The day the music died
Fifty years ago this Tuesday -- on Feb. 3, 1959 -- three of the then biggest acts in rock 'n' roll were killed in an airplane crash.
Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and "The Big Bopper" (J.P. Richardson) all died instantly. They were ejected upon impact as an inexperienced pilot got confused in a snowstorm and inadvertently flew his single-engine Beechcraft Bonanza right into the ground -- in a remote corn field near Clear Lake, Iowa.
Such a travesty, such a waste. This was the first time those words were spoken about rock 'n' rollers, but certainly not the last.
It is remembered as "The Day the Music Died," thanks to that famous lyric from Don McLean's classic 1971 ode American Pie.
Holly -- born Charles Hardin Holley -- hailed from Lubbock, Tex. On his own or with his backing band The Crickets, he'd scored a slew of hits since 1957 with That'll Be the Day, Oh! Boy, Maybe Baby, Peggy Sue and It Doesn't Matter Anymore. Today, Holly is remembered as both a ground-breaking songwriter and guitar player for the rock 'n' roll form. Everyone from The Beatles to the Rolling Stones to Bruce Springsteen have listed him as a major influence. He was only 22.
Valens -- born Richard Steven Valenzuela -- was a pioneer of latin rock from Pacoima, Calif. He had just broken big with the hit Donna, which would reach No. 2 on the U.S. charts. Perhaps the song he's most remembered for now, La Bamba, reached only No. 22. He was 17.
The Big Bopper -- born Jiles Perry Richardson Jr. -- was from Sabine Pass, Tex. He'd been a DJ before turning to recording. He was still milking his first big hit, Chantilly Lace, which had reached No. 6 on the U.S. charts. He was only 28.
The fateful trio were taking part in a bus tour of Midwestern cities, along with their backing musicians and one other act -- Dion and the Belmonts. It was dubbed The Winter Dance Party Tour, which, according to the website fiftiesweb.com, visited 24 cities in less than five weeks. Holly was the biggest name, but Valens had the hottest hit with Donna.
The bus they travelled on was old and airy and the interior heater reportedly was busted. By the time they arrived at the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake, Iowa, on Feb. 2, 1959, they were frozen and had had it with the travelling refrigerator.
After the show, Holly chartered a plane to take he and his backing musicians -- Tommy Allsup and a friend from Lubbock, future country star Waylon Jennings -- to their next stop in Fargo, N.D., some 500 km away.
As the story goes, Allsup flipped a coin with Valens for the right to one of the cramped plane's seats, and Valens won. Jennings felt bad for The Big Bopper, who was battling a fever and felt crammed in the bus, and Jennings voluntarily gave up his seat for him. When Holly found out, he cracked to Jennings, "Well, I hope your old bus freezes up." Jennings good-naturedly shot back, "Well, I hope your plane crashes."
An hour later, it did. Jennings would be haunted by that conversation for decades.
The pilot was Roger Peterson, only 21. According to the official Civil Aeronautics Board report of the crash (available online), Peterson was both improperly briefed on the rapidly deteriorating weather -- a snowstorm was moving in -- and didn't look into it enough himself.
As the report concluded, "at night, with an overcast sky, snow falling, no definite horizon, and a proposed flight over a sparsely settled area with an absence of ground lights," Peterson almost certainly would have had to fly by instruments only. Problem was, Peterson was "not properly certified nor qualified" to do it.
Worst of all, because of gusty winds, Peterson had to rely greatly on an instrument known as an attitude indicator, and he was probably unaware that "the pitch display of this instrument is the reverse of the instrument he was accustomed to; therefore, he could have become confused and thought that he was making a climbing turn, when in reality he was making a descending turn."
Indeed, no one aboard knew it, but Peterson was taking them at high speed right into the ground. The Beechcraft Bonanza was instantly demolished. There was no fire or explosion.
They were rock's first major casualties.
The news got out later that day, and American rock 'n' rollers were in shock. Perhaps that's what McLean was referring to in the last verse of his cryptic American Pie:
And in the streets: the children screamed,
The lovers cried, and the poets dreamed.
But not a word was spoken;
The church bells all were broken.
And the three men I admire most:
The father, son, and the holy ghost,
They caught the last train for the coast
The day the music died.
Paul Gross hopes for 'Passchendaele' big-screen release in China
TORONTO - Writer-director Paul Gross won over Canadian audiences with his multimillion-dollar war epic "Passchendaele," and now he's got his sights set on movie fans internationally.
As Gross releases the First World War film on DVD this week in Canada, he says he's trying to get the picture on to big screens in Britain, China and the United States.
"What I'm most excited about is China," Gross says in an interview.
"I would just love it if it went into China . . . They take about 20 foreign films a year, and you know there are 500 million middle-class Chinese - we could actually make some money."
Recouping funds is understandably top of mind for the Canadian filmmaker. At a cost of $20 million, "Passchendaele" is among the most expensive Canadian films ever made.
The gritty drama ended up raking in roughly $4.5 million at the box office since its release in October - a hefty sum for an independent Canadian film but still far short of its original cost.
When "Passchendaele" debuted last year it was bolstered by massive publicity. It had an opening-night slot at the Toronto International Film Festival, followed by a cross-Canada tour in which the film's cast appeared at movie houses and took questions from audiences.
Now it's ready for its small-screen debut, but Gross notes the stakes are anything but small.
"I think it accounts for like two-thirds of what a film can do financially," he says of DVD releases in general.
"Increasingly, I think people start to look upon the theatrical release as a way of satisfying those who really need to see it on a huge screen, but also making sure that people are aware of it when it comes out for people to take home to their own television sets and their own home theatres."
Of course, it doesn't help that Gross is seeking distribution during the current tough economic climate. By and large, independent films are not selling well these days, he says.
"It's ironic, because if I were trying to raise the financing for it right now it would be hopeless to go to private individuals and say 'Can you part with money that you no longer have and give it to me?' That wouldn't have happened," says Gross, who also found support from government sources, including $5.5 million from the Alberta government.
"On the other hand, it might have been better if we had done it five years earlier and had it out when the market was a bit better."
The sprawling historical drama centres on the battle-weary Sgt. Michael Dunne, played by Gross, who falls in love with a troubled nurse, played by Caroline Dhavernas, when he's brought to a Calgary hospital. Their tender relationship forms the main story arc, leading up to the climactic battle of Passchendaele and a stark account of the relentless German assault that devastated Allied forces.
Gross says he began envisioning the project more than a decade ago, and after finally recreating the battle's stunning bleak landscape for the large screen he expresses misgivings now that it is being shrunk for the small one.
"You do sort of cringe because we made something that's capable of being blown up into a huge picture, and reducing it like that seems a little bit crazy. On the other hand, the world is what it is," he says, noting today's medium of choice is even smaller than TV, with many pop culture junkies favouring portable media players.
"I don't like watching a film on a screen that small but I know lots of people who do, including my own kids. They seem fine with it. I'll say, 'How can you get enough out of this? And they'll say, 'Oh no, I see it big."'
Meanwhile, Gross is hopeful that "Passchendaele" could find another life in movie theatres in China.
"I gather we still have quite a profile there. Because of Bethune, there's this funny sense they have of us," he says, referring to Canadian doctor Norman Bethune, considered a hero in China for joining the resistance in that country against the Japanese invasion in 1938.
"Passchendaele" comes out on DVD on Tuesday.
Shout it out loud: KISS is coming
The Demon and his pals are headlining an outdoor concert in Halifax this summer.
KISS announced the news on its website, confirming rumours about the band's plans that have been circulating for weeks.
The Halifax Rocks 2009 event will take place July 18 at the Halifax Common, the same park where the Rolling Stones played to 50,000 fans in 2006.
Tickets go on sale on Friday, though KISS Army fan club members can get theirs starting on Tuesday.
Flight of the Conchords prepare for tour, album takeoff
Musical comedy duo Flight of the Conchords has unveiled huge tour plans for the spring to support the upcoming release of the group's sophomore full-length set.
The New Zealanders--Bret McKenzie and Jemaine Clement--kick off the almost two-month-long outing April 6 in Tampa, FL. The 33-city trek extends through the following month, concluding May 25 on the opposite coast in Berkeley, CA.
Due in stores April 14, Flight of the Conchords' still-untitled studio effort will include "probably 15 or so tracks total," according to the duo's record label, Sub Pop, most of them culled from the second season of the pair's popular HBO series, which began last month. The group will release a new song from the album every week through iTunes on the Monday following the airdate of the latest new episode.
Fans who buy the songs individually will be given the option to "Complete the Album" through iTunes once the new set is released without having to repurchase any previously released material to own the entire album, according to a press release.
The new album follows the duo's self-titled debut from last spring. The new set, produced by Mickey Petralia (Beck, Midnight Vultures), features fully fleshed out versions of Flight of the Conchords' concert and television favorites such as "Business Time" and "Ladies of the World."
"These 15 songs pay homage to Pet Shop Boys, censorship, Marvin Gaye, sexism, Shabba Ranks, and backhanded compliments," according to Sub Pop.
A few of the tunes are streaming at Flight of the Conchords' MySpace page.
April 2009
6 - Tampa, FL - Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center
7 - Coral Gables, FL - University of Miami BankUnited Center
8 - Orlando, FL - UCF Arena
10 - Nashville, TN - Ryman Auditorium
11 - Atlanta, GA - Fox Theatre
12 - Seattle, WA - Paramount Theatre
13 - Washington, DC - Constitution Hall
14 - New York, NY - Radio City Music Hall
17 - Boston, MA - Agganis Arena
18 - Philadelphia, PA - Tower Theatre
19 - Kent, OH - Kent State University
21, 22 - Toronto, Ontario - Massey Hall
24 - Detroit, MI - Fox Theatre
25 - Bloomington, IN - IU Auditorium
26 - Madison, WI - Overture Center for the Arts
28 - Chicago, IL - Arie Crown
30 - St. Louis, MO - Fox Theatre
May 2009
2 - Milwaukee, WI - Riverside Theatre
3 - Minneapolis, MN - Northrop Auditorium
5 - Dallas, TX - Nokia Theatre
6 - Houston, TX - Jones Hall
7 - Austin, TX - Bass Concert Hall
10 - Vancouver, British Columbia - Centre in Vancouver for the Performing Arts
11, 12 - Seattle, WA - Paramount Theatre
14 - Portland, OR - Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall
16 - Denver, CO - Red Rocks Amphitheatre
17 - Salt Lake City, UT - Abravanel Hall
19 - Phoenix, AZ - Dodge Theatre
20 - San Diego, CA - RIMAC Arena
23 - Santa Barbara, CA - County Bowl
23 - Las Vegas, NV - The Joint
24 - Los Angeles, CA - Greek Theatre
25 - Berkeley, CA - Berkeley Community Theatre
Guitar Hero: Metallica Full Track List
Here’s the full list of Guitar Hero: Metallica!!
• “All Nightmare Long”
• “Battery”
• “Creeping Death”
• “Disposable Heroes”
• “Dyers Eve”
• “Enter Sandman”
• “Fade To Black”
• “Fight Fire With Fire”
• “For Whom The Bell Tolls”
• “Frantic”
• “Fuel”
• “Hit The Lights”
• “King Nothing”
• “Master of Puppets”
• “Mercyful Fate”
• “No Leaf Clover”
• “Nothing Else Matters”
• “One”
• “Orion”
• “Sad But True”
• “Seek And Destroy”
• “The Memory Remains”
• “The Shortest Straw”
• “The Thing That Should Not Be”
• “The Unforgiven”
• “Welcome Home (Sanitarium)”
• “Wherever I May Roam”
• “Whiplash”
They even chose 21 rockin’ tracks to add some spice to the their list.
• Alice In Chains - “No Excuses”
• Bob Seger - “Turn The Page (Live)”
• Corrosion of Conformity - “Albatross”
• Diamond Head - “Am I Evil?”
• Foo Fighters - “Stacked Actors”
• Judas Priest - “Hell Bent For Leather”
• Kyuss - “Demon Cleaner”
• Lynyrd Skynyrd - “Tuesdays Gone”
• Machine Head - “Beautiful Mourning”
• Mastodon - “Blood And Thunder”
• Mercyful Fate - “Evil”
• Michael Schenker Group - “Armed and Ready”
• Motörhead - “Ace of Spades”
• Queen - “Stone Cold Crazy”
• Samhain - “Mother of Mercy”
• Slayer - “War Ensemble”
• Social Distortion - “Mommy’s Little Monster (Live)”
• Suicidal Tendencies - “War Inside My Head”
• System of a Down - “Toxicity”
• The Sword - “Black River”
• Thin Lizzy - “The Boys Are Back in Town”
Oscar nominees be warned: Surprises lay ahead
BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. – Fans of this month's Academy Awards — and nominees themselves — are in for something new at Hollywood's biggest party, the show's overseers said Monday.
Sid Ganis, president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, told the 112 contenders gathered at the annual nominees luncheon to expect a lot of new things at the Feb. 22 ceremony.
"Your categories are being presented in a completely different way. Heads up," Ganis told actors. "Cinematographers, editors, composers. All of you guys. You're in for a big surprise."
Ganis did not elaborate, in keeping with Oscar organizers' efforts to maintain secrecy about the show, including the names of awards presenters.
While academy officials kept mum, nominees had plenty to say as a mix of first-time contenders and old hands turned up at a news conference before the luncheon.
Going zero-for-five on her previous Oscar nominations, best-actress contender Kate Winslet said the experience has given her a "good losing face." Yet considering her competition this time — including Meryl Streep with a record 15 nominations — Winslet said she felt the honor and intensity even more this time.
"I get very emotional about these things, I discover. I think I'm not cut out for this. I'm too emotional to lose, and I'm too emotional to win," said Winslet, nominated for her role as a former concentration-camp guard in "The Reader."
"I sort of wish there was some lessons in how to cope with awards seasons, even though I've gone through it so many times before. It always feels like the first time."
While Winslet has become a perpetual nominee, Robert Downey Jr. has not been up for an Oscar in 16 years, since he earned a best-actor slot for the title role in "Chaplin."
Downey found irony in his supporting-actor nomination for "Tropic Thunder," in which he's cast as an obsessed actor who undergoes a medical procedure to darken his skin to play a black soldier.
"The funny thing is, I was playing an Oscar-crazed weirdo whose every motivation was somehow geared toward accolades," Downey said.
Downey is back on top in Hollywood after years of substance-abuse problems. Another Hollywood reclamation project, Mickey Rourke, has a best-actor nomination for "The Wrestler," playing a former ring star with a fresh shot at glory.
The story mirrors the real life of Rourke, who squandered his early promise with bad behavior off-screen.
"I was out of work for about 14 years," Rourke said, adding that his biggest surprise this awards season was "the fact that so many years went by and I got a second chance."
Penelope Cruz — earning her second Oscar nomination, this one for supporting actress as a volatile artist in "Vicky Cristina Barcelona" — said winning would be great, but she simply wants to cherish the whole Oscar ride.
"I am so happy to be part of a group of people that can work, that can make a living out of this profession that I've loved so much since I was a little girl, that I really don't want to obsess about winning," Cruz said.
Oscar newcomer Melissa Leo, a best-actress nominee for her role as a destitute mom who turns to crime in the border-smuggling drama "Frozen River," said she never gave a thought about competing for an Academy Award.
"I'm an actor. I think about what the next job is. I think about what my character is. I think about what my director's needs are. I don't dream about this. So it's a dream I have not yet dared to dream," Leo said. "Win, lose or draw come the 22nd, I've gotten more than I ever dreamt of."
Frank Langella, a first-time nominee with an acclaimed stage background, said his Oscar nomination as Richard Nixon in "Frost/Nixon" was a career high-point but that it would not alter his career.
"I don't really think that I'm suddenly going to turn into one of those actors who makes millions and millions of dollars and stars in films holding a gun," said Langella, who reprised the role he originated on stage alongside co-star Michael Sheen. "I'm very lucky that I can continue to work on the stage almost any time I want. I think I'll just continue along apace."
Supporting-actress contender Viola Davis summed up what it feels like to be a first-time nominee having lunch with such Oscar veterans as Winslet, Downey, Cruz and Sean Penn.
"This is probably a morbid metaphor. People say if you're in a major accident and your whole life flashes before you, and of course, it's always all the important moments," said Davis, nominated for playing a mother whose son may have been abused by a priest in "Doubt." "This would be one of the moments that would flash."
Is 'SNL' leasing its sketches to advertisers?
NEW YORK – Was "MacGruber" a "Saturday Night Live" sketch or Pepsi commercial?
Depending on when you were watching television over the weekend, it was hard to tell.
On Saturday night's "SNL," the recurring bit starring cast member Will Forte aired three times during the show, each time with comical over-the-top promotion for Pepsi.
Then on Sunday night, one of the same "MacGruber" sketches — in which Forte plays a parody of the `80s action series "MacGyver" — aired during NBC's broadcast of the Super Bowl as a commercial.
As it turns out, all were paid commercials by Pepsi, made in collaboration with producer Lorne Michaels' "Saturday Night Live." The segments weren't product placement, but commercials paid for by Pepsi and produced by "SNL." Though they appeared to be sketches on "SNL," they ran during allotted commercial breaks.
NBC Entertainment Co-Chairman Ben Silverman said Pepsi paid full freight for the spots — which sold for about $3 million per 30-second spot during the Super Bowl.
"They really made it very funny and obvious, so I don't think there was any confusion," said Silverman. "Everything is ongoing experimentation, but the reality is we need to evolve and do more and more things."
Added Silverman: "It's not just an ad for Pepsi, it's an ad for `Saturday Night Live.'"
Branding expert Peter Arnell was in charge of PepsiCo's Super Bowl campaign, which also included a 3-D commercial for its SoBe Life Water.
"The creative space is `SNL's' and they were commercials we would have bought, so the economics were as normal as it ever was," said Arnell. "It's the un-advertising advertising."
The first "MacGruber" sketch/commercial that ran during "SNL" came amid other commercials — after a movie trailer for "The Pink Panther 2," which is what host Steve Martin was (what else?) promoting.
PepsiCo American Beverages chief Massimo d'Amore, who watched the game from a luxury box with NBC and Michaels, declined to say how much the company paid the network for the spots. An estimated 95.4 million people watched the Pittsburgh-Arizona Super Bowl, making it second only to last year's game as the most popular ever, according to Nielsen Media Research.
"We have been working together all along in a true partnership," said d'Amore. "This is definitely not a one-off. It's a very determined step to connect with the consumers of today in a new contemporary way."
The ads include all the same usual characteristics that the sketch series normally does: its cheesy opening theme song, a frightened sidekick (played by fellow cast member Kristin Wiig) and MacGruber's inevitable distraction (in this case, a Pepsi). The real MacGyver — Richard Dean Anderson — also made a cameo.
That a marquee "SNL" sketch would be sold to a marketer might rub some loyal viewers the wrong way. Fans, after all, tune in for comedy, not for well-dressed commercials.
Silverman says the viewer only wins, since the Pepsi sketches replaced regular commercials. (He also noted that "SNL" talent was paid for the work outside of their normal salaries.)
"It wasn't inside the show," said Silverman. "Lorne really protected the show. I think the fans of `Saturday Night Live' got to see a `MacGruber' that they wouldn't have otherwise seen."
Michaels wasn't available to comment Monday.
"What we're doing is selling entertainment vehicles and marketing platforms," said Silverman, who has looked for other revenue streams for NBC as network TV ratings have slid. "This is where programming is going."
New CD Releases, February 3: The Fray, Willie Nelson and Asleep at the Wheel, Dierks Bentley, Graham Nash, Melinda Doolittle and more!
The Fray "The Fray" (Sony)
The Colorado pop/rock troupe finally returns with its second studio album, which follows 2004's double-platinum debut "How to Save a Life." To tide fans over between studio releases, the Fray did release two live albums: 2006's "Live at the Electric Factory: Bootleg No. 1" and 2007's "Acoustic in Nashville: Bootleg No. 2."
The new disc was produced by Mike Flynn and Aaron Johnson, the same dynamic duo that helmed the controls for the debut. The first single from "The Fray" is the track "You Found Me," which was released in November. That same month, The Fray performed that single live at the 2008 American Music Awards.
* * *
Willie Nelson and Asleep at the Wheel "Willie and the Wheel" (Bismeaux)
The country legend takes "the Wheel" on this collection of classic Western swing songs handpicked by late producer Jerry Wexler, who died at 91 last year. The concept for the album was 30 years in the making, according to a press release.
Things finally began to crystallize in 2007, when Nelson hooked up with Asleep at the Wheel, Merle Haggard and Ray Price for the Last of the Breed tour, a trek that showcased Western swing and Texas country music.
Nelson and Asleep at the Wheel will join together to support the album with a short tour. The road show is set to launch Feb. 11 in Red Bank, NJ, and roll through 10 cities along the East Coast through Feb. 21.
* * *
Dierks Bentley "Feel That Fire" (Capitol)
The Arizona-born country crooner returns with his fourth studio album. The set follows 2006's "Long Trip Home," which has been certified gold in the U.S.
The first single is the title track, which has already charted in the Top 10 on the Hot Country Songs chart. The new album includes contributions from country vocalist Patty Griffin and bluegrass mandolin player Ronnie McCoury.
* * *
Graham Nash "Reflections" (Rhino)
The veteran vocalist--one-fourth of the legendary Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young--is the subject of a major new retrospective. The three-disc box-set includes 64 tracks, spanning Nash's early work with The Hollies, CSN, CSN&Y and his solo offerings.
* * *
Melinda Doolittle "Coming Back to You" (Hi Fi)
The third-place finisher on the sixth season of "American Idol" releases her full-length debut, which comes two years after her eponymous five-song EP.
"Coming Back to You" consists of cover songs, such as "Dust My Broom" and "I'll Never Stop Loving You."
* * *
More new releases:
Cannibal Corpse, "Evisceration Plague" (Metal Blade)
Keith Emerson Band featuring Marc Bonilla, "Keith Emerson Band featuring Marc Bonilla" (Varese)
Alejandro Fernandez, "De Noche: Clasicos a Mi Manera" (Sony)
Ruthie Foster, "The Truth According to Ruthie Foster" (Blue Corn)
Lisa Hannigan, "Sea Sew" (ATO)
Heartless Bastards, "The Mountain" (Fat Possum)
Boney James, "Send One Your Love" (Concord)
Wynonna Judd, "Sing--Chapter 1" (Curb)
Kidz Bop Kids, "Kidz Bop, Vol. 15" (Razor & Tie)
Ben Kweller, "Changing Horses" (ATO)
Donald Lawrence, "The Law of Confession, Part 1" (Verity)
Audra McDonald (Artist), Patrick Wilson, "Rodgers and Hammerstein's `Allegro' (First Complete Recording)" (Sony)
Liza Minnelli, "Liza's at the Palace" (Hybrid)
The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, "Lonely Road" (EMI)