News

Tarantino's eclectic music choices in the Kill Bill Vol. 1 soundtrack enhance the energy and excitement of the action-packed set pieces. Uma Thurman's thrilling sword fights as the Bride become more exhilarating with the perfect songs playing in the background. The Kill Bill Vol. 1 soundtrack, filled with classic songs and original compositions, adds depth and emotion to the martial arts epic storyline.

The Kill Bill soundtrack remains one of Quentin Tarantino’s most eclectic and enjoyable releases. Ever since Mr. Blonde tortured a police officer to the tune of “Stuck in the Middle with You” in Reservoir Dogs, Tarantino has been known for his movie's needle drops. His music choices are as integral to his signature filmmaking style as his snappy dialogue and graphic violence. Music isn’t usually a priority for action movies, but Tarantino proved with Kill Bill that the right song can enhance the...

Long before his famous gigs as a fashion model, museum guard and cartoon lion, high-school-aged Ben Stiller was the drummer for short-lived New York noise band Capital Punishment. A mix of industrial art-collage, synth-tweaked post-punk and teenage kicks, the band quietly released one record, played zero shows under their name and then went on to various adulthoods: founder Kriss Roebling as a documentarian, Peter Zusi as a London-based professor of Czech literature, Peter Swann as a justice of the Supreme Court of Arizona and Stiller as an Emmy-winning writer, director and actor.

NBC is entering the Age of Aquarius. The broadcaster announced Thursday it’s set the 1967 Broadway hit “Hair” as its next live musical.

Craig Zadan and Neil Meron — who have executive produced each of the Peacock’s song-fueled telecasts from “The Sound of Music” to the recent John Legend-led “Jesus Christ Superstar Live” — will lead the rock opera, which is slated to air in Spring 2019 and tape in front of a live audience.

“I’m overjoyed that James Rado and Galt MacDermot are trusting us with their masterpiece ‘Hair,’ one of the most original shows ever conceived for Broadway with one of the greatest scores,” said Robert Greenblatt, Chairman, NBC Entertainment in a statement Thursday.

“These songs are part of the vocabulary of popular music, and this rebellious story of young people protesting and standing up for what they believe in is as relevant today as it was 50 years ago.

Chicago – At intermission, I remarked to a fellow theater patron that the musical “Hair,” presented by the American Theater Company (Atc) of Chicago, still has a solid impact. His logical reply, “it’s hard to mess this one up.” The Atc does the classic hippie musical proud, with a raucous rendition.

Play Rating: 4.0/5.0

“Hair” is an American musical theater icon, filled with songs that have become embedded into the DNA of the culture. “Aquarius,” “Hair,” “Easy to Be Hard.” “Good Morning Starshine” and “Let the Sunshine In” all became hits on their own, and when integrated into the “happening” – as Atc likened to call their production – elicits a gut-wrenching power. The energetic cast takes the time trip back to 1968 with no irony, and deliver their flower power with a bit of extra bloom, which made their version that much more impressive – even overcoming some pacing issues. “Hair” is a celebration and a cautionary tale,...

Chicago – At intermission, I remarked to a fellow theater patron that the musical “Hair,” presented by the American Theater Company (Atc) of Chicago, still has a solid impact. His logical reply, “it’s hard to mess this one up.” The Atc does the classic hippie musical proud, with a raucous rendition.

Play Rating: 4.0/5.0

“Hair” is an American musical theater icon, filled with songs that have become embedded into the DNA of the culture. “Aquarius,” “Hair,” “Easy to Be Hard.” “Good Morning Starshine” and “Let the Sunshine In” all became hits on their own, and when integrated into the “happening” – as Atc likened to call their production – elicits a gut-wrenching power. The energetic cast takes the time trip back to 1968 with no irony, and deliver their flower power with a bit of extra bloom, which made their version that much more impressive – even overcoming some pacing issues. “Hair” is a celebration and a cautionary tale,...

Anne Murray said Cape Breton singer-songwriter Rita MacNeil will be remembered as "just a really good soul, a really good person who just happened to be a supremely talented singer-songwriter."

Murray, speaking this morning to Jian Ghomeshi on CBC Radio's Q from Florida, said she was "shocked and saddened" by the news of MacNeil's death last night but praised her for her songs and talent.

"Everyone was very proud of the fact that we finally had a Nova Scotian and a woman speaking for us and putting into words how we all felt as Nova Scotians, as proud Nova Scotians," Murray said. "And she did it so beautifully, she was a very talented songwriter.

"She had such strong feelings about Cape Breton as I do about Nova Scotia and Cape Breton too. And I could feel that and she wrote about it so eloquently. Whatever she wrote just seemed to...

Chicago – The casts of two current theater spectaculars in Chicago lent their talents to benefit Marriage Equality in the United States. The “Be-In for Marriage Equality” took place on March 14, 2011, and featured performers from the road show Broadway version of “Hair” and the current cast of “Million Dollar Quartet.”

The event, which was produced by Alissa Norby of HollywoodChicago.com through her Jabberwock Productions, took place at Sidetracks nightclub in Chicago and accentuated the vocal talents in both companies. With original songs and cover versions, it was a talented parade of a true musical experience. The show benefited “Broadway Impact,” an advocacy group lobbying for marriage equality and other issues.

Highlights included a version of Paul Simon’s “America” and an original song from Gabe Bowling, who plays Carl Perkins in Million Dollar Quartet. Both casts finished together with the show stopper from Hair called “The Flesh Failures/Let the Sunshine In.