Topic: Karl

THE LOOONG PATE REUNION WEEKEND STARTS HERE:

...with LIVE AID!  We're coming up on the 40th anniversary of the trans-Atlantic rock event aimed at aiding starving people in Ethiopia (Its prime movers, like Bob Geldof & Bono, would later discover, actually getting the aid past the Marxist dictatorship would be the difficult part). Most of the day's music has found its way online, including the set from Queen that was memorialized in Boheman Rhapsody, a decidiely career-boosting appearance by U2, a look at the pre-lip-syncing Madonna, a peak-80s Bowie set and -- as my pal Nathan reminded me  -- a raft of appearances from the Style Council to the Four Tops to Paul Young to Judas Priest to the Cars to the Beach Boys to the Pretenders to The Who to Simple Minds to Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers and so many more.  Revisiting these videos, I was particularly taken by a solo Elvis Costello (who pobably could not afford a touring band at this point in his career) making The Beatles' "All You Need Is Love" much more than what's on the page with help from a stadium crowd, and the improbable greatness of Kiki Dee in Mom wear, joining Elton John for "Don't Go Breaking My Heart." 

BONUS:Live Aid ruined music forever? LOL.

NEKO CASE shares “Wreck.” 

HOT CHIP shares "Devotion." 

GEESE shares "Taxes." 

FEVER RAY shares a new version of“ Now’s The Only Time I Know.” 

MARISSA NADLER shares "Hatchet Man." 

WEAKENED FRIENDS shares “Tough Luck (Bleed Me Out).” 

SUPERMAN: The reviews seem pretty good. Overall Tomatometer at 87 percent.  It's tracking for a 130MM debut.

DUNE: PART 3 won't be called Dune Messiah or be flmed solely in IMAX. 

THE FANTASTIC FOUR: FIRST STEPS has a new Silver Surfer clip online. 

2025 BOX OFFICE TAKEAWAYS, courtesy of Variety. 

JENNIFER ANISTON and a hypnotist. 

MICHAEL MADSEN's cause of death. 

PETER JACKSON, who remade King Kong, wants to bring back the moa, native flightless birds that went extinct around 600 years ago.

ANNE HATHAWAY's next movie gonna be weird.

SINNERS: The cast's women talk about women. 

A HERO CHIHUAHUA helped save its owner’s life after the man fell into a Swiss glacier. 

A PUPPER plays ball with dolphins. 

A KANGAROO attacks a paraglider. 

A TORTOISE defends its turf. 

TWOFER TUESDAY:  "The Dawn Of Correction" by The Spokesmen is an "answer song" to Barry McGuire's immortal "Eve Of Destruction."

GANG OF FOUR's final show.

DURAN DURAN joined SABRINA CARPENTER for "Hungry Like The Wolf" at Hyde Park. 

THE HIVES share "Legalize Living." 

MALLRAT covers Lana Del Rey’s “Radio.” 

IDLEWILD returns with "Stay Out of Place." 

PEARL JAM drummer Mike Cameron leaves after 27 years. 

BLUR's Damon Albarn foresaw the Oasis reunion, but he's not going. 

THE NUMBER ONES looks at The Weeknd's sleek, cinematic "Heartless." 

SUPERMAN: GQ's profile of David Coreswet also has James Gunn trying to lower expectations. 

JAMES GUNN & ZACK SNYDER argued about Superman during an episode of Rick and Morty.

MICHAEL MADSEN was making enormous strides in his recovery from alcoholism ... right up until just before his tragic death. 

CHARLIZE THERON & UMA THURMAN talk female-led action movies.

THE THOMAS CROWN AFFAIR:  Kenneth Branagh and Lily Gladstone join Michael B. Jordan in the reimagining of the two-time classic. 

MICHAEL DOUGLAS is basically done acting. 

JASON ISSACS: The old Lucius Malfoy defends the new Severus Snape. 

HOT WHEELS gains a high-profile director. 

THE TOP HORROR MOVIES of 2025 (So Far), according to Variety. 

THE FOURTH DOG is a broadjumper. 

THE GOAT gets an assist from the mule. 

A PUPPER scares itself in the pond. 

DIAMOND KNIGHTS: "Destination Diamonds".  For the 70s vibe in the heat of July.

OASIS: Reunited in Cardiff after 16 years.

BLACK SABBATH plays their final show. 

FOO FIGHTERS shares "Today's Song." 

TYLER CHILDERS shares "Oneida." 

MINA TINDLE shares "Heaven Thunder." 

OASIS shares an unplugged "Acquiesce." 

PREFAB SPROUT: Steve McQueen at 40. (Or do you know it as Two Wheels Good?) 

DROPKICK MURPHYS' Ken Casey on the new album, singing with the late Shane MacGowan, The Departed, and more.

RINGO STARR had many notes for Beatles biopic maestro Sam Mendes. 

WEEKEND BOX OFFICE: Jurassic World Rebirth tops the chart with 147.3MM, which is a little better than expected and right in line with the opening weekends for the prior two installments of the franchise.  F1 places with 26MM on a 54 percent drop.  How to Train Your Dragon shows with11MM on a 44 percent drop.

MICHAEL MADSEN, the rough-and-tumble actor best known for his work in the Quentin Tarantino films Reservoir Dogs, Kill Bill: Vol. 1 & 2, The Hateful Eight and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, died Thursday morning. He was 67. 

SPINAL TAP 2: A clip ran in front of the original's rerelease this past weekend. 

JULIAN McMAHON, the Australian actor known for his roles in Nip/Tuck and two Fantastic Four movies from 2005 and 2007, has died after a battle with cancer. He was 56. His co-stars paid tribute.

BACK TO THE FUTURE TRUNS 40: "The film wouldn't even be made today."

BLUMHOUSE struggles with a losing streak at the cinema. 

ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO'S NEST is getting a Netflix spin-off. 

MARK SNOW, the Emmy-nominated composer behind the beloved X-Files theme song, has died. He was 78.  

KENNETH COLLEY, the British actor who appeared in seven features for director Ken Russell and portrayed the Darth Vader underling Admiral Piett in the Star Wars films The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, has died. He was 87. 

A CAMEL's first visit to the beach. 

WHAT IS THAT? It's a Takin. 

A BALD EAGLE struggles to make off with a possum. 

THE FOURTH of JULY WEEKEND STARTS HERE:

...with THE BEACH BOYS!  It's time to "Do It Again."  Because folks my age will always remember their mammoth July 4th concerts at the Washington Monument -- as with this 1980 take o­n "Good Vibrations."  Their "Lost Concert" from 1964 includes "Fun, Fun, Fun," "Long, Tall Texan," "Little Deuce Coupe," "Surfer Girl," "Surfin' USA," "Shut Down," "In My Room," "Papa Ooh Mow Mow," and "Hawaii." Their take on "Dance, Dance, Dance" from Shindig! later that year is like a slice of Christmas in July.  There's also a nifty twofer of "I Get Around" and "'When I Grow Up (To Be A Man)" from their first UK TV appearance o­n Ready Steady Go!  The Andy Williams Show serves up "Help Me, Rhonda," while The Jack Benny Hour produced these quick takes o­n "Barbara Ann" and "California Girls."  There's a primitive video for "Wouldn't It Be Nice" that starts with a cameo from Brian Wilson's dogs (Banana and Louie), who appear at the end of the Pet Sounds LP.  And I'll finish with a live version of "God Only Knows" from the 1967 European tour -- one of the last Brian would do for a decade or so.  BONUS: Part 1 and Part 2 of the epic Political Beats podcasts covering the entirety of the Beach Boys' catalog.

RAY CHARLES performs "America The Beautiful" like no one else.

INDEPENDENCE DAY: Bruce Springsteen, circa 1978, before it came out on The River.

AMERICAN MUSIC: The Violent Femmes, circa 1992.

DAVE ALVIN: Hey, baby, it's the "4th of July."

JAMES LILEKS: Truth.

JOHN ADAMS, on helping with the Declaration of Independence.  And being told to sit down.

AMERICA'S MOST PATRIOTIC (and Un-Patriotic) Musical Offerings?

THE STAR-SPANGLED BANNER: As performed by Jimi Hendrix, Whitney Houston, Smokey Robinson, members of the Grateful Dead, and Umphrey’s McGee.

FRANK BLACK performs Teenager of the Year at First Avenue. 

ALL SONGS CONSIDERED: 2025's best songs (so far). 

BILL'S INDIE BASEMENT: The Best of June 2025. 

MEN WITHOUT HATS shares "I Love the 80s." 

OF MONSTERS AND MEN shares “Television Love.” 

INTERPOL's Paul Banks covers Iggy Pop's solo song “Sister Midnight” and the Stooges classic “Gimme Danger.” 

JOE PERRY threatens an Aerosmith reunion. 

CHRISSIE HYNDE took to social media to mourn composer Lalo Schifrin, and to rant about modern day composers. 

SPINAL TAP 2 director Rob Reiner on how they got here. 

THE RUNNING MAN remake has a trailer online. 

JURASSIC WORLD: REBIRTH is aiming for a 100-125MM holiday weekend debut, which would be the smallest for the rebooted franchise. 

CHRISTOPHER NOLAN's Odyssey trailer is in theaters. 

DIDDY TRIAL: The jury has reached a verdict on 4 of 5 counts. 

THE BEST TV of 2025 (So Far), according to Variety. 

WHAT'S IN THE BOX? Neil Patrick Harris, hosting a game show.

JIMMY SWAGGART, the televangelist whose multimillion-dollar ministry and huge audience dwindled following his prostitution scandals, has died. He was 90. 

A HEN hatched a peacock egg. 

A HORSESHOE CRAB is rescued, sort of. 

A BABY ELEPHANT catches up to the herd. 

QUESTION MARK & THE MYSTERIANS: "96 Tears" and "Girl (You Captivate Me)" for Twofer Tuesday. 

LUCY DACUS play The Current. 

GRANT-LEE PHILLIPS shares "She Knows Me." 

BLEACHERS debuts "Blood Brothers" in Asbury Park, NJ. 

DELICATE STEVE shares "We'll Be Friends." 

FOO FIGHTERS covers Minor Threat’s hardcore classic “I Don’t Wanna Hear It.”  

GULP shares "Hope Shines Through the Haar." 

PAUL McCARTNEY's three favorite albums. 

THE NUMBER ONES looks at Post Malone's chillwave-adjacent radio behemoth "Circles." 

F1: They're already thinking about a sequel. 

PROJECT HAIL MARY: Ryan Gosling. Phil Lord & Christopher Miller. Andy Weir. The trailer.

DIDDY TRIAL: The jury has begun deliberating.

PIXAR' ELIO: Behind the scenes of a catastrophe. 

FAST & FURIOUS 11... with the late Paul Walker? 

THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA sequel is shooting. 

SPIDER-MAN: NO WAY HOME was altered based on a Reddit user. 

ROB McILHENNEY is changing his name. 

CATS & DOGS, living together... 

A DOG teaches A PIG to use the doggy door. 

A GUIDE DOG reunites with his trainer.