Day: December 18, 2017

Categories
Music

I’m very thankful that they did record it!!

Why Run-DMC didn’t want to make ‘Christmas in Hollis’

Shopping for the holidays is stressful enough to send anyone reaching for the eggnog, but for Darryl McDaniels, a k a DMC of Run-DMC, it’s especially taxing.

“At this time of year, I can’t walk five steps at the mall without someone shouting the lyrics to ‘Christmas in Hollis’ at me,” he tells The Post. “Just yesterday, I was at the grocery store, and a lady said, ‘Guess what’s on my playlist right now?’ I said, ‘Christmas in Hollis.’ She said, ‘How did you know?!’ It’s a beautiful thing, but I got to expect that for the rest of my life!”

That didn’t seem likely when the song was first released 30 years ago. In 1987, Run-DMC was invited to contribute a holiday song to “A Very Special Christmas,” a charity compilation benefiting the Special Olympics. Bruce Springsteen, Madonna, Whitney Houston and other artists recorded covers, but the New York rap trio went the extra mile and came up with the fun and funky “Christmas in Hollis.”

The song didn’t chart at the time, but over the years, it’s developed a cultural cachet as one of the few holiday songs that isn’t sappy. It’s also been featured in movies such as “Die Hard” (1988) and Seth Rogen’s 2015 comedy “The Night Before.” DMC’s just given it a 30th anniversary revamp to help promote the IFC network’s “Christmas in the ’80s” movie marathon over Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

“We’re down with Christmas forever because of that record,” says the 53-year-old DMC, who recently released a four-track vinyl-only EP “Back From the Dead — The Legend Lives.”

“We’re part of the holidays, and I get paid a lot of money to do that song at parties this time of year.”

But the coolest Christmas song of all time almost didn’t happen. Kurtis Blow released the holiday track “Christmas Rappin’ ” in 1979, and the group worried about looking like copycats by releasing another. “In hip-hop culture, you can’t duplicate what’s already been done, so we weren’t sure about doing it,” says DMC.

But publicist Bill Adler convinced them otherwise. An avowed enthusiast and collector of lesser-heard Christmas music, Adler bought the group’s DJ Jam Master Jay (a k a Jason Mizell) a crate of festive records, hoping there would be something they could use to build a song. Eventually, Jay came across Clarence Carter’s 1968 R&B track “Back Door Santa,” and it immediately caught his ear.

“Run and DMC were in the next room and came in, as if they’d been drawn to the scent of a big Christmas pie or something,” Adler tells The Post. “They nodded at Jay, and everybody knew that was going to be the sample.”

Lyrically, the song followed Run-DMC’s established trope: writing about their native Queens. Joseph “Run” Simmons’ verse centers on spotting Santa Claus in Hollis, while DMC captures his own childhood Christmases, with his mom “cooking chicken and collard greens” at home.

“I ate that meal for 48 years before my mother passed away [in 2013], and I got tired of it,” says the rapper, who’s since left Queens for New Jersey.

“Now, I go out with my family on Christmas, because when you go to the city on Christmas, the whole city’s yours. You can get reservations in places you never would. The next Christmas song I do is gonna be about going out on Christmas to eat!”

Categories
Star Wars

I saw THE LAST JEDI and I absolutely loved it. It’s not perfect, but I loved it!!

Star Wars: The Last Jedi scores second-highest opening ever with $220 million

Star Wars: The Last Jedi is a force to be reckoned with at the box office.

Episode VIII of Lucasfilm and Disney’s enduring space opera is on track to gross an estimated $220 million in 4,232 theaters in the U.S. and Canada this weekend, marking the second-highest domestic opening of all time (not adjusted for inflation), behind only its predecessor Star Wars: The Force Awakens, which debuted to $248 million in 2015.

The Last Jedi is just the fourth film in history to open north of $200 million, joining The Force Awakens, Jurassic World ($208.8) and The Avengers ($207.4). It’s also set to add $230 million overseas, for a worldwide bow of $450 million, which would rank fifth all time. (The Last Jedi has yet to open in China, the world’s second-largest movie market.)

Written and directed by Rian Johnson (Looper, Brick), The Last Jedi has met with excellent reviews from critics and also garnered an A CinemaScore from moviegoers. The film, which picks up where The Force Awakens left off in the midst of a heated intergalactic conflict, features original Star Wars players Mark Hamill and the late Carrie Fisher, as well as next-gen heroes and villains Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Adam Driver, and Kelly Marie Tran.

The Star Wars franchise shows no signs of slowing down, with a young Han Solo spinoff movie (directed by Ron Howard), Episode IX (with J.J. Abrams at the helm), and a new Johnson-directed trilogy all in the works. The Last Jedi‘s huge opening also comes in the wake of Disney announcing its seismic deal to buy film and TV assets from Fox, the original home of Star Wars.

At the weekend box office, The Last Jedi is being followed — in a very distant second place — by Ferdinand, Fox’s animated movie based on the children’s book The Story of Ferdinand. The family-friendly film will take in about $13.3 million, falling short of analysts’ predictions of $15 million to $20 million.

On the bright side, Ferdinand received an A CinemaScore and generally positive reviews. Carlos Saldanha directed the movie, which centers on a gentle bull (voiced by John Cena) who refuses to participate in bullfighting. The voice cast also includes Kate McKinnon, Anthony Anderson, and Bobby Cannavale.

Rounding out the top five are Disney and Pixar’s Coco, with about $10 million; Lionsgate’s Wonder, with about $5.4 million; and Warner Bros. and DC’s Justice League, with about $4.2 million.

According to ComScore, overall box office is down 2.9 percent year-to-date. Check out the Dec. 15-17 figures below.

1. Star Wars: The Last Jedi — $220 million
2. Ferdinand — $13.3 million
3. Coco — $10 million
4. Wonder — $5.4 million
5. Justice League — $4.2 million
6. Daddy’s Home 2 — $3.8 million
7. Thor: Ragnarok — $3 million
8. The Disaster Artist — $2.6 million
9. Murder on the Orient Express — $2.5 million
10. Lady Bird — $2.1 million

Categories
Awards

They absolutely belong in the Hall. Absolutely!!

Bon Jovi on the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: ‘It’s a Christmas Miracle’

Almost no band that started after the 1970s has been more successful than Bon Jovi. They have sold a reported 130 million records and packed just about every stadium in the world many times over. Their songs are inescapable on classic-rock radio (not to mention karaoke bars) and their last four new albums hit Number One on the Billboard 200. Despite all that, they only appeared on a single Rock and Roll Hall of Fame ballot before finally getting in this year, nearly a decade after first becoming eligible. Frontman Jon Bon Jovi shared his views on why that happened with Howard Stern last year, but presumably all is forgiven now that they are finally in. We spoke with drummer Tico Torres and keyboardist David Bryan a couple of days after they heard the big news.

How did you first hear you were in?
Tico Torres: Jon called me. It’s something that’s iconic in a sense. A lot of my friends are in it. It’s pretty prestigious. The fact that it covers all types of music is a beautiful thing. Of course, there’s so many other people that have yet to be in there like [John] Coltrane. Elvin Jones was my drum teacher for God’s sake.

How about you, David?
David Bryan: The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame carrier pigeon dropped by my house and delivered the note. [Laughs]

What were your first reactions?
David Bryan: It was great. There’s a lot of people that are in it. There are a lot of people that aren’t in it and deserve to be in it. There’s a lot of people that are going to be in it. It’s a nice recognition of 25 years after 1984, which is when our first record came out. We’re what I call a current classic. We still have a Number One record and we’re still out there touring the entire earth and selling out stadiums everywhere, and yet we’re still a classic. It’s a great thing.

Tico Torres: And we’re old!

Did the news surprise you at all?
Tico Torres: I was elated. It was nice to tell my mom and my son. He was the first one. He’s 13. I told him right away. I had to tell my mom. We grew up annoying our parents, making noise and having band practice. For me, it’s been going on since ’67. If anyone deserves the first mention, it would be my mom. Our parents.

David, what does this mean to you on a personal level?
David Bryan: When you look at it, its almost a journey of your peers. You’re in with people you grew up with. They were my heroes, the reason why I play rock & roll. It’s an honor to be amongst them. It’s a nice nod from the industry. We’ve been eligible since 2009, so it’s nice to be recognized.

Did it ever bother you that it took this long?
Tico Torres: There’s only so much room. Again, David mentioned this, there’s a lot of people that should be in before us that have since passed, like Joe Cocker, guys that made statements in life that we grew up with. It’s an ongoing adventure of music. It also brings to light a lot of music of people that gets passed to younger people, people just getting into music. They can actually go backwards and research and learn from it.

David Bryan: We were at the inaugural, way before the Hall of Fame was built, we played that concert in Cleveland. We had Eric Burdon with us. There were so many greats that night, from Al Green to Little Richard to Jerry Lee Lewis. It was a pretty special event and it’s wild that this many years later we’re amongst them and there’s a building now. It’s all good.

They’re taking in the two of you, Jon, Richie Sambora and Alec John Such. Do you think those are the right ones? Did they miss anybody?
Tico Torres: That pretty much covers the band when we started.

David Bryan: That was us guys living the dream, getting on a bus with no guarantees in any way shape or form or anything. It was, “Let’s go out and make this happen.” And we actually did. For me, it’s a Christmas miracle.

Tico Torres: It’s funny. You grow up listening to these great musicians and then you get a certain status in your environment as a musician where you actually get to play together and meet each other and jam. You always think, “Gee, I was born too late.” But then you get better and better and fall in line and you’re almost in the same schoolhouse even though you’re younger. You get to hang out and play with your peers.

It’s going to be you guys, the Moody Blues, the Cars, Dire Straits and Nina Simone. There tends to be an all-star jam at the end of the night. Can you think of any song that would work everyone?
David Bryan: That has to be the hardest part of the night because everyone has great songs. You can do a standard blues song or something. I don’t know. I guess we’ll figure it out when we’re in the room.

Bands usually get three songs. Can you take a guess at which three songs you’ll do?
Tico Torres: I guess we’ll figure that out. It’s kind of new to us. You have to include the songs that got us to this point. It’s a hard pick. We’ll figure it out.

David Bryan: We’re trying to wrap our heads around it now and figure it all out.

Bands often play with former members at the induction ceremony. Are you down to play with Richie Sambora and Alec John Such that night?
Tico Torres: Absolutely.

David Bryan: Yeah. Why not?

Tico Torres: They are a huge part of us. We’d love it if they played with us.

Do you keep in touch with Alec?
Tico Torres: Honestly, he’s a mystery sometimes. The hard part is finding him.

David Bryan: Alec is definitely a moving target.

He played with you guys in 2001. The fans are always very curious about him. He’s the mystery man of Bon Jovi to so many people.
Tico Torres: He’s always been the mystery man of Bon Jovi, even then he was like 007.

Do you think he’ll show up?
Tico Torres: I think so.

David Bryan: I would hope so. The idea is that it’s a celebration of what we were and what we are, so that was definitely what we were and we are what we are now. I think its a celebration of both those things. You’ll see the current lineup and then see the original. It should be a fun night.

Many people will argue that Hugh McDonald should be inducted since he’s been there for so long.
Tico Torres: He’s a big part of the band. They should acknowledge that.

What are the future plans for Bon Jovi?
David Bryan: We’re going to keep touring. That’s what we do. We love to make records and we love to tour. We did a handful of shows this year down in South America and played a bunch of big stadiums and Rock in Rio. Next year, we’re putting plans together and we’re going to do some shows, do what we do.

So few bands are able to play those soccer stadiums you guys headline.
Tico Torres: The hardest thing about those soccer stadiums is trying to find room in the soccer schedule since that takes precedent. We’re lucky in South America that there wasn’t much soccer that time of year. But it’s incredible to still fill houses. A lot of it is because we try to stay current. We come up with new material and songs and try to reinvent ourselves. It’s a journey of a lifetime. I’m glad we’re able to do that as a band and keep creating and expanding our limits.

I think a lot of fans in America don’t realize that you’re just as popular overseas, filling stadiums in Asia, Europe – it’s a real global thing.
David Bryan: The fans realize the hell out of it. It’s been something we always set out to to from the beginning, which was play the world. We’d go out and play 50 countries. We’ve done 50 concerts 30 times. They’re familiar with us and we’re familiar with them. It’s a big world out there. One of the greatest things about our band is that we bring the American dream to the world. Here’s a bunch of kids that were living in nowhere New Jersey and we made it through a lot of practice and a lot of work and a lot of luck. It shows the world, “If we did it, you can do it.” It’s that whole dream of “you can make it” that we bring to the world.

David, you’ve won Tony Awards. The band has won Grammy Awards. How does this compare to those honors?
David Bryan: Any honor is an honor. You can’t really say which one is better than the next, but it’s always wonderful when you’re honored by your peers for your work. There’s the Tonys and the Grammys we won and were nominated for. The Tonys were an amazing evening and this will be another amazing evening. It’s wonderful to be recognized by our peers, and the fans. This was one of the biggest fan votes. Almost 2 million fans voted for us, which was huge.

I’m sure the night will be very emotional.
Tico Torres: For me, I live in the present, in the moment. It’s one of those experiences I look forward to without a preconceived notion other than I’m excited.

Categories
Movies

No thanks. Even though it’s only a dollar, I’ll take my chances.

Cineplex tests $1 reserved seating fee at some Star Wars screenings

Cineplex Inc. is giving Star Wars fans a surprise twist at the box office by charging an extra dollar for assigned seating at some showings.

The country’s biggest exhibitor has tacked on a surcharge at select regular screenings of Star Wars: The Last Jedi across Canada in hopes moviegoers will be willing to pay more for not waiting in line.

It’s a move the company says makes it convenient when a screening is sold out, which often leaves latecomers hunting for empty seats.

While reserved seating isn’t entirely new at Cineplex, the cost has usually been built into ticket prices for the company’s premium Imax, VIP and UltraAVX theatres. The exhibitor also experimented with charging an extra $2 for “prime seats” at the centre of a few of its busier theatres.

But it has not previously rolled out the concept at what it calls “regular” screenings — movies shown in traditional auditoriums without the additional costs associated with 3D or a larger screen.

With Star Wars: The Last Jedi likely to be the biggest film of the year, Cineplex wanted to gauge how audiences reacted to the concept on a wider scale. The company says about 20 per cent of its Canadian locations are testing the $1 fee for reserved seats at regular screenings.

If the concept is received positively, it’s likely Cineplex will revisit the reserved seating at regular screenings for other event movies expected to draw huge crowds.

The move comes as Cineplex and other theatre owners hunt for ways to boost profits at a time when a night at the movies competes with a raft of other convenient entertainment alternatives, like Netflix.

Screenings of Star Wars: The Last Jedi have put an extra financial squeeze on North American exhibitors after Disney revealed a number of unusual requirements for any theatre wanting to screen the film.

Disney told exhibitors it would pocket about 65 per cent of the box-office revenues from Star Wars tickets. Traditionally, distributors take about half of the box-office revenue for a movie.

The Wall Street Journal reported last month that Disney’s move cuts deeply into exhibitor profits for the biggest movie of the holiday season.

It was widely expected that theatre owners would look to recoup their lost share in other places, like hiking the price of concession items and boosting ticket prices wherever possible.