Monday, September 21, 2015

Chris Issak Takes Wall Street


      No More "Wicked Games" for Chris Isaak, It's nighttime that rates first for this crooner...                                 
  
Chris Isaak’s new album FIRST COMES THE NIGHT, his first recording of all original songs in over six years, is available for pre-order beginning today. Fans can stream the title track which premiered exclusively via the Wall Street Journal.

FIRST COMES THE NIGHT is available for pre-order via iTunes and Amazon in two configurations – a standard version and a deluxe edition which includes five additional songs and an expanded booklet with added photos and illustrations. With each order, fans receive an instant download of the song “First Comes The Night.”

FIRST COMES THE NIGHT, produced by Paul Worley (Dixie Chicks, Lady Antebellum), Dave Cobb (Jason Isbell) and longtime Isaak collaborator Mark Needham, will be released on Vanguard Records on November 13th. Recorded primarily in Nashville and Los Angeles, FIRST COMES THE NIGHT with 12 new songs, is Isaak’s 13th studio album. A second configuration – a deluxe version with five additional cuts – will be released simultaneously.  FIRST COMES THE NIGHT is the follow up release to Isaak’s critically acclaimed 2011 BEYOND THE SUN, his breathtaking tribute album to Sun Records, Sam Phillips, and the visionary artists who helped shape the early sounds of rock n’ roll.

“There was no mission for this album other than to follow the songs, and in terms of songwriting, the floodgates really opened this time," Chris Isaak explains. "My last release was Beyond The Sun -- my tribute to Sun Records with a lot of covers -- so this time around I had a lot of new material that I was thrilled to record."

FIRST COMES THE NIGHT fittingly represents a number of firsts for Chris Isaak, who recently signed on to become a judge on the new season of X Factor Australia. As for FIRST COMES THE NIGHT, this is the first time that Isaak has written and recorded so much in Nashville, Tennessee. He recently spoke with USA Today about the experience.

With a stellar reputation as one of the best and funniest live performers out there, Isaak is a non-stop touring, Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter, actor and talk show host. His vocal style has garnered enormous acclaim and his songs have been featured in numerous films including “Blue Velvet”, “Married to the Mob” and “Wild at Heart.”  His vast repertoire of long running hits include “Wicked Game,” “Forever Blue,” “Baby Did A Bad Bad Thing” and “Somebody’s Crying.” He has appeared on many TV shows – most recently “Hot in Cleveland”, has acted in several films and starred in Showtime’s The Chris Isaak Show and the Chris Isaak Hour on the Biography Channel.

FIRST COMES THE NIGHT - Track listing
First Comes The Night
Please Don’t Call
Perfect Lover
Down in Flames
Reverie
Baby What You Want Me To Do
Kiss Me Like A Stranger
Dry Your Eyes
Don’t Break My Heart
Running Down the Road
Insects
The Way Things Really Are
 
Bonus Tracks:
 
Some Days are Harder Than The Rest
Keep Hanging On
Every Night I Miss You More
The Girl That Broke My Heart
Love The Way You Kiss Me
 

Saturday, September 19, 2015

"Life Is Like A Jackie Collins Novel"


"Life is like a Jackie Collins novel" - Michael Shinafelt

This startling revelation caught me by surprise somewhere back in 2010 when I was dating an actor half my age and juggling both our schedules and different friends and careers, mine being of course a writer, actor etc...So I immediately posted my momentary genius on my Facebook page and took it to Twitter!

After having been in Hollywood for 20 plus years it hit me like a bolt of lightning at that point and time in my life that "yes" me and my then boyfriend could easily be a basis for characters in one of her books! 

Funny when I was growing up as a young lad in Washington State I used to find her potboilers entertaining, but thought that her statement that the characters and events were based on reality a bit of a stretch.

Yeah, well living in Hollywood I have been proven wrong on the abovementioned notion. 

A few of my favorite Jackie yarns? Hollywood Wives was my favorite! Honorable mention goes to Lady Boss and Lucky.

She was a woman who lived a great and fascinating life. Someone who I wished I had met, so I could have had a character based on me in one of her escapist treatise. 

R.I.P. Lovely lady, you made reality entertaining.

Find yourself in a Jackie Collins novel at: 

Jade Starling No Longer Has 80's Hair

Remember Your 80's Poof? Neither Does Jade Starling
DANCE-POP ICON JADE STARLING
JOINS KELLY CLARKSON, ICONA POP, AND DEMI LOVATO
IN BILLBOARD TOP 5 WITH CURRENT SMASH CLUB HIT

PRETTY POISON LEAD SINGER-SONGWRITER AND CO-FOUNDER SOARING AGAIN WITH HIGHEST CHART NUMBERS SINCE 1987 CLASSIC “CATCH ME I’M FALLING”



Now a new generation of club kids can fall in love with singer Jade Starling.”
- Download.com (CNET/CBS Interactive)

With the rapidly changing landscape of the music industry, artists are faced with two choices – evolve, or fade away. Jade Starling, of the ‘80s group Pretty Poison, chose the former, and it’s put her right in the middle of today’s vibrant EDM scene.” - Arena.com

Have you ever wondered what the lead singer of Pretty Poison would be doing if she didn't have 80's hair? Well here is your answer, yeah, that's correct, I am a giver.

Enjoying a career resurgence that includes a celebrated return to the Billboard Dance charts, JADE STARLING is enjoying her highest chart numbers since her iconic classic hit “CATCH ME I’M FALLING” topped the very same chart in 1987.

Starling’s latest hit “Better and Better,” has risen to #3, marking her 10th appearance on the chart since launching her career in the 1980s as lead singer of the platinum group Pretty Poison“Better and Better” is the third single from Starling’s critically acclaimed solo debut album, CAPTIVE  (Subpeona/Tazmania/Universal)

Starling’s current success with “Better and Better” is especially notable as the only indie-label release in the Top 10.

“Sharing the top 5 with current superstars Kelly ClarksonIcona Pop and Demi Lovato is a major accomplishment for me” says Starling, who has managed to achieve this on a fraction of the promotional budget powering those superstar records.

“Better and Better was co-written with DJ Laszlo and Pretty Poison co-founder Whey Cooler. It features remixes from two of Dance Music’s most enduring legends, Stonebridge and Chris Cox, as well as festival favorite TavoJeff Retro (resident DJ at Las Vegas’ Hakkasan Nightclub), WKTU mix show team Cova & SteelDarulah (Romainia)Andy Sikorski (England), Mike Ferullo, Elektromind (Italy), and DJ Laszlo.

With her new found relevance, Starling is hard at work on a CAPTIVE ground tour which will launch in early 2016 and feature 3D technology.

Best known as the vocalizing half and award-winning songwriter of the platinum-selling duo Pretty Poison (#1 hit “Catch Me I’m Falling” on Virgin Records), the flame-tressed diva will be visible at a variety of venues and events in the New York, New Jersey and Philadelphia region this fall, including appearances at the Sands Hotel Casino in Bethlehem PA (Sep. 29th), All Things That Rock Festival in Philadelphia (Oct. 3 & 4) with Ace Frehley of KISSCarl Palmer of ELPLita Ford and more, and an appearance at the Westbury Music Fair (Oct. 30th) as part of the “Monsters of Freestyle” Halloween extravaganza.

Friday, September 18, 2015

Who's That "New Girl?"

Which Girl Is New?
Megan Fox or Zooey Deschanel?
I have a confession I have never seen an episode of New Girl. So why I am reporting on it? 

Megan Fox, Megan Fox, Megan Fox! I feel for you! That's correct minions THE Megan Fox is going to sublet while THE Zooey Deschanel is out breast feeding her baby.

Show creator Liz Meriweather has this to say about Fox"It's insane to me that such a gorgeous person can be so funny, but I guess we just all have to accept it"

Accept it Liz let the feeling live within you.

Hey I am a sucker for Foxy Megan - she is funny, yes I mean it! She will make me tune the fuck in for this!!! Werd!

New Girl: http://www.fox.com/new-girl 

Thursday, September 17, 2015

Que Shiraz, Shiraz

Shiraz!
Gerard Butler, Salma Hayek & Adrien Brody


With Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur both falling in September well it's prime time for what else? Shiraz! You get some Shiraz, and you get some Shiraz, and you get some Shiraz!

How apropos that there is now a film that premiered at the Toronto Film Festival affectionately known as TFF titled: September of Shiraz.

On the completely irreverent side and off the wall state of things the after party was sponsored by Grey Goose Vodka. Yeah the wine companies that produce Shiraz really took a snooze on this promotional opportunity.

But hey it produced a really rocking image of  two totally hot and sexy stars and one very talented one - Gerard Butler, Salma Hayek and Adrien Brody combined to make a pretty compelling threesome at the premiere.

Hey, Gerard if you are going to be at any other film festivals in the near future please let myself and author M.E. Franco know, we're here for you!

See you in Toronto next year, Gerard !

http://tiff.net/   

Wednesday, September 16, 2015

Jamie Lee Curtis Goes "Psycho"

Like Mother, Like Daughter
Jamie Lee Curtis & Janet Leigh

OK, everyone knows I am a HUGE horror fan! So it stands to reason I am quite excited about the premiere of Scream Queens (not Screaming Queens) September 22nd on FOX

A main attraction for this horror junkie being Scream Queen Supreme Jamie Lee Curtis. Jamie was in one of my all time favorite slasher/suspense flicks John Carpenter's Halloween, and as you recall followed that up with a bunch of others in the 1980's such as Prom Night and Terror Train.

It was most likely her destiny to fill the role since her Mother, Janet Leigh was one of the original Scream Queens when she appeared in Alfred Hitchcock's classic Psycho. Another of my favorite things!

You know the movie where the female lead gets killed off in the first fifteen minutes of footage, yeah that one.

Well Jamie Lee recently Tweeted this image with the caption: "Recreated Mom's PSYCHO shower scene 4 a special ep of @ScreamQueens,"

Yes!!! I know where I will be this coming Tuesday the 22nd at 9 pm!

Scream Queen, Scream at: http://www.fox.com/scream-queens

Tuesday, September 15, 2015

Dancing With The Stars Season 21 Get's "Real"

Suspicious, or Real?
Jeannie Mai, Adrienne Bailon, Loni Love & Tamara Mowry-Housley
Photo: Ken Phillips
All you "Dancing" fans rejoice, Dancing With The Stars Season 21 premiered last night!

Oddly enough season 2 of the daytime chat fest The Real premiered yesterday afternoon.

Co-Host Tamar Braxton is a contestant on the celebrity dance-a-thon, the rest of the ladies of The Real - Loni Love, Jeannie Mai, Adrienne Bailon and Tamara Mowry-Housley, were all in attendance to cheer their comrade on!

Mere coincidence? Perhaps, or is there a more insidious intent behind this blatant self promotion? Seriously, check the mysterious "10" on Loni Love's hand! Grab your tin foil hat and let the conspiracy theories commence.

Are the women of The Real to be trusted or is there a hidden agenda at work? Keep watching DWTS and The Real and see how this saga unfolds...

DWTShttps://www.facebook.com/dancingwiththestars

The Realhttps://www.facebook.com/therealdaytime