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Ariana Grande is very in touch with her emotions and recently revealed there’s one Adam Sandler movie that makes her cry.

The Wicked star makes no excuses and says she cries at everything, but The Waterboy is a movie that gets her in her feelings.

“The Waterboy, with Adam Sandler, makes me cry. When they’re mean to Bobby Boucher, I cry. I don’t like it,” Grande told W magazine. “I love Bobby Boucher. He says, ‘Would you please still be my friend?’ and I lose it. But I cry at everything.”

Grande referred to the 1998 sports comedy The Waterboy, a film directed by Fran Coraci and co-written by Tim Herlihy and Sandler. The film starred Sandler as Bobby Boucher, a 31-year-old man with autism who works as a waterboy and is recruited to play football. Sandler’s co-stars included Kathy Bates, Fairuza Balk, Jerry Reed, and Henry Winkler.

“Saturday Night Live” alum Ana Gasteyer reflected on her six-year stint on the show on the latest episode of Bowen Yang and Matt Rogers’ “Las Culturistas” podcast, recalling a time when her fellow cast member Will Ferrell interrupted Sean “Diddy” Combs’ closed rehearsal as part of a bit.

Gasteyer was on “SNL” from 1996 to 2002, where she overlapped with Ferrell, Molly Shannon, Jimmy Fallon, Tina Fey, Maya Rudolph and others. She’s best known for being part of the “Schweddy Balls” sketch alongside Shannon and Alec Baldwin, as well as her recurring Culps skit with Ferrell.

Gasteyer told current “SNL” player Yang and Rogers that the cast at that time had several recurring bits, including one where Ferrell repurposed his Jerry Reed costume to imitate a crew member named Rob, who had recently been fired by the director of the show’s pre-taped segments. In 1998, when Combs was the show’s musical guest,...

Return of the King: The Fall and Rise of Elvis Presley is Netflix's newest musical documentary, examining Elvis's tumultuous career and highlighting some of the songs he performed in his famous 1968 comeback special. The 1968 Elvis comeback special was a pivotal moment in his career, seeing him return to the stage after years of working in the film industry at the request of his manager, Colonel Tom Parker. Feeling dissatisfied with the lack of artistry in his movies, the special was a return to form for the iconic singer.

Though some of Elvis Presley's best movies, such as Viva Las Vegas, are considered classics, Elvis is known best in pop culture history for his influence on music. The 2022 biopic, Elvis, examines the toxic relationship between the star and Tom Parker, who pushed him toward his more commercial appeal. With great music from bands like The Beatles and The Rolling Stones dominating the industry,...

Tom Selleck and Sam Elliott shine in The Shadow Riders, bringing their iconic Western chemistry to the small screen. The family-friendly adaptation of Louis L'Amour's novel offers action-packed scenes for all ages to enjoy. Stellar performances from the cast, including Katharine Ross and Ben Johnson, enhance the film's appeal and rewatch value.

These days, actor Tom Selleck is best known for his role as Commissioner Frank Reagan on Blue Bloods, the long-running and much-loved CBS police procedural. Sam Elliotts most notable work as of late was becoming the main star of a Yellowstone prequel series called 1883 where he played Shea Brennen, the high-strung but tragic hero of the expedition. Even though Elliott has found his way back to a genre that first made him a star (see his role in 1967s The Way West), Selleck too made his mark in westerns as well, from the late '70s to the early '80s.

There are few things more potentially derailing to a rising artist’s career than imposter syndrome, that nagging sense that you’re just not good enough to warrant a seat at the table. But Nashville guitar phenom Daniel Donato views the condition less as an obstacle and more an opportunity to absorb. He recalls a recent moment onstage with Widespread Panic when he gave in and allowed himself to be open to the music being played around him.

“It helped me integrate a lot of my imposter syndrome that I’ve been having,...

Instead of jumping on the tour bus and heading to his band Midland’s headlining gig at the Dreamy Draw music festival, Mark Wystrach hopped into his vehicle and took the scenic route from his home in Tucson, Arizona, to the event site two hours away in Scottsdale.

“I drove up this back road — the original old highway — through the beautiful Sonoran desert,” Wystrach tells Rolling Stone backstage. “Growing up around a bunch of remarkable music here and at my parents’ [restaurant] the Steak Out in Sonoita — there were always incredible bands playing.

It’s late afternoon in the back of the Princess Theatre in downtown Decatur, Alabama. Sitting in front of a brightly-lit mirror in the green room of the historic venue, blues-rocker Samantha Fish is readying herself for the show alongside her musical-partner-in-crime of late, Jesse Dayton. The duo is in the midst of a whirlwind tour for their album Death Wish Blues.

“The blues speaks to people of all generations at different times in their life — it’s just kind of your soul,” Fish tells Rolling Stone backstage. “Watching a great [blues] band,...

Coslough Johnson, the Emmy-winning writer who worked with his late older brother, Arte Johnson, on Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In and wrote for two variety shows toplined by Sonny and Cher, has died. He was 91.

Johnson died March 23 of prostate cancer at a nursing facility in the Thousand Oaks area, his wife, Mary Jane, told The Hollywood Reporter.

Johnson also worked on sitcoms including The Monkees, Bewitched, That Girl, The Partridge Family, Good Times, Flo, Operation Petticoat and Cpo Sharkey and on cartoons featuring Mighty Mouse, Heckle and Jeckle, The Flintstones, Voltron and He-Man.

He wrote on the first three seasons (1968-70) of NBC’s Laugh-In, the final three seasons (1971-74) of The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour and the lone season (1976-77) of The Sonny and Cher Show, those last two for CBS.

Other variety shows on his résumé included The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour, The Hudson Brothers Razzle Dazzle Show...

Smokey and the Bandit was one of the biggest surprise hits of the 1970s, and its cast was packed with superstars and future icons of the screen. Released in 1977 to decent reviews, the film's real power came from its cultural impact and overwhelming popularity with audiences. The movie was non-stop action that found a way to blend its car-centric narrative with a fair amount of humor and character as well. The cast of the film was really what helped it shine, and Smokey and the Bandit quickly became a favorite in the Southern United States.

Its lead, Burt Reynolds, was already a household name for his work in other notable redneck-exploitation films, but his turn as the Bandit elevated him to the level of superstardom. It was the first of several Reynolds and Hal Needham films, and the director helped create some of Reynolds' most iconic characters. Besides established stars,...

Also known as Smokey and the Bandit Part 3, the third entry into the Burt Reynolds/Jackie Gleason good-old-boy car comedies has everything but Burt Reynolds. A beleaguered production from the get go, the plan was for Gleason to take over the Reynolds role in a dual role alongside his bumptious character, Sheriff Buford T. Justice. That didn’t pan out and Jerry Reed stepped in to save the day. He didn’t.

The post Smokey Is the Bandit appeared first on Trailers From Hell.

Pairing‌ ‌wine‌ ‌with‌ ‌movies!‌ ‌See‌ ‌the‌ ‌trailers‌ ‌and‌ ‌hear‌ ‌the‌ ‌fascinating‌ ‌commentary‌ ‌for‌ ‌these‌ ‌movies‌ ‌and‌ ‌many‌ ‌more‌ ‌at‌ ‌Trailers‌ ‌From‌ ‌Hell.‌ This week, our three movies concern L.A.’s favorite obsession – after movies, of course – cars. There is a wine pairing for each. Let’s get revved up.

Gumball Rally is a 1976 laffer about a coast-to-coast auto race with no rules – rather like Can-Am racing with less horsepower. A rich candy manufacturer, overcome with ennui, gets his car enthusiast pals together for the rally – which he hopes will liven up his humdrum life.

It’s a car-chase movie, so you know there is a hitch. In this case, the hitch is a bumbling L.A. cop who has made a career out of trying to apprehend the racers. You can bet your greasy camshaft that he will try and shut down the race at any cost. Never mind...

Burt Reynolds' Smokey And The Bandit movies are some of the late, great actors' most popular. The tar paid his dues as an actor thanks to appearances in TV shows like Alfred Hitchcock Presents or Reynolds' short stint on Western Gunsmoke, alongside b-movies like Operation C.I.A. He finally broke through thanks to classic 1972 survival thriller Deliverance and became one of the biggest stars of the decade. Alongside Smokey And The Bandit - which was the second highest-grossing film of 1977 behind Star Wars - he appeared in hit after hit, including The Longest Yard.

Sadly, some poor choices during the '80s saw his career wane, including City Heat, which paired him with friend Clint Eastwood. In his later career, Reynolds still turned in some great work, including Boogie Nights - though he famously loathed the film - in addition to working constantly. Reynolds' very quotable Smokey And The Bandit...

Charley Crockett showcased why he’s a must-see live performer when he made his late-night debut on Thursday’s episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live. The Texas singer-songwriter brought depth and swagger to his rendition of “I’m Just a Clown,” a standout single from his 2022 album The Man From Waco.

Backed by a small-but-mighty band, Crockett sang the funky tune about betrayal in his earthy baritone while he strummed an electric guitar. There wasn’t any wasted effort onstage: every band member played a crucial role, from the drummer and...

Charley Crockett continues his hyper-prolific output with another new album set for spring 2022. Marking his third full-length in a little more than a year, Lil’ G.L. Presents: Jukebox Charley will be released April 22 and includes a new cover of Jerry Reed’s “I Feel for You” that’s out now.

Crockett’s fourth installment in his Lil’ G.L. covers series, Jukebox Charley will take the Texas singer-songwriter to some less explored corners of the classic country songbook. Among them are songs written by Tom T. Hall (“Lonely in Person,...

The bright horns and slapping bass of Dolly Parton’s “Sure Thing,” the disco harmonies of Conway Twitty’s “Night Fires,” and the swagger of Ronnie Milsap’s “Get It Up” all get their due on Country Funk Volume III (1975-1982), the latest installment of Light in the Attic Records’ compilation series.

Slated for release on August 6th, the 17-track set is the first in the series to include music from the Eighties. Twitty’s Heart & Soul album, which featured the machismo-heavy “Night Fires,” was released in 1980; Jerry Reed...

“So the house lights will be up. I’ll take a look around, maybe raise up the ‘Cheers!’” Dierks Bentley says, taking a break from strumming his acoustic guitar to lift a can of peach-pear Lacroix to eye level and predict how a live audience might react after a year without concerts. “They may look at us like we’re idiots.”

Turning to his band, he adds, “Y’all ready?”

Bentley’s touring ensemble roars to life, filling this practice space at Soundcheck Nashville with the first live music I...

Geoffrey Scott, the actor best known for his roles on “Dynasty” and “Dark Shadows,” has died at the age of 79.

His widow confirmed the news to The Hollywood Reporter, revealing that Scott died of Parkinson’s disease just after midnight on the day after his birthday, February 23.

Scott got his start in acting when he was signed by legendary agent Dick Clayton, who went on to rep icons including Jane Fonda, James Dean and Burt Reynolds.

Signing a deal with Universal, Scott became known for his role as Sky Rumson in the ABC soap “Dark Shadows” in 1970, which kicked off a long and prolific career in soap acting. He went on to star in soaps like CBS’ “Where the Heart Is” and “Guiding Light,” along with ABC’s “General Hospital.”

In 1982, he joined the cast of “Dynasty” as tennis pro Mark Jennings, the first husband of Linda Evans’ Krystle Carrington.

Geoffrey Scott, who portrayed tennis pro Mark Jennings, the first husband of Linda Evans’ Krystle Carrington, on the 1980s ABC primetime soap Dynasty, has died. He was 79.

Scott died of Parkinson’s disease on Feb. 23 — just after midnight on the day after his birthday — in Broomfield, Colorado, his wife, Cheri Catherine Scott, told The Hollywood Reporter.

The handsome Scott also played a U.S. marshal fighting aliens in 1880s Wyoming on “The Secret Empire” portion of 1979 NBC series Cliffhangers!; starred alongside Jerry Reed on the 1981 CBS series Concrete Cowboys (he stepped into the role originated by Tom ...

Geoffrey Scott, who portrayed tennis pro Mark Jennings, the first husband of Linda Evans’ Krystle Carrington, on the 1980s ABC primetime soap Dynasty, has died. He was 79.

Scott died of Parkinson’s disease on Feb. 23 — just after midnight on the day after his birthday — in Broomfield, Colorado, his wife, Cheri Catherine Scott, told The Hollywood Reporter.

The handsome Scott also played a U.S. marshal fighting aliens in 1880s Wyoming on “The Secret Empire” portion of 1979 NBC series Cliffhangers!; starred alongside Jerry Reed on the 1981 CBS series Concrete Cowboys (he stepped into the role originated by Tom ...

Dolores Diaz and the Standby Club — a country covers band formed by Conor Oberst — is releasing a new live album, Live at O’Leavers, featuring recordings from two of the five gigs they’ve played.

The record is set to arrive December 11th via 15 Passenger, and in anticipation, Dolores Diaz and the Standby Club shared their takes on Bob Dylan’s “You Ain’t Goin’ Nowhere” and the Loretta Lynn classic, “Don’t Come Home a-Drinkin’ (With Lovin’ on Your Mind).” While Oberst sings lead on “You Ain’t Goin’ Nowhere,...

To mark the release of Senna and Smokey & The Bandit on November 2nd and November 9th, we’ve been given a bundle of the both releases to give away on DVD.

Senna

Senna is the true story of Brazilian motor-racing legend, Ayrton Senna, whom many believe was the greatest driver who ever lived. Spanning Senna’s titanic Formula One career, the film charts his physical and spiritual journey, both on track and off; his quest for perfection and his ultimate transformation from a supremely gifted novice, who exploded into F1 in 1984, to myth after the tragic events of Imola in 1994.

Smokey & The Bandit

Smokey and the Bandit: The Bandit (Burt Reynolds) is hired to illegally deliver 400 cases of Coors beer from Texas to Atlanta in 28 hours…without getting stopped

Smokey and the Bandit Ride Again: Burt Reynolds, Sally Field and Jackie Gleason team up again as a raucous political race...

After his last album Concrete & Mud was released in 2018, Sam Morrow found that he was often getting tagged with the “outlaw country” label. That album’s brawny mix of country-funk and retro boogie nodded to the influence of Waylon Jennings and Jerry Reed, undoubtedly, but the Houston native wasn’t entirely comfortable with the categorization.

“Even when I say it out loud, it makes me cringe a little bit,” he says, calling from his current home in Los Angeles. “’Outlaw’ sounds weird. I’m not an outlaw. I play video...

Whether it’s coming out of Nashville, New York, L.A., or points in between, there’s no shortage of fresh tunes, especially from artists who have yet to become household names. Rolling Stone Country selects some of the best new music releases from country and Americana artists.

Ross Cooper, “South of the Angels”

Bona fide cowboy Ross Cooper pays tribute to his remote slice of West Texas in this moody new ballad off his upcoming album Chasing Old Highs, due February 26th. Cooper’s voice is defiant and haunting...

Smokey and the Bandit, the 1977 comedy classic that cemented the superstardom of the late Burt Reynolds, will soon make an audacious attempt to smuggle itself back into the pop culture picture, with a television series now in the works at Universal Content Productions.

David Gordon Green has been tapped to develop, write, executive-produce and direct the prospective pilot for a new small screen take on the Southern, car-chase-centric, antihero-hailing Universal film franchise on behalf of studio subsidiary Ucp. Green will write alongside Brian Sides, a frequent collaborator, who also directs and produces documentary shows such as The Horn and Alaska: The Last Frontier. They’ll be joined by executive producers in Green’s cohorts from Rough House Pictures, notably Danny McBride, and Seth MacFarlane via his Fuzzy Door banner. While no details were divulged, a desire to revive a dwindling cinematic institution is telegraphed with a description that reads:

“[tt0076729 autoSmokey...

Star Wars was the highest grossing film in the United States in 1977, but do you know what movie sits in the #2 spot? It’s the high speed action comedy Smokey and the Bandit starring Burt Reynolds, Sally Field, Jackie Gleason, Jerry Reed and a slew of impressive car chases and crashes. Now, 43 years […]

The post ‘Smokey and the Bandit’ TV Series Coming from David Gordon Green and Seth MacFarlane appeared first on /Film.

Breaker-breaker, we have a 10-20 on a Smokey and the Bandit TV series, which is being developed by executive producer Seth MacFarlane for NBC Universal’s Ucp (Universal Content Productions).

The original 1977 movie, directed by stuntman Hal Needham, starred Burt Reynolds as Bo “Bandit” Darville, who with fellow bootlegger Cledus “Snowman” Snow (Jerry Reed) attempted to illegally transport 400 cases of beer from Texarkana to Atlanta. Upon picking up hitchhiking runaway bride Carrie (Sally Field), the trio are further dogged by Texas county sheriff/”Smokey” Buford T. Justice (Jackie Gleason).

More from TVLineThe Orville Season 3: Seth MacFarlane Gives UpdateGood Times...

This is an attention-getter: Smokey and the Bandit is being remade for television by Halloween’s David Gordon Green and Brian Sides.

The pair are developing the adaptation of the 1977 Burt Reynolds movie with Ucp and Seth MacFarlane’s Fuzzy Door.

The movie, which was directed by stuntman Hal Needham, follows Reynolds’ Bo ‘Bandit’ Darville and Jerry Reed’s Cledus ‘Snowman’ Snow, two bootleggers attempting to illegally transport 400 cases of beer from Texarkana to Atlanta as they are being chased by Jackie Gleason’s county sheriff Buford T. Justice.

The series is described as an epic adventure of family, small-town crime, unlikely heroes, legend and legacy. Inspired by the genre of 70s and 80s drive-in double-features, the series explores the crossroads where humble realities meet those larger-than-life, all in a blast of tailpipe exhaust.

Gordon Green, who was born in Little Rock, Arkansas and grew up in Texas, recently revived the Halloween franchise,...

The classic 1977 action comedy “Smokey and the Bandit” is getting the TV treatment.

Ucp, a division of Universal Studio Group, and Seth MacFarlane’s Fuzzy Door are teaming to develop a series based on the Burt Reynolds movie.

The series is being written by “Pineapple Express” director David Gordon Green and regular collaborator Brian Sides. MacFarlane and Green are both executive producing.

“Smokey and the Bandit” is an epic adventure of family, small-town crime, unlikely heroes, legend and legacy. Inspired by the genre of 70s and 80s drive-in double-features, the series will “explore the crossroads where humble realities meet those larger-than-life, all in a blast of tailpipe exhaust.”

The original film was produced by Universal Pictures and starred Reynolds, who passed away just over two years ago, in the iconic role of Bo “Bandit” Darville. Bandit was payed to bootleg 400 cases of Coors beer across the country from Texarkana, Texas to Atlanta.

Whether it’s coming out of Nashville, New York, L.A., or points in between, there’s no shortage of fresh tunes, especially from artists who have yet to become household names. Rolling Stone Country selects some of the best new music releases from country and Americana artists.

Olivia Wolf, “Young Widow Blues”

Olivia Wolf knows from bluegrass: her grandfather is the founder of San Francisco’s Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival. In this haunting tale of death and loneliness, Wolf is walking her betrothed down the aisle, not for a wedding ceremony but a funeral.

Adam Sandler's 1998 sports comedy The Waterboy is one of the divisive comedians more fondly remembered movies. Though he did not appear in the movie himself, frequent Sandler collaborator Kevin James was recently asked which of his pal's characters he would most like to see receive a spin-off, with James quickly calling for The Waterboy to make a comeback.

"Oh, Bobby Boucher. I think Bobby Boucher would crush it. I'd wanna see more of that. I think he's phenomenal. I would love to see that."

Bobby Boucher is, of course, the protagonist of The Waterboy. Played by Sandler, who employs one of his typically ridiculous voices for the role, Bobby is raised by his overprotective mother, Helen. Bobby is the water boy for a successful college football team coached by Red Beaulieu, but when Beaulieu fires Bobby, he takes up the same position for a losing rival team, led by despairing Coach Klein.

Iconic songwriter and Country Music Hall of Fame member Bobby Bare turns 85 on April 7th and will follow that milestone 10 days later with a brand-new album, Great American Saturday Night. The collection of songs, penned by Bare’s late friend, songwriter and author Shel Silverstein, first formed the basis of a concept album recorded in 1978 but never released.

The first song off of the LP, premiering today, is “Livin’ Legend,” the poignant recollections of an aging folk singer who survived the folk boom of the early Sixties, only to find...

In 1998, Elvis Presley was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. The long-awaited honor came 12 years after Presley was one of the first members enshrined in the newly formed Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1986. His connection to country music was evident from the beginning of his career, even if his sole Grand Ole Opry performance on October 2nd, 1954, was allegedly followed by Opry manager Jim Denny’s advice that he return to his day job as a truck driver in Memphis.

Two weeks later, the 19-year-old, who was signed to Sun Records,...

Brent Cobb celebrates both family bonds and the natural beauty of his native Georgia in a new three-part performance series. In the first video, premiering today, Cobb strips down his song “Come Home Soon” — which gives the series its name — and sings the homesick track, off his album Providence Canyon, against the shimmer of a lake at dusk.

But it’s the inclusion of Cobb’s daughter Lyla that elevates the clip above just promotional content. Director Chris Phelps captures the unguarded relationship between father and daughter, as the pair fish together,...

Midland held court at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium on Sunday night, delivering a headlining set full of hits like “Drinkin’ Problem” and “Burn Out,” new songs off their upcoming second album and a slew of bar-band covers. That the gig also fell on Cinco de Mayo only made it that much more of a party. Here are five reasons you should have been there.

1. Midland’s New Material

If the new songs that Midland debuted on Sunday night are any indication, the trio is doubling down on making Eagles country-rock cool again.

Born 84 years ago today in Tupelo, Mississippi, Elvis Presley transfixed millions of fans (and outraged many others) with his rock & roll swagger before most of them had any idea what rock & roll was or would become in popular culture. His incendiary stage presence notwithstanding, Presley’s Southern roots and polite demeanor would also endear him to country music listeners and, until his untimely death in August 1977 at 42, Presley continued to record songs from some of the great country tunesmiths.

Hit songwriters including Mac Davis, Larry Gatlin and Jerry Reed helped Presley reach the country chart,...

Roy Clark, who died Thursday at 85, may have been one of country music’s most revered musicians, but he found broad fame as the co-host of Hee Haw, opposite Buck Owens. The country variety series also served as a showcase for Clark’s playing though, especially its “Pickin’ and Grinnin'” segment.

The bit often featured one of the show’s musical guest stars, who, for the most part, tried to keep up with Clark, whose prowess on guitar, banjo and other instruments could certainly prove intimidating.

In the above “Pickin...

Since releasing their debut album On the Rocks in 2017, Midland have made their home on the road, supporting the LP on tours with Little Big Town and Thomas Rhett and with their own headlining sets. The latter gigs are typically raucous affairs, with the band playing the majority of On the Rocks and firing off a string of on-the-nose cover songs — like Jerry Reed’s Smokey and the Bandit trucker anthem “East Bound and Down,” which Midland performed Wednesday night on the 52nd annual Cma Awards.

Billed as a tribute to the late Burt Reynolds,...

It’s been 20 years since Adam Sandler’s sports comedy The Waterboy was released in theaters. It’s not Sandler’s best work, but when it first came out it was an enjoyable movie. In case you need a reminder of what the film is about, here’s the synopsis:

Raised by his overprotective mother, Helen (Kathy Bates), Bobby Boucher Jr. (Adam Sandler) is the water boy for a successful college football team coached by Red Beaulieu (Jerry Reed). When Beaulieu fires Bobby, he takes up the same position for a losing rival team, led by despairing Coach Klein (Henry Winkler). After witnessing Bobby beat up a player who teased him too much, Klein adds him to the roster as a linebacker. Soon, Klein's players are championship contenders.

Yes, the main character taps into the rage of being bullied and uses it to destroy his opponents on the football field.

Burt is gone, but his movies live on! This weekend, the Skyview Drive-In in downtown Belleville, Il, will pay tribute to the late superstar Burt Reynolds with a double feature of two of his best films!

At 8pm is Smokey And The Bandit

Ever wonder what the second highest grossing film of 1977 was, after Star Wars?Redneck bad boys were all the rage in ’77. Cars were still made in Michigan and Cb radios were the hot technology with phrases like “10-4 good buddy” familiar expressions and Smokey And The Bandit captured that side of American culture as well as any film.The plot of Smokey And The Bandit was merely an excuse for the many car chases and gags that comprised the thin story, which is about Bandit (Burt Reynolds) and his buddy Cledus (aka: “Snowman”. – Jerry Reed) attempting to win a bet. They have to drive from Georgia to Arkansas,...

Brent Cobb moved to Nashville in 2008, landing a publishing deal that same year. Although he’d already released an album — the out-of-print No Place Left to Leave, released a full decade before his 2016 breakthrough, Shine on Rainy Day — Cobb found himself thrust into a business that required him to write songs for other artists, not himself. And though he was successful in that role, scoring cuts for Luke Bryan and Miranda Lambert, among others, he never forgot about his solo career.

“The first question I ever got was, ‘Are you...

This past week Burt Reynolds, perhaps the most self-deprecating movie star to ever cruise to box-office domination, died during a hospital stay in Jupiter, Florida, at the age of 82. “I’m pretty passionate about my work,” he once said, “even though I sometimes have this realization on the second day of shooting that I’m doing a piece of shit. So, I can do one of two things: I can just take the money, or I can try to be passionate. But the name of the boat is still the Titanic.” Yes, on top of being effortlessly likable and undeniably sexy, Reynolds was naturally funny too. And yes, there are a lot of confirmed pieces of shit floating around out there in which he received top billing. But even if the bad ones in his oeuvre outnumber the good ones (and I would argue that this is indeed the case...

AMC Theatres is bringing back Burt Reynolds’ 1977 comedy “Smokey and the Bandit” for a nine-day run as a tribute to the late actor, who died on Thursday.

The chain announced Friday that the movie will play at 240 AMC locations from Sept. 12 to Sept. 20 with a $5 ticket price (or lower depending on the theater). Showtimes and tickets should be on sale at participating locations by the end of the weekend.

Reynolds portrayed Bo “Bandit” Darville, who partners with Jerry Reed’s character, Cledus Snow, to haul 400 cases of bootleg Coors beer from Texarkana, Texas, back to Atlanta in 28 hours in order to collect $80,000. “Smokey and the Bandit” also starred Sally Field as a runaway bride picked up by Reynolds, Jackie Gleason, Pat McCormick, Paul Williams, and Mike Henry. Field’s character complicates matters because she has ditched the son of Texas Sheriff Buford T. Justice, played with gusto by Gleason as...

Add AMC Theatres to the list of entertainment outlets that are honoring actor Burt Reynolds, who died on Thursday at age 82.

The chain will screen Reynolds’s classic Smokey and the Bandit at 240 AMC locations from Wednesday, Sept. 12 through Thursday, Sept. 20. Ticket prices will be $5 or lower, depending on the location, in honor of the 40-year-old film. Tickets should be on sale at participating locations by the end of the weekend.

Smokey and the Bandit was a 1977 comedy starring an all-star cast of the era, including Reynolds, Sally Field, Jackie Gleason, Jerry Reed, Pat McCormick, Paul Williams and Mike Henry, and marked the directorial debut of Reynolds close friend Hal Needham. It went on to inspire two film sequels and several television films. The original movie was the second highest-grossing film of 1977.

The film centers on a plan to bring an illegal shipment of Coors Beer into Georgia. At the time,...

Even Burt Reynolds in his black Trans Am, all gonna meet down at the Cadillac Ranch. No movie star has ever not given a fuck more deeply, more passionately, than the late, great Burt Reynolds. He could give off that Idgaf shrug with every muscle in his body, including the ones in his mustache. He was the Homer of American bad-ass stoicism, with Smokey and the Bandit as his Iliad and Sharky’s Machine as his Odyssey. Both of his eyebrows were finely tuned Stradivarius violins, calibrated to the point...

The first time we lay eyes on Burt Reynolds’ truck-driving legend Bo “Bandit” Darville in 1977’s Smokey and the Bandit, he’s sprawled out in a zebra-striped hammock, lazily napping when he should be hustling to make a buck by posing for pictures for a discounted 75 cents.

“Looks like a legend and an out-of-work bum look a lot alike, Daddy,” quips Paul Williams’ Little Enos Burdette to his father, Big Enos Burdette, who’s dressed in the same outlandish suit, ascot and cowboy hat as his diminutive offspring. Reynolds, owning the moment,...

Burt Reynolds, a top Hollywood star of the 1970s whose hits ranged from such classic, easy-going drive-in fare as Smokey and the Bandit to the intense, hunted-men drama Deliverance, died today at the Jupiter Medical Center in Florida. He was 82.

“It is with a broken heart that I said goodbye to my uncle today,” Reynolds’ niece Nancy Lee Hess said in a statement (read it in full below).

With a sly, knowing grin, signature moustache and a unique blend of charm, cool and machismo, Reynolds was a bona fide cultural phenomenon. He became a frequent guest of Johnny Carson’s Tonight Show, was the first major celebrity nude male centerfold and off-screen romantic partner of such stars as frequent co-star Sally Field and Dinah Shore. Reynolds would achieve a newfound respect among critics and fans alike for the late-career peak in 1997’s Boogie Nights, for which he earned his only Oscar nomination.

In August 1972, 22-year-old Houston-born songwriter Rodney Crowell first arrived in Nashville, a passenger in fellow songwriter Donivan Cowart’s 1965 baby blue Chevy Impala. Much as it is today, the city was experiencing a major growth spurt. Urban renewal, an interstate highway system and the changing face of the Music City skyline were among the factors contributing to Nashville’s growing pains. Music Row, which housed the country-music industry’s record labels and publishing companies, was cashing in on the “Nashville Sound,” the country-meets-pop production style perfected by producers Owen Bradley and Chet Atkins.

There are bands who play country music – and then there are honest-to-goodness country bands. Count Mike and the Moonpies among the latter.

On Friday night, the Austin, Texas, six-piece pulled their 1981 Silver Eagle into Nashville for a stop not at one of the city’s all-genre clubs in the heart of downtown, but at the 41-year-old Nashville Palace, the Music Valley honky-tonk once owned in part by Jerry Reed. Fittingly, the Moonpies nodded to Reed with a double-timed cover of “Amos Moses,” a fan’s request slipped to the group on a napkin,...

On May 19, 1977, Universal premiered Burt Reynolds' Smokey and the Bandit at the Radio City Music Hall in New York. The Hollywood Reporter's original review of the action comedy is below.

One of the last American frontiers is the open road, and the men who drive the 18-wheelers across these paved wildernesses are the ones who will provide our modern legends, according to Jerry Reed's main credit song for Smokey and the Bandit, a Rastar production for Universal.

And, like most legends, the film is based almost solely on derring-do feats with little concern with substance and/or reality....

On May 19, 1977, Universal premiered Burt Reynolds' Smokey and the Bandit at the Radio City Music Hall in New York. The Hollywood Reporter's original review of the action comedy is below.

One of the last American frontiers is the open road, and the men who drive the 18-wheelers across these paved wildernesses are the ones who will provide our modern legends, according to Jerry Reed's main credit song for Smokey and the Bandit, a Rastar production for Universal.

And, like most legends, the film is based almost solely on derring-do feats with little concern with substance and/or reality....