I never really liked “Silvio,” the 1988 Bob Dylan song that Dylan co-wrote with long time Grateful Dead collaborator Steve Hunter.  When I read that Hunter was co-writing songs with Dylan for a new album, I was expecting an uneven, hit or miss offering that would disappoint in the light of the strength of  Dylan’s last three albums.  Not so.  Together Through Life is a rollicking, spirited pleasure.

(more…)

The producers of the film Once have created yet another intricate and complex Irish love story. Eden evolves around a husband and wife’s struggles and joys as they approach their tenth wedding anniversary. Distractions have reduced the marriage to little more than a friendship. Billy Ferrell (Aidan Kelly) spends the majority of his time between his work as a maintenance man and reconnecting with life as a bachelor. His secret hope to escape to the pub from the normalcy of home is negatively effecting his marriage.

(more…)

If there’s anyone who’s a softy for a guy proposing to his girl at a concert, it’s yours truly (who regular blog readers will recall popped the question in front of four thousand people at an Amy Grant show last year). And just like that pop star was my fiance’s favorite singer, a Travis fan flew all the way from Dallas to Chicago to surprise his girlfriend with much more than just a visit. The band’s front man Fran Healy proclaimed a major moment was about to happen, and after setting down his acoustic guitar, he called out a guy who wrote the group via MySpace with the special request since Travis was his leading lady’s favorite act of all time. (more…)

Being a kid today has got to be tough. Being a kid with an insatiable creative appetite and a slight case of obsessive compulsive disorder has got to be even tougher. That’s what Phoebe (played by 11-year-old Elle Fanning, Dakota’s younger sister) has to go through in Phoebe in Wonderland, the newest film from director Daniel Barnz.

The film establishes early Phoebe’s unassailable creativity. She’s the Tortured Artist—albeit a kid version—who is alienated from her classmates for being “different” and feels confined by her school’s suppressive methods. She is even put into therapy after her OCD goes a little too far, but again becomes restless within its confines. Her home life isn’t any easier; both parents are writers who, trying to get published, struggle to find time to connect with Phoebe and their other daughter, who becomes jealous of the attention Phoebe gets because of her tendency to lash out. (more…)

Every year New Orleans’ Jazz & Heritage Festival stages major shows by national and local talent, but with a 40th anniversary celebration on deck, promoters are really pulling some major rabbits out of the hat. The first of two weekends starts out with strength across all genre lines, including jazz master Wynton Marsalis, indie rockers Spoon, soul legend Booker T., plus local up and comer Marc Broussard. Joe Cocker headlines that evening’s festivities, turning in a career spanning hits set (“With a Little Help From My Friends,” “When the Night Comes,” “You Can Leave Your Hat On”) that just so happens to coincide with the 40th anniversary of the famed Woodstock Festival. (more…)

Since 2004, comedian Joel McHale has been the host of The Soup, the E! program that makes fun of reality TV shows and spoofs celebrities. McHale, who had bit roles in several movies and worked on a few commercials before taking over The Soup, was about to leave for Australia, where he was to perform a sold out show, when he spoke via phone from his Los Angeles home. He’ll also be touring the states throughout May and June, depending on what happens with Community, a pilot TV show he’s filmed for NBC.

(more…)

While therapy doesn’t seem like the most hilarious topic, the Starz! original series “Head Case” proves otherwise. This show follows Dr. Elizabeth Goode’s practice in Hollywood, offering decidedly unique views of her patients—all of which are famous guest stars, such as Jeff Goldblum, Andy Dick and David Alan Grier. However, while the big names might serve as the initial attention-getters, it’s Alexandra Wentworth’s portrayal of Goode that will maintain the interest of viewers, and keep them laughing through all of the episodes.
(more…)

The second most interesting thing about Dhani Harrison is his education and training.  Son of former Beatle George Harrison, Dhani (pronounced like Danny) grew up in England and excelled in school.  Obsessed with video games, race cars, and music as a teen Dhani attended Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island,  majoring in industrial design.  While at Brown he took many classes at the nearby Rhode Island School of Design, the school where art rockers Talking Heads met.

After a short stint working for the McClaren formula 1 race car team, Dhani and Ollie Hecks formed thenewno2.  (more…)

]Many rock acts have explored spiritual and psychological conflicts—Bob Dylan’s John Wesley Harding, Nine Inch Nails The Downward Spiral, for example.  Other acts, such as Lou Reed and the Hold Steady, have tackled substance abuse problems in detail.  But I can’t remember any act interweaving both themes so well as on Mean Everything to Nothing, the dynamic new CD by the Atlanta band Manchester Orchestra. (more…)

Wouldn’t you expect a musical genius to be maybe a bit unusual? Especially expected if they are super famous and winner of multiple Tony Awards, multiple Grammy Awards, an Academy Award, and a Pulitzer Prize winner, don’t you think?  But Stephen Sondheim, composer, creator, lyricist of a multitude of musicals, was engaging, humorous, insightful, forthcoming, and really a regular guy who has an AMAZING recall of details of his decades-long showbiz career. His telling of stories off the cuff with the help of interviewer Frank Rich (New York Times) was similar to the format of Actor’s Studio, with questions from the interviewer, but more like a probing conversation from one topic to the next, as if they were at happy hour reminiscing about college days.  (more…)