Musician Adam Yauch, Dead at 47 #RIPMCA
By Jade Robledo
Many fans were disheartened to read the news this morning that Beastie Boy MC Adam “MCA” Yauch had passed away from cancer. It was only appropriate that the news was announced by Russell Simmons, who, with Rick Rubin, released the hip-hop/rap/rock trio’s first releases, the EP Rock Hard (1985) and the instant classic Licensed to Ill (1986), which was the first rap album to go to number 1 on the Billboard album chart, a position it held for five weeks.
Adam Yauch (WENN/Getty)
Although the band is rightly recognized for such great releases as Paul’s Boutique (released in 1989, it was ranked number 156 on Rolling Stone magazine’s list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time in 2003), Check Your Head and Hello Nasty, the band should also be recognized for being among the first to be associated with a clothing line (X-Large), a magazine (Grand Royal) as well as a record label (also named Grand Royal). The label, which was active from 1992 through 2001, was home to many highly praised artists such as Luscious Jackson and At the Drive-In.
Working under the nom de plume of Nathaniel Hornblower, Yauch directed several Beastie Boys videos including “Intergalactic,” “So What’cha Want” and the 2011 “Fight for Your Right Revisited” short. This short, which featured Seth Rogen as Mike D, Elijah Wood as Ad-Rock and Danny McBride as MCA, was filmed to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the original video by showing the aftermath of the events shown in “Fight For Your Right (To Party!).” In addition to his directorial work with his band, Yauch filmed the 2008 documentary Gunnin for That No. 1 Spot. In 2008 he also formed the independent film company Oscilloscope Laboratories, named after the band’s New York based studio that formed in 2002, which produced such features as the Oscar nominated Banksy documentary Exit Through The Gift Shop and the drama “The Messenger.”
Yauch was also a staunch supporter of Tibetan rights. He was a founder of the Milarepa Fund, a non-profit organization formed to raise awareness and activism on behalf of those suffering injustices of Tibetans by the Chinese government. In 1996 he helped to organize the Tibetan Freedom Concert in San Francisco, CA, the first of six festivals to help raise awareness and funds for the cause. The last concert was held in Taipei in 2003. Milarepa also organized a benefit entitled New Yorkers Against Violence in the wake of September 11, 2001, with proceeds distributed between the New York Women’s Foundation Disaster Relief Fund and the New York Association for New Americans September 11th Fund for New Americans.
In 2009 Yauch announced that he was being treated for cancer of the parotid salivary gland. Although he underwent surgery and radiation therapy, he was not able to fight the disease.
In 2012 the Beastie Boys were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Although he was too ill to attend the ceremonies, he sent a letter to be read by his bandmates, who declined to perform without Yauch. In their place, the Roots performed as back-up band to Kid Rock and Travie McCoy as they performed a medley of their songs. This performance can be seen this Saturday, May 5th, on HBO’s broadcast of the ceremonies.
He is survived by his wife, daughter, parents, bandmates and millions of fans.
Another Honor for Duran Duran – Headlining the Olympics
Posted by jade in Concert, DVD/Blu-Ray Review, Music, Press Releases on May 2, 2012
by Jade Robledo
It is a GREAT time to be a Duranie. That is, a fan of Duran Duran.
First there was the release of the artwork for their upcoming DVD / CD, A Diamond in the Mind. Then there was the first date of the South American leg of the All You Need Is Now tour, a date in which the band was joined on stage by popular Brazilian singer Fernanda Takai for a duet of “Ordinary World.” Now the news from this morning.
It has been announced that Duran Duran was selected to perform at the opening ceremonies for the 2012 Summer Olympics to be held in London on July 27th. As the United Kingdom consists of four different nations, it was decided that the opening ceremonies should consist of live performances from an act representing each part. Duran Duran were chosen for England, with Snow Patrol representing Northern Ireland, Stereophonics selected for Wales and Paolo Nutini on behalf of Scotland. Each act will perform a “greatest hits” set in front of 60,000 fans in Hyde Park, and countless others watching throughout the world.
For those who may want a bit more than one of their many hit songs from the past three decades, the tentative release date for A Diamond in the Mind is set for July 10th, 17 days before the Hyde Park show. Filmed at MEN Arena in Manchester, England on December 16th, the DVD / CD set showcases the band’s critically acclaimed 2011 release, All You Need Is Now, along with their older hits.
If you are lucky you will be able to catch the band live. Their upcoming dates can be found on their official site.
Donald Glover: From Coachella to 30 Rock’s Live Episode
Donald Glover will return to 30 Rock for the show’s live broadcast on Thursday, April 26th at 8:30 pm. Glover worked as a writer on the show from 2006 through 2009. He, along with other 30 Rock writers, won the 2008 Writers Guild of America Award for Best Comedy. Although he would make occasional cameo appearances while writing for the show, he is scheduled to appear this week as a younger Tracy Jordan, the character portrayed by Tracy Morgan.
This marks the second live episode of 30 Rock. The first, directed by Beth McCarthy-Miller (who will also be behind the camera this Thursday), aired on October 14th, 2010. The first live episode featured surprise appearances by Matt Damon, Mad Men’s Jon Hamm, and Julia Louis-Dreyfus, currently starring on HBO’s Veep, as Tina Fey’s character Liz Lemon during the shows trademark swoosh back segues. Fey, who is also the creator of the show, has already promised that there will be more surprise cameos this week.
Instead of merely rebroadcasting the show for the West Coast, the cast are planning to film two separate episodes for the East and West Coasts, with those in the Central time zone viewing the East Coast broadcast. The first live episode was filmed twice for each coast as well.
Glover recently appeared both weekends on the main stage at the Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival performing under the name Childish Gambino:
Before flying to New York for the 30 Rock taping, he also performed a secret show in Los Angeles on Monday, April 23rd. He can also be seen earlier in NBC’s Thursday line-up as Troy Barnes on the cult favorite Community at 8:00 pm:
Glee’s Tribute to Whitney Houston to Air April 24th
by Jade Robledo
Although co-creator Ryan Murphy once proclaimed that there would no longer be episodes of Glee dedicated to one artist, next Tuesday, April 24th, brings an hour tribute to Whitney Houston. The show’s Amber Riley (Mercedes) covered Houston’s biggest hit “I Will Always Love You” on their Valentine’s Day episode earlier this year. As the show was scheduled to air three days after Houston’s death from accidental drowning on February 11th, they were able to add a title card to the end credits reading:
Whitney Houston
1963 – 2012
We Will Always Love You
However, it was decided that this was not enough of a tribute to the singer / actress. Thus, soon after her death it was announced that they would be filming an episode as tribute to her contributions to music.
The episode, titled “Dance With Somebody” will include the cast performing Houston’s hits “Saving All My Love For You,” “So Emotional,” “I Have Nothing,” “My Love Is Your Love” and the track that inspired the title of the episode, “I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me).” A video of Amber Riley, accompanied by Lea Michele (Rachel), Chris Colfer (Kurt) and Naya Rivera (Santana) performing an a cappella version of “How Will I Know” has been released:
Whitney Houston’s own a cappella version of the song can be heard here:
Glee airs Tuesdays on Fox, check your local listings for the time.
Dick Clark, “America’s Oldest Teenager,” Dies at Age 82
Dick Clark, Craig Sjodin / ABC
Dick Clark, known primarily as the longtime host of “American Bandstand” as well as his “New Year’s Rockin’ Eve” programs has died at the age of 82 following a massive heart attack.
Born in New York in 1929, Clark began his long career in the entertainment industry by working in the mailroom of a radio station WRUN in New York while still in high school. He soon moved up to the microphone, filling in for people when needed. He continued to work in radio as a disc jockey in the student run radio station while enrolled at Syracuse University. Upon graduation he went back to WRUN, but soon left for a spot in Philadelphia at WFIL.
It was while he lived in Philadelphia that he began hosting the then local afternoon “Bandstand” dance show for teenagers. Within five years, the local program became renamed by ABC as “American Bandstand” when it became a national show. The program consisted of teenagers dancing to the big hits of the day, as well as appearances by people as varied as Elvis Presley to ABBA, from the Bee Gees to Aerosmith. The popularity of the show and its host cannot be overlooked when observing popular culture in America.
In 1963 Clark moved the show to Hollywood, and began his own production company, Dick Clark Productions. This company went on to produce shows such as Pyramid (the game show that he also hosted), So You Think You Can Dance and TV Bloopers & Practical Jokes. Dick Clark Productions is also the company behind such annual shows as the American Music Awards, the Academy of Country Music Awards, and the Golden Globes.
Although Clark stopped hosting American Bandstand in 1989, he was still welcomed into homes on December 31st as he hosted his “New Year’s Rockin’ Eve” specials from Time Square in New York beginning. He began hosting the show in 1974, and continued until December 31st, 2004. On December 6th of that year he was reportedly hospitalized following a minor stroke. Regis Philbin stepped in since Clark’s health prevented him from hosting as he had planned. In 2005 Clark was again hosting, however he was joined by a co-host, television personality Ryan Seacrest. Although Seacrest handled most of the hosting duties, Clark still conducted the traditional New Year’s Eve countdown. In 2009 the broadcast was renamed Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Even with Ryan Seacrest to reflect Seacrest’s increased hosting responsibilities.
Seacrest released a statement today stating: “I am deeply saddened by the loss of my dear friend Dick Clark. He has truly been one of the greatest influences in my life. I idolized him from the start, and I was graced early on in my career with his generous advice and counsel. When I joined his show in 2006, it as a dream come true to work with him every New Year’s Eve for the last 6 years. He was smart, charming, funny and always a true gentleman. I learned a great deal from him, and I’ll always be indebted to him for his faith and support of me. He was a remarkable host and businessman and left a rich legacy to television audiences around the world. We will all miss him.”
Clark is survived by his third wife, and three children from his previous marriages.
Soundgarden Fans Rejoice
Posted by Life on the Scene in Music on April 17, 2012
by Jade Robledo
Soundgarden fans rejoice!
The first recording from the rock band in 15 years has now been made available as a free download on iTunes. “Live to Rise” is the first single to be released from the upcoming soundtrack to MARVEL’s the Avengers, which will be titled Avengers Assemble and scheduled to be released on May 1st via Hollywood Records. Also available as part of the free download of the single is an exclusive clip from the film due May 4th.
The band is known for being a seminal band of the Seattle / “grunge” era of rock in the early 90s. Their greatest success came with the release of their album Superunknown, which debuted at number 1 on the Billboard charts in 1994. The release featured “Black Hole Sun” and “Spoonman,” both of which won Grammys for Best Hard Rock Performance and Best Metal Performance in 1995 respectively.
In 1997 Soundgarden broke up due to creative differences. Lead singer Chris Cornell recorded three solo albums, Euphoria Morning, Carry On, and Scream. Cornell also recorded three albums with Audioslave, which also featured then-former Rage Against the Machine band members Tom Morello, Tim Commerford and Brad Wilk. Known for the singles “Cochise,” “Like a Stone” and “Show Me How to Live,” Audioslave also cited creative differences when they broke up in 2007.
Guitarist Kim Thayil played on tracks for Steve Fisk and Dave Grohl’s side-project Probot. Ben Shepherd played bass on releases by Tony Iommi and Mark Lanegan.
Matt Cameron continued to drum in his side-project Wellwater Conspiracy that he began in 1993, a project that included a 1997 release featuring lead vocals by Ben Shepherd. He also contributed drums on “For Martha” on the Smashing Pumpkins’ 1998 album Adore before accepting the invitation from Pearl Jam to fill in for Jack Irons on their US tour. He has since joined the band as an official member.
In 2010 the band announced via Twitter that they were reuniting for live shows. In 2011 Cornell confirmed that they would be heading into the studio to record a new album. “Live to Rise” marks the first release since the reformation.
Soundgarden will hit the road in late May to join the European summer festival circuit including Donington’s Download Festival in June. Additional tour dates and more information can be found on Soundgarden’s web site.
Robert Downey Jr. and Chris Hemsworth launch the Avengers in Hollywood
Posted by Life on the Scene in On The Red Carpet on April 13, 2012
by Cindy Robinson
Actors Robert Downey Jr. and Chris Hemsworth launched MARVEL’s the Avengers in Hollywood Wednesday night. This May, Marvel Studios brings to life the super hero team up of a lifetime featuring iconic Marvel super heroes with Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man, Chris Hemsworth as Thor, Chris Evans as Captain America, Mark Ruffalo as the Hulk, Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow, Jeremy Renner as Hawkeye, Tom Hiddleston as Loki, and Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury.
When an unexpected enemy emerges that threatens global safety and security, Nick Fury, Director of the international peacekeeping agency known as S.H.I.E.L.D., finds himself in need of a team to pull the world back from the brink of disaster. Spanning the globe, a daring recruitment effort begins to assemble the ultimate super hero team.
The star-studded premiere brought out the cast of the Avengers along with Clark Gregg and Jennifer Grey, director Joss Whedon, producer Kevin Feige, Jon Favreau, Dancing With the Stars cast members Karina Smirnoff and Chelsie Hightower, LOST and Lord of the Rings star Dominic Monaghan, Alexander Skarsgård, Harry Dean Stanton, Aisha Tyler, Seth Green, Chris Cornell and Soundgarden who wrote the original song for the movie “Live to Rise”.
Directed by Joss Whedon, “Marvel’s The Avengers” is based on the ever-popular Marvel comic book series “The Avengers,” first published in 1963. Look for this blockbuster by Marvel Studios in association with Paramount Pictures and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures to break box office records on May 4th.
For more information on the Avengers please visit Marvel’s the Avengers to view trailers, grab exclusive downloads and buy your movie tickets.
World Photography Day 2011
Posted by Life on the Scene in Photography on August 19, 2011
Simon Le Bon
Today is World Photography Day. The date of August 19th was chosen as the day to celebrate the birth of the fabulous art form that allows us to document our lives, our triumphs, our difficult times, our work and our world as it is the historic day in 1839 when Louis Daguerre developed the first permanent photographic image known as the Daguerreotype. It was a process which allowed him to print a positive image, which were then usually placed in glass fronted boxes for display. He developed the process in early 1839 but it wasn’t formalized by the French government until August 19, 1839.
Also in 1839, William Fox Talbot developed the calotype process, which created both a negative image, allowing prints to be made of the positive image. Talbot’s process took photogrphy a step further than Daguerre’s since it allowed for both a negative and a positive. His process wasn’t formalized until 1841 but since both were developed in 1839, it is the year recognized as the invention of photography.
What does a photograph mean to you? Why do you take them and what feeling does it evoke from you when you witness the result? Do you take photos of your kids first day at school, graduations and weddings? Are you inspired by sunsets and dramatic landscapes? How many photographers out there still dabble with film cameras? How has the digital age changed the art form?
Bonelli Park
Please leave some comments and post a favorite photo that is meaningful to you or share some links to great photography! Today I’ve chosen one of my shots of singer Simon Le Bon from the band Duran Duran from a performance in Los Angeles earlier in 2011.
I’ve also been inspired lately by Bonelli Regional Park in San Dimas, California which offers stunning landscape views and here’s an image from a recent outing to the area.
Smurfs: A Magical Smurf Adventure Out Now on DVD
Posted by Life on the Scene in Animation, Cartoons on August 1, 2011
by Cindy Robinson
The Smurfs: A Magical Smurf Adventure is out now on Warner Bros. home entertainment 2-disc DVD collection for the next generation to smurf it up!
The Smurfs left miles of smiles on the faces of Saturday morning cartoon fans throughout the 1980’s as this smurftacular powder-blue crew, including Brainy, Lazy, Vanity and Smurfette, led by the wise, gentle and 542-year-old Papa Smurf. They live in their mushroom houses and battle Gargamel, the local evil wizard, who is forever scheming against the tiny team but our little friends outsmurf him every time!
The Smurfs in 3D from Sony Pictures is out now in theaters starring Neil Patrick Harris, along with the voice talents of Katy Perry as Smurfette, George Lopez as Grouchy Smurf and Hank Azaria as Gargamel. The Smurfs tied with the Universal Pictures, Jon Favreau (Iron Man) directed, Cowboys and Aliens over the weekend for the top spot each grossing approximately $36 million in their opening weekends. Helloooo Harrison Ford!
I do digress, but really, who isn’t distracted by Harrison Ford? Take the kids out to see the Smurfs in 3D and when they undoubtedly fall in love with this tiny group of blue creatures, who will fuel their smurftacular little imaginations, stop by your local Target or Best Buy on the way home and pick up The Smurfs: A Magical Smurf Adventure on DVD. Enjoy 10 classic episodes with the adorable Smurfette and wise Papa Smurf in his red cap over and over with the kids! It’s OK, we won’t tell if you pop it in the DVD player after the kids have gone to bed to relive your childhood and catch a favorite episode! Who doesn’t love the Smurfs?
Cindy Robinson
Flickr Photos
jade
Life on the Scene
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