James Durbin Rocks Autism!

James & His Band
On The Jumbotron 

Last night I attended a show at Universal City Walk for the organization: Autism Rocks.

My buddy James Durbin of American Idol was headlining it. James definitely rocks!!!

His latest single Smackdown really hits it out of the park. Hey, check out the photos I took of last night's show, it was awesome! 

It's Saturday, Rock Out With Your...

Rock Star!
James Durbin

Shooting James
Heidi Durbin

                                                      Everybody Loves James 

                                                    A True "American Idol"

                                            Me & James Before The Show

Keep On Rocking With James at: 

https://twitter.com/DurbinRock

https://www.facebook.com/DurbinRock/

https://www.instagram.com/durbinrock/?hl=en

Autism Rocks at: 

http://www.autismrocksla.com/                                    

Film Buff Friday: Ray Harryhausen

I remember begging my Dad to take me to see "The Golden Voyage of Sinbad" and how excited I was to see "Clash of the Titans"

Ray Harryhausen was my spirit animal as a kid.

The remarkable career of the movie industry's most admired and influential special-effects auteur, the legendary Ray Harryhausen, is the subject of Gilles Penso's definitive documentary Ray Harryhausen: Special Effects Titan. 

Leaving no doubt as to Harryhausen's seminal influence on modern-day special effects, the documentary features enlightening and entertaining interviews with the man himself, Randy Cook, Peter Jackson, Nick Park, Phil Tippet, Terry Gilliam, Dennis Muren, John Landis, Guillermo del Toro, James Cameron, Steven Spielberg and many more. 

These filmmakers, who today push the boundaries of special effects movie-making, pay tribute to the father of Stop Motion animation and films such as 'The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms', 'It Came from Beneath the Sea', 'The 7th Voyage of Sinbad', 'Mysterious Island', 'Jason and the Argonauts' and 'The Golden Voyage of Sinbad' - the films that enthralled them as children and inspired them to become filmmakers in their own right.

Bonus Materials

Interviews with Edgar Wright, Simon Pegg, Peter Lord, Rick Baker

12 Interview outtakes with Joe Dante, John Lasseter, Nick Park and more!

A message to Ray

Deleted Scenes

On the set of Sinbad

Paris Cinematheque Q&A

London Gate Theater Q&A

Audio commentary with the filmmakers

Original Trailer

Ray Harryhausen Trailer Reel

Pre-order at the MVD SHOP or on Amazon  

Go Cruising With Charles Esten & Clare Bowen Of "Nashville"

Clare Bowen aka Scarlett O'Connor

On "Nashville"

Attention all fans of the TV show "Nashville" of which I am one. Hop on a Country Cruise with Charles Esten and Clare Bowen. You heard me correctly, I did not stutter!

Charles Esten aka Deacon Claybourne
On "Nashville"

Fans of the ABC series Nashville will want to make sure they take part in the Country Cruising experience, set for January 14-19, 2017. Fans will be travelling aboard the Brilliance of the Seas®, a beautiful Radiance-class ship that combines sleek swiftness, panoramic vistas, and wide-open spaces. With acres of glass enclosing the nine-story central atrium, elevators facing the sea, and floor-to-ceiling windows throughout, cruisers will never be at a loss for an incredible view.

Country Cruising will set sail on January 14, 2017 from Tampa, and will stop in Key West before making its’ voyage to Cozumel, Mexico. The ship will arrive back in Tampa on January 19. Among the artists participating in the cruise include Nashville stars Charles Esten and Clare Bowen.  

Esten has won hearts around the world with his portrayal of the rugged “Deacon Claybourne” on the popular ABC series – now in its’ fourth season. That role showcases his dramatic side, but there is also a comedic slant to his talents, as well. Esten got his start on the British series Whose Line Is It Anyway? He also became a cast member of the show during its’ American run with Drew Carey, as well. Nashville has allowed Esten to showcase his musical talents, as well. He has performed on several tours of the show’s cast, and performs frequently on the venerable Grand Ole Opry. Two of Esten’s contributions to the show’s soundtracks have made the top-40 on the charts, including “No One Will Ever Love You,” a collaboration with co-star Connie Britton.

Australian-born Clare Bowen has appeared as the romantically troubled Scarlett O’Connor on Nashville since the show’s debut in 2012. Her prior television credits include The Cut and All Saints. Five of her songs from the series’ soundtrack have made their way into the top-40 on the Country charts, including the haunting “If I Didn’t Know Better” – generally regarded as one of the high musical points in the show’s history. Both Bowen and Esten are working on full albums of their own, slated for release later this year.

Country Cruising offers the Country Music fan an amazing experience – a five night cruise, with accommodations and all meals taken care of during the event, as well as autograph sessions, photo opportunities, daily musical performances, and songwriter workshops. For more information about tickets, visit www.CountryCruising.com.

Margaret Cho Takes On The "American Myth"

Margaret Cho has never been one to shy away from taking on any subject matter in her stand-up shows. Her no holds barred attitude has crossed over into another aspect of her career as well, that being her music.

For those of you who may not be aware Margaret started exploring her hidden talent of expressing herself through song with her freshman CD Cho Dependent released in August of 2010.

Her sophomore effort American Myth drops this Friday, April 29th 2016. On it Margaret is as fearless as ever!

So, without further hyperbole, here to discuss Anna Nicole, Sexual Abuse, Sex Workers, Movie Titles For Your Butt Hole and last but not least, the American Myth is the one and only Margaret Cho!!!

MS: That meme you posted on Facebook the other day about movie titles for your butt hole got a lot of mileage.

MC: I laughed so hard over those! My favorite was "Three Men and a Baby!"

MS: A friends of mine saw that I participated in it and insisted that I post it to her page.

MC: Did you have a favorite?

MS: Other than mine? I thought mine was pretty good.

MC: Which one was yours?

MS: "Something Wicked This Way Comes."

MC: Oh, that's a genius one! That's really genius. I laughed so hard all day at the great responses! "The Color Purple" kept coming up a lot, that one is classic.

                                                                 Anna Nicole
                                    
MS: You have a video for the song about your late friend Anna Nicole Smith, titled "Anna Nicole" off your CD "American Myth."

MC: Yes.

MS: Expand on a statement you made about her: "some people are too good for this world."

MC: That's why my album is called "American Myth." It's the idea that certain people are too beautiful for this world. Whether that's Marilyn Monroe or James Dean. Anybody in the twenty-seven club like Kurt Cobain or Janis Joplin. But it also relates to something that's inside of yourself, sometimes innocent parts of ourselves die off because this world is too terrible and cruel to sustain it. There's different levels, thing like being too precious to survive, only the good die young kind of thing. It's not just people, it's elements of our own beings that can't live, it's too hard.

MS: There was an innocence and sweetness about Anna Nicole.

MC: Yes,and given the circumstances around her death, she had just lost her son. He died in her hospital room. She had just had a baby almost immediately after that, so she had grief and postpartum depression combined. It's a miracle she lived as long as she did through all that incredible suffering.

MS: This is your second CD. How was working on this different than the first?

MC: On this album it was the first time I had input on composing. There's a few songs that I composed entirely. There were some different artists helping me out, for the most part it is an album that I composed which is exciting.

                                                       I Want To Kill My Rapist


MS: I want to bring up the song "I Want To Kill My Rapist," which was the first video off of "American Myth." You tackling the subject of rape has brought a lot of mixed reaction to say the least. I remember you did make a joke at The Wiltern that made the audience groan. I can't remember it, do you remember what it was?

MC: The one about my uncle who raped me, is the one I think it was. When I said "but I don't want to see him again, because I don't want to fuck him again. Because that's what would happen because we never broke up." That one makes people so upset, but it's me trying to lighten the mood. (laughs) The thing is if we don't make it OK to talk about and joke about sexual abuse it's going to continue happening. Look at fucking Dennis Hastert Speaker of the House, he's allocating fund in order to buy the silence of these young men, who are now grown men, who still have to live with the suffering and the shame of it. Sexual abuse is something that has long been considered a woman's issue, but really it's a global one, for men as well it's something we need to deal with.

MS: Having been molested I tend to be sensitive to the subject. However I think it is important to have an open dialogue and be able to joke about it as well.

MC: It's hard as survivors. We're meant to stay silent about certain things. Breaking the silence and allowing survivors to speak will  help protect the innocents of this generation. Silence and shame are accomplices to a predator. It shouldn't happen like that, that's something that we can control.

Troubadour
Margaret Cho
Photo: Dusti Cunningham

MS: You also have a song titled "Come With Me" about sex workers on the album.

MC: It should be decriminalized it would make it easier for people to work in the sex worker industry to report crimes that are committed against them. People who work in the industry don't have the ability to prosecute because they are afraid of getting arrested themselves. We have to improve the way society thinks about sex work. The song came from when I was recording in El Paso and I saw a lot of young male prostitutes. I wanted to take one to an amusement park. Because they were the age of a son I would have, if I had children. That is totally a legitimate reason to hire a sex worker, you want to have that love experience of being a mother with a son. The video is set, it will be out sometime soon. It is really a way to have people acknowledge that sex workers are also somebody's children. It's not about rescuing them because they are doing something wrong, it's that they are also kids. 

MS: This country is way to uptight about sex. Yet, murderers and criminals become stars and make money. There is something off about that.

MC: I know, I know. 

MS: Isn't it the worst?

MC: It really is! 

Get Mythical With Margaret at:
http://margaretcho.com/
https://twitter.com/margaretcho
https://www.facebook.com/officialmargaretcho 

Chaos Thy Name Is GG Allin

Hold on tight, it's going to be a bumpy read! The critically acclaimed book goes digital... GG's letters, illustrations, prose, and his own personal account of prison

  "If there's a bestseller list in Hell, be prepared to see this tome crawl its way to the top."

- Marc Campbell, DANGEROUS MINDS 

In 2013, Aggronautix published GG Allin "My Prison Walls", a limited edition hard cover collector's book wrapped in black saifu cloth and decorated / titled in red foil blood stamping. Each book was individually numbered and shrink-wrapped for protection and preservation. After the 2500 copies have been sold through, the book will not be re-printed. (According to Aggronautix there are still some available, but not many) Now, "My Prison Walls" is available for Kindle (at the reasonable price - $5.99) opening the door for legions of fans to explore GG's prison era memoirs without the $60 SRP. The 208 page book contains letters, illustrations, prose, and GG's own personal accounts of his time spent in prison.  The book begins with "30 Days In The Hole" from GG's journal, in his own handwriting, detailing his first days in lock up. This comprises the first 50 pages of the book and gives the reader a first-hand account of his mindset at the time. In addition, there are over 40 pieces of art and prose by Allin, plus correspondence with his family members, convicted serial killer John Wayne Gacy, Jeff Clayton of ANTiSEEN, and many others. Kindle: http://amzn.com/B01EIPIOPK

#Hashtag Monday...#Prince #MargaretCho #JamesDurbin #MichaelShinafelt

Me & Margaret Cho
@ The Wiltern

"It's just another manic Monday, I wish it was Sunday
'Cause that's my funday, My I don't have to runday" - The Bangles Written by Prince

Wow! What a week it has been all I can think of is Prince, Prince, Prince. I have always loved the Purple One for his art, humanity and balls.

The reality of the impact he had on my life really set in after a few days. Hearing my awesome spin instructor Michelle Siegel play his songs while I toiled away on the stationary bike brought me to how he really influenced my life and person.

This quote from the Internet nails my sentiments perfectly:

"Thinking about how we mourn artists we've never met. We don't cry because we knew them, we cry because they helped us know ourselves"

Me & James Durbin
@ Universal City Walk

I really had to put this out there as Prince meant a lot to me and is a big part of who I am. Things to come this week? Look for my chat Wednesday with Margaret Cho about her CD that drops this Friday, April 29th American Myth.
Also I am attending my buddy James Durbin's free concert at Universal City Walk this Friday coincidentally the 29th as well. So you know I will have some killer exclusive pics.
Have a terrific week!
Follow Me On Twitter:
https://twitter.com/MShinafelt

"You Talkin' To Me?" Taxi Driver Turns 40

Taxi Driver Turns 40!
l-r Cybill Shepherd, Martin Scorsese, Robert De Niro, Jodie Foster and Harvey Keitel

"You talkin' to me? You talkin' to me? You talkin' to me? Then who the hell else are you talking... you talking to me? Well I'm the only one here. Who the fuck do you think you're talking to? Oh yeah? OK."

Not being a film critic I don't want to attempt to break down why Taxi Driver is the classic film it is. Suffice it to say it has endured because of it's excellence.

Being a film buff, I knew of it's reputation and was glad for home video technology which is how I was able to see it initially and have seen it many times since.

The quote above is the most known from it.

Directed by the legendary Martin Scorsese Taxi Driver recently celebrated it's 40th Anniversary at the Tribeca Film Festival where the famed filmmaker and his cast consisting of Jodie Foster, Robert De Niro, Cybill Shepherd and Harvey Keitel reunited and posed for the above photograph.

This image is everything and recalls a time in cinema history that was golden.

Have a Super Sunday peeps!

"You Talkin' To Me?" Taxi Driver on IMDB:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0075314/?ref_=nv_sr_1