Tagged: music

Evan Rachel Wood cast in Spider-Man musical

Evan Rachel Wood cast in Spider-Man musical

  • News
  • December 11, 2008

Evan Rachel Wood, one of the most respected young actresses today, will make her Broadway debut as Mary Jane Watson in Julie Taymor’s Spider-Man musical.  In an exclusive report at IESB, Wood confirmed she will portray the model with rehearsals beginning in June 2009.

Ironically, Evan lost out to Kirsten Dunst, who plays MJ in the movies, for the child lead in Interview with the Vampire.

She also said the producers are at work on actor Jim Sturgess to take on the lead.  Wood said they are, "still trying to convince him." Both displayed their singing skills in Taymor’s Across the Universe, which was released last year.

The musical will also feature  Norman Osborn/Green Goblin and Daily Bugle publisher J. Jonah Jameson. Playbill in 2007 also listed the following parts:

The character breakdowns provide some insight to plot points as the character Arachne ("female, 20-35 years old, any ethnicity") is described as "a beautiful, boastful young woman turned into a spider for her hubris and lack of respect for the gods. She subsequently appears to Peter Parker and the audience as in turn a powerful spider-woman who comes from another time to inspire Peter; an otherworldly lover; a bride; a terrifying (and sexy) dark goddess of vengeance; a dance partner in a charged and violent spiders dance of death; and, finally, a lonely, fragile young woman." Casting is seeking a "strong Celtic, Balkan style, e.g., Sinead O’Connor," noting, "outside the box ideas are welcomed. Could be someone from the music industry."

Also, a "Geek Chorus" consisting of "three teenage boys and one girl" are described to "meet to ritualistically retell the greatest Spider-Man stories.

Bono and The Edge of U2 are providing the music and lyrics for the musical which is likely to debut in 2010. The book is from Taymor and Glen Berger (Underneath The Lintel) which had a reading in New York in July 2007.

Matthias "Teese" Gohl (Frida) will serve as musical supervisor.

On a related note, Alicia Silverstone, the former Batgirl, returns to the stage in the world premiere of Donald Margulies’ Time Stands Still. According to Variety, the cast also includes Anna Gunn (Deadwood), David Harbour (Quantum of Solace) and Robin Thomas (Damages).

 

Troy Little’s ‘Angora Napkin’ Headed for Animation

Troy Little’s ‘Angora Napkin’ Headed for Animation

  • News
  • December 3, 2008

Troy Little’s graphic novel Angora Napkin is being adapted as an animated project to air on Canada’s Teletoon in March of 2009. 

IDW will publish the book as a 152-page hardcover in January and the publisher describes the book as “an adult comedy about a girl band pop trio.”
 
Little (Chiaroscuro) is involved in all aspects of the production of the Angora Napkin animated pilot.

Teletoon, in a Canada wide search for new and original adult animation ideas, selected Angora Napkin to be developed as an animated pilot. “The idea of Angora Napkin was originally developed by Nick Cross and me as an animated series so it’s really interesting to see the project come full circle” Little said in a release.  “We’ve teamed up with Mugisha Enterprises to produce the cartoon.  Both Nick and I are putting many hours into the cartoon and are involved in all aspects of production to ensure the unique look of the show remains fresh and creator driven”.

Troy believes the timing of the book and cartoon will do much to compliment one another and help draw attention to the product. “Angora Napkin is one of those quirky little concepts that could potentially draw a cult status. It’s very subversive humor coupled with a healthy dose of sex and violence”.

Angora Napkin graphic novel synopsis:

Halloween is upon us! Historically this ancient event has been identified as the day in which the boundary between the living and the dead becomes unstable. It is on this fateful night that we find Beatrice, Molly, and Mallory, the pop music group known as Angora Napkin, running behind schedule for their performance at the big Halloween bash. Taking a short cut on a dark, twisting mountain road, the girls cross paths with one of the wandering dead. Undaunted by such an unusual encounter, they offer him a lift to a secret underground party. It is here that they are introduced to a lonely, misunderstood zombie boy named Dennis who they unwittingly convince to eradicate life on Earth in order to keep the party of the undead going for all eternity! Will Angora Napkin be able to set right the horror they’ve unleashed upon humanity and still make the show on time, or will we all become worm food in the wake of the zombie apocalypse?

Cherry Lane Makes Marvel Music

Cherry Lane Makes Marvel Music

  • News
  • November 28, 2008

Cherry Lane Music Publishing Co. entered into a long-term worldwide music administration deal with Marvel Entertainment according to Variety. They will oversee the lucrative music publishing from the Marvel movies starting with Iron Man and Incredible Hulk and extending through the 2011 live action releases. The deal also covers the currently in production animated series Wolverine and the X-Men, Super Hero Squad, Thor and The Avengers."

Cherry Lane also reps music for DreamWorks and Lakeshore Entertainment.

Academy Disqualifies ‘Dark Knight’ Score

Academy Disqualifies ‘Dark Knight’ Score

  • News
  • November 13, 2008

Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard collaborated on the score for The Dark Knight and now both men are being notified their efforts are being disqualified for consideration as Best Score by the executive committee of the Academy music branch. This matches their collaboration and disqualification for Batman Begins in 2005.

Zimmer, Howard, music editor Alex Gibson, ambient music designer Mel Wesson, and composer Lorne Balfe all were listed on the music cue sheet, the document judged by the Academy. They all signed an affidavit stating that the score was primarily the work of Zimmer and Howard but that was not good enough for the Academy. A different document provided to the Academy indicated more than 60%, but less than 70% of the score came directly Zimmer and Howard.

According to Variety, the Academy has spent hours and hours on the issue since the use of multiple composers is on the rise throughout theatrical production and this is not an isolated incident.

Zimmer told the trade “that listing multiple names on the cue sheet was a way of financially rewarding parts of the music team who helped make the overall work successful.”

Beatles to Front Video Game in 2009

Beatles to Front Video Game in 2009

  • News
  • November 2, 2008

Better start your 2009 Christmas letter to Santa now because you’re going to want The Beatles video game.

MTV has managed something unique: getting the rights to turn the fab four into a video game in an age when you cannot download their music catalogue.

Apple Corps, EMI Music, Harrisongs and Sony/ATV Music Publishing have, according to Variety, signed a deal allowing MTV to work with Harmonix on the game.  The announcement occurred Thursday in London. Harmonix, known for Rock Band, has been granted permission to us 45 songs from the Beatles’ playlist from EMI.

Everyone made certain to stress that this game will be apart from Rock Band and no Beatles music will be heard there or even Activision’s Guitar Hero.

"The game is in development," said Apple Corps CEO Jeff Jones. "We don’t want to talk about how it will turn out a year from now. We’re in the process of creating the game."

Yes, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Olivia Harrison and Yoko Ono Lennon have all been made aware of this development and have been apprised as to the design, layout and rollout of the game. This was the culmination of a 17 month process and the contracts were finally signed four weeks back.

Giles Martin, son of legendary Beatles’ producer George, will be overseeing the music for the game and stressed, "We are trying to present the songs as they were played, adhering to the (original) mix."

Does the game announcement mean the influential music from 1962-1969 will finally be made available in mp3 format?

It’s "the biggest puzzle and so illogical that the Beatles music is not available for use on MP3 players," Martin Bandier, chairman-CEO of Sony/ATV Music Publishing, told Variety. "Maybe the fact that this deal is done will offer an impetus to Apple and EMI" to finalize a deal, he added.

The article noted that with this deal in place, Led Zeppelin remains the final major musical act to eschew lending their songs for commercial exploitation.

Joaquin Phoenix Quits Acting

Joaquin Phoenix Quits Acting

  • News
  • October 31, 2008

When it comes to Hollywood, Joaquin Phoenix has "been through that." So now, the 34-year-old actor is taking a cue from Sean Connery and quitting the acting business.

In a video interview, Phoenix told E! Online that his upcoming film Two Lovers will be his last performance as an actor. The film’s co-star, Casey Affleck, was present during the impromptu announcement. When the interviewer laughed at Phoenix’s remarks, the actor got visibly annoyed and emphasized that this wasn’t a joke announcement: Phoenix is done. Affleck, clearly taken off guard, further confirmed the news to E!, suggesting the actor will focus on his music full time from here on out.

Later, Phoenix confirmed the news to Extra, saying: "[Two Lovers] will be my last performance as an actor … I’m not doing films anymore … I’m working on my music. I’m done. I’ve been through that."

Phoenix’s representatives confirmed the news to Extra. "That is what he told me," says the actor’s rep.

Joaquin Phoenix has been in Hollywood since he was eight years old. His first role was, according to IMDb, on television series Seven Brides for Seven Brothers. He gained mainstream appeal in his role as the villainous Emperor Commodus in Gladiator, and later appeared in two M. Night Shyamalan films, Signs and The Village. His turn as Johnny Cash in Walk the Line gained the actor an Oscar nomination.

This article feels a lot more like an obituary than it should. It’s definitely a bummer that Phoenix is hopping out of Tinsel Town so early, but, hey, whatever makes the guy happy. Honestly, he looks pretty stressed out in the video interview with E!, which you can check out below. Here’s hoping Joaquin lives up to his last name and rises up from the ashes of this seemingly Johnny Cash inspired moment.

 

FEARNet Launches new Web Series

FEARNet Launches new Web Series

  • News
  • October 25, 2008

Original webisodes from existing television series has been around for a few years now but increasingly, we’re finding stories about original series being trotted out from major networks, as we’ve reported, or other entertainment sites.  The latest begins on November 6 over at FEARnet, Comcast’s horror channel and site.

The Dark Path Chronicles is being described as a music-themed vampire series. Helmed by Mary Lambert, the series will feature music by up and coming Goth bands like Zombi, Junius, Jesu, Watch Me Burn, and Prophet 7:13.  It’s said to involve a young vampire and the teenage girl he meets and they will explore a parallel reality.

Lambert is known to most the director of Pet Semetary but she’s also directed music videos featuring Madonna and Janet Jackson.

The website will have a second season of its Street of Fear reality series. Ten new creepy streets will be profiles complete with ghost stories including Mt. Misery Road in Huntington NY, where a Woman in White was supposedly burned alive in a hospital fire and still haunts the area.

‘Batman Theme’ Composer Neal Hefti Dies

‘Batman Theme’ Composer Neal Hefti Dies

  • News
  • October 15, 2008

Neal Hefti, composer of the memorable Batman television theme music, passed away on October 11. He was 85 and had been in poor health for some time his son Paul reported.

In a career spanning many decades, the big band trumpeter was finally known for the theme in addition to other memorable film and television scores including The Odd Couple.

Hefti’s catchy “Batman Theme” was released as a single and went as high as #35 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. A version by the Marketts did better, cracking the Top 20 at #17.  The theme song has been covered throughout the years by the Who, the Kinks, and virtually every surf-band on Earth.

A 1966 episode of the television series Hullabaloo, hosted by George Hamilton, featured two dozen girls dressed in faux-Batman costumes dancing to the LP version of the theme song.

His career began with writing musical charts for Nat Towles before moving on to compose and arrange for Woody Herman.  Through the 1940s he had his own band from time to time but largely worked for other performers.

As live music waned in favor of recordings, Hefti changed gears and began writing scores for both television and movies.  His credits include Sex and the Single Girl, How to Murder Your Wife, Synanon, Boeing Boeing, Harlow, Lord Love a Duck, Duel at Diablo, and Barefoot in the Park.

He received Grammy Award nominations and prizes for "Jazz Pops" (Li’l Darlin’, Cute, Coral Reef) as artist, two awards for "Basie" (Li’l Darlin’, Splanky, Teddy the Toad) as composer, three nominations (one award) for the Batman TV score, two nominations for the Harlow movie score (Girl Talk), and two nominations for The Odd Couple TV score.
 

‘Looney Tunes Golden Collection Vol. 6’ Coming in October

‘Looney Tunes Golden Collection Vol. 6’ Coming in October

  • News
  • September 2, 2008

Warner Home Video has announced a sixth DVD box set in their Looney Tunes Golden Collection series.  The new set will be released on October 21 with 60 classic, fully re-mastered and restored cartoons, presented in their original un-edited format. Most of the shorts in the collection have never been available on DVD before.

Retailing for $64.92, the set will feature a disc dedicated to Bosko, Buddy and Merrie Melodies while the bonus features includes a never-before-seen documentary on voice genius Mel Blanc.

A smaller Looney Tunes Spotlight Collection Volume Six will also be released that day with material drawn from both Looney Tunes Golden Collection Volume Six and Volume Two for $26.99.
 

(more…)

Fox Offers College Students Terminator, Fringe Deal

Fox Offers College Students Terminator, Fringe Deal

  • News
  • August 27, 2008

The Fox network wants to make certain college kids can get a chance to see the season premieres of both Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles (September 8) and Fringe (September 9). Students using a log in with an .edu e-mail account will have a chance to see the episode on line at fox.com along with behind-the-scenes footage and music videos as well as cast and producer interviews.

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