Joe Cocker : Three Big Ones

Joe Cocker, renowned British blues who parlayed an appearance at Woodstock into a career spanning over forty years, died today after a lengthy battle with lung cancer at age 70.

On a normal day, I might grouse that "we're losing all the big stars, there's no one coming up to replace them". And believe me, that is a valid point. In fact, if we lose too many more stars in the coming months and years, I can see pop culture devolving into an ongoing celebrity deathmatch starring Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Peter Noone, and a cockroach, hosted by William Shatner.

But I digress with my stab at late night humor. In the mood of the holiday season, let's just let three of Mr. Cocker's greatest performances wash over us:

First, the Woodstock breakthrough in 1969 :








The open hearted slow jam to end all open hearted slow jams :



 Because I am a Gen Xer after all, I just have to add this one. Schmaltzy though it may be, the Oscar-winning Up Where We Belong at least conveys the feeling of the slow-building romance of the film it supports, 1982's An Officer and a Gentleman (yes folks, Richard Gere was once young and brooding. So was Tommy Lee Jones, believe it or not, but I'll get to that in my next post. Joe and Jennifer sell the hell out of those lyrics!



And let's end on an alright note shall we?



Happy New Year everyone! A little extra...still miss Dick Clark :






How did Mick and Keith wind up in the tags? Let's do one more!








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3 Things To Love About The New Star Wars Trailer

1) Everything onscreen appears as if it was shot live not drenched in added-later CGI (save for the Millenium Falcon). Kudos to Kevin Smith for hinting at this during a Q & A a while ago after visiting the London set.

2)The human character in the trailer exhibits something called a genuine human emotion.

3) True to the JJ Abrams stylebook...although we see...we do not know.

And here's a bonus:

4) No.  Jar.  Jar.

From Cinema Blend:




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Peanuts A-OK?

I know it's a little early to pass judgement on Peanuts, since it doesn't come out till Christmas 2015. But based on this trailer, I'm willing to give this a favorable look (after all, I said to myself, "Who's going to watch a movie about Lego?" And that turned out great.) All the familiar elements are there. And as long as nobody tries to "explain" or psychoanalyze Charlie Brown, Lucy, Snoopy, Woodstock, or anyone else, everything should be fine. I know I really DON'T want to know the deep dark reason that Linus clutches that blanket and sucks his thumb. The animation has been updated and is obviously CG, but not so much as to be jarring.

Good on you, Blue Sky Animation! Too bad it will probably wind up opening at number 2 right out of the gate. No way is JJ Abrams gonna surrender the top spot to anything but his Star Wars reboot.

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How NOT To Do An Interview

The kind of ambush-let's-get-em journalism I would never do. It is career suicide for a journalist to assume that:

a) Actors are exactly like the characters they portray in the movie they are promoting.

b) Journalists speak rudely or snidely to actors, as though addresing the characters they play in the film. Jonah Hill is absolutely right, in that although Superbad or any movie needs to be promoted. Most of it is done through the LA/New York/Toronto marketing machine. These 5-to-7 minute interviews are usually  quickies done with and for the markets inbetween, and while usually pleasant (if somewhat rote) for all concerned, not entirely neccessary. And if this was the 20th interview in a row, no wonder nerves are frayed. No one asks to be born fat, or to become fat, and it's almost as if this ass assumes the opposite.

Oh well. In the decade simce, Hill's been nominated for a Best Supporting Actor Oscar for Wolf Of Wall Street. Wonder if the Brit hack is still working?


And...there is absolutely no excuse for THIS...



I bet her friends NEVER let her live that one down at parties, between shots of tequila.

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Eastwood Pays Tribute to Garner

After over a month of trying to adequately sum up James Garner's career, I finally found this great tribute from his friend and  Space Cowboys costar Clint Eastwood (yup, I love Clint...get over it) for Turner Classic Movies  Big thank you to the UK's Clint Eastwood Archive for the original post.

James and Clint...they sure don't make actors like them amy more! And TCM is an oasis where we can enjoy them again and again!




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Bonus: Lauren Bacall Interview

An interview with Miss Bacall around the time of the publication of her first memoir. She sets the record straight as only she could!

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Remembering Lauren Bacall

Kelsey Grammer missed his calling. Had he been born around the turn of the last century, he would probably have been an excellent film noir actor. Here he translates some of that confidence into a brief overview of the career of Lauren Bacall, who passed away earlier this week at age 89. Grammer also infuses the overview with a profound  admiration for Bacall's work. No wonder. They sure don't make movie stars like that anymore!

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Don't Cry Mikaela! We Love You!

Auntie Shawna and I love you so much, little one!

Uncle Mike

Why Theatres?

Why would I post a 16-second video clip?

For the sheer joy of seeing a classic movie marquee in my city again, and seeing people lined up in front of it.

I love new technology.

New technolgy is wonderful.

But it's nice to think back to a time when we watched a movie in a huge, dark room with a group of people.

And then maybe going to a coffee shop to discuss it afterwards.

And yes, I did see The Empire Strikes Back in the summer of 1980 at this theatre, the Paramount.

On a cold, rainy, probably-August day, in the same summer that my sister and I discovered cable TV (13 channels and not 4? What heaven!)

My sister convinced my mom to let us go by saying, "But Mom, we always play Star Wars at recess and lunch!"

So off we went downtown to the Paramount: me, my sister, Mom, my sister's school friend who's now a very well-regarded musician in Japan, and his mom.

As the movie unfolded, I immediately had two questions:

1) If the planet in the movie was in a galaxy far, far away, why the heck did it look so much like Edmonton in winter?

2) And why were the big loud guy and the lady with the thingy in her hair yelling at each other and then talking this mushy "I love you" stuff? (Boy, if I could only go back in time and explain that one to my nine-year-old self...)

Of course I was probably the only person alive in 1977 who hadn't seen the original Star Wars in its first run. But I saw the double feature in 1983, in preparation for Return of the Jedi, at the Capitol Square, just down the street from the Paramount. So it all made sense then.

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Paul & Ringo: 50 Years Later

And 25 years later, Ringo's still rockin', with his bud Sir Paul Macca. Though I dread the day that they will pass into history as George and John have done, I nonetheless feel confident that we will be absolutely be discussing them, as we now discuss Beethoven, Mozart, Porter, and Gershwin. And at the end of the day, that's a great feeling.

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August 25, 1989 : Ringo In Edmonton!

Yes, you read that right kids. On Friday, August 25, 1989, Beatle drummer Ringo Starr and His All-Starr Band played our Northlands Coliseum. The band included Joe Walsh, Clarence Clemons, Dr John, Nils Lofgren, Billy Preston,drummer Levon Helm and bassist Rick Danko from the Band. Ringo both sang his own songs, and drummed on everyone else's. He was backed up on drums by legend Jim Keltner, and also his son Zak.

All on one stage

And it absolutely rocked.

To understand what a big deal this was 25 years ago, you have to know that in 1989, Edmonton was not really known as a town where any Beatle would normally play, let alone his high-caliber players.

In mid-1980s Edmonton, a Kenny Rogers-Dolly Parton double bill was a big deal.

So was Bryan Adams.

So was Platinum Blonde.

And very occaisonally a megastar like Neil Diamond would come through.

The show played out exactly as in the video. I wish I could tell you that the Coliseum was sold-out to the rafters.

Unfortunately it was a concert-bowl size crowd of 7,000.

Oh well...it was still great! And we're now one of the busiest concert cities in North America! Paul played two sold-out shows in 2012!

Paul who, you ask?

Shame on you!


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More Rockford Files: Stephen J. Cannell Interview

A nice little extra about The Rockford Files, featuring a great interview with the late, great writer-producer Stephen J. Cannell. Enjoy!





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James Garner: Richard Castle's Spiritual Godfather

James Garner, the charming, charismatic TV legend whose career was epitomized by The Rockford Files (1974-1980) and Maverick (1957-1960) died Saturday evening in his Los Angeles home. Here he is in 1959 with a pre-Rawhide Clint Eastwood (who taunts him by referring to his character as "Mr. Maverack")






And here he is in the 1974 pilot for the Rockford Files with a young, pre-Bionic Woman Lindsay Wagner. Watching this, and seeing that this pilot was written by Stephen J. Cannell, the TV impressario who served as the de-facto "godfather" of Castle's poker games, I couldn't help but think that the character of Richard Castle owes quite a bit to Jim Rockford (especially if we overlook the fact that Rockford usually wouldn't be caught dead helping the cops). But the charm's the same!

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Cool Things About The Castle Finale

1) The Beckett-already-married thing. As much as it was an "oh...jeez" obstacle to a wedding we have been waiting over a year for, the upside was that it provided a welcome return to comedy after wrapping up the storyline involving Beckett's mom's murder the episode before. Nathan Fillion plays just thr right mix of righteous annoyance to just putting his all into helping his beloved Beckett getting the hapless ex-hubby Rogan O' Leary (Eddie McClintock) to sign the divorce papers. As O'Leary McClintock successfully plays the gamut from hapless cluelessness to a man realizing he's in grave danger.

2) The intimate wedding vs 300-people extravaganza.

3) Sweet Alexis (Molly C. Quinn). Not angry Alexis. Not that we never want the girl to have an opinion, but c'mon, the Pi stuff was way overkill, though, considering that her father went all the way to Paris last year to save her. But Myko Olivier certainly has screen presence that will serve him well in the future. To be absolutely fair to him, he did his very best playing more of an improv situation than a fully formed character. ("So you're a father. And you come home. You call out, "hello?". You hear some rustling. You go into your daughter's bedroom and turn on the light. She's in bed with a hippie-looking dude named...oh, I was good at math, let's call him Pi! And he's STAYING IN YOUR HOUSE!!!")Along with the Castle-Beckett relationship, the Alexis-Castle relationship has also been a joy to watch unfold, with daughter at first guiding wayward father, to wayward father seeing daughter through college, relationships, teenage fandom, and international espionage. So it was a little disconcerting to see the relationship go off the rails a bit this year. But now all's well.

Now for my "please, please" list.

a) Please don't let the finale be an hour-long dream sequence!

b) Please bring back Mr. James Brolin as Castle's father for the wedding! Can't believe how well that casting worked out. Mr. Brolin exudes the warmth and steely resolve that would make you both glad to have him in your corner, and also to have him related to you in any way.

But that's enough for now.  We'll see how the Season 7 opener goes in September!

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Nathan A Guardian?

This movie looks cool. Damn cool. Have to say that, being a comic book neophyte (nothing against them at all, just never had the time), Guardians of the Galaxy looks to be the superhero movie that anyone can get into. The X-Men, by comparison, lost me after movie two. And the IMDb (not always right, it must be noted, but usually close enough for horseshoes) says that Nathan Fillion has completed a role in Guardians. I'm only speculating, but with people like Bradley Cooper, John C. Reilly, and the golden pipes of Vin Diesel up front, my absolute guess is that Fillion will wind up somewhere in the aftercredits sequence. We know he can make memorable movie impact with limited screen time (see: Blast From the Past, Saving Private Ryan).
So whatever his role in Guardians, it's the logical next step. Can't wait to see what happens August 1!

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7 Cool Things I Want For Castle Season 7

1) There WILL be a Season 7 - yay! (Although ABC's Mr. Voice Guy kinda killed the burning-car-on-the-side-of-the-road suspense by cheerfully announcing, "Castle and Beckett will return this fall on ABC!" Though I'm sure that he recieved multiple bottles of champagne from the mailroom staff, and also those monitoring the switchboards and email servers).

2) My take on the burning Castle-related question on the Internet: Castle did definitely fall in love first, yes indeedy.

3) And because of that fact, Beckett (Stana Katic) has gotten very used to having Castle (Nathan Fillion) around. During the past two seasons or so, it seems to me that she might even be taking advantage of him a bit.

4) So hopefully the "oh-my-god-was-he-hurt-was-he-even-in-the-car-did-he-decide-to-surprise-everybody-by-jogging-into-the-church-at-the-last-minute" will be dealt with  in the first returning episode or two, so we can get down to the most hotly anticipated nupitals since General Hospital's Luke and Laura's back in 1981.

5) And with the nupitals over, and to keep things fresh, perhaps it is time to bring to light and expand on other aspects of the Castle-'verse so brilliantly created by Mr. Andrew Marlowe, Mr Rob Bowman et al.

a) How about having Martha (Susan Sullivan) solve a heist or murder mystery somewhere on the Riviera, or somewhere just as exotic? We know that the multitalented Sullivan can really sink her teeth into a role from all those years on Falcon Crest.

b) We don't know yet how Ryan (Seamus Dever) and Esposito (Jon Huertas) became so damn tight. My personal theory is that they went to high school together and enrolled in the police academy together. Considering the cast had so much fun going back to the '70s earlier this season, it might be time to go back to the 80s to see how they met up.

c) Given Nathan Fillion's seeming devil-may-careness with a tune re the Sing-Along Blog, and the whole cast looking like they had a blast singing "Piano Man" a few years ago, can Castle: The Musical Episode be far behind? And in said episode, it would be cool to have NPH as the villain/murderer. It really, really would.

6) Absolutely none of this fevered-brain-dropping stuff is meant to suggest that the focus shouldn't stay on the Castle-Beckett relationship. As portrayed by the supremely talented team of Katic and Fillion, the relationship has started, grown, matured, and thrived pretty much over a period of years, as a real relationship would.

But enough from me. Let's just see what happens!

7) Oh, one more thing...Pi=0...yay!

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Bonus 8) A couple more poker games with (dare we hope) one starring Mr. Stephen King?

Cool Clint Circa 1974

Clint Eastwood in 1974, on City Lights with Brian Linehan, the Canadian interviewer known for his inexhaustible research, in a period which predated the Internet (as far as civilian usage) by almost 20 years. Although the interview was conducted on a New Orleans soundstage and ostensibly intended to promote Thunderbolt and Lightfoot, but neither Linehan nor Eastwood so much as memtioms the film (save for Linehan's off-the-top intro), let alone discussing it in depth. This and countless episodes of City Lights have been preserved by Canada's National Screen Institute. How many past and future episodes of  Access Hollywood will be preserved by the Library of Congress, I wonder? Bravo, our filmic gentlemen!

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Woodstock Was 3 Days of Peace, Love and Music

Miraculously, no major injuries or deaths occured during the 3-day festival on Max Yasgur's farm in Bethel, NY. But I often wonder if that would have been the case had the Internet and social apps existed back in 1969. (Wait a minute. I remember now. According to Al Gore, the man who takes credit for singlehandedly inventing the Internet before becoming Vice President of the United States, it did. During the daily hour that he and roomie Tommy Lee Jones watched Star Trek, mind you). However, I suppose we can see what would have happened, because it already has...





...at the 30th anniversary in Rome, NY. Unbelieveably stupid. No peace and love whatsoever.


Guess which concert will STILL be remembered 40 years from now?

I don't know about you, but I prefer the tunes and atmosphere from 1969:




And my favorite Jefferson Airplane tune:



Let's stick it to the 1999 punks one more time, shall we?



Have a groovy night!

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Lawsuit Lindsay...ugh!

There used to be a time when celebrities used to be flattered to be referenced in pop culture. But Lindsay Lohan, perhaps not seeing sequels to Mean Girls or Parent Trap in her future, has decided to sue the makers of Grand Theft Auto V, for creating Lacey Jonas, a character she feels is based on her. And you know what? It probably is. But that's what Lindsay gets for ensuring that she is better known for drunken revels that would shame most ancient Romans and Greeks than for her film work. And then there's the fact that she missed the funeral of director Robert Altman, who ultimately dragged her best performance out of her in A Prairie Home Compamion, the last film he directed. Kinda lost my respect there, Linds.

But all this dosen't matter. Rockstar Games will probably give her a profit share, plus a cameo in GTA VI  ("That crazy Lacey, she's my double! Did I fool you? Sorry baby. Take me home and SPANK ME, DAMMIT!")

Yep Lindsay. You fooled me with Parent Trap.

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June 23, 1989 : Batman Opens

I remember vividly where I was on June 23, 1989. I was at Edmonton's Capitol Square theatres downtown, watching the opening evening show of Tim Burton's Batman. I was just as jazzed by the trailers and marketing as everyone else, and looked forward to the film's opening with great anticipation. Did the first Caped Crusader reboot reintroduce the character and mythology in a fresh new dark? Yup, it did. Did Sam Hamm's script make a lot of story sense? No, not really. But did then-newcomer Tim Burton propel the proceedings with enough artful momentum (with help from late production Anton Furst)  that we didn't care? You bet. And did Mr. Jack Nicholson knock it out of the park with his Joker, unfortunately somewhat neutering Michael Keaton's Batman/Bruce Wayne in the process? Pardon me while I squint and get all nasal: You bet your ass, man. And the one thing we get from Keaton's somewhat blah performance is that it opened the door for Ben Affleck to succeed when Batman v. Superman comes out on May 6, 2016...you can bet on it!

Happy 25th, Burton Batman!

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RIP Casey Kasem

It was impossible not to see the passing of American Top 40 legend Casey Kasem coming, with his transition to comfort based measures on June 6. Kasem passed two Sundays ago at a convalescent home in Washington state. This clip from a (probably) 1987 Jerry Lewis telethon shows Casey's basic humanity shining through, as he asks Jerry if he can address a special message to kids as Shaggy, his Scooby-Doo alter-ego. Rest in peace sir. I spent many an enjoyable  Sunday afternoon listening to AT40 in the mid-80s on Edmonton's then 96 K-Lite FM. You seemed to really care both about the hits you counted down and the Long-Distance Dedications you were able to fufill. Now free of earthly concerns and secure in the knowledge that the positive energy that you sent out over five decades will continue to be with us for some time, may you revel in your ability to now literally be able to reach for the stars. Zoinks, that must be cool, man!

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Casey and Tracy: Two Geniuses

As we send Casey Kasem all our love and positive thoughts as he is in critical condition, here is a portion of American Top 40 from the summer of 1982.






As we do the same for comedian and 30 Rock star Tracy Morgan, critically injured early yesterday morning in a six-car pileup on the New Jersey Turnpike, here he is at his profane, controversial, and genius best.

1979 Muppet Movie Camera Test - Part Two

Kermit and Fozzie debate what (and who) is real, and Kermit and Miss Piggy go house/window shopping, from a camera test on the deluxe anniversary edition Muppet Movie DVD. I don't know about you, but I would absolutely love to see HBO or Showtime go through all this footage and put together a special called Muppets After Dark. As a bonus, the always simmeringly-angry Piggy finally deals with her issues and apologizes to Kermit for years of abusive drama. Way to go girl! Don't let it happen again!




And the general pop culture has changed to the point where the ironic, sardonic nature of these scenes would resonate. I can't help thinking that when Muppet Movie director James Frawley turned off the camera in 1979, both Jim Henson and Frank Oz turned to him and said, "Holy shit, Jim! What did we just do? Are you sure you have to develop that? If you do, PLEASE make sure that no one EVER sees it! Okay?".






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Philip Seymour Hoffman on Happiness | Blank on Blank | PBS Digital Studios

Finally, an antidote to all the reams of incessant psychobabble spewed forth after Hoffman's death in February, in his own recorded words. I know there are some who will see this video as some sort of window into his soul because he was famous, and also because his work will live on.




And taken from that perspective, there is no doubt that it is fascinating.




But you know what?




We have all felt what Hoffman speaks of in this video. Whether we want to admit it or not.




We have all been moved by great art. I'll even pony up and say that my "great art" experience was reading Arthur Miller's Death Of A Salesman play in my senior year of high school.




We have all felt happy. And we have all felt sad. Sometimes the same day, sometimes the same time.




The trick is to acknowledge both feelings, and hopefully deal with them in a non-harmful way. The middle ground is okay if that's what gets you through the day.




Have a good one!




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The Real Video Game Battle

It's great that Seth Rogen and his producer-writer pal Evan Goldberg are making a movie about the Nintendo/Sega battle.

I'm sure it was a doozy.

But despite owning a NES for a few years in the early 90s, there is another video game battle I remember, predating Nintendo/Sega by almost a decade.

Anybody remember Intellivision/Atari?

Bliss along with me, my fellow children of the 80s...




And this classic, featuring noted sportswriter George Plimpton...




I remember the Intellivision MLB Baseball game vividly, because my dad used to invite my uncles over for nice friendly games, and wait quietly for two things to happen:

1) The bases being loaded
2) My uncles being distracted temporarily by the call of nature

And then...they were out!

Intellivision did kick Atari's ass for a few years, before being done in by the sheer oversaturation of the video gsme market, and the unfortunate relative failure of its keyboard and voice sythesizer components.

But it ruled when it ruled. And I loved it.

Here's the whole story...



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I can't believe you made it...so very true!

Yes, we sure did survive!



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G4GEEK Movie News | Tony Hawk Hover Board Apology - HUVr | Chris Foust

Oh, if only this were true!



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Fanfares

http://www.thewrap.com/next-star-wars-will-major-change-opening-fox-fanfare/

Other people might not notice these things...but I do.

I can't imagine that Fox is too happy about losing access to a revenue stream they've had going for almost 40 years. But c'est la vie when you sell and you're George Lucas. (If he wants to keep his hand in, why not some kind of chairmanship at Marvel? Just a thought.)

Some of my other favorite classic fanfares:







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Jersey Boys First Photo

    Here is the first image from Clint Eastwood's Jersey Boys, probably selected to emphasize the story's retro feel. To be totally honest, while a publicity still is welcome, I am also anxiously awaiting a trailer for a film being released June 20. But I trust Eastwood knows what he's doing, and that it will be great when it arrives. With Christopher Walken playing a mobster ("Walk...like...a...MAN!  My son." says my mind's eye.) and Broadway's Tony-winning Frankie Valli, John Lloyd Young, reprising his stage role, I expect great things.

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Jay Leno's Heartfelt Goodbye - The Tonight Show with Jay Leno

Say what you want about Jay being no Johnny, but that is essentially a moot point. Even Jay knows he's no Johnny. But beneath the blue-collar Boston bluster, I always suspected that Jay Leno had a good heart, and here it is on display in his final Tonight Show goodbye last Thursday. I sincerely hope that NBC has finally got its zeal for micromanagement out of its system with Jimmy Fallon's ascension to the Tonight throne on February 17.



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Just 'Cause...

This movie is pure joy. And amid all the hijinks and great tunes, the message is pretty clear. We all do need someone to love. I am fortunate to have several people in my life that I care about, especially my wife Shawna. Hope you like the tune hon. I love you!

I would also like to send this one out to all who have played a part in this journey that is my life. Whatever the part is or was, I appreciate it all, and remember it all (even though some of it is now almost 30 years ago!) Guess the old "If you remember the[insert decade], you weren't really there" adage has moved up at least a couple decades...yikes!

I love you all. Have a great night!

And on the off chance that Mr. Dan Aykroyd reads this, thank you sir. For this and for everything.

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Soul-Swapping Superman

As far as Man Of Steel goes, it is a marked improvement over 2006's Superman Returns, which amid the 70's Richard Donner styling got mired in the muck of TV plotting and acting more suited to the long-running TV show Smallville.

So any other films under the Bryan Singer Returns template were wisely scrapped, and everyone at Warner Brothers went back to the drawing board for seven years.

And after all that time, these were the three main things I noticed about Man of Steel:

1) Russell Crowe and Michael Shannon, playing Supe's father Jor-El and General Zod respectively, do a great job of fleshing out a story arc hinted at in the 1978 film. We understand now how they moved from being comrades on Krypton to bitter enemies. We can even understand Zod's path from patriotism to megalomania, even if we don't agree or sympathize. There is enough plot in the first half-hour for a Netflix Original series called Jor-El And Zod.

2) Kevin Costner anchors every scene that he's in as Jonathan Kent, the future Superman's adoptive father, who offers Clark life-shaping advice on determining exactly what kind of man his son is going to be.

3) As Lois Lane, Amy Adams is just warming up for her absolutely dominant, confident performance in American Hustle. In Man Of Steel, she does her best to liven up the obligatory love-interest role. She does this by alternately bucking Clark up and saving his butt. Holy cow, could the mighty Superman be just another henpecked male like the rest of us?

You may wonder why I haven't mentioned Henry Cavill as Clark/Superman yet. The reason is simple. Both Superman and Clark - and consequently Cavill - are overwhelmed by everyone and everything going on in the film. Cavill certainly has the right Superman physique, and projects a certain aura. But the sad fact is...

...in Man Of Steel Superman has no soul.

Plain and simple.

The truth and justice motif is there, but it has been sucked out of Superman and transferred to fathers Kent and Jor-El by screenwriter David S. Goyer. Superman is a mere cipher, just waiting to be lectured to, loved and saved, only reaching his true potential in the last fifteen minutes or so.

And the success of the Dark Knight trilogy notwithstanding, does every superhero movie have to be so dark? Or can we at least have a dark/light mix, as Marvel has?


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