TBT: Rock Isn't Dead & Neither Is Lynyrd Skynyrd

We Ride Unicorns
Lynyrd Skynyrd
Photo: Clay Patrick McBride

Okay, do I seriously need to provide an explanation as to why Lynyrd Skynyrd is the subject of a Throwback Thursday piece? I thought not, keep calm and throwback like good little buckaroos!

On July 17, the evening prior to the official kick-off of the Republican National Convention, Cleveland - The Rock and Roll Capital of the World - will see a party unlike any they have ever seen as Rock and Roll Hall of Fame icons Lynyrd Skynyrd will provide entertainment for the “Welcome To Ohio Late Night” party held at The Auto Lot, a pop-up venue in downtown Cleveland and hosted by Ohio Speaker of the House Cliff Rosenberger.

Local Ohio foods will be on hand, as well as local beer presented by the Ohio Craft Brewers Association in partnership with Thirsty Dog Brewing Company. The event is produced by Blue Star Productions, LLC in conjunction with the Green Beret Foundation, The Folded Flag Foundation, The Guardians of Heroes Foundation, OH Fallen Heroes, and SRT-K9 Unit, with those military charities receiving proceeds from the event.

Originally formed as My Backyard in 1964 by Ronnie Van Zant, Bob Burns, Allen Collins, Gary Rossington, and Larry Junstrom, the band changed its’ moniker to the iconic name in the early 1970s, and became a fan favorite in the Jacksonville, FL area. They inked a deal with Sounds of the South Records in 1972, and released their self-titled disc the following year. Selling over two million units since its’ release, the album featured “Free Bird,” which became one of the most important singles of the Southern Rock era. Future hits included “Sweet Home Alabama” and “What’s Your Name.”

The band’s story took a tragic turn in October 1977 when a plane crash took the lives of Van Zant, Steve Gaines, backup singer Cassie Gaines, and several of their road crew. The band took a decade-long hiatus before reuniting for a tour and live album, Southern by the Grace of God. Since then, the band has toured and recorded extensively, with their most recent release being Last Of A Dyin’ Breed. The band’s current line-up includes original member Rossington, Johnny Van Zant, Rickey Medlocke, Mark “Sparky” Matejka, Michael Cartellone, Johnny Colt, Peter Keys, Dale Krantz Rossington and Carol Chase. The band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2006.

For more information, go to www.ClevelandRocks2016.com 

"The View" According To Margaret Cho

Margaret Cho Is Here To Help
Photo: Dusti Cunningham

Yes, tomorrow if you watch the talk fest The View you will get some Margaret Cho realness mixed in with...like who the heck is even hosting that show anymore?! There has been such a revolving door and so many people filling in for other people who need people, whatever!

All you need to know about tomorrow's broadcast is Margaret will be on addressing the topics du jour.

One thing I am positive will come up will be Ms. Cho's sophomore musical effort American Myth. Can I get an amen and a high five to this?!

So if you are a fan of The View, Thursday is going to have a little extra something, something. If you are a Cho fan, well this is the only day you are mandated to tune in, Tivo and or DVR this show.

Margaret is here for you and your almost Friday rut, yes, really.

Also, be sure to start your week off with Margaret and the Fashion Police squad when they pass judgment  on the outfits from the Billboard Music Awards this coming Monday May 23rd.

When it comes to helping you out with the weekly grind, Margaret has got you covered.

Pencil Margaret in for your week at: 
http://margaretcho.com/    

Nyle & Peta For The Mirror Ball

Nyle, Never Fear Peta Is Here!

Although I do not watch Dancing With The Stars with rapt attention, I do follow it enough to be aware of what is happening on the celebrity dance off.

Well no real surprise America's Next Top Model winner Nyle DiMarco and his dance partner Peta Murgatroyd have made it to the finals and are competing against some other people that really don't stand a chance against them.

Yes, Nyle and Peta will win the Mirror Ball Trophy and deserve to. Some may think Nyle being deaf is getting him sympathy votes. While I agree his being deaf is part of the reason he will win, it is also part of the reason he should win.

Not only does Nyle not dance like someone who does not have the ability to hear, he dances like a pro. He has also performed dances that remind us of his disability as well, even brought us into his world with a dance to no music. Last night he danced blindfolded.

DiMarco is a superstar on the dance floor who could have been content to turn in functional performances and still have gotten this far. Instead he gives us excellence like no other while all the time reminding the audience where that desire to push and exceed boundaries comes from without any cloying sentimentality.

These two will, and deserve to win! To the other contestants in the finale? Enjoy the ride.

Go "Dancing" at:
https://www.facebook.com/dancingwiththestars/

Money Monster: Cannes, Cannes, Cannes

l-r Amal, George, Julia & Jodie
in Cannes

In case you have been distracted by other things the 2016 Cannes Film Festival has been happening and a movie with the title Money Monster played it and opened this past Friday.

No,I have yet to see it. Yes, it is on my list of films to do. Hey it stars George Clooney & Julia Roberts with Jodie Foster at the helm. Yeah, that puts it in "must see" territory for me.

So, I said to myself: Let's kick off the post Friday the 13th weekend with a really hot image of the trio and Clooney's catch of a wife Amal to start Monday the 16th off on a too cool note.

According to my favorite film buff Erik Rimmer: 

"Money Monster was a great film. I loved it. Tight direction and very suspenseful . Julia Roberts and George Clooney were fantastic." 

Bask, it's Monday. Enjoy your week!!!

Money Monster on IMDB: 
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2241351/?ref_=nv_sr_1

A Holiday Double Shot Of Dolly Parton

Dolly Parton
The Gift That Keeps On Giving

Didn't get enough of Dolly Parton last Christmas?

Well she is famous for things that come in pairs...

Coming off the phenomenal performance of last year’s holiday special and looking to recapture the enthusiasm of the nearly 16 million viewers who tuned in, NBC is announcing the sequel “Dolly Parton’s Christmas of Many Colors: Circle of Love.”

“Dolly Parton’s Christmas of Many Colors: Circle of Love” is the next chapter in the life of young Dolly Parton. The film delivers Christmas joy and peril as an unexpected blizzard threatens the Parton family, while at the same time Dolly’s father (and his kids) make sacrifices to raise enough money to finally buy his loving wife the wedding ring he could never afford to give her. Meanwhile, an important person in little Dolly’s life begins to see that her amazing voice and musical gift might just be made for something bigger than rural Tennessee.

The original cast will return for the sequel: Jennifer Nettles as Avie Lee Parton, Ricky Schroder as Robert Lee Parton, Gerald McRaney as Rev. Jake Owens and Alyvia Alyn Lind as young Dolly Parton. Other members of the cast, as well as a premiere date, will be announced in the coming months.

Stephen Herek, who directed the original film, is also back to direct the sequel.

“It’s no secret that everyone loves Dolly Parton and the response to our first movie was overwhelming, both in terms of the size of the audience and outpouring of love for a film with family values and faith,” said Robert Greenblatt, Chairman, NBC Entertainment. “So it felt like a no-brainer to bring this talented cast back together and tell another compelling holiday story culled from Dolly’s own life growing up in the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee. Her spirit and belief in God — and her music — will infuse this movie with the true spirit of Dolly Parton.”

“I was so overwhelmed and touched by how many people watched ‘Coat of Many Colors’ and their reaction to it,” Parton said. “The song ‘Coat of Many Colors,’ of course, has always been my favorite and has touched so many people through the years, especially me. It is a true story from a very special time in my childhood. I am so happy to share this story with the viewers and to say there is so much more to tell because mine truly has been a life of many colors. I hope the viewers will fall in love all over again.”

In L+7 results from Nielsen Media Research, the Dec. 10 telecast of “Dolly Parton’s Coat of Many Colors” generated a 2.45 rating in adults 18-49 and 15.9 million viewers overall, making it the most-watched film on broadcast or cable in nearly seven years. The film’s increases from live plus same day to L+7 Nielsens are the largest L+7 time-shifted increase ever for a primetime movie on the broadcast networks.

“Dolly Parton’s Christmas of Many Colors: Circle of Love” is written by Pamela K. Long. She executive produces with Sam Haskell and Dolly Parton. The film is a production of Magnolia Hill Entertainment and Dixie Pixie Productions in association with Warner Bros. Television.

To follow Dolly Parton online, go to:

www.dollypartonentertainment.com
Facebook: Facebook.com/DollyParton
Instagram: Instagram.com/DollyParton
Twitter: Twitter.com/DollyParton
Tumblr: OfficialDollyParton.tumblr.com
Google+: Plus.Google.com/+DollyParton

Go Indie, Or Go Home! "Southlander"

Are you a "Southlander" ?!?! Find out...

Chance (Rory Cochrane, CSI Miami), a hapless LA Musician, has found his ticket to fame, fortune and romance with the coveted keyboard, the 69' Moletron, which got him the gig and the girl (Beth Orton). But now the Moletron is missing, and Chance must reclaim it by working his way through The Southlander, the ultimate buy/sell classified paper for musicians in Southern California. 

Along the way, Chance and his pal Ross Angeles (Ross Harris, Airplane!) stumble upon the unstable defunct Funk star Motherchild (Lawrence Hilton Jacobs III, Welcome Back, Kotter) and his toadie (Richard Edson, Do the Right Thing), Beck's ramshackle recording trailer, a ruthless junkyard cowboy (Hank III) and his mechanical dinosaur (Robosaurus), an eccentric millionaire's Bacchanalian party, a clairvoyant goddess (Laura Prepon, That 70s Show), and intergalactic Jazz Egyptians (Billy Higgins).

With music performances by Beck, Beth Orton, Hank Williams III, Union 13, and Billy Higgins, plus cameos from Laura Prepon, Ione Sky and Elliott Smith, Southlander is a comically uncanny rock & roll party adventure by critically acclaimed director Steven Hanft. 

Hanft has directed over 70 music videos including Beck's "Loser" and "Where It's At" and more recently, projects for Ariel Pink, Carmen Electra, Prince Jazzbo, and Richie Ramone. Southlander, Hanft's second feature film, is based on true stories he heard of friends who used the SoCal paper to buy/sell/trade instruments. He also produced and starred in the Cannes Film Festival award winning short film "Sunglass Catch" rated by Business Insider as the 4th most important YouTube video ever.

Features include Deleted Scenes, Uncut Performances, Director's Commentary, Music Videos, Bonus Audio, Photo Gallery, and Theatrical Trailer.

Pre-order at the MVD Shop or on Amazon

FBF: Welcome To Camp Crystal Lake...

"Kill her, Mommy! Kill her! Don't let her get away, Mommy! Don't let her live!"

- Pamela Voorhees

Since I participated in Throwback Thursday yesterday, because, well it was Thursday, duh, I thought I would take the opportunity to engage in Flashback Friday, ya know, since it's Friday the 13th after all.

Think back to the year 1980 when the original Friday the 13th movie was released at the height of the slasher film craze. At what point was that in your life? Me? I was a Freshman in High School, be nice now. 

I was too young to get in to see it solo and no one would take me. So I had to wait for home video. What I do remember was it upped the ante in terms of graphic killings on screen. 

The story of  doomed counselors at the now legendary Camp Crystal Lake aka Camp Blood had critics recoiling and audiences shrieking!

Everyone in school who had been able to see it was a buzz about it describing the bloody deaths of the camp staff with a perverse glee.

When I finally got around to seeing it, the horror movie that raised the bar had been surpassed by others post it.

The original Friday the 13th is now considered a horror classic because of it's influence on the genre. Something I know at the time was never contemplated of happening.

It remains one of my favorites of a specific place and time in cinema, because, in case you haven't guessed it "Yes"I love a good scare...Boo! Happy Friday the 13th!

Check out the trailer for the original Friday the 13th after the jump!

The Original on IMDB: 
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0080761/