Karen Black was one of my favorite and Best Actresses that ever graced the silver screen. She starred in many high profile films: "Easy Rider", "Airport 75", "Nashville", "Alfred Hitchcock's Family Plot" & one of the best horror movies ever "Trilogy of Terror" - "Yes" I am a horror fan! However my personal favorite film Ms. Black was in was John Schlesinger's ode to Hollywood reality and it's desperate losers. "The Day of the Locust" is anything but a cheerful, light look at Hollywood in the '30s. It recreates both the town as well as the filmmaking world around which much of the town revolved with devastating accuracy. The movie tells the twin tales of talentless wannabe actress Faye Greener (Karen Black) and Homer Simpson (Donald Sutherland), a lovelorn accountant who couldn't care less about movies. Around this framework, a huge and intricate social network is tellingly revealed, until the film'sgruesome and tragic ending. Not for those who prefer to hang onto their illusions about the glory days of Hollywood, "The Day of the Locust", is based on the novel by Nathanael West" Karen Black was great in all of her films, this movie however to me was the best performance of her career, it was that rare moment where every element of a project gels and is total perfection, I have seen "The Day of the Locust" five times and love it every single viewing.
Ms. Black passed away today from pancreatic cancer, so sad she had to die in such an awful manner. R.I.P. Sweet lady, you had an amazing life and career, thanks for the memories.
“SAFE AND SOUND” IS A HIT AT TOP 40, TRIPLE A AND HOT AC AND ENTERS TOP 20 OF BILLBOARD’S HOT 100
“SAFE AND SOUND” VIDEO NOMINATED FOR TWO MTV VMA’S
“KANGAROO COURT,” THE SECOND SINGLE FROM IN A TIDAL WAVE OF MYSTERY, ADDED BY KROQ AND 98/7 IN LOS ANGELES AND SF’S LIVE 105
Capital Cities is co-headlining the feel-good event of the fall concert season: “Bright Futures Tour” with Fitz and The Tantrums. The two high-energy, Los Angeles-based bands will kick off the U.S. run on October 20 at The National in Richmond, VA. Tickets are on sale now for the outing, which will include shows at Roseland Ballroom in New York City (October 23) and Washington, DC’s 9:30 Club (October 30).
Capital Cities have taken the world by storm with the break out hit “Safe and Sound,” which is approaching Platinum status in the U.S., where it’s a multi-format smash at radio. After hitting No. 1 at Modern Rock, it’s now Top 10 at Triple A, Top 15 at Top 40 and Top 15 at Hot AC. Featured on the band’s debut album, In A Tidal Wave Of Mystery, it’s in the Top 20 of the Billboard Hot 100, has over four million streams on Spotify and is the #4 most Shazam-ed track in America. “Safe and Sound” has been heard on “American Idol,” “TODAY,” “90210” and in more than a half dozen promotional campaigns, including spots for Nike, HBO and Smart Car. The track has already gone Platinum in Germany and Gold in Canada.
The official "Safe and Sound" video– directed by Grady Hall (Beck, Modest Mouse) – recently picked up two MTV Video Music Award nominations: Best Visual Effects and Best Art Direction. The clip, which has racked up over eight million views, is a mash-up of the past 100 years of dance, presided over by front men Ryan Merchant and Sebu Simonian at the historic Los Angeles Theatre. It was choreographed by Mandy Moore(“So You Think You Can Dance,” Silver Linings Playbook).
Capital Cities – founded by Merchant and Simonian, two L.A.-based jingle writers who met on Craigslist – recently performed “Safe and Sound” on the outdoor stage of “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” You can view their appearance. The band also recently performed at the Grove Summer Concert Series where over 7,500 people were in attendance.
Modern rock stations such asKROQ and 98/7 in Los Angeles and Live105 in San Francisco have already jumped on the band’s follow up single, “Kangaroo Court,” which Billboard hailed asa “summer jam if we’ve ever heard one.”The band – which USA Today praised for its “playful fusion of pop, rock and EDM” in a recent “On the Verge” feature – continues its world tour, with dates in Japan, Korea, Europe and North America.
Capital Cities – Upcoming Tour Dates
8/10 Osaka, Japan Summersonic
8/11 Osaka, Japan Summersonic
8/14 Seoul, South Korea Supersonic
8/17 Sterling Heights, MI MoPop Music Festival – Freedom Hill Amphitheatre
8/23 Eugene, OR Kaleidoscope Music Festival
8/24 Salt Lake City, UT The Gallivan Center – X96 Big Ass Show
8/25 Monterey, CA First City Festival – Monterey County Fairgrounds
8/30 Chicago, IL North Coast Music Festival
8/31 Calgary, AB X-fest – Fort Calgary
9/3 Luxembourg Den Atelier
9/4 Amsterdam Melkweg Oude Zaal
9/5 Hamburg Docks
9/6-7 Berlin Berlin Festival 2013
9/9 Frankfurt Gibson
9/10 Munich Muffathalle
9/11 Milan Magazzini Generali
9/13 Lisbon Santiago Alquimista
9/14 Madrid DCode Fest 2013
9/16 Paris Nouveau Casino
9/17 Cologne E-Werk
9/18 Antwerp TRIX Centrum voor Muziek
9/19 London XOYO
9/20-21 Atlanta, GA Music Midtown 2013
9/21-22 Denver, CO Riot Fest 2013
10/12-13 Mexico City Festival Corona Capital 2013
10/20 Richmond, VA The National *
10/23 New York, NY Roseland Ballroom *
10/24 Boston, MA House of Blues *
10/25 Wallingford, CT The Dome at Oakdale Theater *
I sat naked next to Iggy in the Steam Room at the gym I used to go to in Los Angeles once and had a conversation with him, he is as cool as his music...!
C2SV TECHNOLOGY CONFERENCE + MUSIC FESTIVAL
TO CELEBRATE DIGITAL CULTURE EXPLOSION
IN SILICON VALLEY
Iggy and the Stooges to Headline C2SV Festival in Silicon Valley as Tech Fans and Music Lovers Converge on Downtown San Jose Sept. 26-29, 2013
Beakthrough Event to Showcase Emerging Acts, Advanced Ideas and Disruptive Innovation in a Festive Urban Environment
Pivotal Silicon Valley innovators will converge on their home turf with some of the biggest names in music when THE C2SV TECHNOLOGY CONFERENCE + MUSIC FESTIVAL,headlined by protopunk legends Iggy and the Stooges, takes over Downtown San Jose to celebrate the digital culture explosion Thursday, Sept. 26 through Sunday, Sept. 29, 2013.
Early-bird tickets for C2SV (Creative Convergence Silicon Valley), including multi-venue music passes and technology conference passes and wristbands, are on sale NOW at : www.c2sv.com.
The newly re-branded festival expands on the success of last year’s inaugural Silicon Valley Sound Experience to showcase more than 70 emerging and established acts in over a dozen downtown venues as well as St. James Park, site of the Sept. 28 outdoor concert that will be headlined by Iggy and the Stooges. Other acts on board for C2SV include ‘90s alt-rock pioneers The Lemonheads, electro-pop duo The Limousines, Oakland’s The Coup, featuring Boots Riley and DJ Pam the Funkstress, and modern funk pioneer Dam-Funk.
On the tech side, Robert Scoble (Rackspace, Scobleizer), Jeff Stibel(Author of bestseller “Breakpoint”), Nolan Bushnell (inventor of the first videogame and founder of Atari), Chris Anderson (3D Robotics, former editor of Wired), Andre Haddad (CEO, RelayRides), Steve Westly (venture capitalist and former California comptroller), Hugh Williams (Ebay) and Steve Kirsch (Infoseek, OneID) are among the more than 200 speakers who will share new ideas during presentations and panels at the technology conference. Scoble will moderate the keynote session that opens the technology programming which, over the course of three days, will explore a compelling range of topics such as the sharing economy, augmented reality, artificial intelligence, transmedia, mobile applications, social media and societal impacts of rapid technology change.
Many more acts and tech luminaries will be announced soon.
C2SV provides an exciting new platform for sharing ideas, discovering new music and, of course, having a lot of fun in the heart of Silicon Valley, the epicenter of the global digital revolution and a driving force behind the mega-festival industry. Technology and music events across the country have become a place to network, collaborate, launch companies and promote bands. C2SV invitesthe world to experience live music with Silicon Valley technology on its home turf.
“With so much musical and technological talent here, it seemed obvious that there needed to be a local event for performers and technology innovators to network, collaborate and get a little crazy,” said C2SV organizer and longtime Silicon Valley journalist Dan Pulcrano. “Sure there are popular conference/festivals in Toronto, Portland, Austin and elsewhere. But C2SV will have a uniquely Silicon Valley stamp on it, with our legendary sunshine overhead and relaxed urban culture as a backdrop.”
C2SV also is an opportunity for the valley’s hard working technical workforce to experience a festival of music and advanced ideas without having to sleep on someone’s couch in another city. The conference and accompanying expo will inaugurate the new wing of the San Jose McEneryConvention Center, a $120 million expansion that will open in September.
Here is the first round of C2SV acts. More acts will be announced shortly:
"It's my very first DVD, "Under The Ink". In the age of YouTube, many people are like, "You don't even need a DVD." But I think there is still something to having a whole concert presentation" - Eric Himan This is from my interview with Eric about his concert DVD "Under The Ink" for "Chorus and Verse", you can jump and read it here: http://www.chorusandverse.com/content.php?id=20120303A Well Mr. Himan is back with an amazing pop/rock/blues combo single "Red Hot Tears" from his album "Gracefully" - Yep, I used the A-Word, so you know I mean business!
Let me give it up for Eric so you can hear about it from him: "From my amazing backup singers (Tylisha Oliver and Tina Phillips) to my horn section (Ryan Tedder and Dave Johnson), it is not hard to hear "Red Hot Tears" is different from my previous work. I've always loved writing in different genres but this sound feels more like me than any other. The CD, Gracefully, and music video were both shot in my hometown of Tulsa, OK which is a first. Very proud of that." Thanks Eric! Check out the video for the song "Red Hot Tears" below...kick it!
"Entertain Me" favorites Pentatonix to open for the legendary Diana Ross this Saturday at the famed Hollywood Bowl!
DIANA ROSS TO PERFORM
AT THE HOLLYWOOD BOWL IN
A SPECIAL ONE-NIGHT-ONLY EVENT
Opening Acts:
Members of the Ross Family – Evan and Rhonda Ross – and
Vocal Sensations and YouTube Phenom Pentatonix
SATURDAY, AUGUST 3, 2013, AT 8 PM
WHAT: Legendary entertainer Diana Ross comes to the Hollywood Bowl, Saturday, August 3, at 8 pm. The special one-night-only performance will feature selections from her impressive and expansive career, that spans more than four decades!
Opening for Ms. Ross is Rhonda Ross, followed by Pentatonix, the vocal sensation and winner of season 3 of NBC’s “The Sing-Off.” The quintet’s latest YouTube video, “Evolution of Music,” has garnered more than 15 million views, while their YouTube channel has over 1.1 million subscribers and 100 million views. The group is comprised of lead vocalists Scott Hoying, Kirstie Maldonado and Mitch Grassi; vocal bass Avi Kaplan and beatboxer Kevin “K.O.” Olusola. Evan Ross is the last of the opening performers.
Diana Ross has had a profound influence on American popular culture and has become an icon in the entertainment industry. She is an Academy Award-nominated actress for her unforgettable role as Billie Holiday in Lady Sings The Blues, a Tony and Golden Globe winner, a best-selling author, winner of eight American Music Awards and a recipient of the Kennedy Center Honors and the Grammy Lifetime
Pentatonix
Achievement Award. Her reputation as a woman of great style and beauty has put her on the covers of hundreds of magazines. Ms. Ross has sold more than 100 million records and recorded 18 No. 1 hits. Her music became the sound of young America in the ‘60s soon after she signed with Motown Records in 1961 with The Supremes. She embarked on her extraordinary solo career in 1970, and has not stopped since performing to fans around the world.
WHO: DIANA ROSS
EVAN ROSS
PENTATONIX
RHONDA ROSS
WHEN: Saturday, August 3, at 8 PM
WHERE:HOLLYWOOD BOWL
2301 N Highland Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90068
TICKETS: Subscriptions and single tickets are available now for the Hollywood Bowl 2013 summer season at: www.Hollywoodbowl.com or Ticketmaster.com, or via phone at 323.850.2000 or 800.745.3000 and in person at the Hollywood Bowl Box Office. For more information, please call 323.850.2000.
You know the old saying "When Pigs Fly"? Well I thought that would actually happen before the sharks did it, I thought wrong. The Asylum and Syfy have brought us yet another ridiculous, low budget thriller with sharks, tornadoes, "Sharknado" need they say more? Uh not really, the trailer and tag line are genius, and so is the cheesy title, which when I commented on my Facebook page that I was finally catching the wave and seeing the movie last night an industry friend responded stating that they registered the title then wrote the script, and it shows.
"Sharknado" is more about concept than content. The IMDB synopsis doesn't even list anything about characters it reads like this: "When a freak hurricane swamps Los Angeles, nature's deadliest killer rules sea, land, and air as thousands of sharks terrorize the waterlogged populace". This sums of the film completely, there is something also going on about some friends from a bar and a husband and wife who are separated and their kids I think too. Mainly it's all about the silliest concept in the world being a fun B Movie ride. Some of my favorite slices of cheese from "Sharknado"? 1) Where the sky is dark and stormy and in the next shot is sunny and clear. 2) The actors get soaking wet and dirty and are picture perfect the next second. 3) Our intrepid gang of actors are driving, or doing battle with sharks in a flooded area that is mysteriously not flooded in the same area, when we get a second glance.
"Sharknado" Trailer 4) A natural disaster of epic proportions is happening in Los Angeles and most of the time our rag tag gang are the only ones on the road, and when there are other people seen escaping from LA, they seem to disappear when they are not needed for dramatic effect.
5) Oh and let's not forget the sharks, how could we they are hilariously phony, except for the occasional stock footage of actual sharks spliced in from time to time. Need I go on? I thought not...if you love this type of movie, like I do, you will have a blast! Kudos to the actors they all gave committed convincing performances. Ian Ziering makes a great hero, and I suspect will be getting more offers to play one (aside from "Sharknado 2") in the future.
Jaason Simmons & Ian Ziering Battle Jabber Jaws
My favorite goofy scene: Ian Ziering, Jaason Simmons fighting off what looks like a a rubber shark in Tara Reid's flooded living room, and when they walk out the front door the streets that are/were flooded when they walked in are unbelievably dry. Uh, you just walked out of a flooded living room - caused by flood waters rising from the street outside - LOL!
"Sharknado" gets a Fins Up from me! Thanks to The Asylum and The Syfy Network for a great piece of B Movie Entertainment. Note: Hey Guys I have a great idea for a flying pig movie, get in contact with me! Jump the"Shark" at: http://www.theasylum.cc/ http://www.syfy.com/
"A mail room slacker dies after a bizarre experiment and finds himself sentenced to Purgatory - working in the mail room. There he falls for his beautiful manager and to win her over, he must stop a greedy tycoon from closing Purgatory down and sending everyone to Hell" - Yes, this is what it is like to be "Stuck in the Middle" - Written by brothers Joseph Pepitone a two time New York Emmy Award winner and Billy Pepitone a retired cop. "Stuck in the Middle" as Film Threat calls it: "Is more than just the novelty of its storyline, and is actually quite funny" Watch out Farrelly Brothers time to check in with the Brothers Pepitone and find out about their trip to Purgatory. JP: Michael Shinafelt, how's it going? MS: Fine, just let me shut something down I was doing on my computer while I was waiting for your call. How are you? JP: Just fine I'm here with my brother who co-wrote the script, Billy. MS: Hi, Billy! BP: Hey how are you? MS: Good. So Joseph, have you worked in a mail room before? JP: No, no, I've worked in offices, so I picked the occupation as the one that I thought would be the lowest on the totem pole. I've never worked in the mail room, but I have been working in offices half my life. MS: Well you picked the perfect place for Purgatory, I've worked in a mail room before and it sucks that hard. (laughs)
Joseph & Billy Pepitone
JP: That's the feeling I got. (laughs) MS: Yep, the mail room would be Purgatory in an office for sure! (laughs) OK, why did you choose auto-erotic asphyxiation as the cause of death for your mail room worker Michael? JP: When I originally started writing the script it was going to be a wacky sitcom, and he died by getting his tie caught in a paper shredder. I thought it was lame and I needed something better. I was writing right around the time that David Carradine wound up killing himself that way. It was perfect, this is the way the character should die I thought. MS: More effective than a paper shredder I must say. (laughs) Obviously your surroundings inspired the script. JP: Basically, yeah, write what you know. Working in an office combined with sixteen years of Catholic School. Working in an office isn't really Heaven or Hell, it's just sort of dull, like Purgatory. MS: If the concepts of Heaven and Hell actually exist, I think Earth is Purgatory. JP: That's funny! I just did an interview where that is exactly what I said. MS: How funny! JP: We're living in Purgatory and we see what happens from here. MS: Life on Earth is mostly just what it is, there are highs and lows, but most of the time it just is. JP: We're on the same page. MS: Billy you're a retired Police Officer, you have a lot of stories, tell me one. BP: There's a thousand stories I could tell ya. Some of them are almost impossible to believe. So I tried to take some of the characters I've met over the years and incorporate them into Joe's story and it seemed to work well...a lot of the people in the movie truly exist. (laughs)
MS: Other than your obvious wealth of material to draw on what made you decide to go into writing with your brother?
Here We Are Now Entertain Us
BP: Writing was always a talent of mine that I never gave enough time, I've always been interested in it. Once I decided that I had enough time on my hands I decided that I was going to start writing. Screenplays, novels...when I read the script I immediately loved it. We developed a system, Joe writes sends it to me, I tweak it a little bit, we go back and fourth. Our styles are different and that seems to work. MS: OK, tell me about the blasphemy, Film Threat stated there was blasphemy in your movie, I'm always up for that. JP: I guess what they are referring to is Jesus actually is the figurehead boss of Purgatory. He's the boss's son and he's rarely there, he golfs all day - he has aligned himself with some of the bad guys in the film and started a merchandising business, Jesus has basically become a shill. (laughs) I think that's probably the blasphemy part. (laughs) MS: Did you ever see Kevin Smith's film "Dogma"? JP: Oh yea, I'm a very big Kevin Smith fan!
