Martin Scorsese to direct biopic of Frank Sinatra
LOS ANGELES – Martin Scorsese will tell Frank Sinatra's life story on film.
The Academy Award-winning director of "The Departed" will direct "Sinatra," the first feature film about Ol' Blue Eyes' life, Universal Pictures and Mandalay Pictures said Wednesday.
The film will be "an unconventional biopic," said Mandalay Pictures President Cathy Shulman, who is co-producing the film with Mandalay Chairman Peter Guber.
"It's not a cradle-to-the-grave traditional portrait of the consecutive events in a man's life," Shulman said. "Instead it's more of a collage and, in many ways, it will feel like an album itself. It's a collection of various moments and impressions in his life and together we hope they'll tell the full story and present full themes."
Oscar-nominated screenwriter Phil Alden Robinson ("Field of Dreams") has spent "at least a year buried in 30,000 pages of research" to write the screenplay, Schulman said.
No casting decisions have been made and no production date has been determined, she said, adding: "It's everyone's hope that this will be a movie that comes to the screen shortly."
It took two years to secure the rights to Sinatra's life and music, Shulman said. Warner Music Group and the Sinatra estate are partners on the project.
Having Scorsese bring "Sinatra" to the screen "seems like a match made in heaven," she said.
"In any family, you're dealing with a precious life, and in this case, you're dealing with an extraordinary life," she said. "We knew Scorsese would lead the troops to a true, fair, exciting and entertaining portrait of the man."
Sinatra's daughter, Tina, said it was "personally pleasing" to know Scorsese would oversee the celluloid version of her father's life story.
"My father had great admiration for the talent of the people he chose to work with, and the talented people who worked with my father had great admiration for him," she said, adding, "to me that this paradigm continues with Marty Scorsese at the helm of the Sinatra film."
An iconic entertainer, Sinatra was known for his smooth voice and even smoother personal style. He was part of the Rat Pack that included Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr. and Peter Lawford.
Sinatra "was indisputably the 20th century's greatest singer of popular song," according to Rolling Stone.
"Not only did his freely interpretive approach pave the way for the idiosyncrasies of rock singing, but with his character a mix of tough-guy cool and romantic vulnerability, he became the first true pop idol, a superstar who through his music established a persona audiences found compelling and true," the magazine says on its Web site.
Sinatra, who died in 1998, performed on more than 1,400 musical recordings, was awarded 31 gold records and earned 10 Grammys. He also appeared in 58 films and won a supporting-actor Oscar for 1953's "From Here to Eternity." In 1971, he was presented with another Oscar: the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award.
Sinatra's story has been told before on the small screen. A 1992 made-for-TV movie, "Sinatra," starred Philip Casnoff in the title role. It won a Golden Globe for best miniseries and an Emmy for director James Sadwith. Ray Liotta played Sinatra in the 1998 HBO film, "The Rat Pack."
At one time, Scorsese was in talks to direct a Dean Martin biopic, but that project never came to fruition.
Bruce Springsteen keeps his "bar band" on its toes
DETROIT (Billboard) – As Bruce Springsteen calls out surprise after surprise on his current tour, the members of his E Street Band are having the time of their lives, according to guitarist Nils Lofgren.
"With the new album ('Working On a Dream') and everything, I didn't expect to get to this point, with all the audibles (spontaneous changes) and improvisations, until much deeper in the tour," Lofgren told Billboard.com. "It's just born of years and years of doing this with Bruce, and we're taking it to a new level. It's exciting and it's challenging. You accept that sometimes you never know what's coming around the bend and just go with it.
"I just know the shows are great, and it's heartening to see that after all these yeas of doing it, we're playing what we think are the best shows we've ever done. It's exciting for guys who have been around this long."
Springsteen and company are still thrilling fans with gems from his own catalog, but the story of the tour has been the covers -- something Springsteen has always done but this time he's pulling out ad hoc, usually fan-requested choices such as the Ramones' "I Wanna Be Sedated," the Who's "My Generation," the Rascals' "Good Lovin'," the Kingsmen's "Louie Louie," the Soul Survivors' "Expressway to Your Heart," Willie Dixon's "Seventh Son," and ? and the Mysterians' "96 Tears."
Springsteen has dubbed the E Streeters "the greatest bar band in the land," and Lofgren says it's a tag the group wears proudly.
But, he adds, "There's just not bar bands of this caliber, with a leader like we have. But, yeah, we all learned how to play in cover bands and cut our teeth on an incredible wealth of catalogs like Motown, Stax Volt, the British Invasion, blues...We're a hard group to stump."
Lofgren acknowledges that he sometimes gets to the venues early to "prepare" for that night's festivities, even though he notes that "you never know what's coming." The off-the-cuff choices have also sent the Teleprompter crew scrambling to the Internet for lyrics.
The North American leg of the tour wraps May 23 in East Rutherford, N.J., with the European leg kicking off a week later at the Pinkpop Festival in the Netherlands. There are rumors of more dates for the late summer and fall, but nothing has been announced beyond August 2 in Santiago de Compostela, Spain.
"Certainly there's talk about (more shows)," Lofgren says, "but it's kind of stream of consciousness, not something that's booked a year and a half in advance. I'm sure Bruce and Patti (Scialfa) will evaluate what's going with their family and decide whether or not they're gonna do (more), and we'll go from there."
Watchmen arrive in July already
Warner Home Video has just unveiled first details about the upcoming release of the superhero blockbuster movie Watchmen to arrive on DVD and Blu-Ray Disc in July.
Someone’s killing our super heroes. The year is 1985 and super heroes have banded together to respond to the murder of one of their own. They soon uncover a sinister plot that puts all of humanity in grave danger. The super heroes fight to stop the impending doom only to find themselves a target for annihilation. But, if our super heroes are gone, who will save us?
The film will arrive on two DVD versions, one featuring only the movie itself in a fullframe presentation, while the Special Edition will offer up a Director’s Cut of the movie in an anamorphic widescreen version with Dolby Digital 5.1 audio. As extras the 2-disc release will also contain the Featurette ”The Phenomenon: The Comic that Changed Comics” as well as Watchmen: Video Journals and the Desolation Row Music Video ”My Chemical Romance”. A Digital Copy of the film’s theatrical cut will also be part of the release.
The Blu-Ray version of the movie will arrive in 108p high definition with high definition audio and also offer up the Director’s Cut of the film. Extras of this release will include a Warner Bros. Maximum Movie Mode as well a Featurette called ”Watchmen: Focus Points” and BD Live connectivity. Also inlcuded is the Featurette ”The Phenomenon: The Comic that Changed Comics” from the DVD version as well as the Desolation Row Music Video ”My Chemical Romance”. In addition you will find Real Super Heroes, Real Vigilantes on the release as well as Mechanics: Technologies of a Fantastic World. A Digital Copy of the theatrical version of the film rounds out this release.
“Watchmen” will make it to home video on July 28 .
New CD Releases, May 12th: Green Day, Steve Earle, The Church, Crystal Method, Better Than Ezra, and more!!
Green Day "21st Century Breakdown" (Reprise)
The multi-platinum pop/punk act finally returns with a follow-up to its Grammy-winning 2004 effort, "American Idiot." Green Day's eighth studio effort, which has been in the works since 2006, will hit stores on Friday (5/15).
Like "American Idiot," "21st Century Breakdown" is a concept record, this time detailing the adventures of a young couple maneuvering through the first decade of the new millennium. The trio--singer/guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong, bassist Mike Dirnt and drummer Tre Cool--is clearly hoping that the similarities between the two albums don't end there.
It will be quite a challenge, however, for the new album to live up to the success of "American Idiot," a work that, among other things, spawned five hit singles. So far, so good; the new record's first single, "Know Your Enemy," is already a Top 10 hit.
Green Day will support "21st Century Breakdown" during a North American tour that kicks off July 4 in Vancouver, British Columbia. The two-month run will touch down in 37 cities from coast to coast through the Aug. 25 tour finale in Los Angeles.
* * *
Steve Earle "Townes" (New West)
On his latest offering, the country rocker tips his hat to the late, great songwriting legend Townes Van Zandt. The set features Earle covering 15 "Townes" originals, and includes guest appearances by Tom Morello of Rage Against the Machine and Earle's wife, Allison Moorer.
Earle's previous studio effort, "Washington Square Serenade," surfaced in 2007. That album, produced by John King of the Dust Brothers (Beck, Beastie Boys), was Earle's first full-length release since relocating to New York from Nashville, where he had based his career since 1975.
Earle will support "Townes" during a late-spring headlining tour that carries over into summer. The outing begins May 28 in Portsmouth, NH, and is currently scheduled to run through mid-June.
* * *
The Church "Untitled #23" (Second Motion)
The rock band from Down Under remains on the rise as it drops yet another new product. "Untitled #23" comes during what has already been an unusually busy year for the band.
The Church has already dropped two other major releases in 2009: "Shriek: Excerpts from the Soundtrack," a collaboration with American science-fiction author Jeff VanderMeer, and "The Coffee Hounds EP," featuring several versions of the original track "The Coffee Song," as well as a cover of Kate Bush's "Hounds of Love."
The group will take to the highway in support of the new album during a 19-city North American trek that starts June 10 in Solana Beach, CA, and wraps July 9 show in Ridgefield, CT.
* * *
The Crystal Method "Divided by Night" (Ingrooves)
The electronic-music duo, consisting of Ken Jordan and Scott Kirkland, jumps back into the fray with the release of its fourth record. The Los Angeles act's forthcoming set follows 2004's "Legion of Boom."
"Divided by Night" features a bevy of high-profile guest stars, including Metric vocalist Emily Haines, She Wants Revenge singer Justin Warfield and New Order bassist Peter Hook. The album's first single, "Drown in the Now," features vocal work by Matisyahu.
* * *
Better Than Ezra "Paper Empire" (Red Distribution)
The alt-rock band returns with a follow-up to 2005's "Before the Robots," an album that produced the hit single "Juicy." Better Than Ezra--still best known for the early '90s radio hits "Good," "In the Blood" and "Rosealia"--will support "Paper Empire" on the road. The tour kicks off with a two-night stand May 29-30 in the group's hometown of New Orleans.
* * *
More new releases:
Big Business, "Mind the Drift" (Redeye)
Book of Love, "Book of Love" (Noble)
Cam'Ron, "Crime Pays" (Asylum)
Jeremy Enigk, "OK Bear" (Redeye)
Bill Evans, "Turn Out the Stars: Final Village Vanguard Recordings" (Nonesuch)
Paul Gilbert, "United States" (R.E.D.)
George Jones, "Walk Through This World With Me: The Complete Musicor Recordings, 1965-1971 (Part 1)" (Bear)
David Siebels, "Dave Siebels with Gordon Goodwin's Big Phat Band" (PBGL)
Utada, "This is the One" (Mercury)
Kate Voegele, "A Fine Mess" (Interscope)
Paul Wall, "Fast Life" (Asylum)
Soundtracks and scores:
"Angels & Demons" (Sony)
"Lost: Season 4" (Varese)
"Next to Normal" (Sh-K-Boom)
Biel Surprised By Timberlake's Raunchy Comedy Routine
Jessica Biel was stunned when boyfriend Justin Timberlake performed an sketch mocking his relationship with Britney Spears live on U.S. TV - because she knew nothing about the skit before it aired.
Timberlake made his third appearance on comedy sketch show Saturday Night Live at the weekend.
In one sketch the pop star dressed as his immigrant ancestor and predicted the future for his great-great grandson (Timberlake), making reference to his teenage romance with Spears.
He said: "He (Timberlake) will date a popular female singer (Spears). Publicly they'll claim to be virgins, but privately - he hit it."
And although Biel admits she was caught by surprise by the swipe at Timberlake's ex, she insists the sketch sent her into fits of laughter.
She tells the New York Daily News, "I thought that was really funny. I had heard a couple of things (about the show), but I didn't really know what it was actually going to be. It was all pretty much a surprise."
David Tennant new 'Masterpiece Contemporary' host
NEW YORK – David Tennant is the new host of PBS' "Masterpiece Contemporary."
Tennant will make his debut on the long-running public TV anthology this fall, its producing station, WGBH, announced Wednesday.
The 38-year-old Scottish actor, who follows past "Masterpiece" hosts such as Alan Cumming and Laura Linney, played the title role in the long-running BBC sci-fi series "Doctor Who." His screen credits include "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire."
"Masterpiece Contemporary" returns on the Public Broadcasting Service in October with "Endgame," a drama about the final days of apartheid in South Africa starring William Hurt and Jonny Lee Miller. It premiered at this year's Sundance Film Festival.
The "Masterpiece" series began as "Masterpiece Theatre" in 1971, and now also encompasses "Mystery!" — a public TV fixture since 1980.