done up
with towering candelabras, while an animated trailer for the third Bat album,
with a furry winged demon, a bikini-clad woman with angel's wings and a shirtless
stud on a flaming motorcycle, played onscreen (the trailer can be seen on Meat
Loaf's MySpace page). The lack of air conditioning under the club's
gothic arches on one of the hottest evenings of summer added to the feeling of
hell. However, considering Meat Loaf's appearance on the American Idol finale
last May, as well as this new Dion connection, one wonders if he takes his
underworld image with a grain of salt. "I do not take this stuff
seriously," he said after parodying the baritone voiceover from his
album's trailer. "I mean, it's a cartoon. It's a frickin' cartoon what
they did out there. I take my work very seriously. I'm serious when I'm doing
it, but I never consider myself a necessity." Speaking about the
album's last track, Meat Loaf hinted that this may be the final instalment in
the Bat Out of Hell series. "The last song on the record,
called `Cry to Heaven,' is the humour to wrap it all up," he said. "I
hear the song and I laugh out loud every time. It's `Cry, baby, cry. Cry, cry
to heaven, and if that doesn't do it for you, go ahead and cry like
hell.' "I think that's a really great summation to all three Bat records:
if that doesn't do it for you, go ahead and cry like hell."
MUSIC TIDBITS
Nelly Furtado up for MTV Video Music Award
Excerpt from The Globe and Mail
(Aug. 1, 06) New York -- Canada's Nelly
Furtado continues down the
comeback trail, grabbing at MTV Video Music Award nomination for her hit song, Promiscuous,
the U.S. music channel announced yesterday. The singer will compete against
Madonna (Hung Up), Kelly Clarkson (Because of You), Christina
Aguilera (Ain't No Other Man) and Shakira (Hips Don't Lie) in the
best female video category. Shakira and rockers Red Hot Chili Peppers (for Dani
California) are front and centre in this year's nominations, earning seven
nods each. Both will compete for video of the year along with Aguilera,
Madonna, and Panic! At the Disco (I Write Sins Not Tragedies). Madonna
is up for another three awards, including best dance video and best pop video.
Aguilera is also nominated for best pop video and best choreography in a video.
Among other nominees, Nick Lachey's What's Left of Me, which recreates
his break-up with Jessica Simpson, will vie for best male video with James
Blunt (You're Beautiful), Kanye West (Gold Digger), T.I. (What
You Know) and Busta Rhymes (for his remix of Touch It, featuring
Mary J. Blige and Missy Elliott). The 2006 MTV Video Music Awards take place
Aug. 31 in New York. In Canada, the show will be shown live on CTV. AP
Tribe Called Quest Reunites For Tour
Excerpt from www.eurweb.com
(July 31, 2006) *We have the video game NBA 2K7 to thank for reuniting Q-Tip, Phife Dawg and Ali Shaheed Muhammad to
perform together
for the first time in eight years. The three members of historic rap group A
Tribe Called Quest are back together again to headline the upcoming 2K Sports
Bounce Tour, which will make 14 stops across the country in promotion of
"NBA 2K7." (See itinerary below.)According to MTV.com, Phife’s
obsession with video games helped to seal the deal. He’ll also appear as a
playable character in NBA 2K7, along with Flavor Flav, Common, the Roots'
?uestlove and other hip hop artists. Tribe will also appear on the game’s
soundtrack. Hip-hop producer Dan the Automator remixed the group’s "Lyrics
to Go" from their 1993 album, “Midnight Marauders” for the CD, due in
mid-September." NBA 2K7" will also be released this fall for Xbox
360, Xbox and PlayStation 2. A PS3 version is also in development. Here is the
2K Sports Bounce Tour itinerary:
9/8 - Las Vegas, NV @ Red Rock
9/9 - Berkeley, CA @ Berkeley Community Theatre
9/10 - Los Angeles, CA @ The Wiltern LG
9/13 - Denver, CO @ Fillmore Auditorium
9/15 - Chicago, IL @ Congress Theatre
9/16 - Milwaukee, WI @ The Rave/ Eagles Club
9/17 - Toronto, ON @ Kool Haus
9/20 - Baltimore, MD @ Rams Head Live
9/22 - Washington, DC @ Love the Club
9/23 - Atlanta, GA @ Tabernacle
9/24 - Lake Buena Vista, FL @ House of Blues
9/28 - Atlantic City, NJ @ House of Blues
9/29 - Worcester, MA @ The Palladium
10/1 - Sayreville, NJ @ The Starland Ballroom
Pianist Peterson Complains Of Racist Abuse
Source: Canadian Press
(July 31, 2006) Legendary Canadian jazz pianist Oscar
Peterson says
he is being subjected to racial taunts and slurs at his Mississauga home.
"A bunch of idiots have been driving by in a car yelling obscenities at
me," Peterson told CTV New on Sunday. The 81-year-old said he is
disheartened and stunned that the insults include racial remarks.
Peterson said his attempt to live a quiet and peaceful life in suburban
Mississauga has been invaded. "If they want to start that kind of
racial war, I'm ready for it. I've had enough of that," he told CTV.
"I'm really mad now. I didn't come home to be subjected to
this." Peterson, who was born in Montreal, said he endured racial
harassment much earlier in his life, but never expected the racist episodes to happen
at his home in a tolerant country like Canada. Peterson said he has
notified politicians and local police of the young men, but investigators do
not have a licence plate number from the blue Toyota Corolla to go on.
Widely considered as one of the great jazz pianists of all time, Peterson has
been honoured with a Grammy Lifetime Achievement award, an International Jazz
Hall of Fame Award and entry into several halls of fame. In addition to
being put on a stamp, Canada made him a companion of the Order of Canada, the
country's highest civilian achievement.
Red Hot Chili Peppers, Shakira lead MTV Video Music Awards
Nominations
Source: Canadian Press
(July 31, 2006) NEW YORK (AP) - The Red Hot Chili Peppers and Shakira are front
and centre at this year's MTV Video Music Awards. The rock band and the pop superstar got seven nominations
each for the videos
Dani California and Hips Don't Lie, respectively, MTV announced Monday. Both
will compete for video of the year along with Christina Aguilera (Ain't No
Other Man), Madonna (Hung Up) and Panic! At The Disco (I Write Sins Not
Tragedies). Madonna, Shakira and Aguilera are also nominated for best
female video with Kelly Clarkson (Because of You) and Canadian diva Nelly Furtado
(Promiscuous). Her Madgesty is up for another three awards, including
best dance video and best pop video. Aguilera, now in a '40s glamour-puss
phase, is also nominated for best pop video and best choreography in a
video. Nick Lachey's What's Left of Me, which recreates his break-up with
Jessica Simpson, will vie for best male video with James Blunt (You're
Beautiful), Kanye West (Gold Digger), T.I. (What You Know) and Busta Rhymes
(for his remix of Touch It, featuring Mary J. Blige and Missy Elliot).
The bands for best group video include the Chili Peppers, Fall Out Boy (Dance,
Dance) and Gnarls Barkley (Crazy). Performers were to be Beyonce Knowles,
Justin Timberlake, Panic! At The Disco, The Killers and rappers T.I. and
Ludacris. The Raconteurs, fronted by the White Stripes' Jack White, will
provide the show's "soundtrack," MTV said. More performers and
presenters were to be announced later. The 2006 MTV Video Music Awards
will take place on Aug. 31 at Radio City Music Hall in New York. In Canada,
they'll be shown live on CTV (8 p.m. ET, check local listings). Viewers
can watch videos and vote on the awards' general categories, such as best male
video and best hip hop video, through Aug. 20 by visiting MTV Overdrive, an
internet channel launched last year, at the website www.vma.mtv.com. Voting for
the viewer's choice award runs Aug. 7 through Aug. 31.
Ludacris Decides To Throw Them ‘Rows
Excerpt from www.eurweb.com
(August 2, 2006) *Ludacris showed up at a concert in Seattle with a shorn
head. His trademark cornrows – or Ben Wallace afro when they’ve been taken out
– was completely gone and replaced by a closely-cropped fro that faded
ever-so-subtly on the sides. The rapper says his decision to
get rid of the extra hair is rooted in an overall shift in direction marked by
his upcoming album. “‘Release Therapy’ marks a new phase in my
life," the Atlanta rapper said in a statement. "I'm very excited to
move forward and try new things. Life is all about change and this album will
hopefully reflect some of my growth as an artist and a person. With that said,
it only makes sense that I 'shake things up' and try something different. Who
knows what I'll come up with next?" Luda and his new
hair will also appear in the music video for “Money Maker,” which will premiere
this fall on MTV as the first single from “Release Therapy,” due Sept. 26.
Prince's Wife Files For Divorce
Source: Associated Press
(July 28, 2006) MINNEAPOLIS — Prince's second wife, Manuela
Testolini Nelson, has filed for divorce from
the pop superstar, his lawyer has confirmed. Patrick Cousins, Prince's
general counsel, said Wednesday the case was pending. He had no further
comment. Edward Winer, lawyer for Nelson, issued a statement Thursday
saying it was a difficult decision for his client to seek the divorce and that
she hoped for a "co-operative resolution" and a quick end to the
case. The Star Tribune reported on its web editions Wednesday that the
case was filed May 24. A court administrator told the AP the case was sealed on
July 11. Prince, 48, has rarely spoken publicly about his marriage to
Nelson, who was born and raised in Toronto. The couple lived part-time
there. Prince married dancer Mayte Garcia in 1996; that union ended in
1998. The singer was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in
2004. He recently closed his NPG Music Club website, surprising many fans.
Gnarls Barkley Mashes Up Biggie
Excerpt from www.eurweb.com
(July 28, 2006) *A group calling itself Sound
Advice has come forward
with a new mash-up album that blends the tracks of Gnarls
Barkley with the vocals of late rapper Notorious B.I.G. The result? An
11-track album entitled “The Gnotorious Gnarls Barkley.” With such songs as
“The Last Nasty Boy,” “Smiley Faces Hypnotize” and “Who’s Dead Wrong,” the
collection – already an Internet hit – has been repeatedly taken down from
MySpace.com for the past several weeks due to copyright violations. However,
Sound Advice – K. Ross and Elsewhere – have made the tracks available on their
Web site www.gnotorious.com.
“It all kind of started off as a joke,” Elsewhere tells Vibe.com.
“We did a couple tracks and they sounded kind of hot, so we ran with it.”
Gnarls Barkley member Danger Mouse is certainly no stranger to the mash-up
phenomenon, as his infamous 2004 “Grey Album” mashed lyrics from Jay-Z’s “Black
Album” and tracks from the Beatles’ “White Album.” The CD ran into several
cease and desist orders from the Fab Four camp because Danger Mouse never
sought their permission to use the music. “The cat that
obviously made his name off of it, we’re kind of getting him back in a funny
way,” Elsewhere tells Vibe.com of Danger Mouse, who formed Gnarls Barkley with
former Goodie Mob member Cee-Lo. “Hopefully, if by some chance he did hear it,
I think he would get a kick out of it.”
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Nate Davis Named President/CEO Of XM Satellite
Excerpt from www.eurweb.com
(July 28, 2006) *XM Satellite Radio has announced the appointment of Nate
Davis to the newly created position of President
and Chief
Operating Officer. The seasoned telecommunications executive, having
served in senior management roles at XO Communications, Nextel and MCI, takes
over a company that has just seen its subscriber base reach seven
million. . "I am passionate about XM and the wonderful
content it delivers to its subscribers. I look forward to working even more
closely with Hugh and the dynamic management team that created this
industry," Davis said in a statement. "While there are near term
operational challenges to work through, the growth opportunities in front of us
are tremendous." At Nextel Communications, Davis was the
Executive Vice President of all technical operations which included
engineering, operations, procurement, and IT. Davis also served as CFO of MCI
Telecommunications, President and COO of MCImetro, and in a host of roles at
MCI and AT&T earlier in his career. He most recently served as Executive In
Residence at the venture capital firm Columbia Capital. The
announcement of XM’s seven million subscribers keeps the company as America’s
number one satellite radio service. Broadcasting live daily from studios in Washington,
D.C., New York City, the Country Music Hall of Fame in Nashville, Toronto and
Montreal, XM's 2006 line-up includes more than 170 digital channels of music,
sports, talk, comedy, children's and entertainment programming; as well as
local traffic and weather information.
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Punker Joan Jett Reintroduces Herself
With New Album, Sinner
Source: Canadian Press
(July 31, 2006) NEW YORK (AP) - Joan
Jett may be 45 now, but that
doesn't mean she's outgrown punk. "I never subscribed to the idea
that punk rock means you have to play fast and scream," Jett told Newsday
in Sunday's editions. "To me, it means being a rebel, being an underdog,
being outside and doing it yourself." With a new album, Sinner,
released on her own Blackheart Records label, Jett is reintroducing herself to
a generation that probably knows her only as that lady who sang I Love Rock 'n'
Roll in the early '80s. After appearing on the Warped Tour, Jett plans to
embark on her own headlining tour in October with the Eagles of Death Metal
tentatively slotted as support act. Jett, one of the few active,
well-known female rock artists around, is frustrated by the putdowns she hears
other female acts get. "People will really cut down women - really
get nasty - for no reason at all, just because you're trying to play
music," explained Jett. "Most women choose not to go that route,
because that's not the kind of life they want, sparring with people for the
rest of their lives. But this is all that I've ever done. And it's my job now
to be the warrior, and to fight."
40
Years In The Making
Excerpt from The Toronto Star - Ben Rayner, Pop Music Critic
(July 30, 2006) Back in the late '60s, Jay Douglas, Noel Ellis, Terry Lewis,
Everton "Pablo" Paul and the other musicians who brought the musical
culture of sun-drenched Montego Bay to the wintry streets of Toronto were
largely a live phenomenon, filling Yorkville and Yonge St. clubs with their
transplanted vibe. Commercially, the impact was negligible. More than three
decades later, those same musicians appear to have a hit on their hands. The
compilation CD Jamaica to Toronto: Soul,
Funk & Reggae, boosted no doubt by
interest in a reunion concert performed earlier this month at Harbourfront
Centre, leapt 79 rungs on the Toronto chart to land just ahead of summer-long
mainstays Gnarls Barkley and the Dixie Chicks.
McCartney
Releasing Classical Album In English And Latin
Source: Associated Press
(July 31, 2006) NEW YORK — Paul McCartney has made his share of
classic music: Now the ex-Beatle is releasing a classical album. Ecce Cor
Meum, which means “Behold My Heart,” is a choral and orchestral work in
both English and Latin, due out this fall. Britain's Magdalen College Oxford
commissioned McCartney to create the music more than eight years ago in
celebration of a new concert hall. Though McCartney has released three other
classically oriented albums, he acknowledged that writing Ecce Cor Meum
was a difficult task that took revisions and public performances before he
finally got it right. “Eventually I made it all come together through
correcting some misapprehensions,” McCartney said in a statement released to
The Associated Press on Monday. “If it had been a Beatles song I would have
known how to do it. But this was a completely different ball game.”
Copyright
and Kazaa
Excerpt from The Globe and Mail
(July 31, 2006) It may be difficult to fight copyright violations on the
Internet, the Wild West of global communications, but it's not impossible.
Witness the harpooning last week of Kazaa, a major player in the production and distribution of software
that has enabled millions of users to swap copyrighted material without paying
a cent. Sharman Networks Ltd., the Australian-based company that owns Kazaa,
was brought to ground by the international and U.S. recording industries. It
agreed to pay at least $115-million (U.S.) in penalties, to stop supporting the
existing version of Kazaa and to build copyright protections into the new
version. This won't magically check the global tsunami of illegal
swapping. The Recording Industry Association of America estimates the
international pro-copyright effort has reduced high-volume dissemination by 70
per cent, but given the delight of hackers in finding new ways to stick it to
the big corporations, realism must temper optimism. Still, last week's
settlement upholds the proposition that those who own the copyright on a piece
of intellectual property have every right to shut down those who don't.
Copyright protects the creator and those to whom he assigns his rights. It
assures them, in exchange for making a creation public, that they alone may
legally reap the commercial benefits for a set period. Kazaa and others
transformed a long-standing practice -- friends trading mix tapes with each
other to share their favourite songs -- into a faceless, limitless
dissemination of popular tunes with far more potential to cut into legitimate
sales. And along with the companies that fed the global file-sharing --
Napster, Grokster and others that, like Kazaa, have since been brought to heel
-- came a multitude of defences from file-sharing supporters: It doesn't really
hurt sales, it's not like stealing something concrete, it introduces people to
music they might buy, it forced companies to sell songs themselves over the
Internet. But the response remains the same: Whatever the mix of benefit and
injury, if copyright is to mean anything, it should be enforceable on the
copyright holder's terms. It's good to see another Wild West renegade
acknowledge that.
Coko
Set For First Gospel Release
Excerpt from www.eurweb.com
(July 31, 2006) At the Urban Network Summit earlier this year, fans of
Cheryl “Coko” Clemmons
clapped and chanted continuously as she left the stage. They were salivating
for more of her scrumptious vocals after she sang “Midnight,” the Brent Jones
and the T.P. Mobb song her unique voice helped turn into a hit. The
former lead singer of nineties sensations Sisters With Voices (SWV) was there
to pre-publicize her breakout as a gospel artist and could only reply to her
adoring fans with a smile and wave because she didn’t have any other gospel
songs to perform. That will all change for the Light Records/Artemis gospel
artist on October 3 with the release of her first solo gospel project, “Clap
Your Hands.” Old fans will remember the singer's days as a member
of Pastor Hezekiah Walker's and LFC. However, having a career as a secular
artist preceded her, Coko insists that she is no prodigal daughter: “This was
always gonna happen. I’m just a church girl that started singing R&
B. That’s just who I am and . . .” The timing could not have been better
when Artemis A&R rep James Robinson approached her about doing the album
Coko says because she’d been wanting to do a gospel record. With a staggering
all-star team of producers (Warryn "Baby Dubb" Campbell, Rodney
Jerkins, and J. Moss & PAJAM), delivering all new music "Clap Your
Hands" is expected to receive thunderous applause. When people
didn’t see her on stage or in videos with SWV or working solo, she was praising
God with regular church attendance at the Lord’s Church in her native Bronx, NY
(Bishop Eric McDaniels pastor). Since the group called it quits Coko
became a full time mom to her two children (ages 10 and 2) and a wife. She
regrets not being there for her son, the oldest when SWV was in its prime and
is now an active school parent who supports the PTA and basketball team.
(BUT, she will be on board with Lee Lee and Taj when SWV does their
reunion tour this year.) As for her past R&B fans she wants them to know,
“just because it’s not R&B doesn’t mean they can’t buy it. I just want them
to know how good God’s been to me. . .and that God is there for you when no one
is there and He’ll never let you down. There are a lot of people who need
to know that and don’t know it.”
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Al
Green Reviewed Live In Stockton
Excerpt from www.eurweb.com
(July 31, 2006) Al Green makes you believe in a higher power! That
would help explain how the soul legend and ordained minister still can evoke an
ecstatic response from an audience after nearly 50 years in the music
business. During his hour long set Monday night at the Bob Hope
Theatre, Green, 60, elevated more than 1,500 fans through his energetic stage
show and passion-filled falsetto. When Green, dressed in a black tuxedo, went
down on one knee to draw out a high-pitched note on “Everything’s Gonna Be
Alright,” the only proper response was “Amen!” The crowd cheered and yelled
encouragement, as if Green was a Baptist preacher who had hit the high point of
his sermon. Green’s set ranged from gospel songs to the secular hits that made
him a star in the 1970s. Backed by an 11-piece band that was tight but not
overpowering, Green sang such classics as “Let’s Stay Together” and “Tired of
Being Alone” while also leading the audience through a sing-along of “Amazing
Grace.” The reverend also gave fans a musical education. “I’d like to do a few
songs showing where our music comes from,” Green said before breaking into a
medley that included “My Girl,” “(Sittin’ on) the Dock of the Bay” and
“Wonderful World.” The medley showed why Green is a soul legend, as his
versions were on par with the originals. When he wasn’t singing, Green was
bantering with the crowd. “You drove one of your cars. You put on one of your
suits. You took some of your money (to come to the concert),” he said at one
point. “What I’m saying is, God blessed Stockton tonight.” “Another thing I
love about Stockton, you can come and see a show and nobody gets high,” Green
said later. “All that stuff I used to do, put that stuff away.” Green stepped
off stage while singing “For the Good Times,” shaking hands and accepting hugs
from fans as he walked down the Hope’s aisles. Theatre spotlights shone on the
crowd during much of the show, giving the impression that they were part of the
performance. Green’s fellow Rock and Roll Hall of Fame member Booker T. Jones
and his band opened the evening with an hour-long set that featured extensive
jams through such hits as “Green Onions.” Some of the allure of Jones’ show,
however, was lost in the vastness of the 2,000-seat Hope. His jazz-influenced
sound makes him the ideal musician to see in a smaller venue with a cold drink
in your hand. ( By Ian Hill Stockton Record Staff Writer )
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LAPD
Reopen Case Of Biggie's Slaying
Excerpt from The Toronto Star
(July 31, 2006) LOS ANGELES (AP) — Six veteran homicide detectives are
leading a new police task force investigating the unsolved 1997 killing of
rapper Notorious B.I.G. The new probe comes in the face of a wrongful death lawsuit
filed by the rapper's mother, Voletta Wallace, and other relatives, who claim
rogue police officers were involved in the killing, the Los Angeles Times
reported Monday. The lawsuit filed by the Wallace family ended in a mistrial
last year when it was discovered that a police detective intentionally hid
statements by a jailhouse informant linking the killing to two former officers.
A judge ordered the city to pay $1.1 million US in legal fees and other
expenses to the rapper's family. A new trial was set for early next year. There
was no new evidence that prompted the formation of the task force. But evidence
discovered by the task force could help the city in its argument against the
family's claims. B.I.G., born Christopher Wallace, was 24 when he was gunned
down March 9, 1997, while leaving a party at a Los Angeles museum. The New York
rapper, also known as Biggie Smalls, was one of the most influential hip-hop artists
of the 1990s. The investigative team is exploring the theory that Wallace was
killed by a member of the Southside Crips gang as part of a hip-hop feud that
that involved the slaying of rapper Tupac Shakur in Las Vegas six months
earlier. The investigators also are pursuing allegations that Wallace was
killed by a Blood gang member hired by Marion (Suge) Knight, the owner of
Shakur's record label. Knight has denied any involvement in the killing.
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Janet
Jackson Changes Title Of New Album
Source: Capitol/Virgin Music Canada
(Aug. 1, 2006) Janet Jackson has decided to change the title of her
upcoming album from "20 Years Old" to "20 Y.O." at the suggestion of fans participating in an album cover design
contest the R&B superstar is holding on Yahoo! Music. On July 17th, Janet —
in conjunction with Yahoo! — launched * "Design Me" (http://designme.janetjackson.com) in which fans were able to download and "remix" images
of the singer to come up with their own album covers. Four winners are to have
their designs grace the first one million copies of Janet’s new album. When several
fans submitted designs with covers that read "20 Y.O." instead of
"20 Years Old", Janet liked it so much, she decided to officially
change the album’s title. The CD hits stores on September 26th. The design
competition has stirred up anticipation for the music icon’s new album, which
executive producer Jermaine Dupri promises will "blow a new generation of
minds" as it marks the anniversary of Janet’s career-making 1986 album, Control.
Janet has re-teamed with her original collaborators, legendary hit-makers Jimmy
"Jam" Harris and Terry Lewis, and Grammy-Award winner Dupri to create
a dynamic production trio. "20 Y.O." has been described as a
celebration of what was going on musically back in the day when Control
was released. The first single from 20 Y.O. is the breezy,
laid-back "Call Me," featuring St. Louis hip-hop star Nelly, which
hit radio on June 19th and has already cracked the Top 40 pop chart and is a
Top 15 track at urban radio in America. The video for "Call
Me" was shot by noted director Hype Williams.
(* the 'Design Me' contest is only open to residents of the United States.)
Is
'The Game' Over At Interscope?
Excerpt from www.eurweb.com
(August 1, 2006) *According to reports, rapper the Game has left Dr. Dre’s
Aftermath/Interscope label and signed with Geffen/Interscope Records in a deal
that would involve the release of his next five solo albums and the
distribution of his imprint, Black Wall Street. As previously reported, the
Compton rapper was itching to get off of 50 Cent’s G-Unit label under
Aftermath/Interscope after the two had a nasty falling out. SOHH.com reported
last week that Aftermath founder Dr. Dre and Interscope exec Jimmy Iovine
advised Game to sign the five-album deal with Geffen in exchange for the Black
Wall Street distribution deal, as well as the release of his upcoming album,
"The Doctor’s Advocate," on Geffen instead of G-Unit. Game is
expected to continue working with Dre on "The Doctor’s Advocate,"
which was originally due in June but has since been pushed back. Other
producers on the album include Kanye West, Scott Storch, Cool & Dre,
Timbaland and Just Blaze.
Ruben
Studdard Ready To Drop Second Album
Excerpt from www.eurweb.com
(August 1, 2006) *"American Idol" winner Ruben Studdard wanted to
address his fans right off the bat through the title of his forthcoming
sophomore album, "The Return." "I've had people ask me
where I've been in the past few years so I thought calling it ‘The Return’ made
sense," Studdard said of his sophomore J Records set, due Sept. 26.
"I'm letting all the people who've followed me from ‘American Idol’ until
now know that basically I'm back." "The Return" comes three
years after the release of his debut album "Soulful," and two years
following his gold-selling gospel album, "I Need An Angel." Between
those releases and the current album, Studdard has been busy getting his money
straight via a $2 million court victory against his ex-manager. He’s also spent
time in the past year launching the Ruben Studdard Foundation For The
Advancement of Children in the Music Arts, which provides scholarships, after
school programs and summer camps to music students. The Alabama native is now
all about "The Return," which saw its first single, "Change
Me," serviced to adult and urban mainstream radio on Monday. Other tracks
on the record include a cover of "If Only For One Night," the Brenda
Russell song popularized by Luther Vandross, plus the tracks "I'm Not
Happy," "Blow Ya Mind," and "To Tha Crib," all co-written
by Studdard. The CD opens with the tune "The Return of the Velvet Teddy
Bear," a nickname given to him by Gladys Knight during her stint as a
guest judge on "American Idol’s" second season. Producers on
"The Return" include Scott Storch, Ne-Yo, Dre & Vidal and others.
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::CD RELEASES::
July 31, 2006
Allen Toussaint, Southern
Nights, Water
Beyoncé, Deja
Vu, Sony
Big Mike, Keep
It Playa, BCD Music Group
Bo Diddley, Best
of Bo Diddley [Direct Source], Direct
Source
Bobby Womack, Best
of the Poets, Castle
Cham, Ghetto
Story [Remix], Atlantic
Cherish, Do
It to It [Rap Remix], Capitol
Chuck Berry, Best
of Chuck Berry [Direct Source], Direct
Source
Count Basie, Best
of Count Basie [Direct Source], Direct
Source
Dem Franchize Boyz, Freaky
as She Wanna Be, Virgin
DJ Morphiziz, The
Best of the Submissions, Vol. 3, Beatmart
Recordings
DMX, Year
of the Dog Again, Sony
E-40, U
and Dat [Single], Reprise / Wea
Fats Domino, Best
of Fats Domino [Direct Source], Direct
Source
Flipsyde, We
the People [Bonus Tracks] [Bonus CD], Universal
JT the Bigga Figga, Drop
Your Thangs, Oakland R&B
Kool & the Gang, The
Best of Kool and the Gang: Live, Direct
Source
Marvin Gaye, Best
of Marvin Gaye: Live [Direct Source], Direct Source
Marvin Gaye, I
Heard It Through the Grapevine [Fontana], Spectrum Music
Mike Shannon, Anthologie
1962-2006, Magic
Percy Sledge, The
Best of Percy Sledge [Direct Source], Direct Source
Rick Ross, Port
of Miami [Clean], Def Jam
Sean Paul, (When
You Gonna) Give It Up to Me, VP
Shawnie, The
Return, Vol. 2, Bungalo
Various Artists, Movie
Ska, Cutting Edge
Various Artists, Non
Stop Reggaeton Hits, Vol. 2, Machete
Music/Diamond Music
Various Artists, Rap
It Up [Box Set], Thump
Various Artists, Slammin
Reggaeton Super Videos, Machete
Music
Young Capone, What
It Iz [Single], Virgin
Young Dro, Best
Thang Smokin', Atlantic / Wea
August 7, 2006
3rd Degree, Since
Day One, 3rd DeGree
Al Green, Gospel
Concert, Wonderful Music
Big B, Random
Stuff [CD/DVD], Suburban Noize
Big Prodeje, Hood
Ni**a in Charge, Triple X
Bob Marley, 18
Greatest, Direct Source
Bob Marley, The
Anthology, Cleopatra
Capone, God
Guns Money, Latino Jam
Cassie, Cassie,
Bad Boy
C-BO, Money
to Burn, West Coast Mafia
Chic, Definitive
Groove, Rhino
Damian "Junior Gong" Marley,
All
Night, Universal
Defari, Street
Music, Abb
DJ Quik, Born
and Raised in Compton: The Greatest Hits, Arista Legacy
Dollar, What
Good Is It for a Hustler to Gain the Whole,
E-40, BME
Recordings Present E-40 & The Hype O, Reprise
E-40, BME
Recordings Present E-40 & The Hype O, Warner Bros.
Federation, I
Wear My Stunna Glasses at Nite [Single], Warner Bros.
Frankie Paul, Who
Issued the Guns, Music Avenue
Funkadelic, Motor
City Madness: The Ultimate Collection, Westbound
Grandmaster Flash, Definitive
Groove, Rhino
Gwen McCrae, Gwen
McCrae Sings TK, Henry Stone Music
Heavyweights, The
Beginning, Dollyhood
James Brown, Funk
It!: Remixed Hits, Cleopatra
James Brown, James
Brown [Direct Source], Direct
Source
Jay Dee, The
Shining, Bbe
Joe, Where
You At [12" Single], Jive
Jurassic 5, Feedback
[UK Version] [Bonus Track], Universal
International
Lil' Blacky, It's
a Hustler's World, Vol. 2, Triple
X
Lil Dank, Welcome
2 Da a,
Lupe Fiasco, Food
and Liquor [Clean], Atlantic / Wea
Martha Reeves, Martha
Reeves, Direct Source
Marvin Gaye, 12
Top Ten Hits, Direct Source
Marvin Gaye, 18
Greatest: Live, Direct Source
Marvin Gaye, The
Very Best of Marvin Gaye [Mastersong], Mastersong
Masta Killa, Made
in Brooklyn, Nature Sounds
Matisyahu, Youth
[Bonus CD], Red Label
MC Breed, MC
Breed & DFC,
MC Breed, The
New Breed,
Mr. Shadow, The
Streets Are Kalling, Silent Giant
Natalie, Everything
New, Universal
Percy Sledge, 18
Greatest, Direct Source
Percy Sledge, When
a Man Loves a Woman/Take Time to Know Her, Direct Source
Ray Charles, 18
Greatest, Direct Source
Rick Ross, Port
of Miami, Def Jam
Rollah, Rollah's
Back, Underground Railroad
Scarface, 2
Face, Rap-A-Lot
Shoshyn, Sincerely
Yours, Affiliated
Sister Sledge, Definitive
Groove, Rhino
Skip Martin, Miles
High,
Slave, Definitive
Groove, Rhino
Smokey Robinson, Gold,
Motown
Sugar Minott, Lovers
Rock Tribulation, Royale Palm
The Average White Band, Definitive
Groove, Rhino
The Drifters, 18
Greatest, Direct Source
The Gap Band, Gold,
Hip-O
The Mighty Echoes, The
Mighty Echoes, Collectables
The Miracles, The
Miracles, Direct Source
The Platters, 18
Greatest, Direct Source
The Pointer Sisters, Live,
Direct Source
The Staple Singers, In
the Praise of Him, Collectables
The Whispers, For
Your Ears Only,
Third World, Riddim
Haffa Rule, Music Avenue
TR Love, Beat
Terrorist vs. The Cartel, Corner
Shop
Trae, Restless
[Chopped & Screwed], Asylum/Rap-A-Lot
Traxamillion, Slapp
Addict,
Various Artists, Gold:
70's Soul, Hip-O
Various Artists, Smooth
Soul Ballads, Direct Source
Various Artists, Soulful
Songs of Love, Direct Source
Various Artists, The
Best of R&B Soul Stars, Direct
Source
Various Artists, The
Music of the Isley Brothers: Afterhours the Nightclub Tribute, Scufflin
Various Artists, This
Is R&B [Cleopatra], Cleopatra
Various Artists, Blazin'
Hip Hop, Activated
Various Artists, Death
Row Ghetto Mix, Death Row
Various Artists, Hip
Hop: Collection, Vol. 4, Universal
International
Various Artists, Southlandgangsterclick.com,
Southland
Various Artists, 18
Reggaetonazos Pa'Perrear, Brentwood
Various Artists, Reggaeton
Girlies [DVD], Primo Discos
::FILM NEWS::
Sex
And Risk Onscreen At TIFF
Excerpt from The Toronto Star - Peter Howell, Movie Critic
(Aug. 2, 2006) The Toronto International
Film Festival takes another
leap towards the avant-garde with the unveiling of Vanguard, a new program
dedicated to sex, youth and risk-taking. It debuts at next month's fest
(Sept. 7-16) with 11 films, including the controversial Cannes discovery Shortbus,
starring Toronto's Sook-Yin Lee. Vanguard could be considered a sister
program to Visions, which debuted at the 2002 event and which in the past has
covered similar cultural terrain. And if you add in Midnight Madness and
Wavelengths, Vanguard is now the fourth festival program devoted to
cutting-edge cinema. That's in keeping with the personal aesthetic of Noah
Cowan, the festival co-director, who has been busy making his mark on the
annual event. "The festival has felt the need for some time to
establish a program for `early adopters,' people who delight in movies that
push the envelopes of technology, culture, sexuality and cinema itself,"
Cowan said in a news release. "These films are edgy, irreverent,
definitely sexy, and have a palpable, youthful zing." The festival
also wants to whittle down its Contemporary World Cinema program, which has
grown to unwieldy proportions over the years. Vanguard will help do that and,
as a bonus, the festival is hoping the program will also appeal to younger
filmgoers. "It's somewhere between Visions and Midnight
Madness," said Denny Alexander, the festival's manager of communications,
explaining the new program.
"Visions is about looking at cinema as opposed to content. Vanguard is
really about content and it's more youth-oriented, for people aged 18 to 30.
Vanguard has riskier and racier content, but it's also more mainstream than
Visions." But the new program will be every bit as eclectic as other
festival offerings, with film topics ranging from sexual adventures to sci-fi
to Shakespeare. Four of the Vanguard offerings are world premieres:
· Chacun sa nuit (Pascal Arnold and Jean-Marc Barr) finds drama in
the murder of a small-town bisexual stud.
· Macbeth (Geoffrey Wright) sets the Shakespeare classic in
Australia's modern underworld.
· Jade Warrior (Antti-Jussi Annila) pursues romance and
swordplay in ancient China and contemporary Finland.
· Bunny Chow (John Barker) follows three stand-up comics on a tour
of South Africa.
Six are North America premieres:
· Shortbus (John Cameron Mitchell), which raised eyebrows at
Cannes and which was previously announced for Toronto, stars the CBC's Sook-Yin
Lee in an exploration of New York sexual foibles.
· Renaissance (Christian Volckman), described as a cross between Metropolis
and Blade Runner, stars Daniel Craig and Ian Holm in a motion-capture
anime film noir about Paris in the year 2054.
· Election 1+2 (Johnnie To) marries Hong Kong triads to Godfather
gang politics.
· Drama/Mex (Gerardo Naranjo) travels to the hot beaches of
Acapulco for stories about a 15-year-old hooker, a suicidal middle-age
bureaucrat and three randy youths.
· 2:37 (Murali K. Thalluri) echoes the docudrama style of Gus Van
Sant's Elephant to investigate the mysterious death of an Australian
high school student.
· Suburban Mayhem (Paul Goldman) finds out what happens when the
authorities attempt to take away the child of a single mom with a dangerous
temper.
The final Vanguard entry is a Canadian premiere: Sleeping Dogs Lie (Bobcat
Goldthwait), a dark comedy from Sundance about a young girl who reveals a
disturbing sexual obsession. For information and tickets, call
416-968-FILM or click bell.ca/filmfest.
The
Dylan Casting, It Is A-Changin'
Excerpt from The Toronto Star - Peter Howell
(Jul. 28, 2006) Bob Dylan fans may feel inclined to take their motorbikes way
down on Highway 61 tomorrow. It's a cosmic 40th anniversary for him. On
July 29, 1966, the people's poet skidded his Triumph motorbike on a road near
his home in Woodstock, N.Y. He injured himself badly and retreated from the
spotlight for most of the next eight years, as he reinvented his art and
reoriented his compass. Before the crash, he was hailed worldwide as a
musical prophet and social revolutionary. Afterwards, he emerged as a quiet
family man with no obvious agenda. He slept through Sgt. Pepper,
Woodstock (and Altamont), the Manson Family murders, the Kent State shootings
and Exile on Main Street. Dylan was a greater enigma than ever, and
remains so to this day. Which makes the Todd Haynes Dylan project I'm Not There
sound all the more appropriate. Shooting of the film begins
Monday in Montreal, after more than three years of planning, and firm details
are finally beginning to emerge about the biopic that isn't really a
biopic. The plan is to have various actors play Dylan at various stages
of his life, from his early days up to his 50s. (He recently turned 65.) A
complete cast list was finally announced this week, just in time for the start
of lensing, and they include well-knowns and unknowns. The six Dylan players
are Heath Ledger (replacing Colin Farrell, who dropped out), Christian Bale,
Cate Blanchett, Richard Gere, Ben Wishaw (who played Keith Richards in Stoned)
and Marcus Carl Franklin (TV's Law & Order).
Blanchett is female and Franklin is black. This really will be an unusual
movie. The supporting cast includes Heath Ledger's partner Michelle
Williams (who will play the love interest to Blanchett's Dylan), Julianne
Moore, Charlotte Gainsbourg and Canada's own Bruce Greenwood. "Bob
Dylan was somebody who has rejected all of the various personas that he has
embodied over the years," director Haynes (Far From Heaven) told
the press at Cannes in May. "He continues to move forward by
discarding himself, so my idea is to put together a film of multiple characters
and tell their stories simultaneously. It's going to be weird, not a
traditional narrative by any means." Shooting is scheduled to run
until Oct. 10, which allows plenty of time for the always touring Dylan to drop
in, should he feel so inclined. Dylan himself doesn't appear in the
movie, but original recordings of his songs will be on the soundtrack. There
will also be artists covering Dylan tunes. Confirmed participants include
Woodstock soulman Richie Havens, Sonic Youth's Lee Ranaldo and the alt-country
band Calexico. There is talk of possible contributions from Michael Stipe, Jack
White and P.J. Harvey. "Dylan has given us pretty much his
collection of music," said publicist Jeff Hill. "He's just
enamoured by Todd's films and he's really into this one. It's such a different
way of telling his life. It's so Dylan."
Friends
And Mothers
Excerpt from The Toronto Star - Geoff Pevere, Movie Critic
Familia
(out of
4)
Sylvie Moreau, Mylène St-Sauveur, Macha Grenon, Juliette Gosselin, Micheline
Lanctôt. Written and directed by Louise Archambault. 102 minutes. At the
Cumberland. 14A
(July 28, 2006) Quebec director Louise Archambault's admirably
assured first film tackles one of the most complicated, subtle and emotionally
combustible of domestic issues: a woman's fear that the person she's looking at
in the mirror is just like her mother. Opening with a quasi-scientific
exposition of the mysteries of genetic destiny, Archambault's movie then
plunges headfirst into the soup. After once again exhausting her
boyfriend's money on a voracious gambling habit, the impulsive aerobics
instructor Michèle (Sylvie Moreau) decides to pack herself and her daughter
Marguerite (Mylène St-Sauveur) off to California. (On the day they leave,
Marguerite wakes up on the floor of a dance club washroom, thus suggesting the
web of genetic determination might already be spun.) Taking up with the
childhood friend (Janine, played by Macha Grenon) whose brother happens to be Marguerite's
long-gone father, Michèle installs herself and her messy existence smack in the
middle of her friend's tidy suburban world. While Janine, an interior
designer with an immaculate home, would seem to be Michèle's polar opposite, Familia suggests the two women
share deeper qualities than outward circumstances would suggest.
Like Michèle, Janine's marriage to a constantly travelling journalist has left
her virtually single, and like Michèle she's sandwiched awkwardly between her
roles as a mother (to two girls, one of whom is pubescent). While Michèle
lives in fear of being too much like her sexually charged mother (Micheline
Lanctôt), Janine experiences mortal terror at becoming a clone of her coldly
controlling maman. Prompted by acts of rebellion by their
daughters, both women will have those chilling moments before the mirror: when
they realize they're doing exactly what they resented their own mothers
for. While Familia makes the occasional tilt into melodrama —
especially where certain one-dimensionally weaselly male characters are
concerned — it lets its characters be refreshingly untidy. Both Michèle
and Janine are contradictory, sympathetic, infuriating and helpless, and that's
exactly what keeps us compelled by their experiences. Like most of us, they
seem to be making it up as they go along. Archambault, making her first
feature after a number of award-winning shorts, has made a movie that captures
a sense of life being improvised. Scenes begin and end with impulsive
open-endedness, and her camera always seems to be stumbling upon something
that's already in progress. But the result is irresistibly engaging. Familia
feels like a film that's discovering its subjects as it goes along. And as they
discover themselves. Thus, while that science-lecture opening credit
sequence would suggest that Archambault's movie is going to slot its
characters' behavioural quirks into some kind of pre-determined genetic
pattern, Familia is ultimately about the mystery of why we — and
especially women — do what we do. Open-ended, inconclusive, heartfelt,
unsentimental and curious, it's a movie that respects something too few popular
entertainments do these days: our right to stumble our way from one day to the
next.
7
Questions With William Hutt: 'Never Say Never, Never'
Excerpt from The Globe and Mail -
Kamal Al-Solaylee
William Hutt Born May 2, 1920, in Toronto. Served in the Second World War
and was awarded the Military Medal. Started acting at Toronto's Hart House
Theatre in the late 1940s. Over the course of 39 seasons at the Stratford
Festival of Canada, beginning with the inaugural one in 1953, he played the
title roles in Richard II, Volpone and Tartuffe. Other notable characters
include Prospero in The Tempest and Falstaff in The Merry Wives of Windsor.
Performed in London's West End and on Broadway. Retired from stage work in
2005. Holds honorary doctorates from six Canadian universities and in 1992
became the first recipient of the Governor-General's Lifetime Achievement Award
for his work in English theatre. Lives in Stratford, Ont.
(July 28, 2006) Canada's most formidable classical actor, William Hutt has embodied every stage role from Eugene O'Neill's James Tyrone
to Oscar Wilde's Lady Bracknell. He's currently starring in the third season of
television's Slings & Arrows (Mondays on the Movie Network, 10 p.m.
ET), an acerbic, behind-the-scenes look at life in an Ontario classical theatre
festival, not unlike the Stratford festival, where he performed in more than 60
productions. In Slings & Arrows, Hutt plays Charles Kingsman, an
actor drawn out of retirement by the festival's artistic director, Geoffrey
Tennant (Paul Gross), to perform the title role in Shakespeare's King Lear
-- another of Hutt's signature characters. This is Hutt's first major screen
role since retirement from live theatre last year.
You haven't done TV or film work for a while, am I right?
No, not for a while. I did a segment of Emily of New Moon and Twice
in a Lifetime and I can't remember which of them I did first. Then most
recently, the film The Statement. I guess that's about it.
You vowed never to play King Lear again, ever. Now you're playing a
character playing him.
Never say never, never. What I probably meant specifically is not to do it on
stage. . . . I was asked before, "If somebody wanted to do a film of your King
Lear, would you do it?" I said, "Sure I would." I think it's
highly unlikely, but there it is.
What's so different about your performance in the context of this TV series?
Never in the script are we doing the whole thing from beginning to end. We're
doing bits of Lear here and there. Each one of those bits, the director
would say, "Good, but can you give it a different spin from what you did
with that moment onstage." We're not shooting in chronological order at
all so it's maddening. One day you're doing a scene from episode one and the
next a scene from episode five. There's no way you can keep track of the whole
storyline.
I don't know how actors do that.
We don't. We just wing it. A lot of acting is winging it any way. You can
rehearse, rehearse, rehearse, but once you get to opening night, eventually
after opening night as well, you start to forget the rehearsal period and start
winging it.
We talked about Lear. What can you tell me about the character Charles
Kingsman?
I play an aging actor in retirement. The first thing that happens, which is
part and parcel of the way I'm doing it, is that he's terrified. He's
terror-stricken. First of all that he might die before we get in front of an
audience. Terrified he might forget his lines. Terrified he might fail. There
are times in the script when he's not a very nice person because he takes his
terror out on a lot of people.
How do you relate to his feelings of terror?
I understand them. I can understand terror. It makes you do things that
sometimes are not very nice.
What makes you excited about performances of today's classical actors?
What makes me excited is what are the messages they're sending from across the
stage. Their focus, their concentration, their character choices. Sometimes you
look at someone and say, "My god, why didn't I think of that."
FILM TIDBITS
TIFF Unveils Real To Reel Documentary Line-Up
Excerpt from The Globe and Mail -
Gayle Macdonald
(July 28, 2006) Toronto — The Toronto International
Film Festival has
announced 22 documentaries -- on topics ranging from the father of grunge Kurt
Cobain, Haiti's slum gangs and blind Tibetan teenagers who climb a section of
Mount Everest -- as part of its Real to Reel program this fall. A. J. Schnack's
Kurt Cobain About a Son, Asger Leth's Ghosts of Cité Soleil, Lucy
Walker's Blindsight, Petra Epperlein and Michael Tucker's The
Prisoner or How I Planned to Kill Tony Blair, Tony Kaye's Lake of Fire,
Davide Ferrario's Primo Levi's Journey and Macky Alston's The Killer
Within will be among the docs to have world premieres in Toronto. Also
announced yesterday was a gala presentation of Dixie Chicks -- Shut Up and
Sing, a powerful documentary from two-time Academy Award-winning director
Barbara Kopple and Cecilia Peck. The film explores the emotional roller coaster
of the three country chanteuses who were thrust into a national firestorm after
lead singer Natalie Maines told a London audience in 2003: "Just so you
know, we're ashamed the President of the United States is from [their home
state] Texas."
Damon To Host T.O. Gala
Excerpt from The Globe and Mail - Gayle Macdonald
(Aug. 1, 06) In May, Matt Damon spent about a week in Zambia as the
guest of two anti-poverty/AIDS advocacy groups. The Oscar-winning actor was
there to learn about the plight of the more than one billion who live on less
than a dollar a day. Yesterday, it was announced that Damon is taking on a new
cause -- vulnerable children. And the father of seven-week-old daughter
Isabella will arrive in Toronto on Sept. 10 to host the second annual benefit
gala One X One,
which in 2005 raised $1.3-million for needy children. As MC, Damon will be
joined on stage at the Carlu by the Grammy Award-winner John Legend and Juno prize takers Raine Maida and Chantal Kreviazuk. The event, hosted last
year by Kate Hudson, will coincide with the opening weekend of the Toronto
International Film Festival. "I'm looking forward to attending this year's
One X One event to share my personal experiences from a recent trip I took to
Africa and to learn more about how we can all make a difference in the fight
against poverty in one of the world's most beautiful lands," Damon said in
a release. Founded by Joelle Berdugo Adler, One X One distributed funds last
year to charities such as War Child Canada, Right to Play, Boys & Girls
Clubs of Canada, Child Find and the African Children's Choir. Damon's trip to
Africa early in May was through DATA (debt AIDS trade Africa) and ONE: The
Campaign to Make Poverty History. The actor, who shared a screenplay Oscar with
Ben Affleck for Good Will Hunting, is now a spokesman for the groups,
along with Ocean's 13 pals Brad Pitt and George Clooney. Besides
currently shooting the third Ocean's sequel, Damon and Pitt may rub
shoulders in Toronto as well. Pitt, who stars in Mexican director Alejandro
Gonzalez Inarritu's Babel, is said to be considering an appearance at
the film's special presentation next month at TIFF. TIFF won't know until the
end of August if Pitt will attend.
LL Cool J Inks Seven-Figure Deal With CBS
Excerpt from www.eurweb.com
(July 28, 2006) *CBS has joined the legions of young fans that have a crush on LL Cool J. In a rare and
surprising move, the network has signed the
rapper to a development deal worth just over seven figures and has structured
the agreement in such a way that he’ll be allowed to work under any production
studio. Usually, talent deals limit actors to working under the network’s own
in-house studios, but not in this case. Also, the pact guarantees that LL,
along with Alchemy Entertainment's Jason Barrett, will serve as producer on any
project the rapper-actor signs onto. LL, whose birth name is Todd Smith, is
expected to focus his production slate on the development of dramas. CBS,
the home of America’s top-rated drama “CSI,” landed the rapper amidst a fierce
bidding war that involved at least two other networks, reports
Variety. His critically-acclaimed guest-starring role last season
on “House” reportedly peaked the interest of network execs that began flooding
the rapper with pilot offers last spring. LL’s attention, however, was devoted
to the promotion of his new album “Todd Smith” at the time. Uncle L’s
last dance with television occurred in the 1990s with his NBC (and later UPN)
sitcom “In the House.”
Chris Brown Slows From ‘Run’ To ‘Steppin’’
Excerpt from www.eurweb.com
(July 31, 2006) *R&B teen sensation Chris
Brown, who stomped onto the
music scene with his No. 1 single “Run It” last year, is hoping to have the
same successful impact in Hollywood with his first feature film, “Steppin’,” due for release in
early 2007."It's sort of a dance movie," Brown told reporters during
a teleconference. "… But I'll have to say there's a lot more acting and a
lot more story line based around the dancing. So that's what the intriguing part
about it is. It's actually a banging, incredible-like film.” Brown, 17,
appears opposite fellow R&B crooner Ne-Yo, who stars as a 19-year-old
street dancer recruited by two black fraternities to compete in a step
show. "I started [rehearsing] for it, like, months before I jumped
on the project. I was so anxious to do the movie. It's so fresh and
original," Brown said. Meanwhile, Brown and his co-star Ne-Yo will hit the
road next month with Dem Franchize Boyz, Lil' Wayne and Juelz Santana for a
tour that begins in Cincinnati on Aug. 17 and crosses the U.S. before wrapping
in Marysville, CA on Oct. 8.
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Denzel’s ‘American Gangster’ Finally Rolls Cameras
Excerpt from www.eurweb.com
(August 2, 2006) *Denzel
Washington and Russell Crowe finally
began production on Imagine Entertainment’s “American Gangster” Monday in
Queens, NY as news of rapper T.I.’s addition to the cast was made public.
“Gangster’s” long and winding road began in late 2004, when
director Antoine Fuqua was attached to direct Washington and Benicio Del Toro
in the lead roles. But a month before production, Universal Pictures chairman
Stacey Snider cancelled the film over fear the budget would surpass $100
million. Imagine's Brian Grazer, who developed the drama from a New York
magazine article by Mark Jacobson, brought in “Hotel Rwanda” writer-director
Terry George to punch up Steve Zaillian's script and trim the budget. But Scott
eventually dropped out after Universal still couldn’t get its budget issues
together. With the money situation finally worked out, enter
Ridley Scott, who will now direct Washington and Crowe in the 1970s-set film
about a police detective (Crowe) on the heels of a drug lord (Washington) who
smuggled heroin into Harlem inside the coffins of soldiers returning from
Vietnam. T.I. will play Washington’s nephew, a character he tells Billboard.com
is “somewhat of a stretch.” "Right now I'm learning everything I can about
my character. I'm just there to soak things up," T.I. says. "There's
a bunch of Academy Award-winners on this cast and I'm just there to learn. I'm
in school."
::TV NEWS::
Will Black Dramas Ever Be Able To Sell Soap?
Excerpt from www.eurweb.com - By Cherie
Saunders
(July 31, 2006) *With the 2006 Summer Television
Critics
Association Press Tour safely in the rear view
mirror, it’s time to focus on the road ahead, i.e. the fall television season,
as it relates to African American audiences. If you believe Ali LeRoi, an executive producer
and writer on The CW’s “Everybody Hates Chris,” it’s a complete waste of time
to discuss the state of TV through the lens of a particular culture, because
green is the only color that matters in Hollywood. In other words, the boob
tube is actually a colorblind pimp willing to put actors of any race on the
track, as long as they can pull in as many johns (viewers) as possible – which
in turn boosts ratings, which in turn increases ad rates, which – in LeRoi’s
words – can ultimately “sell some soap.” “Nobody has the right to be on a TV
show,” LeRoi snapped at a black TV critic during a panel during a discussion on
the lack of black dramas next season. “We all argue about ‘I’d like to see more
representation about this and more representation about that.’ But at the
end of the day, dude, you got to sell some soap. And if you are not
selling soap, they got no interest in you. So black drama, smack drama. Man, I
don’t care. It’s about making a good show for the audience that’s buying
the product.” Here’s what I heard from that response: When enough viewers start
watching black dramas, television will have no problem putting them in its
primetime schedule – because after all, networks will gladly go wherever the
ratings are and exploit the concept until people get exhausted from overload
and tune out. We saw this with “American Idol” and its spawns CBS’ “Rock Star:
INXS/Supernova,” NBC’s “America’s Got Talent” (produced by “Idol’s” Simon
Cowell) and ABC’s “The One,” which was cancelled “One” week after its debut
because not “One” person tuned in.
Networks copycat successful shows all the time, and it would be naïve to think
that television wouldn’t flood their schedules with African American-themed
dramas if they could look to one such show that pulled in as many viewers as
“CSI” and “Grey’s Anatomy” each week. Now those shows can sell some soap.
The problem is… there are no black dramas next season for networks to use as
litmus tests. Execs aren’t willing to take a chance and add them to the
schedule. Why? Traditionally, not enough viewers have tuned in each week to
justify its space in a line-up. Ultimately, whose fault is that? Nielsen
Media Research can take at least half of the blame, as its meters have long
been accused of providing inaccurate information on the viewing choices of
African American households. In 2001, the company was sued for $10 million by
SI Communications on claims that it deliberately provided ratings that were
“inaccurate and/or unreliable.” SI President Robert Dockery Jr. said his
company lost ad revenues on its syndicated television programs said Nielsen
“knowingly and deliberately used an inadequate sampling to estimate African
American viewers, resulting in the under counting of the African American
audience.' Thanks to pressure from the NAACP, Nielsen has since made significant
changes to its people meters to yield a more accurate count of African American
viewing choices. But even with Nielsen’s corrections, are networks brave enough
to give black-themed dramas another chance to prove they can generate high
ratings among mainstream audiences? Based on the lack of them present in the
fall line-up (see chart below), the answer is a resounding hell-to-the-no. No
one would know this, but dramas with predominantly-black casts are being
pitched in Hollywood all the time. “All of Us” executive producer Jada Pinkett
Smith, sitting two seats down from LeRoi on the same panel, said she has two
dramas that she’s going to pitch during the next pilot season, which lasts from
January through April each year. Also, CBS just grabbed LL Cool J in a deal
that will allow him to develop dramas starring African Americans – if he so
chooses.
“‘Soul Food,’ even though it was on a cable network, it was very successful
and, I believe, the first and only long-running black drama that was very successful,”
adds Mara Brock Akil, executive producer of CW sitcoms “Girlfriends” and “The
Game.” “Hopefully, with that and building relationships with [CW President,
Entertainment] Dawn [Ostroff] and other network presidents that they will know
that this group, among other seasoned veterans, they know how to execute a
drama and do it well. But where does that leave people like Dawnn Lewis? On
several occasions, the former “Different World” star has told the story of how
she sold a pitch to ABC several years ago called “Blackjack,” which starred Nia
Long as an undercover operative who kept her job a secret from the people
around her. It co-starred Dyan Cannon, Bill Duke, Malik Yoba, and was executive
produced by Forest Whittaker. “It was sold to ABC in five seconds,” Lewis said
during the Nick at Nite panel for “A Different World.” “They spent millions of
dollars supporting my idea, writing the script, shooting the pilot, and then it
got put on the shelf for the next two years. What took its place, “The Return to
Fantasy Island,” lasted two episodes. And “Cupid,” that lasted one episode. And
two years later, what ends up on TV? ‘Alias,’ basically a revamped version of
my show but now it’s not featuring people of color.” “That’s what
happens,” Lewis underscored. “It’s not that good ideas aren’t out there.
Good ideas, great ideas, opportunities are out there, but they seem to be
offered to other people.” If the head of ABC looked at Nielsen’s list of
Top 25 shows in black households last season, he’d see the UPN sitcoms bunched
up in the Top 5 each week (“Girlfriends,” “All of Us,” “One on One,” “Half and
Half,” etc.), with “CSI,” “Grey’s Anatomy,” “House” and “Without A Trace”
always a fixture in the Top 10. The latter four dramas stayed in the Top 10 on
Nielsen’s general market tallies as well.
When a black drama was last seen on TV (UPN’s “Kevin Hill” got axed in May
2005) it was also a perennial Top 10 show in black homes, but it ranked so low
on Nielsen’s mainstream list that it was cancelled anyway. To quote Dawnn
Lewis, “that’s what happens” when not enough white folks tune in to watch the
black dramas that do make the primetime schedules. Remember, it’s the
mainstream list that advertisers consider during sweeps months, when ad rates
are set based on ratings. (The higher the ratings, the more networks can charge
for advertising. The more money coming in, the more soap to be sold.) We
live in America, and it’s unfortunate that most white people traditionally stay
away from television programs and feature films with predominantly-black casts,
believing automatically that it has nothing to offer them. Until this tide
changes and more mainstream audiences become less discriminatory, black dramas
(even critically-acclaimed ones like “City of Angels” and “Under One Roof”)
will rarely have enough viewers in black audiences alone to satisfy the bottom
line of a network. The fact that there are zero African Americans dramas
next season is due to a numbers game, which is the only game network executives
are willing to play.
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Gold Medalist Blasts Whistler Plot
Excerpt from The Globe and Mail -
Alexandra Gill
(Aug. 2, 2006) VANCOUVER — Snow, sex, murder -- and misappropriation
of identity? Ross Rebagliati has thrown an unexpected twist into the plot of Whistler. The Olympic gold-medal
snowboard champion is claiming that a shady (albeit stone-cold dead) character
in the new Canadian murder-mystery television series looks an awful lot like
him. Mr. Rebagliati, who has apparently asked for compensation, will be holding
a press conference in Vancouver this morning. Sam Feldman, executive producer
of Boardwalk Productions, a co-producer of the CTV series, received a letter
from Mr. Rebagliati's lawyer two weeks ago, a CTV spokesperson has confirmed.
According to a CBC Radio report, the letter expressed concerns about
similarities between the real-life gold medalist and the show's "unsavoury"
main character. Mr. Feldman was quoted as saying the letter requested
compensation, but he did not specify what kind or how much. The steamy 13-part
series, which premiered on June 25, is set in the mountain resort town of
Whistler. The mystery unravels around local snowboarding legend Brett McKaye,
who is found dead on the slopes soon after returning with a gold medal from the
2006 Olympic Games in Turin, Italy.
The looming character, played by Canadian actor David Paetkau, is a handsome,
blond party boy who appears to have become entangled in a nasty blackmail
scheme (complete with hidden cameras and secret sex tapes) before dying in a
mysterious accident. Mr. Rebagliati became the first snowboarder to win an
Olympic gold medal when the alpine event was added to the Nagano Winter Games
in 1998. Three days later, the then-26-year-old Canadian athlete was
disqualified when it was announced that he has tested positive for marijuana.
The International Olympic Committee reversed its decision the very next day.
Mr. Rebagliati has always maintained that he ingested second-hand smoke at a
farewell party in Whistler, where he still lives. Joyce Thayer, Mr.
Rebagliati's Vancouver-based lawyer, would not comment on the TV series or her
client's concerns. "Everything will be made clear in the morning,"
she said.
Jonesing For Acceptance
Excerpt from The Toronto Star - Vinay Menon
(July 31, 2006) 1. Cathy Jones is funny. 2. Cathy Jones has issues.
These two truths collide in a new Life and Times biography about the
comedienne, one that's simply titled "Keeping
Up With Cathy Jones" (CBC, 8 tonight).
"From any angle, Cathy's life looks like a success," says narrator
Albert Schultz. "But that's not how she sees it. She's driven by the
script she hasn't written, the film she hasn't starred in, the stage play she
hasn't done, the television series she has yet to write." The same
could be said for many Canadian celebrities. But with Jones, you get a sense
these must-do-more! impulses are less a side effect of professional ambition
and more a symptom of the personal demons that refuse to exit stage
right. Jones grew up in Newfoundland, the youngest of four children. Her
mother Agnes was sweet, almost naïve. She also suffered from agoraphobia.
"My mother was so loving and fun," says Jones. "But she was very
frightened about life and when she died we all mourned her as if a child had
died." Michael, Cathy's father, ran a camera and film distribution
company. He battled depression and eventually developed a drinking problem. As
the biography reveals, this alienated him from the family and helped
disintegrate the previously concrete bond he shared with Cathy.
Jones, who first gained national attention as a member of the CODCO comedy
troupe, clearly felt the sting of rejection: What happened? Why was her father
so unhappy? Was it her fault? The silent questions were answered with
feelings of anger, melancholy, distrust and self-doubt, recurring feelings that
would later torpedo a slew of doomed relationships. It wasn't so much
that Jones's emotions were bottled in some kind of Freudian flagon. It's more
that, for better or worse, she wore them on her sleeve. Musician Sandy
Morris, a former lover, says Jones is the only person he's ever met who can
exhibit and genuinely feel the entire range of human emotion all at the same
time. Hyperbole? Probably. But as he says: "It's a wild ride being
Cathy Jones's boyfriend. But it's some fun." For Jones, as for many
comedians, performing can be therapeutic. Because, when she slips into a
character on This Hour Has 22 Minutes — say, Babe Bennett or Mrs. Enid —
she is channelling more than a fictional construct. Her neurotic energy has
also powered stand-up routines and gender-bending shows, including Wedding
in Texas and Me, Dad and The 100 Boyfriends. Actor-writer Greg
Malone says, "Cathy was always outrageous and shocking." And daughter
Mara Jones says there's a side of her mother in every character she brings to
life. But toward the end of tonight's biography, Rick Mercer makes an
interesting observation. He notes that Jones only plays characters that are
lovable because that's "the way she would like to see the world."
"I'm afraid to be nasty," concedes Jones. "I don't want to be
unloved for a second." The "incorrigible flirt" became
"boy crazy" at the age of 5. After two failed marriages — and with a
daughter from each — Jones says she's now found the man she has been searching
for her entire adult life, musician Tom Wilson. Hopefully for Jones, this
one will last. Mind you, her daughter's words may leave viewers with some
reasonable doubt. "I find now when she's happy and things are kind
of steady for a while she starts to say, `I'm really bored,'" says Mara.
"She's addicted to that kind of (turbulent) environment."
"Keeping Up With Cathy Jones," written and directed by Barbara Doran,
is a surprisingly honest portrait. It manages to be both revealing and
respectful as it reverse-engineers the life and psyche of a performer who has
been in the public eye for more than three decades. Now 51, and a convert
to Buddhism, Jones continues down a self-paved road of discovery. Where she
ends up is anybody's guess. But chances are even she won't know when she
arrives.
The One No More
Excerpt from The Globe and Mail -
Terry Weber
(July 28, 2006) The ABC reality show The
One: Making a Music Star –
which made headlines in Canada for bumping CBC's The National from its
berth – has been dropped by the U.S. network after only two weeks. The ABC's
Web site for the two-week-old program, hosted by Canada's George
Stroumboulopoulos and the model for a planned Canadian version this fall, said
Friday the show has come to an apparent end. “There are no plans for additional
episodes,” the site said. “Thanks to all who participated in and supported The
One!” CBC reported the news on CBC Newsworld early Friday. The network said
there was no word yet on what the decision means for this fall's planned
Canadian version.
The series debuted just two weeks ago with disappointing ratings. The talent
search's second week saw numbers sag even further. Canadian viewership during
the second week fell to 150,000 on Tuesday, compared with the 236,000 viewers
it pulled in from 9 p.m. to 11 p.m. a week earlier. By comparison, Tuesday
night's edition of CTV's Canadian Idol came in at 1.65 million, while
Global's Rock Star: Supernova delivered 1.28-million viewers. (CTV is
owned by Bell Globemedia, which also owns The Globe and Mail.) In the United
States, The One kicked off last week with 3.08 million viewers, the
smallest audience ever for a series premiere among the big three networks. In Canada,
The One made headlines when CBC announced it would bump The National
from its 10 p.m. time slot on several Tuesdays and Wednesdays to make room for
the show. Visitors to CBC's own Web site for The One were redirected
Friday to the ABC site. Kirstine Layfield, CBC's executive director of network
programming, said the network will now shuffle its schedule to fill the slot. Hustle,
which had served as the Wednesday lead-in to The One, will move to Tuesday
nights.
Wednesday will become a movie night for CBC, with films like Under the
Tuscan Sun and Mission Impossible among those scheduled to air. She
said no decision has been made about the Canadian version of the program. Ms.
Layfield also said the U.S. version was already showing signs of improvement
ahead of the cancellation, with Wednesday's instalment outperforming Tuesday's
episode. “That's one of the things we've learned from watching the show
overseas, that it does take time to build,” she said, noting the show's setup
isn't a “straight-up talent format.” “It is one where you need to find out more
about the contestants, they're raw talent so early performances aren't going to
be as good as later performances,” she added. “It's all part of them
being coached and trained. The BBC stuck with it through its first year and
renewed it for multiple years because it found its way.”
Justin Trudeau Has Stepped Into The Boots Of Real-Life Hero
Talbot Papineau
Excerpt from The Globe and Mail - Simona Rabinovitch
(Aug. 1, 06) ST-BRUNO, QUE. — The battlefield is littered with bodies,
each slumped in a different position of death. Up close, it's obvious the
corpses are dolls, but, like eyeing an impressionist painting, back up and the
twisted silhouettes become eerily human. Groups of young soldiers — extras, I
presume — hang out on the sidelines waiting to be called to the set. Some chat,
smoke and play ball as end-of-the-day stillness sets in and the sky goes pink.
Others sit quietly, taking it all in. "They're not extras, they're
descendants," explains producer Stephen Phizicky, as if I had mistaken a
general for a private. Driving slowly through the St-Bruno, Que., set of the
forthcoming CBC docudrama The Great War, it becomes clear his reaction was merited. Conceived and
directed by award-winning documentarian Brian McKenna, the four-hour film aims
to capture the truth of Canada's involvement in the First World War. Unlike
most films, The Great War went so far as to form an army of its own,
recruiting 150 descendants of Canadian soldiers, nurses and airmen. Eager to
understand what their ancestors went through, these descendants were put
through rigorous boot-camp training. Then, for two weeks, they lived in army
tents pitched next to the set, experiencing their new identities on-camera in
battle re-enactments. And before production began, 13 volunteers went on a
pilgrimage to First World War battlefields in England and France, their journey
documented on film. For all cast and crew, the presence of these descendants
and their families lent an emotional density to the set so tangible that even a
novice actor couldn't help but plug in and use it — like Justin Trudeau. In his first acting
role, the teacher and orator plays Oxford-educated lawyer-turned-soldier Talbot Papineau, great-grandson of
Louis-Joseph Papineau. Talbot was killed in battle at Passchendaele in 1917.
"This is such a very real situation," Trudeau says, striding through
the battlefield just minutes before his big death scene, in which he will
"take a few bullets and fall down into a crater." With his clipped
dark moustache, brown army trousers and worn black boots, he's straight out of
a sepia photograph. "You're in the trenches, you're in the mud and you're
surrounded by these descendants, who have extraordinary links to their
grandparents, their great-grandparents. ... For example, there's a little prop
cemetery over by the camp, and the descendants went over and wrote the names of
their ancestors who had died in the war on the crosses. Suddenly, it became a
very moving, very real, very powerful place." Meeting Papineau's surviving
family helped Trudeau realize how important it was to accurately portray what
really happened. "There's this real connection there, and a sense of
responsibility bigger than playing a role. I was like, ‘I hope you guys are
okay with me doing this.'" If Trudeau seems unsure about his value as an
actor, it's because he isn't one — at least, not in a traditional sense.
"I would be incapable of playing a role that wasn't very much me, and that
was why I was sort of safe with this," he says, crediting McKenna with
guiding him through the process. "He explained, ‘This what really happened.
This is what he was doing. This is what was. Now, just go and do that. Be
yourself in that situation.' That's been an absolute saviour for me." His
biggest challenge? To avoid falling into that campy "disclaimer speeching
mode" appropriate for podiums and television news cameras, as opposed to
the truthful "being normal mode" that acting demands. "What I
tend to do is overdramatize a bit, but that was quickly nipped in the bud. In
some of the voiceover work we did, Brian was like, ‘Justin, don't slip into the
melodrama, keep it straight, keep it real.'" But a lifetime in the
spotlight has also helped his performance. "There are a couple of scenes
where I have to sit there and completely ignore the camera as I write a letter
or try and sleep with rats on me, which we filmed the other day ... and there
are 30 people around me, and sound guys, and lights ... I've been ignoring the
camera since I was four years old. So from a certain perspective that has
helped." Equally helpful was seeing himself in Papineau. "I
understood his passion for life, his energy, his ferocity. He had a sense of
purpose and a sense of destiny, but also a keen sense of immediate
responsibility. He was torn between a cushy staff job, where he could film
things and write reports, and his men, who were right on the trenches. It was
like, ‘I could stay with the staff appointment and come out of this unscathed
or I could do what's necessary and right.'"
Trudeau relates to Papineau's sense of responsibility. "Since I have the
opportunity to have people listen to me, it's so important for me to then have
something to say. That's a responsibility I will never take lightly. Any time I
decide to take on a project, it's because I think that through it I'm going to
be able to say something that will add to people's understanding of the
world." As for the possible backlash to his hiring, Trudeau is as tough on
himself as anyone. "Geez, you know, someone says, ‘I lost two grandfathers
in World War I and I didn't get picked for this role; he got picked because he
was born with a silver spoon in his mouth,' or whatever it is. The fact of the
matter is, anything I do, there will be people who say that. Anything anyone
does, there are always people who say those sorts of things. My challenge is to
make sure I'm doing right enough by it to silence that little voice inside of
me that's saying, ‘You only got this because ...' I want to be able to say, ‘I
got this because ... but look what I'm going to do with it!'" As if on
cue, Trudeau is interrupted. A trio of soldiers — descendants, not extras —
march over, and the flies begin to buzz as the sky grows darker. They've got
questions for him about the death scene they're about to shoot. "Got a
question for you, sir," one says. "Yes sergeant," Trudeau
replies. "Where are we burying you?" "The crater where you find
me is just over there. I think it might be in the same place. Thank you,
gentlemen. Take good care of me."
THE EUR Q & A With Bernadette Stanis
Excerpt from www.eurweb.com -
August 2, 2006) Actress
Bernadette Stanis caught the attention of
television viewers in the 1970s when she played the role of Thelma on Good Times.
Her consistent catfights and arguing with television brother JJ (played by
Jimmie Walker) were among the highlights of the iconic black comedy television
series which ran from 1974 to 1979. Good Times which was very
popular back then (today repeats of the show can be seen on the cable network
TV Land) followed the challenges and joys of the close-knit Evans
family--patriarch James (John Amos) mother Florida (Esther Rolle) eldest son
and accomplished amateur painter J.J. (Jimmie Walker), the brainy and beautiful
daughter Thelma, and youngest son Michael (Ralph Carter) a political and social
activist--who lived together in a high-rise housing project on the South Side
of Chicago. Created by Eric Monte and Michael Evans (the original Lionel
from All in the Family and The Jeffersons) and produced by Bud Yorkin and
Norman Lear, Good Times was remarkable on many levels. In a television
landscape populated almost exclusively by prosperous white characters living in
idealized settings, and where black families were always presented as somehow
broken or fractured, Good Times was the first prime-time series that featured a
strong black man at the head of a close-knit lower-middle-class black
family. The show took an honest look at the reality of life in the
urban Projects, and tackled social and political issues around race, poverty,
unemployment, inflation, crime and addiction--topical issues that cut across
1970s America. Even the most serious storylines were handled with great comic
skill.
While the show was extremely successful at handling controversial topics with
humour, a battle between co-stars and producers ensued for control over the
show's direction. Amos left the sitcom after two seasons. Rolle
departed the show in 1977, but returned for the final season. With ratings in
decline, Good Times was pulled from the CBS schedule, and the last original
episode aired on August 1, 1979. In an interview recently with this
writer, the now 53 year old BernNadette Stanis (real name Bernadette
Stanislaus) whose grandparents were originally from Grenada spoke about her
career, her life and the ground breaking Good Times show which made her an
overnight star.
Kevin Jackson:
What have you been doing since Good Times went off the air?
BernNadette Stanis: I've produced plays off Broadway, and I'm
doing speaking engagements. I have also made guest appearances on various
television shows. I just recently wrote a book called Situations 101 On
Relationships, the good the bad and the ugly. It's a very interesting book to
read and persons can check out my website at www.thelmaofgoodtimes.com or email
me at goodtimesthelma@aol.com.
KJ: In terms of current projects, what do you have in the pipeline?
BS: I am currently working on new projects. I have also completed a book
of poetry called For Men Only. Now I am creating a book for younger
audiences ages 9 to 18 years old. The book is about getting what you want and
deserve out of your life. The drive to win starts when one is young. This is
what I wanted to share with my new and young audiences.
KJ: How did you manage to get the role of Thelma on Good Times? Did a
lot of people audition for the role?
BS: I was in a beauty pageant in New York and the managers saw me and
said I would be perfect for this new television show that was coming out called
Good Times that was being produced by Norman Lear. I then auditioned and yes,
there were thousands of young girls who tried out for the role of Thelma. With
God's blessings they decided on me.
KJ: What kind of impact did Good Times have on viewers at the time?
BS: The world was a changing place at that time in history. There were
not a lot of African American people on television at all at this time. There
were no African American families with a mother and a father and three children
sticking together working through the good and the bad times. I often get many
women coming up to me telling me that I was the first young African American
woman they had ever seen on television who had hopes, and dreams of becoming
something special in life, especially someone from the ghetto. They told me
that they modeled themselves after me, or the character Thelma.
KJ: What kind of grounds did the show break?
BS: Good Times broke many grounds with the subjects that it touched on. We
talked about teen pregnancy, venereal diseases, drugs, gangs, pimps in the
neighbourhood and many more subjects. No other show at that time dared to touch
on those subjects.
KJ: Why did John Amos and Esther Rolle leave the show, and did their
departure have any ripple effect on the show's success?
BS: Mrs. Esther Role and John Amos left the show for reasons I don't
totally know all about. But the show survived because we the children being
much older by then held the family together along with some supervision from
our neighbour Willona Woods (Ja'Net Dubois). Like many families must do when
one or both parents are absent. The public stayed with us the whole time
because like I said, there were also many families out there with similar
circumstances. Therefore, I think the audiences wanted to see how we the Evans
family handled a crisis like this.
KJ: Do you stay in touch with your former cast members of Good Times?
BS: Yes, we as cast members still stay in touch with each other. Everyone is
pretty much still busy with different things of their own.
KJ: Before Good Times, what were you doing?
BS: I was a student at the Juilliard School of Music in New York before the
show. I was in the drama department and studied under the direction of
Mr. John Houseman. After the show, I did mostly stage work across the country.
I have been in a number of plays.
KJ: Do you have any children and where do you live?
BS: I live in Los Angeles and I have two daughters, Dior Ravel and Brittany
Rose Cole.
KJ: Good Times was ahead of its time and it was very popular back in the
1970's and now its attracting a whole new audience with its showing on the TV
Land network. How do you feel about being a part of such a groundbreaking television
show?
BS: Thank you for recognizing that Good Times was ahead of its time. The show
was so popular with viewers because it was so real. So many people identified
with our struggle. The show is even as popular today as it was then because we
have viewers in 2006 and they too can relate to the struggle we went through
living in the ghetto. I believe the show will reach audiences for years to come
because we dealt with real life issues and real life issues keep happening no
matter what year it is. It is a show that all people, whether black, white,
brown and in between can identify with. Good Times is a show I am very blessed
to have been a part of.
About the other Good Times cast members
Esther Rolle (Florida Evans) was born
in 1920 in Pompano Beach, Florida, the 10th child in a family of 18. Rolle
graduated from Spelman College in Atlanta, Georgia in 1942, and honed her
acting skills as a member of the critically acclaimed theatre group The Negro
Ensemble Company. She received acclaim for her performances in Blues for Mister
Charlie, The Amen Corner, A Raisin in the Sun and A Member of the Wedding. It
was in one such production that Norman Lear noticed her immense talent and cast
her as the feisty maid Florida in the television sitcom Maude (1972). The
straight-talking maid was so popular that Lear thought Florida could be the
focus of her own show. After Good Times, Rolle went on to perform in numerous
television series and specials. She won an Emmy Award for her
outstanding performance in the TV film, Summer of My German Soldier, and
several other awards including multiple NAACP Image Awards. On the big screen,
Rolle appeared in Driving Miss Daisy (1990), Rosewood (1997) and Down in the
Delta. Rolle struggled with diabetes for many years, and complications from the
disease claimed her life on November 17, 1998. She was 78 at the time of her
death.
John Amos (James). Originally from Newark,
New Jersey, 67 year old John Amos is a pioneer in television history. Amos
starred as weatherman Gordy Howard for three seasons on The Mary Tyler Moore
Show, one of the first major co-starring roles played by a black actor on a
non-black sitcom. After leaving The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Amos landed the role
of James Evans, the struggling but loving husband on Good Times. Unfortunately,
Amos grew increasingly dissatisfied with the sitcom when on-going
behind-the-scenes battles over the direction of the show occurred between cast
and producers. After two seasons, Amos quit the show over personal and
professional complaints, suggesting the sitcom's focus on the antics of the
J.J. character was taking the show off-course, and was not a positive portrayal
of black life. Though producers decided to kill off his character, Amos' career
was hardly dead. In 1977, Amos was a part of another historical event - he
started as the adult Kunta Kinte in Alex Haley's critically acclaimed epic,
Roots. Amos is still going strong as an actor, and has appeared in many movies
and TV series, including Coming to America, Fresh Prince of Bel Air, In the
House, The District and The West Wing.
Jimmie Walker (JJ) was born in 1947 in
South Bronx, New York. For better or for worse, Walker is still instantly
recognizable as J.J. Evans, the man who in the 1970s gave new meaning to the
word "Dy-No-Mite!" Walker was working as a stand-up comedian
when he landed the role of J.J., and as his fame grew he generously helped out
fellow comedians whenever he could. (For example, he hired two out-of-work
stand-up comics named Jay Leno and David Letterman to lend their writing
talents to the show.) In spite of the controversy that surrounded Good Times
and the perceived buffoonery of his character in particular, Walker is proud of
the sitcom. Today, when many actors want to distance themselves from the roles
that made them stars, Walker remains thankful for the success that Good Times
brought him. In recent years, Walker has continued to perform stand-up and was
the host of his own syndicated radio talk-show. Walker appeared in Airplane,
Home Alone 2, and Bustin Loose. His TV credits include In the House, George
Lopez, Scrubs, ER, and he remains a favourite guest on Late Night with David
Letterman.
Ralph Carter (Michael) who is now 45 years
old, is originally from New York City. An accomplished stage actor, Carter
earned a 1974 Tony nomination for his role in Raisin - a musical based on the
play A Raisin in the Sun. At the height of his Good Times fame Carter was
groomed for a teen-idol singing career. Mercury Records released
Carter's 1976 album Young and in Love and two singles - Extra Extra (Read All
about It) and When You're Young and in Love. The disco tracks reached number
one on Billboard's Disco charts but failed to scale the pop charts. Carter, a
reluctant participant, refused to pursue the teen-idol route and another
release was not forthcoming. When Good Times ended Carter all but disappeared
from the entertainment business. He made occasional guest appearances on TV in
the early 1980s, but for the most part has stayed out of the spotlight. These
days he is writing plays and he just completed a new book.
Ja'net Dubois (Willona). Philadelphia
native Ja'net Dubois is now 61 years old. A born again Christian, she began her
career as a model. Dubois had a modest acting career before being cast as the
fun but meddlesome neighbour Willona on Good Times. Dubois has appeared on many
television shows including The Steve Harvey Show, Moesha, ER, Martin, Home
Improvement, One on One, Boomtown, and can be heard as the voice of Mrs.
Patterson on the animated series As Told by Ginger. She also starred as Mama
Bosley in Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle. Dubois is a talented vocalist, and
was the co-writer and singer of the theme song for another hit sitcom - The
Jeffersons.
Janet Jackson (Penny). Janet, who is the
youngest member of the musical Jackson family, was cast as abused child Penny
on Good Times in 1977. After the cancellation of the show, Jackson surfaced
once again as the innocent girlfriend Charlene on Diff'rent Strokes. During her
short-lived time playing a dancing and singing student on the TV show Fame,
Jackson released an album, Dream Street, which was a commercial disaster. But
soon Jackson discovered that the key to her success was collaboration with
mega-hit producers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. Her third album, Control brought
her international success. Control sold 5 million copies worldwide and produced
six hit singles including When I think of You. Since then,
Jackson's career has been unstoppable, with the release of Rhythm Nation 1814,
Janet, Design of a Decade, Velvet Rope, All for You and Damita Joe. Between hit
albums, Janet has been married and divorced twice. Her second marriage to
longtime love Rene Elizonda didn't become public until they announced their
divorce after eight years of marriage. Jackson has also had moderate success in
films, co-starring as a brooding hairdresser in Poetic Justice and starring
opposite Eddie Murphy in Nutty Professor 2 . With numerous awards, a star on
the Hollywood Walk of Fame and pop cult status, Jackson was been the icon of
the 1990s. In 2001, MTV honoured her with the first MTV Icon Award. She
has a new single on the charts featuring rapper Nelly and her forthcoming album
to commemorate the 20th anniversary of her ground breaking 1986 album Control,
is due out later this year.
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Power Couple Look Beyond Will & Grace
Excerpt from The Globe and Mail - Gary Mason
(Aug. 1, 06) VANCOUVER -- When Joy
MacPhail married television and
movie producer James Shavick last summer, many felt it would only be a matter of time before
the former leader of the New Democratic Party joined her husband in the business.
After all, if there were a B.C. politician with a bit of Hollywood in her, it
was Ms. MacPhail, whose diatribes in the provincial legislature were considered
not-to-be-missed theatre. With her ever-changing red coiffure and sometimes
provocative outfits, the one-time provincial finance minister was seen as a
brainy and fearless tour de force whose occasional brazen behaviour landed her
in trouble. She was considered the ringleader of a group of female MLAs who
once put a dancing, plastic penis on the desk of a gay male colleague during a
debate in the legislature. It isn't known if dancing penises will find a place
in any of the new programming Ms. MacPhail and Mr. Shavick plan to bring to
their newest venture. Pending CRTC approval, the couple will become majority
owners of Toronto-based OUTtv, described as the longest-running gay, lesbian, bisexual and
transgender television network in the world. Ms. MacPhail is incoming chairman
of the board and plans to assume a role in front of the camera as well. While
friends of Ms. MacPhail and Mr. Shavick, president of Shavick Entertainment,
felt that a business collaboration between the two was inevitable, Ms. MacPhail
was wary of the idea. "I wanted to make this marriage work," said the
now thrice-married Ms. MacPhail, before letting out a gleeful chortle that
could scatter a plaza of pigeons. However, when Mr. Shavick, whose production
company is one of the largest in Canada, became convinced that taking over the
struggling network was a good idea, he immediately saw a role for his new wife
in the enterprise.
"Look at her background," said Mr. Shavick, sitting alongside his
wife on the second-storey patio of their Vancouver home. "Under her
leadership, B.C. became the first province to allow adoptions for gays and
lesbians, the first province to allow pension and health and welfare rights for
gays and lesbians, and the first province to allow for same-sex marriage. She
has been a champion for the cause." And, he added: "If you can get
along with a caucus, get along with bureaucrats, get along with Lehman Brothers
who are doing the bond issue, get along with Dominion bond rating service, get
along with the unions, get along with your constituents, it's a tremendous
resource to have to run a network." Well, I'm not sure Ms. MacPhail got
along with all those groups all of the time but if willpower and force of
personality are requisites for the job, she'll be just fine. The couple is
calling their new acquisition a "fixer-upper." OUTtv has a
subscription-based viewership of 300,000, give or take 10,000 or so. Ms.
MacPhail boldly predicts the new ownership can build that number to a million,
in part because of the access Mr. Shavick's company has to top-notch gay and
lesbian programming. This has been one of OUT's primary problems. It has been
so underfinanced it hasn't been able to afford the kind of premium
entertainment offered by outlets such as here!, a gay and lesbian specialty
channel currently available to 50 million U.S. households. Shavick
Entertainment produces one of the most popular shows on here!, Dante's Cove,
described by Mr. Shavick as Melrose Place meets The Beach.
Another critically acclaimed series on here! is the Donald Strachey mystery
series, whose central character, a detective, happens to be gay. According to
Ms. MacPhail, gays and lesbians want to be depicted on television as they are
in the real world, where they are doctors, lawyers, athletes and moms at home
who have the same kind of problems as heterosexuals.
"It's normalizing the reality of gay and lesbian life," she says.
"And let's face it, it's our world, too. We have friends and we go to
their house for dinner and it just so happens that four out of the eight
couples there are same-sex. We have outrageous dinner parties with outrageous
conversations and oh, by the way, four out of the eight couples are
same-sex." While network television has come along way since Ellen
DeGeneres first kissed another woman on the small screen, shows like Queer
Eye for the Straight Guy and Will and Grace are the equivalent to
minstrel shows of the past, according to Mr. Shavick. Ms. MacPhail and Mr.
Shavick are expected to rely heavily on advice from close friend Paul
Colichman, president and CEO of Regent Entertainment, which owns here! It was
on the terrace of Mr. Colichman's Bel-Air home that the couple was married last
summer. The pair originally met in the late 1990s when Ms. MacPhail was finance
minister and Mr. Shavick was in her office looking for tax relief for the film
industry. Eventually they began seeing one another and in 2003, Mr. Shavick
proposed, slipping a diamond ring that once belonged to his grandmother on Ms.
MacPhail's finger. Ms. MacPhail is considering two pilots that would put her in
front of the camera on her new network. One is a series of documentary profiles
about extraordinary people in the gay and lesbian community; she would host the
series. The other is a talk show that would be wide open in terms of content
and guests, which she would also host. Ms. MacPhail insists this is not some
vanity project being handed to her by a rich, well-connected husband. "I
have to contribute and am probably going to have to work my ass off," she
says. "But I've never been afraid of hard work. Actually, I can't wait to
get excited. I think it will be a hoot." And will likely provide a few,
too.
TV TIDBITS
Nona Gaye No Longer ‘Criminal’ Minded
Excerpt from www.eurweb.com
(August 1, 2006) *Just weeks after it was announced that Nona Gaye
would join the cast of NBC’s "Law & Order: Criminal Intent," the actress has decided that the new gig
is not for her. The daughter of late soul legend Marvin Gaye was to play the
new Assistant District Attorney, filling the spot vacated at the end of last
season by Courtney B. Vance. But sources tell the Hollywood Reporter that
creative differences were making Gaye uncomfortable with the role. Her exit
occurred soon after production began on the crime drama’s sixth season. Gaye
will be replaced by Theresa Randle, best known for her role in
"Girl 6." Randle is signed on for only three shows, but her deal
comes with an option to continue on as a regular cast member. Her first day on
the set is scheduled to be today. In addition to Vance, actors Jamey
Sheridan and Annabella Sciorra also exited the series after the end of last
season.
::THEATRE NEWS::
Anne II Needs To Travel
Excerpt from The Toronto Star - Richard Ouzounian
(Jul. 28, 2006) Playwright James M. Barrie once described the importanceof
charm to a woman: "If you have it, you don't need to have anything else;
and if you don't have it, it doesn't much matter what else you have."
He could have also been speaking about musicals, especially ones like Anne & Gilbert,
which is enjoying a successful run at the Harbourfront Jubilee Theatre on
Prince Edward Island. This is a show with charm in abundance and that
quality helps it glide by some imperfections to emerge as a property deserving
of a life beyond the confines of this island where Lucy Maud Montgomery is
practically the patron saint. If you haven't guessed by the title, Anne
& Gilbert is a sequel to the evergreen classic Anne of Green Gables and
is based on the next two books in Montgomery's series: Anne of Avonlea and
Anne of the Island. It picks up where the first show ended, with
the feisty redheaded orphan teaching school in Avonlea, wishing she could go
"away" to college and suffering through her on again-off again
romance with the handsome Gilbert Blythe. It's taken nearly a decade for
this musical's three authors to get their show onto the stage and once again
Toronto writers had to leave town to get their work produced. Nancy
White, the well-known satirical songstress, collaborated on the score with Bob
Johnston, who teaches music at Wexford School of the Arts in Scarborough. New
Yorker Jeff Hochhauser joined them to write the book and assist on the lyrics.
What they've done keeps the essential tone of Montgomery's work without seeming
like a fusty museum piece. The music has real melodic grace and invention,
often veering off into unexpected harmonies and rhythms that lift it above
conventional musical-theatre fare. The lyrics are well-crafted, serious
when called for (Anne's moving final song, "Forever in My Life") but
often wryly amusing, as in the hymn to the eccentricities of P.E.I. residents,
"You're Island Through and Through." And Hochhauser's book,
while suffering a bit from the compression mania that befalls anyone who tries
to put novels onstage, still creates at least a dozen arresting characters who
hold our interest throughout. The production now playing in Summerside is
solid enough to show the work's quality, but there are ways it could be
better. Duncan McIntosh's staging lacks the visual flair of this
director's best work, while his choreography is often anachronistic and
simplistic to a fault. Although he's encouraged CanStage regular Phillip
Clarkson to design more than 100 scrumptious costumes, the scenery by John
Dinning remains blandly beige. For a show set largely in a location where
the sky is such an important part of the emotional and visual landscape,
Dinning and McIntosh's decision to keep us inside a solid wooden box all night
seems odd and gives Elizabeth Asselstine few opportunities to provide striking
lighting.
The cast also varies in quality. Peter Deiwick is a wonderful Gilbert, cocky
yet compassionate, warm as a summer rainfall and good-looking enough to melt
the hearts of every girl onstage. Mélanie LeBlanc's Anne is more problematic.
She sings beautifully but speaks with a pronounced Acadian accent that plays
against the verbal dexterity essential to Anne Shirley, meaning the show lacks
a certain spark at its core. There's fine work from Laura Smith as a
compassionate Marilla, Pam Stevenson as a droll Mrs. Lynde, Heidi Ford as a
vixenish Josie Pye, Sarah Sheps as an ebullient Diana Barry and Natalie
Sullivan as a flirtatious Philippa. But several of the other roles are played
with a lack of experience or commitment. In the end, the strength of the
writing and the joy of the experience make this one a winner. It filled a
150-seat theatre last summer and is doing the same at a 400-seat venue this
year. The next step is one that many Islanders simultaneously desire, yet
dread: it's time for Anne & Gilbert to visit the mainland. I
like to think they'd receive an enthusiastic welcome here.
Landmark Toronto Cinema Gets A New Life
Excerpt from The Globe and Mail -
Hayley Mick
(July 28, 2006) After months of theatre closings and speculation that
repertory cinemas in Toronto are doomed, some good news for a change: The Royal Theatre, a College Street
landmark, has been sold for $2.2-million to a company set on keeping the
projector running -- with a modern twist. The buyer is Theatre D Digital,
a Toronto-based postproduction film company that plans to restore the theatre's
rickety red velvet seats and ornate moulding to their original charm. It will
be used as a state-of-the-art production studio by day and movie theatre by
night. The cinema has been closed to moviegoers since June 30.
Renovations are under way and a notice taped to the ticket box window reads:
Soon the lights will be back on brighter than ever! Theatre D co-founder
Dan Peel confirmed the purchase and said the plan is to make it look as good as
in "1939 when it opened." He and partner John Hazen declined to
comment further, saying they'd rather wait until renovations are complete in
September. The purchase and renovation plan gives hope to fans of the
independent movie house after a series of announcements indicated the number of
repertory cinemas in Toronto would soon be reduced by almost half.
In May, the McQuillan family, who owned three of five theatres in the Festival
Cinema Group, announced that the Revue, Kingsway and Royal would close by June
30. Two weeks later, Jerry Szczur, citing financial woes, said he was
selling the Paradise and he was looking for someone to lease the Fox. Problems
for the independent theatres seem almost insurmountable: high taxes, declining
ticket sales, the monster popularity of the multiplex. Even more crippling was
the rapid transfer of films to DVD -- second-run movie houses capitalize on
that gap to attract audiences. "I think it just goes to show you that you
have to do something a little more innovative with the space to make it
work," said Kate McQuillan, whose father, Peter, opened the Royal in
1939. Her family parted with the Royal for a half-million less than their
$2.7-million asking price. They're now looking for someone to lease the Revue
and keep it running. Meantime, Theatre D appears to have found a way to
make the theatres work. In 2002, the company began operating another
independent, the Regent, on Mount Pleasant Road near Eglinton Avenue. The
Regent, built in 1927, was revamped and modern film-editing suites added. Films
such as Where the Truth Lies and Being Julia, starring Annette
Bening, were edited there. The concept allows filmmakers to walk out of their
booths on the second floor into the main cinema and see what their edits look
like on a big screen, the owners told The Globe and Mail last year. On the
other hand, locals appreciate being able to walk down the street and watch a
cheap, second-run flick. Lately, ticket sales have been "fair,"
says the owner of the Regent, Peter Sorok, who has 45 years experience running
independent theatres. "It's a tough business. . . . If we were a
first-run movie house, we wouldn't need to do what we're doing."
::OTHER NEWS::
Katherine Dunham: Conversation With A Legend
Excerpt from www.eurweb.com
- By Deardra Shuler
(August 1, 2006) *It isn’t often that one can claim to be a legend
in one's
own time. Dancer/songwriter Katherine Dunham achieved such distinction up unto her passing this year. Born
with the soul of a dancer, and though her body succumbed to the aging process,
her rhythm of life and graceful spirit continued to pulsate with passion and
vigour up until her death at age 96 on May 21, 2006. Those who forged our
history are passing before our eyes, so it is only fitting I document for the
readers my conversation with Ms. Katherine Dunham. Katherine Dunham came into
the world in June of 1909, born into the town of Glynn Ellyn, Illinois.
Glynn Ellyn lie outside of Chicago and was a pleasant place for Katherine to
grow up with her brother, Albert, her mother who taught school and her father
who was a tailor by trade. "My mother for all intents and purposes, could
be considered White. Although, I have never researched her family
background, I believe she was of Canadian and Indian extraction. My father was
an American. He was about as pure black as you can get," reminisced Dunham
at that time. "I can’t be sure, but I think that in the earlier days,
racial differences may have been easier to handle. I just don't know. I think
it was startling to some. People were just so unaccustomed to those things.
They may not have been very happy about it, but I don't think things took on
some of the really unpleasant turns as they have taken on since then."
When she was 3 ½ years old, Katherine's mother died and shortly afterwards
Katherine and her brother moved to Chicago where they stayed with relatives.
The children went back and forth between the black and white sides of the
family. When Katherine turned 7, her family moved to Joliet where
she attended Beale Elementary School and her father remarried and bought a dry
cleaning establishment. "There was a certain color demarcation because I
recall a canal dividing the town, it also separated via color. We lived on the
side where there were businesses, Whites and some Mexican immigrants. On the
other side lived the few Black people in town. "Our family stayed
close together so most of my exposure and association was with family,"
recollected Dunham. Ms. Dunham’s father was a talented guitarist and bass
singer and it was his side of the family that nurtured Dunham’s artistry.
She occasionally sang accompaniment to her father, performing in family living
rooms and basements. "When I was in Joliet Town High School, I can recall
the music teacher asking me to stop singing bass. I guess I was influenced by
my father's bass tone," Ms. Dunham joked.
Dunham came from a working class family. "I seldom had the
opportunity to see dance shows, yet I started dancing on my own,"
Katherine recalls. "I just felt it inside myself. I simply had natural
rhythm." There was a teacher who exposed her students to ballet and a free
dance style similar to Isadora Duncan’s style. Dunham studied free style as
well as Russian and Scottish dancing in high school. "I soon came to see
the futility of making Russian dance my career," Dunham chuckled.
Though Katherine loved dance it wasn’t her only interest. She studied
anthropology when she and her brother Albert attended Chicago University.
Albert won a Masters degree in Philosophy from Harvard and his Doctorate from
Chicago but found that his color prevented him from getting the teaching job he
so richly deserved. Undeterred he went on to found The Cube Theatre.
Katherine earned a Bachelors Degree in Anthropology. "Since my brother was
older, he knew that due to the color discrimination, the only social life I
would be able to have would be one he created. The Cube Theatre offered me that
social life and opportunity to perform." For a moment Dunham paused, lost
in reverie. "Now, I realize how much my brother truly loved me" she
stated. Performers such as W.C. Handy, Ruth Page, Canady Lee, and Ben Hecht
were some of the artists who came to the Cube. It thrived but eventually Albert
got married and moved to Washington after experiencing enough racism to cause
the university to reluctantly let him go. "I can recall how much Albert
resented what happened. However, he had a family thus had no other
recourse but to go to Howard University in Washington where he was offered a
teaching position," Katherine remarked. Her brother gone, Katherine formed
the "Ballet Negre" within The Cube Theatre and in 1931, the
"Ballet Negre" performed a dance called "Negro Rhapsody" to
high acclaim. Some of the dancers, who studied under Dunham at that time, were
Eartha Kitt and Talley Beatty, who later went on to achieve fame. In 1934, Katherine
married Jordis McCoo and by 1935, was ready to combine her interest in dance
with anthropology. She traveled to the West Indies where she studied the
culture and African Gods.
"By learning all about the people, I could learn the dance. You can't
learn about the rhythm, the dance patterns and the music of a people without
learning everything there is to know about them," Katherine acknowledged.
"I think the big hole in American thinking is the inability to absorb
other traditions and truly try to understand the cultures of other
people. Perhaps had we done so, we might have avoided some dark periods
in history." After studying the rhythm, culture, mythology, and raw
primitive movements of these cultures, Katherine formulated a free form dance
style that would become her trademark, known today, as the "Dunham
technique." Dunham ended her first marriage. She later married set
and costume designer John Pratt. In the 1940's, she began touring Canada,
Mexico, and the United States. She also toured Japan, Africa, Austria, Australia,
New Zealand, and Brazil. In 1938 and 1939, she performed "Cabin in the
Sky," at the Martin Beck Theatre in New York and toured with it to Los
Angeles. Later she appeared in Warner Brothers, "Carnival of Rhythm,"
"Star Spangled Rhythm" and "Pardon My Sarong." In San
Francisco she appeared with Howard Skinner's Symphony Orchestra. She eventually
returned to New York to perform in "Pins and Needles." Katherine was
left heartsick when her brother Albert died in 1949. That same year, she
received the "Chevalier In the Haitian Legion of Honor" which was
awarded by Dumarsais Estime, then President of Haiti. Ms. Dunham was also an
activist in her own fashion. "I think my father’s activism influenced me.
He once told us that he was forced to sit up all night guarding our house with
a shotgun." Ms. Dunham who was a world performer, author, and traveler met
famed artists and world renowned political leaders such as Paul Robeson, Evita
Peron and Moulay Hassan, the King of Morocco. She established The
Katherine Dunham Dance School in New York from 1943-55. It had headquarters in
East St. Louis and schools in Haiti, Switzerland, and Italy. Dunham
attended the screening of "Oprah Winfrey's Legends Ball" at JP Morgan
Library in May in New York City. Katherine’s legs were once insured for 250,000
dollars. What was Dunham's secret to longevity? She summarized it by
saying: "The only way to live and especially if you are an artist, is to
realize that certain things happen when they are supposed to happen. It’s synchronicity.
One just falls in line with certain movements and people just when you are
supposed to. I’ve lived a life of synchronicity."
Bruce Kuwabara - Rebirth Of The Cool
Excerpt from The Globe and Mail - Val
Ross
(July 31, 2006) North American architects ripen late. Bruce Kuwabara was in his late 30s
when he, Tom Payne, Marianne McKenna and Shirley Blumberg formed Kuwabara Payne
McKenna Blumberg in 1987. By the early 1990s, with the success of their first
projects -- like King James Place (urban infill incorporating 19th-century
buildings along Toronto's King Street East) and City Hall in Kitchener, Ont. --
the four fortysomethings were regarded as wunderkinds. This June, after
winning two U.S. prizes, Kuwabara received the prestigious Royal Architectural
Institute of Canada gold medal at age 57, becoming the first of his generation
to join the ranks of Jack Diamond, Arthur Erickson and Moshe Safdie. He is
ripening late in other ways. When I interviewed Kuwabara in 1998, he was the
epitome of conscious cool. As a teenager in Hamilton, he'd cultivated the
preppie look (cuffed pants, penny loafers) and played chess and pool. Later,
supplementing his University of Toronto education with pool-hall winnings, he stalked
the architecture school in a black leather trench coat, its echoes of 1930s
Germany noted with alarm by fellow student Shirley Blumberg. "Bruce has
always been, shall we say, 'sartorially aware,' " she says. A
well-dressed bachelor into his 50s, Kuwabara stayed cool, strategic,
diplomatic; if his manner was friendly, his soul seemed to be aloft, scanning
far horizons.
But today he seems different when he bursts into the boardroom of the converted
underwear factory in downtown Toronto where KPMB has designed projects from
Denver to Berlin. They've made their mark in British Columbia with Richmond
City Hall, and in Quebec with Le Quartier Concordia, a complex of three
buildings that transforms the university's Montreal campus. "A lot has
changed," Kuwabara says, looking not so much cool as happy. He fans photos
across the boardroom table: Two small faces with dark heads and busy fingers,
surrounded by bright toys. "I'm a father," he says. His own father,
Masao Kuwabara, who had been interned in the Second World War, died in August,
2002. At the funeral ceremonies, Bruce Kuwabara was reminded, "The
Buddhist image of life is like an ocean . . . as one wave passes, another one
is formed." Four weeks after the funeral, after a whirlwind courtship, he
married Victoria Jackman, head of the philanthropic Jackman Foundation. Their
son Thomas Masao (Mas) is now almost 3; their daughter Vita will be 2 in
November. "I now think about the future more than I ever did before,"
Kuwabara said in his RAIC speech. "Everything is new again." One of
KPMB's many strong suits is making old architecture new again -- such as the
new atrium and concert hall rising behind Toronto's polychromatic 19th-century
Royal Conservatory of Music, and the new spaces the team designed for Canada's
National Ballet School and the Gardiner Museum of Ceramic Art, also both in
Toronto. Kuwabara grabs a felt pen (momentarily dismayed to realize that he's
sketching on the back of a printout photo of Vita and Mas) to explain how he
and Blumberg worked on the Gardiner: "We wanted the roof to set
relationships with the building next door, and the Royal Ontario Museum across
the street. These relationships aren't god-given. What the architect does is
establish the latent potential of the site." As well as harmonizing
proportions and lines, KPMB replaced the building's pinkish façade with Indiana
limestone to match its neighbours; the building, once set back from the street,
was brought forward. A new third floor increased exhibition space; its generous
windows reveal unexpected vistas of nearby rooftops and the ROM'scarved façade.
"It's breathtaking," says Gardiner executive director Alexandra
Montgomery, delighted by what has been done (on a modest $20-million budget).
"It has changed the scale of the Gardiner without changing the
essence."
While the Gardiner is proudly listed in The Architecture of Kuwabara Payne
McKenna Blumberg, the book makes no mention of another KPMB project,
Canada's National Ballet School. This disjointed a nose or two at the book's
launch in 2004 (What, aren't we good enough? some balletomanes demanded). The
omission was understandable: Another architect, Philip Goldsmith, did the plan
for the school's expansion. Goldsmith Borgal renovated the complex's old
buildings, a Victorian-era school and a yellow brick 1856 mansion, and chose
KPMB for the new elements. "At first, KPMB saw it as a joint venture. As
it became more successful, they became more proud of their involvement,"
says Goldsmith. Kuwabara only realized last year just how well the school
turned out. Walking past one dark night, he looked up to see dancers in the
bright studios, and noted the way dark alternated with light, old buildings
with new. "I had a eureka moment," he says. What he values about the
school now, he says, is, "It's not about itself alone. It's about the
whole street." Last year, Andrew Blum, contributing editor at Metropolis,
the New York architecture magazine, moderated a panel with Kuwabara, his former
teacher Jack Diamond, Daniel Libeskind and Will Alsop to talk about Toronto's
cultural building projects. "Introducing Bruce was a bit of a joke,"
says Blum. "The other architects had one project each, while KPMB's name
was on seven." As discussion grew heated, Kuwabara stayed cool and
diplomatic. For Blum, Kuwabara's special qualities are "quietness,
urbaneness, a sense of textures and materials -- a sensitivity that is
particularly Torontonian." Lately, says Kuwabara, he has been
reconsidering Toronto's peculiar challenges. When a young architect from Paris
joined the firm, Kuwabara asked why he'd left for Toronto. "He told me,
'Paris is beautiful. But it's 19th-century. Here it's lively, there's old and
new, high and low.' Toronto's architecture is polyglot. You either consider it
a mishmash, or vital." Kuwabara has made it his challenge to build
harmonies in the cacophonous cityscape, but his interests are now moving in new
directions. Eagerly, Kuwabara explains the key features of KPMB's Manitoba
Hydro project in Winnipeg, which aims to be the world's most energy-efficient
building of its size (22 storeys). It has geothermal shafts reaching deep into
the Earth to regulate the temperature; stainless-steel cables with water
dripping down to a pool in the main hall to serve as both art and humidifier. "If
you'd told me. . . at architectural school that mechanical engineering would be
a big part of our work, I'd say you were daft," says Blumberg. Now,
"there's no question that this direction is our future." In his
gold-medal acceptance speech, Kuwabara recalled the tropical fish he had kept
as a child. "Aquariums are finite ecologies, fragile environments within
which everything needs to be balanced and maintained. . . . There is a strong
connection between childhood passions and future careers." For years, Bruce
Kuwabara erected a cool image; more recently he's constructed harmonies for our
fractured cities. Now, he's thinking about how to build a more balanced,
sustainable world.
Kanye, Oprah, Leezy Among Vanity Fair’s ‘Best-Dressed’
Excerpt from www.eurweb.com
(August 2, 2006) *Vanity
Fair magazine’s 67th annual Best Dressed list,
appearing in the September issue (on newsstands Aug. 8), includes first timer
Kanye West, as well as TV mogul Oprah Winfrey and Secretary of State
Condoleezza Rice. West was chosen for his "fresh,"
"poetic" and "cutting-edge" style, and for being
“outspoken, not only in his beliefs, but also in his style,” noted Amy Fine
Collins, social correspondent for Vanity Fair. "I love what he does with
colour. He loves pale pastels and nice sugary colours. He has a beautiful way
with language, but also with appearance. “There's no one else that's doing
what he's doing,” she continued. “He goes far in new directions and is very
watched, imitated and admired. He feels good about himself and it shows. Kanye
is a college boy. [Obviously, she hasn’t seen the title of his first album.] He
knows about the Lacoste preppy collegiate look, but he's not going to leave it
at that. Instead, he takes elements of that and almost makes inside jokes on
it. He never looks like a slob, even if he's in jeans."
Rice, meanwhile, was chosen "for her immaculately groomed and formidably dignified
but with an audacious renegade streak fashion sense, not to mention her black
knee-high dominatrix boots." Others making Vanity Fair’s
best-dressed list this year include Gwen Stefani, Selma Blair, Sofia Coppola,
Renee Zellweger, David Beckham, George Clooney, Anderson Cooper, gossip
columnist Richard Johnson, Count Manfredi Della Gherardesca, Charlotte
Casiraghi (daughter of Monaco's Princess Caroline) and Prince Ernst August of
Hanover (Princess Caroline's husband). The magazine also inducted
Queen Rania of Jordan and model Kate Moss into its fashion hall of fame,
reserved for those who have graced the best-dressed list at least four times.
They join hall of fame members Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, Tina Turner, Bianca
Jagger, Iman, Sophia Lauren and Queen Noor of Jordan, along with Rolling Stones
drummer Charlie Watts, David Bowie, Fred Astaire and Bryan Ferry.
OTHER TIDBITS
Manitoba To Help Video Game Makers
Source: Canadian Press
(July 28, 2006) WINNIPEG — In an effort to help video game creators put their
dreams on the screen, the Manitoba government rolled out new grants Thursday to
foot some of their labour costs. The grants cover up to 45 per cent of
labour costs to write new games as long as 25 per cent of the salaries are paid
in Manitoba. The fund, unique in that it has no upper dollar limit,
replaces an earlier promise by the province to give the industry a leg up with
tax credits like the ones available to the film industry. "It's a
growing industry and we have the people and the capacity in this province to
take advantage of that," said Industry Minister Dave Chomiak. It's
not the province's first funding package for the video game industry. Last
month it awarded five video game projects a total of $300,000 to create new
videos and market Manitoba's industry. And earlier this year, the
province set up a $350,000 incubator fund. Starting this fall, Red River
College will enroll its first class in a year-long program to train game
creators in advanced 3-D animation techniques. Dragonfly Games president
Lee Doerksen called the announcement ``fantastic news." "This
shows the province's commitment to developing our sector," Doerksen
said. The Canadian Taxpayers Federation slammed the project. Spokeswoman
Adrienne Batra said taxpayers stand to lose out because the money isn't a loan
that will be paid back or covered if a company fails.
Former Baywatch Babe Pamela Anderson And Kid Rock Wed In St.
Tropez
Source: Associated Press
(July 29, 2006) LOS ANGELES (AP) - She was once Pamela
Anderson Lee. Now actress Pamela Anderson is Mrs.
Kid Rock. The former Baywatch
babe wed the rock star Saturday in St. Tropez, Anderson's spokeswoman, Ann
Gurrola, told The Associated Press. More details on the wedding would be
available Monday, the spokeswoman said. Anderson, 39, and Kid Rock, 35,
were engaged in Las Vegas in 2002 but split up the following year. The
two were photographed together earlier this month in St. Tropez. Two weeks ago,
Anderson wrote in her online diary that she was "in love" and
planning to marry again. "I'm happy," she wrote. "I see
the light. Sounds dramatic, but it's true." She also seemed to
allude to her on-again-off-again relationship with Kid Rock when she wrote,
"I've raised my kids alone in (the) hope of a miracle."
"Well my miracle came and went. And came back and back because he knew
that I'd wake up one day and realize that I was waiting for nothing," she
said. Anderson and her first husband, rock star Tommy Lee, divorced in
1998 after three years of marriage. They have two sons, Brandon, 10, and Dylan,
8. Kid Rock, whose real name is Robert Ritchie, has a 13-year-old son,
Bob Jr.
::SPORTS NEWS::
Sportsnet Takes Hit On Raptors Telecasts
Excerpt from The Globe and Mail -
William Houston
(July 28, 2006) The slumbering Toronto Raptors perked up and became interesting
when Bryan Colangelo was appointed as the president and general manager of the
National Basketball Association club. And in the off-season, a series of player
moves, most recently the signing of free-agent guard Fred Jones, also created a
buzz. But will the reconstructed Raptors get the television exposure they
deserve in the 2006-07 season? Not entirely. Rogers
Sportsnet, which at one time aired as
many as 40 games a season, will have its schedule drastically reduced to about
10. Raptors fans will be better served on TSN, which will air 20 telecasts, and
The Score, which will have 30. A large portion of the remaining 22 or so games
will be carried by club-owned Raptors NBA TV, although viewers will need digital
television to get the channel. For Sportsnet, the small number of Raptors games
will leave its Ontario region with a thin schedule of in-market major-league
content during the winter. In addition to the Raptors, Sportsnet Ontario will
carry 15 Toronto Maple Leafs telecasts. The problem Sportsnet and Maple Leaf
Sports and Entertainment, which owns the Raptors, had in negotiating a TV deal
was tied largely to distribution. MLSE wants as many Raptors games as possible
aired countrywide, hence the deals with TSN and Score, both national services.
But on most nights, Sportsnet can't assure the Raptors national distribution.
In the West, for example, the network has a heavy schedule of regional Calgary
Flames and Edmonton Oilers telecasts.
The Raptors' preference for national coverage is tied to its goal of improving
audiences outside Ontario in regions such as Alberta. Raptors NBA TV, a
national service, can deliver countrywide coverage. What's more, exclusive game
telecasts will increase subscriptions to the digital channel. Despite carrying
a small number of Raptors games, Sportsnet will air a full slate of regional
NBA telecasts. Sportsnet's other major contract problem is in the Pacific
region. A Vancouver Canucks TV deal for 2006-07 has not been announced because
of the inability of the network and club to reach an agreement. The Canucks
have few options other than Sportsnet for regional telecasts, but the club has
apparently increased the asking price for Canucks rights to more than $250,000
a game.
SPORTS TIDBITS
Drama Thwarts Laila Ali Fight In South Africa
Excerpt from www.eurweb.com
(July 28, 2006) *Officials in Johannesburg, South Africa are attempting to
woo boxer Laila Ali back to the country for her scheduled fight against a Guyanese
contender after a promoter’s failure to secure funding caused her to pull out
of the event and fly home. Hoping to fulfill the one-time wish of her father
Muhammad Ali to fight in South Africa, Laila had flown in last week to prepare
for her bout against 36-year-old mother-of-five, Gwendolyn O'Neill in Cape
Town. But days later, she was back on a plane to the United States amidst
reported mud slinging between her camp and the fight’s controversial promoter,
Joe Manyathi of Sta-Trade. According to Reuters, Manyathi has a
reputation for offering empty promises of historic bouts to be staged in South
Africa, including a scrapped match between Mike Tyson and Lennox Lewis, and an
abandoned fight for Evander Holyfield. Ali’s camp claims that Manyathi
came up short on her fee of R3.5m (approximately $500,000) to fight in the
country. Also, evidence surfaced that the sport minister's signature had been
forged on documents seeking the support of sport authorities in Cape Town.
. A warm and enthusiastic welcome had greeted Ali, 28, when she touched
down in the country last week. The hype surrounding the match-up was
pervasive throughout the region, which made its ultimate cancellation all the
more embarrassing for both parties involved. Meanwhile, Boxing South Africa has
helped to negotiate a date and conditions for a new match and hopes Ali will
return. "The main thing in this whole issue was that
there was a lot of mistrust...the main sponsor withdrew financial support so
the Laila Ali camp became nervous," Boxing SA spokesman Loyisa Mtya told
Reuters. "As of now everything is looking positive." Myta said
a new sponsor had come forward and officials were now waiting for the
28-year-old light middleweight champ to agree to the conditions.
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::FITNESS::
10 Warm-Weather Tips
For A Buff Body
By Mike Stefano, eDiets.com Guest Columnist
It's time to get out there and strut your stuff. From poolside barbecues
to long days at the beach, there's no shortage of activities during our
precious summer months. Miss a few workouts and your buff body will start
to slip away faster than the outgoing tide. So when it's finally time to bare
all, how can you maintain your fitness or weight-loss gains if
there's so much else to do besides work out? Here's my top 10 list on how
to stay fit for summer without giving up anything you love:
1. Drink as much water as possible
Don't get caught up on soda, juice or flavoured coffee trap. During warm
weather your body needs extra hydration, be sure it's calorie-free. Water is a
natural appetite suppressant, and most times your “hunger” is your body asking
for water -- not food.
2. Eat light
This one's a no brainer. Hot temps can significantly reduce your appetite. Be
sure to eat light but well-rounded meals throughout the day, and don't make a
habit of chowing down on heavy, high-fat foods (burgers and fries).
3. Play for exercise
Make some of your summer fun active fun. You might consider joining a
volleyball league or going hiking. And of course swimming is great exercise.
You could also get into your kids' activities, such as helping out with
coaching their soccer team.
4. Walk, don't ride
As long as the mercury hasn't climbed to dangerous levels (above 90 degrees),
make a habit of leaving the car at home whenever possible. The extra caloric
output will be much more than you can generate strictly through exercise.
5. Fire the lawn guy
Don't underestimate the amount of physical exertion it takes to landscape.
Mowing the lawn, raking leaves, and planting flowers are great exercise if
approached with the right mindset. Keep your pace brisk while moving around and
you'll be sure to work up a good sweat.
6. Work out early in the morning
Take advantage of the cool morning air if you like to walk or run outdoors. Get
out there before the heat of the day has had a chance to fry you and the
surface you'll be running on.
7. Play it cool in the gym
If you have control of the thermostat in your gym (or home), keep the workout
area as cool as possible. Contrary to popular belief, hot temps do not enhance
a workout, but rather hinder performance and your results.
8. Day at the beach
Get up and move around when at the beach or picnicking. A long walk in the sand
will provide plenty of stimulation to your leg muscles and intensify caloric
burn.
9. Become a maller
Across the country, early morning mall-walking groups are becoming increasingly
popular in both the hot and cold weather. Today's expansive shopping centers
provide ample walking surface without the sensation of moving in a tight
circle.
10. Adapt a "2-Move Summer Slim Down"
Develop a short but effective mini-program that can be done in 20 minutes or
less. A program such as this will be enough to hold you over for a week or two
or even the entire summer if approached intelligently. Beginners should find
the program very challenging, and I recommend it as a practical way to
introduce exercise into your life.
Check with your doctor before proceeding.
Exercise One
The Box Squat
8 to 15 reps recommended
The Box Squat is a way to
safely open up squats to just about any
fitness level. By adjusting the height of the box (or bench) or adding weight
(weight vest or dumbbells), you can work through a wide range of intensity
levels. The movement can also be performed with one leg, immediately doubling
intensity levels. Be sure you master the two-legged version before advancing to
one leg.
Intensity Variations
1. Reduce or increase height of box (bench, sturdy chair, or athletic step)
2. Hold dumbbells of varying poundages
3. Wear weighted vest
4. Perform with one leg to double intensity
· Stand with your back to sturdy chair, box, bench or step that can
support your weight and is of the correct height. You should be able to squat
down and stand back up again without pain or discomfort in the lower back or
knees. Everybody has a different safe range of motion, and it's up to you to
determine your optimum box height. The lower the box, the more intense the set
(without the necessity of increasing resistance).
· Your heels should be about 6 or 8 inches out.
Shins are kept as vertical as possible throughout. Your back is tight and
arched, your butt is way out behind you. Eyes look up. Keep your body strong
and tight. Keep your body strong, especially tighten your abs and glutes.
Repeat: Shins are vertical!
· Inhale as you lower your body by thrusting your
butt out behind you and hands out in front (if holding DBs, your arms will not swing
nearly as high as illustration) as your body weight shifts to your heels
(versus balls of your feet). Shins remain vertical and back straight, NEVER
rounded. Try to get the feeling you're wearing heavy boots that are nailed to
the floor.
· Tap your butt on the bench or step, exhale and
stand up in exactly the reverse order, returning to the starting position.
Repeat to muscle fatigue. Ideally, select a resistance level (lower box height
or hold DB’s) that allows you to hit muscle fatigue within 8 to 15 slow,
controlled repetitions. The more slowly you perform this exercise and the lower
the box is set, the greater the intensity level.
· Be mindful of form and any discomfort in your
lower back or knees (a sure sign you're not following perfect form, you need to
lower intensity, or to see a doctor).
Exercise Two
The Push-Up
10 to 20 reps recommended
Assume the classic push-up position with hands on the floor at shoulder width
or wider. Hand placement should be wherever you feel strongest and least likely
to feel shoulder or elbow discomfort. There are multiple ways to increase or
decrease intensity from the classic push-up (hands and feet on the floor).
Intensity Variations
1. Classic Push-Up
Hands and feet on the floor, body straight
2. Modified Push-Up
Hands on floor, knees on the floor and bent at 90 degrees
3. Elevated Hands Push-Up
Hands up on a platform or bench (or even a vertical wall), feet on floor
4. Elevated Feet Push-Up
Feet up on a step (or staircase) or bench (or chair) and hands on floor
· Keep your entire body -- especially your abs and
glutes -- tight before you start. No matter what version of the push-up your
perform, your back needs to stay perfectly straight.
· If you can't keep your back straight, revert back
to an easier version. When you push off the floor, exhale and be sure your
entire body moves in one unit. There should only be movement in your body at
the shoulders and elbows. Form is everything. Without a straight back and tight
core, this exercise is worthless.
· Inhale and lower your chest to within an inch or
two of the floor (or step). If you can't lower all the way, revert back to an
easier version of the exercise. Push back up and exhale at the top of the
motion. Repeat to fatigue in the range of 10 to 20 reps.
The Routine
· Always warm up with 3 minutes of low-intensity
aerobic activity, such as stepping in place.
· Perform two to four sets of each exercise,
alternating exercises from set to set (active rest of working muscles).
· Rest about a minute or two between sets (less for
more strength gains, more for more endurance gains).
· Once you can complete the max reps listed for each
exercise, jump up to the next intensity variation (progressive overload
principle).
· Vary the total number of sets you perform from
workout to workout (anywhere from four to eight sets) to offset boredom.
For more fat busting, strength building workouts, give me a visit at www.firefightersworkout.com.
::MOTIVATION::
Motivational Note - Are You Experiencing Uncomfortable
Circumstances?
Excerpt from www.eurweb.com - by Dr.
Jewel Diamond Taylor, Jewelmotivates@aol.com
"Man must prepare for the thing he has asked for, even where there isn't
the
slightest sign of it in sight." ~ Florence Scovel Shinn "
The more tranquil a man becomes, the greater is his success, his influence, his
power for good. Calmness of mind is one of the beautiful jewels of
wisdom." ~ James Allen "
Sometimes life doesn’t tell you the “whens” or “whys.” -- Babyface song
“Waiting to Exhale” movie soundtrack "
When life is stressing and changing, will you either:
1) interpret it has a time of testing your faith and commitment,
2) a time to use your faith,
3) a time to lose your faith, hope and sanity or
4) see this as a life lesson learned,
5) become motivated to adapt, accept and take action or
6) learn how to avoid this from happening again?
When you are experiencing uncomfortable circumstances, you can choose your
disposition about your position. You can either say you are "going"
through something or you can say you are "Growing" through something.
You can make yourself sick, angry and depressed when you constantly think and
debate about the outcomes in your life that cannot be changed or controlled.
Make a list of the things you can change. Start there with action and a plan.
You only lose time and energy if you continue to whine, wait, worry, weep and
wish things were better. Instead of telling God about your big problems ---
tell your problems that you have a big God."
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