News

In the article series Sound and Vision we take a look at music videos from notable directors. This week we look at several music videos directed by James Foley. James Foley passed away a few weeks ago, which made me revisit some of his feature work and music video work. And it made me realize that his work is about divisions and schisms. On the one hand he has one foot in the past, and on the other hand one in the future. One of his early movies was the Madonna-starring Who's That Girl, for which he also did the music video for The Look of Love, using just clips from the film. The music video for Who's That Girl, the title track, on the...

[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...

On General Hospital today!

General Hospital recap reveal that Portia Ashford (Brook Kerr) begs Curtis Ashford (Donnell Turner) not to walk away from her.

Nina Reeves (Cynthia Watros warns Carly Spencer (Laura Wright) that what happens now is on her. Ned Quartermaine (Wally Kurth) thanks Sonny Corinthos (Maurice Benard) for paying for Gio Palmieri (Giovanni Mazza) schooling.

Drew Cain (Cameron Mathison) is called out for framing Tracy Quartermaine (Jane Elliott).

Portia Robinson Pleads For Another Chance

Portia tells Curtis not to walk away from her. Curtis needs to think about Trina Robinson (Tabyana Ali). Curtis cannot undo what Portia has undone.

Portia has lied to Curtis again after she promised that she wouldn’t. Curtis informs Portia that he knows what he had, she doesn’t have to remind him. Curtis says Portia broke it.

Curtis says Portia manipulated him. Portia tells Curtis not to give up on them. Curtis...

Acclaimed director James Foley has died at age 71. A representative for the Foley family confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter that the filmmaker passed “peacefully in his sleep earlier this week following a years-long struggle with brain cancer.” It is unclear when Foley was diagnosed and for how long his illness was.

Foley most famously helmed the 1992 film adaptation of David Mamet’s “Glengarry Glen Ross,” starring Al Pacino, Jack Lemmon, Alec Baldwin, Ed Harris, Alan Arkin, and Kevin Spacey. Foley would later reunite with Spacey for 12 episodes of Netflix’s first-ever series, “House of Cards.”

Foley made his feature directorial debut in 1984 with “Reckless” starring Daryl Hannah and Aidan Quinn. He was best known for working in the domestic thriller genre, despite defying filmmaker labels. His features include directing Mark Wahlberg and Reese Witherspoon in “Fear,” Halle Berry and Bruce Willis in “Perfect Stranger,” and “Fifty Shades Darker” and “Fifty Shades Freed...

James Foley, the Brooklyn-born filmmaker who collaborated with A-list stars like Al Pacino, Sean Penn, Madonna and Mark Wahlberg across a 30-plus-year career in film, TV and music videos, has died. He was 71.

Foley’s rep said Thursday he died “peacefully in his sleep earlier this week following a yearslong struggle with brain cancer.”

Born on Dec. 28, 1953, and raised in New York, Foley graduated from high school and went on to study film at New York University followed by USC in Los Angeles. It was during his final year of film school that a chance meeting would change the course of his life and jump start his career behind the camera.

“I was very lucky, and in the perverse calculus of Hollywood I was in the last year of film school and shared a house with a guy. There was a woman who was pursuing my friend so we had this film school party,...

Adele is one of the most accomplished singers of her generation. In addition to being one of the world's best-selling musicians, she's won 16 Grammys, 18 Billboard Music Awards, 12 Brit Awards, five American Music Awards, and among her other accolades, her "Skyfall" theme got James Bond an Oscar.

James Bond movies have followed a winning formula that's kept 007 on movie screens for 60+ plus years, and that formula follows a few trademarks: Beautiful women, super-villain lairs with death traps, lots of guns, terrible puns, etc. Before the adventure truly kicks off, though, Bond films must have a lavish title sequence with a custom-composed song.

The first two Bond films, "Dr. No" and "From Russia With Love," actually used instrumental openings. Then for the third (and some say best) Bond film, "Goldfinger," the theme song had lyrics -- written by Anthony Newley and Leslie Bricusse, and sung by Shirley Bassey. "Goldfinger" the song is...

Why Was This 80s Star Paid A Huge Amount To Hang Out With Hugh Grant? ( Photo Credit – Instagram )

In the 2000s, Martin Fry, ABC’s lead singer, was allegedly paid a handsome amount to hang out with Hugh Grant while filming Music and Lyrics. Fry helped Grant perfect his 80s singer moves for the role, admitting he was “paid very well for doing very little,” though he won’t reveal the amount.

This throwback to the early 2000s sheds light on how far Fry’s fortunes have come. While his pop career might have peaked with hits like The Look of Love, he’s made savvy financial decisions that have set him up for the long haul. The biggest of these? Buying property.

“I was advised to do so by an accountant after I received a dividend from a tour with The Human League,” Fry recalls. In 2002, he took the...

Stephanie Collie, the costume designer behind film and television projects such as “Peaky Blinders,” died of cancer on Oct. 26 at St Christopher’s Hospice in London.

Over the course of her career, Collie worked with talent including Michael Caine, Henry Cavill, Jessica Chastain, Daniel Craig, Penélope Cruz, Morgan Freeman, Samuel L. Jackson, Cillian Murphy, Gary Oldman, Ryan Reynolds and Michelle Williams.

Collie began her career in the sewing room of the BBC alongside costume designer Susan Coates. Following an introduction from Coates to David Parfitt, she worked as a wardrobe assistant to Branagh on “Much Ado About Nothing.” From there, Collie worked as a costume designer on “Peter’s Friends,” which was directed by Branagh.

In 1988, Collie had her work featured onscreen in Guy Ritchie’s crime comedy film “Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels.”

Of her design for the film, Christopher Laverty said: “You could not pick up a men...

Stephanie Collie, the acclaimed British costume designer whose work on Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels and Peaky Blinders moved beyond the screen and made its way into mainstream culture, has died. She was 60.

Collie died Saturday at St. Christopher’s Hospice in South London following a terminal cancer diagnosis six months earlier, a publicist announced. Her husband, director of photography Hubert Taczanowski, died in June, also of cancer, at age 63.

Collie’s résumé also included Michael Winterbottom’s The Look of Love (2013), starring Steve Coogan, Anna Friel and Imogen Poots; London Has Fallen (2016), starring Gerard Butler and Morgan Freeman, and its 2019 sequel, Angel Has Fallen; and Patrick Hughes’ The Hitman’s Bodyguard (2017), starring Samuel L. Jackson, Ryan Reynolds and Salma Hayek, and its 2021 sequel, Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard.

Collie had a career breakthrough with the British gangster film Lock, and Two Smoking Barrels (1998), directed by Guy Ritchie and produced by Matthew Vaughn.

Sérgio Mendes, the Brazilian bossa nova legend who became a Grammy-winning international star with his band Brasil ’66, has died at the age of 83.

The musician’s family confirmed he died September 5 in a statement they shared with Rolling Stone on Friday, adding that Mendes “passed away peacefully” in Los Angeles surrounded by his family.

“Mendes last performed in November 2023 to sold out and wildly enthusiastic houses in Paris, London and Barcelona. For the last several months, his health had been challenged by the effects of long-term Covid,” the family’s statement said.

Sérgio Mendes, the Brazilian composer, arranger and pianist whose melding of his native country’s traditional music with ’60s-vintage American pop, bossa nova, samba, funk and hints of cool jazz became one of the decade’s most beloved and popular sounds, died peacefully Thursday in Los Angeles. He was 83.

His death was announced by his family to the Guardian news organization. According to their statement, Mendes died following several months of ill health caused by the effects of long-term Covid. “His wife and musical partner for the past 54 years, Gracinha Leporace Mendes, was by his side, as were his loving children,” reads the family statement.

According to the family, Mendes last performed in November 2023 to sold-out “and wildly enthusiastic houses” in Paris, London and Barcelona.

The 1967 LP ‘Look Around’ by Sergio Mendes & Brasil ’66

One of Brazil’s most influential crossover artists beginning in the 1960s, Mendes — often in association with...

The actor on wanting to revive video rental, looking forward to getting older, and getting hate for her hats

Born in London, Imogen Poots, 34, was cast in the film V for Vendetta when she was in her teens. In 2013, she played the daughter of porn baron Paul Raymond in The Look of Love and won best supporting actress at the British independent film awards. Her other films include 28 Weeks Later, Vivarium, Green Room, The Father and The Teacher. She stars as Rose Dugdale in Baltimore, which has just opened in cinemas. She lives between London and New York.

What is your greatest fear?

Cockroaches.

Hollywood actor John Travolta has shared moments from his birthday celebration in Brazil with his followers on social media. The ‘Pulp Fiction’ star took to his Instagram, and shared a video montage in which he highlighted the activities from his 70th birthday vacation, reports People magazine.

“My trip to Brazil to celebrate my birthday,” he wrote in the caption. “I thank you my friends!! Love Jt.

The video started off with the actor’s flight’s descent into the South American country, as it showed the magnificent views from the plane’s window seat.

As per People, the clip then continued with one of the few solo shots of Travolta enjoying the nighttime view of Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro.

He continued to capture moments by the coast, documenting the blue ocean and white sandy beaches. The video then concluded with a couple more shots of Christ the Redeemer statue at night.

Throughout 2023, we have been updating our “In Memoriam” photo gallery (view above). Scroll through to remember 36 entertainers from film, television, theater and music. Many were winners at the Oscars, Emmys, Grammys and/or Tonys. Here is a closer look at just a few of those we celebrate in our gallery:

Veteran actor Alan Arkin died on June 29 at age 89. He was an Oscar winner for “Little Miss Sunshine” and was also nominated for “The Russians Are Coming, The Russians Are Coming,” “The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter” and “Argo.” He was a six-time Emmy nominee and won a Tony Award for “Enter Laughing.”

Composer Burt Bacharach died on February 8 at age 94. He was a six-time Grammy winner and also won at the Oscars and Emmys. Some of hit songs included “Walk on By,” “I Say a Little Prayer,” “Do You Know the Way to San Jose,” “Alfie,” “What the World...

The Austin Powers franchise consists of three movies that are both successful at the box office and critically acclaimed, with the series revolving around the character Austin Powers and his rivalry with Dr. Evil. Mike Myers is at the center of the franchise, having written, produced, and starred in all three films. He was inspired to create the character of Austin Powers while listening to "The Look of Love" by Burt Bacharach. Fans can watch the Austin Powers movies in either release order or chronological order, with the first movie premiering in 1997 and the third and final movie released in 2002. Despite rumors of a fourth film, the trilogy is seen as a suitable end to the series.

The Austin Powers franchise began in the late 1990s and would go on to spawn two successful movies, both at the box office and with critics and audiences, and there is an order...

(Welcome to Did They Get It Right?, a series where we look at Oscars categories from yesteryear and examine whether the Academy's winners stand the test of time.)

Best Original Song is such an odd category. On the Academy Awards broadcast, it is the one that gets the most airtime, as it is typical to perform all five of the nominated tunes during the show. While this is technically meant to showcase the nominees, it is really an excuse to break up what would be a fairly monotonous, long awards show.

However, most of the songs nominated for Best Original Song aren't all that interesting. A lot of the time, these tunes aren't integral to the film itself in the slightest, and they are simply musical wallpaper to play over the end credits of a movie as you file out of the theater. This is also the category most susceptible...

Throughout 2023, our In Memoriam photo gallery above has been honoring entertainment legends who have died. Click through the gallery at the halfway mark of this year to see more about Oscar winners, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame members, television favorites and more.

Some of the 17 celebrities included:

Veteran actor Alan Arkin died on June 29 at age 89. He was an Oscar winner for “Little Miss Sunshine” and was also nominated for “The Russians Are Coming, The Russians Are Coming,” “The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter” and “Argo.” He was a six-time Emmy nominee and won a Tony Award for “Enter Laughing.”

Composer Burt Bacharach died on February 8 at age 94. He was a six-time Grammy winner and also won at the Oscars and Emmys. Some of hit songs included “Walk on By,” “I Say a Little Prayer,” “Do You Know the Way to San Jose,” “Alfie,” “What the World Needs Now” and “The Look of Love.

Burt Bacharach made unforgettable cameo appearances in the Austin Powers movies. Bacharach is one of the most renowned and influential figures in 20th-century pop music. A pioneer of the “easy listening” subgenre, Bacharach received an impressive number of awards, including six Grammys, three Oscars, and an Emmy. Rolling Stone magazine ranked Bacharach alongside his frequent collaborator Hal David as one of the greatest songwriters of all time. From “This Guy’s in Love with You,” “Raindrops Keep Fallin’ on My Head” to “That’s What Friends Are For,” Bacharach wrote dozens of Top 40 hits throughout his prolific career.

Since Bacharach sadly passed away at the age of 94 on February 8, 2023, his fans have been reflecting on his decades-long tenure as one of the most popular and acclaimed musicians in history. In addition to his iconic recording career, Bacharach gave a few memorable performances in film and TV projects. He performed in...

From “Walk on By” to “The Look of Love” to “Raindrops Keep Fallin’ on My Head” to “The Blob,” Burt Bacharach composed indelible pop songs that became staples of the soundtrack of their eras.

The prolific tunesmith, who died Feb. 8 at age 94, grew to prominence early in his career by penning film scores and hits (with lyricist partner Hal David) for movies such as “Casino Royale,” “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid,” “Alfie,” “What’s New Pussycat,” “After the Fox,” “Arthur” and “Night Shift.” And yes, Bacharach and lyricist Mack David (brother of Hal) wrote the late 1950s novelty hit “The Blob,” which stemmed from the 1958 horror comedy that helped propel Steve McQueen to stardom.

From the March 24, 1954, edition of weekly Variety

Bacharach’s first reference in Variety came in the March 24, 1954, edition of weekly, when he was name-checked as the musical director for the Ames Brothers, as part of a...

A bright, beautiful light went out today. Burt Bacharach, the Queens-raised popular songwriter who infused his meticulously constructed ditties with jazzy chord progressions that sounded nothing like anything on the radio in the 1950s and '60s has passed away. There is so much to say about Bacharach, and so much more to listen to. His collaborations with Dionne Warwick are musical nirvana. Ditto his numerous contributions to the motion picture songbook. "Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head" from "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid," "The Look of Love" from 1967's "Casino Royale," and "Arthur's Theme (Best That You Can Do)" from Steve Gordon's sublime "Arthur."

But Bacharach respected the heck out of a dollar, as did his Brooklyn-born buddy Neil Diamond. So in 1982, with the United States gripped by "E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial" fever, this duo joined forces with Bacharach's songwriting-genius wife, Carole Bayer Sager, and recorded "Heartlight.

Burt Bacharach, legendary composer, songwriter, and occasional singer, who was undoubtedly one of the most important composers and commanding music figures of the 20th century, passed away at 94.

Publicist Tina Brausam confirmed that the six-time Grammy and three-time Academy Award-winning musician passed away in his home in Los Angeles, California, on Wednesday.

In Memoriam 2022: 100 Great Celebrities Who Died In 2022

Bursting with romantic optimism, Bacharach’s work with frequent writing partner, lyricist Hal David, whom he met in 1956 while at the Brill Building in New York City, served as an alternative to rock and roll in the 1960s and 1970s and was regularly heard playing over the radio. But Bacharach’s music career had begun long before he met David.

Burt Freeman Bacharach, born in Kansas City, Missouri, was the son of a syndicated newspaper columnist, Bert Bacharach, and amateur artist and pianist, Irma (Freeman) Bacharach. Upon moving to Queens,...

Burt Bacharach, the three-time Oscar-winning and six-time Grammy-winning songwriter, producer, composer and arranger whose vast influence in American popular music stretched from the 1950s into the new millennium, is dead. He passed away Wednesday of natural causes at his home in Los Angeles at 94.

His death was announced by his publicist Tina Brausam.

If you were an avid moviegoer or follower of popular music in the decade between the mid-1960s and the mid ’70s, it was impossible to avoid the massively prolific Bacharach’s compositions. His songs, many done in tandem with lyricist Hal David, included some of the biggest tunes of the era and numerous hits with singer Dionne Warwick: “Walk on By,” “Do You Know the Way to San Jose,” “What the World Needs Now,” “I Say a Little Prayer,” “Anyone Who Had a Heart,” “Don’t Make Me Over” and the 1966 theme to the Michael Caine feature “Alfie.

Burt Bacharach, who has passed away at 94, was one of the greatest pop songwriters of all time. Period. Point blank. Working with lyricist Hal David, they created some of the most indelible, hummable tunes of the 20th Century, songs you can't believe there was a time when they didn't exist. Some people are lucky to have one song hit #1 on the Billboard Hot 100. Bacharach had six, not to mention 22 more that reached the top 10. In particular, he owned the 1960s. At a time where the idea of popular music was being completely revolutionized, his brand of deceptively simple jazzy pop still shined incredibly bright.

One person who understood the importance of Burt Bacharach to the 1960s was Mike Myers. So, when it came time to make his ode to James Bond and the decade from which he was cinematically birthed, Myers wanted to shine a spotlight on a man responsible...

Burt Bacharach, the singularly gifted and popular composer and Oscar winner who delighted millions with the quirky arrangements and unforgettable melodies of Walk on By, Do You Know the Way to San Jose and dozens of other hits, has died at 94.

Bacharach died Wednesday at home in Los Angeles of natural causes, publicist Tina Brausam said Thursday.

Over the past 70 years, only Lennon-McCartney, Carole King and a handful of others rivalled his genius for instantly catchy songs that remained performed, played and hummed long after they were written. He had a run of top 10 hits from the 1950s into the 21st century, and his music was heard everywhere from movie soundtracks and radios to home stereo systems and iPods, whether Alfie and I Say a Little Prayer or I’ll Never Fall in Love Again and This Guy’s in Love with You.

Read more: Christina Applegate hints at retiring...

Burt Bacharach, the composer and bandleader whose elegant melodies dominated pop radio for several decades, has died at the age of 94.

Bacharach’s publicist, Tina Brausam, confirmed to the Associated Press that the songwriter died of natural causes on Wednesday at his home in Los Angeles.

During his 1960s heyday, Bacharach — along with his earliest and most productive partner, lyricist Hal David — wrote songs that became hits and, later, timeless standards. Among their many classics were “(They Long to Be) Close to You,” “I Say a Little Prayer,” “The Look of Love,...

Songwriter, composer, producer and arranger Burt Bacharach, a dominant force in American popular music for half a century, died of natural causes in Los Angeles on Wednesday. He was 94.

Bacharach’s publicist Tina Brausam revealed the news on Thursday.

As a tunesmith, the nonpareil melodist Bacharach found fame in every medium.

His songs — many of them written with lyricist Hal David — became chart-topping successes, particularly in the hands of vocalist Dionne Warwick. Among ’60s songwriting duos, only Lennon-McCartney rivaled Bacharach-David in terms of commercial and artistic achievement. Bacharach collected six Grammys as a writer, arranger and performer from 1967-2005.

His music was ubiquitous on screens both big and small in the ’60s and ’70s, and he was recognized by the Academy Awards and Golden Globes for his work on “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid” (1969) and “Arthur” (1981). He collected a 1971 Emmy for a TV recital of his work.

On Broadway,...

Burt Bacharach, the velvety smooth composer and orchestrator whose partnership with lyricist Hal David brought swanky sophistication to pop music in the 1960s, has died. He was 94.

Bacharach died Wednesday of natural causes at his home in Los Angeles, publicist Tina Brausam announced.

Bacharach composed the music for some 50 top 10 hits, including six that reached No. 1. Among his most celebrated efforts were “Walk on By,” “Raindrops Keep Fallin’ on My Head,” “What the World Needs Now Is Love,” “What’s New Pussycat?” “(They Long to Be) Close to You,” “Alfie,” “This Guy’s in Love With You” and “Do You Know the Way to San Jose?”

He and David were dubbed the “Rodgers & Hart of the ’60s.” Many of their songs were popularized by Dionne Warwick, whose singing style inspired Bacharach to experiment with new rhythms and harmonies, composing innovative melodies for such tunes “Anyone Who Had a Heart” and “I Say a Little Prayer.

Composer Burt Bacharach has died, aged 94.

The legendary musician was known for his orchestral pop style featured in hits including “I Say a Little Prayer”.

His publicist said the musician died on Wednesday (8 February) at his home in Los Angeles.

Bacharach died of natural causes.

The pianist was a six-time Grammy Award winner, and won three Oscars for his music in films Arthur and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.

His other famous soundtracks include Michael Caine film Alfie and What’s New Pussycat.

Bacharach was a prolific composer who, alongside lyricist Hal David, wrote music artists ranging from Dionne Warwick and Dusty Springfield to Cilla Black and Tom Jones.

Their music was also perfromed by The Beatles, Elvis Presley and The Carpenters.

Some of Bacharach’s most recognisable songs include “Raindrops Keep Fallin’ on My Head“ (1969), “(They Long to Be) Close to You” (1970) and “That’s What Friends Are For...

Click here to read the full article.

If any single designer knows about star power and its impact on fashion, it’s Tom Ford. He didn’t just shine a spotlight on this idea with the Sept. 14 premiere of his Spring/Summer 2023 collection — it was practically a klieg light, producing a high-wattage event that indeed demonstrated Ford’s own power in the dual realms of style and celebrity.

That was evident from the moment the scrum of front-row photographers kicked into overdrive, witnessing the arrival of Madonna. The icon recently debuted Finally Enough Love: 50 Number Ones — released Aug. 19, the album showcases Madonna’s 50 songs that have topped the Billboard’s Dance Club Songs chart, more than any other artist in history — so it felt right that she made a rare public appearance to support the man with whom she’s shared some legendary style moments. Indeed, consider that the now-famous...

Tamsin Egerton (“The Look of Love”), Jessica Plummer (“The Girl Before”) and Bebe Cave (“Tale of Tales”) have been cast in British indie feature “Tell That To The Winter Sea,” Variety can exclusively confirm.

Variety can also reveal that the film, which is written by Greta Bellamacina and Jaclyn Bethany, has been snapped up by Kaleidoscope Film Distribution, who will distribute in the U.K. and rep international sales.

Emmy award winner Bethany (“The Falling World”) also directs.

“Tell That To The Winter Sea” stars Bellamacina (“This England”) and “Peaky Blinders'” Amber Anderson as friends and former lovers Jo and Scarlet who reunite in a remote country house the weekend of Jo’s wedding.

Egerton, Plummer and Cave will play some of the all-female cast who descend on the country house ahead of the nuptials.

Josette Simon (“Anatomy of a Scandal”) also stars as Kat, a dancer in a prestigious...

Take a look at new images of Brit actress Imogen Poots ("Outer Range") in the latest digital issue of "Behind The Blinds" magazine:

Poots first major film role was in "V for Vendetta", followed by playing 'Tammy' in the post-apocalyptic horror feature "28 Weeks Later" (2007), 'Linda Keith' in the Jimi Hendrix biopic "Jimi: All Is by My Side' (2013)...

...'Debbie Raymond' in the biopic "The Look of Love" (2013) and 'Julia Maddon' in the action feature "Need for Speed" (2014). 

She also portrayed 'Jesse Crichton in "A Long Way Down", starred as 'Kelly Ann' in the Showtime series "Roadies' and in 2020 played 'Laura' in "The Father", appeared in "French Exit" and currently co-stars in the Prime Video TV series "Outer Range" (2022). 

Click the images to enlarge...

Billie Eilish has set a number of records in scoring a Best Original Song Oscar for “No Time to Die,” including being the first person born in the 21st century to win an Academy Award.

At age 20, she’s not the youngest-ever songwriting winner, however. Czech-Icelandic singer-songwriter Markéta Irglová, who co-wrote “Falling Slowly” with Glen Hansard for the film “Once,” was four days away from turning 20 at the February 2008 ceremony.

If “No Time To Die” had come out as originally scheduled in 2020 and Eilish had been nominated and won, she would have been 19 years and two months if the Oscars had gone on as usual in February 2021. And she still would have been a few months younger than Irglová at the stripped-down ceremony that was eventually held in April.

Eilish and her 24-year-old brother Finneas have also become the first American songwriters to win for writing an original James Bond song.

The Animated World is a regular feature spotlighting animation from around the globe. Lewis Klahr's Circumstantial Pleasures is exclusively showing on Mubi starting June 23, 2021 in many countries in the Undiscovered series. Circumstantial Pleasures Collage refuses known systems of meaning, instead sifting through the detritus of cultural production in order to orchestrate accidental insights into human experience. Its heyday was the early 20th century when modernists and surrealists harnessed its power to manifest the unconscious and juxtapose familiar objects into strange new landscapes. Artists like Hannah Hoch, Joseph Cornell, Kurt Schwitters, John Heartfield, and Marcel Duchamp created unique and perplexing works that some found disturbing, or, as famously labeled by the Nazis, degenerate. Their work often unleashed new possibilities, visual puns, erotic undercurrents and hidden political realities. Collage has lost none of its relevance over the years and continues to resonate, with filmmakers joining in as well—especially animators like Larry Jordan,...

Diana Ross’ music has taken in many stages: the Supremes, early solo hits, Lady Sings the Blues. But her late-Seventies dance hits remain some of her most beloved work. And apparently, Ross herself seems to agree — at least judging by “Thank You,” the first single from her upcoming comeback album of the same name.

From its springy groove to its air of positivity, “Thank You” conjures Ross’ “Upside Down” and “I’m Coming Out” era. The modern twist comes from its producer and co-writer, Troy Miller, who made a name...

Exclusive: PBS is to air documentary Sergio Mendes & Friends: A Celebration, about the acclaimed Brazilian musician.

The film will premiere as part of special programming on PBS stations in June 2021 and is derived from the feature documentary Sergio Mendes: In The Key Of Joy by filmmaker John Scheinfeld (The U.S. vs John Lennon).

The deal was negotiated by Wned PBS and the film’s distributor Brainstorm Media.

Mendes, who exploded onto the scene in the 1960s with his group, Brasil ’66, played a big role in popularizing Brazilian music around the world, and at the same time created his own genre by fusing Brazilian music with American pop. The three-time Grammy winner has made 35 albums, including Timeless, produced by will.i.am. Hit singles include “Mas Que Nada”, “The Look of Love”, “Scarborough Fair”, “Night and Day”, “Never Gonna Let You Go” and his famous rendition of “Fool on the...

Ann Reinking, a Broadway veteran who starred in the original production of Chicago, won a Tony Award as its choreographer and also co-starred in the films Annie and All That Jazz, has died. She was 71. Her death Saturday was announced by a family friend on social media and confirmed by a relative to our sister site.

“The world and our family have lost a vibrant, amazing talent and beautiful soul,” Reinking’s sister-in-law Dahrla King told Variety in a statement from the family. “Ann was the heart of our family and the life of the party. She was visiting our brother in Washington state when she went to sleep and never woke up. We will miss her more than we can say. Heaven has the best choreographer available now. I’m sure they are dancing up a storm up there! Annie, we will love and miss you always!!!”

Reinking played...

At a January photo shoot for the cover of her self-titled new album, Shelby Lynne was instructed by renowned photographer Amanda Demme to pull the collar of her white turtleneck up over her mouth and nose, never expecting that bit of artistic inspiration would result in an image that’s both striking and unfortunate in its timeliness. Yet, for a mercurial artist who had more than a decade of making music behind her when she won a Best New Artist Grammy in 2001, the creative process has routinely yielded serendipitous results.

"It's all about image - the super yacht, the models. It's all part of a brand." Film4 & Sony have debuted the first official trailer for an indie film titled Greed, the latest feature from filmmaker Michael Winterbottom. This cautionary-tale is a satire about capitalism and greed, focusing on a wealthy fashion designer / clothing retailer. This initially premiered at the Toronto Film Festival, and it also stopped by the London Film Festival this fall. Steve Coogan plays a billionaire named Sir Richard McCreadie, who's planning an elaborate party on the Greek island of Mykonos in hopes of "repairing his image" after the world turns on him. Also starring Isla Fisher, Asa Butterfield, Sophie Cookson, Stephen Fry, Shirley Henderson, Jamie Blackley, Sarah Solemani, & David Mitchell. Reviews from Tiff were mixed, but I still really want to see this. I love these kind of brutally honest satires. Here's the first ...

Barcelona — Galder Gaztelu-Urrutia’s debut feature “The Platform” was awarded best film, and best F/X at the 52nd Sitges’ Intl. Fantastic Film Festival of Catalonia. Gaztelu-Urrutia also snagged the Citizen Kane Award for an up-and-coming director and the Audience Award for best picture. The prizes come off the back of the Grolsch People’s Choice Award at Toronto’s Midnight Madness.

Produced by Carlos Juárez at Bilbao-based outfit Basque Films in co-production with Barcelona’s Mr. Miyagi, Gaztelu-Urrutia’s debut offers a harsh survival parable of power human relationships in a dystopic multi-floor dungeon prison. Its oft-starving dwellers handle the situation with existential and cannibalistic inclinations. The nightmarish script was co-written by successful Catalan playwright David Desola (“Warehoused”) and Pedro Rivero, co-director of Gkids U.S. pick-up “Bird Boy.”

Bilbao-born Gaztelu-Urrutia is an experienced producer at Basque Films and has directed commercials as well as two shorts. One,...

BAFTA Los Angeles said Tuesday that Steve Coogan will receive the organizations Charlie Chaplin Britannia Award for Excellence in Comedy at this year’s British Academy Britannia Awards. The annual event is set for October 25 at the Beverly Hilton.

Coogan has won seven BAFTA Awards and seven British Comedy Awards, This year, he was nominated for a BAFTA Film Award for Best Actor for his role in Stan & Ollie, his latest in a line of movie credits that include five films with Michael Winterbottom and performances in The Parole Officer, 24 Hour Party People, A Cock and Bull Story, Night at the Museum, Tropic Thunder, In the Loop, The Look of Love, Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa and two Despicable Me movies.

He is best known for playing PC-challenged TV and radio personality Alan Partridge in series, specials and movies, but his film and TV credits include co-starring and co-writing 2013’s Philomena,...

The director of BBC’s The Trip and 24 Hour Party People joins us on Thursday lunchtime for a live question and answer session

Michael Winterbottom has been making films for nearly 25 years, and in that time has earned a reputation as one of the UK’s most dazzlingly varied film-makers. Winterbottom’s work has encompassed the hypernaturalist migrant travelogue In This World and the bleak Thomas Hardy adaptation Jude; the committed hostage drama A Mighty Heart and the sadistic noir thriller The Killer Inside Me. Along the way he has developed an outstanding creative relationship with Steve Coogan: together they made the Factory Records comedy 24 Hour Party People, the metatextual Tristram Shandy adaptation A Cock and Bull Story, the breezy Paul Raymond biopic The Look of Love, and three series (to date) of restaurant-tour comedy The Trip.

Nick Lowe traverses fleeting love and ensuing loneliness with a dose of wry observation on new song “Trombone.” Backed by Los Straitjackets, the Sixties brass pop-infused cut will appear on Lowe’s forthcoming Starvation/Trombone Ep, which will be released on May 17th via Yep Roc.

While Lowe cleverly plays into the “sad trombone” trope, at heart the song addresses themes of navigating abandonment after love is lost. “Trombone, come play your song/Make it the one about good love gone wrong,” he sings. “My one true love has flown...

Like the protagonist of his latest film, The Wedding Guest, Michael Winterbottom is a wanderer–cinematically, that is. There are few filmmakers in modern cinema who hop between genres quite like the British helmer. Consider just a few entries from his gobsmackingly lengthy filmography: a Thomas Hardy adaptation (Jude); a war film set in 1990s Sarajevo (Welcome to Sarajevo); a second Hardy adaptation shot in snowy Canada (The Claim); a future-set love story (Code 46); a sexually-explicit anthology centered around songs from the likes of Primal Scream and Franz Ferdinand (9 Songs); a documentary based on the work of Naomi Klein and another featuring Russell Brand (The Shock Doctrine and The Emperor’s New Clothes); and a tremendously violent and unsettling Jim Thompson adaptation (The Killer Inside Me).

That list does not even include his greatest works–24 Hour Party People, A Mighty Heart, The Trip, and its follow-ups. The Wedding Guest is,...

“That’s what’s really cool about a guy like Nick, that he’d agree to something like this,” Los Straitjackets guitarist Eddie Angel told Rolling Stone last year of the masked instrumental rockers’ ongoing collaboration with veteran singer-songwriter Nick Lowe. “We had nothing to lose. But he did: his reputation!”

Apparently Lowe is comfortable with the risk. In May, he’ll follow up a 2018 Ep featuring Los Straitjackets with another four-song release on which he’s backed by the Nashville outfit, known for their Mexican-wrestling–style headwear. Love Starvation...

"Do you know who sent me?" IFC Films has debuted the first official trailer for The Wedding Guest, the latest film from director Michael Winterbottom. This adventure thriller follows a mysterious British Muslim man, played by Dev Patel, on his journey across Pakistan and India. He's heading to Pakistan to attend a wedding – armed with duct tape, a shotgun, and a plan to kidnap the bride-to-be. This looks like a dark, suspenseful film with some intriguing twists – maybe – once it gets going. The film's cast includes Radhika Apte, Jim Sarbh, Harish Khannaa, Nish Nathwani, Meherbaan Singh, and Sidhu Manpreet. This all seems a bit odd from the description and setup, but obviously there's more to this than it seems at first glance. Check it out. Here's the official trailer (+ poster) for Michael Winterbottom's The Wedding Guest, from YouTube: Jay (Dev Patel) is a ...

Sony Pictures International Productions and Film4 team on the feature.

Sony Pictures International Productions (Spip) and Film4 have wrapped production on Greed, a satire from Michael Winterbottom starring Steve Coogan, Isla Fisher and David Mitchell.

First images of Coogan in the film have been released. Set in the celebrity-heavy world of luxury fashion, the film follows the build-up to the 60th birthday party of a retail billionaire on the Greek island of Mykonos.

Newly announced cast members include Sophie Cookson, Shirley Henderson, Asa Butterfield, Sarah Solemani, Shanina Shaik, Dinita Gohil, Asim Chaudhry, Pearl Mackie, Jonny Sweet, Ollie Locke and Stephen Fry.

Me+You Productions, the producer of Sky comedy Sick of It, has teamed with director Justin Chadwick, who helmed the Idris Elba-fronted Nelson Mandela biopic Long Walk To Freedom, on the story of a young British boy diagnosed with a severe brain tumor.

The indie, which recently struck a U.S. representation deal with Wme, has secured exclusive access to the family of Ashya King and is now developing a three-part, fact-based drama that explores their story,

Saving Ashya is the story of a young British boy who was diagnosed with a severe brain tumor in 2014. Against medical advice, his parents ‘abducted’ him from his NHS hospital bed and fled to Europe for alternative proton therapy. The resulting international manhunt sparked a huge media frenzy. Ashya’s parents were publicly criticized and incarcerated, causing the UK’s Prime Minister, David Cameron, to personally intervene. Now free of cancer, Ashya...

Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall had the perfect way of welcoming Meghan Markle to the family: “America’s loss is our gain.”

She was speaking a day after her stepson Prince Harry announced that he and Meghan are to wed in the spring. Later today, it is expected that palace officials will reveal the month and the venue for the nuptials.

Camilla, 70, told reporters that she is “absolutely thrilled — it’s brilliant.”

She added, “America’s loss is our gain. We are all absolutely delighted. As you can see, they’re so happy. Sometimes in a climate where we’re surrounded...

Meghan Markle may be engaged to a prince, but his royal status has nothing to do with their love.

On Tuesday’s Good Morning Britain, Samantha Markle — Meghan’s sister — opened up about her sibling’s engagement to Prince Harry, gushing that their relationship is “not about royalty.”

Speaking live from Florida, Samantha began the chat with Gmb hosts Piers Morgan and Susanna Reid by describing Meghan. “As you can imagine, she’s very creative, charming, lovely, full of life, very vibrant, and she’s never changed,” Samantha said. “She’s just so sweet and charming. I’ve seen that so much in her recently.

Prince Harry is still the fun-loving royal, and it appears that he’s found his match in new bride-to-be Meghan Markle.

An unaired clip from the couple’s joint engagement interview on Monday released by BBC showed them joking around with people off-camera after their interview had wrapped.

At one point, the duo laugh and mimic the same silly pose while sitting side-by-side, with Markle never letting go of Harry’s hand.

When Harry, 32, appears to be telling a story, the 36-year-old actress jokingly rests her head on her hand while gazing up at her fiancé, then visibly cracking up.

Wedding bells will be heard in spring 2018 for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. And, not long after that, could come the pitter-patter of tiny feet.

In their first joint interview since announcing their royal engagement, the couple was asked if they have plans to start having a family soon.

“Not currently, no,” the royal said, as his fiancée laughed at his response.

“Of course, one step at a time and hopefully we’ll start a family in the near future,” Harry added.

Fans of the Prince have come to know him as a bit of a baby whisperer as he...