Richard Widmark reportedly used his clout to amp up this revisionist western, but the result seems forced at best, and hampered by Universal’s TV-grade production values. The sober screenplay brings in good ideas but the execution can’t quite hold its own with the more progressive westerns of the genre-changing years 1968-’69. A cast of familiar faces makes much of it look fresh: Carroll O’Connor’s venal saloon keeper steals the show, while interesting casting gives us Lena Horne as Widmark’s romantic partner.
Death of a Gunfighter
Region B Blu-ray
Powerhouse Indicator
1969 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / 94 min. / working title Patch / Street Date February 27, 2023 / available from Powerhouse Films UK / £15.99
Starring: Richard Widmark, Lena Horne, Carroll O’Connor, David Opatashu, Kent Smith, Jacqueline Scott, Morgan Woodward, Larry Gates, Dub Taylor, John Saxon, Darleen Carr, Michael McGreevey, Royal Dano, James (Jimmy) Lydon, Kathleen Freeman, Harry Carey Jr., Walter Sande, Victor French.
Cinematography:...
Death of a Gunfighter
Region B Blu-ray
Powerhouse Indicator
1969 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / 94 min. / working title Patch / Street Date February 27, 2023 / available from Powerhouse Films UK / £15.99
Starring: Richard Widmark, Lena Horne, Carroll O’Connor, David Opatashu, Kent Smith, Jacqueline Scott, Morgan Woodward, Larry Gates, Dub Taylor, John Saxon, Darleen Carr, Michael McGreevey, Royal Dano, James (Jimmy) Lydon, Kathleen Freeman, Harry Carey Jr., Walter Sande, Victor French.
Cinematography:...
- 3/7/2023
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
The king is back, in spirit anyway.
The Guesthouse at Graceland, a new 450-room hotel near Elvis’s famous Tennessee estate welcomes visitors starting Sunday. People spoke with Priscilla Presley about the new property, which she oversaw and helped design.
“We never had a guesthouse ,” Priscilla recalls of her former home. “Elvis didn’t really have any rooms for anyone to stay. The closest hotel was a Howard Johnson and, whenever we had friends over, that’s where they would stay.”
Until this week, visitors to the historic home, which opened to the public in 1982, could expect similar accommodations to those Elvis himself offered,...
The Guesthouse at Graceland, a new 450-room hotel near Elvis’s famous Tennessee estate welcomes visitors starting Sunday. People spoke with Priscilla Presley about the new property, which she oversaw and helped design.
“We never had a guesthouse ,” Priscilla recalls of her former home. “Elvis didn’t really have any rooms for anyone to stay. The closest hotel was a Howard Johnson and, whenever we had friends over, that’s where they would stay.”
Until this week, visitors to the historic home, which opened to the public in 1982, could expect similar accommodations to those Elvis himself offered,...
- 8/16/2017
- by Mackenzie Schmidt
- PEOPLE.com
Lily Tomlin was just honored with a Life Achievement Award at this year’s Screen Actors Guild Awards (where she delivered a handful of memorable zingers.)
Tomlin is one of America’s living treasures of comedy and acting — not only is she among the country’s most decorated performers, but she’s one of the most historically groundbreaking. In case you needed to get caught up on her life, or really just needed some reasons to love her as much as we do, we compiled a bunch.
1. She was born in Detroit. (Not necessarily a carte blanche reason to like someone,...
Tomlin is one of America’s living treasures of comedy and acting — not only is she among the country’s most decorated performers, but she’s one of the most historically groundbreaking. In case you needed to get caught up on her life, or really just needed some reasons to love her as much as we do, we compiled a bunch.
1. She was born in Detroit. (Not necessarily a carte blanche reason to like someone,...
- 1/30/2017
- by Alex Heigl
- PEOPLE.com
Bill Cunningham, who photographed fashion trends for the New York Times for almost 40 years, has died at 87, the newspaper confirmed. According to the paper, Cunningham died in New York City on Saturday after having recently been hospitalized for a stroke. The photographer was known for riding around the city on a bike, capturing pictures of trendy fashion items (recent entries included off-the-shoulder tops, ripped jeans and the color pink) to craft photo essays for his "On the Street" and "Evening Hours" columns. A 2009 profile of Cunningham in the New Yorker described these columns as "frequently playful" while still conveying "an...
- 6/25/2016
- by Andrea Park, @scandreapark
- PEOPLE.com
Bill Cunningham, who photographed fashion trends for the New York Times for almost 40 years, has died at 87, the newspaper confirmed. According to the paper, Cunningham died in New York City on Saturday after having recently been hospitalized for a stroke. The photographer was known for riding around the city on a bike, capturing pictures of trendy fashion items (recent entries included off-the-shoulder tops, ripped jeans and the color pink) to craft photo essays for his "On the Street" and "Evening Hours" columns. A 2009 profile of Cunningham in the New Yorker described these columns as "frequently playful" while still conveying "an...
- 6/25/2016
- by Andrea Park, @scandreapark
- PEOPLE.com
Remember pouring buckets of ice water over your head to raise awareness for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (Als) or Lou Gehrig’s Disease on facebook last year? Als is a progressive neurodegenerative disease involving the upper and lower motor neurons that control voluntary movement. When neurons can no longer transmit impulses to the muscles, the muscles begin to atrophy and weakness increases over time. Als is an age-dependent disease in which incidence and mortality rates advance with increasing age. A patient’s average age at diagnosis is 55. The disease incidence is two per 100,000, with a prevalence of six to eight cases per 100,000. According to The Als Association, based on population studies, about 5,600 new cases of Als are diagnosed each year. Als is 20% more common in men than in women.
Als can cause the weakness of any voluntary muscles. Patients with Als will exhibit weakness of the legs, hands, proximal arms or oropharynx (with slurred speech or dysarthria, or difficulty swallowing). Many times, the hands are affected first, usually asymmetrically. Painless difficulty with buttons or turning a key is an ominous symptom in midlife. Gait is impaired because the muscles are affected first. Alternatively, a spastic gait may occur. Slowly the weakness will become more severe and more areas of the body will be affected, leading to an increased life of dependency.
Muscle cramps caused by the hypersensitivity of denervated muscle and weight loss are characteristic symptoms. The weight loss results from the combination of muscle wasting and dysphagia. Respiration is usually affected late but occasionally may be an early or even the first manifestation. Als continues in a steady, relentless fashion until respiratory function is impaired by diaphragmatic weakness. Most patients die of respiratory failure within three to five years from symptom onset, while a few patients have a rapid course, dying within a year. About 10% of patients with Als live longer than 10 years.
“TransFatty Lives” a film by and about Patrick Sean O’Brien, was shot over the course of 10 years. NYC DJ, internet personality, and filmmaker who was making a film in the Howard Johnson’s on the boardwalk in Asbury Park, NJ, when his legs started shaking and his pointer finger became weak. In the year 2000, he was diagnosed with Als and given 2 to 5 years to live. Sean turned this negative experience into a positive one, by having a good attitude, turning difficult situations into humorous ones, fundraising and raising awareness, and documenting his entire journey in “TransFatty Lives”.
Als can cause the weakness of any voluntary muscles. Patients with Als will exhibit weakness of the legs, hands, proximal arms or oropharynx (with slurred speech or dysarthria, or difficulty swallowing). Many times, the hands are affected first, usually asymmetrically. Painless difficulty with buttons or turning a key is an ominous symptom in midlife. Gait is impaired because the muscles are affected first. Alternatively, a spastic gait may occur. Slowly the weakness will become more severe and more areas of the body will be affected, leading to an increased life of dependency.
Muscle cramps caused by the hypersensitivity of denervated muscle and weight loss are characteristic symptoms. The weight loss results from the combination of muscle wasting and dysphagia. Respiration is usually affected late but occasionally may be an early or even the first manifestation. Als continues in a steady, relentless fashion until respiratory function is impaired by diaphragmatic weakness. Most patients die of respiratory failure within three to five years from symptom onset, while a few patients have a rapid course, dying within a year. About 10% of patients with Als live longer than 10 years.
“TransFatty Lives” a film by and about Patrick Sean O’Brien, was shot over the course of 10 years. NYC DJ, internet personality, and filmmaker who was making a film in the Howard Johnson’s on the boardwalk in Asbury Park, NJ, when his legs started shaking and his pointer finger became weak. In the year 2000, he was diagnosed with Als and given 2 to 5 years to live. Sean turned this negative experience into a positive one, by having a good attitude, turning difficult situations into humorous ones, fundraising and raising awareness, and documenting his entire journey in “TransFatty Lives”.
- 4/28/2015
- by Sharon Abella
- Sydney's Buzz
An anecdote to brighten this gloomy morning. Before we get to that, the context. Last evening, BBC1's The One Show ran an item about the 1950s libel action against the Daily Mirror by Liberace (think Elton John crossed with Alan Carr… only camper).
The item was pegged to the release of Stephen Soderbergh's movie, Behind the Candelabra, in which Michael Douglas gives a sterling performance as Liberace. It centres on his affair with a young man.
Throughout his life, Liberace publicly denied he was gay. In Britain at the time, where he was popular enough to enjoy sell-out tours and be mobbed wherever he went, homosexuality was illegal.
For some reason, despite Liberace's popularity, or more likely because of it, the Mirror's acerbic if generally liberal columnist, Cassandra (William Connor), decided in 1956 to take the hatchet to the entertainer's image.
He wrote of Liberace as "…the summit of sex — the pinnacle of masculine,...
The item was pegged to the release of Stephen Soderbergh's movie, Behind the Candelabra, in which Michael Douglas gives a sterling performance as Liberace. It centres on his affair with a young man.
Throughout his life, Liberace publicly denied he was gay. In Britain at the time, where he was popular enough to enjoy sell-out tours and be mobbed wherever he went, homosexuality was illegal.
For some reason, despite Liberace's popularity, or more likely because of it, the Mirror's acerbic if generally liberal columnist, Cassandra (William Connor), decided in 1956 to take the hatchet to the entertainer's image.
He wrote of Liberace as "…the summit of sex — the pinnacle of masculine,...
- 6/12/2013
- by Roy Greenslade
- The Guardian - Film News
As the film Behind the Candelabra, starring Michael Douglas and Matt Damon, shows, Scott Thorson lived a life of wild excess with Liberace. Since the entertainer's death, Thorson's existence has been just as strange
This piece originally appeared in the New York Times
Soon after moving into Liberace's gaudy Las Vegas mansion in 1977, Scott Thorson, then a teenage hunk in the foster care system, learned that the jewel-smitten showman could love just as extravagantly as he decorated. Touring the premises before their relationship began, Liberace pointed out some decorative highlights, which included 17 pianos, a casino, a quarry's worth of marble and a canopied bed with an ermine spread. On the ceiling was a reproduction of the Sistine Chapel with Liberace's face painted among the cherubs.
When the pair became a couple, Liberace, who was 40 years older, was just as excessive. He couldn't bear to let Thorson out of his sight.
This piece originally appeared in the New York Times
Soon after moving into Liberace's gaudy Las Vegas mansion in 1977, Scott Thorson, then a teenage hunk in the foster care system, learned that the jewel-smitten showman could love just as extravagantly as he decorated. Touring the premises before their relationship began, Liberace pointed out some decorative highlights, which included 17 pianos, a casino, a quarry's worth of marble and a canopied bed with an ermine spread. On the ceiling was a reproduction of the Sistine Chapel with Liberace's face painted among the cherubs.
When the pair became a couple, Liberace, who was 40 years older, was just as excessive. He couldn't bear to let Thorson out of his sight.
- 5/28/2013
- The Guardian - Film News
No, those kids aren’t watching Star Trek Into Darkness or Oblivion. It’s 2001: A Space Odyssey, which was being marketed to children by Howard Johnson’s! Welcome back to another Reject Recap, where I highlight the best movie news and feature stories of the past week as posted on Fsr (and sometimes other sites). Think of it more as a curation with which to review recent film history as opposed to a set of reruns (we have enough of those starting around this time — on the big screen as well as on TV). It’s not just about catching up with what you missed but also catching on to where we are in movie culture. Also in television culture, as you’ll see in the bonus 11th slot below (spoiler: Landon likens The Office to a Michael Haneke film!). Also, I’ve included the full trailer for Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. at the end. Enjoy...
- 5/18/2013
- by Christopher Campbell
- FilmSchoolRejects.com
News.
The 70th Venice Film Festival now has its head juror: Bernardo Bertolucci. Indiewire reports. Werner Herzog will be awarded the Pardo d’onore Swisscom at the 66th Festival del film Locarno.
Finds.
Above: Via blogger John Sisson at Dreams of Space, the daily science publication io9 has unearthed a hilarious comic strip adaptation of Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey from, of all things, a 1968 Howard Johnson's children's menu.
"Coppola's films, like those of Brian de Palma or some of Spielberg's, are the mannerist side of American cinema. How can one define this mannerism? Nothing happens to human beings, everything happens to images - to Images. Images become characters with pathos, pawns in the game. We tremble for them, we want them to be kindly treated, they are no longer just produced by the camera, but manufactured outside it, and its 'pre-visualization,' thanks to video, is the object...
The 70th Venice Film Festival now has its head juror: Bernardo Bertolucci. Indiewire reports. Werner Herzog will be awarded the Pardo d’onore Swisscom at the 66th Festival del film Locarno.
Finds.
Above: Via blogger John Sisson at Dreams of Space, the daily science publication io9 has unearthed a hilarious comic strip adaptation of Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey from, of all things, a 1968 Howard Johnson's children's menu.
"Coppola's films, like those of Brian de Palma or some of Spielberg's, are the mannerist side of American cinema. How can one define this mannerism? Nothing happens to human beings, everything happens to images - to Images. Images become characters with pathos, pawns in the game. We tremble for them, we want them to be kindly treated, they are no longer just produced by the camera, but manufactured outside it, and its 'pre-visualization,' thanks to video, is the object...
- 5/15/2013
- by Notebook
- MUBI
Did you know that Stanley Kubrick‘s 2001: A Space Odyssey was an expensive career brochure for space stewardesses that featured stunning visuals and a delightful, not-at-all-horrifying surprise ending that children love? It’s true! Just ask this amazing movie tie-in comic that Howard Johnson’s included in their children’s menu back in 1968 when the film premiered. The hospitality company also had some product placement in the movie itself, sponsoring a sparse, yet relaxing Earthlight Room (while somehow failing to secure the hotel sponsorship that went to Hilton). Once you stop throwing up, this kind of thing really makes you wonder if Kubrick ever saw this glorious monstrosity or whether he was carefully guarded from the more commercial grotesqueries that came with studio filmmaking. Obviously he swallowed the product placement while presenting it in a believable way (after all, brands aren’t simply going to disappear in the future), but this connect-the-dots delivery method may have...
- 5/14/2013
- by Scott Beggs
- FilmSchoolRejects.com
There is little more thrilling in an analysis of Mad Men than to justifiably begin with Joan. Everything about her, from her bright colorful radiance to her unshakeable resilience and forked tongue, is captivating. This season she has been reintroduced slowly but tantalizingly, and no I am not referencing her sexuality, an underpinning of her characterization that certainly relates to her story development, but not does define it. In the premiere we saw her only momentarily, posing for a photo on Scdp’s new stairway, but the conflict between her and the ever-petty and impetuous Harry was hinted at even then, as he rudely brushed past her, jealously brimming. In last week’s episode, “The Collaborators”, Joan was faced with the shame of last season’s decision to sleep her way to partner when she encountered, then unequivocally shot down, the beneficiary of her deal, one stout and clumsy Herb Rennet of Jaguar.
- 4/25/2013
- by Lynne Hedvig
- Obsessed with Film
Lillian Bostwick Phipps Pulitzer Rousseau - known since 1959, particularly in preppy enclaves, as the designer Lilly Pulitzer - died Sunday morning at her Palm Beach residence, the Palm Beach Post reports. She was 81. She was "surrounded by family and loved ones," it was posted on her company's Facebook page, while the Post listed her survivors as her children Liza, Minnie and Peter Pulitzer, as well as her grandchildren. For a generation of the upper crust, socialite-designer Pulitzer's flower-spattered dresses and pants were as much a wardrobe staple as pearls or mallard-print belts. The bright, big-patterned colors that were her signature...
- 4/7/2013
- by Stephen M. Silverman
- PEOPLE.com
Tags: Angela DavisIMDbFree Angela Davis and All Political PrisonersShola Lynch
With the shadowed image, the outline of the natural revealing the figure within, presented against a white backdrop, the documentary begins. Free Angela and All Political Prisoners is a historical vérité style documentary of the 22-month imprisonment of Angela Davis, from October 13, 1970 until her acquittal on June 4, 1972.
That we are presented the shadow is not only suggestive of this history of racial oppression that persistently haunts Poc people to the present day, it also bespeaks the fact that this oppression—this racial, this gender, this political oppression—had nothing to do with Angela in the first place; she was, rather, a scapegoat that was selected to be made an example of, as one man commented on her imprisonment, “what they’re doing to her is an exaggerated form of what happens everyday to black people in this country.” Davis knew that,...
With the shadowed image, the outline of the natural revealing the figure within, presented against a white backdrop, the documentary begins. Free Angela and All Political Prisoners is a historical vérité style documentary of the 22-month imprisonment of Angela Davis, from October 13, 1970 until her acquittal on June 4, 1972.
That we are presented the shadow is not only suggestive of this history of racial oppression that persistently haunts Poc people to the present day, it also bespeaks the fact that this oppression—this racial, this gender, this political oppression—had nothing to do with Angela in the first place; she was, rather, a scapegoat that was selected to be made an example of, as one man commented on her imprisonment, “what they’re doing to her is an exaggerated form of what happens everyday to black people in this country.” Davis knew that,...
- 4/5/2013
- by MBHauteWriter
- AfterEllen.com
What my followers on Facebook, Twitter, and Google+ saw today: • What the hell...? Bolshoi's artistic director attacked with acid • Fantastic! (Note the Evil Dead and Poltergeist II marquees.) Ah, the Howard Johnson in Times Square -- I remember it fondly... NYC 1983 and 1986 original footage • Because only horny straight guys (and maybe accidentally a few lesbians) buy tech... ‘Play with my V spot’ • See? If men look ridiculous in these poses, why don't more people realize that women look ridiculous, too? The battle against 'sexist' sci-fi and fantasy book covers (hat-tips for today’s links: @JillLawless, Ron Bel Bruno, GeekFeminism.org, Brenda)...
- 1/18/2013
- by MaryAnn Johanson
- www.flickfilosopher.com
Special From Next Avenue
By Elizabeth Wray
A genealogical search reveals my dirty little secret life as a closet Brit!
Despite my name, I never related to my Anglo heritage. Still, I get caught up in imperial dramas -- and one of my favorite eras, now being chronicled by Downton Abbey, is post-World War I when the entitled Brits are freefalling and the Yanks are in ascension.
Lady Sybil marries the Irish chauffeur (hurrah!) and launches a new bloodline. We know their great-granddaughter Kathleen will marry Vijay, begetting Ravi, who will marry Lupe. We’re an American audience, after all. The noble old Crawleys are going down. Ain’t it grand!
A Childhood Spent Dodging Anglos
I grew up in Oklahoma with olive skin, full lips and a proclivity to dance -- not the typical Scotch-Irish-English type. Surely someone of my folk had mated with an Indian or a black cowboy.
By Elizabeth Wray
A genealogical search reveals my dirty little secret life as a closet Brit!
Despite my name, I never related to my Anglo heritage. Still, I get caught up in imperial dramas -- and one of my favorite eras, now being chronicled by Downton Abbey, is post-World War I when the entitled Brits are freefalling and the Yanks are in ascension.
Lady Sybil marries the Irish chauffeur (hurrah!) and launches a new bloodline. We know their great-granddaughter Kathleen will marry Vijay, begetting Ravi, who will marry Lupe. We’re an American audience, after all. The noble old Crawleys are going down. Ain’t it grand!
A Childhood Spent Dodging Anglos
I grew up in Oklahoma with olive skin, full lips and a proclivity to dance -- not the typical Scotch-Irish-English type. Surely someone of my folk had mated with an Indian or a black cowboy.
- 12/26/2012
- by Next Avenue
- Huffington Post
Well, we always wondered why Mad Men’s Betty put up with Don’s cheating ways for so long, and why Megan forgave him after that time he left her at the Howard Johnson’s in the middle of nowhere, and why all those clients were Ok with his weird “creative” outbursts. Also, in real life, we weren’t why Jon Hamm’s longtime girlfriend Jennifer Westfeldt was putting up with all those rumors of him having a little too much fun without her at various bars … all over the world. Well, thanks to some pics snapped of Jon and Jen out and about in New York City on Friday, we have our answer.
Is it because he likes going shopping at Barney’s with his lady? Because he’s so comfortable in his own skin that he doesn’t bother ironing his incredibly wrinkled shirt? Because he’s so darn funny and charming?...
Is it because he likes going shopping at Barney’s with his lady? Because he’s so comfortable in his own skin that he doesn’t bother ironing his incredibly wrinkled shirt? Because he’s so darn funny and charming?...
- 9/10/2012
- by Sabrina Rojas Weiss
- TheFabLife - Movies
From the New York Times obituary for film critic Andrew Sarris, who passed away today:
In 1966, at a screening of Kenneth Anger‘s Scorpio Rising, Mr. Sarris noticed an attractive young woman, Ms. Haskell. He wandered over. “He had this courtly-as-learned-from-the-movies manner,” Ms. Haskell recalled. “Afterward he took me out for a sundae at Howard Johnson.”
(“Ms. Haskell” is film critic Molly Haskell, who would become Sarris’ wife.)
Scorpio Rising as hot heterosexual pick-up movie? Interesting…
The obituary also notes that Sarris was also a writer for the Mekas brothers’ Film Culture magazine.
In 1966, at a screening of Kenneth Anger‘s Scorpio Rising, Mr. Sarris noticed an attractive young woman, Ms. Haskell. He wandered over. “He had this courtly-as-learned-from-the-movies manner,” Ms. Haskell recalled. “Afterward he took me out for a sundae at Howard Johnson.”
(“Ms. Haskell” is film critic Molly Haskell, who would become Sarris’ wife.)
Scorpio Rising as hot heterosexual pick-up movie? Interesting…
The obituary also notes that Sarris was also a writer for the Mekas brothers’ Film Culture magazine.
- 6/20/2012
- by Mike Everleth
- Underground Film Journal
You've finally reached the end of our 50 best TV episodes of the year, where Men duke it out against Girls, Parks goes up against Community, and one badass Louie faces off with the bloodsucking hotties of The Vampire Diaries. Who landed atop our list? Hint: last year's number one pick has to settle for the runner-up position, where a new leader take the second annual crown. Read on!
Nos. 50-31 | Nos. 30-11 | Nos. 10-1
10. “Pawnee Rangers”, Parks & Recreation (NBC / Season 4, Episode 4 / October 13, 2011)
Treat. Yo. Self. Although the entire fourth season of Parks was stellar, these three words are what made “Pawnee Rangers” stand out. They also created a motto that everyone should live by: with Ben still depressed about his break-up with Leslie, Tom and Donna invite him along on their annual day of pampering and excessive shopping. The scene in which the pair lists off everything they indulge themselves in (including massages,...
Nos. 50-31 | Nos. 30-11 | Nos. 10-1
10. “Pawnee Rangers”, Parks & Recreation (NBC / Season 4, Episode 4 / October 13, 2011)
Treat. Yo. Self. Although the entire fourth season of Parks was stellar, these three words are what made “Pawnee Rangers” stand out. They also created a motto that everyone should live by: with Ben still depressed about his break-up with Leslie, Tom and Donna invite him along on their annual day of pampering and excessive shopping. The scene in which the pair lists off everything they indulge themselves in (including massages,...
- 5/31/2012
- by Terron R. Moore
- TVology
Gil Evans, perhaps the second-greatest arranger in jazz after Duke Ellington, was born Ian Ernest Gilmore Green on May 13, 1912 in Toronto, Canada (Evans was his stepfather's name). Though best known for his collaborations with Miles Davis, Evans released many great albums as a bandleader and created a highly influential style that changed the course of jazz history.
Though self-taught, by age 21 Evans was leading a big band that became the house group at the Rendezvous Ballroom in Balboa Beach. Eventually it was fronted and then led by singer Skinnay Ennis, and Claude Thornhill joined Evans in providing arrangements for them. Thornhill then moved to New York to start his own band, and in 1941 invited Evans to New York to write arrangements. Soon Evans's arrangements with their lush, hazy, floating textures defined the Thornhill style.
Though theoretically a swing band, the Thornhill ensemble was one of the most progressive big bands of its time,...
Though self-taught, by age 21 Evans was leading a big band that became the house group at the Rendezvous Ballroom in Balboa Beach. Eventually it was fronted and then led by singer Skinnay Ennis, and Claude Thornhill joined Evans in providing arrangements for them. Thornhill then moved to New York to start his own band, and in 1941 invited Evans to New York to write arrangements. Soon Evans's arrangements with their lush, hazy, floating textures defined the Thornhill style.
Though theoretically a swing band, the Thornhill ensemble was one of the most progressive big bands of its time,...
- 5/13/2012
- by SteveHoltje
- www.culturecatch.com
Jon Hamm doesn't even seem to fit in his clothes anymore.
I am trying valiantly to figure out what Matthew Weiner is doing on this weird season of Mad Men. As a longtime devotee of the AMC series, I am always willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. But I fear he has accomplished the impossible: he has turned Don Draper into a wimp. And me into a Mad Woman.
I am guessing -- charitably -- that the intention is to replace one gender with another as the more powerful and manipulative of the sexes. Don is ridiculously obsessed with his new, young wife, though thank goodness he hasn't raped her since that awful turnoff of a season premiere. Pete Campbell now grabs every woman in sight, though we had little emotional buildup to make that credible. Are we supposed to assume that the suburb commute and the new baby are enough explanation?...
I am trying valiantly to figure out what Matthew Weiner is doing on this weird season of Mad Men. As a longtime devotee of the AMC series, I am always willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. But I fear he has accomplished the impossible: he has turned Don Draper into a wimp. And me into a Mad Woman.
I am guessing -- charitably -- that the intention is to replace one gender with another as the more powerful and manipulative of the sexes. Don is ridiculously obsessed with his new, young wife, though thank goodness he hasn't raped her since that awful turnoff of a season premiere. Pete Campbell now grabs every woman in sight, though we had little emotional buildup to make that credible. Are we supposed to assume that the suburb commute and the new baby are enough explanation?...
- 5/8/2012
- by Michele Willens
- Aol TV.
We’ve got questions, and you’ve (maybe) got answers! With another week of TV gone by, here are some queries we’re going to lob at you, from shows including Supernatural, Fringe, The Big Bang Theory and Community!
1 | Now that you’ve seen Fringe‘s Episode 19 — and the show has been renewed! — do you think Joshua Jackson’s comment that the hour opens the door for Season 5 means we’re in for a time jump come fall? And how good was Jackson during that last scene? It’s no easy task to have familial chemistry with someone who looks...
1 | Now that you’ve seen Fringe‘s Episode 19 — and the show has been renewed! — do you think Joshua Jackson’s comment that the hour opens the door for Season 5 means we’re in for a time jump come fall? And how good was Jackson during that last scene? It’s no easy task to have familial chemistry with someone who looks...
- 4/27/2012
- by Team TVLine
- TVLine.com
This week's "Far Away Places" focused on three very different (but somewhat similar) show-mances. Peggy, Don, and Roger are all in long-term relationships and all three have their kinks. The episode plays out over the same weekend as each couple goes on different paths that in the end have me pondering the same conclusions.
Peggy and Abe argue because she's too consumed with work. He storms out of her place and after a hard day, a weird movie-theater interlude, and an upsetting reveal from Ginsburg she goes home and calls Abe for support. I got the impression he was pleased she did -- he asked what was bothering her, and he probably thought he was going to get something work related, but Peggy surprised him by telling him that it was something that upset her, it humanized her in a way that Abe probably needed to hear -- granted, this...
Peggy and Abe argue because she's too consumed with work. He storms out of her place and after a hard day, a weird movie-theater interlude, and an upsetting reveal from Ginsburg she goes home and calls Abe for support. I got the impression he was pleased she did -- he asked what was bothering her, and he probably thought he was going to get something work related, but Peggy surprised him by telling him that it was something that upset her, it humanized her in a way that Abe probably needed to hear -- granted, this...
- 4/25/2012
- by Vanessa Becknell-Berben
- Aol TV.
This week's "Far Away Places" focused on three very different (but somewhat similar) show-mances. Peggy, Don, and Roger are all in long-term relationships and all three have their kinks. The episode plays out over the same weekend as each couple goes on different paths that in the end have me pondering the same conclusions.
Peggy and Abe argue because she's too consumed with work. He storms out of her place and after a hard day, a weird movie-theater interlude, and an upsetting reveal from Ginsburg she goes home and calls Abe for support. I got the impression he was pleased she did -- he asked what was bothering her, and he probably thought he was going to get something work related, but Peggy surprised him by telling him that it was something that upset her, it humanized her in a way that Abe probably needed to hear -- granted, this...
Peggy and Abe argue because she's too consumed with work. He storms out of her place and after a hard day, a weird movie-theater interlude, and an upsetting reveal from Ginsburg she goes home and calls Abe for support. I got the impression he was pleased she did -- he asked what was bothering her, and he probably thought he was going to get something work related, but Peggy surprised him by telling him that it was something that upset her, it humanized her in a way that Abe probably needed to hear -- granted, this...
- 4/25/2012
- by Vanessa Becknell-Berben
- Aol TV.
I'm at Coachella. I just got back to my room and put on this episode. Is this show tripping or is it just me?
"It's the study of the way things are true and false. Some things are possibly true, some are necessarily true, some used to be true, some will be true, some are true on this planet, but not necessarily others." -- Acid Guide
"Far Away Places" takes both the characters and the viewers to an altered reality. We tune into Peggy, Roger and Don and drop out of linear time and familiar surroundings to see these various truths. Their three stories come together in an acid-like montage mirroring and mimicking one another as time loops around and around. Scott Hornbacher directed the shit out of this and the result is beautiful.
"Everyone has somewhere to go today." -- Bert Cooper
Cooper is great in this episode, presiding over the office with few,...
"It's the study of the way things are true and false. Some things are possibly true, some are necessarily true, some used to be true, some will be true, some are true on this planet, but not necessarily others." -- Acid Guide
"Far Away Places" takes both the characters and the viewers to an altered reality. We tune into Peggy, Roger and Don and drop out of linear time and familiar surroundings to see these various truths. Their three stories come together in an acid-like montage mirroring and mimicking one another as time loops around and around. Scott Hornbacher directed the shit out of this and the result is beautiful.
"Everyone has somewhere to go today." -- Bert Cooper
Cooper is great in this episode, presiding over the office with few,...
- 4/25/2012
- by Samantha Zalaznick
- Aol TV.
I'm at Coachella. I just got back to my room and put on this episode. Is this show tripping or is it just me?
"It's the study of the way things are true and false. Some things are possibly true, some are necessarily true, some used to be true, some will be true, some are true on this planet, but not necessarily others." -- Acid Guide
"Far Away Places" takes both the characters and the viewers to an altered reality. We tune into Peggy, Roger and Don and drop out of linear time and familiar surroundings to see these various truths. Their three stories come together in an acid-like montage mirroring and mimicking one another as time loops around and around. Scott Hornbacher directed the shit out of this and the result is beautiful.
"Everyone has somewhere to go today." -- Bert Cooper
Cooper is great in this episode, presiding over the office with few,...
"It's the study of the way things are true and false. Some things are possibly true, some are necessarily true, some used to be true, some will be true, some are true on this planet, but not necessarily others." -- Acid Guide
"Far Away Places" takes both the characters and the viewers to an altered reality. We tune into Peggy, Roger and Don and drop out of linear time and familiar surroundings to see these various truths. Their three stories come together in an acid-like montage mirroring and mimicking one another as time loops around and around. Scott Hornbacher directed the shit out of this and the result is beautiful.
"Everyone has somewhere to go today." -- Bert Cooper
Cooper is great in this episode, presiding over the office with few,...
- 4/25/2012
- by Samantha Zalaznick
- Aol TV.
No one really won in Mad Men's trippy Sunday episode, between all the LSD, failed pitches, and orange sherbet. But Howard Johnson is looking to scrounge some business out of the ashes of Spoiler Alert Roger and Jane's marriage: the hotel chain is offering a free night's stay to anyone with the legal name of Don Draper. While some kid peeing in the Howard Johnson pool was the least of Don and Megan's problems in that episode, the company is attempting to rectify its totally fictional mistake with this new deal. Here's the statement: To the Don Drapers of the world, the Howard Johnson hotel brand would like to say this: We're sorry and your next stay is on us. Now, of course, there are some stipulations to this offer. You've got to book by May 8, actually stay at one of eight [...]...
- 4/24/2012
- Nerve
On Sunday's (April 23) "Mad Men," Don Draper (Jon Hamm) was disappointed when the manager of a fictional upstate New York Howard Johnson motor lodge told him the pool was closed due to an "unfortunate incident with a kid." Now the hotel chain is saying it wants to make good with Draper by offering anyone named "Don Draper" a free night's stay.
Now through May 8th, reads a statement from the Wyndham Hotel Group, "Any traveler with the legal name Don Draper can book a free one-night stay this summer at one of the [eight] select Howard Johnson hotels throughout the U.S."
The hotels are located in Anaheim, Calif., San Diego, Mystic, Conn., Miami, Portland, Ore., Toms River, N.J., Rapid City, S.D. and Arlington, Texas. In other words, swank places where any self-respecting Don Draper would be happy to rest his weary head. And, we assume, use a fully-functional and sanitized pool.
Now through May 8th, reads a statement from the Wyndham Hotel Group, "Any traveler with the legal name Don Draper can book a free one-night stay this summer at one of the [eight] select Howard Johnson hotels throughout the U.S."
The hotels are located in Anaheim, Calif., San Diego, Mystic, Conn., Miami, Portland, Ore., Toms River, N.J., Rapid City, S.D. and Arlington, Texas. In other words, swank places where any self-respecting Don Draper would be happy to rest his weary head. And, we assume, use a fully-functional and sanitized pool.
- 4/24/2012
- by editorial@zap2it.com
- Zap2It - From Inside the Box
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
(warning: significant spoilers follow)
The producers of Mad Men seem to be taking a sadistic glee in tormenting their characters this year. Last week we had the emasculation of Pete Campbell and this week…well, this week one character gets to a very unhappy place and the other gets to a very happy one, and both come at it from different directions. To make things even more interesting, the episode employs a fascinating non-linear style.
First, we have Peggy (Elizabeth Moss) and her team putting together a pitch for Heinz. They’re just about ready when Don (John Hamm) comes in at the last moment and steals Megan (Jessica Pare) away. The two leave for a visit to a Howard Johnson’s restaurant/hotel and Peggy is stuck trying to do the pitch solo.
She does her best, and the idea for her ad isn’t a bad one,...
(warning: significant spoilers follow)
The producers of Mad Men seem to be taking a sadistic glee in tormenting their characters this year. Last week we had the emasculation of Pete Campbell and this week…well, this week one character gets to a very unhappy place and the other gets to a very happy one, and both come at it from different directions. To make things even more interesting, the episode employs a fascinating non-linear style.
First, we have Peggy (Elizabeth Moss) and her team putting together a pitch for Heinz. They’re just about ready when Don (John Hamm) comes in at the last moment and steals Megan (Jessica Pare) away. The two leave for a visit to a Howard Johnson’s restaurant/hotel and Peggy is stuck trying to do the pitch solo.
She does her best, and the idea for her ad isn’t a bad one,...
- 4/24/2012
- by Chris Swanson
- Obsessed with Film
On Sunday's (April 22) episode of "Mad Men," a Howard Johnson motor lodge featured prominently in the story line -- Don Draper (Jon Hamm) spirits wife Megan (Jessica Paré) away to a HoJo in upstate New York where -- instead of a relaxing bit of work-week hooky -- they argue and Megan ends up disappearing.
But the iconic turquoise and orange classic Howard Johnson hotel featured in the show wasn't actually in New York. Instead, like many of the AMC show's shooting locations, it was within spitting distance of Los Angeles. The location -- once a Howard Johnson, but now known as the Regency Inn and Suites -- is located in Baldwin Park, an L.A. suburb in California's San Gabriel Valley.
Filming took place in October 2011, reports the Pasadena Star-News, which noted that "TV folks" descended upon the location and were somewhat buffered from curious passers-by courtesy of the Baldwin Park Police Department.
But the iconic turquoise and orange classic Howard Johnson hotel featured in the show wasn't actually in New York. Instead, like many of the AMC show's shooting locations, it was within spitting distance of Los Angeles. The location -- once a Howard Johnson, but now known as the Regency Inn and Suites -- is located in Baldwin Park, an L.A. suburb in California's San Gabriel Valley.
Filming took place in October 2011, reports the Pasadena Star-News, which noted that "TV folks" descended upon the location and were somewhat buffered from curious passers-by courtesy of the Baldwin Park Police Department.
- 4/23/2012
- by editorial@zap2it.com
- Zap2It - From Inside the Box
As a show in which memory has immense weight, "Mad Men" has played with timelines before, cutting back and forth between the past and present, or letting the former bleed into the latter the way it did in season three opener "Out of Town." But last night's episode "Far Away Places" is the first episode of the series to chop itself up into pieces and return to the beginning to tell three different tales of attempts to get away -- Peggy having an encounter at the movie theater after getting kicked off the Heinz account, Roger doing LSD at a dinner party with Jane, and Don bringing Megan with him to a Howard Johnson's upstate where they have another major blowout. It's a gimmick that's more often seen in sitcoms, in which threads intersect and incidents you see in one don't become clear until you get the larger picture,...
- 4/23/2012
- by Alison Willmore
- Indiewire
Last night’s episode of Mad Men (Episode 506, entitled “Far Away Places”) was exceptionally bizarre and merits BWEscussion, but since Michelle isn’t here anymore, and because I only have so much Recap Marrow I can give, let’s discuss last night’s trippy events in an Open Thread, since we really enjoy everyone’s comments on the Walking Dead & Game Of Thrones Recaps. We’ve got three plotlines occurring simultaneously but playing out in succession, in a sort of “Run Mad Men Run” experimental format (Matthew Weiner says in the AMC “Inside The Episode” that the structure was modeled after a Max Ophüls anthologized French film, but “Run Mad Men Run” is fun to say). We’ve got: Plot 1: Peggy flips out during her Heinz presentation (I like that the Heinz guy was instantly offended; on a lesser show, he would’ve pulled the “I have never in my life been so…...
- 4/23/2012
- by Dan Hopper
- BestWeekEver
Mad Men S05E06: .Far Away Places.
At the Howard Johnson's, before the orange sorbet-induced meltdown, Megan told Don that Howard Johnson's itself wasn.t a destination, it was .on the way to some place..
Despite the implications of the episode title, .Far Away Places. wasn.t a destination, either. It was a pit stop. It was an exotic pit stop.a little bit weird and a departure from the norm. At most, it was a roadside attraction. It was the World.s... More >>...
At the Howard Johnson's, before the orange sorbet-induced meltdown, Megan told Don that Howard Johnson's itself wasn.t a destination, it was .on the way to some place..
Despite the implications of the episode title, .Far Away Places. wasn.t a destination, either. It was a pit stop. It was an exotic pit stop.a little bit weird and a departure from the norm. At most, it was a roadside attraction. It was the World.s... More >>...
- 4/23/2012
- by MaryAnn Sleasman
- TV.com
It’s a toss-up for whose life will change the most as a result of what happened on this week’s Mad Men. The same set of hours unfolded three times, from the perspectives of Peggy, Roger, and Don, and gave us a lot to ponder. Let’s review “Far Away Places.”
Peggy is becoming Don | Peggy, nervous about her second attempt to woo the Heinz people after her disastrous bean-ballet pitch, picked a fight with boyfriend Abe when he asked her to meet him at the movies that evening. At work, she was shaken even more when Don and Megan took off,...
Peggy is becoming Don | Peggy, nervous about her second attempt to woo the Heinz people after her disastrous bean-ballet pitch, picked a fight with boyfriend Abe when he asked her to meet him at the movies that evening. At work, she was shaken even more when Don and Megan took off,...
- 4/23/2012
- by Kimberly Roots
- TVLine.com
Oddly, the most incongruous thing about Sunday's (April 22) episode of "Mad Men" -- "Far Away Places" -- wasn't Roger Sterling (John Slattery) dropping acid. That actually made sense in an story arc that was the equivalent of force-feeding LSD to the show's audience. In a sense, it was our own "Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test" -- The show took us along on a wild ride, whether or not we wanted to go, in much the same way that Don absconded with Megan for a little mid-week trip to a Howard Johnson's Motor Lodge. Both the trip and the show didn't turn out as expected.
It was an episode that either meant everything or nothing. Maybe both. It's tempting to over-analyze the hell out of it, but fight the urge because, as Megan (Jessica Paré) said of Howard Johnson's, "It's not a destination, it's on the way to some place.
It was an episode that either meant everything or nothing. Maybe both. It's tempting to over-analyze the hell out of it, but fight the urge because, as Megan (Jessica Paré) said of Howard Johnson's, "It's not a destination, it's on the way to some place.
- 4/23/2012
- by editorial@zap2it.com
- Zap2It - From Inside the Box
Don't read this unless you've seen "Far Away Places," Sunday's episode of "Mad Men."
I began watching Sunday's episode of "Mad Men" a half-hour after it began airing, and before I logged off Twitter, I saw a few tweets along the lines of "What the hell?"
Then I began watching the episode, and it wasn't long before I was saying, "What the hell?" About 17 minutes in, before we'd fully figured out that the episode was toying with timey-wimey experimentation, my husband muttered, "We're going to meet some weird Europeans in a minute."
The comment was spot-on, given how much this episode reminded me of "Jet Set," which was tonally and structurally a rather odd hour of "Mad Men." It was an hour that, as I recall, inspired a lot of passionate "pro" and "con" chatter.
"Far Away Places" was much, much weirder than "Jet Set," and I'm of mixed minds about it myself.
I began watching Sunday's episode of "Mad Men" a half-hour after it began airing, and before I logged off Twitter, I saw a few tweets along the lines of "What the hell?"
Then I began watching the episode, and it wasn't long before I was saying, "What the hell?" About 17 minutes in, before we'd fully figured out that the episode was toying with timey-wimey experimentation, my husband muttered, "We're going to meet some weird Europeans in a minute."
The comment was spot-on, given how much this episode reminded me of "Jet Set," which was tonally and structurally a rather odd hour of "Mad Men." It was an hour that, as I recall, inspired a lot of passionate "pro" and "con" chatter.
"Far Away Places" was much, much weirder than "Jet Set," and I'm of mixed minds about it myself.
- 4/23/2012
- by Maureen Ryan
- Aol TV.
Don't read this unless you've seen "Far Away Places," Sunday's episode of "Mad Men."
I began watching Sunday's episode of "Mad Men" a half-hour after it began airing, and before I logged off Twitter, I saw a few tweets along the lines of "What the hell?"
Then I began watching the episode, and it wasn't long before I was saying, "What the hell?" About 17 minutes in, before we'd fully figured out that the episode was toying with timey-wimey experimentation, my husband muttered, "We're going to meet some weird Europeans in a minute."
The comment was spot-on, given how much this episode reminded me of "Jet Set," which was tonally and structurally a rather odd hour of "Mad Men." It was an hour that, as I recall, inspired a lot of passionate "pro" and "con" chatter.
"Far Away Places" was much, much weirder than "Jet Set," and I'm of mixed minds about it myself.
I began watching Sunday's episode of "Mad Men" a half-hour after it began airing, and before I logged off Twitter, I saw a few tweets along the lines of "What the hell?"
Then I began watching the episode, and it wasn't long before I was saying, "What the hell?" About 17 minutes in, before we'd fully figured out that the episode was toying with timey-wimey experimentation, my husband muttered, "We're going to meet some weird Europeans in a minute."
The comment was spot-on, given how much this episode reminded me of "Jet Set," which was tonally and structurally a rather odd hour of "Mad Men." It was an hour that, as I recall, inspired a lot of passionate "pro" and "con" chatter.
"Far Away Places" was much, much weirder than "Jet Set," and I'm of mixed minds about it myself.
- 4/23/2012
- by Maureen Ryan
- Aol TV.
Many of the main players went to "Far Away Places" in an interestingly structured episode of Mad Men this week. Some left on an physical trip, others took a journey thanks to some killer drugs, and one... well for one, the place she went wasn't so much far as her act there was the furthest from what I ever expected out of her.
I'm still trying to wrap my brain around what happened here. Has Mad Men ever played with structure like this before? With three stories occurring simultaneously, but showing each one separately, this was quite the intriguing strategy. Why do you think Matthew Weiner and company decided this was necessarily the best way to plot this episode?
For one reason or another, it had me even more involved than normal, and "Far Away Places" left me thoroughly entertained. The one story of the three that had me a bit annoyed,...
I'm still trying to wrap my brain around what happened here. Has Mad Men ever played with structure like this before? With three stories occurring simultaneously, but showing each one separately, this was quite the intriguing strategy. Why do you think Matthew Weiner and company decided this was necessarily the best way to plot this episode?
For one reason or another, it had me even more involved than normal, and "Far Away Places" left me thoroughly entertained. The one story of the three that had me a bit annoyed,...
- 4/23/2012
- by d4cella@gmail.com (Dan Forcella)
- TVfanatic
Photo by Michael Yarish/AMC Jon Hamm in “Mad Men”
Editor’s note: Every Sunday after the newest episode of “Mad Men,” lawyer and Supreme Court advocate Walter Dellinger will host an online dialogue about the show. The participants include Columbia University history professor Alan Brinkley, Stanford Law Professor Pam Karlan, and Columbia theater and television professor Evangeline Morphos. Dellinger will post his thoughts shortly after each episode ends at 11 p.m., and the others will add their commentary in...
Editor’s note: Every Sunday after the newest episode of “Mad Men,” lawyer and Supreme Court advocate Walter Dellinger will host an online dialogue about the show. The participants include Columbia University history professor Alan Brinkley, Stanford Law Professor Pam Karlan, and Columbia theater and television professor Evangeline Morphos. Dellinger will post his thoughts shortly after each episode ends at 11 p.m., and the others will add their commentary in...
- 4/23/2012
- by Walter Dellinger
- Speakeasy/Wall Street Journal
Soon-to-be-axed "American Idol" singer Jermaine Jones is a big, fat phony ... who repeatedly Lied to police ... has issues with violence ... and terrorized "Idol" staff ... according to police documents and information obtained by "A.I."We broke the story ... Jones will be fired from the show tonight for lying to producers about his criminal history ... and now we've learned the troubling details from the multiple run-ins with the law Jones was trying to conceal. One incident...
- 3/14/2012
- by TMZ Staff
- TMZ
'American Idol' contestant will reportedly be kicked off the show on Wednesday for lying to producers about his criminal past.
By Gil Kaufman
Jermaine Jones
Photo: Getty Images
Just hours after news broke that frog-voiced "gentle giant" Jermaine Jones was scheduled to be booted from "American Idol" on Wednesday night (March 14) for allegedly lying to producers about his criminal past, TMZ posted a list of what it claimed were Jones' priors.
The towering mama's boy singer, who charmed judges enough to earn a reprieve after not making the top 12, was reportedly involved in a fight at a Howard Johnson Hotel in his native New Jersey on March 5, 2011. According to TMZ, he provided police with a fake name, Joel Jones, in that case. He was charged with public nuisance and obstruction of justice, as well as having outstanding warrants from an unspecified earlier incident.
He allegedly had another run-in...
By Gil Kaufman
Jermaine Jones
Photo: Getty Images
Just hours after news broke that frog-voiced "gentle giant" Jermaine Jones was scheduled to be booted from "American Idol" on Wednesday night (March 14) for allegedly lying to producers about his criminal past, TMZ posted a list of what it claimed were Jones' priors.
The towering mama's boy singer, who charmed judges enough to earn a reprieve after not making the top 12, was reportedly involved in a fight at a Howard Johnson Hotel in his native New Jersey on March 5, 2011. According to TMZ, he provided police with a fake name, Joel Jones, in that case. He was charged with public nuisance and obstruction of justice, as well as having outstanding warrants from an unspecified earlier incident.
He allegedly had another run-in...
- 3/14/2012
- MTV Music News
J.J. Abrams is at it again. As if he wasn’t busy enough launching television series at every television network, Abrams sold another pilot called Revolution, this time at NBC. Revolution follows a family trying to reunite in a post-apocalyptic world where technology and energy has blacked out. Sounds like your average Abrams pitch mixed with post-apocalyptic elements from comic books The Walking Dead and Y: The Last Man mixed in with it. Supernatural head writer Eric Kripke will write pilot and Bryan Burk (Super 8) will executive produce. Abrams also sold a hotel management dramedy pilot to the CW earlier this week called Shelter (formerly titled Maine).
Editor’s Pick: See Who’s Joining The Cast of J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek 2
Abrams is one of the busiest men in the business as filming has begun on the Untitled Star Trek Sequel and he currently has three television series...
Editor’s Pick: See Who’s Joining The Cast of J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek 2
Abrams is one of the busiest men in the business as filming has begun on the Untitled Star Trek Sequel and he currently has three television series...
- 2/3/2012
- by Ernie Estrella
- BuzzFocus.com
Paul Motian passed away at age 80 yesterday after complications from the bone-marrow disorder myelodisplastic syndrome. In a career that exceeded five decades, Motian was one of the most respected drummers in jazz history as well as a superb composer and adept bandleader. Critic Art Lange called him "that rare commodity, an intimate drummer." And here's a bit of trivia: Motian played at Woodstock, in Arlo Guthrie's band.
Even music lovers largely unfamiliar with jazz have heard his work with pianist Bill Evans, whose trio Motian played in from 1959 to 1964. Other piano greats who availed themselves of Motian's subtly swinging sense of rhythm included Thelonious Monk, Herbie Nichols, Keith Jarrett, Paul Bley, Carla Bley, Lennie Tristano, Mose Allison, Martial Solal, Enrico Pieranunzi, and Marilyn Crispell.
On his own records (perhaps to avoid comparisons?) he favored guitarists instead, most notably Bill Frisell. After graduating from their '80s apprenticeships in Motian's trio and quintet,...
Even music lovers largely unfamiliar with jazz have heard his work with pianist Bill Evans, whose trio Motian played in from 1959 to 1964. Other piano greats who availed themselves of Motian's subtly swinging sense of rhythm included Thelonious Monk, Herbie Nichols, Keith Jarrett, Paul Bley, Carla Bley, Lennie Tristano, Mose Allison, Martial Solal, Enrico Pieranunzi, and Marilyn Crispell.
On his own records (perhaps to avoid comparisons?) he favored guitarists instead, most notably Bill Frisell. After graduating from their '80s apprenticeships in Motian's trio and quintet,...
- 11/23/2011
- by SteveHoltje
- www.culturecatch.com
Bethesda Game Studios The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is a celebration of fantasy gaming. It operates on a grand scale, but doesn’t lose sight of intimate details; it’s elaborate, but eminently fun and very playable.
The latest installment in the Bethesda Game Studios role-playing series came out in the U.S. Friday for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and PC after around three years of development. It follows the highly regarded Oblivion chapter, which sold...
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is a celebration of fantasy gaming. It operates on a grand scale, but doesn’t lose sight of intimate details; it’s elaborate, but eminently fun and very playable.
The latest installment in the Bethesda Game Studios role-playing series came out in the U.S. Friday for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and PC after around three years of development. It follows the highly regarded Oblivion chapter, which sold...
- 11/14/2011
- by Adam Najberg
- Speakeasy/Wall Street Journal
It looks like Don Draper is having a lovers' quarrel with his fiance, Megan Calvet.
The pair, who were engaged at the end of the fourth season of "Mad Men" were spotted having a little on-screen spat Wednesday in Los Angeles, Calif. Don and Megan, played by Jon Hamm and Jessica Pare, were shooting scenes for the highly anticipated fifth season and from the looks of these photos, their romance may be hitting a rough patch. Take a look at the photos of the duo as they have a heated argument outside a Howard Johnson motor lodge.
Although the series isn't set to return until next year, the cast is back to work in full force. Earlier this week January Jones made her return to set, after giving birth to her son Xander, to portray her icy character, Betty Draper Francis.
Photos:...
The pair, who were engaged at the end of the fourth season of "Mad Men" were spotted having a little on-screen spat Wednesday in Los Angeles, Calif. Don and Megan, played by Jon Hamm and Jessica Pare, were shooting scenes for the highly anticipated fifth season and from the looks of these photos, their romance may be hitting a rough patch. Take a look at the photos of the duo as they have a heated argument outside a Howard Johnson motor lodge.
Although the series isn't set to return until next year, the cast is back to work in full force. Earlier this week January Jones made her return to set, after giving birth to her son Xander, to portray her icy character, Betty Draper Francis.
Photos:...
- 10/13/2011
- by Katelyn Mullen
- Huffington Post
TMZ: Susan Lucci Blindsided By Cancellation
TMZ spoke to Lucci's daughter, Liza Huber, who told us the soap star only learned about the show's fate on Thursday -- at the same time producers informed the rest of the cast -- and Susan was "upset" by the news.
But fear not Lucci fans -- Liza tells us her mother has No plans to retire ... and she's already receiving offers to do other TV shows and various projects.
Why Soap Operas Are Good For You
"People are still watching network soaps, of course, just not the people that the networks or advertisers want to be watching."
Soap opera cancellation alters local actor's career again
A new head writer tried bringing in younger characters, but according to Howard Johnson, his friend Walt Willey didn’t think that was a smart move.
“People who’d watched the show forever would tune in and they wouldn’t recognize the characters,...
TMZ spoke to Lucci's daughter, Liza Huber, who told us the soap star only learned about the show's fate on Thursday -- at the same time producers informed the rest of the cast -- and Susan was "upset" by the news.
But fear not Lucci fans -- Liza tells us her mother has No plans to retire ... and she's already receiving offers to do other TV shows and various projects.
Why Soap Operas Are Good For You
"People are still watching network soaps, of course, just not the people that the networks or advertisers want to be watching."
Soap opera cancellation alters local actor's career again
A new head writer tried bringing in younger characters, but according to Howard Johnson, his friend Walt Willey didn’t think that was a smart move.
“People who’d watched the show forever would tune in and they wouldn’t recognize the characters,...
- 4/16/2011
- by We Love Soaps TV
- We Love Soaps
hollywoodnews.com: Looking at the ads for the new film “Black Swan,” it’s hard to tell precisely what the film is – a ballet movie, a backstage drama, or a horror flick. According to the cast and crew, the only thing they knew for sure about it was that they had to make it. Hollywood News spoke to stars Natalie Portman and Mila Kunis and director Darren Aronofsky at the film’s recent Los Angeles press day, where they discussed the various challenges of preparing and then putting together this remarkably unique film, and finding a cohesive throughline despite the variety of influences, tones and techniques that went into its creation.
Hollywood News: This has been a project in development for a long time. Darren, can you talk about how you got started on this?
Darren Aronofsky: I’ve been a fan of Natalie’s since I saw her in “The Professional.
Hollywood News: This has been a project in development for a long time. Darren, can you talk about how you got started on this?
Darren Aronofsky: I’ve been a fan of Natalie’s since I saw her in “The Professional.
- 12/1/2010
- by Todd Gilchrist
- Hollywoodnews.com
Be careful what you wish for -- you just might get it. Ask Nina, the ballerina played by Natalie Portman in Darren Aronofsky's mesmerizing Black Swan. She lobbies hard for the lead role in her dance company's production of Swan Lake but slowly, and painfully, buckles under the physical and mental pressures of the stage. The film finally opens after impressing festival audiences in Venice, Toronto, and London. We sat down with Portman and Aronofsky to discuss the visceral effect of their psychological thriller. Q: The story of Black Swan reportedly started ten years ago when you had a conversation with Natalie about a role. Darren Aronofsky: Yeah, well, I had been a fan of Natalie's since I saw her in The Professional. Luc Besson is one of my favorite directors. And it turns out her manager is an old friend of mine from college, so I had...
- 11/29/2010
- AMC News Interviews
In Black Swan, Mila Kunis and Natalie Portman play the Black and White Swans, respectively. In real life, they couldn’t both be more… exactly like their characters. Mila is a relaxed, funny, open person with plenty of humor. Natalie Portman is every bit as boring and unimaginative as her White Swan character. If either of them were ever questioning why they were cast in this film, it’s because they both didn’t have to stray too far from reality to make it believable.
Lily (Mila Kunis) lures Nina (Natalie Portman) over to the dark side through food. Just kidding. But partly, only.
Natalie Portman is the sheltered ballet dancer who yearns to dance with passion. Mila Kunis is her assertive rival. They both make up two halves of the same dancer – the Swan Princess. It’s chaotic genius at its best from director Darren Aronofksy.
Despite my assertion...
Lily (Mila Kunis) lures Nina (Natalie Portman) over to the dark side through food. Just kidding. But partly, only.
Natalie Portman is the sheltered ballet dancer who yearns to dance with passion. Mila Kunis is her assertive rival. They both make up two halves of the same dancer – the Swan Princess. It’s chaotic genius at its best from director Darren Aronofksy.
Despite my assertion...
- 11/26/2010
- by Superheidi
- Planet Fury
A review of the "Mad Men" season four finale coming up just as soon as I witness your nervous breakdown at Howard Johnson's... "I wanted a fresh start, okay? I'm entitled to that." -Betty "There is no fresh start! Lives carry on." -Henry Don Draper is the king of the fresh start, and of realizing after the fact how much your former life can linger. As Dick Whitman, he took the real Don Draper's identity, and has reinvented himself time and again ever since, but always with what he did in Korea - and the possibility of being exposed - hanging...
- 10/18/2010
- by Alan Sepinwall
- Hitfix
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