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Joe Cocker RIP, The Allah-Las, White Lung, Ian McLagan, Monkeys   Printer-friendly page   Send this story to someone
Tuesday, December 23, 2014 - 08:00 AM
Posted by: Karl

Karl

JOE COCKER, the gravelly British singer who became one of pop’s most recognizable interpreters in the late 1960s and ’70s with passionate, idiosyncratic takes on songs like the Beatles’ “With a Little Help From My Friends,” died on Monday at his home in Crawford, Colo. He was 70.The cause was lung cancer, his agent, Barrie Marshall, said. His other hits included a version of the Box Tops’ hit “The Letter” (check the late Bobby Keys on sax) and the standard “Cry Me a River,” both in 1970, and “You Are So Beautiful,” in 1975. His only No. 1 single was “Up Where We Belong,” recorded as a duet with Jennifer Warnes for the 1982 film An Officer and a Gentleman, for which he won his only Grammy Award. The late John Belushi famously impersonated his performing style in a 1975 sketch on Saturday Night Live, and later joined Cocker on stage during a 1976 performance of Traffic's "Feelin' Alright," on the show. The Guardian has a life in pictures.  Weekend Edition has a 2012 interview.

THE ALLAH-LAs play a live set on KEXP.

WHITE LUNG also stopped by KEXP for a mini-set.

IAN McLAGAN stopped by The Current for a chat and mini-set shortly before his death.

ALL SONGS CONSIDERED offers a spacey holiday mix.

KIM WILDE drunkenly warbles "Kids In America" and "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" on the subway.

JARVIS COCKER: Not dead, not related to Joe.

FUTURE ISLANDS gets a meaty profile from Stereogum.

AC/DC drummer Phil Rudd wants his job and reputation back.

PAUL STANLEY of KISS once did a Folger's coffee commercial.

BILL COSBY's latest accuser is an ex-girlfriend of Sammy Davis, Jr.

ANGELINA JOLIE talked to The Weekly about the work-family thing.

NATALIE PORTMAN is among those paying tribute to the late Mike Nichols.

CASEY CASEM was finally buried. In Norway.

IGGY AZALEA is being threatened by a branch of the Anonymous hacker group who say they'll release an alleged sex tape of the hip hop star if she doesn't apologize to Azealia Banks.

THE UNITED STATES and partner nations carried out 10 airstrikes against the Islamic State in Iraq and 12 in Syria Monday. Fifteen airstrikes were conducted by the US and partners in Iraq and Syria against the group on Dec. 19, and 13 more took place over the weekend of Dec. 20-21.

LIBYA: Pro-government forces conducted airstrikes on Islamist fighters on Dec. 21 as clashes for the Es Sider and Ras Lanuf oil ports continue.

NIGERIA: Recent events show how neighboring countries are increasingly being drawn into Nigeria's Islamic uprising.

EGYPT: The interior ministry announced that security forces killed five Islamic State-affliated Ansar Bayt al Maqdis fighters in a raid in northern Egypt.

A MONKEY saves a friend electrocuted at a station in Kanpur.

AN ORANGUTAN held in an Argentine zoo can be freed and transferred to a sanctuary after a court recognized the ape as a "non-human person" unlawfully deprived of its freedom, local media reported on Sunday. He's the King of the Swingers.

A POLICE DOG tracked a fugitive to a dog house.

A DISTRESSED SEAL found in a field in Merseyside has been taken to a wildlife hospital "exhausted" after being rescued.

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Lucinda Williams, Temples, Cold Specks, Kangaroo   Printer-friendly page   Send this story to someone
Monday, December 22, 2014 - 08:00 AM
Posted by: Karl

Karl

FIRST AID KIT covers R.E.M.'s "Walk Unafraid."

LUCINDA WILLIAMS plays a Tiny Desk Concert at the offices of NPR.

TEMPLES stopped by WFUV's Studio A this autumn to play a couple of songs from Sun Structures.

COLD SPECKS play a live set at KEXP.

EMMET OTTER'S JUG-BAND CHRISTMAS: The unsanctioned soundtrack.

FIELD REPORT drops "On Christmas Eve."

PINK MOUNTAINTOPS drop “Asleep With An Angel” as a single.

DARLENE LOVE's final Christmastime Letterman performance.

DAVID LOWERY (Camper Van Beethoven, Cracker) is profiled by Wondering Sound. (Thx, LHB.)

THE THOMPSON FAMILY concert was a reunion of sorts

NPR MUSIC's 50 Favorite Albums Of 2014.

HIDDEN GEMS 2014: The albums that got away.

WEEKEND BOX OFFICE:  The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies easily tops the chart with 56.2 million (90.6 million since opening).One way to look at this is to note that this final Middle Earth film seems to be the weakest performer since the first one, The Fellowship of the Ring.  The other way is to note that The Hobbit films likely need to make 2.2 billion worldwide  to profit and may have reached that mark this weekend (if not, surely next weekend).  So a "weak" performance here likely projects to a billion dollars in profit overall, which ain't bad.  Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb places with 17.3 million, again far behind the prior installments (30 and 54 million).  But it's family-friendly and --with The Interview canceled--perhaps the big option for comedy during the big money holiday season, sot his may prove leggy.  Annie shows with 16.3 million, which may not be bad against a 65 million budget, especially in light of the awful reviews.  Exodus: Gods and Kings tumbles a Biblical 66.6 percent to the fourth slot with 8 million.  The dominance of The Hobbit worldwide will likely plague Exodus. Mockingjay rounds out the Top 5 with another 7.8 million, perhaps benefitting from the Exodus implosion.

THE HOBBIT: THE BATTLE OF THE FIVE ARMIES.  Over the past few years, I've complained that too many filmmakers simply cast about for clones of The Lord of the Rings saga, or "reimagined" even projects as unlikely as Alice In Wonderland in that mode. It is perhaps less strange to see Peter Jackson warp The Hobbit into the LotR mold... but it's still strange.  The titular battle is certainly impressive, perhaps moreso with the insertion of Orcs, but devoting essentially an entire film to it may be too much of a good thing (though many will be relieved the drarves don't sing in this one).  Indeed, the Battle may be a visual feast, but we know it is ultimately not decisive.  The insertion of elements from LotR and new characters may help retention of casual viewers, but ultimately forces digressions from the main narrative--which would bother me less if I thought it improved the final product.  Instead, Bilbo Baggins often seems more of an afterthought than the title character should.  The film is not without its redeeming qualities -- as mentioned, it's as visually compelling as the rest of the series, and the fighting (particularly the hand-to-hand fighting within the larger Battle) is well-executed.  I did not feel cheated, but I was a bit disappointed.

KRISTEN BELL & DAX SHEPARD welcomed their second baby girl together. They named her Samsung...no, wait, Delta.

ELTON JOHN and David Furnish have officially married - exactly nine years after they tied the knot in a civil partnership ceremony.

LANCE BASS and Michael Turchin also got married.

MARGARET CHO and her artist husband Al Ridenour have split after 11 years of marriage.

IDRIS ELBA as the next James Bond? Sony exec Amy Pascal likes the idea.

TURKEY: Mehmet Dogan, the leader of Turkey's Tahşiye group, said he "loves Osama bin Laden"; President Erdogan has defended Dogan. Authorities arrested over 100 members of a teachers' union in Ankara yesterday as they marched in support of secular education, after attacking them with water cannons and tear gas.

NIGERIA: Boko Haram released a video of gunmen mowing down civilians in a dormitory for being infidels.

THE UNITED STATES transferred Guantanamo detainees Mohammed Zahir, Abdul Ghani, Khi Ali Gul, and Shawali Khanto to Afghanistan, at the request of Afghan president Ashraf Ghani. The Afghan government is not required to further detain the four men.

THE UNITED KINGDOM: Ali Mohammed Said, of north London, was arrested as he tried to travel to Belgium with a fake passport; he is accused of seeking to help C.F., a terrorist with international connections, travel to Syria to join the Islamic State.

A KANGAROO takes out a drone.

THE CASE OF TWO COWS that wandered from a Pocatello meat-processing business caught the attention of a national group that helps farm animals.

A POSSE OF RACCOONS takes over West Harlem.

A DOG accidentally shot his owner with a rifle.

2312 Reads

Aimee Mann, New Pronographers, Parquet Courts, Lily & Madeleine, Rottweiler   Printer-friendly page   Send this story to someone
Friday, December 19, 2014 - 08:00 AM
Posted by: Karl

Karl

THE WEEKEND STARTS HERE:

...with AIMEE MANN's CHRISTMAS CAROL (profanity warnings): Part One has your Scrooge-y set-up with Michael Penn. Part Two features The Office's John Krasinski. Part Three has Michael Cera. Part Four has John C. Reilly.

THE NEW PR0NOGRAPHERS stopped by WFUV for a mini-set; A.C. Newman chats about the new LP.

PARQUET COURTS performs from the stage of World Cafe Live.

LILY & MADELEINE stopped by World Cafe for a chat and mini-set.

ELEPHANT STONE combines the sounds of Indian classical music and '60s psychedelic rock at World Cafe.

BAND OF HORSES & GRANDADDY "Hang an Ornament."

TOM WAITS gives a reading of a "Christmas Card From a Hooker in Minneapolis."

ARIEL PINK talks to Bomb magazine about the ugly nature of performing, his method of creating an album, and how recording is a rip-off.

NICK CAVE's Handwritten Dictionary.

THE TOP ALBUMS of 2014 according to the staff at The Guardian.

STEREOGUM's 70 Favorite Songs of 2014.

NOW SHOWING: This weekend's wide reelases are The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies, which opened on Wednesday scoring 62 percent on the ol' Tomatometer; Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb,currently scoring 49 percent; and Annie, scoring 19 percent.

STEPHEN COLLINS  released a lengthy statement in which he admits to inappropriate sexual contact with three female minors.

STEVIE WONDER has welcomed his ninth child.

KRIS & BRUCE JENNER have settled their divorce.

ASHLEE SIMPSON and Evan Ross are expecting their first child together.

JENNIFER LAWRENCE and... director and producer Gabe Polsky?

BRAD PITT was dismissed from jury duty for being too distracting.

THE NATIONAL FILM REGISTRY at the Library of Congress recognizes The Big Lebowski, Saving Private Ryan, Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Rosemary's Baby, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, and more.

UNITED STATES Army Lt. Gen. James Terry, commander of US forces in the battle against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, said it is likely to take "a minimum of three years" to reach a turning point against the group. The Pentagon said that coalition airstrikes in Iraq since mid-November have killed "multiple senior and mid-level" Islamic State leaders.

SYRIA: A mass grave holding 230 bodies was uncovered in Deir Ezzor province. Those killed, including many civilians, were members of the Shaitat tribe, which had resisted the Islamic State.

THE ISLAMIC STATE gained ground in the Iraqi city of Baiji in northern Iraq, close to the country’s largest oil refinery, forcing Iraqi forces to retreat on December 17.

A ROTTWEILER and a CAT, snuggling together... mass hysteria!

THE SQUIRREL THREAT: Arctic ground squirrels could play a greater role in climate change than was previously thought.

THIS ADORABLE BIRD is one of the most vicious creatures in the world.

AN UNHAPPY CAT is extracted from a car engine.

2508 Reads

A note about The Interview   Printer-friendly page   Send this story to someone
Thursday, December 18, 2014 - 08:00 AM
Posted by: Karl

Karl

I'm taking a personal day today during the busy holiday/end-of-year season, buut should be back tomorrow.

 

Nevertheless, I did want to offer a few brief comments on the decision by Sony Pictures to cancel the release of The Interview in the face of terrorist threats.  I sort of understood the earlier decision by theater chains to cancel showing the movie. After all, they could have been legally required to beef up security in respose to such threats. And the holiday season is a significant part of theaters' business; having people stay away from the movies in December would be very tough economically on a thin-margin business that's more about selling popcorn than making apolitical statement (these factors tend to distinguish the movie theater biz from newspapers that pulled cartoons in the face of terror threats.  The studio's decision--which apparently extends to home video and to future projects--is tougher to understand, given the degree to which Hollywood likes to think it Speaks Truth to Power. Then again, Tinseltown has been pandering to the People's Republic of China and domestic interest groups for years.  Bowing to the treats of hackers aligned with North Korea is just another slidefurther down the slope.

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TVotR, Cymbals Eat Guitars, Suzanne Vega, Barr Bros, Turtles   Printer-friendly page   Send this story to someone
Wednesday, December 17, 2014 - 08:00 AM
Posted by: Karl

Karl

ST VINCENT has shared a video for “Birth In Reverse."

TV ON THE RADIO played in front of a live audience at Apogee studios.

CYMBALS EAT GUITARS stopped by WFUV's Studio A for a chat and mini-set.

SUZANNE VEGA perform in the WNYC Soundcheck studio.

THE BARR BROTHERS stopped by The Current for a chat and mini-set.

THE DECEMBERISTS share a lyric video for "The Wrong Year."

DARLENE LOVE sings decades of “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)" for Letterman.

THE ROCK & ROLL HALL OF FAME announced the class of 2015.

SUN KIL MOON: Mark Kozelek looks back on his weirdest year in the public eye to date.

EX HEX  opines on some Bests of 2014 at Magnet.

FOLK ALLEY's Top 10 Folk And Americana Albums Of 2014.

BILL COSBY: The L.A. County District Attorney has rejected a case involving a woman who claims that when she was 15 the comic sexually molested her at the Playboy Mansion in 1974. But a new claim has surfaced from a woman who said she was drugged at the Playboy Mansion in 2008 and woke to find the comedian licking and kissing her toes.

SETH ROGEN & JAMES FRANCO have canceled all upcoming media appearances after the Sony hackers have threatened a 9/11-like attack on movie theaters that screen their North Korean comedy The Interview.

BRAD PITT and the kids filled in for the chickenpoxed Angelina Jolie at the premiere of her latest film, Unbroken.

MEL B: The fmr Spice Girl has walked out on her husband of seven years, Stephen Belafonte, amid fervent Internet rumors of domestic abuse, the Sun Newspaper reports.

JONATHAN RHYS MEYERS and his girlfriend, Mara Lane, are engaged.

TIM BURTON & WINONA RYDER are up for Beetlejuice 2.

THE UNITED KINGDOM: smail Abdulrahman, Muktar Said Ibrahim, Yassin Omar, and Ramzi Mohammed, who were sentenced to life in prison for an al Qaeda plot to attack London transport on July 21, 2005, two weeks after the deadly July 7 subway bombings, lost their appeals to the European Court of Human Rights.

SYRIA: The Al Nusrah Front, Ahrar al Sham, and elements of the Free Syrian Army have taken two key regime bases in Idlib province.

IRAQ: Washington believed Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi would get serious about recruiting Sunni tribes to fight the Islamic State. Now it's not so sure.

ONE TURTLE saves another.

A DEEP SEA SNAIL was named after Joe Strummer.

OWLS have acupuncture to help them recover.

PET TATTOOS and PIERCINGS have been outlawed in NYC.

2244 Reads

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