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In 2024, Aerosmith announced that it would officially retire from touring after Steven Tyler suffered significant damage to his vocal cords. But all it took was a good cause for the musician to make a return to the stage. Over the weekend, Tyler hosted a Grammy Awards watch party at the Hollywood Palladium through his Janie’s Fund foundation. At the end of the night, he performed six songs with assistance from a few special guests.

Following appearances from Linda Perry, Marcus King, Billy Idol, Steve Stevens, and Joan Jett, Tyler...

Steven Tyler gave his first performance since Aerosmith‘s retirement from touring due to the singer’s vocal injury.

Tyler played a six-song set, including Aerosmith hits, at the Hollywood Palladium on Sunday (February 2nd) as part of his Janie’s Fund Grammy watch party and benefit concert.

Although he did not share the stage with Aerosmith guitarist Joe Perry (as had been announced), Tyler was backed by bandmate Tom Hamilton on bass, as well as an all-star lineup including Extreme’s Nuno Bettencourt, Matt Sorum, Mick Fleetwood, and Chris Robinson of the Black Crowes.

Among the songs performed were Aerosmith staples such as “Toys in the Attic,” “Sweet Emotion,” “Dream On” (with guest vocals from country star Lainey Wilson), and “Walk This Way” (with guest vocals from pop artist Jessie J). The set was bookended by covers of Extreme’s “More Than Words” (with Bettencourt) and Led Zeppelin’s “Heartbreaker.

In recent years, Post Malone has collaborated with everyone from country music legend Dolly Parton to pop hitmakers Doja Cat and Taylor Swift. The “Congratulations” artist hasn’t stopped genre-jumping and even has an unfinished track with Tom Morello.

The former Rage Against the Machine and Audioslave guitarist revealed the song’s existence in an episode of the Eddie Trunk Podcast last week. Morello said the two spent several hours in a studio session, about “five or six years ago.”

“We wrote a song together that, to my ears, sounds...

Taking inspiration from a real-life scenario or incident for your work is not a unique thing until it is seen in the tech noir, Space Western Cowboy Bebop. Created by Shinichirō Watanabe, Cowboy Bebop is a legend of its time and is praised by anime enthusiasts to this day. The story follows the adventures of Bounty Hunters, who are on an enticing journey in space.

Spike Spiegel from Cowboy Bebop | Credit: Studio Sunrise

While the series is primarily focused on adventure and outer world themes, it also has a lot of comedic moments and a pinch of horror. The horror in particular was seen during the eleventh episode of the series called Toys in the Attic. It is also one of the highest-rated episodes of the series.

But what many Cowboy Bebop fans won’t know is that this episode was inspired by a real-life incident. Watanabe recently revealed how...

Little did fans attending Aerosmith’s concert at the Ubs Arena in Elmont, New York, last September know that it would be the legendary rock band’s final show. But with the recent announcement that the Rock & Roll Hall of Famers are retiring from touring due to Steven Tyler’s vocal injury, the September 9th concert now stands as a monumental gig.

Thanks to a YouTuber by the name of Toshi Aizawa, the entire show has just been uploaded to YouTube in 4K with “better sound,” as the description cites a remastered version of the audio.

Skimming through the video, Tyler’s voice sounds pretty solid throughout. There’s no clear evidence of the fractured larynx that he apparently suffered at this show, which was only the third gig on the band’s farewell tour. The injury was cited as the reason Aerosmith initially postponed the rest of the dates on the outing,...

Aerosmith dropped a bomb on their fans late Friday afternoon when they announced that not only was their long-delayed farewell tour not happening, but the band was effectively over due to a vocal injury Steven Tyler suffered last year.

“As you know, Steven’s voice is an instrument like no other,” they wrote in a collective statement. “He has spent months tirelessly working on getting his voice to where it was before his injury. We’ve seen him struggling despite having the best medical team by his side. Sadly, it is clear,...

Cowboy Bebop has always had its fair share of peculiarness with an anime that isn’t afraid of embracing the darkness while also embarking on a journey that goes about all levels of weird. Regardless of what way one might be watching the series, it always has a strong hold on anime fans. From Japanese to subbed and then dubbed, it is foundational in many ways.

Spike Spiegel | Credit: Sunrise Studio

In a show that had so much to offer, one episode stands out more than the rest. It may have opened the doors for anime to globalize itself but it also prepared the world for just how uncanny and unhinged the anime world can be. However, Toys in the Attic, the most interesting episode of Cowboy Bebop, also happens to be inspired by real-life events.

Cowboy Bebop’s Inspiration from Reality

Shinichirō Watanabe, the director of Cowboy Bebop has...

Rochelle Oliver, who starred on Broadway in Lillian Hellman’s Toys in the Attic and Edward Albee’s Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? and taught acting at New York’s respected Hb Studio since the 1970s, has died. She was 86.

Oliver died April 13, the Hb Studio announced. “Those who knew Rochelle will know what a luminous artist, sensitive and passionate teacher she was,” it said in an Instagram post. She died two days shy of her birthday.

For the big screen, Oliver starred in the Horton Foote-written 1918 (1985) and Courtship (1987) and appeared in such other films as The Happy Hooker (1975), Paul Mazursky‘s Next Stop, Greenwich Village (1976), John Sayles’ Lianna (1983), An Unremarkable Life (1989), Martin Brest’s Scent of a Woman (1992) and Woody Allen’s Hollywood Ending (2002).

She also recurred as Judge Grace Larkin on Law & Order from 1993-03.

A protégé of Uta Hagen — who also taught for decades at Hb and...

After Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler‘s vocal cord and larynx injuries, rescheduled dates for their Peace Out Farewell Tour have been announced.

The 70s rock band’s final tour began in September but had to postpone some concerts to give Tyler some time to recover from his injuries, saying his “vocal injury [was] more serious than initially thought.”

The Black Crowes is the opening act for the tour.

Aerosmith has won numerous awards since their formation in the 70s, including four Grammy Awards and six American Music Awards. In 2001, they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. They also hold the title of best-selling American hard rock band of all time, with more than 150 million records sold worldwide.

>Get Aerosmith Peace Out Farewell Concert Tickets Now!

Remaining and rescheduled tour dates:

12-28 Newark, NJ — Prudential Center

12-31 Boston, Ma — Td Garden

01-04 Cincinnati, Oh — Heritage Bank Arena

01-07 Louisville,...

Aerosmith kicked off their “Peace Out” farewell tour on Saturday (September 2nd) at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, where the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame band played an 18-song set filled with their many hits and fan favorites.

Back in May, Aerosmith announced that they’d be embarking on a final tour (tickets available here), stating, “It’s not goodbye, it’s Peace Out! Get ready and walk this way, you’re going to get the best show of our lives.”

On Saturday, singer Steven Tyler and company launched the first show of the 40-date North American outing with “Back in the Saddle,” followed quickly by the hits “Love in an Elevator,” “Cryin’,” and “Janie’s Got a Gun.” Alongside those instantly recognizable tunes, the band worked in deeper cuts like “Adam’s Apple,” “No More No More,” and “Seasons of Wither,” as well as their cover of Fleetwood Mac’s “Stop Messin’ Around.

Aerosmith have unveiled the new Greatest Hits collection, due for release on August 18th ahead of the band’s farewell tour.

The career-spanning compilation will be available in a plethora of configurations: a Super Deluxe 4-lp colored-vinyl box set; a numbered 2-lp 180-gram black vinyl pressing with alternate cover; a limited CD with featuring Aerosmith’s 2000s image and logo; a deluxe 4-lp box set on 180-gram black vinyl; 2-lp black vinyl; single LP black vinyl; deluxe 3-cd box set with photo booklet; and CD with photo booklet.

The Super Deluxe edition sports a whopping 44-song tracklist that chronologically traverses the band’s 50-plus-year career. All of the songs on our recent Aerosmith Top 10 Songs list made the cut, including iconic rockers such as “Dream On,” “Walk This Way,” and “Sweet Emotion.”

For hardcore fans, the Super Deluxe edition is the most collectible piece here, retailing for $180 exclusively via Aerosmith’s website.

A recent interview with Shinichiro Watanabe has revealed that at least one Cowboy Bebop episode was based on his own real-life experiences. And yes, it's exactly the episode you hope it isn't.

In a recent Forbes interview with Ollie Barder, Shinichiro Watanabe talked about his career and the creation of Cowboy Bebop, as well as Samurai Champloo and Space Dandy. While some of the information had been divulged by Watanabe in previous interviews and convention appearances, one story about a producer stood out. The story tells of the creation of the episode "Toys in the Attic," in which a strange creature begins stalking the spaceship Bebop, attacking characters one by one, until Spike is able to track its home down to a refrigerator in the ship's cargo hold.

The Fridge Was Real

In the Forbes interview, Watanabe states, "As for the idea behind the episode Toys in the Attic, that came from [Masahiko] Minami’s refrigerator.

Aerosmith has announced a 2023-2024 North American tour, which features support from The Black Crowes.

The band will begin their 40-date trek, called Peace Out, on September 2 and end on January 26.

Aerosmith Concert Tour Setlist

In a press release, the band said, “It’s not goodbye it’s Peace Out! Get ready and walk this way, you’re going to get the best show of our lives.”

> Get Aerosmith Concert Tour Tickets Now!

Aerosmith revealed that their original drummer Joey Kramer would not be rejoining the band for the final tour, stating that he made the decision to “focus his full attention on his family and health.”

John Douglas, who has been filling in for the band’s recent shows, is expected to do so on the farewell tour.

See the announcement video below:

Setlist:

The below setlist comes from the band’s Las Vegas residency performance on November 29, 2022.

Draw the Line...

Rock’n’roll musicians have a habit of thinking of themselves like secular gods, but the truth is they’re not infallible. No matter how successful a band may or may not have been in the past, there’s never any guarantee their next record will live up to the heights they’ve previously scaled. Sometimes, everything that once went right just all goes wrong.

There are often extenuating circumstances, of course. Band members may leave due to death, drugs or just good old-fashioned “musical differences”, or an ambitious new direction may turn out to be more like a swerve into oncoming traffic.

Whatever the cause, the fact remains that just because an album has the name of a classic band slapped across the cover, it doesn’t necessarily follow that the album itself will be a classic.

Featuring the likes of The Doors, The Clash and Duran Duran, here...

Rock’n’roll musicians have a habit of thinking of themselves like secular gods, but the truth is they’re not infallible. No matter how successful a band may or may not have been in the past, there’s never any guarantee their next record will live up to the heights they’ve previously scaled. Sometimes, everything that once went right just all goes wrong.

There are often extenuating circumstances, of course. Band members may leave due to death, drugs or just good old-fashioned “musical differences”, or an ambitious new direction may turn out to be more like a swerve into oncoming traffic.

Whatever the cause, the fact remains that just because an album has the name of a classic band slapped across the cover, it doesn’t necessarily follow that the album itself will be a classic.

Featuring the likes of The Doors, The Clash and Duran Duran, here...

Rock’n’roll musicians have a habit of thinking of themselves like secular gods, but the truth is they’re not infallible. No matter how successful a band may or may not have been in the past, there’s never any guarantee their next record will live up to the heights they’ve previously scaled. Sometimes, everything that once went right just all goes wrong.

There are often extenuating circumstances, of course. Band members may leave due to death, drugs or just good old-fashioned “musical differences”, or an ambitious new direction may turn out to be more like a swerve into oncoming traffic.

Whatever the cause, the fact remains that just because an album has the name of a classic band slapped across the cover, it doesn’t necessarily follow that the album itself will be a classic.

Featuring the likes of The Doors, The Clash and Duran Duran, here...

Walter Mirisch, the legendary independent-minded producer who is the only person to receive the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Sciences’ Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award, the Irving G. Thalberg Award and an Oscar for best picture, has died. He was 101.

The affable Mirisch, who served four terms as president of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences from 1973-77, died Friday in Los Angeles of natural causes, AMPAS announced.

“Walter was a true visionary, both as a producer and as an industry leader,” Academy CEO Bill Kramer and Academy President Janet Yang said in a joint statement. “He had a powerful impact on the film community and the Academy, serving as our president and as an Academy governor for many years. His passion for filmmaking and the Academy never wavered, and he remained a dear friend and adviser.”

Survivors include his son Larry Mirisch, the owner of The Mirisch Agency,...

Rock’n’roll musicians have a habit of thinking of themselves like secular gods, but the truth is they’re not infallible. No matter how successful a band may or may not have been in the past, there’s never any guarantee their next record will live up to the heights they’ve previously scaled. Sometimes, everything that once went right just all goes wrong.

There are often extenuating circumstances, of course. Band members may leave due to death, drugs or just good old-fashioned “musical differences”, or an ambitious new direction may turn out to be more like a swerve into oncoming traffic.

Whatever the cause, the fact remains that just because an album has the name of a classic band slapped across the cover, it doesn’t necessarily follow that the album itself will be a classic.

Featuring the likes of The Doors, The Clash and Duran Duran, here...

(For nearly 30 years, Susan Haskins-Doloff was co-host and executive producer of the classic PBS TV show “Theater Talk,” featuring fascinating and witty interviews with the leading stars and other creators of Broadway’s greatest shows.)

As the 2022 Tony Awards approach, and I think about handicapping this year’s nominees, I am also remembering some of the more outstanding dramatic performance I have witnessed over the years. Long, long ago, my mother took me to see “A Raisin in The Sun.” Lorraine Hansberry’s ground-breaking play, which opened on Broadway in 1959, had already received due praise, winning the Pulitzer Prize and The New York Drama Critics’ Circle Awards. It didn’t get any Tony’s though. It was nominated in 4 categories, including Best Play, but lost that to The Miracle Worker. “A Raisin in The Sun” closed two months after the Tony Ceremony, with 530 performances.

It then went on the road...

By Lee Pfeiffer

Actress Yvette Mimieux passed away on Tuesday from natural causes. She was 80 years old. Mimieux rose to fame starring opposite Rod Taylor in George Pal's 1960 screen adaptation of H.G. Wells' "The Time Machine". Prominent roles in major films soon followed and she won acclaim for her abilities primarily in dramas, although the1960 film "Where the Boys Are" combined comedy with tragedy and Mimieux's star rose further when the movie became a boxoffice hit with teenagers. In 1962, she teamed again with George Pal for his Cinerama classic "The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm".  Other major films in which she starred included "The Light in the Piazza", "Toys in the Attic", "Diamond Head", "The Reward" and the Disney hit "Monkeys Go Home!". In 1968, she reunited with Rod Taylor for "Dark of the Sun" (aka "The Mercenaries"), a brutal but well-made adventure film centering on social unrest and revolution in the Congo.

Actress Yvette Mimieux, who starred in movies including “Where the Boys Are,” “The Time Machine,” “Light in the Piazza,” “Toys in the Attic,” “Dark of the Sun” and “The Picasso Summer,” died Tuesday. She was 80.

The beautiful blonde Mimieux made most of her films in the 1960s, but she was also among the stars of Disney’s 1979 sci-fi film “The Black Hole.”

Among the films Mimieux made in 1960 were MGM’s glossy teen movie “Where the Boys Are,” in which four coeds including Mimieux’s Melanie head to Fort Lauderdale for spring break in search of fun and the “right” boy, and George Pal’s adaptation of H.G. Wells’ “The Time Machine,” starring Rod Taylor and with Mimieux third billed as Weena, Taylor’s romantic interest, who lives among the Eloi, a peaceful race living in the year 802,701.

In 1962 she appeared in four films, including the big-budget critical and...

Another week, another legendary artist announces a career-spanning global alliance with a major record company. Last week, it was Madonna and Warner Music Group. This time, it’s Aerosmith and Universal Music Group (Umg), jointly unveiling a new deal inked just ahead of the band’s 50th anniversary.

As a result of the new partnership, Umg will become home to Aerosmith’s entire recorded music catalog in 2022, as well as future music releases, merchandise and audio-visual content.

All of that is interesting, but perhaps the most interesting part is the...

In a show with as many iconic episodes and scenes as the timeless '90s classic Cowboy Bebop, it can be difficult to pick out the best of the series. From the hefty drama and tragedy of "The Real Folk Blues" and "Speak Like A Child" to the simplicity and humor of "Toys In The Attic," Cowboy Bebop has a lot to offer across its dozens of small stories.

Related: Cowboy Bebop Main Characters, Ranked From Worst To Best By Character Arc

However, the show is still remembered primarily for its unforgettable conclusion, as well as its tragic central theme of characters haunted by seemingly irreparable past wounds. It's clear from IMDb rankings that the episodes fans love the most are those that reveal critical elements of the cast's backstories, as well as those that show viewers how those backstories influence the story's central conflict.

Everyone’s Sunday best made an early appearance for Friday night’s MusiCares event at the Los Angeles Convention Center. It didn’t matter if you were a music business attorney or host Russell Brand; your hairspray was extra-strength and your shoes were shining. And since the charity, now in its 30th year as a part of the Recording Academy, decided to celebrate the music and philanthropic efforts of Aerosmith, there was far more animal print and bedazzled satin than years past.

During the silent auction, guests bid on a...

Run-dmc will perform with Aerosmith at the Grammy Awards on January 26, a source close to the situation tells Variety. The duo are not expected to perform with the Boston group for their entire set — which makes it seem likely that the band will perform a career-spanning medley, as artists often do on the show, and Run-dmc will join them for “Walk This Way.”

Originally released in 1975 on Aerosmith’s classic third album “Toys in the Attic,” the song reached No. 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 early in 1977. But it found a whole new audience a decade later when producer Rick Rubin teamed up the two acts for a revamped version of the song, and in the process created the first rap-rock hit single: It peaked at No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 in September of 1986 and paved the way for the ultimate rap-rock album, the Beastie Boys’ smash debut “Licensed to...

John Wesley, the actor best-known for playing Dr. Hoover on “The Fresh Prince of Bel Air,” has died. He was 72.

Wesley died from complications due to a long battle with multiple myeloma, his family confirmed to Variety.

Gerry Pass, Wesley’s manager and producer, said in a statement, “John Wesley was a gift to the world, for his kindness and grace are immortalized in his works of theatre, TV and film. I am heartbroken to have lost a dear friend today.”

Born on Aug. 3, 1947 in Lake Charles, La., John Wesley Houston went on to hold degrees from the University of California, San Diego and the University of San Diego. Before he began acting, Wesley served in the United States Army during the Vietnam War. Over his expansive career, Wesley worked with talent including Denzel Washington, Albert Finney, Barbra Streisand, Tim Burton and Morgan Freeman.

Wesley holds more than 100 film and television credits,...

John Wesley, an actor known for parts in such films as Stop, Or My Mom Will Shoot and Martin, has died at age 72. The death was confirmed by his family, who said it stemmed from complications in a long-time battle with multiple myeloma.

Wesley worked with such artists as Denzel Washington, Albert Finney, Robert Guillaume, Barbra Streisand, Tim Burton, James Earl Jones, Michael Apted, James Spader, and Morgan Freeman, among others. A veteran of stage, TV and film, he won an Atlas Awards for Best Supporting Actor in Lillian Hellman’s Toys in the Attic at the Old Globe Theatre.

As the Artistic and Producing Director of The Southern California Black Repertory Company, he mounted a multitude of productions, including Athol Fugard’s Sizwe Banzi Is Dead and The Island, culminating in a three-year tour. Those productions led to an invitation to work with the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in Ashland.

Taylor Swift, Ariana Grande, Billie Eilish and Lil Nas X lead the nominees for the 2019 MTV Video Music Awards. The ceremony will air live from New Jersey’s Prudential Center on Monday, August 26th at 8:00 p.m. Et/Pt.

Grande and Swift tied for the most nominations with 10 each. Swift’s “Me!” featuring Panic! At the Disco’s Brendon Urie was nominated for Best Collaboration, while the song’s video received nods for Best Visual Effects and Best Cinematography. The pop star’s vibrant Lgbt-themed hit “You Need to...

Post Malone teamed up with the Red Hot Chili Peppers for a fiery renditions of some of their hits for a medley at the 61st Annual Grammy Awards in Los Angeles Sunday night. First up was Post Malone’s “Stay” and “Rockstar.” They finished with the Chilis’ “Dark Necessities,” a single off their 2016 LP The Getaway.

Malone kicked off the performance solo, playing an acoustic guitar and sitting on a stool as he sang “Stay” into a gold-tipped mic. Then the stage went dark, and he emerged again from a smokey tunnel singing “Rockstar.

Aerosmith guitarist Joe Perry will embark on a headlining tour this fall in support of his new album, Sweetzerland Manifesto. The trek starts November 30th at the Anthem at Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Sioux City, Iowa and includes stops in Detroit, New York City, Philadelphia and San Francisco. The tour wraps December 16th at the Canyon in Agoura Hills, California.

Tickets for Perry’s fall tour go on sale October 12th at 10 a.m. local time. A pre-sale for those that subscribe to Perry’s newsletter or follow him social media begins today,...

You’re never too old to play like a kid. Aerosmith proved that on Wednesday when the band comprised of men in their 60s and 70s performed their hit “Walk This Way” on classroom instruments with Jimmy Fallon and The Roots.

Some of the “Tonight Show” house band members got extra creative and hid their maracas in Adidas shoes — an homage to the later version of the song Aerosmith did with rap group Run Dmc.

Watch the late-night performance above.

Also Read: Eminem Is 'Not Sure' if He'll Respond to Machine Gun Kelly Diss Track 'Rap Devil' (Video)

The original “Walk This Way” was the second single off of Aerosmith’s 1975 album “Toys in the Attic.” While that one reached No. 10 on the Billboard charts, the group’s 1986 remake with Run Dmc landed in the Top 5.

Remember the best rock-rap hybrid song of the 1980s here:



Read original story Aerosmith...

Twenty-five years after Aerosmith released their Video of the Year-winning “Cryin,” the Rock Hall-inducted band returned to the MTV Video Music Awards to close out the Radio City Music Hall award show with two gems from the early Seventies about artists just beginning to follow their paths: “Dream On” and “Toys In The Attic.”

The generation and genre-crossing collaboration began with onesie-wearing Post Malone performing “Rockstar” – which won the Vma for Song of the Year – with recent tour mate, 21 Savage. The duo played the lo-fi jam on a stark,...

Presenting the Supporting Actresses of '63. Well well, what have we here? This year's statistical uniqueness (the only time one film ever produced three supporting actress nominees) and the character lineup reads juicier than it actually is - your Fab Five are, get this: a saucy wench, a pious auntie, a disgraced lady, a pillpopping royal, and a stubborn nun.

The Nominees 

from left to right: Cilento, Evans, Redman, Rutherford, Skalia

In 1963 Oscar voters went for an all-first-timers nominee list in Supporting Actress. The eldest contenders would soon become Dames (Margaret Rutherford and Edith Evans were both OBEs at the time). Rutherford, the eventual winner, was the only nominee with an extensive film history and she was in the middle of a hot streak with her signature role as Jane Marple which ran across multiple films from through 1961-1965. In fact, Agatha Christie had just dedicated her new book "The...

Rock Band 4 is getting ever closer to its release in early October, and while a major selling point of the game is full backwards compatibility with song Dlc purchased in earlier iterations, developer Harmonix is still sticking to series tradition and including plenty of songs built into the game from the start.

11 new tracks have been announced today, spanning various artists, genres, and decades. The full list can be seen below:

Aerosmith – “Toys in the Attic” The Cure – “Friday I’m In Love” Dream Theater – “Metropolis – Part 1 “The Miracle And The Sleeper”” Foo Fighters – “The Feast and the Famine” Judas Priest – “Halls Of Valhalla” Live – “All Over You” The Outfield – “Your Love” Ozzy Osbourne – “Miracle Man” Paramore – “Still Into You” St. Vincent – “Birth In Reverse” Van Morrison – “Brown Eyed Girl”

A brief new trailer has been released showcasing some of the new songs, along with a look at the revamped...

Don’t think, don’t worry, everything’s just fine… because it’s time for an all new TVLine Mixtape!

What follows is an array of songs recently featured on your favorite shows, including artist and album information in case you want to add them to your personal collection.

Spoilers abound, and we chose songs we liked — but we always love to hear your thoughts and suggestions.

So peruse our playlist, then hit the comments with your favorite TV tunes. And remember: You can always submit questions or suggestions about TV music on Twitter @RyanSchwartz.

RelatedTVLine Mixtape: Your Favorite Songs from Grey’s,...

Since the hubbub of Oscar season has finally died away and we can look past the strategy of campaigns, August: Osage County arrives on Blu-ray for reexamination. Perhaps distance and time will finally melt those rosy-tinted glasses so many seem to have donned for the experience of the film, as multiple viewings only enhance its creaky strokes of forced melodrama. As with her nomination for 1999’s Music of the Heart, her unnecessary accolades for this appear to be overwhelmingly kiss ass. It’s a mode we’ve seen Ms. Streep in before, that of the highly nuanced harpy with complicated and convoluted depth; only it all feels so incredibly constrained and affected that it’s difficult to believe a single minute of it.

When something sounds too good to be true, it often is, and while John Wells certainly wasn’t the most inspired choice to helm the adaptation of...

Suffer the Children: Wells’ Adaptation Enjoyable Camp, Hinges on Grandiose Performances

When something sounds too good to be true, it often is, and while John Wells certainly wasn’t the most inspired choice to helm the adaptation of Tracy Letts’ Pulitzer Prize Winning play August: Osage County, its delirious cast lineup trumps all else. The film belongs to a bygone tradition of cinema adapted from famous stage plays, such as when Tennessee Williams and Edward Albee and Paul Zindel were all names on the tips of everyone’s tongues. While Letts has the potential to be as perversely humorous as any of them, this adaptation only shines in a handful of scenes, gummed up with disingenuous mortar on the way to each to one. Several cast members are in fine form, but most of them have the potential to distract rather than homogenize, and thus, Wells seems to have let...

Dancin' Dan here with the news that made my week: Lorraine Hansberry's groundbreaking play A Raisin in the Sun is coming back to Broadway. This news alone might not necessarily be cheer-worthy since it was just revived in 2004 but other than one of the great American plays back on the boards it's the starry cast attached to it that brings the excitement. Denzel Washington will lead the ensemble in the role of Walter Lee Younger which was played by Sidney Poitier on both stage and screen. So Denzel's Training Day Oscar speech continues to be true.

I'll always be chasing you Sidney. I'll always be following in your footsteps. There's nothing I would rather do, sir."

Joining Denzel will be no less than three Oscar or Tony-nominated actresses: Sophie Okonedo (as Walter's wife Ruth, originally played by Ruby Dee), Anika Noni Rose, and Diahann Carroll (as Younger family matriarch Lena,...

Blu-ray, Digital & DVD Release Date: July 23, 2013

Price: DVD $14.98, Blu-ray $19.98

Studio: Eagle Rock

Steven Tyler and Joe Perry draw the line in Japan.

Aerosmith: Rock For The Rising Sun , recorded during their 2011 tour of Japan, is the storied American band’s first live video release in nine years, since the release of You Gotta Move in 2004.

In March 2011, Japan was beset by a huge earthquake, a monstrous tsunami and the subsequent meltdown of the Fukushima nuclear plant. In the autumn of 2011, despite advice to the contrary, Aerosmith brought their “Back On The Road” tour to Japan, a country with which they’d always had a special relationship.

Rock For The Rising Sun follows the band on that tour, combining full-length live tracks with behind the scenes footage.

As bonus features, the DVD includes extra live tracks, “Lick And A Promise” recorded at the Hiroshima Green Garden Arena and “One Way...

It's not a great week for new releases on DVD and Blu-ray... in fact, some might say it's downright terrible, but there are still a few things worth mentioning. The biggest titles hitting stores today include Robert Zemeckis' Flight (which earned Denzel Washington an Oscar nomination), Here Comes the Boom starring Kevin James, and one of 2012's biggest box office bombs, Alex Cross. Fortunately, a few of the smaller releases seem a little more promising, such as A Late Quartet starring Christopher Walken and Philip Seymour Hoffman, Deadfall starring Eric Bana, and the Czech animated film Toys in the Attic. Keanu Reeves' digital vs. film documentary Side by Side is also out this week, and for the first time on Blu-ray, we've got Otto Preminger's Laura, a 40th Anniversary edition of Cabaret and Disney's Peter Pan! What will you be buying or renting this week? Check out...

Moviefone's New Release Pick of the Week "Flight" What's It About? A seasoned pilot (Denzel Washington) safely lands a plane after a mid-air catastrophe, but troubling details emerge in a further investigation of the event. See It Because: "Flight" makes you never want to fly again -- in the best way possible. Directed by Robert Zemeckis -- his first live-action film in over a decade -- this movie soars with Denzel playing against type, as an alcoholic, drugged-out pilot. Watch an Exclusive Clip from the "Flight" DVD - Moviefone's Blu-ray Pick of the Week "Cabaret" What's It About? The movie that made Liza Minnelli a superstar -- a musical drama about the complicated romance between an American singer and a British academic living in Berlin as the Nazis rise to power -- is finally restored for Blu-ray. See It Because: It's an Oscar-winning classic, but if that's not enough, the...

Peter Pan (Diamond Edition) Disney is releasing their classic animated adaptation of Peter Pan on Blu-ray this week and looking over the complete selection of titles hitting shelves today this really looks to be the best of the lot. Granted, Criterion has The Ballad of Narayama coming out and the next title does interest me, but overall this is just not a week to be buying movies.

 

House of Cards Trilogy: The Original UK Series Along with releasing the new miniseries "House of Cards" on Netflix Instant last Friday, Netflix also has the complete original BBC adaptation streaming online. So why would you spend money to buy the Blu-ray edtion? I really don't know, but it's coming out and I've heard it's great. So if you can find the time, maybe stroll on over to Netflix and add it to your queue as well or if you have deep pockets purchase it.

The late summer drought seems to be carrying on into September this week as there are just two new movies in wide release and neither look particularly appealing (which is probably just as well because most of Hollywood is in Toronto this weekend for Tiff). The Words stars Bradley Cooper as a famous writer who gets caught plagiarizing another author's work while The Cold Light of Day gives you a look at Henry Cavill in another action-oriented role before he plays Superman next summer. In select theatres we have the Bridesmaids-esque hard-r comedy Bachelorette, the high concept indie sci-fi flick Branded, and [Rec] 3: Genesis, which abandons the found footage style that the horror series has become known for. Also keep an eye out for the Wayne White documentary Beauty Is Embarrassing and the IMAX re-release of Raiders of the Lost Ark. What will you be watching this weekend? The Words...

Out This Week is a weekly column intended to provide reviews of nearly every new indie release. Reviews This Week: "Bachelorette" "Beauty is Embarrassing" "Detropia" "For Ellen" "Keep the Lights On" "The Inbetweeners Movie" "Toys in the Attic" --- "Bachelorette" Three high-pitched female specimen of Homo Americanus are asked to be bridesmaids at the wedding of a former classmate they used to poke fun at back in college. The implications: How masochistic of her to invite them, how sadistic of them to go. She is fat though; perhaps she deserves it, doesn’t she? Unsurprisingly, the run-up to the wedding consists of a series of mildly entertaining fuck-ups. The bride's dress gets ripped, soiled and lost propelling the three shell-shocked mademoiselles on an eventfully boring night out. Their nocturnal perambulations are graced by the...

Opening theatrically on Friday, September 7, in selected cities across the U.S., Jiří Barta's stop-motion animated film Toys in the Attic is a handmade delight. Barta, who hails from the Czech Republic, is a shy, unassuming man with a vivid imagination. He visited Fantastic Fest with his film in 2010 -- see photos below of him with Karrie League during the Q&A after the screening, along with a close-up of one of the toys -- and now his incredible work can be seen by a wider audience in North America. To be sure, Toys in the Attic will not remind anyone of the Pixar films, beyond the ancient, shared premise of toys coming to life. It is not a thrill ride or a sentimental comedy,...

This month marks one of the most exciting times of the year for a film fan, as studios are finally beginning to show off their most promising movies of the year, either in theaters or on the festival circuit. We will be bringing extensive coverage of Tiff later in the month, but with the theatrical offerings (some from the aforementioned festival and many from Sundance), filmgoers have much to look forward to. I opted not to include re-releases of Finding Nemo and Raiders of the Lost Ark in order to highlight others that you can check out below.

Matinees: Girl Model (9/5), Detropia (9/5), Toys in the Attic (9/7), Hello I Must Be Going (9/7), 10 Years (9/14), Diana Vreeland: The Eye Has to Travel (9/21), 17 Girls (9/21), Head Games (9/21), Dredd (9/21), The Hole (9/28), Starbuck (9/28)

10. The Words (Brian Klugman, Lee Sternthal; Sept. 7th)

Synopsis: A writer at the peak of his literary success discovers the steep price he must...

I know you can hardly contain your excitement for Texas Chainsaw Massacre 3D, but the most interest rating for me today was the PG-rating for Sony Pictures's The Swan Princess: Christmas. I'm not sure I've ever seen a PG-rated film head in to the appeals process and I've been doing these articles for a long time. Other than that, what follows are the latest MPAA ratings from Bulletin #2237. #Holdyourbreath Rated R For strong bloody violence, sexual content, language and some drug use. Bigfoot County Rated R For pervasive language and a brief sexual assault. Down The Shore Rated R For language and some drug use. Electrick Children Rated R For language including brief sexual references. Escape Fire: The Fight To Rescue American Healthcare Rated PG-13 For some thematic material. Girls Against Boys Rated R For violence, some sexual content/nudity and language. A Glimpse Inside The Mind Of Charles...

Receiving a limited theatrical release on September 7th, Eurocine and Hannover House's Toys in the Attic has just revealed an official trailer which you can check out beneath the official synopsis: Set in a magical world of toys and knick-knacks stored in the attic of a home in Prague, this award-winning stop-motion animated feature has been called .An animation masterpiece. (Anima Basuari), and .a diabolically inventive tale that is four parts 'Toy Story' and one part Tim Burton" (New York International Children.s Film Festival). The setting for the film was inspired by the cultural and political contrast of the Cold War era and its impact on director Jiri Barta and the Czech Republic. The world of the attic is divided into the land of happy toys in the West and the...

Friedkin Back with A Vengeance: A delicious, glossy throwback to the daring exploitative themes of the 1970s.

Incest, murderous rednecks, and a bucket of chicken you’re not apt to forget, are all part of the window dressing in Killer Joe, the hilariously dark new film from William Friedkin. Reteaming with Pulitzer prize-winning playwright Tracy Letts after they collaborated on bringing Bug (2006) to the big screen, the pair’s latest offering plays like Lillian Hellman on acid. Set in greater American redneck country (Texas), this ferocious thriller shows blood to be no thicker than water and once again proves that Friedkin is a cinematic master.

Emile Hirsch stars as Chris, a down and out redneck that owes $6,000 in drug and gambling debts. Something of dimwitted loser and without a dime to his name, Chris barges into his father’s (Thomas Hayden Church) trailer house one rainy night with a plot...

Los Angeles -- Aerosmith has reunited with Jack Douglas, who produced the band's key 1970s albums, and quietly recorded a new studio album even as its lead singer traded jokes with Jennifer Lopez on "American Idol."

Steven Tyler said Aerosmith was finishing two final songs for the as-yet-untitled album, its first since 2004's "Honkin' on Bobo," and that he expected it to be released in about three months.

Joined Wednesday by Joe Perry, Tom Hamilton and Joey Kramer at a Los Angeles mall, Tyler revealed three track titles: "Legendary Child," `'Beautiful" and "Out Go the Lights." Earlier in the week, the band announced that its 18-stop Us "Global Warming Tour" begins June 16 in Minneapolis.

"We will not let you down," Tyler told reporters and cheering fans.

The "Idol" judge is engaged to model Erin Brady. Asked in an interview about what will be his third marriage, Tyler joked: "I cannot...