-
Halle Berry to receive Sherry Lansing award
Halle Berry has something else in common with fellow Oscar winners Meryl Streep and Jodie Foster: The Sherry Lansing Leadership Award.
The Hollywood Reporter says Berry will receive the honor next month at the paper's 18th annual Power 100: Women in Entertainment breakfast.
The award recognizes groundbreaking contributions to the entertainment industry. Besides Streep and Foster, past recipients include Barbara Walters, Glenn Close and Lansing herself.
Hilary Swank will give the keynote address at the Power 100 breakfast, to be held Dec. 4 at the Beverly Hills Hotel.
more
-
Rihanna talks about breaking down and her new CD
Rihanna says recording songs on her new album was such an emotional experience that she sometimes had to leave the studio to prevent herself from breaking down.
"I walked out the studio a few times just trying not to be in tears," she said Monday about recording her fourth studio album, "Rated R," to be released on Nov. 23.
"It was about me, and so much so that songs got really personal to the point where it took three months for me to start recording it because it was too deep for me to even listen to," she said.
The CD comes nine months after the 21-year-old singing sensation was attacked by ex-boyfriend Chris Brown. Rihanna said recording helped ease the pain — giving her an outlet to express how she truly felt.
"I got to vent because I didn't really talk a lot. I didn't talk to a lot of people about anything I was feeling. I just did it on the record," she said.
Brown was arrested Feb. 8. He was accused of beating Rihanna after they attended a pre-Grammy party. Brown later pleaded guilty to felony assault and was sentenced to five years' probation, six months of community labor and a year of domestic violence counseling.
Following the attack, Rihanna said she was sick of sitting at home and decided to head to the studio.
"I was tired of just being in the house and I just felt like I was wasting so much time and just being lackadaisical, so I just wanted to work again and we started recording," she said.
Rihanna, who just finished recording the CD a week ago, said the new album's sound is "darker" than her previous ones because it reflects her turbulent year.
"The recording experience was different because it was from a completely new mind space, from a different perspective. Usually I was thinking of fun stories, things to talk about, different topics that might be cool, but this time is really about my life," she said.
She also said she's excited for fans to hear a song called "Stupid In Love."
"You're blinded by love, love is blind and sometimes you can't see it coming and it's just coming to the realization of the state of a relationship and just saying, 'This is not what I like. It doesn't make me happy,'" she said.
Rihanna said the album is a reflection of Rihanna the woman — not the image we've come to know.
"I feel like my fans, they knew me, they knew what I looked like, but they didn't really know what my personality was. They didn't really know how I think or what I stand for. They didn't really know much about me as a person. They just knew my image and the idea of me," she said.
"But I wanted to give them more of who I really was because I feel like that was a connection I was missing."
Rihanna credits this album with helping her look forward instead of dwelling in past.
"Venting is a part of moving on, like you have to get it out no matter what, and this album for me helped me do that — being in the studio, writing, working with producers and songwriters, making music," she said. "It made it even more special that it came from my heart and my real... my feelings, the exact way I felt."
more
-
Japanese manga comes to London's British Museum
Japanese manga artist Hoshino Yukinobu has brought his popular character Professor Munakata to London's British Museum, featuring some of the collection's most famous treasures in his drawings.
In a single-room display near the entrance to the famous museum, a giant picture of folklore expert Munakata donning his trademark bowler hat and black cape includes the Sutton Hoo helmet dating from the 7th century.
One reason the British Museum wanted to work with Hoshino was because of its exhibition of dogu, ceramic figures from ancient Japan which runs until November 22.
"A lot of his Professor Munakata stories have shown him touring around Japan to archeological sites and having encounters with the dogu, so it was actually the dogu project that brought us to him," said curator Tim Clark.
Clark also said the character of Professor Munakata had a common purpose with the museum in that both, in different ways, "have a fascination in unraveling the mysteries of the past."
Although the display, which runs until January 3, is small, a larger exhibition on manga and its place in popular culture could follow. "I hope that happens in the future," said Clark.
The current display features a handful of drawings, only some of which include items from the British Museum's collection, and blown-up versions on the walls and on the floor. There is also a stand containing manga comic books.
Clark said Hoshino, inspired by his visit to the museum, was working on eight or nine stories linking his character to the collection. They are expected to be published in 2010.
They will be combined in a special hardback version, which will in turn be translated into English.
Clark said that while manga still enjoyed a relatively small audience in Britain, as opposed to Japan where it is part of mainstream culture, the recent rise of the graphic novel suggested that interest in the genre could grow further.
"They are not exactly the same, but clearly they have a lot of similarities and it seems to me that people are finding graphic novels are presenting stories in an engaging way.
"It remains to be seen how much manga and graphic novels really begin to take off."
more
-
Review: `Fantastic Mr. Fox' is mighty fine
It may not merit the adjective in its title, yet the animated yarn "Fantastic Mr. Fox" offers some of the most goofy fun you'll have at a theater this season.
With George Clooney, Meryl Streep and Bill Murray leading the top-notch voice cast, director Wes Anderson has found an ideal story and medium — stop-motion animation — to bring his cockeyed vision to the cartoon world.
Brits may be annoyed at this latest Americanization of one of their beloved literary works. Yet in the hands of Anderson ("The Royal Tenenbaums," "Rushmore"), Roald Dahl's illustrated children's book gets loving treatment and a distinct handcrafted style that sets it apart from the sleek computer-generated imagery dominating animation today.
This story of a poultry-thieving fox and the evil farmers waging war on him is a delightful whirlwind of mayhem and high spirits. It's lightweight fun, yet "Fantastic Mr. Fox" succeeds on all levels, presenting cute and clever little varmints to charm children while offering adults merry screwball humor that slyly stretches the film's family-friendly PG rating.
Clooney provides vocals for the title character, a fox who reluctantly gives up his glamorous but perilous chicken-snatching life at the behest of his wife (voice by Streep), who wants to raise a family in peace and quiet.
Years later, they have a nice new home that stretches the finances of Mr. Fox's job as a newspaper columnist for the local animal community. The Foxes have a sullen teen son ("Rushmore" star Jason Schwartzman) whose insecurities are compounded by a visit from his handsome, talented cousin (Anderson's brother, Eric, also an illustrator on the film).
His domicile in plain sight of the livestock and produce riches of farmers Boggis, Bunce and Bean, Mr. Fox is unable to resist one last poultry caper, but his raids on all three farms bring down the mechanized wrath of the human world on all surrounding wildlife.
Trapped underground with his family and a menagerie of angry neighbors, Mr. Fox marshals an inter-species rebellion against the humans that want to exterminate them.
The slightly clunky, coarse animation — little puppets on miniature sets, moved in tiny increments and photographed a frame at a time — beautifully complements this shaggy-dog story.
Some of the facial expressions the animators achieve with their furry puppets are as weirdly expressive as anything you'll find in the human world, while the Wolfman-like close-ups of Mr. Fox at his most manic add to the energy of the film.
The wisecracks in Anderson and co-writer Noah Baumbach's screenplay often are hilarious, as is the slang the animals use to cuss like sailors.
Clooney's in his best smooth-talker form and Streep's vocals are pure grace and class, supported by great drollery from Schwartzman and frequent Anderson collaborator Murray, providing the voice of a Badger who is Mr. Fox's attorney.
Willem Dafoe provides menace as a rat guarding the poultry, while Michael Gambon lends sonorous voice to the main heavy, Farmer Bean (the farmers all have British accents, the animals American; since Clooney was cast first, Anderson decided to give the other creatures American accents for consistency).
These animals basically are humans in fur costumes, walking upright and relating to one another in neighborly isolationism, each family and species caught up in their private concerns.
Common foes and shared adversity break down their aloofness. The effect is rather like watching the kinship-building that goes on in Anderson's live-action films as disparate blood relations and oddball strangers coalesce into something resembling a family.
A perfect family, no. But definitely one you won't mind joining for an hour and a half.
"Fantastic Mr. Fox," a 20th Century Fox release, is rated PG for action, smoking and slang humor. Running time: 88 minutes. Three stars out of four.
more
-
"Enron" vs "Jerusalem" at Standard theatre awards
"Enron," a play about the collapsed U.S. energy trading company, and "Jerusalem," a portrayal of less-than-idyllic life in rural England, face off at the London Evening Standard Theater Awards.
The nominations, announced on Monday, pit the two works against each other in the best play, best actor and best director categories, while Hollywood actress Rachel Weisz is shortlisted for her turn in "A Streetcar Named Desire."
Enron is Lucy Prebble's acclaimed portrait about Enron, which collapsed into bankruptcy in 2001 burdened with billions of dollars of debt.
Critics and audiences agreed the work took on added significance given the financial turmoil of the last two years.
Samuel West, nominated for best actor, plays Jeffrey Skilling, the Enron CEO indicted in 2004 for conspiracy, fraud and insider trading, and Rupert Goold has been nominated for best director.
Jerusalem, about a drug dealer and wastrel called Johnny Byron, was written by Jez Butterworth. As well as best play, it is contesting also the best actor (Mark Rylance) and best director (Ian Rickson) categories.
Weisz faced competition in the best actress category from Juliet Stevenson, Penny Downie and Deanna Dunagan, and Lenny Henry, best known for his comic roles on television, was nominated for best newcomer for his lead role in "Othello."
The awards will be announced on November 23.
Following is a list of the nominations:
Best Play - August: Osage County/Tracy Letts; Enron/Lucy Prebble; Jerusalem/Jez Butterworth; Punk Rock/Simon Stephens
Best Actor - Simon Russell Beale/The Winter's Tale; Mark Rylance/Jerusalem; Ken Stott/A View From The Bridge; Samuel West/Enron
Best Actress - Deanna Dunagan/August: Osage County; Penny Downie/Helen; Juliet Stevenson/Duet For One; Rachel Weisz/A Streetcar Named Desire
Best Director - Rupert Goold/Enron; Jeremy Herrin/Tusk Tusk; Ian Rickson/Jerusalem; Anna D Shapiro/August: Osage County
Best Musical - A Little Night Music; Been So Long; Hello, Dolly!; Spring Awakening
Best Design - Jon Bausor/Kursk; Miriam Buether/Judgment Day; Mamoru Iriguchi/Mincemeat; Ultz/Jerusalem
Most Promising Playwright - Alia Bano/Shades; Katori Hall/Mountaintop; Alexi Kaye Campbell/The Pride
Award for Outstanding Newcomer - Naana Agyei-Ampadu/Been So Long; Lenny Henry/Othello; Bel Powley/Tusk Tusk; Tom Sturridge/Punk Rock.
more
-
Bon Jovi circles back to Jersey stadium rock
Bon Jovi, "The Circle" (Island)
The fiddles and banjos have been packed away and the steel guitars, presumably, stolen. In their place are angry electric guitars, catchy choruses that demand to be shouted out in a football stadium, and a return to the unflappable optimism that has made these Jersey guys legends in the rock biz.
In short, Bon Jovi is back!
"The Circle" is the followup to 2007's wildly successful but country-fried "Lost Highway," which was a jarring sonic detour for the heroes of the New Jersey Turnpike. Thankfully, Jon Bon Jovi & Co. are keeping the faith with the still-developing but oh-so-recognizable sound that has been the band's trademark.
"We Weren't Born To Follow," the fist-pumping anthem that kicks off the disc, could have been right at home on "Slippery When Wet" or "New Jersey," with its timeless hooks and punchy beat.
They really do come full circle on "Work For The Working Man," which just as easily could have been titled "Livin' On A Prayer II," from the foundation bass riff that's almost identical to that of Bon Jovi's biggest-ever hit, to the dignified struggle of the little guy against tremendous odds. (At least they didn't bring back Tommy and Gina again.)
"Bullet" has a little of the "Hey God" anger and angst, asking the Almighty if he has "just given up" in the face of so much evil in the world.
A rejuvenated Richie Sambora makes his presence known here more strongly than on his last few albums, with more intricate and longer solos.
Throughout it all, "Hell yeah!" has replaced "Hee Haw." And as they say in New Jersey, that's a good thing, capece?
CHECK THIS TRACK OUT: "When We Were Beautiful" is about trying to regain lost innocence and simplicity. It sounds like it can apply to the world, or to the band itself.
more
-
Taylor made? All eyes on Swift at CMA awards
Kenny Chesney has made the very hard work of dominating country music look easy.
And Taylor Swift is paying close attention.
The 19-year-old sensation has the record sales. She beat out every living artist — no matter the genre — this year with more than 3 million copies of her "Fearless" CD sold and counting (only Michael Jackson has sold more). The album remains No. 3 after 51 weeks on the charts.
And she's moving concert tickets as fast as they can print them.
That might be enough to sway the more than 5,000 members of the Country Music Association, who decide who gets the trophy for entertainer of the year, the CMA's highest honor, at the CMA Awards on Wednesday night (the broadcast will air live on ABC).
She's the youngest ever nominated for the award and the first solo female act since Faith Hill in 2000, and she's faced a lot of questions about whether either is a limiting factor.
"I think you have to do the work and put in the effort and do the touring that it takes to win entertainer of the year," she said in an interview with The Associated Press. "And I don't really think it has anything to do with gender. I think if you want to compete with the boys, play on a level that they're playing at."
And the guys in this category are playing at the highest.
Using a combination of unparalleled album and ticket sales, Chesney has dominated the CMA Awards' most prestigious category with three straight wins and four of the last five. A fifth win would move him past Garth Brooks for most in the 43 years of the awards. This is the eighth straight year he's sold more than a million concert tickets, and fans are drawn to his brand of Caribbean cool like no other.
Brad Paisley leads all nominees with seven and is entering his second year as co-host with Carrie Underwood. His album "American Saturday Night" debuted at No. 2 on the album charts when it was released earlier this year and he's had 11 straight No. 1 singles on the country charts.
Keith Urban's supercharged live show has made him one of country's most bankable stars and his album "Defying Gravity" hit No. 1 on the Billboard 200. He's the only artist to interrupt Chesney's recent domination in the category, winning in 2005.
And then there's George Strait, a two-time winner in the category and CMA's career leader in nominations (79, with Alan Jackson) and wins (22) whose "Twang" also debuted as the nation's No. 1 album. Paisley said he's put together the kind of career and rapport with his fans that's really only possible in country music, and that "always" makes him a contender.
"Look at George Strait," Paisley said. "It's just unbelievable. He first won entertainer of the year 20 years ago in 1989. Isn't that crazy?"
But 2009 might be Swift's year — and she could soon be in the company of icons like Loretta Lynn, Dolly Parton and Reba McEntire, three of the six other female acts to win entertainer of the year.
But tell that to Swift, and she modestly dismisses the idea: "Don't fill my head with that."
"It's so wonderful when people come up to me and say that I have a shot at winning. It actually is really, really a wonderful thing when people do that," she said. "But my parents raised me to have the mindset that the world doesn't owe me anything and you can't feel entitled to winning, you can't feel entitled to success."
It's statements like those that have won Swift fans within the industry as well — not to mention a few votes.
"I will say I did vote for her," McEntire said. "The obvious is that she is a female and I do tend to support my female friends and artists in the business, but also because I think she is the one who's done the most this year — television, touring. She is an extraordinary person and I think she highly deserves it."
more
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)