20
Carlton Street, Suite 1032, Toronto, ON
M5B 2H5
(416)
677-5883
langfieldent@rogers.com
www.langfieldentertainment.com
August 30, 2007
Ahhh, the last long weekend of the summer. Enjoy and
celebrate safely! Fall is just around the corner -
turtlenecks, chilly evenings, school buses ...
This week, check out the pictures from the Timbaland
Afterparty, Denosh CD release and Mike Scott,
Justin Timberlake's and Prince's guitarist while he visits Cirque
du Soleil. All in my PHOTO GALLERY.
This week also features my interview with Denosh, who was
in town touring with Justin Timberlake!
::HOT EVENTS::
HARLEM EVENTS**
Week of August 23-29, 2007
For information on the vibe of Harlem Restaurant and live music venue:
Go to www.harlemrestaurant.com.
|
Date |
Name of Event |
|
|
August 29 |
Vertigo |
DJ David James and
special guest Gene King from Vibes and Vinyl (deep house deep tech garage) Doors: 9pm |
|
August 30 |
Harlem Night |
DJ Carl Allen Doors: 9pm |
|
August 31 |
The HeadNod Collective presents
UrbanArtHouse: Images, beats and culture!! Wall art by Anna Keenan.
UrbanArtHouse gives you the best in soul, funk, disco, r&B, old skool,
hip hop, and reggae. Show: 10pm $10 |
|
|
September 1 |
Living in the City |
Carl Cassell hosts Living in the City.
Come down and enjoy a night of classic house and old skool. Nobody does it
better than DJ Carl Allen. Doors: 9pm after 11pm $5 |
**HARLEM
67 Richmond St. (at Church)
Tel: 416-368-1920
::EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW::
Denosh Interview - Back 2 Front
Denosh – people know the name.
Wasn’t she the former dance
captain of the Raptors? Yes.
Wasn’t she one of the dancers on Aaliyah’s
last video? Yes.
Isn’t she singing backgrounds for Justin
Timberlake? Yes.
Toronto’s Denosh has been around the
industry for many years and has now released her debut CD - Back 2 Front which
will be available digitally on Itunes.com, Rhapsody.com and other digital
download sites. Her first single, “Have
Fun” was chosen for the Universal Music
Canada Honey Jam Compilation CD “Honey
Jams’, which also features songs from Nelly
Furtado, India Arie, Pussy Cat Dolls and many other high profile female
artists. Her video for the song is currently in rotation on Much
Music. Denosh is currently singing background with Justin Timberlake on
his world tour, ‘FutureSex/LoveSounds’.
Denosh has worked on music videos, live stage shows, recording projects and
world
tours with performers such as; Debbie Allen, Mariah Carey, Whitney Houston,
Missy Elliot, Janet Jackson, Alicia Keys and many more. Most recently she was
one of the finalists on season three of MTV’s and Diddy’s ‘Making the Band’ and
made her Broadway debut in the Tony award-winning musical ‘Hairspray.’ No
rookie here!
Denosh talked to me on Friday, August 24th, a couple of days after her Toronto
CD release, from the Sutton Place Hotel about the current Justin tour, her
transition from Canada to the U.S., the transition from being a dancer to
being a vocalist, and much more!
Welcome home! How is it to come
home after all these years and to be part of such a successful tour with Justin
Timberlake?
It’s a blessing and an honour because a
lot of people don’t get that opportunity. They don’t get the opportunity
to leave and then come back. It’s a testament to what I’ve been doing and
it shows people that I’ve been out there hustling. It’s really
gratifying. I know that it’s also encouraging to other people to be able
to see me step out and to be able to see me in such a big project. A lot
of my friends and family have been able to come and see the show. It
feels really good and it feels like all the hard work has paid off.
How did getting the gig come about?
A friend of mine had got the call about
the tour prior to me and she turned it down because she had gotten married and
didn’t want to
jump right on to the road. They asked her if she knew anyone that might
be good for it because they didn’t want to do auditions. She told them
that ‘I have the perfect person’. I was in the middle of doing a Broadway
play at the time (Hairspray) and I wasn’t 100% happy with what I was
doing. I loved the job but where I was in my life, I wanted to be
somewhere else.
A couple of months prior to that, I was watching Justin on The Jay Leno Show or
something and I thought if I have to work for any other artist again, that’s
who I want to work for. I liked him from N’Sync and I liked what he was
doing. I’m not mad at him. And then I see my friend singing backgrounds
for him so I called her and said that if anyone ever gets sick, you better call
me! Then a couple of months later, I get the call!
Has this tour influenced the sound of your tracks on your CD?
Most of my CD was recorded before I
started touring. I did do two new tracks – one was the intro and the
second song “Get Used to It”. I knew that I would be obligated for such a
long time
on the tour and I didn’t know when I would be able to sit down in the studio
and do a full studio album. In the meantime, I wanted to get some product
out there and try to establish a fan base and expand on the fan base that I
already have. I just wanted to do a taste of what I’ve been up to and
what’s to come. So, I’ve added those two tracks.
And the energy of Justin’s record – the dance energy – inspired me and that’s
why one of the songs is an up-tempo one, heavy with synths just to freshen it
up.
Who are your producers and how did they come to work on this
project?
There are two producers on the
album. One is Charles
“Pheenom” Wilson III and the other producer is Bernard Edwards, Jr. and he goes by “Focus”.
Focus I have known for some years now and I met him when I was dancing
background for Brandy. He was her musical director. I knew that he
was a musician but not a producer. At the time, I was interested in transitioning
to background singing from dancing. I felt that people would take me more
seriously as an artist. So, he did a demo for me and we worked together
on various projects. Pheenom I met because he’s Justin Timberlake’s
keyboard player. I met him on the Justified tour in 2003. I didn’t
know he was a producer either but throughout the years he would do some music
and I would write and we’ve collaborated on a few projects. He’s been the
main producer that I’ve been working with but when I decided to put all the
songs together, I felt that these two producers were the ones closest to each
other and closest to me in terms of sound and they compliment each other.
I wanted there to be some sort of theme and continuity.
You’re in a unique position that many Canadian artists wish they
were in – a Canadian making their mark in the American music industry.
What challenges does this offer?
Yes, there are definitely
challenges. One was just proving myself to my American peers. They
are leery of anyone that’s not American. In some situations, they didn’t
know and they would say, “You’re from Canada? You sing like us and dance
like us.” And I would say that it’s really not that deep. Once I
got my foot in the door, it wasn’t so hard. One of the challenges was
getting the work Visas. But I think that the biggest challenge is just
being the newcomer.
When I first moved, people said ‘oh you deserted us’. I couldn’t do
anything about it. I did a lot in Toronto before I left and at that time,
I
had exhausted all of my options as far as participating in the arts and making
a legitimate career out of it. There are things that I needed to do and
needed to accomplish that were not available to me here. But I never ever
left Canada behind. I always have been back and forth and maintained
relationships here. My family is still here. I got a lot of flack
for pursing a career in the States as a performer. But the industry grew
and a lot of Americans were coming to Canada to shoot movies and videos.
Now I feel like people are looking for their way in. I’ve always been one
to help, suggest and advise but it’s interesting that some of the people who
weren’t so supportive then are now looking for a way in. They see now
that I have longevity and see the growth. It’s bittersweet because it’s
nice to be appreciated and to be able to come back but at the same time, there
are those people that do hate on me because they never had the outlet or they
never took the chance. I’ve always encouraged my friends and said that
it’s there for you, you just have to want it and go after it.
What has been one of the highlights in your musical career so
far?
One of the highlights of my musical career was when I made the
transition professionally from background dancer to background singer. I was
working for one of my mentors, Faith
Evans, as a dancer, and one day on the tour bus
she heard me singing to myself. She asked me for a demo of my music, and
after she heard it, she told me she was going to make sure I was on the mic
singing with her as soon as possible. A month later, a spot opened up on her
team of vocalists, and she hired me to sing for her. I never looked back!
What pieces of advice would you give to an artist that wants to
enter the business?
First, I would say to make sure that being in this business is what you want to
do. Even if you don’t know how long you want to do it, make sure at that
moment, it’s all that you want. Second, I would encourage them to educate and
prepare themselves as much as possible on the business side of things as well as
their craft. And last, but not least, I would encourage them to never give up,
no matter how far away their achievements may seem. Sometimes it just a test to
see how badly you want something, and sometimes the closer you get to realizing
your dreams, the harder things become…
What would you say is the unique contribution of Canadian urban
music globally? Is there something you hear outside of Canada about our music?
Well I would definitely say there is a global presence of Canadian music. The
good thing about is that we’re so diverse in nature, and people can’t really
say “that sounds Canadian”. Uniquely, I feel like as Canadians, we just do what
is natural to us, we don’t try to fit into any mold musically. We’ve got rock,
alternative, Pop, R&B, soul, and everything in between. The funniest thing
is that people expect Canadians to be less talented or something, and are so
surprised that some of their favourite artists or top selling artists are
Canadian.
Who are some of your favourite Canadian artists?
Sarah McLaughlan, Nickleback, Celine Dion, kos, Tamia, Avril Lavigne, Divine
Brown.
Who are some of your influences – not just musically but
anyone’s who’s made their mark for you?
My mother, my sister, Bob Marley, Debbie Allen, Michael Jackson, Janet Jackson,
Whitney Houston.
What direction would you like to see your career head?
In the near future, I’d like to tour, maybe open up for some artists, headline
my own tour. I’m also a songwriter, so I plan to write and produce for
other artists and projects real soon….there is so much to be done in this
business, and I want a piece of it all!
If you could work with any artist, living or past, who would it
be?
I would love to work with Bob Marley,
Stevie Wonder, Nina Simone and I’d love to work with Timbaland. I think
that as far as today’s producers, his longevity, his creativity, the way that
he’s flipped it – he’s ridiculous.
What do you want people to remember you by?
I want them to feel like I gave them
something. I’d want to feel that if they heard me sing, they got
something from the pain in my voice, or the tone of my voice – that they got
want they wanted. Whether they wanted to be cheered up or whether they
wanted to connect because they liked the song. I want them to feel fulfilled.
Denosh is that type of person that no matter what song she is singing, that you
always get something from her. Also that they see the struggle or the
hard work and they see that it’s not just fluff and that they appreciate the
story. I want to be able to encourage people from my walk and what I’ve
done. I want them to feel inspired to be able to do whatever it is they
want to do.
So, what’s in your iPod player right now?
Amy Winehouse, Al Green, Beyonce,
D’Angelo, Fred Hammond, Jay Moss, Kim Burrell, will.i.am, Justin Timberlake,
Timbaland’s new CD, Sarah Vaughan, Janet Jackson, Ludacris, Pat Matheny,
Linkin’ Park, NeYo, – so a little bit of everything. I feel that you have
to have a little bit of everything because you never know how you’re going to
feel. Some music is workout music, some is to get my mind right, getting
dressed music, unwinding music. I have my album in there too.
Do you have any message for your Canadian fan base?
This might sound corny but if you want
something, you have to believe in yourself. You have to want it and have
to believe that you deserve it and that you can have it. When I was
young, I didn’t know how anything was going to happen for me. Always
follow your heart and your dreams because at the end of the day, you want to be
happy and to able to look at yourself in the mirror and say, “I did the best I
could and I gave it all I had.” I know it sounds corny but it’s really
been all that I’ve ever lived by. I’m still realizing more and more
dreams every day. A lot of dreams I’ve had, found themselves to me in a
different way – ways that I thought that I would get this dream, came to me in
a different way and in a different time. It’s very easy to lose faith and
lose focus but right when you feel like you’re going to give up, push that
extra mile.
Look out for Denosh - keep your eyes and ears open – she
definitely will be filling the airwaves and stages soon – a determined and
talented force that will not be quieted anytime soon.
Many thanks to Denosh and taking the time for our interview and to Elaine Quan, her publicist, for setting it up. For photos
from Denosh's performance in Toronto in January as well as her recent CD
release, go to my PHOTO GALLERY.
For more information and updates on Denosh, check out www.myspace.com/denoshkb
::RECAP::
Kooza
– Cirque Du Soleil’s Latest Offering
I think that every person breathing on this planet should
experience
the magic of Kooza. Whatever it takes to go and see this show while
it’s in town, DO IT! The incredible athletic performances, symphony
of sounds and divine humour will move you. It left me speechless –
there’s no adjective to describe it anyway. Dazzling, stupendous,
fascinating, astonishing - none seem to quite fully describe the show. An
incredible, first-class, no-stone-unturned show. Take your kids, bring a
date, go solo! It just doesn’t matter – just see it. You will be
afraid to blink in fear of missing one spectacular, gravity-defying,
breath-taking performance! And Toronto’s own, Clarence Ford, is the choreographer – check out some backstage pics in my PHOTO GALLERY.
[Excerpt from Cirque’s website] KOOZA tells the story of The Innocent, a
melancholy loner in search of his place in the world. KOOZA combines two
circus traditions – acrobatic performance and the art of clowning.
Between strength and fragility, laughter and smiles, turmoil and harmony, KOOZA
explores themes of fear, identity, recognition and power. The show is set in an
electrifying and exotic visual world full of surprises, thrills, chills, audacity
and total involvement.
Here are all the details that you’ll need to know about the show while it is in
Toronto.
AUGUST 9 – OCTOBER 7, 2007
CIRQUE DU SOLEIL - KOOZA
Under the Grand Chapiteau, at the Port Lands
51 Commissioners Street
Buy tickets HERE
::TOP STORIES::
Felicien
Captures Silver In Hurdles
Excerpt from www.thestar.com – Randy
Starkman, Sports Reporter
(August 29, 2007) Pickering hurdler Perdita
Felicien
demonstrated she's back in top form heading towards next summer's Beijing
Olympics, winning a silver medal this morning at the world championships in
Osaka, Japan. It was a superb birthday present for the 2003 world
champion, who turns 27 today. Felicien, who has struggled since a
devastating crash into the first hurdle at the 2004 Athens Games, had claimed
heading into the worlds that she was in great shape mentally and physically –
and the results bear her out. In an incredibly close women's 100-metre
final – where the top four were separated by 5/100ths of a second – Felicien
finished second to reigning world champion Michelle Perry of the U.S. in a time
of 12.49 seconds, her fastest time since 2004. Perry won the gold medal in
12.46 seconds.
Felicien edged Delloreen Ennis-London for the silver by a scant 1/100th of a
second, a measure of revenge for the Jamaican's victory over the Canadian at
the recent Pan Am Games in a photo finish. Angela Whyte of Edmonton was eighth
in 12.66. Felicien stressed before the worlds how important it was to do
well heading into Beijing. "I know it's going to make things a lot
easier as far as next summer," she said. "Confidence, morale is going
to be so much more going into an Olympic year to come out of here and perform
well." In other Canadian results Wednesday, Tyler Christopher of
Chilliwack, B.C., qualified for the men’s 400-metre final by finishing third in
the semis with a time of 44.47. American LaShawn Merritt won in 44.31.
Hilary Stellingwerff of Guelph, Ont., advanced to the semi-finals of the
women's 1,500 metres after finishing fourth in her heat in four minutes 9.60
seconds while Carmen Douma-Hussar of Cambridge, Ont., failed to qualify.
Bryan Barnett of Edmonton also failed to advance to the 200-metre final
after finishing eighth in his semi-final. with files from Canadian
Press
Doug
'Doc' Riley, 62: Canadian Keyboardist
Excerpt from www.thestar.com - Canadian
Press
(August 28, 2007) Celebrated arranger and keyboardist
Doug Riley, considered to be a pillar of
the Canadian music industry, has died of a sudden heart attack. He was
62. Riley, known as “Doctor Music,” died Monday while sitting on a plane that
was preparing to leave Calgary, his wife Jan said Tuesday from their home in
Little Pond, P.E.I. The legendary performer was returning to the Island after
headlining a jazz and blues festival. “It was a massive heart attack and he
died instantly,” said Jan Riley, adding that she last heard from her husband on
Sunday. “He sounded totally fine the last time I talked to him.” Riley’s best
friend, singer David Clayton-Thomas, said the death was a sudden blow to
everyone who knew the musician, an accomplished artist whose work included
collaborations with Ray Charles, Placido Domingo, Ringo Starr, Gordon
Lightfoot, Anne Murray, Sylvia Tyson, Dan Hill and Bob Seger.
“Canada just lost a musical giant,” Clayton-Thomas said by phone from Montreal,
his voice shaking with emotion. “And as a person, anybody who knew Doc knows
that he had a heart that was just so big. It’s hard to imagine him gone. I
can’t imagine my life without him.” Riley’s diverse career began in his teens
when he played R&B with the Silhouettes in Toronto, but went on to include
keyboard and production work for a who’s who in the Canadian music industry and
accomplished forays into musical genres including jazz, classical, film scores
and ballet. He wrote more than 2,000 jingles, arranged music for several
television programs in the late ’60s and ’70s and appeared as an arranger and
second keyboard player on Ray Charles’ 1968 LP Doing His Thing. He found
more success with his soulful music ensemble, Doctor Music, and made a name as
an accomplished jazz musician. He was awarded the Order of Canada in 2004.
Canadian keyboardist Paul Shaffer said Riley was a big influence on his
playing, noting he admired him for getting a doctorate in music at the
University of Toronto in the ’60s. They met in 1968 during auditions for the
musical Hair, when both accompanied would-be performers on piano.
“He really was an inspiration for those of us thinking about going into music
ourselves,” Shaffer said from New York, after taping an episode of the Late
Show with David Letterman, where he serves as music director. “I think that
the world of funk and R&B is a poorer place now that we’ve lost Doug
Riley.” When Shaffer was honoured with a star on Canada’s Walk of Fame in
Toronto last year, he asked Riley to be part of an “organ summit” that
performed at the festivities. Clayton-Thomas, himself a celebrated jazz
musician and former lead singer for Blood, Sweat and Tears, noted that jazz
innovator Herbie Hancock was a fan, too. He recalled an encounter earlier this
year when Hancock appeared in Toronto for a Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame
gala. “First thing he asked was: `You still play with Doug Riley? He’s
amazing.’ ” said Clayton-Thomas. He noted that Riley was gifted in numerous
genres. “He’s a brilliant technician who could play everything from Tchaikovsky
to Thelonious Monk and then could get down and rock ’n’ roll and play the
blues, too. He’s irreplaceable. There’s only one Doc Riley.” A heavy-set man
who suffered from diabetes, Riley had long been in frail health, noted
Clayton-Thomas, adding that Riley suffered polio as a child. Nevertheless, his
sudden passing was unexpected, said Clayton-Thomas, who broke down with emotion
several times while recounting his memories. “It’s hard to say what he meant to
me, my God, he was my closest musical collaborator and my dearest friend and I
loved him beyond what I could tell you,” said Clayton-Thomas, noting that Riley
was on nearly every album he ever recorded. Veteran Toronto music journalist
Larry LeBlanc called Riley “a Canadian mix of Duke Ellington, Allen Toussaint,
and Henry Mancini.” “He left a rich legacy,” said LeBlanc, who booked Riley’s
band the Silhouettes at high school dances in the 1960s. “If Toronto had
a Music Row or a Broadway, its lights would be dimmed for the week.” Jan Riley
said she and sons Ben, a 31-year-old drummer, and Jesse, a 28-year-old Toronto
police officer, would be in Toronto on Wednesday to meet the body and return it
to Prince Edward Island. Clayton-Thomas said Riley would be cremated but that
funeral arrangements had yet to be set.
How
Canadian Nabbed Hottest Film, Biggest Stars
Excerpt from www.globeandmail.com -
Gayle Macdonald
(August 24, 2007) GUELPH, ONT. — Built almost a century ago on
several acres of prime Southwestern Ontario farmland, the handsome Georgian
brick structure, with its circular drive, man-made ponds and fieldstone fences,
could easily be mistaken for a well-to-do country home. Walk inside,
however, and you quickly realize this has never been an idyllic rural getaway.
Dank and dark, corridors of crumbling cells, fitted with steel cots and rotting
urinals, stretch down the endless hallways of the former Ontario Reformatory in
Guelph, which in its heyday incarcerated up to 1,200 criminals. The basement –
home to “the hole,” where prisoners served solitary confinement – is a maze of
twisting, grimy passages. But when Toronto producer Niv Fichman came across the rundown
heritage property, located about an hour west of Toronto, he thought it was, in
its way, the most beautiful place he'd ever seen – and a picture-perfect spot
to shoot his upcoming feature film, Blindness. Based on the harrowing book of the same name by Portuguese Nobel
Prize-winning author Jose Saramago, it tells the fierce and fantastical story
of a pandemic of blindness that eviscerates society. In the movie, the jail
will stand in for an abandoned insane asylum, where the authorities of an
unnamed city have quarantined those afflicted with a “white blindness” that
eventually spreads through the community, leaving everyone – except one woman –
sightless and, just as suddenly, helpless.
On set earlier this month, two of the film's stars, Julianne Moore and Mark
Ruffalo, appeared bedraggled, bruised and filthy, acting out a scene in one of
the asylum's wards, where their group of prisoners is forced to give up their
valuables to tyrants who have been hording food. The actors listen intently as
Oscar-nominated director Fernando Meirelles (2002's City of God) quietly
explains how he wants the doctor to look at his wife, without – of course –
seeing. Acting sightless, it's clear, is not easy. The international cast
(which also includes Danny Glover, Sandra Oh and Japanese heartthrob Yusuke
Iseya) has spent weeks in blindness workshops, where actors have been required
to ramble around this cavernous place – often blindfolded and cursing – as they
bump into walls and trip down stairs. The 39-year-old Ruffalo – who is married
to the French-American actress Sunrise Coigney, the mother of his two small
children, who are running around the grounds of the former jail today – recalls
a particularly trying moment when he and the others were unceremoniously
dumped, wearing eye-covering masks, at the end of the long driveway leading to
the “asylum.” “We were dropped off at the gate, and told to find the ward, find
food, find our beds, find water, and find the toilets in this hellhole,” says
Ruffalo – star of last year's Zodiac and All the King's Men, with
Sean Penn and Jude Law – during a break in filmmaking. “We were wandering
around for hours. Some of us stayed together. Some broke off. Some of us got
lost. And some of us got testy at moments. It's very frustrating. And,” he
adds, “you see how nearly impossible it is to keep people from cheating and
ripping each other off. “At one point we were given food to divide up,
and Fernando snuck in and took half of it away. We, of course, didn't know. A
big fight broke out, and accusations were flying back and forth. So we
definitely got a sense of how difficult life is for these newly blind people.”
In Saramago's book, blindness is an allegory that the author uses to strip away
the thin veneer of civilized society. In his exploration of man's most
destructive appetites and weaknesses, those first afflicted are sent to the
mental hospital, where a newly created “society of the blind” quickly breaks
down. Criminals and the physically powerful prey on the weak. The place becomes
a nightmarish setting of starvation, brutality and rape. There is, however, one
eyewitness (played by Moore) whose sight is unaffected (a fact she keeps
secret). As seer, she follows her husband into quarantine, but eventually leads
a small band of seven people back onto the ravaged streets of their city. Sao
Paulo-based director Meirelles says he sees the book as a brilliant exploration
of the complex layers – both good and bad – of humanity. And his film, adapted
for the screen by Toronto filmmaker Don McKellar, is, says the director, “the
most challenging thing I've ever done in my life. “I'm still very scared,”
offers the wiry, bespectacled Meirelles, in a lightly accented English. “It's
really, really difficult, even worse than City of God, which was my
first feature.” Among the challenges: a vast cast (who go by such monikers as
the Boy Who Squints and the Woman with the Dark Eye Patch) and the near-endless
layers of themes that Saragamo explores in his dense text. “In one scene
we just finished, we had 16 actors. They're all professional actors, and each
actor wants – needs – attention. So you need to talk to each one, and tell them
what they were doing was good. I try to talk to everybody… but it is easier
when you're doing a love story between a couple. It's much more controlled.”
Later this day, Meirelles says, he will film a scene in which the female
characters will be sent to a particular ward where they will be raped,
afterward returning to their rooms, where some have husbands waiting. “So,
after lunch, we'll do a little meeting to decide how bad they'll look,” says
Meirelles, an efficient director (he's ahead of schedule) but a stickler for
detail.
“One of the women dies, so we'll have to establish how she dies,” he adds,
referring to the makeup. “And all the others, we'll have to see, one by one,
how ripped their clothes are, etc. It's pretty grim.” That raw immediacy aside,
Meirelles says he feels privileged to be working on Blindness – he
describes the novel as “genius” – and with such a high-calibre cast. “You met
Mark, isn't he the most wonderful man, warm and human? And Julie is a dream to
work with, so easygoing. The humanity of the film is really on their shoulders,
in their hands.” The film is a co-production of Fichman's Rhombus Media, Sonoko
Sakai's Bee Vine Pictures of Japan, and Andrea Barata Ribeiro's O2 Filmes of
Brazil. It's the second collaboration of Fichman and Sakai, who co-produced
Francois Girard's feature film, Silk, with Keira Knightley and Canadian
Callum Keith Rennie. In total, there are about a dozen of what could be
described as “lead actors” portraying the people initially infected. Glover is
the Man with the Eye Patch and the film's narrator. Mexican actor Gael Garcia
Bernal plays the evil King of Ward 3. Toronto's Maury Chaykin is his partner in
crime, a corrupt accountant. Susan Coyne, McKellar and Martha Burns are also in
the cast. Japan's Iseya portrays the first blind man; his wife is played by
Japanese actor Yoshino Kimura. Brazilian Alice Braga, who will soon appear
opposite Will Smith is the apocalyptic thriller I Am Legend, is Dark
Glasses. On set, people chat away in English, French, Portuguese, Spanish,
Japanese. And despite the bleak subject matter, there's a lot of good humour.
One corridor of jail cells has been named “celebrity row”: The cast and crew
have posted signs on the sliding steel doors, sporting names of famous inmates,
including Martha Stewart, O.J. Simpson, Mike Tyson, Paris Hilton and Lindsay
Lohan. Ruffalo enters a cell reserved for fallen Canadian media magnate Conrad
Black, where the actor sits on a steel cot and talks about how, in his eyes,
the multicultural cast underscores the gravity of the movie's themes. “Saramago
is a self-described communist and his book – and this movie – is about
community, the global community,” says the actor.
“He takes away eyesight, which immediately dismisses rank, material worth, the
way people look, physical boundaries and limitations. And it creates an
environment where you need help, you need community, you can't do it alone.
With the international cast, you get the sense this story is not located in a
specific place. By design, it's nowhere and everywhere at the same time.” Blindness,
the movie, has been seven years in the making. It started as a germ of an idea
with McKellar. He pitched Fichman the idea of adapting the novel into a movie
while the two were attending a film festival in Buenos Aires, where McKellar's
film Last Night – about the last night on Earth before all mankind is
killed – was showing. Fichman laughs now that his immediate reaction to
McKellar's idea was less than enthusiastic. He had not read Blindness,
and said to his friend, “Are you sure? You don't want to be known as that
apocalypse guy.” But then he read the novel – and read it again – and became
“infatuated” with the project. Fichman, who also produced writer-director
McKellar's Childstar and Girard's The Red Violin, approached
Saramago's agent about acquiring the film rights. He was shooed away, and told
by the agent that the 1998 Nobel laureate had turned down scores of other
overtures, including, ironically, from Meirelles and from Whoopi Goldberg. But
Fichman would not take no for an answer, and mailed Saramago copies of some of
Rhombus Media's high-brow documentaries, including The War Symphonies:
Shostakovich Against Stalin, the story of Russian composer Dmitri
Shostakovich's musical protests against the dictator's crimes. Then, on July 20,
1999, Fichman and McKellar got the call they had been waiting for. The author
himself invited them to his Canary Islands home. They hopped on a plane. “On
the afternoon of the second day, out of the blue, Saramago said, ‘I've decided
I think I want to give you guys the rights,'” recalls Fichman. “It didn't
click, because he said it in Portuguese. I asked his agent, who was
translating, to repeat it again. Then he told us he didn't want to have
anything to do with the film. He wanted no control over it.” Soon after,
McKellar began work on his adaptation – based on a novel written in sentences
up to a page long, with scant punctuation. It took him six years to complete.
Fichman says he believes they got the rights to Blindness because
Saramago felt, as Canadians, that they would be able to make an American-style
film in English – with access to the same worldwide distribution system – but
without too much American influence. “He was afraid [a U.S. studio] would turn
his book into a zombie film,” suggests Fichman, “one that would not properly
balance the social consciousness that underlies the story.” Last June, Fichman
flew to Sao Paulo to woo Meirelles. The 51-year-old director signed on
immediately, bringing along his cinematographer, Cesar Charlone. Ruffalo says
Meirelles has been a “a leader, and someone you're gladly following. Rarely can
you just show up and trust. Especially when you're so exposed,” adds the actor.
“Being blind is nearly impossible to act, because your mind so badly does not
want to do it. So it's scary.” Blindness wraps in Toronto in
mid-October, moves to Uruguay, and then onto Meirelles's hometown of Sao Paulo.
The director expects to finish the movie by next March, in time to vie for a
for a spot in Cannes and, later, the Toronto International Film Festival. For
Meirelles, part of the magic of Saramago's work is its portrayal of how quickly
society can collapse when faced with disaster – a message he feels is apt in a
world of environmental degradation, political unrest and religious fanaticism.
“We're not seeing what we're doing,” says the director. “We all just keep
moving. Moving. Like we're blind.”
Eve Ensler Speaks Out On Congo Atrocities
Excerpt
from www.thestar.com - Associated Press
(August 24, 2007) NEW YORK–Eve Ensler has just returned from hell.
That's how the author of The Vagina Monologues describes her trip to
Congo, where thousands of women have been sexually attacked and mutilated in
the African country's civil war. The 54-year-old playwright has joined with the
United Nations in a campaign against what a UN expert called the worst violence
against women in the world. "In Congo, you're talking about a situation
where Africans are hurting Africans, black people are hurting black
people," Ensler said in an interview from Italy. "And it's harder to
make people care. People say: `Oh, it's just Africa.' And nobody is held accountable."
She spent weeks at the Panzi Hospital in Bukavu in eastern Congo where Dr.
Denis Mukwege is helping repair the broken bodies of war victims. The hospital
sees about 3,500 women a year suffering fistula and other severe genital
injuries.
A UN human rights expert said last month the sexual atrocities in Congo's
volatile South Kivu province extend "far beyond rape" and include
sexual slavery, forced incest and cannibalism. From Geneva, Yakin Erturk called
the situation the worst she had ever seen as the global body's special
investigator for violence against women. She blamed Ugandan-backed militias
that occupy Congo's Ituri region, as well as Congo's armed forces and national
police. Erturk will report her findings next month to the UN Human Rights
Council. "How do I tell you of girls as young as 9 raped by gangs of
soldiers, of women whose insides were blown apart by rifle blasts and whose
bodies now leak uncontrollable streams of urine and feces?" Ensler asks in
an article in the September issue of Glamour magazine. Ensler is working
to raise both awareness and funds for the women through the United Nations
Action Against Sexual Violence in Conflict and through V-Day, a global movement
she founded to stop violence against women and girls. The money Ensler helps
raise for Congo will go to Panzi hospital and to establish a safe haven called
"City of Joy." Her journey to Congo in May was inspired by a
conversation she had with Mukwege last December in New York City. Their
friendship "began with my rusty French and his limited English," she
wrote. "It began with the quiet anguish in his bloodshot eyes, eyes that
seemed to me to be bleeding from the horrors he'd witnessed."
Jim
Carrey Films Video To Help Imprisoned Human-Rights Leader
Source: Associated Press
(August 28, 2007) NEW YORK (AP) - Jim Carrey has
made a straight-to-YouTube video. And it's not funny at all. The
45-year-old actor-comedian - in rare serious mode - appears in a new public
service announcement on behalf of the Human Rights Action Center and the U.S.
Campaign for Burma. The goal: To free Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, who has been confined
by the Burmese government for 11 of the last 17 years. "Even though
she's compared to a modern-day Gandhi or Nelson Mandela, most people in America
still don't know about Aung San," Carrey says in the filmed message,
posted Tuesday on YouTube. "And let's face it: the name's a little
difficult to remember. Here's how I did it:
Aung San sounds a lot like 'unsung,' as in unsung hero. Aung San Suu Kyi is
truly an unsung hero." Suu Kyi, who is under long-term house arrest
in the city of Yangon, received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991 for her
non-violent efforts to bring down the oppressive military regime that rules
over the Southeast Asian country. The regime, led by General Than Shwe,
has destroyed more than 3,000 villages in eastern Burma - forcing more than a
1.5 million people to leave their homes - and recruited more child soldiers
than any other country in the world, Carrey says in his spot.
"People around the world need to come to her aid, just as they
supported Mandela when he was locked up," said Jeremy Woodrum, co-founder
of the U.S. Campaign for Burma, in a statement Tuesday. "This
announcement contributes to an upsurge in activism around Aung San Suu Kyi in
the United States and throughout the world."
::MUSIC NEWS::
Folk-Rocker Ben Harper Talks About His
Folk Roots
Excerpt from www.globeandmail.com -
David George-Cosh
(August 27, 2007) Even before being formally introduced, folk-rocker
Ben Harper apologizes for being so wired and awake on a sunny
August day. He's working on his third cafe latte by noon, and he's prone to
make outrageous comments. In fact, the politically charged musician needs
no prodding (or caffeine) to offer a few controversial remarks while in Toronto
recently for a series of media interviews promoting his latest album, Lifeline,
scheduled to be released tomorrow. "I know I'm going to get
in trouble for saying this, but if America was a city in Canada, it's the city
I wouldn't live in," says Harper, sitting casually in a restaurant booth
at a downtown hotel. "I'm glad that there's the part of Canada that speaks
English, that can represent a specific freedom that America can only claim to
represent." It's sharp commentary like that which has helped distinguish
Harper from the rest of the pack, making him something of a torchbearer for a
new generation of folk musicians since releasing his debut record Pleasure
and Pain in 1992. Before long, though, the 37-year-old Californian
scales back the politics and turns the conversation to the folk roots that show
on Lifeline, which he recorded with long-time backup band, The Innocent
Criminals. Tracks such as Needed You Tonight, Say You Will, Put It On Me and
the instrumental Paris Sunrise #7 all spotlight Harper's softer side,
which is not that surprising when you consider the album was written during
breaks on a European tour and recorded in the world's most romantic city,
Paris.
"[Paris] fuels creativity like no other place. It just does," notes
Harper, who now lives in the City of Light with his wife, actress Laura Dern,
and their two daughters. "Moving there makes perfect sense. It says to
you, 'It's okay to be exactly who you are and there's a place here for it in
case you're ready to be disciplined enough to hone your artistic craft.' "
Harper manages to slip in a few calls to action on Lifeline, most
evident on the album's leadoff track, Fight Outta You. "It's more
about not letting anyone take away your fire, destiny and passions, wherever
they may lie," says Harper, dressed in the black bohemian uniform,
complete with fedora and zip-up hoodie . Harper ends his ninth studio release
with the album's title track. "I don't think there could have been a
better ending to a record ... It made it the lifeline of the record, in a
way," Harper says. Does he feel that, after cultivating an audience for
more than 15 years, he might need to cry out for a lifeline for himself?
Possibly. "In the course of a day, I can be reaching for one, throwing someone
one or in need of one that I can't find," he says. The tour, which
will continue the rest of the year in a series of smaller venues, including a
date at the famed Radio City Music Hall, is the first for Harper and the
Innocent Criminals outside of the club and festival circuit. "This record
... is so much like a conversation for me that I want to present it in a
conversational atmosphere," explains Harper, sneaking a sip of his latte.
"We came up playing smaller venues working our way to a bigger thing. Now
we're kind of working our way back. For the initial rollout, I want it to be
close proximity to the fans, and after that we'll see where it
goes." Talk of music changes to opinions on the war in Iraq and the
2008 presidential hopefuls, and Harper drops one surprising bomb - we might get
to see him step outside the rock arena and into the political world one
day. "I'd get in there man, and I'd kill it," Harper says
excitedly. "The problem is that it would consume my entire life, my entire
being. I would get in there and shake it up, man. I'd own it. I'd be like,
'Here are my skeletons. Take them. I'm still the man for the job. You want
straight talk? Let's get out on the street and let's make it happen.' "
Vocal in his support for change in Washington, evidenced by his participation
in the 2004 Vote For Change concert aimed at encouraging people in swing states
to vote in that presidential election, Harper's backing Democrat Barack Obama
as his next commander-in-chief. But he hopes that regardless of who the next
U.S. president will be, the person will return the U.S. to the respect it once
had. "I'm a proud American, but I'm also a frustrated American. As
loud a bullhorn as America is, it should represent itself better
internationally and domestically, of course. It could be the great nation it
claims, but it just stopped looking at itself in the mirror a long time
ago." Harper has tried one other profession. He made a cameo acting
appearance in director David Lynch's Inland Empire, which starred Dern,
in which he resembles legendary rocker Jimi Hendrix. He says he'll appear on
the silver screen again when he hangs up his guitar, which isn't going to be
any time soon. "If someone offered me a ridiculous amount of dough, let's
do it. There's been talk of me playing various ex-musicians, but dude, I just
couldn't do it, I couldn't do it to the fans," he says. "There's
enough acting that goes on in all of our daily lives to be exhausted by it as
is." Returning to Canada allows him to enjoy a favourite Canadian
institution. "Tim Hortons is killer! Tim Hortons is the bomb!"
enthuses Harper. "I remember one late night [during one of his first
tours], near the cheap hotel in Vancouver was a Tim Hortons that I decided to
check out. It was all I could afford, so I wandered in, had a smoke, a nosh, a
coffee, scribbled some lyrics on a napkin and said, 'Ah, I'm home.'"
Ben Harper and The Innocent Criminals will be playing Montreal's Theatre St.
Denis on Sept. 24-25, Toronto's Massey Hall Sept. 28-29, and Vancouver's
Orpheum Theatre Nov. 13.
You
Never Know Who Might Hear You Play
Excerpt
from www.thestar.com
- Classical Music Critic
(August 26, 2007) One day in his early teens,
Gordon Stockwell was on his way home
from a downtown music shop when his father stopped the car on Yonge St.,
pointed to a corner and told the youngster to grab his violin and go stand
there and play. Ten years later, at age 23, Stockwell is helping to pay his way
through university by doing exactly the same thing. Raised in Cambridge, Ont.,
Stockwell is about to return to St. John's, Nfld., for a second year as a
violin performance student at Memorial University. In the meantime, you can
hear him in front of the Rogers or Eaton Centres, at St. Lawrence Market, in
Yorkville Park or even in front of the statue of Alexander Wood at Church and
Alexander Sts. "I tailor what I play to the audience," says the young
musician, who plays fiddle as well as classical violin. "I make as much as
I would if I had one of those boring, menial student jobs," says Stockwell
over an afternoon coffee earlier this week. To save money, he lives in Brampton
with his sister, a music teacher. He takes the GO bus downtown every morning.
But instead of a briefcase, you'll find Stockwell carrying his well-worn violin
case. Busking is a dream job he first tried full-time last summer. "I can
work whenever I want, and I get to work on my playing," he says. He
insists there is nothing like the challenge of playing on the streets, where
most passersby ignore him. "It's incredibly nerve-wracking," he says.
"But now I don't have stage fright. I tell everyone who has stage fright
to go out and try busking to get over it."
"You also don't know who is going to hear you play," adds Stockwell.
"I've met a couple of members of the Toronto Symphony." One day,
Marie Bérard, concertmaster of the Canadian Opera Company orchestra, stopped to
comment on his playing. "She was wonderful and supportive," says
Stockwell. His favourite busking experience so far happened last year at Roy
Thomson Hall. Having made repeated visits to the box office to see if he could
get a ticket to a sold-out concert by violinist Itzhak Perlman, he showed up at
the Simcoe St. entrance 45 minutes before concert time and started to play.
"I'd written this sign that said `extra ticket?' and put it in my violin
case. Twenty minutes later, a young woman came by and dropped one off. It was a
$140 ticket. I had the best seat in the house." Sitting next to him was
Yorkville gallery owner Mira Godard. It turned out Stockwell's ticket was an
extra one she had returned. Godard was so charmed that she invited him back as
her guest for another concert the following week. Stockwell isn't sure what
direction his future career may take, but his eyes light up as he describes his
musical experiences. The glow blooms as he describes playing Gustav Mahler's
big Symphony No. 1 with the Newfoundland Symphony Orchestra last year.
"I just about wet myself," he says of the waves of sound that he had
a part in creating. "I swear that there is no better experience than this.
The performances gave me a bigger high than any drug ever could. It's even better
than sex." As a busker, he's trying to share that joy: "You can't do
it for the money. If you do, you won't enjoy yourself. You have to do it for
your personal enjoyment, and for the enjoyment of others."
Keite Young: On The ‘Rise’: Gospel,
Soul, Rock Mesh On Debut Disc
Excerpt from www.eurweb.com
(August 27, 2007) "If there is anything that
intrigues people about me it
is that at 15, I accepted a calling to the ministry and that I still proclaim
to be a minister, but I still write songs like ‘If We Were Alone’ and a lot
raunchier songs. I’m not in conflict because spirituality and sensuality don’t
conflict. There are dangers with either. The balance is the key to happiness
and fulfillment.” It is quite brave for a new artist to title their debut disc
“The Rise and Fall…” Afterall, to mention a “fall” upon the cusp of a career
that, by commercial standards, has not yet risen, seems a bit out of the
ordinary and maybe even hazardous. But Hidden Beach singer/songwriter Keite Young can hardly be described as ordinary, nor can his
music. In fact, Young explained that the album’s name, “The Rise and Fall of
Keite Young” came from a rather profound and extraordinary concept.
“It is dramatic in a certain sense, but it does not indicate a beginning and an
ending. It does not indicate finality, quite the opposite actually,” he
explained to EUR’s Lee Bailey. “It indicates an ongoing rhythm, the rise and
fall of the tide, the ebb and flow of things, which is just a rhythm. When you
look at it on a grand scale, when you look at one rise and one fall you may see
finality, but if you adjust your perspective and pull back you’ll see that no
one stays up and no one stays down. It’s a rise and fall.”
Young continued that he hopes to convey a sense of his own life and journey
through the title and his music. “The songs therein are really just about
those natural high points and low points: joy, sorrow, bliss, discomfort,
happiness, love, fear – all of those things that happen in all of our lives. I
wanted my songs to have relevance to the human experience, not to the Christian
experience, not to the secular experience, not white, not black, not man, not
woman.” The much-anticipated “gospel-tinged” soul disc incorporates soul and
rock effortlessly with subject matter just as diverse. Described as having
undertones reminiscent of Al Green, Muddy Waters, Sly Stone and the Beatles,
“The Rise and Fall of Keite Young” hits shelves August 28 on the heels of his
first single, “Prayer,” and the rise of the current single, “If We Were Alone,”
featuring N’dambi. “It’s steamy,” Young said of the new single. “The
video is even steamier. It’s like somebody forgot to close the window and you
see two people’s world and you’re allowed to see the intimacy and energy of
when they meet. In this scenario, though, these two people walk away.” The
Texas native also discussed how being a spiritual singer, former Kirk Franklin
& the Family band member and ordained minister … that’s right,
ordained minister -- didn’t negate his passion on the love song.
“Ministers, politicians, bus drivers – we’re all human first,” he said. “To be
human, it consists of a sensual side and a spiritual side. We’re spirits
walking around in bodies made of flesh. You can’t deny either. If there is
anything that intrigues people about me it is that at 15, I accepted a calling
to the ministry and that I still proclaim to be a minister, but I still write
songs like ‘If We Were Alone’ and a lot raunchier songs. I’m not in conflict
because spirituality and sensuality don’t conflict. There are dangers with
either. The balance is the key to happiness and fulfillment.”
His philosophical words permeate the disc, too, while his sound is influenced
by some legendary singers considered quite philosophical, too. “Even
though I’ve been asked this question a million times, I still give thought to
it,” he said of naming his music heroes and then reeling off the names Little
Richard, Al Green, and Prince. “At first, it was just from an artistic
perspective, but then I got to thinking, ‘These guys were very spiritually
inclined men.’ There’s the Reverend Al Green and Little Richard left music at
one point to go to divinity school. I realized that all my heroes had struggled
and reconciled the undeniable truth in sensuality as well as the undeniable
truth in spirituality. That’s my journey.” Young talked about how classic
soul and pop music is classic for more than just great instrumentation and
vocals. He called classic hits “useful” reflecting that one of his heroes in
particular, Al Green, was the soundtrack for love, anger, protest, and a host
of other emotions and actions. “Music [now] is just good for dancing.
That’s it. Music back then had a lot more uses, which makes it better,” he said
and continued, “I have this motto If you want to be a legend, listen to what
the legends listen to. When you hear Prince, you hear Sly. Stevie Wonder grew
up around the Funk Brothers. When you used to see Michael Jackson, you were
seeing James Brown. I always spend more time listening to those cats.”
“The Rise and Fall of Keite Young,” hits shelves this week after a long
build-up with the label, Young explained. But he’s thankful that he had that
time to mature before his debut.
“I didn’t feel like the people who really needed to know who I was, knew
who I was,” Young said of the five-year wait, “but in the space I’m in now,
those things worked for my good. Divine timing is just that.” To sample a few
tracks from the new artist and find out more, visit his Myspace page at
www.myspace.com/keiteyoung or www.hiddenbeach.com, and watch for his official
website, www.keiteyoung.com. For MORE from Keite Young, just scroll down
to the Hitmaker banner at the bottom of every story page at EURweb. Just click
the play button and sit back and listen, learn and groove.
McKnight In Shining Armour
Excerpt from www.eurweb.com
(August 28, 2007) *Brian McKnight has been doing his
thing for going on 20 years. Some readers may not wish to come to grips with that
fact because in admitting it they age themselves. The man is now one of
the pre-eminent balladeers of our time. EURweb reporter Darryl Gates happened
across Mr. McKnight at a recent event. Responding to Darryl's question about
his latest album, "Ten," and recent tour, McKnight seemed to be taken
aback by his own continued success. "The album's doing good, the
tour is great. We're still doing shows," said the crooner when asked to
summarize his goings on. "It's great to be in a situation to have people still
come out. I have been doing this for 20 years and to still be able to pack the
Universal Amphitheater is crazy." That goes double when one
considers the relative short shelf life of even the most talented African
American performers. During that very same event, Mr. McKnight - who also hosts
the morning drive show on LA's 94.7 The Wave - introduced the world to his two
young sons, BJ and Niko. These young brothers, figuratively and literally, are
a chip off the old block. BJ, aka Brian Jr., is the eldest of the duo and is
also an avid guitar player. Niko brings the vocals.
"Yes, I have two sons and they're doing their thing," said McKnight
of his progeny. "My oldest son produces all of their work and they should
be doing some things soon. I think by next summer. We're working on a reality
show as well." A reality show based upon the lives of a family that
actually has talent? This we have to see. McKnight also told our reporter that
his boys are working on some things of their own, but they're not going to take
the path he took. "I'm trying not to sign them to a major
label," said McKnight. "We're looking to do a little something
different with them. We're trying to get a whole new business model as far as
that's concern because, you know, record labels take everything. If you look at
it that way, my son already gets a million hits on his MySpace page. That's the
wave of the future to be able to get your music out directly to the consumers
without all the BS."
Ann Nesby Prepares New Album Release
Source: kim trick / manager, new media, kimberly@theorchard.com
(August 27, 2007) Ann Nesby
is without a doubt one of finest, most
powerful and emotive R&B singers of the past twenty years. Loved by
everyone from American Idol's Randy Jackson, who calls her "one of the
best singers in the world," and Al Green, who declares her as "a real
soul singer," Ann Nesby occupies an unusual niche in the music industry,
that of an inspirational R&B artist. Nesby is preparing for the
release of her latest album, This Is Love, to be released September 25, 2007,
by Shanachie Records. In the album Ann Nesby returns to the inspirational
R&B of her top-selling albums with a stunning set of all-original songs
that is destined to be not only one of the year's best R&B releases but
also one of the most meaningful. Working with up-and-coming producers J.
Isaac (who produced grand-daughter Paris Bennett's album on the heels of her
making the finals of American Idol), Paul Jones and Darnell 'Baby D' Davis, Ann
moves effortlessly from the gospel of her last album In The Spirit to the
inspirational R&B of This Is Love. Highlights on This Is Love include
the upbeat and celebratory songs "I Can't Explain It" and "This
Could Be Love," the affirmative ballad "Special Occasion," the
ironic "Thank God" and the sobering "I Apologize," one of
Ann's favourite songs on the CD. While some listeners may be surprised to
hear the song "It's So Easy Lovin' U," a house-music rave-up, devoted
Ann Nesby fans will be right at home. The Georgia-based vocalist says, "In
all of the projects that I've done recently there has always been at least one
up-tempo dance track. This goes back to the hit "The Pressure‚" which
I recorded with Sounds Of Blackness. I've kept up with fans of that style of
music so I always try to give the dance community at least one song that is uplifting
and dance-worthy."
Listen to Ann Nesby "I Can't Explain It" from This is Love
(Shanachie)
http://dev.theorchard.com/jaclyn/mp3/annnesby_icantexplainit.mp3
What the Press is Saying:
Nesby sings with such power and passion…
- USA Today
At once uplifting and electrical…
- Vibe Magazine
Ann Nesby has glorious alto pipes which sometimes leap octaves in
breathtaking bounds.
- The San Francisco Chronicle
About Ann Nesby:
Like so many great soul singers, Ann Nesby started out singing gospel music in
the Church. Born and raised in Joliet, Illinois, Ann's parents both sang gospel
music. Ann has kept her family's musical legacy alive not only through her own
musical endeavours but through nurturing the music of her daughter, Jamecia
Bennett, and her grand-daughter, Paris Bennett, who was an early favourite and
standout in last year's American Idol. In 1987 during a visit with her sister
Shirley Graham, who had been singing with the acclaimed inspirational group
Sounds Of Blackness in Minneapolis, Ann performed with her sister and the group
and impressed the director so much that she was immediately asked to join the
group.
Shortly after joining Sounds Of Blackness and re-locating to Minneapolis, Ann
found herself in the studio with super producers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis
after they heard Sounds Of Blackness in concert while taking a break from
producing an album for Janet Jackson. Jam & Lewis made Sounds Of Blackness
their first signing for their Perspective Records label and produced a string
of Top 10/Gospel/R & B hits for the group that scored two Grammys. In 1996
Ann recorded her debut solo album, I'm Here For You, produced by Jam &
Lewis. The album generated such hits as "I'm Still Wearing Your Name"
and the emotional "I'll Do Anything For You." Re-mixes of her
recordings "Love Is What We Need" and "Lovin' Is Really My
Game" hit the top of the Billboard dance charts.
Ann, along with her husband/manager Timothy Lee, formed It's Time Child Records
and hit the top of the Adult Urban Contemporary radio charts with her duet with
Al Green, "Put It On Paper," an R&B song that delivered a message
about the importance of commitment and marriage in relationships. Universal
Records then signed Ann and released her second album under the title Put It On
Paper, which earned Ann her first Grammy nomination as a solo artist. Her third
album, Make Me Better, also was Grammy-nominated and yielded more gospel
dance-hits. In The Spirit hit the gospel charts in 2006. Along the way
she appeared in I Know I've Been Changed, Tyler Perry's first theatrical
production (which dealt with the subject of child abuse) as well as many other
theatrical productions, including the Shelly Garrett production Til Death Do Us
Part. She also had a major role in the feature film The Fighting
Temptations, starring Cuba Gooding Jr., and Beyoncé, and continues in her role
as spokesperson for Donna Vinci's Lisa Rene fashion line.
She has recorded songs with cutting-edge production, often with elements of
hip-hop or dance music, combined with lyrics that either subtly or overtly
deliver a message. Nesby's inspirational approach has been a huge appeal to
gospel audiences even though she is not a gospel artist per se. The talented
songbird has scored both urban radio hits and club hits, written hits for Patti
LaBelle, Gladys Knight and Sounds Of Blackness and played feature roles in
numerous theatrical productions and feature films. Last year she
fulfilled an ambition by recording In The Spirit, the first pure gospel album
of her career which spawned a Top Twenty-Five gospel radio single.
http://www.annnesby.com/
A Young Idol Embraces His Maturity
Excerpt from www.thestar.com
- Ashante Infantry, Pop & Jazz Critic
(August 28, 2007) Kalan
Porter's all growed up and he's
got the angst to prove it. Along with his songwriting and violin-playing
prowess, the second season Canadian Idol winner showcases a pensive side
on his sophomore disc, Wake
Up Living, which hits stores
today. It's a hard-won maturity, accelerated by a fretful period the
21-year-old Toronto-based musician spent back home in Medicine Hat, Alta., last
year, as his mother battled breast cancer. But mom's doing better and
it's time to try to recapture the glory of 2004's 219 Days, which
garnered three Juno nominations and a MuchMusic Video Award. With Wake Up
Living's empowering lead single "Down In Heaven" already climbing
the charts, the Star caught up with the thoughtful, soft-spoken singer
at his record label's headquarters. Fans can catch him Sept. 29 at the Mod
Club.
Q: How did the making of this album compare to the first one?
A: It was a completely different experience. The first record was made
in about six weeks and it definitely didn't have that much creative input. Canadian
Idol gives you the opportunity to get out to people really fast, but I
don't think it's known for its ability to create great art. It was kind of my
job to go back and really make a record that shows me as an artist. I spent
about a year writing and went to L.A. and recorded over four months. And I had
creative control over the whole thing.
Q: Some of the tunes are really dark and personal.
A: I wasn't sure what I was going to write about. I'm a young guy,
haven't had a lot of life experience, haven't had a lot of relationships that
have gone badly. Then, almost right away when I started writing, my mom was
diagnosed with cancer. I tried to stay in Toronto and keep working, but it was
really important for me to go and spend that time with my family. It was a
rough year or so, but it really brought our family closer. And in the end, I
think it got the creative juices flowing, because there was so much to draw on.
Q: Are you trying to shrug off that cutesy image you had on Canadian Idol?
A: Not specifically. Some people who've listened to the record say I'm
going to lose a lot of the younger fans, because it has an older sound. That's
the way it goes. The last year or two, I tried to be so many things: I
straightened my hair, I even dyed it a darker brown. I wanted to be anything
but what I was. I realized I just have to be who I am and if people like that,
fine. When I got into the show I was so young and unsure. I was worried about
saying the right things. Now, I'm more comfortable showing humour and
personality. I'm more secure and I think the record shows that.
Q: You seem to have reconciled your apparently reserved nature with the
demands of showbiz.
A: In the last few years I really had to live my life out of my comfort
zone. I'm always pushing myself; interviews, videos and all that stuff are not
really natural, but I'm slowly getting better at it.
The music is what I really love doing, and the other stuff I do because I know
it's important.
Q: Like talking about your mother's health scare?
A: It was such a huge part of the album and I was torn about whether I
wanted to bring it up (in the promotion of the record). But I hope people who
listen to the album will relate if they're going through similar things. That's
what music has always been to me: communicating to people.
Q: How do you feel about returning to perform on Canadian Idol (Sept 4.
broadcast)?
A: When I got out I kind of wanted to distance myself from it and become
my own artist. I've kind of come full circle now in that I embrace that's where
I came from. I'm excited to go to back to see a lot of the crew and people
behind the scenes. And it's an amazing opportunity to get my music out to a
whole lot of people.
Q: You're slated to be in (Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation/CIBC's) Run for
the Cure on Sept. 30, but you just don't seem like the athletic type; how far
can you run?
A: I don't know. It's called Run for the Cure, but hopefully it's like
walk, or light jog for the cure. I'm not the most physical guy, but if
something good can come from it, I'll do my best.
Russell Simmons Cuts Out The Phat
Excerpt from www.eurweb.com
(August 27, 2007) *Russell Simmons has relinquished his title as
CEO of Phat Fashions and is launching a new menswear
collection titled Argyle Culture, a collection “commemorating the class,
stature and respect achieved by those urban graduates who have ‘arrived’ in the
world,” said a statement. Simmons founded Phat Fashions in 1992 and sold it to
Kellwood for $140 million in cash in January of 2004. He remained on as CEO,
overseeing the day-to-day operations – including the maintenance of his Phat
Farm and Baby Phat lines of clothing. "I have enjoyed my association with
Kellwood over the last three years," Simmons said in a statement. "We
have accomplished much during this short period of time -- and I leave the
division and the brand in great hands. There are so many things I want to
achieve, and this is the appropriate moment for me to move on to my next
business venture." Baby Phat will continue to be headed by his estranged
wife Kimora Lee Simmons, while the mogul himself will run Russell
Simmons-Argyle Culture and Atman brands, which are his trademark properties.
Argyle Culture focuses on the success of men over age 25, who have already
reached their dreams, according to Simmons. "The argyle collection
was my original inspiration," said Simmons. I became what I aspired to
become: I grew up.” Simmons added, "There are a huge group of
consumers who are not young men any longer and don't shop in the young men's
space, but still want to remain part of the urban lifestyle." The
collection infuses original urban concepts with the buttoned-up styling of
men's professional attire. It is simpler in design and smaller in fit. The
argyle pattern has always been a signature style in Simmons' wardrobe as well
as been a staple of his original brand, Phat Farm. "We're going to infuse
fashion into Argyle Culture through color, texture and subtle details,"
said Kevin Saer, vice-president of design. "We're taking houndstooth and
herringbone, and identifying with argyle. We're actually weaving specific
fabrics like argyle herringbone and argyle houndstooth." Meanwhile, all
All Phat Fashions brands will continued to be operated, distributed and
licensed by Phat Fashions and its parent company, Kellwood which also holds
licensing rights to brands like Calvin Klein, XoXo, Nautica, Claiborne and
others.
Carl Newman Has Flown The Coop In More
Ways Than One
Excerpt from www.globeandmail.com -
Brad Wheeler
(August 21, 2007) Blah, blah, blah and
yada, yada, yada, and we've
heard this so many times before. Over breakfast at a Toronto hotel, the
red-haired leader of the New
Pornographers is saying all the
right and boring things. "I feel like we're always growing and getting
better as a band" and "I've matured as a songwriter" and, to the
oblivious waiter, "could we get some menus?" All pretty mundane
stuff, and not worth the time of day - it's 11 a.m. - except that in this case
what Carl Newman is saying is probably true. Also, I should point out,
what the hungry musician is doing is simply responding to the leading, puffy
questions posed to him. His 10-year-old band's fourth album, Challengers,
out today, is indeed a riper affair than previous efforts. Where 2005's Twin
Cinema opened with brimming power pop, the new disc broaches like the Beach
Boys on only small waves. The thoughtful, mildly chugging My Rights Versus
Yours features the band's first ever use of a French horn. Following is All
the Old Showstoppers, with an august (but catchy) string break. As for the
tardy table service, if the waiter is ignoring the mild-mannered indie pop
star, he's not alone. Before Newman sat down to
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