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If the Monkees were a made-for-tv response to the success of the Beatles, then the Monkees’ first movie, Head, was an attempt to cash in on the popularity of films like Help! and A Hard Day’s Night. Who could producers tap to script the project? Director Bob Rafelson knew just the guy — B-movie actor and struggling screenwriter Jack Nicholson.

“Jack was fabulous,” Monkee Peter Tork told The Guardian. “We adored him, all of us. Michael (Nesmith) practically fell in love with him, in a manly sort of way.”

Micky Dolenz co-signed on the band’s love of Nicholson. “He was such a wonderful, charismatic, funny guy,” he explained. “Jack spent a lot of time with us. He hung out on the (TV show) set and came out on tour, just picking up the vibe.”

The four Monkees — Dolenz, Tork, Nesmith and Davy Jones — collaborated with Rafelson and Nicholson on the story.

Beach Boys co-founder and pop genius Brian Wilson has died at the age of 82. The news of his passing has inspired fellow musicians to flood social media with their gratitude for his artistry and memories of his music. Update: Along with the below tributes, Wilson’s Beach Boys bandmates Mike Love and Al Jardine have written individual eulogies, and Paul McCartney has shared his own emotional tribute.

“Heard the sad news about Brian today and thought about all the years I’ve been listening to him and admiring his genius,” wrote Bob Dylan. “Rest in peace dear Brian.

“Anyone with a musical bone in their body must be grateful for Brian Wilson’s genius magical touch !!” Mick Fleetwood wrote. “Greatly saddened of this major worldly loss!! My thoughts go out to his family and friends.”

Ronnie Wood added, “Oh no Brian Wilson and Sly Stone in one week. My world is in mourning.

Brian Wilson’s friends and fellow celebrities are remembering the music icon. On Wednesday, after his family confirmed his death, Al Jardine, Mike Love, Mick Fleetwood, Elton John, Nancy Sinatra, and Sean Ono Lennon were among the stars to remember the revered Beach Boys leader.

“We are heartbroken to announce that our beloved father Brian Wilson has passed away. We are at a loss for words right now,” they wrote. “Please respect our privacy at this time as our family is grieving. We realize that we are sharing our grief with the world.

Happy Daysbrought us joy, happiness, and some of our favorite stars. One of those stars is Henry Winkler. The actor played Arthur Herbert Fonzarelli, aka The Fonz or Fonzie, on the series. And while he is close friends with his co-star Ron Howard and became a legend due to the series, the role almost went to someone else. Micky Dolenz from The Monkees recently spoke with People and said that he was originally up for the role of The Fonz prior to Winkler taking on the character.

It wasn't rare back then for rock stars to play roles on sitcoms. Dolenz and his fellow bandmates had been on The Brady Bunch, especially since Marcia Brady had a crush on the lead singer, Davy Jones. The band also ended up being in The Brady Bunch Movie because of how they'd pop up on the series. But Dolenz came from an acting...

After his stint as one of the Monkees, drummer, vocalist and all-around goof Micky Dolenz knew his acting career would stall. “I grew up in a showbiz family and heard the term ‘typecasting’ before I could walk. My dad was an actor and got typecast as a swashbuckling romantic lead in sword-fighting movies,” Dolenz told People. “I knew I wouldn’t get an acting gig (after The Monkees).”

He remembered going into auditions after his sitcom was canceled, with casting directors asking, “What are you doing here? We don’t need any drummers!”

But while parts were hard to find, Dolenz did find himself a finalist for a plum sitcom role a few years later. It was 1973, and he was being considered for the part of Arthur “The Fonz” Fonzarelli on a new sitcom called Happy Days. “I almost got it,” Dolenz claimed. “Supposedly, it was between me and Henry (Winkler). He remembers it too.

Micky Dolenz reflected on how he was almost cast as Happy Days’ greaser sex symbol Arthur Herbert “Fonzie” Fonzarelli in a new interview. “I almost got it,” the actor told People. “Supposedly, it was between me and Henry [Winkler]. He remembers it, too. The story I heard is that he was in the waiting room, saw me come in, and thought, ‘Oh shit, I’ll never get this — Micky Dolenz is here!’ So we laugh about it now. He’s a good friend and a brilliant talent.”

At the time...

"Gilligan's Island" isn't a show that deals in beginnings and ends. The iconic theme song explains perfectly well what's going on, and the sitcom's whole premise is that the central group of castaways is trapped in a perpetual limbo that they can never fully escape, no matter how much they try. Because of this, any episode of "Gilligan's Island" can be the quintessential one -- it's up to the viewer which particular mixture of the show's central elements is the best.

This makes any list of essential "Gilligan's Island" episodes subjective by default. One viewer might like the fantastical elements that can border on supernatural, while another might enjoy the pseudoscience represented by the Professor's (Russell Johnson) inventions and the various gadgets that inexplicably keep washing ashore. It's also perfectly possible to simply take the episodes' premises for what they ultimately are: Vehicles to showcase Gilligan's (Bob Denver) ineptitude,...

He was in one of the biggest groups in the world – all without playing a note. As the last surviving Monkee turns 80, he remembers 60s fame – and what happened when the band broke free

In 1965, Micky Dolenz was an architecture student and jobbing actor in Los Angeles, doing the rounds of auditions for TV pilots. As a 10-year-old he had played the lead in a TV series called Circus Boy, but the former child star began to notice something odd about the jobs his agent was now sending him to: every one was for a series “about kids in a band”. He says: “One was called The Happeners, about a little folk trio like Peter, Paul and Mary. One was about a surfing band like the Beach Boys. Another was about a big family folk ensemble. Something was in the air, obviously, because of the Beatles, the Beach Boys, the Four Seasons,...

Photo credit: “Shutterstock.AI” In the year 1967, there was a group that outsold every other artist in the music business. It wasn’t The Beatles. It wasn’t The Beach Boys. It wasn’t The Rolling Stones. And it definitely wasn’t Gary Puckett & the Union Gap. No, it was The Monkees! Even though they had the derisive nickname of “The Prefab Four” — a reference to the group being assembled solely for the purposes of their TV show — their music was good, not to mention extremely popular. Classics like I’m a Believer, Last Train to Clarksville, and Daydream Believer have held up well over time. We only wish we could say the same about the group itself. Sadly, Micky Dolenz is the only remaining Monkee, but he is proudly carrying on the legacy. Speaking at a recent panel devoted to the group at Gallatin Comic Con, Dolenz talked about the immediate chemistry that he,...

David Letterman is calling Teri Garr, who died Tuesday, one of his “all time favorite guests,” while Garr’s Mr. Mom costar Michael Keaton laments “a day I feared and knew was coming.” And Richard Dreyfuss, who costarred with Garr in Close Encounters of the Third Kind, remembers her as “vibrant, playful and so funny.”

The late, great Teri Garr, who brightened everything from sitcoms, variety shows, talk shows, some of the funniest movies ever made and even the occasional drama is being remembered by co-stars and colleagues today for the light she was.

“I adored Teri,” tweeted Dreyfuss. “She was vibrant, playful and so funny. Her essence created an ease in every scene we did together.

The 1990s were a fantastic time for Nicolas Cage and a decade that featured some of his greatest film roles. After building up his reputation throughout the 1980s, this was the era that Cage really broke into the mainstream to become a household name and one of the biggest movie stars Hollywood had ever seen. Not only did this period feature his Oscar-winning performance in Leaving Las Vegas, but Cage also proved his skills as a major action hero in a number of now-iconic movies, including Con Air and Face/Off.

Many of the best Nicolas Cage movies were released during the 1990s, as he proved himself a sternly committed actor willing to take serious risks. While there were some truly disappointing releases during this decade, the fact that Cage was willing to fail and come back swinging proved him an actor of great determination and ability. The 1990s was a...

Freestyle Digital Media is gearing up to release the horror-comedy The Zombie Wedding, a unique blend of romance and the undead. Set to debut on Cable and Digital VOD platforms including Apple TV, Amazon, Google Play, and more on 13th September 2024, the film will also play in select theatres across the US. It’s the first feature film from Weekly World News Studios, launching their IP-driven slate of movie projects.

The concept of The Zombie Wedding is as quirky as it sounds: a young New Jersey couple chooses to go ahead with their nuptials amidst a full-blown zombie apocalypse. What makes the story even more unconventional? The groom is already a zombie, while the bride is still human. As the day approaches, tensions rise not just between the undead and the living, but also between their two vastly different families.

Adapted from an interactive play of the same name, The Zombie Wedding...

V/H/S/Beyond: "V/H/S/Beyond, the seventh installment of the V/H/S franchise will feature six new bloodcurdling tapes, placing horror at the forefront of a sci-fi-inspired hellscape."

Directed by

Jordan Downey (ThanksKilling, The Head Hunter)

Christian Long & Justin Long (Jeepers Creepers, Barbarian)

Justin Martinez (V/H/S, Southbound)

Virat Pal (Recapture)

Kate Siegel (Hush, "The Haunting of Hill House")

and a special presentation by

Jay Cheel (How To Build A Time Machine)

Premiering On Shudder October 4th

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Watch the Stop Motion Horror Short It Came From Beyond The Drain: "It Came From Beyond the Drain A man and his dog must defend themselves from a creature that erupts from beneath their kitchen sink. Directed by Adam Ciolfi"

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Director's Cut: "Happy Halloween, horror fans! Director's Cut, from filmmaker Don Capria, is slated to arrive in select cinemas this October 31st, and hits VOD later this Autumn! A riotous slasher throwback that pays tribute...

The first title to launch the Weekly World News IP-driven studio slate of movie projects is The Zombie Wedding, and Freestyle Digital Media has set a September release date for the romantic horror-comedy. Additionally, they’ve provided us with the exclusive trailer reveal.

Freestyle has scheduled a limited theatrical and VOD release date of September 13, 2024.

On September 13, there will be also be special Friday the 13th screening of The Zombie Wedding in New York City at the rock club/lounge The Cutting Room.

The Zombie Wedding will hit theaters in the following U.S. cities:

Los Angeles Chicago Atlanta Houston Denver

The Zombie Wedding tells the story of what happens when a young New Jersey couple decides to go through with their dream wedding – during the Zombie Apocalypse. Unfortunately, the bride is a human, and the groom is a zombie. Both families are fearful, but the humans’ behavior is downright beastly.

Exclusive: Freestyle Digital Media, the digital film distribution division of Byron Allen’s Allen Media Group, has acquired North American rights to the romantic comedy The Zombie Wedding. The film is based on the eponymous interactive play and is the first title to launch the Weekly World News IP-driven studio slate of movie projects. Freestyle Digital Media is planning a fall 2024 release date.

The Zombie Wedding tells the story of what happens when a young New Jersey couple decides to go through with their dream wedding during the zombie apocalypse. Unfortunately, the bride is a human and the groom is a zombie. Both families are fearful, but the humans’ behavior is downright beastly. When the Zombies become brain-deprived, the ceremony takes a turn for the weird. Weekly World News reporters cover this wild, wacky wedding – while trying to get out alive.

Written by Greg D’Alessandro, The Zombie Wedding was directed...

For my money, the Monkees are way, way more interesting than the Beatles. 

According to Andrew Sandoval's thorough and invaluable book "The Monkees: The Day-By-Day Story of the '60s TV Pop Sensation," an ad was put in Variety and the Hollywood Reporter on September 8, 1965, looking for "four insane boys" to be the members of a new pre-fabricated pop band. The band would also star in a TV series -- deliberately meant to evoke Richard Lester's 1964 Beatles film "A Hard Day's Night" -- that would use their real names, but present their lives as a fictional merry-go-round of kooky shenanigans. 

The producers zeroed in on former child actor Micky Dolenz, a friend of musician Stephen Stills named Peter Tork, a British, boyish heartthrob named Davy Jones, and heir to the Liquid Paper fortune, Mike Nesmith. Their TV series debuted on September 12, 1966, the week after "Star Trek" debuted, and...

Rolling Stone interview series Unknown Legends features long-form conversations between senior writer Andy Greene and veteran musicians who have toured and recorded alongside icons for years, if not decades. All are renowned in the business, but some are less well known to the general public. Here, these artists tell their complete stories, giving an up-close look at life on music’s A list. This edition features guitarist Christian Nesmith.

Christian Nesmith can’t even count the number of times he’s walked offstage, bursting with pride and adrenaline after playing an amazing concert,...

R.E.M. have been retired for more than a decade, but fans of the band will still have a chance to catch a live performance of their 1983 debut album Murmur in the near future. That’s because actor Michael Shannon and guitarist Jason Narducy have announced a seven-date US tour, during they’ll perform Mumur and other early R.E.M. songs.

With accompaniment from Jon Wurster (drums), Dag Juhlin (guitar), Nick Macri (bass), and Vijay Tellis-Nayak (piano), Shannon and Narducy will visit Minneapolis, Athens, D.C., Brooklyn, and more throughout February 2024. Tickets go on sale Friday, September 29th.

“I have been a fan of R.E.M. since my cousin played me the Document cassette out at my Aunt Norma’s trailer,” said Shannon in a statement. “I spent days and hours stumbling around my hometown of Lexington, Ky listening to Murmur on my Walkman, long before the notion of...

Micky Dolenz — the sole surviving member of The Monkees — has announced a new EP of R.E.M. covers. Aptly titled Dolenz Sings R.E.M, it’s out on November 3rd. In anticipation, Dolenz has shared the lead single: his version of “Shiny Happy People.” Stream the song below.

In addition to “Shiny Happy People,” the four-song EP will feature Dolenz’s renditions of “Radio Free Europe,” “Man on the Moon,” and “Leaving New York.” The project will be released via 7A Records, and will be available on special yellow vinyl. Pre-orders are ongoing.

As revealed in a new interview with Rolling Stone, the multi-generational mash-up was the result of a conversation Dolenz had with 7A Records co-owner Glenn Gretlund. “I was talking to Glenn about what to do next,” Dolenz explained. “The band R.E.M. came up. I went, ‘Wow, that’s very cool.’ I’m a big fan… And I...

Eddie Munster himself, Butch Patrick, will be appearing alongside The Munster Koach and Dragula at NorthEast Comic Con’s Collectibles Extravaganza at the Boxboro Regency Hotel in Boxborough, Ma on June 30-July 2.

Patrick starred on The Munsters from 1964 to 1966 and in the 1966 film Munster, Go Home. Last year, he made a voice cameo as The Tin Can Man in Rob Zombie’s reboot. The child actor turned car enthusiast will discuss his career in a panel on Saturday afternoon.

Other guests include The Monkees’ Micky Dolenz, Sam J. Jones (Flash Gordon), The Runaways’ Cherie Currie, Ramones’ Richie Ramone, Michael Des Barres (Ghoulies), Keone Young (Deadwood), former Megadeth guitarists Richie Ramone and Chris Poland, Marvel Zombies cover artist Arthur Suydam, and more.

In addition to the celebrities meeting fans, signing autographs, and taking pictures all weekend, there will also be panels, pop culture vehicles, live music and entertainment, cosplay, dozens of exhibitors and vendors,...

Head is the psychedelic tossing about of the four members of the American classic rock group The Monkees. We follow Peter Tork, Davy Jones, Mickey Dolenz, and Michael Nesmith through a series of interconnected randomized sequences that represent psychological liberation and unusual expression. Rock and roll was at its height during this era in 1968. The Beatles and The Rolling Stones were making history all around the world and brought rock and roll to America. There we find The Monkees, and we now have this cinematic masterpiece of imagery and music.

The Beatles seemed to have quite an influence on The Monkees and their visual interpretation. Their hairstyles are longer, and they collectively embrace each other’s quirks and energy. In addition, the psychedelic imagery and some of the song choices mirror those of Magical Mystery Tour. However, this film is in a category of its own… in the best way possible.

Presidents of the United States (both sitting and former) have won. So have former Beatles. And a First Lady. And a lot of other unlikely movie types. The truth is, with so many Primetime Emmy Awards handed out – well over 100 annually – it’s easy for some intriguing victors in both the deeper past and more recently to slip through the cracks.

So as a public service, here are a few dozen-plus Emmy winners you may have missed.

Barack Obama – Yes, our 44th President took home an Emmy trophy in 2022 as best narrator for an episode of the doc series “Our Great National Parks.” He thus became the second President to be so honored. To find out the first, see below. Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr – It may have escaped your gaze, but the former Beatles won an Emmy last year for top documentary/nonfiction series (shared with Peter Jackson and...

The musical career of the Monkees can be neatly divided into two distinct periods: before Headquarters and after Headquarters. Prior to the June 1967 LP, the band’s songs were selected by outside producers and largely played by studio pros, leaving the four members of the actual group little to do beyond providing vocals. This led to giant hits like “I’m a Believer” and “Last Train to Clarksville,” but the Monkees felt like frauds and successfully lobbied to be given complete control with Headquarters. With the exception of bass, the...

In 1967, no band in the world was bigger than The Monkees. In the year that brought us the Summer of Love, The Monkees outsold the Beach Boys and even The Beatles, helped by a hit TV show that brought their music into millions of households each week. After the show had run its course, the band tried to extend their reach onto the big screen with Head, an indie-style film that left a lot of people scratching their own heads — including The Monkees themselves. Speaking at a fan event, Micky Dolenz admitted that it’s taken him a lot of time to figure out what the film’s soon-to-be-famous producers, including Jack Nicholson and Bob Rafelson, were trying to do in the film … because, at the time, he was just as confused as everybody else. (Click on the media bar below to hear Micky Dolenz) https://www.hollywoodoutbreak.com/wp-content...

Exclusive: Rock and roll fantasy camp could be heading to the small screen.

Fox is developing single-camera comedy Rock Camp from The Goldbergs co-exec producer Steve Basilone, Jeff Rowe and David Fishof, founder of Rock and Roll Fantasy Camp.

The project follows a down on his luck rock star, who after a series of screw-ups, begrudgingly goes to teach at Rock Camp — a summer camp where anyone can live out their fantasy of shredding next to their favorite rockers — in order to satisfy a court mandate and save his reputation.

Basilone, who has also written on Community and The Michael J. Fox Show, will write and will exec produce alongside Rowe, and Fishof.

Fishof started Rock and Roll Fantasy Camp after having worked with Ringo Starr, Roger Daltrey, The Monkees, Joe Walsh and Peter Frampton. He launched it in 1997 and has put more than 6,000 folks through their rock star dreams.

Before "The Tick," and before "The Tick," but after "The Tick," there was "The Tick," the short-lived animated series that ran on Fox from 1994 to 1996. 

The Tick was a parody superhero character originally created by cartoonist Ben Edlund in 1986. The character was a massive pile of muscles wrapped in a skin-tight blue bodysuit, and sporting a tiny pair of tick antennae on his head. He was incredibly strong, incredibly noble, and not at all bright. The Tick was just as in love with the iconography of superherodom as he was with committing acts of justice. He would frequently narrate his own adventures. Ironically, his powers and outfit had absolutely nothing to do with pesky, blood-sucking arachnids. When a thug points out to the Tick that most ticks have eight legs, he confidently retorts "How do you know I don't?"

In the 1994 "The Tick" animated series, the title hero was voiced by Townsend Coleman,...

Refresh for updates… Stephen Stills has joined his former bandmate Graham Nash in paying tribute to David Crosby, who died Thursday at 81.

In a statement provided to Deadline, Stills said:

I read a quote in this morning’s paper attributed to compose Gustav Mahler that stopped me for a moment:

“Death has, on placid cat’s paws, entered the room.”

I shoulda known something was up.

David and I butted heads a lot over time, but they were mostly glancing blows, yet still left us numb skulls..

I was happy to be at peace with him.

He was without question a giant of a musician, and his harmonic sensibilities were nothing short of genius.

The glue that held us together as our vocals soared, like Icarus, towards the sun.

I am deeply saddened at his passing and shall miss him beyond measure.”

Related: Hollywood & Media Deaths In 2023: Photo Gallery & Obituaries

Graham Nash,...

The story of the Monkees is well known to any fan of 1960s pop music. Producers Bob Rafelson and Bert Schneider, inspired by the freewheeling antics they witnessed in Richard Lester's celebrated 1964 Beatles film "A Hard Day's Night," wanted to capture a similar energy on the small screen. Widespread auditions were held to form a new band that possessed musical talent, but, more importantly, screen chemistry and maybe some acting acumen. The production team was lucky to land one Micky Dolenz, a former child star who appeared on the long-forgotten sitcom "Circus Boy." Davy Jones and Mike Nesmith followed. Peter Tork was suggested by his friend Stephen Stills. While the Monkees did not form organically, they did have chemistry, and possessed humor and acting talent that their less interesting Liverpudlian counterparts never did. Yes, it is now written. The Monkees are, in their way, more interesting than the Beatles.

Cocaine Bear: "Inspired by the 1985 true story of a drug runner's plane crash, missing cocaine, and the black bear that ate it, this wild dark comedy finds an oddball group of cops, criminals, tourists and teens converging in a Georgia forest where a 500- pound apex predator has ingested a staggering amount of cocaine and gone on a coke-fueled rampage for more blow … and blood.

Cocaine Bear stars Keri Russell (The Americans), O’Shea Jackson, Jr. (Straight Outta Compton), Christian Convery-Jennings (Sweet Tooth), Alden Ehrenreich (Solo: A Star Wars Story), Jesse Tyler Ferguson (Modern Family), Brooklynn Prince (The Florida Project), Isiah Whitlock Jr. (BlacKkKlansman), Kristofer Hivju (Game of Thrones), Hannah Hoekstra (2019’s Charlie’s Angels) and Aaron Holliday (Sharp Objects), with with Emmy winner Margo Martindale (The Americans) and Emmy winner Ray Liotta (The Many Saints of Newark).

Directed by Elizabeth Banks from a screenplay by Jimmy Warden (The Babysitter: Killer Queen...

Director James Gunn reveals that another cameo was considered for The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special in case they did not get Kevin Bacon. The Guardians of the Galaxy side of the Marvel Cinematic Universe has left an impression on moviegoers for its quirky characters and '80s aesthetic that Gunn had employed while developing the films. The driving force behind these decisions comes from the character of Peter Quill (Chris Pratt) who is depicted as an man-child who is still mentally stuck in the '80s. The holiday special will bring the character full circle with him finally meeting his hero, Bacon, portraying a fictionalized version of himself.

While Bacon seems like the most obvious choice to appear in the special, Gunn reveals in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter that he did have a back-up '80s icon in mind should Bacon have turned them down. Quill...

Click here to read the full article.

The world of James Gunn has never been more eventful than it is right now.

The filmmaker is set to release The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special on Nov. 25 on Disney+, and he’s also deep in post-production on Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, his final film in the Marvel Studios franchise. Last but not least, he just became co-chairman and co-ceo of DC Studios, alongside producer Peter Safran, and the duo are busy planning the next decade of storytelling.

The Holiday Special is about Drax (Dave Bautista) and Mantis’ (Pom Klementieff) effort to help Peter Quill (Chris Pratt) rediscover his love of Christmas, so they decide to gift him his favorite actor, Kevin Bacon. It took Gunn just a few hours to write the screenplay for the 44-minute presentation.

“I’ll be honest, I wrote the screenplay in a few hours,...

The Monkees reached their creative zenith in 1967 on their third LP Headquarters, which marked the first time the made-for-tv band was given complete control of a project, and Micky Dolenz is celebrating the achievement next year with a special tour where he’ll play the album straight through.

The band has also prepared a limited edition 4-cd/7” vinyl Headquarters box set that’ll feature 69 previously unreleased studio tracks. They include backing tracks producer Don Kirshner assembled for a planned third Monkees record he was forced to abandon once the group gained creative freedom,...

From 1967 to 2007, the Federal Bureau of Investigation methodically collected information about Aretha Franklin using false phone calls, surveillance, infiltration, and highly-placed sources, according to the documents obtained in September by Rolling Stone.

Franklin’s FBI file — first requested in via the Freedom of Information Act on Aug. 17, 2018 — is 270 pages long, peppered with phrases like “Black extremists,” “pro-communist,” “hate America,” “radical,” “racial violence,” and “militant Black power” and overflowing with suspicion about the singer, her work, and the other activists and entertainers with whom she she spent time. Some documents are...

To some, last week’s news that Micky Dolenz had filed a lawsuit against the Department of Justice to obtain the complete FBI file on the Monkees was a surprise: The Monkees, subversive?

But as it turns out, the made-for-tv Monkees were just one of many pop artists who’ve been the subject of FBI surveillance, monitoring, or some degree of investigation since the Fifties. When it came to entertainers, “the FBI generally opened files for very specific reasons,” says Aaron Leonard, author of the forthcoming Whole World in an Uproar: Music,...

Micky Dolenz, the last living member of The Monkees, is suing the FBI for access to a secret dossier containing information on him and his former bandmates.

Dolenz was the drummer in the made-for-tv band that rocketed to fame in the 1960s, alongside Peter Tork, Mike Nesmith and Davy Jones. The group had hits including I’m a Believer and Last Train to Clarksville, and four No 1 albums in 1967, a record that remains unbeaten. They broke up in 1970.

That era saw the FBI’s then director J Edgar Hoover keep files on a catalogue of entertainment stars and other public figures, including Elvis and John Lennon.

A file on The Monkees was previously released in 2011. Although heavily redacted, it mentioned the possibility of “anti-us messages on the war in Vietnam” being relayed by the band during a 1967 concert tour.

Dolenz’s attorney, Mark Zaid, told Rolling Stone magazine he had...

Mickey Dolenz, a musician best known as the drummer of The Monkees, is suing the FBI to obtain full records of their surveillance of him and his fellow bandmates during J. Edgar Hoover’s time as FBI director.

It was already known that the FBI investigated the band after a report that they flashed anti-Vietnam War imagery in a 1967 concert, along with a second redacted complaint according to Dolenz’s court docs.

A small portion of the FBI’s report on The Monkees was released to the public, but they failed to respond to a Freedom of Information Act request for the full materials filed by Dolenz earlier this year.

Dolenz is the only surviving member of the band, which once consisted of Peter Tork, Michael Nesmith, Davy Jones and Dolenz.

The band was first conceived alongside their sitcom of the same name which the members all starred in as well,...

Micky Dolenz, best known as the vocalist and drummer for the iconic 1960s pop group The Monkees, is suing the FBI over recently released files that indicate the agency was monitoring the group. As reported by CBS Los Angeles, Dolenz’s lawyer, Mark Zaid, filed a Freedom of Information request when he learned of the FBI file on the band. When the request went unanswered for several months, Zaid launched the lawsuit to find out precisely what the FBI had on the chart-topping group, whose sitcom The Monkees aired for two seasons on NBC in the mid-1960s. “Some informant, probably an FBI agent who wanted to take their kid to The Monkees concert, went to The Monkees show in, I think, San Francisco, and filed a report back to the FBI about the anti-war protest movement,” Zaid said (via CBS LA). “Why was the FBI surveilling The Monkees, whether...

DaBaby’s New Orleans concert was reportedly cancelled due to low ticket sales.

On Tuesday (30 August), the Ticketmaster listing for the 30-year-old rapper’s show was deactivated.

“Unfortunately, the Event Organizer has had to cancel your event,” a message on the website reads.

According to Nola.com, less than 500 people bought tickets to the concert, which was scheduled to take place on 2 September at the Smoothie King Centre arena, which has a capacity of 14,000.

The price of the tickets started at 35 (£30).

The Independent has contacted representatives for DaBaby and Ticketmaster for comment.

Last year, DaBaby – real name Jonathan Lyndale Kirk – became the subject of controversy after he made a series of homophobic comments during his set at the Rolling Loud festival in Miami.

He told the audience: “If you didn’t show up today with HIV, AIDS, any of them deadly sexually transmitted diseases that’ll make you die in two,...

Conservative commentator Nick Adams has made the shocking suggestion that parents should raise their children to be more like Kenosha shooter Kyle Rittenhouse than Taylor Swift.

After Swift announced her latest album Midnights at the MTV VMAs on Sunday (28 August) night, Adams used the opportunity to turn the news into a political debate.

“Kid Rock should release a new album the same day as Taylor Swift,” Adams tweeted Monday (29 August). Kid Rock, like Adams, is an ardent Donald Trump supporter.

He continued: “People are craving real music with thought-provoking and emotional lyrics. Who better to give it to them than Kid Rock?”

“I Guarantee his album would outsell and outclass hers!”

After finding out he was trending on Twitter, Adams doubled down on his comments with a video. “Kid Rock is a bad-ass American alpha male patriot,” Adams, who is Australian, said in the clip.

He then followed up with another tweet,...

The Monkees’ Micky Dolenz is not monkeying around with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).

The domestic intelligence and security service of the U.S. is being sued by Dolenz over information collected on the Monkees 55-years-ago. Dolenz is suing the FBI for the full file, according to Rolling Stone, after a Freedom of Information Act request failed to get the job done.

Read More: Alec Baldwin’s Lawyer Responds To FBI Forensic Report Showing He Possibly Pulled Trigger In Fatal ‘Rust’ Shooting

A portion of the collected information was unsealed in 2011. An FBI informant attended a Monkees concert in 1967 and reported “subliminal messages” projecting “left-wing interventions of a political nature.” Footage from the show included protests of the Vietnam War and civil-rights riots in Selma, Alabama.

The Rolling Stone report noted that the failed Freedom of Information Act request may pertain to a logjam of requests surrounding the Covid pandemic and the Jan.

Micky Dolenz has filed a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit to obtain FBI records related to The Monkees.

The 77-year-old singer and guitarist is the lone survivor of the four-piece 1960s band, which also comprised of the late Peter Tork, Davy Jones, and Michael Nesmith, who passed away at the start of 2022.

When The Monkees kicked off their debut tour in 1967, at least one FBI informant was present.

“During the concert, subliminal messages were depicted on the screen which, in the opinion of [informant’s name redacted], constituted ‘left wing intervention of a political nature,’” reads a document in the band’s file.

“These messages and pictures were flashed of riots, in Berkley, anti-us messages on the war in Vietnam, racial riots in Selma, Alabama, and similar messages which had unfavourable response[s] from the audience.”

While this snippet from the FBI’s file on the band was publicly released over a decade ago, Dolenz’s lawyer,...

When the Monkees launched their inaugural tour in 1967, they played to throngs of screaming teenagers – and at least one FBI informant. “During the concert, subliminal messages were depicted on the screen which, in the opinion of [informant’s name redacted], constituted ‘left wing intervention of a political nature,'” reads a document in the Monkees FBI file. “These messages and pictures were flashed of riots, in Berkley, anti-u.S. messages on the war in Vietnam, racial riots in Selma, Alabama, and similar messages which had unfavorable response[s] from the audience.”

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When The Monkees premiered on NBC in the Fall of 1966, there was nothing like it on TV. Before Laugh-In, the series was delivering a unique stream of Marx Brothers style gags, non-sequiturs, and sunny pop tunes. Created by Bob Rafelson and Bert Schneider originally as a series about a folk group, the show had no takers. After the success of The Beatles and A Hard Day's Night, the concept was changed to long-haired rockers and quickly found interest. With a pilot script by Paul Mazursky and Larry Tucker (Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice), and starring four young actors/musicians — Micky Dolenz, Mike Nesmith, Peter Tork, and Davy Jones — the series would be an immediate success with a pre-teen audience who missed Beatlemania but were ready for Monkeemania.

Though regarded by cinephiles as one of the architects of the “New Hollywood” largely because of moody character studies like 1970’s “Five Easy Pieces,” filmmaker Bob Rafelson — who died Saturday at 89 — will also always be adored for his co-creation and production of the decidedly less moody, madcap television series “The Monkees,” and for further directing that makeshift band in the comically avant-garde 1968 film “Head.”

Rafelson is very fondly remembered by vocalist and drummer Micky Dolenz, the final surviving member of the Monkees, who shared his thoughts about Rafelson’s role in the creation and development of the group with Variety.

A wildly silly sitcom about a faux teeny-bop band meant that its producer-showrunners, Rafelson and Bert Schneider (who died in 2011), had to find a willing quartet of actor-musicians. Enter Davy Jones, Peter Tork, Michael Nesmith and Dolenz, who became the Monkees, recorded a dozen hits selling over 75 million records worldwide,...

The Monkees drummer Micky Dolenz, the last surviving member of the music group, has paid tribute to Bob Rafelson, the musical show’s co-creator, who passed away Saturday, July 23, at 89. “One day in the spring of 1966, I cut my classes in architecture at LA Trade Tech to take an audition for a new TV show called The Monkees. The co-creator/producer of the show was Bob Rafelson,” said Dolenz. “At first, I mistook him for another actor there for the audition. Needless-to-say, I got the part and it completely altered my life.” 1) One day in the spring of 1966, I cut my classes in architecture at LA Trade Tech to take an audition for a new TV show called, “The Monkees”.The co-creator/producer of the show was Bob Rafelson. At first I mistook him for another actor there for the audition. pic.twitter.com/X5XKxATqPt — Micky Dolenz (@TheMickyDolenz1) July...

Micky Dolenz, the drummer of the mid-1960s formed-for-tv band The Monkees that became a pop music staple and Emmy winners to boot, took to Twitter on Sunday to remember Bob Rafelson, one of the co-creators of the musical show.

Rafelson, the film and TV director and producer who was Oscar-nominated for helming 1970’s Five Easy Pieces starring Jack Nicholson, died Saturday in Aspen, Co, at at 89.

Write Dolenz: “One day in the spring of 1966, I cut my classes in architecture at LA Trade Tech to take an audition for a new TV show called, “The Monkees”. The co-creator/producer of the show was Bob Rafelson. At first I mistook him for another actor there for the audition. Needless-to-say, I got the part and it completely altered my life.”

He added: “Regrettably, Bob passed away last night but I did get a chance to send him a message telling him...

Bob Rafelson, the writer, director, and producer who helped launch Jack Nicholson’s career while quietly working on some of the most influential films of the ‘60s and ‘70s, has died at the age of 89, his ex-wife Gabrielle Taurek confirmed.

Rafelson was best known for writing and directing “Five Easy Pieces” in 1970, which earned him critical acclaim and two Oscar nominations for Best Picture and Best Original Screenplay. He also produced “Easy Rider” and “The Last Picture Show,” directed the “All Night Long” music video for Lionel Richie, and co-created “The Monkees.”

Born in New York City in 1933, Rafelson studied at Dartmouth College and was later stationed in Japan while serving in the U.S. Army. While there he found work as a translator of Japanese films, a job that led him to fall in love with the works of Yasujiro Ozu.

“I’d have to watch an Ozu movie over and over again — say,...

Bob Rafelson, the Oscar-nominated maverick filmmaker who directed Seventies classics like Five Easy Pieces and The King of Marvin Gardens in addition to co-creating The Monkees, has died at the age of 89.

Both The Hollywood Reporter and Variety reported that Rafelson died of natural causes Saturday at his home in Aspen, Colorado.

A veteran television producer in Hollywood before he was a filmmaker, the New York City-born Rafelson had the idea to make a television show about the fictional pop band in the early Sixties amid the British Invasion; the...

Bob Rafelson, a giant in the American independent film movement as a writer, director and producer, and later a co-creator of The Monkees television show, has died at 89 of natural causes at his Aspen, Co home.

His death on Saturday was confirmed by his ex-wife, Gabrielle.

Hollywood & Media Deaths In 2021: A Photo Gallery

Rafelson collaborated with Jack Nicholson on seven features including Five Easy Pieces (1970) and The King of Marvin Gardens (1972). He was an uncredited producer on Easy Rider.

He was also instrumental in co-creating The Monkees, a television music group that was seen as a Beatles offshoot.

Rafelson was involved in co-writing and producing Five Easy Pieces, and then produced Peter Bogdanovich’s The Last Picture Show (1971). He was Oscar-nominated for both.

He also made his mark as a cultural influencer in television. With Bert Schneider, he created The Monkees, the 1966 NBC show that brought together a young...

Bob Rafelson, the director, producer and writer who brought a European sensibility to American filmmaking with “Five Easy Pieces” in 1970, died Saturday evening at his home in Aspen, Colo. He was 89 years old.

Rafelson’s death was confirmed by his former personal assistant of 38 years, Jolene Wolff, who worked under Rafelson’s production banner Marmont Productions. Wolff stated that Rafelson died peacefully, surrounded by his family.

The Monkees vocalist and drummer Micky Dolenz, the final surviving member of the music group, offered a statement on Rafelson’s death Sunday afternoon.

“One day in the spring of 1966, I cut my classes in architecture at L.A. Trade Tech to take an audition for a new TV show called ‘The Monkees.’ The co-creator/producer of the show was Bob Rafelson,” Dolenz said. “At first, I mistook him for another actor there for the audition. Needless-to-say, I got the part and it completely altered my life.