Immortal Souls & other: May 2008

Saturday, 31 May 2008

Oscar nominee Julie Christie weds

'Doctor Zhivago' star Julie Christie has wed her long-term partner in India.
CBS News correspondent Sheila MacVicar reported that the 66-year-old secretly wed journalist Duncan Campbell in a small, private ceremony.
Christie's brother Clive Christie confirmed to the UK's Daily Mail newspaper that the wedding had taken place, but that he did not attend the event two months ago.
The actress once said: "I don't see any reason for getting married unless you're religious, which I'm not."
Commenting on the newly married couple, columnist Neal Sean said: "He's very studious, very educated and she's always been about broadening her mind, her appeal, that sort of stuff."
Christie is among the nominees for this month's Oscars for her return to cinema screens as an Alzheimer's sufferer in the film 'Away from Her'.
She has already won Screen Actors Guild, Golden Globe and National Board of Review awards in the US for her performance.
The actress previously won an Oscar for the John Schlesinger film 'Darling', before turning her back on Hollywood in the 1970s.
"Julie Christie is something of a recluse, not just from life itself but basically from the whole sort of Hollywood shebang as it were," said columnist Sean.

Jim Pepper

Artist: Jim Pepper

   Genre(s):
Jazz
   Other

Discography:

Dakota Song

Year: 1993
Tracks: 9

Comin' and Goin'

Year: 1991
Tracks: 8

Art of the Duo

Year:
Tracks: 14

Jim Pepper will always be c. H. Best remembered for his pop recording of "Witchi-Tai-To," a mescal cantillate put to medicine. Pepper, world Health Organization is definitively profiled in the hourlong documentary Pepper's Pow Wow (available on video recording), infused advanced nothingness with the influence of his Native American inheritance. The son of a forefather world Health Organization besides played sax, Pepper early in life loved to tap dance. He largely taught himself both tenor and clarinet, development a soulful sound and keeping his style exposed to both resign verbal expression and the influence of world music. Pepper grew up in Oklahoma and moved to New York in the mid-'60s. He was a major part of one of the first fusion groups, Free Spirits, which made a phonograph record for ABC/Paramount in 1967. Pepper, world Health Organization played in the "Everything Is Everything" band in the belated '60s, was bucked up by Ornette Coleman and Don Cherry to put more of his heritage into his euphony. Jim Pepper worked with Cherry, Dewey Redman, Charlie Haden's Liberation Music Orchestra, and his own bands. He recorded with Paul Motian and Bob Moses, and light-emitting diode a school term from each one for Europa (1984) and Enja (1987). Pepper passed away at the age of 50 from lymphoma.

Glenn Frey

Thursday, 29 May 2008

The Ruins - movie review

Watch out, Martha Stewart! Not even your garden tools can stop the predators in
The Ruins, a Hollywood adaptation of Scott Smith's novel. They aren't mummies, pharaohs,
or cannibalistic tribesman, but killer flowers: They may seem innocent, but when
reaching out to touch them, watch out for razor-sharp teeth and toxic venom.

No, this isn't a comedy like Little Shop of Horrors, but a shocking and disturbing experience
that slaughters any comedic notions audiences may have after realizing they're watching
a movie about killer flowers. Does the sight of a girl cutting herself open and pulling
plants from her wounds make you cringe? Then prepare for one of the most unsettling horror
films of the year.

Jena Malone and Laura Ramsey star as best friends Amy and Stacy, who bring their
boyfriends, Jeff (Jonathan Tucker) and Eric (Shawn Ashmore), with them to Mexico
on vacation. After running into a German tourist named Mathias (Joe Anderson) and
his Greek friend (Dimitri Baveas), they decide to take a break from pools and margaritas
and check out a Mayan ruin in the jungle where Mathias' brother has gone missing.

The vacationers find the gigantic, vine-covered pyramid and are eager to explore.
After noticing the group walking through the twisty vines, the local Mayans -- who
don't speak English -- become violent. Without warning, they riddle Dimitri with
arrows and bullets, forcing the others to the top of the pyramid. After a while Amy,
Stacy, Jeff, Eric, and Mathias realize that they're being quarantined. Could it be
their exposure to the mysterious vines? Maybe the Mayans are allergic.

In a movie about killer plants, it would be easy to resort to cheap thrills. But The
Ruins uses its brain and draws terror from psychological horror, not cheese ball special
effects. The man-eating flowers merely set the stage for a movie about survival and
madness. Will someone come to rescue the vacationers? How long can they wait? Can
they escape the Mayans if they make a run for it? Why are there plants growing out
of their leg wounds? The young adults struggle to maintain their sanity. By the end,
they pose a more bigger danger to themselves than the vines do.

There are no household names in the movie (although Ben Stiller did produce), but
the lead actors are familiar faces and skillfully portray a wide range of human emotions,
ranging from fear and confusion to suspicion, denial, and insanity. There's little doub
t that the filmmaking process was a mentally exhausting journey for them.

The Ruins should have further explored the psychological disintegration of the vacationers.
With some big plot points unexplained, the movie never quite taps into its full potential.
For instance, at one point, the flowers "speak" to Stacy and convince her that Amy
and Eric are having sex behind her back. Can the flowers read minds? The film could
have revealed or developed plot points like this without taking away the mystery
of the plants. The Ruins could have allotted more time for the characters to turn on each
other, too.

Still, with One Missed Call, Shutter, and Prom Night delivering sell-out, watered down, PG-13
thrills, The Ruins is a breath of fresh air, and certainly not a horror movie that's easy
to forget.

My parents went to Mexico and all I got was this nasty infection.

See Also

Marc Cohn continues the 'Parade"

Singer/songwriter Marc Cohn [ tickets ] has booked another round of US dates to support "Join the Parade," his first new studio set in nearly a decade.Cohn is scheduled to return to the road June 7, starting with a festival performance in Elmer, NJ. From there, he'll play more than 30 dates across the US through late September. Details are listed below.Fans can also catch Cohn performing a live, interactive concert June 12 at the DeepRockDrive website. Online concertgoers will be able to select the angle from which they view the show and vote on which song will be played next.Cohn, best known for his 1991 hit, "Walking in Memphis," returned to the road last fall for his first nationwide trek since the "Rainy Season" tour of 1993. The Grammy winner's long hiatus and case of writer's block ended with "Join the Parade," which surfaced in October.The 10-song set, Cohn's first since 1998's "Burning the Daze," was inspired by some life-changing events. In August 2005, the singer was shot in the head during a random attempted carjacking following a Denver concert but, miraculously, sustained only minor injuries. Three weeks later, while recovering from post-traumatic stress disorder in his New York home, Cohn watched the city of New Orleans destroyed by Hurricane Katrina."I'm in the middle of my own crisis, and now I'm watching all these haunting images on television of thousands of people suffering through a far more horrific event," Cohn explained in his bio. "And then something I never could have predicted happened. It was like my song-writing receiver got flipped into the on position. Everywhere I turned, in conversations I overheard, even in get-well emails I was receiving, song ideas started coming. For several weeks, I'd be working on two-three songs simultaneously. And these songs weren't polite about their sudden presence either; they insisted on being written." "Join the Parade" was co-produced by former Bob Dylan guitarist and solo artist Charlie Sexton, and features guest vocalists Shelby Lynne, N'Dea Davenport and the Holmes Brothers. A couple of songs from the set are streaming at Cohn's MySpace page.

Natascha Mcelhone - Mcelhone Opens Up About Heartbreak In Newspaper Article

LATEST: Actress NATASCHA MCELHONE has broken her silence about the death of her husband MARTIN KELLY - by writing a moving tribute to her late spouse in a British newspaper article.

Plastic surgeon Kelly died from fatal heart condition dilated cardiomyopathy, after he was found slumped on the doorstep of the couple's London home on Tuesday (20May08).

The tragic news came just a day after they celebrated their 10th wedding anniversary.

The 38-year-old The Truman Show star, who is pregnant with their third child, had initially refused to comment on Kelly's passing - but has now opened her heart for The Mail on Sunday, in which she reveals how she is still struggling to come to terms with her devastating loss.

In the article, she says, "I just can't believe I won't feel his skin any more, how is that possible? I loved him and touched him every day, and thank goodness I did... I can't believe that magical, beautiful creature is not here any more. He was too good to be true.

"...He was the most unique father, as well. Always giving our beautiful 'pups' the alternate answer to any question, stimulating them, provoking them...

"I could write about him for the rest of my life. The part that saddens me most is that, whatever I can try to give my boys, their world for now has been halved, I cannot become him...

"I hope my sons will never be daunted by the legacy of his spirit but instead inspired to do exactly what it is they want to do. That was his philosophy, we read it somewhere once: 'Work hard, expect nothing, celebrate!'"

The actress has halted filming on hit U.S. show Californication to fly back to London from Los Angeles with the couple's two sons Theodore, eight, and Otis, five.

See Also

Stephane Grappelli and Jean-Luc Ponty

Artist: Stephane Grappelli and Jean-Luc Ponty

   Genre(s):
Jazz

Discography:

Giants

Year: 1980
Tracks: 8

Jay-Z And Beyonce Buy Marital Home

Keeping the film Rolling

The stars and director of the new Rolling Stones concert documentary Shine a Light talk about their collaboration to Helen Barlow
In recent years, Martin Scorsese has been relentlessly documenting his favourite music on celluloid. He was the prime mover behind the stunning series The Blues and he directed No Direction Home, an incisive documentary about Bob Dylan, who had appeared in his seminal 1978 movie, The Last Waltz, which focused on the last concert by The Band.Now in Shine a Light, he takes on filming a concert by the Rolling Stones, the band whose music underscores so many of his movies, ever since Jumpin' Jack Flash heralded Robert De Niro's entrance in Mean Streets. Scorsese has long enjoyed a close relationship with the Stones, particularly with Mick Jagger. And the world's most lively sexagenarian frontman has wanted success as a movie star as much as Scorsese has been in awe of musicians. In Shine A Light they feed off each other's talents."Over the years, Mick and I have been talking about working on some projects together and every time we meet I go and see the show," Scorsese explains.

"Whenever I see a show I always get excited and want to get a camera up there."Originally Jagger suggested filming a huge Rio beach concert in 3D, yet Scorsese favoured creating a gig in the smaller surrounds of New York's ornately tiered Beacon Theatre, so he could show the band up close and exert more control."The thing about the theatre in the movie," says Jagger, "is it gives you an intimate look into the relationships that are going on on stage, which I've never really seen in a concert movie before, apart from maybe in The Last Waltz."When talking about the film, Scorsese is like a big kid and admits to having been a Stones fan long before he met them."Making the film was so enjoyable, because every time we started shooting it or editing it, it was a constant renewal of a kind passion and inspiration for me. In a way it rejuvenated me and helped keep my creative energy going."Longevity is one of Shine A Light's themes. In the 20 minutes leading up to the concert, Scorsese takes us backstage to introduce us to the band, cleverly weaving in old footage. Jagger, filmed in the first two years of the band's existence, says how they might last a while longer, yet only a few years later tells an interviewer, somewhat prophetically, that they could well be around for another 20 years.A crusty-looking Keith Richards, 64 years of age like Jagger, proves surprisingly articulate in interviews, and during the concert emits a cheeky grin. However, Scorsese's astounding 18 cameras mostly focus on Jagger gyrating and strutting from one side of the stage to the other.

Pete Doherty Almost Kills Pet Cat In Drug Fuelled Rampage

Pete Doherty was so ashamed of almost killing one of his cats following a drug-fuelled impulse, that he vowed to give up his bad habits.

The singer’s moment of clarity came after he was about to attack one of his beloved feline friends.

He says: "I got a shovel and was going to kill one of the cats. That was when I was, like, you know, 'I'm a bit of a mess'. It was a bit of a crazy time."

Doherty was released from London's Wormwood Scrubs prison last week after serving 29 days of a 14 week sentence for violating his probation, brandishing a certificate showing he was free of drugs.

It's not the first time Doherty and his cats have hit the headlines. In September last year, he was criticised for appearing to force a kitten to smoke crack from a specially-modified pipe.

See Also