My old pal Greg Dulli of The Afghan Whigs will release his first proper solo album, Random Desire, on February 21. Above is "Pantomima," the first single/video for the album, and it's a beaut. Directed by and starring Greg's longtime collaborator Philip Harder, this magnificent short film is a take on the "All That Jazz" tale of choreographer/dancer Bob Fosse.
Greg tours Europe and the US starting in March. Black out the windows, it's party time.
Dulli photo by Maciek Jasik Read the rest
A prequel to the iconic 1971 musical and 1978 movie Grease is in development at Paramount. Written by John August (Big Fish, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory), the new film, titled Summer Loving, will tell the story of Danny and Sandy's summer romance at the beach as famously recounted from two different perspectives in the original movie's song "Summer Nights."
I only wish Summer Loving would be an animated feature in the style of John D. Wilson's incredible opening titles to the original Grease and star John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John:
Film director and journalist Cameron Crowe is adapting his fantastic 2000 film "Almost Famous" as a stage musical. Of course Crowe based the original film on his own life as a teen journalist for Rolling Stone magazine in the 1970s. From Rolling Stone:
Crowe has been developing the musical for the past couple years and first teased the project on Twitter (below) with a video of composer Tom Kitt performing at the piano. Jeremy Herrin (People, Places and Things) will direct the show, with Crowe’s book, music by Tom Kitt (American Idiot, Next to Normal) and lyrics by Kitt and Crowe. No further information on when or where the musical will premiere has been announced at this time.
“It doesn’t even feel like work,” Crowe continues. “It feels like a new adventure, a natural progression but still true to the question that started it all. ‘What do you love about music?’. Can’t wait to bring it to you in the coming months.”
— Cameron Crowe (@CameronCrowe) September 21, 2018Read the rest
From the masterpiece by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice. Read the rest
Who needs Man of Steel when you can wax nostalgic for "It's A Bird, It's a Plane, It's SUPERMAN," the 1966 Broadway musical! Drew Friedman:
The TV series starring George Reeves had been off the air for almost a decade and the Superman movies were still another decade away. A Broadway musical reviving The Man of Steel seemed like a good idea. The show starred Jack Cassidy as a new character, unscrupulous Daily Planet gossip columnist Max Menchen (loosely based on Walter Winchell). Also featured were Linda Lavin (fresh from The MAD Show) as Max's Girl Friday Sydney, Patricia Marand as Lois Lane, Michael O'Sullivan (overly sweaty & spitty) as a lunatic-professor bent on Superman's destruction, (10 time Nobel prize loser), Dr. Abner Sedgwick, and the 6 foot/4 inch, square-jawed baritone, the imposing yet throughly likable Bob Holiday as Superman/Clark Kent.
"It's A Bird, It's A Plane, It's SUPERMAN", the 1966 Broadway Musical" (Drew Friedman)
Below, the sweet sounds of "We Don't Matter" from the musical. Read the rest
