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Greetings again from the darkness. "The needle in the arm." That's how Paul Anka describes the will and the need to carry on after all of these years. How many years, you ask ... well, he's the only singer/songwriter to have a Billboard charting song in seven consecutive decades. Paul Anka is now 84 years old and documentarian John Maggio shows us that Anka is still going strong, still touring, still writing songs, and still loving what he does.

The Canadian born Anka came to the United States with $100 in his pocket and almost immediately signed a recording contract. Not long after, he had his first number one hit, "Diana", and became part of the new wave of teen idols with Pat Boone, Frankie Avalon, and Bobby Darin. This was on the heels of the legendary Rat Pack - Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr, and Dean Martin. Musical tastes were evolving, and one thing that stands out in this documentary is Paul Anka's ability and desire to evolve. When the British Invasion hit (The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Who, etc), Anka transitioned from teen idol to renowned songwriter, actor, and international entertainer.

Director Maggio chooses wisely in putting Paul Anka front and center and walk us through this fabulous and unique career that began in the 1950's and continues today. Anka is direct and charismatic and honest as he walks us through the various phases. How fascinating that one man has written over 900 songs, recorded more than 130 albums and sold more than 90 million units. How many songwriters can say they have had their songs recorded by Frank Sinatra, Buddy Holly, Elvis Presley, Tom Jones, Linda Ronstadt, Michael Jackson, and even Doja Cat, Justin Timberlake, and Drake? And that's just naming a few and leaves out the highly familiar theme song to "The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson".

What's truly remarkable is that Paul Anka's career would be documentary-worthy if it only covered his personal career (which began at age 15) of performing on stage (which he still does). Sure, he's the guy who wrote "My Way" (at age 25), but hearing Anka tell the story behind the song is a thrill. Anka is matter-of-fact when discussing his first divorce, as well as the challenges of balancing family life with the career. He seems humble when discussing his accomplishments with Frankie Avalon, and serious when informing us of his commitment to health all these years. This remarkable man continues to live a remarkable life ... and he's done it 'his way'.

Premieres on HBO on December 1, 2025.

Greetings again from the darkness. "Celebration" is the best description and an apt title for this film from Michael John Warren. It's not a profile of the great songwriter, John Prine; however, it's most certainly a celebration of his immense and unique talent. And who better to celebrate and pay tribute than some of the musicians and songwriters who have been so influenced by his work?

In October 2022, a couple of years after Prine passed away from COVID complications, a two-night concert event was held at Nashville's historic Ryman Auditorium. More than seventy performers lined up to go on stage and pay tribute to the legendary songwriter. Most performed Prine's songs, while some performed their own originals which they didn't hesitate to mention were influenced by Prine's astounding style of telling stories grounded in reality. His was true Americana music, and these performers were proud of their connection - whether it was decades long like Bonnie Raitt, or more recent like Kacey Musgraves.

A steady stream of well-known performers take their turn on stage to pay their respect through music. Just a partial list includes: Bonnie Raitt, Lyle Lovitt, Brandi Carlile, Steve Earle, Bob Weir, Lucinda Williams, Dwight Yoakim, and Jason Isbell. One of the surprising highlights was I'm With Her performing "Unwed Father", but of course my favorite moments were clips of John Prime himself. We see archival footage from 1978 Austin City Limits, and then a clip from 1980 where Prine performs the touching "Hello in There". And don't worry, we are treated to Bonnie Raitt (with help from Carlisle) singing "Angel From Montgomery".

Many of the performers, including son Tommy Prine, gather on stage for a finale which smoothly transitions to a clip of John Prine singing "Paradise". Someone states John Prine's music is "good for the soul and the ear", and it's clear we "miss you in the morning light like roses miss the dew." Balloon drop.

Opens in NYC on November 28, followed by a nationwide release.

Greetings again from the darkness. Which pro football team had a hit song that reached number 41 on the pop charts and was awarded a gold record? Well, if you were around in 1985, you probably know it was the Chicago Bears and their song, "The Super Bowl Shuffle". Director Jeff Cameron ("Hard Knocks") in partnership with NFL Films proceeds to tell us more than we ever cared to know about the team, the song, and the video.

The film opens with the 12-0 Bears headed to Miami to play on Monday Night Football. As Jim McMahon says, that "was not our night". The perfect season was no longer possible after Dan Marino and the Dolphins won 38-24. The nugget of information that makes this interesting is that it was the day after this game when the Bears were scheduled to film their music video. You can imagine the mood of the team had changed. Willie Gault knew linebacker Mike Singletary was key to uniting the guys and keeping to the commitment.

Mix Engineer Fred Breitberg is interviewed and spills a bit of trivia when he lets us know that the song was adapted from "The Kingfish Shuffle", part of "The Amos 'n Andy Show" (from the 1950's). It was Jovan CEO Dick Meyer who had the brainstorm for the music video, and his surviving spouse lets us know that was her in the referee uniform blowing the whistle in the video (another bit of trivia). Sportswriter Rick Telander provides some perspective on the times and the impact of the Bears and video ... they were media stars.

We do get to go behind the scenes (on set) as the video is filmed, and it's pretty funny to watch these sports giants struggle to get the dance steps down. Poor Leslie Frazier is crowned the team's worst dancer and takes a bit of grief from his teammates, as you would expect. Then we see Walter Payton and Jim McMahon superimposed over the team portion, as they both skipped the initial filming. Was the team challenging karma by recording the video prior to qualifying for the Super Bowl? Or were they just confident? Either way, Singletary firmly believes the project led to a deep bonding with teammates that never would have happened without the video.

This was the MTV era and the video (VHS) and record (45 rpm) went viral - well what was considered viral in the pre-internet days. The team raised over $300,000 for Chicago Community Trust (a charity) and ultimately lost the Grammy to a fellow from Minneapolis that went by the name Prince. After the Bears trounced the Patriots in the Super Bowl, it left us wondering if the lyrics were misleading ... it certainly seemed like this team really was there to 'start some trouble'. A final piece of buried trivia that the film uncovers is that the Patriots actually responded with a video of their own. No one seemed to notice.

Debuts November 25, 2025 on HBO.