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Michael Jackson Accusers Get a Standing Ovation at Sundance
It’s not uncommon for audiences at the Sundance Film Festival to give standing ovations, but the ceremonial act took on a solemn air as two men who accuse Michael Jackson of molesting them as boys walked onstage following the festival’s only screening of Leaving Neverland, a documentary about their stories.
Wade Robson, who says Jackson abused him from ages 7 to 14, and James Safechuck came forward as adults with their abuse allegations after Jackson’s death in 2009.
The four-hour film, which will air in two parts on Britain’s Channel 4 and HBO this spring, is a sprawling account of how their lives intersected with Jackson’s at the height of his fame in the '80s and early '90s, and then later as adults when the trauma of what happened in their youth started to emerge in serious ways.
In addition to accounts from Robson and Safechuck themselves, the film also interviews family members including the boys’ mothers, wives and Robson’s brother and sister. Jackson’s voice is heard in the film, through voicemails he left for Robson and an “interview” Safechuck did with Jackson aboard his private plane, and the film also shows some of the many faxes he sent to Robson.
“We can’t change what happened to us. And we can’t do anything about Michael,” Robson said in a Q&A with the audience. But he said he hopes it makes other survivors feel less isolated and raises awareness for anyone who is responsible for children.
Safechuck added that they weren’t paid to participate in the documentary, nor did they expect to get anything from it.
The Associated Press does not typically identify people who say they are victims of sexual assault unless they come forward publicly, which Robson and Safechuck have done in multiple ways.
Leaving Neverland has been denounced by Jackson’s estate and fans since the project was announced earlier this month.
Jackson was acquitted of molestation charges in 2005 in a case involving another young man. Robson testified at that trial, saying he had slept in Jackson’s room many times, but that Jackson had never molested him. Safechuck made similar statements to investigators as a boy. Then in 2013 Robson filed a lawsuit that said stress and trauma had forced him to face the truth that he was sexually abused by Jackson. Safechuck filed a similar lawsuit the following year. Both were dismissed for technical reasons and a judge did not evaluate the merits of the allegations.
Leaving Neverland director Dan Reed said he was entering new territory exploring an entertainment figure, instead of his usual subjects like terrorism and crime.
He told the men, who had talked to so many lawyers over the years, to just speak to him like he was an ordinary person on the street and not to worry about contradictions. He interviewed Robson for three days and Safechuck for two days before deciding that he also wanted to speak to their mothers.
“I was just blown away,” Reed said. “I knew we had something really big.”
Safechuck and Robson say that being together through the process has been incredible.
“It’s all we’ve wanted for the past six years to be able to talk, communicate,” Robson said. It’s just been beautiful.”
Safechuck added: “It was a long time coming, just connecting to someone who has been through this. It’s amazing.”
The film has stirred up controversy since it was announced just a few weeks ago. The Jackson estate condemned it for rehashing “discredited allegations.” Before the screening, there were reports that there would be massive demonstrations outside and Park City deployed extra police outside the Egyptian Theater, which is in the middle of the festival’s busiest street. But only a handful of people showed up Friday holding posters with the word “innocent” displayed over Jackson’s mouth.
An audience member brought up the reality that there are many Jackson fans who don’t believe them, and asked if they had a message for them.
“I don’t feel like there’s anything I need to say to them, except that I understand that it’s really hard to believe,” Robson said. “Because in a way, not that long ago, I was in the same position they were. Even though it happened to me, I still couldn’t believe. I still couldn’t believe that what Michael did to me was a bad thing. We can only accept and understand something when we’re ready.”
Source: https://www.billboard.com/biz/articles/news/tv-film/8495087/michael-jackson-accusers-get-a-standing-ovation-at-sundance
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Video: MTV's "The Challenge: War of the Worlds" First Look Trailer
[01/24/19 - 02:26 PM]
Video: MTV's "The Challenge: War of the Worlds" First Look Trailer
The franchise returns on its new night, Wednesday, February 6 at 9:00/8:00c.
[via press release from MTV]
MTV's "The Challenge: War of the Worlds" first look trailer is here. Don't miss the premiere on an all new night, Wednesday, February 6th at 9:00PM ET/PT.
About the series: TV favorites collide when legendary "The Challenge" veterans team up with rookie prospects from franchises including "The Bachelor," "Big Brother," "Love Island," "Survivor" "American Ninja Warrior" as well as international stars across MTV's global family including "Geordie Shore," "Ex on the Beach" and "Floribama Shore."
LAUNCH SPECIAL: "The Challenge: War of the Worlds: Basic Training" launch special airs on Wednesday, January 30th at 9:00PM ET/PT.
AFTER SHOW: Viewers can get the behind-the-scenes scoop during "The Challenge: War of the Worlds After the Show" hosted by Justina Valentine immediately following the premiere on Wednesday, February 6th at 10:00PM ET/PT.
[01/24/19 - 02:26 PM]
Video: MTV's "The Challenge: War of the Worlds" First Look Trailer
The franchise returns on its new night, Wednesday, February 6 at 9:00/8:00c. [01/24/19 - 11:25 AM]
Video: YouTube Debuts Official Trailer for New Season of Hit Dance Drama "Step Up: High Water"
The second season of "Step Up: High Water" will debut on YouTube Premium on March 20. [01/24/19 - 10:01 AM]
Video: "She-Ra and the Princesses of Power" - Season 2 Announcement
The animated series returns to Netflix on Friday, April 26. [01/24/19 - 10:01 AM]
Video: "The Boys" - Official Teaser - Prime Video
The series centers on a group of vigilantes known informally as "The Boys," who set out to take down corrupt superheroes with no more than their blue-collar grit and a willingness to fight dirty. [01/24/19 - 08:30 AM]
Video: Trailer Debut - "The Umbrella Academy" on Netflix
The trailer features an exclusive cover of "Hazy Shade of Winter" by "The Umbrella Academy" comic book creator and former My Chemical Romance lead vocalist Gerard Way. [01/23/19 - 02:38 PM]
Video: History(R) Unveils First Tease Promo of Mark Hamill in Season Two of Drama Series "Knightfall"
The spot will air this evening during the network's hit drama "Vikings." [01/23/19 - 09:01 AM]
Video: Comedy Central Releases Final Trailer for "Broad City's" Final Season
Plus: "Broad City" is also partnering with online bidding site Screenbid to auction off rare props, wardrobes, set decorations and other iconic items from the show. [01/22/19 - 03:07 AM]
Video: "Suburra" Season 2 - Official Trailer - Netflix
The series returns to the streaming service with new episodes on Friday, February 22. [01/21/19 - 03:07 AM]
Video: Discover the Trailer of the Next French Original Netflix Film - "Paris Is Us"
Dreams and reality collide as a young woman navigates a tumultuous relationship amid rising social tensions, protests and tragedies in Paris. [01/18/19 - 10:50 AM]
Video: Trailer - Hulu Original Comedy "PEN15"
All 10 episodes will premiere Friday, February 8, only on Hulu. [01/18/19 - 10:30 AM]
Video: Showtime Debuts Official Poster and New Video for Upcoming Late-Night Series "Desus & Mero"
The network's first ever weekly late-night talk show will premiere on Thursday, February 21 at 11:00/10:00c and air on Thursday nights from New York City. [01/18/19 - 09:16 AM]
Video: New Trailer Released - truTV Season 2 of "At Home with Amy Sedaris"
This season, Sedaris welcomes an impressive list of guest stars, including: Rose Byrne, Matthew Broderick, Justin Theroux, Susan Sarandon, Gillian Jacobs, Juliette Lewis, Ellie Kemper, Fred Armisen, Michael Shannon and more! [01/17/19 - 09:09 AM]
Video: IFC Releases First Trailer for the Highly-Anticipated Return of the Emmy(R)-Nominated "Documentary Now!"
This season's all-star line-up of guest stars includes Cate Blanchett, Michael Keaton, Owen Wilson, Michael C. Hall, John Mulaney, Taran Killam, Renee Elise Goldsberry, Bobby Moynihan, Natasha Lyonne, Paula Pell, Richard Kind, James Urbaniak and more. [01/17/19 - 08:01 AM]
Video: New Trailer for Steven Soderbergh's "High Flying Bird" Starring Andre Holland and Zazie Beetz
The film will debut Friday, February 8 exclusively on Netflix. [01/16/19 - 01:48 PM]
Video: "Happy!" - Season 2 Official Trailer - Syfy
The next insane season premieres Wednesday, March 27 on the cable channel.
Source: http://www.thefutoncritic.com/video/2019/01/24/video-mtvs-the-challenge-war-of-the-worlds-first-look-trailer-258511/20190124mtv01/
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Such A Simple Thing
Such A Simple Thing
But it’s not.
Used to be buying skis was easy. You chose the racing model from a handful of well-established brands. Now, Volkl, K2 and Rossignol remain, but the shops are inundated with indie brands, some expensive and custom, like Wagner, others off the shelf and in much wider use, i.e. Liberty. How did this happen?
The means of sales and production ended up in the hands of the proletariat. Just like in music.
I have to remind you that in the Napster era, the oldsters cried out that no one would make music anymore, just the opposite proved true, seemingly everybody’s making music, and unless you were a superstar of yesteryear or a hitmaker today, it’s easy to get lost in the shuffle.
There was a limited number of acts. You were exposed to them in print, on radio and in your friends’ bedrooms. Today you don’t know where to start.
But yesterday I did. I decided to go past the Spotify Top 50, and what I found is a plethora of product, most of it good, very little of it great. Wading through the dross is difficult, but sometimes worth it. But didn’t somebody else used to do this for us? We keep speaking of curation… Terrestrial radio only plays the hits, and online, its an endless stream of playlists.
You’ve got to go deep. I clicked on “Genres & Moods” in Spotify.
Funny, rock is in the fourth row, that’s how far it’s fallen. But none of those playlists appealed to me, and when I eventually checked out “Rock This,” I knew why. No total excellence. No one who could sing, play and write. Furthermore, does rock even sound good on headphones? It ends up a wash.
So I went to “Folk & Acoustic.” And clicked on “Infinite Acoustic.” That’s where I found the Sound Stage Studios version of Ray LaMontagne’s “Such A Simple Thing.” But what followed was an endless parade of names I frequently hadn’t heard of playing songs that were not memorable. Oh, if it was the seventies, and I’d purchased their album, maybe I would have played it enough to become entranced. But that’s not how we do it these days.
But after becoming bored, I clicked over to “Roots Rising.” And I heard “People Change” by Mipso. Do you know Mipso? I certainly didn’t.
Nor did I know the following act, Mt. Joy. Or the Dead Tongues. These are the indie skis of music, not on a major. What are the reference points?
And if you pull up “People Change,” you’ll probably turn it off. It starts slow and it never really revs up. If you were in a coffee house and the band was on stage you’d probably get it, the mood would be set. But there’s nothing special about the track, nothing that sticks out about the song, except for these lines:
“The thing about people is they change
When they walk away”
Whew! Hearing that resonated. You dream about old loves, and then you run into them and they’re not the same, you don’t click, they’ve been frozen in your mind but the world moved on, as did they.
And I yearned for more of this, this is what I look to music for, the insight.
Although “People Change” has 26,245,043 streams. Which means some people have found it. Were they the grazers, the hometown fans or people deep into this scene? Can you go deep into multiple scenes these days? Rock, country and EDM? Never mind Americana. Maybe you can be an expert in one, but that’s almost a full-time job.
But “Such A Simple Thing,” it hooked me when I wasn’t listening. Oh, you know what I mean. I wasn’t paying attention, it was in the background, but it jumped out.
Now Ray LaMontagne is on a major, RCA, but he began in a completely different era, 2004, when there was so much less music, we hadn’t anointed hip-hop as the only sound and MTV and VH1 were in their last throes. Would Ray LaMontagne get signed to a major today? Doubtful.
Not that he’ll be on a major for long, his last album, from which “Such A Simple Thing” emanates, is a stiff on Spotify. Only three tracks are in seven digits. Some are in low sixes. But “Such A Simple Thing” has 31,990,734, which I thought was a lot until I looked up Mipso’s number.
But this probably means that AAA/non-comm stations featured it, and it was eaten up by grazers, who like it but probably won’t go to the gig.
Confounding reality once again.
And the reality is…
There is good music out there, even great, but it’s hard to find it. If you don’t make hip-hop music, you’re hard to find on Spotify. Fans have to reach down deep into your genre to discover you, many clicks down, and don’t forget that Amazon patented “1-Click.” So it’s easy to be a professional, but easy to be broke. Getting attention is a Sisyphean job. There’s a disconnection between production and consumption. And the truth is this job is not being tackled, probably because the solution is not lucrative, except for the beneficiaries, the acts raised up.
And the Sound Stage Studios iteration of “Such A Simple Thing,” on the “Infinite Acoustic” playlist, supersedes the take on the 2018 album “Part Of The Light,” Ray emotes, you can get the message without knowing the lyrics, the repressed anger, the depression, the glimmer of hope. She’s left before. Will she clue him in before she does so again?
And I’m wondering how many playlists Spotify’s curators curate. If they just feature new music willy-nilly. I mean sometimes there’s great stuff, and sometimes there’s not, but there’s still endless playlists every week with new stuff. And like the rest of tech, there’s no help, no one telling you what’s truly worth your time.
But this Sound Stage Studios take of Ray LaMontagne’s “Such A Simple Thing” is.
“People Change”
“Such A Simple Thing” album version
Source: https://lefsetz.com/wordpress/2019/01/13/such-a-simple-thing/
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Heart of Stone – Page 29
Welcome back, Natasha! Can I call you Natty? I feel like we’re best friends by now. This is one of the reasons we play with dice – because they create memorable moments that we would never have come up with ourselves. The secret-ninja sidekick who just keeps missing, that makes her memorable (And sympathetic! She was supposed to be a one-off thing, but the players obviously love her by now).
Hmm? What’s that? Kickstarter? Pfft, that’s so yesterday. But if you’re still into that old stuff, here’s the stream we did for the last hour and a half, in which we discuss basically everything.
Source: https://www.uptofourplayers.com/comic/heart-of-stone-page-29/
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Fails that let you know you’re DEFINITELY not a kid anymore (34 Photos)
We can see you're using Adblocker. Block everybody else, but we thought we were friends. Please click Yes below to whitelist us, so we can keep doing our best to show you half-naked ladies and funny Internet memes. It's what any friend would do.
No, thank you
Source: https://thechive.com/2019/05/25/fails-that-let-you-know-youre-definitely-not-a-kid-anymore-34-photos/
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Isabelle Huppert and Chloe Moretz open TIFF and the OOTW
Greta, directed by Neil Jordan, starring Isabelle Huppert and Chloe Grace Moretz, world premiered on opening night of TIFF. Neil described it to me as a “horror”. And Isabelle told me that her character, Greta, is pretty f-cked up. So it’s the story of two women and their complicated, sinister relationship. There’s been some early award buzz for the performances. But also, both actresses talked about how powerful it felt to be part of a story like this, where the narrative is built around two women. And of course it’s especially interesting to showcase the dynamic between an acting legend and a young woman who is part of the next generation.
This was my first time interviewing both. And… it’s Isabelle Huppert. Who is, well, Isabelle Huppert. She is cool. So f-cking cool. And she can be cold – cold being a compliment here. And she isn’t all that patient. And she has no interest in being nice. Not that she was horrible to me or anything because she wasn’t. She actually smiled at me, which is a career highlight. She stopped noticing me the second she turned away though. And that’s OK. I do not deserve to be remembered by Isabelle Huppert. But let me tell you, the thrill that went down my back when she told me how much she relishes playing twisted, f-cked up women. It was almost sexual.
As for her look, the minute she walked onto the carpet, it was an Arrival. There are few people who can drop a hand-on-hip pose while wearing a suit. A suit is not suited for that pose… on most. Isabelle Huppert, however, can make anything work. Look at this:
THIS SUIT.
It’s Chloe. It was like some kind of corduroy. On a hot as f-ck day. Not even a bead of sweat. Not even a sheen of anything. It’s like moisture is afraid of her. Not even water wants to f-ck with her. Obviously this is the Outfit of the Week, right?!
Quite enjoyed Chloe Grace Moretz. She’s a fun interview. She was super proud of this project and its place in the festival and the timing of this kind of story in the era of Time’s Up. She and Isabelle had a lovely moment together on the carpet. Isabelle seemed fond of Chloe. That in and of itself is an accomplishment, to be worthy of Isabelle Huppert’s affection. Chloe is wearing Erdem. I asked her a fashion question, about fashion setting the mood, about how her dress set her mood for the night. She described how it made her feel, why it was THE dress to wear on THIS night. Pro-tip for Blake Lively.
In other Chloe news, Dylan O’Brien was at the Grey Goose after-party for Greta at Soho House later on. They were rumoured to be dating a few weeks ago. He posed with her costar Maika Monroe …
…but there are no shots with him and Chloe. Still. No other reason to be there. So….
Source: https://www.laineygossip.com/isabelle-huppert-chloe-moretz-open-tiff-with-greta-and-outfit-of-the-week/50784
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NCIS: NEW ORLEANS Sneak Peek: A Stellar Surprise
SUPERNATURAL’s Rob Benedict (aka Chuck Shurley) returns to NCIS: NEW ORLEANS tonight as Liam Somers, Hannah’s (Necar Zadegan) former CIA partner. Benedict turned in a stellar performance in his NCIS: NEW ORLEANS debut as the tortured spy whose past operation to kill terrorist Viktor Zelko (Joseph Gatt) resulted in the deaths of two innocent people. Benedict’s nuanced gestures, deep-seated guilt and haunting demeanor reflected the hell that those in service to the country can suffer for a lifetime. For those accustomed to seeing Benedict as the nebbish-y Chuck Shurley or rocking out at a SUPERNATURAL convention, his portrayal of Liam Somers will be a treat. Benedict’s tough-guy turn in a shootout with terrorists is lightyears away from his “I am the Prophet Chuck” panicked demeanor.
Also returning tonight are Hannah’s husband, Ryan (guest star Hal Ozsan) and daughter, Naomi (Venus Ariel) whose lives are in danger from the not-so-dead terrorist with a vendetta who has Hannah and her family in his sights. Hannah, Ryan and Naomi go into protective custody, leaving Pride (Scott Bakula) and the NCIS: NEW ORLEANS team to find Zelko before Zelko finds Hannah.
Tonight’s episode, “Survivor,” was written by Cameron Dupuy & Sydney Mitchell and was directed by James Whitmore, Jr.
NCIS: NEW ORLEANS airs tonight (March 12) at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT on CBS.
Source: https://www.thetvaddict.com/2019/03/12/ncis-new-orleans-sneak-peek-s05e16-survivor/
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“I’m not a bisexual or a lesbian or anything like that.”
Barely a week after TEN won praise for a Neighbours same-sex wedding, the network has been criticised by viewers for teasing sexual orientation as a reality secret.
Last night on The Bachelor Brooke Blurton, 23, told Nick Cummins, 30, she has previously had relationships with both men and women.
But the exchange was preceded by network promos across the week about a big secret in an episode with a “human lie detector” and body language expert Steve van Aperen.
“I’ve been honest with Nick …about most things. But there is something I want to share with him that I haven’t yet. It’s definitely a big part of my past,” Brooke teased last night.
“I’m worried what Nick might think of me.”
When it was explained it came with all the Reality tropes of tense music, dramatic looks, and a cliffhanger commercial break.
“There’s something that I really want to tell you,” Brooke told Nick. “I’ve been waiting for the right time because I feel like it is something big and it is something you should know.
“I’ve had four relationships. I was with a guy for three years … uh, this is really uncomfortable for me to tell you but I’ve also had two relationships with women.
“But I’m a big (person on) who you are inside.
“For me, when I was in those relationships I looked beyond what they were as female. I really loved them for who they were as people. You know what I mean? I’m not a bisexual or a lesbian or anything like that. I’m a big lover of people of who they are. And I just really don’t want to be judged on it.”
She went on to explain she now wanted to be with a male.
“I want to have children. For me that’s a powerful thing.
“And that’s not the only thing, I feel more sexually attracted to men,” she said.
Nick indicated he had no problem with her past.
“Who am I to judge? At least she knows now what she wants,” he said.
But many fans took to social media to express their disdain for the way it had been promoted and constructed into a reality twist. Last week a promo teased Brooke would reveal “something big,” it was accompanied by Nick’s quote, “I didn’t see this coming.”
In 2004 Seven screened Playing it Straight in which a single woman was presented with men vying for her affections, but only half of whom were heterosexual.
A person’s sexuality doesn’t need a giant build up and splashed across promos for a week. It’s bloody 2018. #TheBachelorAU
— Yolanda (@yolanda_vu_) September 12, 2018
Friendly reminder that your sexuality isn’t a “confession” and you are excellent and worthy of love from whoever you choose to accept it from xox #TheBachelorAU
— Kristen Amiet (@KrissiAmiet) September 12, 2018
Brooke eloquently expresses pansexuality, then throws that out the window and says she wants a man so she can have a family – that’s a slap in the face to all same sex parents 🤦🏼♀️ #TheBachelorAU
— Nina Ashfield-Crook (@NinaAshfield) September 12, 2018
I also wanna point out that the whole lead up to "Brooke's confession" all week made me uncomfortable knowing now what it was? I just think they're making it seem like being queer or having where queer experiences more of a big deal than it needs to be? #TheBachelorAU
— Luka (@Luka_Ritter) September 12, 2018
Is anyone else aggressively uncomfortable with the portrayal of Brooke’s bisexuality as this big evil secret that could undo their relationship? Do the producers know that’s not how bisexuality works? #TheBachelorAU
— Bella Skelton (@bellaskelton) September 12, 2018
lol when will this show treat queerness as something to be embraced and not danced around or shamed or used to bait a queer audience #TheBachelorAU
— Katie K (@_katiekendall_) September 12, 2018
I am pretty disappointed in the way @BrookeBlurton described her sexuality on the #TheBachelorAU tonight. Such a brave statement only to be ripped apart when stating that 'she's not bisexual or a lesbian or anything like that' with a nervous laugh… My heart sunk…
— PinkGelato (@Pinkgelato15) September 12, 2018
'I want to be with a man… I want to have children,' Brooke says when asked by Nick which gender she now wishes to date. As if same sex couples are incapable of becoming parents. #TheBachelorAU
— Joshua Fox (@joshua_fox) September 12, 2018
Bearable? They were so close to validating the experiences of queer people and Channel 10 chose to show it as shameful and embarrassing bombshell. #TheBachelorAU
— Georgia Gamble (@GambleGeorgia) September 12, 2018
Source: https://tvtonight.com.au/2018/09/im-not-a-bisexual-or-a-lesbian-or-anything-like-that.html
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Jimmy Barnes Makes Australian Chart History With 'My Criminal Record'
Jimmy Barnes is a living legend in Australia, a two-time ARIA Hall of Famer who led the storied rock act Cold Chisel and never missed a beat with his solo career, which continues to go strong.
Barnesy, as he’s affectionately known, is now also a history-maker in these parts, his new LP My Criminal Record bowing atop the latest national albums survey, for his 12th solo No. 1.
With My Criminal Record, released May 31 through Bloodlines, a label of Michael Gudinski’s Mushroom Group, Barnes snags the record for most No. 1s since the ARIA Charts were launched in 1983.
"I’m looking forward to screaming my thanks in person to you all when I get back out on the road shortly," Barnes tweeted after ARIA published its charts on the weekend.
Barnes previously held the record jointly with Madonna and U2, with 11. The Scotland-born singer also has four chart-leaders with Cold Chisel, who were inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame in 1993; Barnes was inducted as a solo artist during a ceremony in 2005.
ARIA CEO Dan Rosen paid tribute to Barnes and his achievement. “To have so much chart success over so many years is a testament to Jimmy's enduring appeal to Australian music fans from all walks of life and across multiple generations,” comments Rosen in a statement. “He is truly a legend of our industry and of our country.”
My Criminal Record is Barnes’ first album of original material since Rage And Ruin, which hit No. 3 in September 2010, and his first of originals to reach the summit since Two Fires did so in September 1990. The new set also leads ARIA’s Vinyl Albums tally.
“There will never be another artist in Australia like Jimmy Barnes,” comments Gudinski in a statement. “Sixteen No. 1 albums is simply an incredible achievement and My Criminal Record is, in my opinion, some of the best work of Jimmy’s illustrious career.”
My Criminal Record holds off some tough competition on this week’s ARIA Albums Chart, as Billie Eilish’s When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? dips 1-2, Elton John’s Diamonds rises 8-3, Pink’s former leader Hurts 2B Human falls 2-4 and Susan Boyle celebrates her first decade in the record business with Ten, a new collection of classics and new cuts which arrives at No. 5.
[readmore8514974]
Also new to the national albums chart this week is Miley Cyrus' She Is Coming, the first of three, six-track EPs. It’s new at No. 10. Miley’s most recent full-length album, Younger Now, peaked at No. 2 on the chart in October 2017.
London grime authority Skepta banks his second chart entry with Ignorance Is Bliss, new at no. 15. Ignorance is the followup to 2016’s Konnichiwa, which reached No. 13.
On this week’s ARIA Singles Chart, Lil Nas X’s “Old Town Road” locks down a seventh week at No. 1, while Katy Perry has the week’s highest debut as “Never Really Over” starts at No. 7. It’s the U.S. pop star’s 13th top ten on the ARIA Singles Chart.
Perry’s last track to impact the survey was “Swish Swish,” which managed a best of No. 22 in July 2017, and her last appearance in the top tier came in February 2017 when “Chained To The Rhythm” reached No. 4.
Source: https://www.billboard.com/biz/articles/8515102/jimmy-barnes-makes-australian-chart-history-with-my-criminal-record
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Billboard Reteams With Vevo to Announce 2019 DSCVR Artists To Watch List: Exclusive
Billboard is once again joining video-streaming platform Vevo in the rollout for its list of 2019 Vevo DSCVR Artists To Watch with an announcement today (Nov. 15) of this year’s new class for the rising talent series.
The latest selections include developing artists such as southern rap group YBN, soul-pop singer-songwriter Amber Mark and British folk artist Jade Bird, who will join the likes of Billie Eilish, Sam Smith and Alessia Cara as Artists To Watch alumni. It’s an expansive list that reflects the globalization of mainstream music in an A&R effort that Vevo head of content JP Evangelista tells Billboard led to "the widest spread of genres that we've done."
"As a company we’re not focused on any one genre of music based on our music videos because we get everything," Evangelista notes. "I do think we have a much more representative list as to the breadth of our catalogue than it has been in previous years."
Beyond the new faces in the program, Vevo has been retooling the visual components of DSCVR with new in-house studios in Brooklyn and London in order to add a consistency to the sessions as well as optimizing videos for mobile viewing. Perhaps most notably, the Artists To Watch series will refocus strictly on music, eliminating introductions and spoken pieces and positioning itself more as a performative showcase.
The first piece of content is set to go live on Nov. 26 and will continue with new sessions until Dec. 7. In addition, Billboard will be exclusively premiering one of two performance pieces daily as a partner with the Vevo DSCVR program. The full list can be found below.
Vevo DSCVR 2019 Artists To Watch
AJ Mitchell
Ama Lou
Amber Mark
Angèle
Astrid S
Brandon Lay
Easy Life
Elley Duhé
Flohio
Greeicy
Hex
Jade Bird
Kelvyn Colt
Lauren Sanderson
Matt Hunter
Nebu Kiniza
Sam Fender
Slowthai
Robinson
YBN
Source: https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/8485169/vevo-2019-dsvr-artists-watch-list-videos-billboard
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Emma Greenwell on The Rook and the joys of shooting in her hometown of London
Starz’s new sci-fi series The Rook follows the fictional British secret service agency, the Checquy, a Men In Black-like organization for “people with paranormal abilities.” Ahead of its premiere on Sunday, we sat down with star Emma Greenwell to talk about the show.
Source: https://tv.avclub.com/emma-greenwell-on-the-rook-and-the-joys-of-shooting-in-1835942248
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Universal Music Group Archivist: Vault Fire Damage 'Surprisingly Overstated,' But Any Loss Is 'Painful for Us'
For much of last week, Universal Music Group archivist Patrick Kraus sent members of his team into the ten vaults the company keeps around the world to verify the location and condition of its more than 3.5 million assets, from original session recordings to photographs. The world's biggest music company has been in crisis mode since the New York Times Magazine ran "The Day the Music Burned," reporting that a 2008 Hollywood, California, fire destroyed up to 500,000 master recordings, including historical originals by Chuck Berry, Muddy Waters, Aretha Franklin, Elton John, Guns N' Roses, Snoop Dogg, the Roots and many others.
The Times story brought unprecedented attention to a little-known part of the recording business -- storing and preserving masters, the "first-generation tapes," in Kraus' words, used as sources for vinyl, CD and digital releases. The Times described them as "the irreplaceable primary source of a piece of recorded music," which is why they're vital for ambitious reissue projects and indispensable for historians. They could also now be the subject of litigation: Prominent artists are considering filing lawsuits against Universal based on the destruction of their masters.
Kraus, UMG's senior VP of recording studios and archive management, didn't work at Universal at the time of the fire, but he spent part of last week reassuring panicked artists and responding to outraged music fans – and he explained to Billboard why the Times story "overstated" the losses. "Mind you, we've had two days!" he says. (Universal has allocated additional resources to Kraus' tem and established an email address for artists to communicate with the company about this issue: [email protected].) Kraus, who started in music selling records at Licorice Pizza in LA, worked in Warner Music Group's archives operation for 17 years before coming to Universal in 2015.
Universal won't say how many archival assets were lost in the fire at Universal Studios backlot, which at the time of the fire, Universal Music Group rented from NBC Universal. "There are constraints preventing us from publicly addressing some of the details," the company said in a statement. But Kraus, who spoke with frustration and wonky passion, discussed what he could about the extent of the damage and how the the label now archives the recordings it owns.
The Times story says the fire far worse than was reported at the time. Is that assessment fair?
Based on what we know, to me [the article] was surprisingly overstated. The article painted a picture of an archive being a place where every asset is a master – which isn't always true. In fact, it's never true. The things we collect range from reference cassettes, reference reels of tape, CD-Rs, production masters, multi-track tapes, flat-mix masters, EQ'ed production masters – it runs a gamut of items, formats and purposes.
Master tapes from the Universal Music archivesCourtesy of UMG
How many of the millions of UMG archival "assets" are considered masters? And how many are early-generation copies? And how important is that difference?
It's not always as simple as just saying, "Oh, we're going to do a reissue, give me the master tape." We look at everything we have. Sometimes the master source is not the best source to work from. Sometimes it's a "protection copy," because it's been played less, for example. It's a nuanced world we live in.
Can you characterize what was in fact lost in the 2008 fire?
There is no dispute that the fire caused serious loss, and we never said otherwise. Any loss of any asset, master or otherwise, is painful for us. What was lost? There are many things that were in these archives -- master tapes, protection copies, boxes of paperwork, etc.
The story suggests that masters for many major catalogs, from Chuck Berry to Aretha Franklin, were destroyed. Is that true?
The extent of the losses was overstated. Many of the masters that were highlighted as destroyed, we actually have in our archives -- the Impulse [Records]/[John] Coltrane stuff, Muddy Waters, [jazz pianist] Ahmad Jamal, [gospel label] Nashboro Records, Chess Records, to name a few. Those are some of the things we've gone through. Just in the last two days, we've found those examples in the archives.
What can you tell me about Building 6197, the facility where Universal stored its archival material on the Universal Studios lot back then, and how much damage was done in the fire?
All I know about that lot is what I saw as a visitor on the tour, to tell you the truth.
When did you go as a visitor?
I'm talking about the Universal Studios tour. When I lived in Burbank, in my Warner days, my kids were little, so we would go to the Nickelodeon Splash zone on a regular basis.
Master tapes from the Universal Music archivesCourtesy of UMG
Do you think Universal and other labels learned anything from the fire about how to protect archival assets?
Well, you know, it's 11 years ago, right? Anytime you have a fire -- any time you lose an asset -- it's a terrible event. We know we have to put these assets into secure facilities that have fire protection and we have to work quickly to preserve some of this stuff digitally to make sure it's around for the ages. Beyond that, I don't know that I could say we learned anything specifically from this particular event.
How much have you changed the archiving process since you started at UMG four years ago? How do you store masters and other assets today?
We have a mix of our own facilities around the world, and partner facilities, and that partner in many cases is Iron Mountain. We're pretty deliberate about geographic separation. We have things on the West Coast, in the center of the country, on the East Coast, in and around London, in the U.K., and various local vaults around the territories we operate in around the world.
The story quotes a source describing Iron Mountain, where Universal stores many of its master recordings in Boyers, Pennsylvania, as a "Raiders of the Lost Ark"-style warehouse that contains rows and rows of objects that are hard to identify. Is that true?
That was grossly overstated. Iron Mountain has been a great partner for us in terms of not only storage but also helping us to understand what we have better. Things are marked and we have databases that contain as much data as we've been able to capture around those assets.
Master tapes from the Universal Music archivesCourtesy of UMG
How much of an issue is finding an identifying recordings?
It's my sense that, across the board, music archiving has improved greatly over the last 20-plus years. I have not run across situations where it's wildly out of control and "Raiders of the Lost Ark"-like.
The Times story paints a pretty dark picture about how masters have been cared for over the years.
There are lots of tales of terrible things that have happened to archival assets across the entertainment industry over the decades, and people love to tell them. They're probably all true. But we're not fighting a battle against the elements here on a daily basis. There are some real threats that we deal with all the time, like decaying physical carriers and tapes. Where do you find a wax-cylinder player that does justice to the content? Same with analog tape.
After the article, some artists have publicly said that they believe their masters have been destroyed, including Krist Novoselic of Nirvana and Irving Azoff, who spoke on behalf of Steely Dan, which he manages. Can you respond?
Every artist who's reached out to us with concerns, we're working closely with them and/or their representatives to give them insight into the status of all of the assets we hold.
Could any good come from this in terms of people paying some attention to this issue more broadly?
It's a good opportunity for us to say, "Look, we're not a bunch of bean counters who don't give a shit about these assets." We actually literally spend most of our waking moments devising strategies for how to best take care of this stuff. There's an endless list of stunning artifacts that we have that we treasure and that we work hard to preserve. And being able to talk about that is always a good thing.
Source: https://www.billboard.com/biz/articles/news/record-labels/8516338/umg-archivist-nyt-article-surprisingly-overstated-but-any
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Aaron Lee Tasjan's 'Karma For Cheap' Forms An Expansive Bond With Classic Rock
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Source: https://choice.npr.org/index.html?origin=https://www.npr.org/2018/08/23/639337315/first-listen-aaron-lee-tasjan-karma-for-cheap
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US trade groups challenge California’s Internet Bill
By Colin Mann
October 4, 2018
US trade bodies CTIA, USTelecom, NCTA and ACA – representing America’s broadband providers – have filed a joint lawsuit in federal court challenging the State of California’s Internet Bill (SB 822), which was intended to restore the protections put in place by a (now-rescinded) 2015 FCC Order, as well as closing ‘loopholes’ that its backers said could have allowed anti-competitive forms of zero-rating.
In a joint statement, the say: “The nation’s broadband providers are the innovation engine of America’s digital economy and remain committed to an open Internet for consumers. We oppose California’s action to regulate Internet access because it threatens to negatively affect services for millions of consumers and harm new investment and economic growth. Republican and Democratic administrations, time and again, have embraced the notion that actions like this are preempted by federal law. We believe the courts will continue to uphold that fundamental principle. Meanwhile, we will continue our work to ensure Congress adopts bipartisan legislation to create a permanent framework for protecting the open Internet that consumers expect and deserve.”
The move follows that of the US Justice Department (DoJ), who on September 30th filed a lawsuit against the state of California alleging that the bill signed into law earlier that day by Governor Jerry Brown unlawfully imposes burdens on the Federal Government’s deregulatory approach to the Internet.
According to the DoJ, in 1996, a bipartisan Congress decided that the Internet should remain “unfettered by Federal or State regulation”. Since 2002, the FCC has accordingly classified broadband Internet access as an ‘information service’ that is exempt from public-utility regulations. The FCC briefly departed from this classification in a 2015 Order, which imposed restrictions on the freedom of the Internet. In 2018, the FCC returned to its prior light-touch framework, ensuring that Internet access services are free and guided by a uniform set of federal rules, rather than by a patchwork of state and local regulations. The United States concluded that California, through Senate Bill 822, is attempting to subvert the Federal Government’s deregulatory approach by imposing burdensome state regulations on the free Internet, which is unlawful and anti-consumer.
In filing the complaint, Attorney General Jeff Sessions said: “Under the Constitution, states do not regulate interstate commerce—the federal government does. Once again the California legislature has enacted an extreme and illegal state law attempting to frustrate federal policy. The Justice Department should not have to spend valuable time and resources to file this suit today, but we have a duty to defend the prerogatives of the federal government and protect our Constitutional order. We will do so with vigor. We are confident that we will prevail in this case—because the facts are on our side.”
“I’m pleased the Department of Justice has filed this suit,” commented FCC Chairman Ajit Pai. “The Internet is inherently an interstate information service. As such, only the federal government can set policy in this area. And the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit recently reaffirmed that state regulation of information services is preempted by federal law.
“Not only is California’s Internet regulation law illegal, it also hurts consumers. The law prohibits many free-data plans, which allow consumers to stream video, music, and the like exempt from any data limits. They have proven enormously popular in the marketplace, especially among lower-income Americans. But notwithstanding the consumer benefits, this state law bans them.
“The Internet is free and open today, and it will continue to be under the light-touch protections of the FCC’s Restoring Internet Freedom Order. I look forward to working with my colleagues and the Department of Justice to ensure the Internet remains ‘unfettered by Federal or State regulation’, as federal law requires, and the domain of engineers, entrepreneurs, and technologists, not lawyers and bureaucrats.”
Stanford professor Barbara van Schewick said that like the 2015 Order, SB 822 ensures that Californians, not the companies they pay to get online, get to be in control of what sites, apps and services they use. “SB 822 bans ISPs from blocking, throttling, and charging websites fees for access to the ISP’s subscribers or for fast lanes, which will protect California’s economic growth, innovation economy and democratic engagement.”
Source: https://advanced-television.com/2018/10/04/us-trade-groups-challenge-californias-internet-bill/
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Seth Meyers Hosts SNL: Watch Video of the Best & Worst Sketches
Former Weekend Update anchor Seth Meyers had his Saturday Night Live homecoming this weekend. Were any of his featured sketches worth, ahem, a closer look?
Despite what we’ve come to expect from alumni-hosted episodes, Meyers was not joined by any of his former castmates, such as Amy Poehler or Bill “Stefon” Hader. He spent a fair amount of his first-ever hosting stint playing opposite Kenan Thompson, and later returned to the Update desk for “Really!?!,” where he was joined by current anchors Colin Jost and Michael Che. Aside from that, it was business as usual, with the show delivering a mediocre-at-best episode to cap this October stretch. So, without further ado, my picks for the best, worst and somewhat in-between sketches:
BEST: REALLY!?!
Meyers has been doing his signature SNL segment on Late Night for quite some time (he and Poehler recently reunited to take down former FBI director James Comey), but it was a blast watching him do it behind the Update desk again, this time with his successors. Kanye West’s Oval Office meeting with President Donald Trump was the perfect subject matter, affording Meyers the opportunity to point out just how rare it is to see “black people and white supremacists betrayed in the exact same moment.”
BEST: TREES
Chris Redd’s realization that trees take a long time to grow had me howling. Almost as amusing was Pete Davidson’s alternate verse about “shoulda been president” Al Gore, after being told that this particular rap wasn’t about weed, but about the environment.
HONORABLE MENTION: KANYE WEST/DONALD TRUMP COLD OPEN
Trump-era cold opens tend to work better when they’re only tangentially related to Trump. This week’s cold open was inevitable, of course, but still a step down from both the Brett Kavanaugh hearing and post-game confirmation skits. Redd impressed with his interpretation of West manically pontificating in the Oval Office, but the inner-monologue bit was a dud, and Alec Baldwin was phoning it in, as usual.
HONORABLE MENTION: THIRSTY COPS
This was one of Leslie Jones’ better performances, and the first real showcase for new repertory player Ego Nwodim, who more than held her own. There’s potential for this to become a reoccurring sketch, but I do wonder if it’d work better as a digital short, a la “Dyke & Fats.”
WORST: MOVIE TALKBACK
It is simply inexplicable that this was given the post-monologue slot. I’m not sure what was worse: Aidy Bryant as a too-woke audience member, Kyle Mooney as a wannabe rapper, or Heidi Gardner getting stuck with an Adele Dazeem joke… in the year 2018.
WORST: JAIL CELLMATE
This isn’t the first time Thompson has played Bill Cosby since America’s former favorite TV dad was accused of sex crimes (he last played him during SNL‘s 40th anniversary special), but it was almost certainly the last time. The sketch didn’t work (and went on far too long), but its failure felt oddly appropriate. It felt like a funeral for an impression that’s done Thompson so much good over the years, but had to be put out of its misery.
What were your favorite sketches this week? And what missed the mark? Watch all the highlights above, then grade Meyers’ hosting stint in our poll. (Next up: Jonah Hill hosts on Saturday, Nov. 3.)
Take Our Poll
Source: https://tvline.com/2018/10/14/snl-recap-seth-meyers-best-worst-sketches-watch-video/
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James Holzhauer’s Loss Had The Highest Overnight Rating Of His ‘Jeopardy!’ Run
YouTube
Jeopardy! finally has a new champion. After 32 consecutive wins and more than more than $2.4 million in winnings, James Holzhauer finally met his demise on Monday night. The new champion is Emma Boettcher, who took down Holzhauer with a single-day total of $46,801. It was a shocking result … well, unless you were one of the people who knew it was coming.
Thanks to footage getting leaked, some funky air times in a handful of markets, and the Twitter account of Darren Rovell, Holzhauer’s loss was common knowledge for hours before the episode aired nationwide. It took away from the surprise, but as it turns out, it did not lead to people avoiding the show. In fact, for all we know, it might have helped.
Michael Mulvihill of Fox Sports tweeted that Monday’s episode of Jeopardy! had an overnight rating of 10.1, which made it the most-watched episode of Holzhauer’s run on the show.
Source: https://uproxx.com/sports/james-holzhauer-loss-highest-jeopardy-overnight-rating/
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Our End of Summer Flash Sale
Hi friends! Summer is nearly over, and we’re celebrating the end of the season and start of the next with our first-ever FLASH SALE.
We’re offering some of our limited edition, exclusive releases (as well as our summer tees) for shockingly good prices for a limited time. You don’t need a coupon code, but you do need to place your order by September 3rd.
What’s on sale?
…and more! Shop the flash sale here.
Source: https://www.turntablekitchen.com/2018/08/our-end-of-summer-flash-sale/
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