Showing posts with label Freddie Mercury. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Freddie Mercury. Show all posts

Tuesday, July 2, 2019

You Ain't Nothin' But A Hound Dog

Contenders to the Throne
l-r
Austin Butler, Ansel Egort, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Harry Styles & Miles Teller
With the success of Freddie Mercury biopic Bohemian Rhapsody and Rocketman the Elton John one. Well biopics based on music legends are all the rage now. "Yes" as per usual Hollywood sees something that works and is going to ride the wave until it crashes.

Next up is one based on the life of Elvis Presley directed by Baz Luhrmann of Moulin Rouge fame. Apparently Tom Hanks is set to play Elvis' controlling manager Colonel Tom Parker. Yawn...I confess I have not seen the two mentioned above, nor do I have the inclination. This is one I especially will not see being Elvis' story as it has been done countless times already, unlike the other two.

What's that? Why won't I see the other two? Because Bohemian Rhapsody is badly reviewed and is  PG-13 film about an iconic musician who was gay and that happened to be a HUGE part of who he was. But wait, Rocketman tackles John's gayness quite openly with sexual scenes between two men you say. "Yes" and Elton John is still alive so why bother seeing it IMHO.

This being stated picture above are the five hopefuls who hope to portray Elvis who have tested for Baz. Personally I like my actors to resemble who they are playing which Rami Malek as Freddie Mercury and Taron Egerton as Elton John do. Thus I say if you must do this film Austin Butler for the win.

Elvis on Biography.com -
https://www.biography.com/musician/elvis-presley

Wednesday, September 5, 2018

Hump Day & Chill

He Is The Champion
Freddie Mercury
"Farrokh Bulsara, known professionally as Freddie Mercury, was a British singer, songwriter and record producer, best known as the lead vocalist of the rock band Queen. He was known for his flamboyant stage persona and four-octave vocal range." 

Happy Birthday to Rock Pioneer Freddie Mercury who would have been 72 today. Honestly I don't get the impression Freddie would have wanted to have lived that long. He was born to be a legend and I think he knew it.

Freddie is, and always will be a Rock-N-Roll as well as a Gay icon. Nobody, and I mean no one other male singer (with the exception of Adam Lambert) has come close to matching his vocal prowess.

Mr. Mercury is also the subject of an Oscar bait film opening November 2 bearing the title of one of Queen's classic songs Bohemian Rhapsody

Starring a perfectly cast Rami Malek of Mr. Robot fame as the rocker. 

Here's an overview of what the bio pic will cover:

All Hail The Queen
Freddie Mercury
"Bohemian Rhapsody is a foot-stomping celebration of Queen, their music and their extraordinary lead singer Freddie Mercury. Freddie defied stereotypes and shattered convention to become one of the most beloved entertainers on the planet. The film traces the meteoric rise of the band through their iconic songs and revolutionary sound. They reach unparalleled success, but in an unexpected turn Freddie, surrounded by darker influences, shuns Queen in pursuit of his solo career. Having suffered greatly without the collaboration of Queen, Freddie manages to reunite with his bandmates just in time for Live Aid. While bravely facing a recent AIDS diagnosis, Freddie leads the band in one of the greatest performances in the history of rock music. Queen cements a legacy that continues to inspire outsiders, dreamers and music lovers to this day."

 It's time to Hump Day & Chill with Freddie, he will, he will rock you!

Freddie on Wikipedia:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freddie_Mercury 

Thursday, December 15, 2016

Michael's Musings

I'm Horny!!!
Michael Shinafelt
"The devil inside, the devil inside, Every single one of us the devil inside
The devil inside, the devil inside, Every single one of us the devil inside" - INXS

Yes this pretty much sums up how I am feeling today. I suspect a lot of you are in that zone too. Fasten your bondage strap, it's going to be a Hell of a ride!


La La Kent is leaving Vanderpump Rules. Considering she was the only thing interesting on the show I may stop watching. No offense Lisa Vanderpump.

I need to start doing my Christmas cards pronto. It's not that I don't care about family, friends etc., the Holiday season really holds no interest for me.

Kanye West met with Donald Trump. That says it all.

Things you should do this Holiday season, WTF you should do them all the time. Smile at  everyone you see, the response is always amazing.

My friend Jackie Kilmer has had the stomach flu, she says it makes her feel like Linda Blair in the Exorcist. Blech!

"Pat The Puss" - Thank you Erika Jayne for one of my go to phrases that makes me, and several people I know happy throughout the day.

Almighty Isis! I need a housekeeper!

Dear Hollywood Chamber of Commerce - the Walk of Fame is a major tourist attraction, can't you keep that shit clean?! Refer to my image below you bastards. Freddie Mercury is tossing off in his grave. PS - good for him!!!


Dirty Star, Clean Foot

As seen on Shark Tank, I bought a Scrub Daddy sponge that I spied at Ralph's the other day. It's the most awesome sponge ever! You know you are old when a great deal on a kitchen use sponge excites you!

This weekend is my Birthday, the 18th, worship me.

Leah Remini's show on Scientology is a must see! Go Leah!!!

You know your mission this weekend, it's my Birthday, give it to me!

Follow me here:
https://twitter.com/MShinafelt
https://www.instagram.com/michaelshinafelt/   

Friday, April 10, 2015

Caleb Johnson: No Gravity Required

Caleb Johnson: Testify!
Photo: Brian Bowen Smith
Season 13 "American Idol" winner Caleb Johnson is busy! He has his upcoming first ever headlining tour, the freshman video from his album "Testify" for the single "Fighting Gravity" and he has teamed up with Do Something for it's Patient Playbooks Campaign.

Tell us about it, Caleb...

MS: I really enjoy your song and the video for "Fighting Gravity."

CJ: Thank you. I really appreciate that.

MS: It's really great that you tied it to bring awareness to children with pediatric cancer, after having met a child with it.

CJ: Well, Thank You. That was a pivotal moment in my life that I will never forget. It's something that impacted me enough to where I wanted to tell that story and show people what I saw. Most artists, musicians, writers, whatever, pull from their personal experiences. That was something that really touched something in me, where I felt I really wanted to tell this story, and to do it in a really beautiful eloquent way. It's a really grim story, he was a healthy young thirteen year old kid a year ago,  then he got diagnosed and then he was gone. Just like that, it was that quick. This stuff happens and a lot of people never take the time to think about it because it doesn't affect them. It makes you sit and think about your life, because you never know what's going to happen when it's going  happen. Walking into that room and seeing the Mother's face when it happened she had that: "I'm here, but I'm not here" look on her face, it's so bad she had just probably numbed herself to the point of trying to cope with it.

There's some really haunting experiences that happened that made me really want to tell that story. I really wanted to tell the story well, musically and visually, it's really cool to see it come to life like that.
                                                                 Fighting Gravity
                                             
MS: Yes, it's really well done all the way around. Since you gravitate towards rock I noticed a lyric in the song: "dark side of the moon" was that a Pink Floyd reference?

CJ: Somebody else asked that too. Yeah, it was. (laughs) What's cool is this was the first song I wrote for my album "Testify." The song and the video took on a life of it's own, but the original concept was that it was a tragic love story. They broke up, and one of the lovers love the other so much that they tried to fight to keep the relationship. Unfortunately you can't fight the inevitable, and that was the whole metaphor of "Fighting Gravity," you can't stop gravity and you can't stop the break up of the relationship. It's that tragic love story where two people have been in a relationship so long, they kind of fall out of it, they try to get it back together and it just never works. We wanted to use the metaphors of gravity, atmosphere and that's how we came up with Pink Floyd "dark side of the moon." (laughs)

MS: Talk some about your involvement with Do Something and their Patient Playbooks campaign.

CJ: My manager called me and asked me about doing the Playbooks, and I told her: "absolutely!" In the book you make up your own little game scenarios, you color pictures. I drew a dragon breathing fire, it's a really cool, easy and creative way to make a huge difference in somebody's life. The fact that it will be given to somebody and hopefully make their day is such a huge honor.

MS: So, how did it actually feel to win "American Idol?"

CJ: Very humbling. It was a huge honor to win the whole thing, very surreal. After I had won I had to do a bunch of stuff and it didn't really settle in until the next day.

MS: It looks like a whirlwind.

CJ: You know, in a way the fun doesn't stop. I immediately went to work on the record, went on tour, did a bunch of press. All kinds of fun stuff! I've just had a blast! Now with the video & single I am headlining my first tour this May.

MS: How do you feel about your first headliner?

CJ: It's my first headliner, "yes!" So it's pretty nerve wracking, but it's going to be a lot of fun! I love to perform and I'm going to be hitting the road in May. Tickets went on sale last week. It's going to be awesome!

MS: "Devil's Daughter" is another song that caught my ear off of "Testify."

CJ: I wrote that song with some completely amazing writers, Blair Daly & Steve Diamond. I think we wrote it in 45 minutes. It's a very straightforward rock song.

MS: For me it was reminiscent of Bon Jovi.

CJ: I really love classic rock.

MS: Me too.

CJ: There's a great organ solo, we really wanted to make a fun groovy, bluesy, rock-n-roll tune. The song is about a woman who's so bad she's good, you know what I'm saying? You can't resist her wicked touch, it's very, very throwback 1970's rock-n-roll. That song was a lot of fun, because that is my wheelhouse, that kind of stuff. I love the harder, groovier, rock-n-roll stuff.

MS: Something about your voice is reminiscent of Joe Cocker to me.

CJ: I grew up listening to Joe Cocker, Chris Cornell, Freddie Mercury and Steve Perry. I was just really raised on a lot of that stuff. Those are the artist that shaped my voice.

MS: Who would you like to do a duet with?

CJ: Chris Cornell or Lady Gaga.

"Testify" with Caleb at:

Monday, January 9, 2012

Sylvia Tosun "World Keeps Turning"



Sylvia Tosun is a singer-songwriter to be reckoned with. The operatically trained vocal powerhouse has a big hit on her hands with the thoughtful and extremely danceable, “World Keeps Turning”.

She also owns Sea to Sun Recordings, her own record label that puts out all of her music as well as Traci Lord's current dance smash, “Last Drag”. Sylvia appears in the song's video and gets to make out with Traci.

A smash hit single, her own record label and in a music video making out with an icon….fluff up your pillow and dream, here comes Sylvia Tosun!


MS: Hey Sylvia, since 2011 was such a lame year, let’s kick off the beginning of 2012 with some fun!

ST: 2011 sucked, completely! S-U-X apostrophe D!

MS: Then let’s rock 2012!

ST: You’re on!

MS: Since the 411 is you were an opera singer, what is your favorite opera to perform?

ST: La Boheme.

MS: Which male rock star would you be if you could?

ST: Freddie Mercury!

MS: Awesome, I picked David Bowie.

ST: Oh, I’d take him too, anytime baby! (laughs)

MS: What else would you like to own besides a record company?

ST: A mansion and a yacht.

MS: Oh, good one! Name your favorite place to write music.

ST: In my head.
MS: That makes sense, I thought maybe you had a little tranquil room or place you might go to.

ST: It’s always tranquil in my head with enough wine! (laughs)

MS: Funny, I drink wine when I write too!

ST: Totally, with a bottle of wine I can sit in a corner anywhere and write.

MS: Do you sing in the shower?

ST: Never! Once in a while if I am in a hurry I will vocalize in the shower, but I never sing in it.

MS: Since you lock lips in the video for “Last Drag” with her, what kind of a kisser is Traci Lords?

ST: Oh My God, she’s great! She’s amazing, she’s gorgeous, articulate and extremely intelligent. Also she is a lot of fun!

MS: Thanks Sylvia, you rule!

Keep the fun flowing in 2012 and check in with Sylvia at:

http://www.seatosun.com/

http://www.facebook.com/#!/SylviaTosun