When I heard Elizabeth Cotten (1895-1987) was going into the Rock Hall, I nearly fell out of my chair! As host of “The Village Folk Show,” I regularly hear Cotten’s name from the mouths of prominent folk artists — Guy Davis, David Bromberg, Gillian Welch, Eliza Gilkyson, Amy Ray. Credited with the “Cotten-picking” guitar-playing style — she played left-handed and upside-down — this master’s impact on roots music is strong, deep and continuing.
Meanwhile, her story is amazing: While working in a department store in 1940s Washington D.C., Cotten discovered a crying, lost, little girl and returned her to her mother. The grateful mom: singer-songwriter Peggy Seeger, sister of legendary Mike Seeger, who promptly hired Cotten as a domestic for the family. When Mike Seeger discovered her long-dormant talent with a six-string, he recorded and released the 62-year-old’s first record, “Elizabeth Cotten: Folk Songs and Instrumentals with Guitar.”
Following...
Meanwhile, her story is amazing: While working in a department store in 1940s Washington D.C., Cotten discovered a crying, lost, little girl and returned her to her mother. The grateful mom: singer-songwriter Peggy Seeger, sister of legendary Mike Seeger, who promptly hired Cotten as a domestic for the family. When Mike Seeger discovered her long-dormant talent with a six-string, he recorded and released the 62-year-old’s first record, “Elizabeth Cotten: Folk Songs and Instrumentals with Guitar.”
Following...
- 11/5/2022
- by MarySue Twohy
- Variety Film + TV
Lenny Lipton, the New York-native who wrote the lyrics to what became Peter, Paul and Mary’s popular folk song “Puff, the Magic Dragon,” died on Oct. 5 from brain cancer at the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, his wife told The New York Times. He was 82.
In 1959, Lipton was a 19-year-old physics major at Cornell University. Feeling inspired after reading Ogden Nash’s poem “The Tale of Custard the Dragon,” he borrowed the typewriter of his schoolmate Peter Yarrow — one-third of the Peter, Paul and Mary trio — to scribe a creation of his own. But when Yarrow saw Lipton’s poem abandoned at the keys, he decided to put it to music, becoming the well-known 1963 song “Puff, the Magic Dragon.”
Lipton received a co-writer credit on the track, which was an instant hit among listeners. Through royalties, Lipton generated enough money to move to the Bay Area in California,...
In 1959, Lipton was a 19-year-old physics major at Cornell University. Feeling inspired after reading Ogden Nash’s poem “The Tale of Custard the Dragon,” he borrowed the typewriter of his schoolmate Peter Yarrow — one-third of the Peter, Paul and Mary trio — to scribe a creation of his own. But when Yarrow saw Lipton’s poem abandoned at the keys, he decided to put it to music, becoming the well-known 1963 song “Puff, the Magic Dragon.”
Lipton received a co-writer credit on the track, which was an instant hit among listeners. Through royalties, Lipton generated enough money to move to the Bay Area in California,...
- 10/23/2022
- by Katie Reul
- Variety Film + TV
Anne Feeney, a key part of the folk music movement and a committed political and labor activist, died Wednesday in Pittsburgh, Pa. from complications of Covid-19. She was 69 and her daughter, Amy Sue Berlin, announced her passing on Facebook.
Feeney was a major player on the folk circuit, the first woman president of a musicians union in the US, and a regular collaborator with folk icons like Pete Seeger, John Prine, and Peter Paul and Mary. Her anthem Have You Been to Jail for Justice is sung on picket lines and in jail cells around the world.
Her career included more than 4,000 shows across North America and Europe performing for striking workers, in union halls, and large protests. Her performance at the World Trade Organization protests in 1999 was featured in the documentary This is What Democracy Looks Like. She organized dozens of tours supporting various causes, including the Sing Out...
Feeney was a major player on the folk circuit, the first woman president of a musicians union in the US, and a regular collaborator with folk icons like Pete Seeger, John Prine, and Peter Paul and Mary. Her anthem Have You Been to Jail for Justice is sung on picket lines and in jail cells around the world.
Her career included more than 4,000 shows across North America and Europe performing for striking workers, in union halls, and large protests. Her performance at the World Trade Organization protests in 1999 was featured in the documentary This is What Democracy Looks Like. She organized dozens of tours supporting various causes, including the Sing Out...
- 2/4/2021
- by Bruce Haring
- Deadline Film + TV
Simon Baker, Yael Stone, Josh Lawson and newcomer Julia Savage are among the key cast of director Del Kathryn Barton’s debut feature Blaze (formerly Puff), which recently wrapped shooting in Sydney.
Barton, a dual Archibald prize winner, wrote the script with Huna Amweero (Jade of Death), with the work inspired by Barton’s painting ‘sing blood-wings sing’, which was in turn inspired by Peter Paul and Mary song ‘Puff, the Magic Dragon’.
A hybrid work of live-action, VFX and animation, Blaze sees Savage plays a young girl who accidentally witnesses a woman being violently attacked, leaving her catatonic with shock and struggling to make sense of what she saw.
She retreats into imaginary worlds, where Zephyr, the shimmering magic dragon who has been her companion since childhood, allows her to activate her own rage and ultimately find renewal.
Also starring are Morgan Davies, Bernie Van Tiel, Remy Hii, John Waters,...
Barton, a dual Archibald prize winner, wrote the script with Huna Amweero (Jade of Death), with the work inspired by Barton’s painting ‘sing blood-wings sing’, which was in turn inspired by Peter Paul and Mary song ‘Puff, the Magic Dragon’.
A hybrid work of live-action, VFX and animation, Blaze sees Savage plays a young girl who accidentally witnesses a woman being violently attacked, leaving her catatonic with shock and struggling to make sense of what she saw.
She retreats into imaginary worlds, where Zephyr, the shimmering magic dragon who has been her companion since childhood, allows her to activate her own rage and ultimately find renewal.
Also starring are Morgan Davies, Bernie Van Tiel, Remy Hii, John Waters,...
- 11/5/2020
- by Jackie Keast
- IF.com.au
There are several new international sales agents debuting in Cannes. I will endeavor to profile them throughouat Cannes. Tristan Whalley's GoalPost, Richard Guardian's Guardian Entertainment, Mario Kassar's Magnetik, Joe Drake's Tbc, Mike Runagall's Altitude and others...
Born of the power and passion of two prominent members of the international film community, Blue Galaxy International takes sales, distribution, and media production to the next level. Marcy Rubin, longtime sales exec with Cinetel and Andrew Stevens, actor, producer and director long seen in the independent film world represent a global company with offices in Sherman Oaks and Paris, Blue Galaxy launched in 2011 with a commitment to delivering high-concept content with mainstream appeal for the international entertainment and television markets. Though new on the scene, the company draws upon its founders' extensive market savvy and long-standing relationships with major broadcasters in virtually every country around the world. And it continues to build on its strengths. With a presence at the European Film Market in Berlin, Hong Kong Filmart, Mip-tv, Cannes Film Festival, Discop, Mipcom, and the American Film Market, and a library in the making, Blue Galaxy International delivers the pulse of entertainment to a growing client base.
The Vortex
Synopsis:
When a convoy of American troops goes missing in the Afghan desert, a Special Ops Seal Team is deployed to locate them. They discover that their former colleague, Sydney Gerber, has managed to create a wormhole which is growing more and more unstable with each passing moment! Accompanied by an elite team of soldiers, they battle through huge, mutated snakes, scorpions and spiders which have been created by the strange crystals that are a by-product of the Vortex. Gerber and one of the rangers, now both Mega Pythons, square off in a battle for the ages to save the world and mankind!!
Starring: Jack Plotnick, Sarah Lieving and Ted Jonas
Directed by: Peter Paul Basier
Produced by: Danny Roth, Greg Carter, Mark Holder and Christine Holder
Written by: Peter Paul Basier and Cary Anderson
The Dogfather
Synopsis:
When a Mafia don's right-hand man, a bulldog named Sonny, swallows his ring, comedy ensues as two of the don's best soldiers try and retrieve the ring from Sonny, who has been adopted by a new family.
Partner Bios
Marcy Rubin
A veteran of international media sales and distribution, Marcy Rubin brings an extensive understanding of the ever-changing international marketplace to the table. Over the past 25 years, she has arranged financing via foreign pre-sales for over 100 independent films. After graduating from American University in Washington, D.C., she headed to Los Angeles and has worked at Merv Griffin Productions, Cinema Entertainment, and Kodiak Films. For the past 20 years, Rubin held the position of international sales executive at the prominent international production and distribution company, CineTel Films. During her tenure at CineTel, she developed a vast network of contacts with international distributors, television broadcasters, and financial institutions, and serving on the board of directors of Ifta, the trade organization of the independent film community (1996 and 1997). Now a sought-after member of that community, she speaks on various panels about the international marketplace. The next logical step for Rubin was to launch her own business, which she did in 2011: Blue Galaxy International, a full-service international distribution company with global representation. Fiorenza Cella Fiorenza Cella, founder of the video distribution company Free Dolphin Entertainment, began her career as a journalist with the Italian TV network Italia Uno (Mediaset). Her experience in London, where she worked with the BBC to develop youth programming, helped to spark her vision of a world connected via entertainment media. Cella catapulted her international savvy into the creation, in 1995, of Free Dolphin, headquartered in Paris. Within five years, she brought the company into the major leagues with the sale of television rights to both French and Italian networks, and Free Dolphin rose from a fledgling enterprise to a force in the industry. During 16 years at the company helm, Cella forged solid relationships with the heads of major channels in France, Italy and Spain. Today she is again building on her talent. As a partner in Blue Galaxy International, Cella has turned her attention toward global distribution and production, a natural path for the media pro.
Marcy Rubin Fiorenza Cella...
Born of the power and passion of two prominent members of the international film community, Blue Galaxy International takes sales, distribution, and media production to the next level. Marcy Rubin, longtime sales exec with Cinetel and Andrew Stevens, actor, producer and director long seen in the independent film world represent a global company with offices in Sherman Oaks and Paris, Blue Galaxy launched in 2011 with a commitment to delivering high-concept content with mainstream appeal for the international entertainment and television markets. Though new on the scene, the company draws upon its founders' extensive market savvy and long-standing relationships with major broadcasters in virtually every country around the world. And it continues to build on its strengths. With a presence at the European Film Market in Berlin, Hong Kong Filmart, Mip-tv, Cannes Film Festival, Discop, Mipcom, and the American Film Market, and a library in the making, Blue Galaxy International delivers the pulse of entertainment to a growing client base.
The Vortex
Synopsis:
When a convoy of American troops goes missing in the Afghan desert, a Special Ops Seal Team is deployed to locate them. They discover that their former colleague, Sydney Gerber, has managed to create a wormhole which is growing more and more unstable with each passing moment! Accompanied by an elite team of soldiers, they battle through huge, mutated snakes, scorpions and spiders which have been created by the strange crystals that are a by-product of the Vortex. Gerber and one of the rangers, now both Mega Pythons, square off in a battle for the ages to save the world and mankind!!
Starring: Jack Plotnick, Sarah Lieving and Ted Jonas
Directed by: Peter Paul Basier
Produced by: Danny Roth, Greg Carter, Mark Holder and Christine Holder
Written by: Peter Paul Basier and Cary Anderson
The Dogfather
Synopsis:
When a Mafia don's right-hand man, a bulldog named Sonny, swallows his ring, comedy ensues as two of the don's best soldiers try and retrieve the ring from Sonny, who has been adopted by a new family.
Partner Bios
Marcy Rubin
A veteran of international media sales and distribution, Marcy Rubin brings an extensive understanding of the ever-changing international marketplace to the table. Over the past 25 years, she has arranged financing via foreign pre-sales for over 100 independent films. After graduating from American University in Washington, D.C., she headed to Los Angeles and has worked at Merv Griffin Productions, Cinema Entertainment, and Kodiak Films. For the past 20 years, Rubin held the position of international sales executive at the prominent international production and distribution company, CineTel Films. During her tenure at CineTel, she developed a vast network of contacts with international distributors, television broadcasters, and financial institutions, and serving on the board of directors of Ifta, the trade organization of the independent film community (1996 and 1997). Now a sought-after member of that community, she speaks on various panels about the international marketplace. The next logical step for Rubin was to launch her own business, which she did in 2011: Blue Galaxy International, a full-service international distribution company with global representation. Fiorenza Cella Fiorenza Cella, founder of the video distribution company Free Dolphin Entertainment, began her career as a journalist with the Italian TV network Italia Uno (Mediaset). Her experience in London, where she worked with the BBC to develop youth programming, helped to spark her vision of a world connected via entertainment media. Cella catapulted her international savvy into the creation, in 1995, of Free Dolphin, headquartered in Paris. Within five years, she brought the company into the major leagues with the sale of television rights to both French and Italian networks, and Free Dolphin rose from a fledgling enterprise to a force in the industry. During 16 years at the company helm, Cella forged solid relationships with the heads of major channels in France, Italy and Spain. Today she is again building on her talent. As a partner in Blue Galaxy International, Cella has turned her attention toward global distribution and production, a natural path for the media pro.
Marcy Rubin Fiorenza Cella...
- 5/15/2012
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
Renowned music documentary filmmaker Malcolm Leo and veteran personal manager John Hartmann have secured an agreement to produce a feature length documentary on music icon Jerry Garcia. After a lengthy pursuit of the rights, Leo will direct and also produce with Hartmann. The Leo/Hartmann Productions pic will be built around a 3-hour conversation that Leo conducted with Garcia in 1987. The historic interview was shot on negative film with studio quality sound and lighting. The footage presents a compelling portrait of the cult hero at the height of his success. Leo intends to blend an unprecedented amount of never-before-seen performances, documentary footage, and rare home movies. The project has great bonafides: Leo’s previous work includes films on Elvis Presley, Crosby Stills & Nash, and The Beach Boys. Hartmann, the brother of the late comedian Phil Hartmann, was formerly personal manager of Peter Paul & Mary, Crosby Stills & Nash, The Eagles, America,...
- 1/5/2012
- by NIKKI FINKE
- Deadline Hollywood
The upcoming reboot of The Lone Ranger is finally coming together after years spent languishing in development hell. The flick is set to star Johnny Depp as the main character's Indian American sidekick, which might very well be super-racist - we're waiting to hear back from our college identity politics professor on that one. At the very least though, as of now, the film isn't planned to take place in a post-apocalyptic future, so there's that at least.
Filming is planned to begin once Depp finishes work on Dark Shadows, and Deadline is now reporting that the movie's producers have approached Armie Hammer about playing the lead role. The actor is known for playing both Winklevoss twins in The Social Network, and is the great-grandson of Armand Hammer, the long-time head of Occidental Petroleum. This, of course, proves our theory that being successful in America is easy: Just make sure you're the tall,...
Filming is planned to begin once Depp finishes work on Dark Shadows, and Deadline is now reporting that the movie's producers have approached Armie Hammer about playing the lead role. The actor is known for playing both Winklevoss twins in The Social Network, and is the great-grandson of Armand Hammer, the long-time head of Occidental Petroleum. This, of course, proves our theory that being successful in America is easy: Just make sure you're the tall,...
- 4/28/2011
- UGO Movies
Another April Fool’s Day has come and gone, leaving in its wake a trail of confusion as comics news sites posted fake news article after fake news article in an attempt to hoax their audiences into believing things that couldn’t possibly be true.
Naturally, ComicMix condemns all such shenanigans as juvenile and unworthy.
All the same, now that we’ve had a day or two to process, there have been six recent happenings in the comics world that stood out as so weird, so unlikely, that we were completely floored when they turned out to be true. But don’t take our word for it, take a look below.
123456
Stan Lee and Arnold Schwarzenegger are teaming up for The Governator, a comic and TV show detailing the adventures of the ex-Governor of California, ex-King of Aquilonia as he teams up with a precocious pre-teen hacker to fight crime.
Naturally, ComicMix condemns all such shenanigans as juvenile and unworthy.
All the same, now that we’ve had a day or two to process, there have been six recent happenings in the comics world that stood out as so weird, so unlikely, that we were completely floored when they turned out to be true. But don’t take our word for it, take a look below.
123456
Stan Lee and Arnold Schwarzenegger are teaming up for The Governator, a comic and TV show detailing the adventures of the ex-Governor of California, ex-King of Aquilonia as he teams up with a precocious pre-teen hacker to fight crime.
- 4/3/2011
- by Matthew Weinberger
- Comicmix.com
This week, John Carvill steals himself through the sobs and reminds us of the best cinematic separations
"Some people wanna fill the world with silly love songs," sang Paul McCartney. Others do something similiar with movies: from the silents to 3D, the arthouse to the multiplex, romance sells. Why? Well, to give and receive love is an innate human need: once we've sorted those bare necessities such as food and shelter, love is next on the agenda.
Romcoms may be hugely popular, but that name is misleading – in real life, relationships are seldom funny. Love can be hard work, and it can hurt. As a sagacious stranger warns Woody Allen in Annie Hall, love can fade. Love can die. Make love, not war – or so they say – but what about when love becomes war, what about when it kills? That's why breakup scenes are so powerful. They're the romantic equivalent...
"Some people wanna fill the world with silly love songs," sang Paul McCartney. Others do something similiar with movies: from the silents to 3D, the arthouse to the multiplex, romance sells. Why? Well, to give and receive love is an innate human need: once we've sorted those bare necessities such as food and shelter, love is next on the agenda.
Romcoms may be hugely popular, but that name is misleading – in real life, relationships are seldom funny. Love can be hard work, and it can hurt. As a sagacious stranger warns Woody Allen in Annie Hall, love can fade. Love can die. Make love, not war – or so they say – but what about when love becomes war, what about when it kills? That's why breakup scenes are so powerful. They're the romantic equivalent...
- 3/24/2010
- The Guardian - Film News
Stan Lee has revealed that Michael Jackson approached him about acquiring the rights to Spider-Man. The King of Pop contacted the web slinger's creator and Peter Paul about a bid to purchase Marvel Comics together in the late '90s after the business partners had formed Stan Lee Media. Lee revealed that the potential acquisition never got past "the discussion phase", but Jackson was keen to make a Spider-Man movie. He told MTV: "We had met a number of times. I had been to his place in Neverland. He (more)...
- 7/31/2009
- by By Tim Parks
- Digital Spy
Several entertainment websites have published a wealth of comic book-related Michael Jackson trivia following the popstar's death. According to MTV, Comix 411 and ComicBook.com, the singer was an avid comic collector, and even discussed purchasing Marvel Comics when the company was in financial turmoil during the late '90s. Following the formation of Stan Lee Media (Slm), Jackson allegedly met with the Marvel founder and his business partner Peter Paul to discuss the potential deal, which eventually (more)...
- 6/27/2009
- by By Mark Langshaw
- Digital Spy
According to late-breaking reports, pop icon Michael Jackson died today after suffering cardiac arrest. While various outlets have already posted remembrances of the star’s prominent place in the worlds of music, movies and so many other elements of pop culture, it’s worth noting that Jackson was also known to have a fondess for comic books that rivaled even the most obsessive fanboy.
From trips to the comic shop to a collection of some of the most impressive comics-related memorabilia around, Jackson made no secret of his affinity for comics — going so far as to almost buy Marvel Comics in the late 1990s.
Those looking for proof of Jackson’s love for comics need look no further than some of the items from his personal collection that were recently put up for auction. Along with a life-size, molded rubber Batman costume (fitted over a life-size replica of Jackson himself...
From trips to the comic shop to a collection of some of the most impressive comics-related memorabilia around, Jackson made no secret of his affinity for comics — going so far as to almost buy Marvel Comics in the late 1990s.
Those looking for proof of Jackson’s love for comics need look no further than some of the items from his personal collection that were recently put up for auction. Along with a life-size, molded rubber Batman costume (fitted over a life-size replica of Jackson himself...
- 6/26/2009
- by Rick Marshall
- MTV Splash Page
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