20
Carlton Street, Suite 1032, Toronto, ON
M5B 2H5
(416)
677-5883
langfieldent@rogers.com
www.langfieldentertainment.com
July 26,
2007
Life can get a little busy sometimes but it always seems to be a little better
in the summer somehow right? Along those lines, last week I failed to mention that I was able to
catch three (count 'em three!) concerts. For ALL these concerts, check
out my PHOTO GALLERY!
First was Musiq Soulchild concert at Phoenix - unbelievable talent
that I've missed since his last release. His band was incredible and he
brought some rock tunes, gospel and his soul vibe. Then there was Ivana Santilli at Revival with her smooth sultry sounds
and hot band. And last but not least, Kayte Burgess at Harlem. Kayte put her show together for one
of her visiting producers, Ali Shaheed Muhammad (formerly of Tribe Called
Quest). It was a high energy show with Kayte magic being backed up by
some of my fav band members.
I've been invited to attend Crop
Over in Barbados from August
1-8th! You've probably heard lots of promo for it on FLOW 93.5.
Exciting and I'll be giving you a full report upon my return. I may be
sending you next week's newsletter a couple of days early as a result.
Harbourfront Centre switches gears just in time for Toronto's Caribana - Island Soul comes to town with all things Caribbean.
Come down and join the fun! Harlem weekly
event listings are below as well. And the popular Old
School Request Party is BACK! Check out all details below!
Old School Request Party – Friday, August 3, 2007
SOLD OUT for the past 6 years, the OLD
SCHOOL REQUEST PARTY has
been the hottest Karibana Friday
night party in the city for the mature clientele. This year we’re moving
the party uptown to the immaculate Six
Degrees nightclub (formerly
Berlin), featuring two floors of old school musical vibes with The
“Juiceman” Jonathan Shaw, DOC (CHRY radio), DJ Wayne, Bobby D, MC Toney
Williams, Neddy Nyce - and special guest host Mark Strong. Official
Heat (Western NY and Southern Ontario's #1 music and entertainment TV show)
will also be covering the event. And remember….on Karibana Friday….what
happens in de party…stays in de party…….
View the e-vite for this event HERE. Turn up your speakers....and tek a quick
whine......
FRIDAY, AUGUST 3, 2007
THE 7TH ANNUAL KARIBANA
FRIDAY OLD SCHOOL REQUEST PARTY
Six Degrees Nightclub
2335 Yonge Street (Yonge & Eglinton)
10:00 pm
Get on the $10 guestlist valid until 10:30 pm by RSVPing to info@oldskoolrequest.com
www.oldschoolrequest.com
::ISLAND
SOUL - AUGUST 3 - 6, 2007::
Source:
Harbourfront
Centre
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!
(July 18, 2007) - Harbourfront Centre’s Island Soul festival jumps up and jumps through the musical history of Jamaica and
Trinidad with star-studded concerts featuring Barrington Levy, Lord Superior,
Ernest Ranglin, Black Stalin and more! All festival events are FREE admission
(Complete event schedule below).The seventh edition of the festival begins with
two nights of concerts (August 3 & 4) showcasing Calypso’s living legends.
The Calypso Dreams Tour: Last of the Best features multiple Calypso Monarch
winners like Black Stalin, Macomere Fifi and Singing Sandra alongside recording
legends like Lord Superior and The Mighty Sparrow. There will also be screenings
of the documentary CALYPSO DREAMS.
On Sunday August 5 Jamaican music comes to
the fore with performances by Barrington Levy and Ernest Ranglin and the Canadian debut of pianist Kathy Brown. The day features screenings of acclaimed
documentaries like MADE IN JAMAICA and COPING WITH BABYLON along with classics
like ROCKERS and THE HARDER THEY COME. The day ends with inspired late night
performances by the Dub Poets Collective.The finale of Island Soul on August 6
fills the Concert Stage with steel pan bands like Afro Pan and the Pan Fantasy
Steelband and ends with a rousing Gospel Extravaganza featuring some of
Toronto’s prominent Gospel vocalists and the U of T Choir! Island Soul embraces
the influence of Latin cultures within the Caribbean with a Latin Urban
Explosion (featuring emerging Canadian Latin talent) and the visual art exhibit
The Way of the Saints: African Symbolism in Cuban Art – which features four
Cuban artists who have exhibited internationally in mixed mediums and painting.
Island Soul
is a festival for all ages and has afternoon family events including canoe
rides on the Natrel Pond and a Friendship Tree craft activity on August 4, 5
and 6. Traditional Caribbean ring games and song games are featured by P.A.C.E.
Canada on August 5.For more information on Island Soul events the public can
call 416-973-4000 or visit www.harbourfrontcentre.com
Island Soul
is part of Harbourfront Centre’s summer series of festivals, World Routes 2007
presented by RBC. Each weekend, top Canadian and international artists perform
in all disciplines including; music, dance, theatre, visual arts, readings and
film. Our 10-acre waterfront site is prized for its fun and educational family
activities at multiple venues, as well as for the diversity of the
International Marketplace and World Café.
Island Soul
– All Events are FREE
FRIDAY, AUGUST 3, 2007
Music:
8:00 p.m. –
Kobo Town (Concert Stage)
9:30 p.m. –
The Calypso Dreams Tour: Last of the Best (Concert Stage) Featuring Black
Stalin, Lord Superior and Macomere Fifi
Film:
6:30 p.m. –
CALYPSO DREAMS (Studio Theatre)
Visual
Arts: The Way of the Saints: African Symbolism in Cuban Art Featuring painting
and mixed medium works by Elio Vilva Trujillo, Francisco Gordillo Arrendondo,
Javier Gonzalez Gallosa and Lino Felix Vizcaino Sarria (Marilyn Brewer
Community Space) – 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. on August 3, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. on August
4 and 5, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on August 6
SATURDAY, AUGUST 4, 2007
Music:
8:00 p.m. –
Moses Revolution with Crazy (Concert Stage)
9:30 p.m. –
The Calypso Dreams Tour: Last of the Best (Concert Stage)
Featuring
The Mighty Sparrow, Crazy, Singing Sandra and Lord Superior
Dance/Music:
1:30 p.m. –
2:30 p.m. – Ijo Vudu Dance Company (Toronto Star Stage)
6:00 p.m. –
8:00 p.m. – Latin Urban Explosion (Toronto Star Stage)
Featuring
Orlando Valencia, Flakko, Shantall, Chicago, Phanta C, Trio
and
special guests Criollo from Montreal
Family
Programming:
1:00 p.m. –
5:00 p.m. – Friendship Tree (Natrel Kids Zone)
1:00 p.m. –
5:00 p.m. – Canoe Rides (Natrel Pond)
1:00 p.m. –
5:00 p.m. – Miss Lou’s Interactive Room (Miss Lou’s Room)
Film:
2:00 p.m. –
MADE IN JAMAICA (Studio Theatre)
4:30 p.m. –
SEQUINS, SOCA, SWEAT – THE HIDDEN HEART OF NOTTING HILL
CARNIVAL
(Studio Theatre)
6:30 p.m. –
CALYPSO DREAMS (Studio Theatre)
Other: 3:00
p.m. - The Canadian Domino League
presents
Domino on the Lake (Lakeside Terrace Tent)
This event
is a demonstration and is closed to competitors.
SUNDAY, AUGUST 5, 2007
Music:
2:00 p.m. –
Kathy Brown (Concert Stage)
3:30 p.m. –
Ernest Ranglin (Concert Stage) – part of the Pepsi Concert
Series
8:00 p.m. –
I-Sax Injah (Concert Stage)
9:30 p.m. –
Barrington Levy (Concert Stage)
Dance/Music:
Toronto Star Stage
1:30 p.m. –
Jamaican Focus: Reggaecise Workshop with Tamla Matthews
4:30 p.m. –
Jamaican Focus: Reggae & Dancehall Dance Showcase
6:30 p.m. –
Jamaican Focus: Reggae & Dancehall Workshop on the Lawn
Family
Programming:
2:00 p.m. –
4:00 p.m. – Children at Play (Ann Tindal Lawn)
1:00 p.m. –
5:00 p.m. – Friendship Tree (Natrel Kids Zone)
1:00 p.m. –
5:00 p.m. – Canoe Rides (Natrel Pond)
1:00 p.m. –
5:00 p.m. – Miss Lou’s Interactive Room (Miss Lou’s Room)
Film:
1:00 p.m. –
THE HARDER THEY COME (Studio Theatre)
3:30 p.m. –
ROCKERS (Studio Theatre)
6:00 p.m. –
MADE IN JAMAICA (Studio Theatre)
9:00 p.m. –
COPING WITH BABYLON – Canadian Premier (Studio Theatre)
Food:
4:30 p.m. –
Labrish - I Remember Jamaica When (Brigantine Room)
Celebrity
and Community leader event celebrating the 45th Anniversary
of
Jamaica’s Independence (Labrish = chat)
Other:
1:00 p.m. -
The Canadian Domino League presents
Domino on
the Lake (Lakeside Terrace Tent)
This event
is a demonstration and is closed to competitors.
11:00 p.m.
– Late Night Dub Poets Collective Spice Up the Place
featuring
Clifton Joseph, Afua Cooper, d’bi young, Klyde Box and Owen “Blakka”
Ellis.
Hosted by Sankofa (Brigantine Room)
– Late
Night NOW presented by Heineken
MONDAY, AUGUST 6, 2007
Music:
1:00 p.m. –
Pass The Torch: The Calypso and Soca Project (Toronto Star
Stage)
2:00 p.m. –
Afro Pan (Toronto Star Stage)
3:00 p.m. –
Pan Fantasy Steelband (Concert Stage)
4:00 p.m. –
Gospel Extravaganza (Prelude) (Toronto Star Stage)
4:30 p.m. –
Gospel Extravaganza featuring Pastor Rich Brown, Kay
Morris,
Marc Masri, Paula Sanchex, Ammoi Levy and the U of T choir (Concert
Stage)
Family
Programming:
1:00 p.m. –
5:00 p.m. – Friendship Tree (Natrel Kids Zone)
1:00 p.m. –
5:00 p.m. – Canoe Rides (Natrel Pond)
1:00 p.m. –
5:00 p.m. – Miss Lou’s Interactive Room (Miss Lou’s Room)
Harbourfront
Centre is located 235 Queens Quay West, Toronto, ON
For public
information please call 416-973-4000 or visit www.harbourfrontcentre.com
HARLEM EVENTS**
Week of July 26-August 1, 2007
For information on the vibe of Harlem Restaurant and live music
venue: Go to www.harlemrestaurant.com.
|
Date |
Name of Event |
What |
|
July 26 |
Sound Plantation presents Sage
Sundiata unplugged Doors: 9pm Show: 10:30pm $10 |
|
|
July 27 |
A night of - Images, Beats and Culture - Short films by: Charles
Officer, Chris Pare and John Garcia Doors: 9pm Show: 10:00pm $10 |
|
|
July 28 |
Two Katz in the City |
Carl Cassell and Colin Jervis Host a
night at Harlem Music by the Legend himself DJ Carl Allen Doors: 9pm $5 free for anyone having dinner
at Harlem (to make a reservation call 416.368.1920) |
|
August 1 |
Vertigo |
DJ David James (deep house deep tech
garage) Doors: 10pm |
**HARLEM
67 Richmond St. (at Church)
Tel: 416-368-1920
::TOP STORIES::
Russell
Peters' Homecoming
Excerpt from www.globeandmail.com
(July 23, 2007) Russell Peters latest comedy tour is
appropriately named Homecoming. The Brampton, Ont. raised comic has been
everywhere but home over the past few years. He's been cracking up audiences
all over the world during almost non-stop touring in support of his hit comedy
DVD Outsourced, based on his Comedy Central special that aired in August
2006. He's sold out rock concert venues in four continents including an
unprecedented two-night sellout of the Air Canada Centre in June, feats that
have him peggeed as the hottest comedian in the world at the moment. Peters has
brought his unique brand of comedy back to Canada this summer with an
appearance at the Montréal Just for Laughs festival. He will kick off the
inaugural Toronto Just for Laughs festival, hosting a free
evening of comedy at Yonge-Dundas Square on Friday July 27. Following
Peters' free show in Toronto on Friday, he'll prepare for his Western Canadian
tour that will begin in Winnipeg on Sept. 18 and end in Victoria, B.C. Sept.
25th.
Artists
Taking Credit For Songs They Didn't Write Prevalent In Pop Music Scene
Source: By Nekesa Mumbi Moody, Associated Press
(July 23, 2007) NEW YORK (AP) - Of all the names in music,
Chantal Kreviazuk may be the least likely to appear in a headline. Although she
recently released her own album, the songwriter usually stays behind the scenes
to pen hits with artists such as Kelly Clarkson, Gwen Stefani and Avril
Lavigne. But earlier this month, Kreviazuk rocked the pop music world by
suggesting that Lavigne was a collaborator in name only. Although she quickly
retracted her comments and others defended Lavigne, the flap illuminated a long-standing
fraud that has become more prevalent than ever: "singer-songwriters" who do much less
songwriting than their publicists would have you believe. "It's
crazy!" exclaimed Grammy-winning songwriter Diane
Warren, who has written for artists such as Whitney Houston, Celine Dion
and Mary J. Blige. "How can someone look in the mirror and know they
didn't do something and their name is on it? For money? For credit? It's a
lie." This being the music industry, money is, of course, a factor,
since the writers of hit songs can earn more than the singer over the long
term. But today's singers also press for writing credit because it gives them
more of a cache, presenting them as more of a "real artist" in
comparison with a star who doesn't write a note.
"It's a practice that's been going on, but now it's really prevalent in
every situation," says songwriter Adonis Shropshire, who helped pen the
hit "My Boo" for Alicia Keys and Usher, and has worked with Chris
Brown, Ciara and others. Shropshire says that many artists will only
allow songwriters to work on an album in return for song credit, and "if
they do write, they ask for more publishing than they honestly contributed . .
. it is the way it is." The practice has been prevalent for decades.
Elvis Presley's manager, Col. Tom Parker, manoeuvred to give the King
songwriting credits on early hits like "Love Me Tender" even though
he never wrote a word. James Brown was sued by an associate over song credits.
Lauryn Hill settled a lawsuit by a group that claimed she improperly took sole
production and writing credit on her Grammy-winning album "The
Miseducation of Lauryn Hill." And Diddy seemed to acknowledge claims that
he wasn't really writing his raps in the "Bad Boys for Life" song with
the brush-off line: "Don't worry if I write rhymes, I write
cheques!" The notion that serious artists have to write their own
songs seems to have grown over the past two decades. Today, even the fluffiest
of pop acts is credited as having written their own material. "We as
an industry . . . don't look at someone who has an incredible voice as an
artist, whereas having an incredible voice is artistry," says Jody Gerson,
an executive vice-president of EMI Music Publishing. "I think people place
more of a value on an artist if they write their own songs; it gives them
credibility."
Indeed, Lavigne's songwriting abilities have been touted since she broke out as
a teen with the hit "Complicated." But how much she contributed to
her music has long been scrutinized. On her first album, Lavigne worked
with the writing trio The Matrix, but ditched them on her second album when she
felt they were taking too much credit for the songs. "I am a writer, and I
won't accept people trying to take that away from me, and anyone who does is ignorant
and doesn't know what they're talking about," she defiantly told The
Associated Press in 2004. She connected with Kreviazuk for her sophomore
album and the two became close friends. Kreviazuk lauded her songwriting
ability in an interview with AP, also in 2004 - which made Kreviazuk's comments
to Performing Songwriting Magazine all the more curious. "I mean,
Avril, songwriter? Avril doesn't really sit and write songs by herself or
anything. Avril will also cross the ethical line, and no one says anything,"
Kreviazuk - who was not included on Lavigne's latest album - told the magazine
before retracting her statement. The Matrix later came out to defend Lavigne's
songwriting integrity. Grammy-winning songwriter Dallas Austin says he's had a manager rave
about a song Austin wrote all by himself, and then tell him, "We wanna
know if we can get a piece of the pie on it because (the artist) wants to feel
like she has a part ownership on the song. "And I'll say, 'In all
fairness, no. . . . If you want to work with me at least sit here and put
something into it, instead of coming after I've done everything and try and
claim percentages on it."'
Gerson calls the practice unfair but says it's "pretty prevalent in pop
and R&B . . . I think the way people now divide publishing splits is who
was in the room. 'OK . . . I changed the word 'the' to 'a,' and I deserve 10
per cent of the publishing."' Sean Garrett, who has created smashes
for Beyonce, Kelis, Fergie and others, says he gave up credit when he was just
starting out, which is common for newcomers. "It bothered me, but I knew
it was just a price that I had to pay to continue my career and stay focused
with the big prize," he says. Ne-Yo, a true singer-songwriter who
co-wrote Beyonce's "Irreplaceable," says early in his career he had
to deal with the same thing. He says some artists feel they are doing a novice
a favour by recording their song - especially if it becomes a hit - so they
deserve a piece of the royalties. "If you're an unknown songwriter and
you are lucky enough to get on a superstar's album and you know that the song
is going to be a single," Ne-Yo says, "and it means if it becomes No.
1 everyone is going to know your name because you wrote it, I think it's worth
giving up a piece of publishing . . . you are going to make your money
back." Shropshire recalls working with an A-list singer, whom he did
not want to name, who wrote two words on a song and ended up getting a large
piece of the publishing rights. But he couldn't complain when the song became a
hit. "It didn't really bother me that much. The song came out and it
did wonderfully well," he says. "That's just the way the industry
works." That shouldn't be the case, says Warren. Although she had
credit taken from her early in her career, she quickly put a stop to it. Later,
one major superstar demanded some of Warren's royalties for the privilege of
said superstar recording her song. But Warren refused. "It's like,
'OK, you want some publishing? OK, then, give me a piece of the money you're
making touring for the next five years for the hit I just wrote
you." But now that songwriters like Warren, Garrett and Ne-Yo are
established, they rarely find themselves taken advantage of any more.
"I give other people credit where credit is due, like Beyonce really did
vocally arrange ('Irreplaceable')," Ne-Yo says. "So for someone to
come in and take my credit because they are who they are? That doesn't work for
me. I don't care who you are. . . . I'm not going to give you something you
don't deserve."
Arturo
Tappin, Barbadian Jazz Icon, Will Launch New Album 'Inside Out' On Tuesday July
24, 2007
(July 16, 2007) NEW YORK - PRNewswire -- Legendary
Barbadian jazz icon, Arturo Tappin, will formally launch his new album "Inside Out" at the
official Album Launch in Manhattan, NY on Tuesday July 24th from 6:30pm - 11pm.
The launch is being produced by Antilia, Inc. - an upscale Caribbean special
event company based in NYC. Malibu Rum will host a premium open bar for all
invited attendees. The event is being held at the
high-profile Chelsea lounge Room Service, and endeavours to showcase Arturo's
repositioning for a younger audience and potential for mainstream credibility.
Along with unique new originals, the esteemed saxophonist will perform his own
instrumental covers of top 10 Billboard hit songs from popular peer artists
such as Gnarls Barkley, Rihanna, John Legend and Rupee. Truly, Arturo proves
that the sax has moved far beyond the jazz genre from where it was conceived.
Arturo has recorded with the late Luther Vandross, and currently works
alongside Grammy-award recipients and nominees Ralph MacDonald and Nicholas
Branker. Other artists he has performed and/or recorded with include the likes
of Ellis Marsalis, Dean Frasier, Maxi Priest and Bob Marley's Wailer's Band. He
is widely regarded as one of the top saxophonists in the world, undisputed
number 1 in the English-speaking Caribbean, and has performed for great world
leaders such as Bill Clinton and Fidel Castro on more than one occasion. Arturo
can currently be seen on stage with songbird Roberta Flack.
Lorne
Michaels: The One Constant On Saturday Night Live
Excerpt from www.globeandmail.com -
Andrew Ryan
(July 21, 2007) BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. — Few bosses inspire more fear
in their employees than Lorne Michaels. More than three decades of running Saturday Night Live have
not appeared to soften the Canadian-born producer in any way. He continues to
steer the franchise he created with an iron hand, screening every single sketch
before letting it go to air. As any of the current cast members will attest,
the live broadcasts are a breeze compared to the dreaded weekly pitch-meeting
with the boss. "Man, I hate pitching sketches to Lorne," says cast
regular Kenan Thompson. "I mean, he's super-cool and all, but God, he
makes me nervous. The guy represents a lot of people's careers, you know?"
Sophomore SNL cast member Andy Samberg appears equally fearful.
"Lorne is a smooth dude, but he can be very intimidating. He never gets
animated or anything, but if he doesn't think something is funny, you know
it." Likewise, head writer and cast regular Seth Myers admits that when he
joined the show in 2001, taking sketches to Michaels ranked a 10 out of 10 on
the "terrified scale." Now? "It's about 9 ½. Lorne demands a certain
level of intelligence in the comedy. At the same time, you know he will happily
put something like Dick in a Box on the show. Lorne has very unique
range." But Michaels still knows funny, and how to pick his spots.
Crass as it was, Dick in a Box was the sketch that single-handedly
salvaged SNL's season last year, and it was a snap decision from the
62-year-old major domo. Samberg took the concept — a soul music video
with two smooth cats, played by Samberg and that week's host, Justin
Timberlake, wrapping up special Christmas gifts for their ladies — to Michaels
on the Friday afternoon before a live Saturday broadcast last December.
Michaels sanctioned the idea, which was shot quickly on digital video and
rushed to air for the Saturday show.
By Monday morning, an uncensored version of Dick in a Box had been
watched by millions of viewers on You Tube. And this week it was nominated for
an Emmy, in the Original Music and Lyrics category. "That's the real power
of the show — you can go from blank page to on-the-air in 24 hours," says
Michaels. "And it was a perfect form for the Internet, the same way The
Chronicles of Narnia exploded the year before. It gets it out there."
If just briefly, Dick in a Box made Saturday Night Live relevant
again, and had people talking. It wasn't the show's best season, but then, like
the New York Yankees, SNL has had great years and forgettable ones, with
Michaels the manager providing stability and direction. He was there for the
first broadcast in 1975, he left in 1980 for five years, and, on this day, he's
at a posh Beverley Hills hotel promoting SNL's 33rd season starting in
September. Basketball superstar LeBron James will host the opener. Michaels is
smallish, soft-spoken and well-dressed, but with piercing dark eyes that you
can easily imagine boring through one of his comedy charges at a writers'
meeting. Stepping aside from the press conference fray to chat, he doesn't
smile or laugh much for a Canadian who got his own start in the business by
writing comedy sketches. Michaels, in fact, may be the most unassuming Canadian
to enter the comedy business, and do it on American television, but nobody will
ever match his eye for talent. Just about every major North American comedy
star today came from his SNL factory. Working backward, the alumni
include Will Ferrell, Adam Sandler, Mike Myers, Chris Rock, Eddie Murphy, Bill
Murray, Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi. Even Chevy Chase had a movie career. They
were all relative unknowns before they started pitching skits to Michaels.
Saturday Night Live has been alternately praised and battered by critics
over the years, but it remains a viewing tradition for millions. The show's
undying strength, says Michaels, is that "it comes from another time in
network television — its budget, the way it's produced. It's really a throwback
to live television from the fifties." Michaels also has a keen eye for
what's hip on U.S. television, and to some extent he credits his birthplace.
Born in Toronto as Lorne Michael Lipowitz in 1944 (a few months after NBC radio
signed a young announcer named Don Pardo, who still opens each SNL broadcast),
Michaels had the gift of seeing humour in his surroundings. "Toronto was
the best of all worlds in terms of comedy grounding," he says. "It
was an unbelievably dull city when I was growing up, so the safety and dullness
made you find ways to amuse yourself." And the best way for a kid to amuse
himself in the fifties was via the black-and-white console television set in
the living room. Networks had signed on and comedy was king. Michaels absorbed
all of it. "I used to watch The Colgate Comedy Hour with my family
on Sunday night, but for me and my brother, it was always the Bilko show [with
Phil Silvers]," he says. "On television we had Canadian comedy,
American comedy and even some British comedy." Michaels graduated from the
University of Toronto in 1966 and teamed with a young lawyer named Hart
Pomerantz to create comedy pieces for CBC. They tested themselves in Los
Angeles, with fleeting writing stints for Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In
and a Phyllis Diller sitcom, and returned home to Canada. CBC gave the pair
their own series, The Hart & Lorne Terrific Hour, a variety show
with musical guests and improv-comedy players that included Aykroyd and Victor
Garber. The show ran two seasons.
In 1975, Michaels was asked to put together a variety-style show for NBC to air
in the post-news timeslot on Saturday night. The network was filling the space
with reruns of Johnny Carson's The Tonight Show. Working with veteran producer
Dick Ebersol, Michaels devised a casual variety format of sketch comedy and a
weekly musical guest. He kept it simple. "We came on right after
Watergate, and in my generation, the things we cared about were the music, the
films and politics," says Michaels. "The show has always been a mix
of those three things." To ensure the first season went smoothly, Michaels
made calls home to some talented Canucks. "I just brought in the people
who I knew were good," he shrugs. "Howard Shore was musical director
and Paul Shaffer was in the band. Danny [Aykroyd] was on my show in Canada. It
wasn't like I ever said: 'Okay, where are the Canadians?' I've always gone with
the funniest people I can find." No other program was making fun of the
president at the time. SNL entered the zeitgeist of American culture
during that first season and stayed there, with only a few vacations since.
When the original cast began to fragment and people left the show, Michaels
treated the departures as opportunities.
"The show was always meant to be about different people, different subject
matter," he says. "If the people who were doing the show in 1975 were
still doing it, we'd all have guns in our mouths. It's kept fresh from the fact
new faces come into it every year, and it's people at the beginning of their
careers. There's a certain energy to that." And so it's gone on SNL for
more than 30 years. To be fair, Michaels has always been more mentor than
taskmaster to his cast. "Lorne is actually quite protective of us,"
says Samberg. "He's shown us how to interact with the press, with the crew
and the host. He's a great teacher." In several weeks Michaels will resume
the 70-hour work weeks and will sit through hundreds of sketch ideas from his
young, mostly unknown cast. He holds firm in his resolution that his Saturday
nights shall remain booked for years to come. "There are two driving
forces in my life," he says. "One, I really love doing it. And two,
my daughter gets out of high school in 2016, and that's a consideration because
I want to be there. But I'm committed to the show. If I didn't think it was
important, there are easier ways to make a living."
::MUSIC NEWS::
BET-J & VH1 Soul Get On Board With
Hidden Beach's Keite Young!
Source: Thornell Jones, Thornell@Fortressmarketing.com
(July 25, 2007) This week marks yet another milestone in
Hidden Beach singer/songwriter Keite
Young's musical journey as the sumptuous soul of
his official launch single, "If We Were Alone" makes its broadcast
debut on two national video outlets popular with soul/R&B music
fans. The music clip (a duet with newly reactivated Stax Records soulstress
N'dambi) debuted this past weekend on BET-J's "Soul Sessions," and
will make its debut on VH1 Soul's "Sub Soul" program this
week. The video's storyline portrays two strangers who fantasize
about an intimate encounter after meeting at a bus stop. Keite Young and
N'dambi both hail from the Dallas-Ft. Worth area, where they met on the music
scene. Since then, Young has made a name for himself with R&B/soul's
alternative-friendly audience via intense, moving live sets opening slots for
the likes of Robin Thicke, Frankie Beverly & Maze, Tank, the O'Jays and
others. The stage is clearly set for the 8/28 release of Keite
Young's anticipated Hidden Beach debut CD "The Rise and Fall of Keite
Young," as leading R&B/soul stations like WHUR-D.C. embrace the
seductive sound of "If We Were Alone."
It's only a matter of time before nationwide R&B/soul lovers discover and
are fully enthralled by the progressive, yet old school-hued sound of Keite
Young. BET-J's "Soul Sessions" airs Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday @
8pm and 3am (est.); Friday @ 1pm and 3am (est.); Saturday @ 9pm (est.); and
Sunday @ 9am (est.). VH1 Soul's "Sub Soul" airs Monday, Wednesday and
Friday @ 10am, 6pm and 2am (est.). Check out Keite's scorcher "If We Were
Alone," featuring N'Dambi at his MySpace site: www.myspace.com/keiteyoung
Corey Reynolds - The Closer Interview
with Kam Williams
Source:
Kam Williams
Corey Reynolds was born on July 3rd, 1974 in Richmond,
Virginia where he was raised till he decided to head west to take a shot at
showbiz. But his career took a detour and instead of sticking around Los
Angeles, he ended up in a traveling production of Smoky Joe’s Café.
Eventually, he settled in New York where he was cast in the role of
Seaweed in the original Broadway production of Hairspray. After landing a
Tony nomination for that dynamic performance, he returned to Hollywood,
appearing in The Terminal, directed by Steven Spielberg, and on
several TV series, including Eve, The Guardian, Without a Trace,
and CSI: Miami, before being invited to become a regular member of
the ensemble on The
Closer, the
TNT dramatic police series co-starring Kyra Sedgwick, J.K Simmons and
Gina Rivera.
Here, he
talks about his career, and about playing Sergeant David Gabriel on the show,
which recently started its third season.
KW: Had you
hoped to be able to play Seaweed in the new screen version of Hairspray, given
that you had originated the role on Broadway and landed a Tony nomination for
it?
CR: I had
some availability issues because of my prior commitments to the show, but to be
honest, it never was something that I was really gunning for, because I really
feel that you can’t just go back and recreate something. Hairspray was really
special, such a big smash, and we were all so very young, just kids, and then
this whirlwind happened. So, I thought I’d just keep my magic in a bottle. Still,
I was a little disappointed to see that there’s no one from the Broadway show
involved onscreen. I actually sang a song for the soundtrack.
KW: That
must feel weird to see someone else in your role.
CR: It’s
like seeing someone else dating your ex-girlfriend. But the truth of the matter
is that I’ve worked very hard since leaving the show in 2003 to move into the
realm of leading man and young adult, versus kid. So, I think that that type of
project may not have been the type of springboard that I was looking for to use
to continue my ascension in Hollywood. I’ve moved on, and I’m looking in a new
direction career-wise, but I’m very grateful that something I was a part of
creating continues to feed people and to provide them an outlet to do what they
love. I think that’s just great.
KW: How did
it feel to get a Tony Award nomination for Hairspray?
CR: That
was pretty exciting. It was my first Broadway show, so to have that happen out
of the gate, I was pleasantly surprised.
KW: That
sort of stamped you as an accomplished actor right of the bat.
CR: Yeah,
but I’ve got to get that trophy, though. I want to take that walk.
KW: Well,
The Closer is getting a lot of critical acclaim, so maybe an Emmy’s on the
horizon for you.
CR: Who
knows? If I play my cards right, and continue to do what I consider good work,
and let the chips fall where they may.
KW: How do
you like playing Deputy Chief Johnson‘s [Kyra Sedgwick’s character] protégé,
Sergeant Gabriel?
CR: I love
it, hands down. I loved my character in Hairspray, but when it comes to
theatre, you’re a little bit more restricted in what you can do, because you
have the same show over and over again. But with this, being able to develop
this character, and let him grow, and to allow myself to grow as an actor at
the same time, really is wonderful. I couldn’t have asked for a better role on
a television show. You don’t see many minority men my age playing
college-educated, well-spoken, articulate, good guys. So, that was something
that was really important to me as an actor, to try to find something that
would present me in a light that I want to be seen in. And this show presented
that opportunity.
KW: Yeah,
and even when you do see that positive role model-type character, they often
inject a lot of humour which undercuts
CR: …their
own legitimacy as what ever professional they are.
KW: Right.
CR: I agree
with you 100%. I see that in some other television series, a couple of medical
shows. On one, there’s a doctor who went to college and med school, twelve
years of intensive education after high school, and he’s still saying,
“Whazzup?” You would think that at some point that educational experience would
bleed into how they present themselves. What that does, in my opinion, is it
kind of discredits the whole idea of being the professional. But for me, in
playing Gabriel, it’s win-win across the board as far as how I like to act, and
the type of person I want to portray.
KW: On The
Closer, you’re surrounded by a talented cast, such as J.K. Simmons, who
got the biggest laughs, stealing all his scenes in Spider-Man 3 as J.
Jonah Jameson.
CR:
Absolutely! He loves those Spidey checks. He was telling me that in the new
Spiderman DVD…
KW:
Spiderman 2.1
CR: Yeah,
in 2.1 there’s a deleted scene of him in the Spider-Man costume in his office
running around. And he said, “You know the worst part about it was they gave me
Tobey’s suit, and it didn’t exactly fit me.” [Chuckles] Yeah, we have a great
group with him, G.W. [Bailey], Kyra, Jon [Tenney], Tony [Denison]… And
for me, it’s important to be able to have this be the foundation of my
television career.
KW: How is
the daily grind of shooting a series?
CR: We
shoot an episode every seven days, so we go Monday through Friday, and then
Monday and Tuesday of the next week. If you’re in every scene, you’re probably
looking at about a 65-70 hour week. But when you’re doing what you love, it may
get tiring, but it never gets bad.
KW: Kyra’s
from New York in real life, but has a Southern accent on the show, while you’re
from the Virginia, but don’t have the accent. Did you deliberately try to lose
yours?
CR: I
wouldn’t say I’ve worked to lose it, but I’ve always been told by others that
I’m well spoken, and that they’re surprised I’m from Virginia. But if you hear
me on the phone with my family, you’ll get a totally different sound, I can
assure you.
KW: Former
L.A. District Attorney, Gil Garcetti, who prosecuted the O.J. Simpson case, is
a consultant on the show. What’s he like?
CR: I gotta
tell you, man, Gil is surprisingly one of the coolest people I know. You’d
think that somebody in his position, and who had done what he’s done for a
living, would be very uptight. Not at all… not at all.
KW: Jimmy
Bayan told me to ask you where in L.A. you live.
CR: I live
in Los Feliz. I just bought a house there, so I’m excited.
KW: Who
would you like to see yourself acting opposite in a feature film?
CR: Ooh,
that’s a really good question. There are lots of people I’d love an opportunity
to work with. One of them was Tom Hanks, and I got to work with him on The
Terminal. That experience really blew my mind to be honest. That was my first
movie ever, and I’m on the set with Spielberg and Tom Hanks.
KW: How was
it working with them?
|
CR: They
are truly masters, and to be honest, they are two of the nicest people you
could ever meet in your life. And for me, that was great to see people I
admire, and to see how they treat other people. That helped me to understand
that if you truly want to experience success on the scale that these guys are
experiencing, there is a positive aura that must surround you. You must be a
positive person to have staying power. Lots of people can get there, but
longevity is what it’s all about.
KW: Did you
observe anything about how they each approach their craft from being
around them on the set every day?
CR: Steven
has a very concise and clear understanding of his vision, and what I think Tom
had was a very clear and concise understanding of Steven. So, he was able to
translate Steven’s vision instantly.
KW: What
advice do you have for anyone who might want to follow in your footsteps?
CR: Stay
realistic, know exactly what it is that you’re going for, and then stay
determined, because determination is the deciding factor between success and
failure.
KW: Corey,
thanks for the interview, and I hope I can get another one with you after you
break real big.
CR: You got
one whenever you want, all right?
KW: Thanks.
CR: Take it
easy.
Music To Cost Hairdressers
Excerpt from www.thestar.com - Canadian
Press
(July 20, 2007) MONTREAL – The musical free ride is about to end for
your local hairdresser or barber shop. The umbrella group for
Canada's music composers is cracking down on thousands of hair salons that
don't pay licensing fees for the soothing music they play while you get a trim
or dye job. Anne Richard of the Society of Composers, Authors and Music
Publishers of Canada (SOCAN) says the law has always required hairdressers and
barbers to pay for playing CDs, MP3s or other recordings in public.
"They just didn't know about it," Richard said in an interview from
her Montreal office. "We don't have a huge staff for this, so each
year we target different music users. Last year it was dentists, this year it's
hairdressers." The cash will go into a pool administered by SOCAN
with more than 80 per cent of the money going directly into artist pockets,
according to organization officials. About a dozen SOCAN employees are charged
with enforcing the rule across Canada.
The move has the hair industry abuzz, according to Taryn Weinstock, editor of
Canadian Hairdresser International magazine, based in Toronto. She said large
salons, where thumping dance music is an important part of the ambience, may
have an easier time than a struggling shop with a single stylist.
"It's such a small industry," Weinstock said, adding that profit
margins are tiny for most hairdressers. Marrello Raffaello of Raffaello
Salon in Toronto's tiny Yorkville neighbourhood envisions a nightmare of
complications to sort out which salons should pay. He pointed to
old-school barbers who may play talk radio or nothing at all as they offer low-cost
trims. Their entertainment is often simply debate on sports and current
events. "A lot of old barbers aren't into music," Raffaello
said. "Are they going to pay? It's so tough to define. For a lot of
people, it's just a little background noise to break the silence. For others,
it's a key part of the business." Raffaello, who plays the radio in
his high-end salon, also wondered if SOCAN will be double dipping when radio
stations already pay for the right to play the music.
Most radio is free because stations already pay, according to Richard, but it's
not quite that simple. If Raffaello uses a standard radio to play the
broadcast, he's off the hook. If he uses a fancy amplification system, he will
pay, she said. "I guess if small operators are put into jeopardy by
having to pay $10 a month to creators of music, they can turn on a radio,"
she said. Richard said numerous salons have long paid licensing fees
after learning the law required the payments.
Expect New Babyface CD In September
Source: Amina Elshahawi, ThinkTank Marketing, amina@thinktankmktg.com,
http://www.thinktankmktg.com
(July 20, 2007) New York, NY -- Grammy award-winning
megastar
Kenny 'Babyface' Edmonds, an icon figure of live performance,
songwriting, and production whose work on his own music and others' has
resulted in more than 100 million career sales, has completed his 11th
album. PLAYLIST, which will arrive in stores September 18th as the first
album on the newly re-launched Mercury Records label, was announced earlier
this week by Antonio "L.A." Reid, Chairman Island Def Jam Music Group
and David Massey, President, Mercury Records. PLAYLIST will be Babyface's first
album devoted (mostly) to cover versions of some of his favourite songs, among
them James Taylor's "Fire & Rain," Bob Dylan's "Knockin' On
Heaven's Door," Dan Fogelberg's "Longer," Jim Croce's
"Time In A Bottle," Eric Clapton's "Wonderful
Tonight," and many others. The album will also include
original material. Over the course of the '90s, Babyface not
only distinguished himself as the decade's single greatest hitmaker, but as one
of the greatest hitmakers in the history of popular music. His imprint
(to date) extends to over 125 top 10 pop and R&B hits which include
47 #1 R&B hits, 51 top 10 pop hits, and 16 #1 pop hits. For one span
of time on Billboard's pop and R&B charts, Babyface was listed as the
writer, producer and/or performer on twelve separate songs in the Top 20.
His countless Grammy awards (which include Producer Of the Year in 1995, '96
and '97 - the only person in history to win three consecutive years), NAACP
Image Awards, Billboard Music Awards, and American Music Awards are just one
indication of Babyface's penetration into pop culture. In addition to
co-founding LaFace Records with Antonio "L.A." Reid in 1989 (home
of Toni Braxton, OutKast, TLC, Pink and Usher), Babyface's name is linked to
the world's biggest-selling and most universally popular recording artists -
including Mary J. Blige, Boyz II Men, Brandy, Toni Braxton, Tevin Campbell,
Mariah Carey, Eric Clapton, Celine Dion, Aretha Franklin, Dru Hill, Whitney
Houston, Michael Jackson, Madonna, Lionel Richie, TLC, and Vanessa Williams -
to name a few. Babyface is also responsible for such phenomena as the 7
million-selling Waiting To Exhale movie soundtrack album, and the 1996 Atlanta
Olympic Games anthem "Power Of the Dream" (which he co-wrote, and
which was sung by Celine Dion). As a movie producer, Babyface's company
debuted in 1997 with Soul Food (which grossed over $43 million, and spun off a
double-platinum soundtrack album), followed by Hav Plenty in 1998, Light
It Up in 1999 and Josie & The Pussycats (2001). Babyface's albums and
singles include: Lovers By Babyface (1987); Tender Lover (1989,
double-platinum), a #1 R&B album in Billboard for 11 weeks, including the
#1 R&B singles "It's No Crime" and "Tender Love,"
"Whip Appeal" (#2), and "My Kinda Girl" (#3); For the Cool
In You (1993, triple-platinum), on the R&B album chart for 87 weeks, with
the top 10 R&B singles "For the Cool In You," "Never Keeping
Secrets," "And Our Feelings," and "When Can I See
You"; The Day (1996, double-platinum), with the top 5 R&B/pop
crossover hits "This Is For the Lover In You" (platinum) and
"Every Time I Close My Eyes" (gold); MTV Unplugged NYC 1997 (gold);
Christmas With Babyface (1998); Face2Face (2001); and Grown & Sexy (2005).
Recipient of the NAACP Lifetime achievement Award, the Essence Award For
Excellence, GQ magazine's Man Of the Year honour, and named One Of the Most
Influential People In America by TIME magazine, Babyface's caring and
generosity are well-known. He is national spokesman for the Boarder Baby
Project in Washington, DC, which provides transitional housing for babies
abandoned at birth, awaiting adoption. In July 1999, Babyface became the
largest single personal donor to VH1's "Save the Music" campaign when
he donated $60,000 to the campaign in his home state of Indiana, to help
improve the quality of music education in public schools by restoring and
supporting music programs and raising public awareness. That same month
in Indianapolis, the Governor of Indiana renamed a 23-mile stretch of
Interstate 65 "Kenneth 'Babyface' Edmonds Highway," the first time
that a living African-American has been bestowed an honour of such magnitude.
Indie-Rock
Titan's Enchanted Childhood
Excerpt from www.thestar.com - Special To The Star
(July
22, 2007) This week Toronto indie-rock titan Emily Haines –
whose growing fame stems from her songwriting in surging rock band Metric –
releases a solo EP, following last year's CD, Knives Don't Have Your Back, and 2005's hit record
with the band. One reason for her prodigious creativity is
obvious: her late father Paul, himself an apparent fount of ideas. The elder
Haines wrote poetry, liner notes, fiction and most famously created the
libretto for American jazz composer Carla Bley's 1971 double-album Escalator
Over the Hill, described as "a who's who of both free jazz and
rock" in Rolling Stone and "a monumental, Herculean
work" in the Village Voice. On the 1994 album Darn It! his
poems were put to music, sung by a varied crew including Mary Margaret O'Hara
and Cream singer Jack Bruce. The creations ceased only with his death in 2003.
Emily's concert this Wednesday at Harbourfront coincides with the
publication of Secret Carnival Workers, a collection of her father's
poetry and other writings. The Star asked her to reflect on
the influence such a busily artistic father has had on his daughter. Her
thoughts are annotated at the end.
Growing up I always remember feeling like our house was floating in space.
Every room was filled with treasures from all over the world; books from India,
ears sculpted from wax, early Michael Snow (1) sketches, my mother Jo's
paintings, Zuni fetishes, a giant photograph of (jazz trombonist) Jack
Teagarden hanging over the breakfast table, chewy riddles like "Dada is
the hatstand of the nervous system" printed and framed and placed
strategically throughout my father Paul's magical study.
Everywhere I turned, I found something from the world my mom and dad had
explored and created together, and all my adventures unfolded with a most
unusual soundtrack: the unpredictable contents of whichever mixed tape Paul was
making at the time. The whole area surrounding his stereo was cluttered with
endless stacks of unmarked cassettes that I couldn't resist playing when no one
was around. Who knew what imaginary places were captured in sound! My dad
tolerated this habit but not if I failed to return the tapes to their original
location – an impossible task as they all appeared identical. For Paul there
was nothing worse than listening to a tape and knowing what was coming next. He
avoided all distinguishing marks on his masterpieces. When I went away to
school and he started sending me tapes in the mail he amended this policy
somewhat, occasionally scrawling things like "Fats Misc." or "Interior,
Somewhere" on the cardboard cassette sleeve to give me a hint of what I
was in for. Even now, many years later, no matter where I am when I put
on one of his tapes, I am transported back to being very young, crouched beside
the stereo speakers constructing fantastic houses out of clear plastic cassette
cases, quivering towers of windows overlooking the floor below. Maybe under
different circumstances I could have become an architect, but something I heard
in those early days got me started as a musician and I haven't been able to
stop. I'm amazed that I can still romanticize those years and continue to take
inspiration from those memories. My parents were both teachers and our house
was not particularly big or fancy. In fact, aside from the placard on the door
which read "Attention: Chien Bizarre"– a version of "Beware of
Dog" more fitting for our insane Finnish Spitz – it wasn't remarkable in
any way.
We had a willow tree, a badminton net, a basketball hoop and a gas station with
a pinball arcade in the back for a next-door neighbour. These things provided
amusement but the real world was inside records and books. On Tuesday I'm
releasing an EP – a final companion piece to Knives
Don't Have Your Back – that is named after a poem Paul wrote for
his friend Robert Wyatt (2), called "What is Free to a Good Home?" I
found out what it could mean to write a song by listening to Wyatt. When I made
my first rudimentary recordings, he was kind enough to listen to them and send
back cryptic observations and suggestions that kept me going. What is Free to a Good Home? is being
released simultaneously with the first published collection of Paul's writing,
a book called Secret Carnival Workers.
Songs on the EP like "Rowboat" and "The Bank" are the
tracks most influenced sonically by my early years listening to Wyatt, and
"Sprig" (3) is a Paul Haines poem set to music in a way I think he
would appreciate. The musicians that inspired me as a kid were mostly people
Paul collaborated with, and I've spent a lot of my life as an artist paying
homage to them. My childhood was an enchanted time, and I know I will create a
house that floats in space for my own kids someday – maybe minus the wax ears.
In the meantime, I don't want to perpetuate nostalgia for a time that is gone.
Devoting your life to the past is like being stuck in a long-distance
relationship with someone who doesn't exist. I've done it and I don't recommend
it. The day Paul died all the appliances in the house stopped working,
confirming at once my suspicions that the man was a conductor of electricity.
In his absence I often feel like a tired machine myself. I hope that by
releasing What is Free to a Good Home? and
Secret Carnival Workers together
this summer some aspect of Paul's presence – ideally his sense of humour! – will
send a jolt to the living. Failing that, we can all try to find vinyl copies of
Wyatt's album Nothing Can Stop Us,
sit on the floor and listen to "Shipbuilding" (3) over and over,
memorizing the words to remember we're alive.
Emily Haines performs Wednesday at 8 p.m.
at the Harbourfront Concert Stage.
Canadian Idol May Follow The Voting Fans
Excerpt from www.thestar.com
- Cassandra Szklarski, Canadian Press
(July 19, 2007) Canadian
Idol host Ben Mulroney says
bringing the show's finale to another city could be a great way to embrace
ardent fans in other parts of Canada while giving Hogtown a kick in the pants.
"Just the finale, why not?" Mulroney said following the taping of the
Top 10 performance show Tuesday. "It could be an interesting
experiment." Although the hugely successful series draws the bulk of its
viewers from Toronto, much of the voting audience tends to hail from smaller
centres eager to support their hometown hero. Executive producer John Brunton
chastised Toronto fans last month for ignoring talented singers from the city,
noting that no one from Canada's most populous city had made it into the Top 10
in the past three seasons. Smalltown Newfoundlanders, by comparison, have made
it into the Top 5 in each year of Idol, and have reached the runner-up
spot in the past two years. Idol already kicks off each season by
visiting major centres across the country for jam-packed audition sessions.
Brunton appeared open to the suggestion it may be time to take Idol on
the road for the make-it or break-it performance and results episodes.
"That's not a bad idea," says Brunton, the moustachioed TV guru also
behind the travelling Junos telecast. "The reaction and reception we get
across the country when we travel the show, and as you know when we travel the
Junos, it's just unbelievable." The Junos hit the road to great success in
2002, taking Canada's biggest music awards show to St. John's, N.L., Ottawa,
Edmonton, Winnipeg, Halifax and Saskatoon after spending more than three
decades in Toronto. The show heads to Calgary next year. However, uprooting a
production as massive as Idol would be no easy task, notes Mulroney, who
said he'd be reluctant to leave his home for the three-month run. Such a scheme
could work with a special episode, but moving the entire show would involve a
logistics nightmare, he added while musing on scenarios that could work.
"Listen, maybe turn it into a rock show, and every week the Top 10 would
be in a different city," he suggested. "It would have to be very raw
and I don't know how that would translate to television." Regardless of
what's in store, such a move is not in the cards in the near future.
This week, the show's Top 10 contenders settled into a swank mansion that will
be their home for as long as they survive on Idol. The would-be stars – ranging
in age and background from baby-faced 16-year-old Jaydee Bixby of Drumheller,
Alta. to 28-year-old lobster fisherman Dwight D'Eon of West Pubnico, N.S. –
opened the doors to friends, family and media Tuesday for a peek at impressive
digs that include nine bathrooms, a tennis court, an indoor pool, a squash
court, gym, movie theatre and steam rooms. And although it's still months away,
plans for the show's blockbuster finale in Toronto are already underway. Pop
superstar Avril Lavigne is set to usher the new champ to stardom on Sept. 11.
Toronto contender Martha Joy, a 16-year-old powerhouse who belted Celine Dion's
"The Power of Love" on Tuesday, said she didn't feel any disadvantage
coming from the big city, not