Monday, 30 June 2008

16B

16B   
Artist: 16B

   Genre(s): 
Dance
   



Discography:


Escape (Driving To Heaven) The Remixes   
 Escape (Driving To Heaven) The Remixes

   Year: 2006   
Tracks: 3




 





Audrina Patridge

Kate Beckinsale - Beckinsale Wants Daughter To Date Beckham


British actress KATE BECKINSALE and VICTORIA BECKHAM are playing matchmakers - they want to set their nine-year-old children up.

Beckinsale is not keen on her daughter Lily, nine, experimenting with boys when she is older - but wouldn't mind if she dated Beckham's eldest son Brooklyn.

She says, "I am dreading the day Lily brings home a boy. But she and the Beckham boys get on really well. So if she did have to have a boyfriend, then I suppose Brooklyn would get my seal of approval."





See Also

Wilmer Valderrama - Valderrama Returns To Fox With New Show


WILMER VALDERRAMA is to return to comedy TV - he's co-producing and starring in new series THE EMANCIPATION OF ERNESTO.

The actor rose to fame starring in That '70s Show alongside a young Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis, but the hit Fox programme came to an end in 2006 after an eight-year run.

But he has now signed a pilot deal to return to the Fox TV network with The Emancipation of Ernesto - about a naive man who struggles to avoid the temptations of Hollywood as he searches for his father, reports industry publication Variety.





See Also

Tim Heintz

Tim Heintz   
Artist: Tim Heintz

   Genre(s): 
New Age
   



Discography:


Lost and Found   
 Lost and Found

   Year: 2001   
Tracks: 13


Searching The Heart   
 Searching The Heart

   Year: 1988   
Tracks: 8


Tim Heintz   
 Tim Heintz

   Year:    
Tracks: 8


Quiet Time   
 Quiet Time

   Year:    
Tracks: 8




 





Coming out?

Bill Maher and Garry Shandling honour George Carlin at service








LOS ANGELES - He was the comedian who actually said the seven words you can never say on television, but close friends and family members remembered George Carlin as a man who, when he was off stage, had only a kind word for everyone he met.

At a private memorial service Sunday attended by some 150 people - "That was as small as we could keep it," chuckled Carlin's daughter, Kelly Carlin McCall - her father was memorialized by comedians Bill Maher, Garry Shandling and others as someone who had no enemies, in part because he was nice to everyone he spoke to.

"What everyone said tonight is if you spent time with my father, whether it was five seconds or five hours, he was kind, attentive, very connected to you, compassionate," said Carlin's daughter.

Among those who spoke at the service, which was closed to the public and news media, was Shandling, who told of being a teenage college student when he sought out Carlin nearly 40 years ago.

"My dad read his material and encouraged him to continue on, which was a life-changing moment in Garry's life," McCall told The Associated Press after the service.

Overall, Carlin's daughter said, the service was a happy event, one presided over in part by her father himself, who spoke from a montage of video clips assembled from his 51-year career.

Carlin, who died June 22 of heart failure, recorded nearly two dozen albums, 14 HBO comedy specials, wrote three bestselling books and appeared in numerous movies and TV shows.

"It was a very, very light event, as he wanted it," McCall said of the two-hour service. "He wanted a lot of laughter. I'd say 90 per cent of it was laughing and just remembering what he brought to us in his funny way."

Although his standup routines were often filled with four-letter words - so many that early in his career Carlin was sometimes hauled off stage and taken to jail - his dead-on ability to highlight the absurdities of everyday life, and do so in such comical voices and faces, made his humour come across as anything but harsh.

And although famous for four-letter words, Carlin, 71, did not always use them. He was also Mr. Conductor on the children's show "Shining Time Station," Fillmore the hippie van in the 2006 children's movie "Cars," and the guest host of the first "Saturday Night Live" episode ever broadcast. That 1975 show was replayed by NBC on Saturday night in his honour.

There also was more to Carlin than just the comedian, said McCall, and that too was reflected at her father's funeral.

He loved music, and his service was attended by Kenny Rankin, who sang "Here's That Rainy Day," and Spanky McFarland of the 1960s pop group Spanky and Our Gang, who performed the song "Coming Home."

Other speakers included Carlin's older brother, Patrick, his partner, Sally Wade, and his former standup partner, Jack Burns. Carlin's wife, Brenda Hosbrook Carlin, died in 1997.

Carlin and Burns had met in 1960, and although they worked as a comedy duo only briefly they remained lifelong friends.

In an earlier AP interview, Burns recalled Carlin calling him several times a year to remind him of such things as the anniversary of the day they met, the day they did their first show together and, in one less-than-joyful incident, the day they were jailed for armed robbery in Texas in a case of mistaken identity.

That's just the sentimentalist he was, said McCall, who is Carlin's only child.

"He went out of his way to make sure friends and family members, if they needed anything, he was there for them," she said. "He was a complete man. He was more than just the seven words you can never say on television."

-

On the Net:

http://www.tjcenter.org

http://www.americanheart.org










See Also

Madonna - Live Nation Denies Poor Madonna Ticket Sales


Concert promoter Live Nation has dismissed reports they are struggling to shift tickets to MADONNA's forthcoming world tour - stating fans have turned out in record numbers for a chance to see the superstar in concert.

The pop legend signed a money-spinning deal with Live Nation earlier this year (08), which will net her an estimated $120 million (GBP60 million) over the next 10 years.

However, reports in the New York Post suggested the singer was struggling to entice fans to see her Sticky + Sweet tour, with tickets failing to sell-out at certain venues.

But Live Nation refutes the claims, insisting over one million fans have already bought tickets to see the Material Girl star perform.

And the company is so sure they have a hit on their hands, they have announced that Madonna is set to smash her own record for the highest earning touring female artist - looking set to earn $55 million (GBP27.5 million) more than she did for her 2006 Confessions On A Dancefloor tour.

The healthy ticket sales for Madonna's tour allows the company to sigh a breath of relief after facing a barrage of speculation this month (Jun08) over whether they had overpaid to sign certain artists.

As well working in partnership with Madonna, Live Nation has signed groundbreaking multi-million tour and promotion deals with rockers U2 and hip hop heavyweight Jay-Z.





See Also

Fionn Regan

Fionn Regan   
Artist: Fionn Regan

   Genre(s): 
Rock
   



Discography:


The End of History   
 The End of History

   Year: 2007   
Tracks: 12




In Great Britain, Fionn Regan is gestural to Bella Union Records, an atmospheric dreaming pop label owned by former Cocteau Twin Simon Raymonde and home to acts like Robin Guthrie's ultra-atmospheric Violet Indiana. In the United States, Fionn Regan is gestural to Lost Highway Records, an alternate commonwealth and roots rock'n'roll impression that's home to Lyle Lovett, Lucinda Williams, and Tift Merritt. The impressive thing is that the piquant isaac M. Singer and songster is a perfect outfit for both labels. Born and raised in the coastal metropolis of Bray, Ireland, Regan absorbed kinsfolk and blue devils influences alongside the common rock & roll (in interviews, he has claimed inspiration ranging from Leadbelly and Woody Guthrie to the Velvet Underground and Nirvana) ascribable to his artistic family's bohemian beingness surviving and working at a seaboard resort hotel. Picking up piano, fiddle, and guitar at an early historic period from his musician father, Regan was acting in populace ahead he reached his tenth birthday and busking across the country by his mid-teens. Resettling in Brighton, England, Regan gestural with the little indie Anvil Records and released deuce EPs, 2003's Reservoir and 2004's Hotel Room, before connecting with the more than established Bella Union imprint. In search of a bouncy, natural sound, Regan recorded his debut album, The End of History, mostly in an deserted stone barn. The record album was released in Great Britain in the summertime of 2006, garnering considerable praise and regular comparisons to both Damien Rice and Nick Drake, as well as 2 strike singles in "Put a Penny in the Slot" and "Be Good or Be Gone." Lost Highway scheduled the American waiver of The End of History for summertime 2007.





Troublemakers

Hades

Hades   
Artist: Hades

   Genre(s): 
Metal: Heavy
   Other
   Metal: Death,Black
   



Discography:


DamNation   
 DamNation

   Year: 2001   
Tracks: 12


Saviorself   
 Saviorself

   Year: 1999   
Tracks: 11


Alone Walkyng (Demo)   
 Alone Walkyng (Demo)

   Year: 1993   
Tracks: 3


Resisting Success   
 Resisting Success

   Year: 1987   
Tracks: 16




Long-running speed metal band Hades was originally formed in 1978 by singer Paul Smith and guitarist Dan Lorenzo, then high schoolers in Paramus, NJ. A 1982 curtain raising escort for Twisted Sister greatly brocaded the band's local visibleness, and with drummer Tom Coombes and bassist Lou Ciarlo on board, Hades issued its debut seven-inch Deliver Us from Evil. Appearances on the Metal Blade compilation Metal Massacre VI and Megaforce's Born to Metalize followed before the group -- forthwith consisting of Lorenzo, Coombes, singer Alan Tecchio, guitarist Scott LePage and bassist Jimmy Schulman -- gestural to Torrid Records and issued their debut LP Resisting Success in 1987. Guitarist Ed Fuhrman replaced LePage for the 1988 follow-up If at First You Don't Succeed, simply patch touring Europe Hades disbanded; Lorenzo soon formed a new grouping, Non-Fiction, which issued its debut EP Green in 1989. After a stretch with the group Watchtower, Tecchio returned to New Jersey and linked Non-Fiction as well; each year, Hades too played a reunion show at Newark's Studio One (1991's show yielded the Live on Location disk), and when Non-Fiction dissolved upon complemental their album It's a Wonderful Life, Lorenzo and Tecchio reformed Hades with Fuhrman, LePage (right away on bass part) and drummer Dave Lecsinsky. The reunion elbow grease SaviorSelf followed in early 1999; The Downside appeared a class later.






Bungle

Bungle   
Artist: Bungle

   Genre(s): 
Drum & Bass
   



Discography:


NU12027 Vinyl   
 NU12027 Vinyl

   Year: 2005   
Tracks: 2




 






Hot trends watch: Rotten Neighbor

Rottenneighbor_4 Got a troublesome neighbor? You are not alone. RottenNeighbor.com, a site where users can sound-off about local area residents whom they're not too happy with, was a hot Google search this morning, clocking in at No. 7 and 12 on the Hot list.



Rotten Neighbor, launched last summer, lets you search by city or ZIP code for all the noisy, annoying and rude neighbors listed in your area. For any given ZIP code, you can get more specific breakdowns of rude metrics, such as noise, safety and appearance.



Individual neighbor reports list the general vicinity of the culprits, a description of the complaint and the number of other users that agreed. In addition to text grievances, you can post videos and photos of ne'er-do-wells caught in the act. The map also displays such neighborhood party poopers as registered sex offenders and foreclosed homes.



Listings near the Los Angeles Times Building include "barking dog" and "psychopath upstairs." 



The site also lets you log reports for good neighbors, which appear in green on the map. However, there aren't yet many commendations listed in Los Angeles (besides the Cunninghams -- great people).  A utility for praising your neighbors somehow doesn't seem quite as useful.



The sudden increased traffic to Rotten Neighbor seems to be taking its toll on the site's servers, causing slow page loads and sometimes error messages. People checking to see if friends, family members or they themselves made the list may have to wait until the stampede dies down.



-- Mark Milian, guest blogger/intern



See Also

Didier Blanc

Didier Blanc   
Artist: Didier Blanc

   Genre(s): 
Other
   



Discography:


La Femme Chocolat   
 La Femme Chocolat

   Year: 2005   
Tracks: 13




 






Cleveland Clinic and The Cleveland Orchestra Collaborate to Explore the Music-Brain Connection

International Symposium to Examine Impact of Music on Health, Wellness and
the Human Brain during the Salzburg Festival

CLEVELAND, June 26 -- Cleveland Clinic and The Cleveland
Orchestra will present a symposium called Music and the Brain Aug. 16 in
Salzburg, Austria. The program will convene experts from Cleveland and
around the world to examine the intersection of music and neuroscience, the
impact of music on health, disease and the social implications of the
music-brain connection.

The international Music and the Brain Symposium is part of the Salzburg
Festival, an annual five-week-long music and drama festival. It is the
first program of its kind to be held during the Salzburg Festival.

"Music has a universal impact on humans. It has a profound impact on
human health and wellness and is also used as a therapeutic tool for
patients," said Ali R. Rezai, M.D., Director of Cleveland Clinic's Center
for Neurological Restoration. "Music and the Brain crosses multiple
disciplines and is an exciting and emerging field of study."

Music and the Brain will cover a variety of interrelated topics
including the neurobiology of music (the unique way in which music and the
brain interact), the impact of music on health and a sociological
perspective of the role of the arts in neuroscience. The day-long symposium
will consist of presentations and panel discussions, and will feature an
internationally recognized group of experts representing the fields of
music, neuroscience, health and wellness and philosophy.

Franz Welser-Most, Music Director of The Cleveland Orchestra, said, "It
is my pleasure to introduce, for the first time in Salzburg, a meeting
combining music and science to focus on the fact that we are on the verge
of a decade of important research about how music affects the brain and the
medical, musical, social and philosophical implications of that research.
We are learning more and more that music is not only an emotional, artistic
outlet, but it may also have specific positive effects on health and
healing."

The program is part of the Cleveland Orchestra's Salzburg Festival
Residency. Music and the Brain is the result of a new collaboration between
The Cleveland Orchestra and Cleveland Clinic's Neurological Institute.
Music and the Brain evolved from a discussion between Welser-Most and Dr.
Rezai about their shared interest in how music affects both the brain and
overall health. The conversation paved the way for the international
symposium about the future of this dynamic field.

The symposium will take place at the University Mozarteum in Salzburg.
Agenda and registration information can be found at
http://www.musicandthebrainaustria.com , or by calling 216-448-0770. Reservations
are recommended.

About Cleveland Clinic's Neurological Institute

The Neurological Institute is one of 26 institutes at Cleveland Clinic
that group multiple specialties together to provide collaborative,
patient-centered care. The institute is a leader in treating the most
complex neurological disorders, advancing innovations such as deep brain
stimulation, epilepsy surgery, stereotactic spine radiosurgery and
blood-brain barrier disruption. Annually, our staff of more than 150
specialists serves 140,000 patients and performs 6,000 surgeries. Cleveland
Clinic is a nonprofit multispecialty academic medical center, consistently
ranked among the top hospitals in America by U.S News & World Report.
Founded in 1921, it is dedicated to providing quality specialized care and
includes an outpatient clinic, a hospital with more than 1,000 staffed
beds, an education institute and a research institute.

About Cleveland Clinic

Cleveland Clinic, located in Cleveland, Ohio, is a not-for-profit
multispecialty academic medical center that integrates clinical and
hospital care with research and education. Cleveland Clinic was founded in
1921 by four renowned physicians with a vision of providing outstanding
patient care based upon the principles of cooperation, compassion and
innovation. U.S. News & World Report consistently names Cleveland Clinic as
one of the nation's best hospitals in its annual "America's Best Hospitals"
survey. Approximately 1,800 full-time salaried physicians and researchers
at Cleveland Clinic and Cleveland Clinic Florida represent more than 100
medical specialties and subspecialties. In 2007, there were 3.5 million
outpatient visits to Cleveland Clinic and 50,455 hospital admissions.
Patients came for treatment from every state and from more than 80
countries. Cleveland Clinic's Web site address is http://www.clevelandclinic.org.




See Also

Power Quest

Power Quest   
Artist: Power Quest

   Genre(s): 
Rock: Hard-Rock
   



Discography:


Magic Never Dies   
 Magic Never Dies

   Year: 2005   
Tracks: 11




 






Lily Allen: Smoke 'Em If You Got Two of 'Em

Amy Winehouse may not be the only female British popwreck diagnosed with early signs of what could be emphysema!
Lily Allen
Ambidextrous Brit singer Lily Allen partied at a music festival in England this weekend, with some sort of hand-rolled smoke in one hand and a cig in the other.

While James Blunt was part of the line-up, Mary J. was not.






See Also

DJ Vortex and Arpa's Dream

DJ Vortex and Arpa's Dream   
Artist: DJ Vortex and Arpa's Dream

   Genre(s): 
Other
   



Discography:


Stik 095   
 Stik 095

   Year: 2003   
Tracks: 1




 





Anne Hathaway's Ex Arrested on Fraud Charges

A new boxoffice leader

Film's $32.5 million bow blows competition away





Superheroes, family fare and a bit of comedy combined during the weekend to stir up the overseas summer season, with early estimates indicating that the 2008 prime playing time may be running about 5% ahead of last year's record achievement.


The June pickup, erasing the May blip of "Speed Racer," continued as Universal's "Wanted" -- the latest comic book adaptation -- blasted into the overseas market with $32.5 million from 1,955 playdates in 22 territories, followed by "Kung Fu Panda's" $23.3 million, "The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian's" $19.3 million, "Get Smart's" $12.3 million, "The Incredible Hulk's" $11.8 million, "Indian Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull's" $11.7 million, "Sex and the City's" $11.2 million and "The Happening's" $7.4 million.


At the same time, the new Disney/Pixar animated entry, "WALL-E," showed great promise as it teed off in six Latin American countries to begin a staggered global rollout that ends in Japan on Dec. 5.


"Wanted" opened at No. 1 in 18 markets, highlighted by a record-breaking opening in Russia ($11 million from 612 dates), home of director Timar Bekmambetov, known for such Russian action-horror films as "Night Watch" and "Day Watch." The ultra violent adaptation from a series of graphic novels by Mark Millar and J.G. Jones opened to $7.6 million from 412 screens in the U.K. (second to "Prince Caspian's" bow of $8.1 million from 526 screens). No. 1 openings for "Wanted" included Thailand ($1 million from 74 screens), Hong Kong ($951,000 from 37), Singapore ($780,000 from 43), Malaysia ($766,000 from 59), the Philippines ($693,000 from 910), Ukraine ($683,000 from 76), Turkey ($536,000 from 122) and Poland ($487,000 from 67).


"Wanted," which will be released around the world during the next three months, will be confronted this coming weekend by Sony's Will Smith superhero "Hancock," which is set to open in 49 territories, including the U.K., Germany, Australia, Brazil and Korea. "Wanted" will reach Italy this coming weekend, followed the week after by Israel, Portugal and South Africa.


Paramount/DreamWorks' "Kung Fu Panda" topped the $100 million mark, reaching $101.1 million in a little over three sessions of staggered releases in only 14 markets. It hit the top in Australia with a powerful $6.9 million in four days from 269 screens. Taiwan delivered $1.4 million from 62 screens in two days, and New Zealand, $633,095 from 84 in four days. To date, "Panda" has taken in $24.3 million from Korea in a little over three weeks, $13.2 million from Mexico in almost two weeks, and $19.5 million from Russia in three sessions.


Making its first foray into Western Europe, "Prince Caspian" lorded over the U.K. ($8 million from 526 screens) and France ($6.1 million from 863) and lifted its international cume to $161.2 million. The family film will extend its Western Europe run this weekend in Spain, Scandinavia and the Benelux countries, culminating Aug. 21 in Greece, after stopping in Germany on July 31 and Italy on Aug. 14.


Two comedies -- Warner Bros.' "Get Smart" and New Line's "Sex and the City" -- served as strong counterprogrammers against Sunday's European Cup soccer final. According to Warners, the spy spoof starring Steve Carell pulled in higher numbers than projected Sunday, grossing $12.3 million from 2,258 prints in 21 markets for an early cume of $20.5 million.


"Sex and the City" held on to first place in Germany with $1.1 million in its fifth week in release in the market as Germany lost to Spain in the televised championship match. Overall, "Sex" took in $11.2 million from 6,245 screens in 54 markets to reach a cume of $194.3 million.


The cume for "Indiana Jones" rose to $413.3 million as it recorded $11.7 million over the weekend from 4,206 screens in 53 markets. Japan supplied $24.6 million in two weekends.


Universal/Marvel Comics' "The Incredible Hulk" raised its cume to $84.7 million following a $11.8 million weekend from 4,552 screens in 54 markets. Territories under Universal's jurisdiction provided $75.2 million of the cume and $9.4 million came from Australia/New Zealand (via Paramount) and Spain (via Sony).


"Wall-E" took in $3.1 million from six Latin American countries, headed by Brazil's $1.4 million from 337 screens.


More weekend tallies: "The Happening," $7.4 million (cume: $69.9 million); "You Don't Mess With the Zohan," $3.7 million (cume: $19.4 million); and "What Happens in Vegas," $2.1 million (cume: $124.9 million).



See Also

Christian Smith and John Selway

Christian Smith and John Selway   
Artist: Christian Smith and John Selway

   Genre(s): 
Techno
   Electronic
   



Discography:


Transit Time__Incl Dubfire Remix-(SINO017) Vinyl   
 Transit Time__Incl Dubfire Remix-(SINO017) Vinyl

   Year: 2007   
Tracks: 3


Silver Bullet   
 Silver Bullet

   Year: 2006   
Tracks: 2


Bahamas (Promo Vinyl)   
 Bahamas (Promo Vinyl)

   Year: 2006   
Tracks: 2




Christian Smith and John Selway form unitary of the most virile late-'90s production duos for theater and trance-tinted techno. From Stockholm, Sweden, and New York, severally, these 2 have managed to transcend geographical barriers to sustain their collaborations, which receive resulted in some stunning EPs such as Downunder on Primate and Metropolitan on In-Tec. In addition, their strain "Move!" has been championed by populist trance DJs such as Sasha and Dave Ralph, as intimately as the techno and hard house communities, further illustrating the universal appeal of the duo's unparalleled sounds.





Vibrasphere

Rebellion

Rebellion   
Artist: Rebellion

   Genre(s): 
Other
   



Discography:


Sagas Of Iceland: The History Of The Vikings, Volume 1   
 Sagas Of Iceland: The History Of The Vikings, Volume 1

   Year: 2005   
Tracks: 13


A Tragedy In Steel: Shakespeare's Macbeth   
 A Tragedy In Steel: Shakespeare's Macbeth

   Year: 2002   
Tracks: 11




 





KCRW's Harry Shearer to Receive Hollywood Walk of Fame Star

Dipsoma

Dipsoma   
Artist: Dipsoma

   Genre(s): 
Metal
   



Discography:


Arson Ep   
 Arson Ep

   Year: 2004   
Tracks: 5




 






Urawa

Urawa   
Artist: Urawa

   Genre(s): 
Ambient
   Industrial
   



Discography:


The Most Boring Thousand Years Of My Life   
 The Most Boring Thousand Years Of My Life

   Year: 2002   
Tracks: 14


Villa Vertigo   
 Villa Vertigo

   Year: 1999   
Tracks: 8


A Dog Called Demolition   
 A Dog Called Demolition

   Year: 1995   
Tracks: 6




 






Prizes awarded in global music contest held in LA

LOS ANGELES —

More than $250,000 in prizes were announced Sunday after a weeklong competition that mingled features from "American Idol" with the world of classical music.


Top prizes of $50,000 in the Jose Iturbi International Music Competition were awarded to soprano Angela Meade, 30, a resident artist at Philadelphia's Academy of Vocal Arts, and pianist Mariya Kim, 26, of the Ukraine and Germany. Kim also shared the $3,000 Spanish Prize.


The second annual contest, held at the University of California, Los Angeles, featured musicians from around the globe.


The competition's sponsoring Jose Iturbi Foundation is named for the renowned concert pianist who appeared in several MGM musicals in the 1940s. It is dedicated to preserving Iturbi's legacy and to fulfilling his desire to bring emerging classical pianists and vocalists to the public's attention.


"The talent of this year's competitors was staggering," said Donelle Dadigan, the foundation's president. "Interest in the final rounds was so intense that hundreds of people lined up in hope there would be last minute cancellations."


The $3,000 People's Choice award for piano was given to Chetan Tierra, 24, a student at the Cleveland Institute of Music. The People's Choice award in the vocal competition was given to Rodell Rosel, 32, a native of the Philippines who has studied at Santa Monica College and UCLA.


In addition to their $50,000 in first-place prize money, vocalist Meade and pianist Kim will perform during a cruise aboard the Queen Mary 2 next April.








See Also

Even in the depths of darkness, a little lightness finds a way in

Have you noticed how many artists seem poised for disaster? Much of the work I've been seeing lately at the galleries radiates unease about the condition of life on planet Earth. The latest shows at Platform Gallery and Howard House are a case in point, with drawings and sculptures that convey a simmering apprehension about where we're headed, as humans and as citizens of the United States. To balance the angst, there's some quirky humor out there, too — I'll get back to that.



In Patte Loper's latest work at Platform, a drawing show called "A Peculiar Brightness in the Sky," she uses the trope of Antarctic exploration to convey a sense of barely restrained desolation. For one series, she drew improvised shelters that stand as tenuous barriers against a wilderness of ice. With an apocalyptic sky behind them, they seem about as safe as life rafts adrift on the open ocean.



The way humans cobble their little constructions onto an unsympathetic planet is Loper's terrain. In a gallery handout, she references 19th-century critic John Ruskin and his notion of the "pathetic fallacy," that is, our way of projecting emotional attributes onto the natural world, imbuing it with our own feelings. Loper embraces the concept. You can empathize with her little constructs as individuals, hanging on alone in a barren emotional landscape. Or, as I prefer, as broader metaphors for the increasing discomfort human beings feel with the rhythms of the natural world — and that includes our own natures.



That's what I love about her grand diptych drawing "Observation Deck for a Bottomless Pit." The structure is a chic viewing lounge complete with modern furniture, sculptures, mineral "specimens" and potted plants. It seems to somehow be set into a vertical cross section of a mountain peak that reminds me of Mount St. Helens. As far as I can tell, it exists as part of some crazy mind-set. All the comfort and style of that viewing platform are separated from a bottomless abyss by a little stanchion with lax ropes, like you'd find in front of a museum display. Yeah: I'd have to say that pretty much sums up my own feeling of anxiety about the state of our environmental, economic and political situation. Something like fiddling while Rome burns.



Loper's show follows another strong exhibition at Platform that crackled with environmental concern. A three-artist show, "Eden's on Fire," introduced the work of Brooklyn artist Michael Schall, who, interestingly, gravitated to a similar volcano and abyss symbology, but with his own witty and endearing style.



For a little added humor this time around, don't leave Platform without getting a guided tour of Marc Dombrosky's totally weird and hilarious little installation in the back-office area of the gallery. There is embroidery. And found stuff. Beyond that, I'll say no more.



A jolting context



A few blocks away at Howard House, Jon Haddock gets more literal with his imagery in "Automata," a group of meticulously crafted, hand-operated papier-mâché and wood sculptures. When cranked, they repeat acts of brutality that we've already had pounded into our psyches by a barrage of recent news stories. Tasering, humiliation, rape, torture unto death — you'll recognize the stories. Do we need to see them again?



Considering Haddock's presentation, I'd say yes. His choice of a lighthearted, toylike medium puts the horror of the images into a context that jolts. It's easy to get thick-skinned about the news, cooking dinner while watching reports of carnage and mayhem. Haddock's artworks carry an undeniable burden of collective shame with them. This is the face of our country. What the rest of the world knows about us and what our children grow up watching.



Sigh.



Fun in the vignettes



But there are other facets to our culture, of course. To lift your spirits, race down to Grover/Thurston Gallery and spend some time with the surreal vignettes that are Gene Gentry McMahon's paintings. (The show ends Saturday; don't put it off.)



McMahon's been out of the gallery scene for a decade, but hasn't changed her approach. She still paints dreamlike accumulations of people scattered about like stones on a beach, each absorbed in his/her own obscure rituals, as though nobody else existed. In the big triptych "Cry Me a River," everybody is hanging out up to their armpits in some body of water, many of them clutching plastic water bottles. Each is busily engaged and seemingly oblivious to all else, like people on cellphones. I kept finding myself giggling.



Each scene is different, but you may spot recurring motifs. What's with that odd little dog? Can a water fountain create anxiety? Here, you'll have fun.



Sheila Farr: sfarr@seattletimes.com








See Also

Beth Orton

Beth Orton   
Artist: Beth Orton

   Genre(s): 
Rock
   Folk
   



Discography:


Comfort of Strangers   
 Comfort of Strangers

   Year: 2006   
Tracks: 14


The Other Side of Daybreak   
 The Other Side of Daybreak

   Year: 2003   
Tracks: 10


Pass in Time: The Definitive Collection   
 Pass in Time: The Definitive Collection

   Year: 2003   
Tracks: 14


Daybreaker   
 Daybreaker

   Year: 2002   
Tracks: 10


Central Reservation   
 Central Reservation

   Year: 1999   
Tracks: 12


Trailer Park   
 Trailer Park

   Year: 1997   
Tracks: 11


Super Pinky Mandy   
 Super Pinky Mandy

   Year: 1993   
Tracks: 10




Singer/songwriter Beth Orton combined the passionate beaut of the acoustic kinsfolk tradition with the electronic beat generation of trip-hop to make a novel, distinct optical fusion of roots and rhythm. Born in Norwich, England in December 1970, Orton debuted as one half of the duet Spill, a one-off picture with William Orbit which released a cover of John Martyn's "Don't Wanna Know About Evil." She continued on the job with Orbit on his 1993 LP Foreign Cargo 3, co-writing and singing the racecourse "Water From a Vine Leaf" earlier appearing with the mathematical group Red Snapper on their get-go singles "Common snapping turtle" and "In Deep." In 1995 Orton teamed with the Chemical Brothers for "Alive: Alone," the ultimate racecourse on their Exit Planet Dust LP. After collection a financial backing lot comprised of double bassist Ali Friend, guitarist Ted Barnes, keyboardist Lee Spencer and drummer Wildcat Will, she last issued her 1996 debut EP She Cries Your Name; her stunning full-length bow Trailer Park, produced in part by Andrew Weatherall, followed later in the twelvemonth. In 1997, Orton released the brilliant C. H. Best Bit EP, a move towards a more than organic, soulful well-grounded highlighted by a couple of duets with folk-jazz caption Terry Callier; the full-length Primal Reservation followed in 1999. "Stolen Car" was a check strike among college radio set and tours crossways the U.S. were as well successful. Three days later, Orton emerged fresh with her third album Daybreaker. This time around, she collaborated with ex-Whiskeytown frontman Ryan Adams and the Chemical Brothers. In former 2006, Orton released her fourth record album, Consolation of Strangers. The 14-song set was recorded in two weeks with producer Jim O'Rourke.






Jay-Z Talks About Glastonbury Triumph, Responds To Amy Winehouse's Dis Of Kanye West




A reported 100,000 fans and one Greatest MC of All Time, holding a ... guitar? Jay-Z commanding a huge crowd is a sight we've grown accustomed to over the past decade-plus, but doing it with a guitar strapped to his shoulder is a new one. Sir Hov of Brooklyn headlined the Glastonbury Festival on Saturday, and one of the highlights was Jay doing his own rendition of Oasis's "Wonderwall."

"Today is gonna be the day/ That they're gonna throw it back to you/ By now, you should've somehow/ Realized what you gotta do."

Of course, all of this was in response to Oasis leader Noel Gallagher's comments criticizing Jay as headliner of the traditionally rock-based festival.

"That's my sense of humor," Jay told MTV Base. "I have a sense of humor like a Brit, so I thought people would appreciate that. Noel Gallagher was one of the biggest detractors so I figured that was a cool way to start the show."

A few weeks back, Gallagher had scoffed at the announcement of Jay's headlining slot.

"If it ain't broke don't fix it," the Oasis guitarist told the BBC. "I'm sorry, but Jay-Z? No chance. Glastonbury has a tradition of guitar music. I'm not having hip-hop at Glastonbury. It's wrong."

"It didn't make me angry because I don't know him," Jay told MTV Base. "What people say about you is none of your business." Jay also said he plays "Wonderwall" a lot at his 40/40 Club on Friday nights and it always goes over well with the crowd — that's how he knew the words so well.

However, when it came to fellow Glastonbury performer Amy Winehouse's dis towards Jay's friend Kanye West, the Jiggaman quipped he wanted to make peace.

"She said something about Kanye late on [in her set] but I didn't hear it," he said. "I don't agree with it. He's my brother and the biggest artist on Roc-A-Fella right now. ... I guess I should hook them up because he's a great guy, too. I don't know what the problem is. I don't know where that came from."

But even with the mild bit of controversy, nothing could overshadow Jay's night. The performance has been lauded by critics and footage on the Internet shows that the fans were heavily into it as well.

"It went amazing," Jay beamed. "It was a historic night for Glastonbury and for myself. It's the first time a hip-hop act had headlined. It was one of those nervous moments right before I went on and I haven't had that feeling in a long time. In front of [100,000] people, it was this great thing."

"Of course," he continued when asked if he would come back. "It was incredible. I'm glad it went that way, 'cause the world was watching. ... We get sounds from all over the world. It's the universal language. It's not about genres. It's about good music and bad music. There's sh-- rap music, sh-- rock and roll, bullsh-- country music and there's horrible jazz. There's brilliant jazz — Miles Davis! Brilliant rock — Coldplay. And there's brilliant rap — Jigga!"






See Also

Angie Harmon - Harmon Joins Rape Campaign

Former LAW + ORDER star ANGIE HARMON has become a board member at a Rape Treatment Centre in California to speak out against sex crimes and help victims.

The actress has joined the clinic at the Santa Monica-UCLA Medical Center in a bid to use her fame to raise awareness of anti-rape campaigns across America and help raise funds.

Harmon insists her decision to join the movement to help eradicate sexually-motivated attacks as she fears for the safety of her two young daughters with husband Jason Sehorn, Finley, four, and Avery, two.

She says, "The act of rape is barbaric. that it's still going on is appalling. It's still so prevalent, and I have two daughters. To have the centre go nationwide would be my ultimate dream.

"Awareness is part of the battle."




See Also

Tori Spelling - Spellings Husband Vows To Be Overbearing Dad


Actress TORI SPELLING's husband DEAN MCDERMOTT is already dreading his newborn daughter's teenage years - and has vowed to be an overbearing and overprotective father.

The couple welcomed their second child, Stella Doreen, into the world at a Los Angeles hospital earlier this month (09Jun08).

Stella is MCDermott's first daughter and he admits raising a little girl has given him a new perspective on parenting.

He says, "She's 10-days-old, and I'm already worried about when she'll start to date. She's so beautiful. Her dating life is going to be terrible. I'm going to scrutinize every boy that comes to the door."





See Also

Amy Winehouse Shops for Liquor

Will Amy Winehouse ever learn? Earlier this week, the troubled singer was right back to smoking immediately after leaving the hospital, where doctors had diagnosed her with scarring on her lungs that could develop into the incurable disease emphysema. And then today, the Grammy winner was spotted stocking up on alcohol at a London store.

According to witnesses, Amy had been to Pentonville Prison to visit her imprisoned husband, Blake Fielder-Civil � who is nominated for Villain of the Year (So Far) in OK!'s Half-Year in Review Reader's Poll � on Thursday morning.

And then after seeing her locked-up lover, the singer immediately popped into a local store where she purchased some snacks � and at least three different mini-bottles of liquor!

Amy Winehouse visits hubby and hits the liquer store 1/1
(photo: Fame Pictures)

Following her brief shopping spree, it was off to rehearsal for Amy, who is scheduled to perform at London's Hyde Park tomorrow for Nelson Mandela's 90th birthday celebration.




See Also

Coldplay postpone North American tour

Coldplay have postponed their forthcoming tour of North America, citing production issues as the reason for the delay.

The band, who are gearing up to promote their fourth album �??Viva La Vida or Death And All His Friends�??, will now start the tour proper July 14 in Los Angeles instead of June 29.

As previously reported, the band will play three free shows in London, Barcelona and New York and these shows will not be affected by the postponement,

The band issued a statement saying the aforementioned production delays are to blame for the rescheduling and added:

"We're very sorry, but we promise you a show worthy of your patience and understanding when we start in mid-July�?�.

The dates have all been rescheduled with tickets still valid for the new dates.

The new dates are:

Los Angeles, CA The Forum (July 14, 15)
San Jose, CA HP Pavilion (18)
Las Vegas, NV MGM Grand Garden Arena (19)
Chicago, IL United Center (23)
Philadelphia, PA Wachovia Center (25)
Pemberton, BC Pemberton Festival (27)
Montreal, QC Bell Centre (29)
Toronto, ON Air Canada Centre (30)
Hartford, CT XL Center (August 2)
Washington, DC Verizon Center (3)
Boston, MA TD Banknorth Garden (4)
Ottawa, ON Scotiabank Place (October 20)
Cleveland, OH Quicken Loans Arena (21)
East Rutherford, NJ Izod Center (26)
Detroit, MI The Palace of Auburn Hills (November 3)
Orlando, FL Amway Arena (7)
Sunrise, FL Bank Atlantic Center (9)
Atlanta, GA Philips Arena (11)
Kansas City, MO Sprint Center (13)
St. Paul, MN Xcel Energy Center (14)
Oklahoma City, OK Ford Center (16)
Houston, TX Toyota Center (18)
Dallas, TX American Airlines Center (19)
Denver, CO Pepsi Center Arena (21)
Salt Lake City, UT Energy Solutions Arena (22)
Phoenix, AZ Jobing.com Arena (26)

--By our New York staff.
Find out more about NME.

Overture picks up 'Parent Class'

Production company continues aggressive pace





Overture continues its aggressive pace of project pickups, acquiring the pitch "Parent Class" from writers Toni Kotite and Marty Scott.


The project, which James Gibb brought to the studio and will produce, revolves around a
divorced couple who are deemed unsatisfactory parents and must enroll in a class on how to improve their child-rearing skills. Gibb, who conceived of the story, based it on a real-life class he attended.


Overture has scooped up several pitches or specs this month, last week nabbing the Stephen Karam play "Speech & Debate" and the Irwin Winkler-produced home-invasion drama "Taken." The company is seeking to populate a 2009 slate, a roster already anchored by Michael Moore's follow-up to "Farenheit 9/11."


Kotite and Scott have a number of projects in development, including "Soccer Mom" and "Briggs Ballet" at New Line. Pair are repped by APA, Jeff Okin at Anonymous Content and attorney Dave Feldman. Sean Furst will oversee "Class" for Overture.



See Also

Korn - Born-again Korn Star Returns With Solo Album


Former KORN star BRIAN `HEAD' WELCH is set to return to the limelight with a new solo album after taking a religious sabbatical from the music industry.

The guitarist stunned the rock world when he walked away from Korn in 2005, explaining he needed to care for his daughter, Jennea, as a single father and commit to his faith after becoming a born-again Christian.

But Welsh returned to the recording studio last year and his debut solo record, Save Me From Myself, will be released in September (08) on Driven Music Group - the label he co-founded.

The album features David Bowie and Peter Gabriel's long-serving session musician Tony Levin and A Perfect Circle star Josh Freese.

Welch says, "I'm really excited about getting my music out there to my fans. I literally poured everything I had into Save Me From Myself, and I know it's gonna inspire a lot of people.

"It's been a long time since I've connected with people musically, and now that the wounds have healed from my past addictions, I'm ready to feel the magic again."





See Also

Twilight 22

Twilight 22   
Artist: Twilight 22

   Genre(s): 
Electronic
   



Discography:


Twilight 22   
 Twilight 22

   Year:    
Tracks: 10




The '80s electro outfit Twilight 22 was lED by computer/synth-wiz Gordon Bahary, but also featured contributions from lead isaac Bashevis Singer and co-songwriter Joseph Saulter. Bahary got his startle when he was invited to wait on the cracking Stevie Wonder during the recording of his 1976 greco-Roman Songs in the Key of Life (Bahary was only 16 years old at the time). Wonder invited Bahary to facilitate out on his following recording, 1979's Journey Through the Secret of Plants, for which the teen produced and programmed synthesizers. It was around this time that Bahary met Saulter through a mutual conversance (Herbie Hancock), patch Bahary was working on Hancock's Feets Don't Fail Me Now. Although Saulter was originally a drummer (playing in an Los Angeles-based outfit called Rhythm Ignition), it was his vocal skills that john Drew the most attention, leading to the formation of Twilight 22 in the early '80s. Their solitary single, "Electric Kingdom," was one and only of the seminal moments for electro, only their 1984 self-titled full-length for Vanguard was their last judge ahead ripping up shortly thenceforth. Both Bahary and Saulter went on to play on other artist's records, as well as production.






Award-winning pianist Leonard Pennario dies at 83

LOS ANGELES —

Leonard Pennario, a Grammy-winning pianist and best-selling classical recording artist, has died. He was 83.


Pennario died Friday at his home in San Diego of complications from Parkinson's disease, said his biographer, Mary Kunz Goldman.


Pennario won a Grammy in the 1960s for his work with violinist Jascha Heifetz and cellist Gregor Piatigorsky.


He was a passionate performer who enjoyed playing in front of audiences, said Kunz Goldman.


"'You have to play for the people; you have to play for an audience,'" she recalled Pennario saying. "'You can't just go into the studio and make records, you know?'"


Born in Buffalo on July 9, 1924, Pennario was 10 when he and his family moved to Los Angeles. At age 12, he learned the Grieg Concerto in a week so he could perform it from memory with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra.


Pennario never attended a music conservatory but at 19 made his debut at Carnegie Hall with the New York Philharmonic.


He made more than 40 recordings for the Capitol record label between 1950 and 1960. He went on to make more than 20 more for other labels.








See Also

Hlidolf

Hlidolf   
Artist: Hlidolf

   Genre(s): 
Metal: Death,Black
   



Discography:


V01d   
 V01d

   Year: 2002   
Tracks: 1