Capital Cities is on the move...! Hot off the heels for their MTV VMA Win, their “Safe and Sound” music video was honored with their first MTV VMA award for “Best Visual Effects,” where they bested out such fellow nominees as Duck Sauce, Flying Lotus, Skrillex (featuring The Doors), as well as The Weeknd. Well, they have gone and have gotten all George Orwell "Animal Farm" on your ass, with their latest from their CD "In A Tidal Wave Of Mystery". That's right, it's time to hop right into the "Kangaroo Court" where you will be judged in a quite Orwellian fashion. Zebra's need not apply - they are prejudged and that's just the way it is. You know the whole horse of a different color thing. Capital Cities has another VMA winner on it's hands, keep on moving guys! Hop into "Kangaroo Court" after the jump!
"They want class. They don't want to fuck a Penny" - Al Torres "Showgirls"
Well apparently Rena Riffel aka "Penny Slot" (wow that's one cheap jackpot) thinks you do. I received this press release in my in-box this ayem with the blaring headline:
"SHOWGIRLS 2: Penny's From Heaven"
on DVD and VOD September 17th
"Showgirls' alum Rena Riffel creates an epic, erotic satire /
homage to the Paul Verhoeven cult camp classic"
Uh, OK...I must say despite every fiber of my being is saying: "Don't do it, don't watch"! Being a huge fan of the original "Showgirls" - "Yes" I have watched it twenty plus times, I feel quite compelled to go for it, no matter the consequences....Yep, I am a glutton for punishment when it comes to things associated with a fond movie memory...Read on and see what you think...
Let the show begin... Again! Original Showgirls star Rena Riffel has taken her screen time in the original cult classic and spun in into an elaborate, erotic spin-off featuring cat fights, murder, new quotable dialogue, and plenty of brown rice and vegetables in the film movies.com says "Goes to a manic superstar level all its own."
Look Mom, No Hands
Joining Riffel are other Showgirls veterans, including Glenn Plummer ("Dexter, "Sons of Anarchy"), Dewey Weber, and Greg Travis (Rob Zombie's Halloween, Watchmen) as well as new recruits to the Showgirls legacy Peter Stickles (Shortbus, The Trouble With Barry), Shelley Michelle, Ford Austin and Paula LaBaredas.
Las Vegas stripper, Penny Slot (Riffel), sets out on an adventure to become the star dancer on a popular television show. With stars in her eyes, she tries to find the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow - but instead finds drama, danger and snuff movies in a town much more wicked than Sin City.
Penny's longtime fiance/boyfriend (Plummer) warns her that she needs formal technique training if she wants to be taken seriously as a real dancer, so Penny Slot sets out to learn ballet - but, she must pay the price to make it to the top.
So Cheap: Penny Slot
There are sacrifices to be made at every imaginable level, and it all comes down to... How bad do you want it?
This special edition DVD release of Showgirls 2: Penny's From Heaven includes a commentary with Rena Riffel, deleted footage, behind the scenes and more.
Special Friday the 13th screening in Las Vegas (9/13/13)
SWEET RELIEF lll: PENNIES FROM HEAVEN TO BENEFIT THE SWEET RELIEF MUSICIANS FUND
FEATURES RECORDINGS BY ARTISTS INCLUDING JACKSON BROWNE, SHE & HIM, BEN HARPER, RON SEXSMITH, k.d. lang, SHELBY LYNNE AND MORE!
AVAILABLE ON SEPTEMBER 3rd
“Musicians are always among the first to give their energy and talent to help other people in times of emergency, though they are very often without health insurance themselves, and need our support when they fall prey to illness and hardship. Sweet Relief has been helping musicians for years, and has helped some whom I am very much indebted to for enriching my life. I am very happy to take part in this CD project, and for the chance to support Sweet Relief's very soulfulwork.” – Jackson Browne
“Getting a chance to do something that benefits Sweet Relief combined with working with my dear friend Sheldon Gomberg is an opportunity I jumped at and something I can't wait to do again.” - Ben Harper
Sweet Relief Ill: Pennies From Heaven - The third compilation album in support of the Sweet Relief Musician Fund - features new recordings by various artists including Ben Harper, Jackson Browne, Shelby Lynne, Victoria Williams, She & Him, Ron Sexsmith, Rickie Lee Jones and Joseph Arthur. The Sweet Relief Musicians Fund provides financial assistance to all types of career musicians who are struggling while facing illness, disability or age-related problems.
Click here for a look at the live in-studio video of Joseph Arthur with special guest Pearl Jam guitarist Jeff Ament performing the song “If I Needed You” from the upcoming release.
Each of the artists on Sweet Relief lll: Pennies from Heaven chose songs with a theme of support and assistance such as “How Did You Find Me Here?” (k.d. lang), “King of the Road” (She & Him), “Crazy Love” (Ben Harper), “Change is Gonna Come” (Victoria Williams) and “Big Spender” (Sam Phillips) plus many more. Click here for a sneak preview of some of the songs. See full track listing below.
At the helm for this third installment, producer Sheldon Gomberg stated, “Making this record for Sweet Relief has been such a great experience. I got to work with all these fantastic artists, while at the same time giving something back to the music community that has been so good to me over the years. A huge thanks goes out to all the artists that participated in the making of this record!”
This latest recording commemorates the 20th anniversary of the first highly successful inaugural release Sweet Relief: A benefit for Victoria Williams - a project inspired by Williams who founded the Sweet Relief Musicians Fund upon being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. That collection and the subsequent Sweet Relief II: Gravity of the Situation – The Songs of Vic Chesnutt included contributions from artists like R.E.M., Pearl Jam, Indigo Girls, Garbage, Smashing Pumpkins, Cracker, Dog’s Eye View, Live, Lou Reed, The Jayhawks, Lucinda Williams, Soul Asylum, and more.
Sweet Relief III: Pennies from Heaven features cover design by acclaimed artist Peter Max. To learn more about the Sweet Relief Musicians Fund visit www.sweetrelief.org
SWEET RELIEF III: PENNIES FROM HEAVEN Track Listing
Ron Sexsmith Pennies From Heaven Shelby Lynne Brother Where Are You Sam Phillips Big Spender k.d. lang How Did You Find Me Here Ben Harper Crazy Love Genevieve Toupin Heart Of Gold Joseph Arthur If I Needed You Rickie Lee Jones Surfer Girl Tina Schlieske With A Little Help From My Friends Victoria Williams Change Is Gonna Come She & Him King Of The Road Eleni Mandell I'll Be Home Jackson Browne Don’t Let Us Get Sick
The other day I received an excited text from my friend Model/Singer/Entertainer Yvette Lopez about a music video she was in with an exciting new artist Pato Margetic called: "Broken Dreams" asking me if I would write it up and help get the word out on "Entertain Me". Well I of course said "Yes" as Yvette has been featured on here before and I have interviewed her about her own music on the site "Chorus and Verse" you can cut to our chat for C&V here: http://www.chorusandverse.com/content.php?id=20120418A Here is a snippet on the making of "Broken Dreams" from Pato himself....
"The story of the video starts off with a flight to Los Angeles, CA. Cosmopolitan Magazine had actually chosen me as Michigan's Bachelor of the year and flew me out to California for a photo shoot in Malibu. (Talk about feeling amazing!) Being a recording artist and musician from Detroit, I wanted to take this opportunity to expose my music. My manager Louis, who hooked up the whole Cosmo situation, got even more creative and productive with the idea to shoot a music video in Malibu scenery as well
I love the idea of course, and the song selection began...I looked through my catalog of finished songs and chose "Broken Dreams" right away for the steamy Malibu beach. The song's simple lyrics and melody speak about dancing, and letting go of all fears and doubts, yet with a hopeful message to continue to pursuing dreams. I immediately contacted my good friend, director Alex Grossfeld who recently moved to LA to see if he would be interested in shooting. Not only was he interested, but he came up with the brilliant idea to film on an 8mm camera!
Yvette Lopez
Now that a team of professionals had agreed on a music video, the only thing missing was a leading lady. Of course we needed someone gorgeous and exotic, yet professional and ready to work. Yvette Lopez, came to my manager Louie's mind, and the team loved the idea. We could only hope that Yvette would agree...She is a well known singer, entertainer, model, and even holds the title of Miss Playboy Latina! She is also an author of a new kid's book series coming soon worldwide!" Pato & Yvette steam it up quite nicely on the shores of Malibu in the video and "Broken Dreams" announces the arrival of a gifted singer/songwriter/musician Pato Margetic in a big way...! Watch the video for "Broken Dreams" here... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=piVVs9sjvmM
"Eat Your Words" is premiering Thursday September 5, 2013 at 8:30 at The Standard in Hollywood....
What is "Eat Your Words"? The press relase puts it best....
"Eat Your Words is an intimate evening of storytelling in the tradition of "The Moth" and "This American Life" hosted by Greg Walloch (The Moth,USA Network’s Characters Unite, The Howard Stern Show). The stories are inspired by a food theme — food politics, the best meal you ever ate, a food memory. Each show will feature a rotating cast of the city’s most outstanding storytellers and comedians with special guest appearances by LA area chefs, bartenders and urban foodies".
Thank you press release, let's hear more about this fun & festive evening out from the host himself, Mr. Greg Walloch!
MS: Hey Greg. so you are doing "Eat Your Words" at The Standard in Hollywood, the first Thursday of every month, what was the inspiration for the show?
Your Host: Greg Walloch
GW: Well, everyone eats and we all have stories to tell, so I thought it would be a good idea to bring the two together. People enjoy talking about food almost as much as they enjoy eating it, so I think it will be a really fun show. It's going to be stories based on food themes, it was a way for me to bring together a community of performers whose work I really enjoy! It's a fun way to create community within the neighborhood. Not only are we going to have storytellers, we are going to give chefs as well as bartenders an opportunity to tell their stories. It will be a really great way for them to interact with the community and to get people to patronize their businesses.
MS: Name five or your favorite foods for me.
GW: Oh My God, there are soooooooo many....Well of course I love cake, all my friends know that, there is a story about cake that I tell. I love really rustic, very simple food, there's just so much, it's hard to narrow it down to my top five.
MS: Most people like more than five, I thought I would try and see if I could get you to commit to that question. (laughs) Name something rustic that you generally eat.
GW: I make a dish that's like a pasta, broccoli, chicken broth & white beans. It's something that I put together that I like to eat.
MS: Everyone has a little chef in them, one time I ran out a a traditional ingredient that I normally use with something, I looked in the refrigerator and saw something else and thought: That will work. When you get to a certain point in life you know how to combine things.
GW: Yes, I think so too. I think storytelling is like cooking, you start with all these raw ingredients, and then you put them together in a story and you've made something new out of them. There is a certain alchemy at work in both processes that share some similarities.
MS: That's really true, I never would have thought about it that way. So Greg you have to tell me about being on Howard Stern, I am a a fan.
GW: I was on Howard Stern several years ago. He was one of the first people to give me a major platform to do my work. He had a thing called: Handicapped Star Search (laughs) that was inspired by a bit that I used to do. So he called me and I was on the show a couple of times, he was great and very supportive!
MS: You can tell he is a really good guy.
GW: It was cool, I had a really great time!
"Eat Your Words" the first Thursday of every month starting September 5th at The Standard in Hollywood.
Admission is free, but reservations are recommended, to RSVP click on the link below:
Resident "Entertain Me" Chanteuse, Sandy Zacky recently spoke out about the ravages of Parkinson's when the news about Linda Ronstadt broke out. Linda was one of Sandy's favorite artists - That being said Sandy also has a lot of first hand experience with Parkinson's, her husband, Ron has it as well. She speaks so eloquently about Linda losing her the gift of her singing voice as well as about her husband Ron losing his speaking voice to his horrible disease that I found it worth re-posting. Our voice, whether it be singing or speaking is the most important thing we have as human beings while we are alive. Either of them is a terrible thing to lose. Here is a re-print of Ms. Zacky's statement:
"Just heard about Linda Ronstadt, one of the finest singers in my estimation,ever. She can sing all genres so well. I just heard her the other day on Sirrius radio singing some songs from The American Songbook. It was beautifully done, I was totally impressed with her interpretation and vocals.
Linda Ronstadt "Blue Bayou"
My husband has suffered from Parkinson's disease for several years now. It is a terrible disease that robs an individual of so much but most of all the essence of who they have always been. My husbands voice has weakened greatly over the years. Just his ability to converse can be difficult for him at times. I can only imagine as a singer how awful it must be to not be able to share the extraordinary gift that she had so long shared with those of us who so enjoyed her music. My best to her and I pray she finds some joy in the love that is sent her way from her devoted fans"
Burlesque Biotch and "Entertain Me" favorite, Clea Cutthroat is everywhere, performing with the Rock/Art Band Bonaparte, Writing her online column "Cocktails With Clea" for appropriately enough Burlesque Bitch Magazine to tantalizing people on stage in her own shows, Clea is: Up In Your Grill!
There is something that perhaps you did not know about Ms. Cutthroat she is also a charitable diva.
Recently she took place in a YouTube campaign to supply diapers to The Sage Hospital in Senegal...let's get an update about all that and more, time to "Put A Diaper On It" Clea!
MS: How did you get involved with the bringing diapers to the Sage Hospital in Senegal?
CC: The SAGE taxi actually just picked me up off the street late one night. I had a fight with a magician, stole his dove....and was trudging along a dark road with my suitcase, body guard and bird cage, when the taxi pulled up. They asked me if I wanted a ride, and then they asked me if I would do something good for there hospital in Senegal. It was a very easy, YES!
It's such a great cause, and if literally 20 minutes of my day can help bring something positive to the children and families there, it is truly an honor. I am so flattered that they asked me.
MS: How did the task go?
CC: GREAT! I don't have the final count yet of the number of diapers that will be donated, but needless to say we got A LOT!
MS: I'm jealous, I want a disco alarm clock! Where did you ever find such a groovy item?
CC: Believe it or not, I actually gifted it to someone, and they gave it back to me. (crazy, I know). One man's trash....is another diva's disco ball extrvaganza!!!!
Clea's Charity Video
MS:Did you stuff your bra with pampers in high school too?
CC: I was actually more a roll-your-skirt-up-to-your-crotch kinda gal Catholic all girls school...I was nothing but class lol!
MS: Since you always ask yourself "What would Madonna do"? If she were aware of your Diapers for Senegal campaign do you think she would buy them for Sage Hospital or her boyfriend first?
CC: Michael...don't make fun of Madge! Her boyfriends are perfect baby angels that have six-packs and brooding eyebrows instead of angel wings. Aaaaaaaaand, I think that Queen M would be the first one showing up with trucks full of diapers...but they would probably have "Truth or Dare" written across the back!
MS: Enough of the "Diaper Talk" what else have you been up to chica?
CC: I have just gotten back from festival season with Bonaparte...we had a crazy ass show at the Kazantip Republic in the Ukraine. I don't even know how to describe that one- Bladerunner meets Showgirls meets Wild Things?! It was amazing!
I'm currently getting ready to launch Black Boulevard! My lingerie label I do together with Fraulein Kink. It will be up and online in about a month. It's been my baby for over a year, so I wasn't launching a damn thing until it is completely perfect ....and it just about is! I am REALLY excited!
I also will be performing at the 1st International Berlin Burlesque Festival in September, and also in Rome for the Caput Mundi International Burlesque Award in November. I caaaan't wait! Gladiators here I come!
Perhaps Platinum....
MS: I'm bummed you are not making the trek from Berlin to Los Angeles next month.
CC: ME TOO!!! Unfortunately, it was just a matter of timing...too many tours going all in opposite directions from Los Angeles. But, I gotta make it back there so soon! I'm California dreaming already! Pass me the suntan lotion and a fish taco immediately!
MS: Yeah, I was looking forward to having margaritas and spitting blood on people with you.
CC: Awww, that would be amazing!!!!! Well, I got a pint of fake artery blood with your name on it! I also have some neon, glow in the dark, margarita salt..so we can get real fancy!
MS: Awesome! Tell me what your ultimate kitsch dream item to own would be and if it needs batteries.
CC: I'm sorry, but the only thing that I got from that question was "batteries" and all I can think of is a vibrator.
Vibrator. Vibraaator...Viiiiiiiiibrator!
OH! WAIT! I got something! A GIANT light up deco-aquarium! I LOVE THOSE THINGS!!!
