Brandy

In the continual reordering of the popular-music canon, one thing is becoming increasingly clear: Joni Mitchell ’s complex, emotive, cerebral, ever-evolving music is ranking higher than ever. Her 1971 album Blue landed in the Top Three on Rolling Stone ‘s most recent ranking of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time , and artists from Taylor Swift to Harry Styles to Mitski to Phoebe Bridgers have been dropping her name for years. And when Mitchell recently returned to the stage at the Newport Folk Festival for her first performance since a near-fatal 2015 aneurysm, it broke the Internet to a greater degree than any other 70-something singer-songwriter could manage. “Joni has a childlike appreciation of what’s going on right now,” says writer/director Cameron Crowe , who first interviewed Mitchell for Rolling Stone in 1979, and has spent time with her recently. “She’s having the experience that few people have that came that close to dying – she actually can … [Read more...] about How Joni Mitchell Became a Millennial and Gen-Z Hero

It was the first hour of November 3rd, 1980, as the Learjet left behind Miami’s city lights and headed west over the dark of the Everglades. Aboard were two principals, each flanked by their respective henchmen . Until this hour, they had never met. The one who had leased the plane was a thirty-six-year-old drug-smuggling kingpin named Dan McGuiness. He had a penchant for ordering up Learjets on short notice. Once, after striking up a conversa­tion with a young woman in a Boston bar, he went, on impulse, ​​ over to a pay phone and called up a Learjet from Miami to take the two of them to Jamaica for the weekend. McGuiness had pulled off enough successful smuggling deals to be able to afford little luxuries like that. The other man, forty-two-years old, was well known in smuggling circles as Theo Poulos, a specialist in providing highly specialized off-loading services to “mother ships” coming up from Co l ombia laden with marijuana . The aircraft was now headed for a … [Read more...] about Inside Operation Grouper: the DEA’s War on Marijuana Smuggling

Rob Mitchell , chief financial officer of Bold Films who earlier worked at Beacon Pictures , the Samuel Goldwyn Company and Hyde Park Entertainment , died July 28 of a pulmonary embolism at his home in Thousand Oaks, CA. He was 55. Mitchell was the twin brother of Gregg Mitchell, the WGA West’s events manager. Rob Mitchell worked in the entertainment industry for over three decades, encompassing finance, production, distribution, operations, development and strategic planning. Over the course of his career, he was involved in the production, finance and distribution of 40 films, which reportedly grossed $2.3 billion in worldwide box office. Hollywood & Media Deaths 2022: A Photo Gallery Having served as the CFO at Bold Films since 2008, Mitchell oversaw all finance activities for the indie film company, including its operations and production slate. Past releases he worked on include such films as Best Picture Oscar nominee Whiplash , Drive, … [Read more...] about Rob Mitchell Dies: CFO Of Bold Pictures & Longtime Film Executive Was 55

Toby Keith sure knows how to make a buck. After ranking as Forbes ‘ highest-paid country artist this past July, the established entrepreneur/entertainer lands at Number 10 on the financial magazine’s end-of-year highest-paid musicians list . Keith’s estimated haul: a solid $65 million. Stadium filler Kenny Chesney came in at Number 22, with $44 million, while hot album sellers Jason Aldean and Luke Bryan arrived at Numbers 24 and 28 respectively (Aldean made $37 million; Bryan $34 million.) Taylor Swift, who made the transition to pop with her album 1989 , was Number 11 with $64 million. Hip-hop/headphones impresario Dr. Dre was in the top slot with $620 million. While his country peers make the bulk of their salaries through touring, merchandise and record sales, Keith’s portfolio is bolstered by his chain of I Love This Bar & Grill restaurants, the Wild Shot mescal line, a partnership with Ford and his stake in the Show Dog record label. Chesney has followed … [Read more...] about Toby Keith, Kenny Chesney Make ‘Forbes’ Wealthiest Musicians List

Sony Pictures Classics has announced October-December release plans for The Return of Tanya Tucker ; Salavatore: Shoemaker Of Dreams; The Son ; Living; and Turn Every Page. Additionally, it said, One Fine Morning , written and directed by Mia Hansen-Løve and starring Léa Seydoux, and Davy Chou’s Return To Seoul , which were both acquired out of Cannes, will have one-week qualifying runs by the end of the year before their 2023 releases. Kathlyn Horan’s The Return Of Tanya Tucke r , featuring Brandi Carlile will be released on October 21, 2022 in New York and Los Angeles before expanding to additional markets. The documentary follows Tanya’s richly creative, utterly captivating, bumpy ride back to the top as Brandi encourages her to push past her fears to create a new sound and reach a new audience. Luca Guadagnino’s documentary film, Salvatore: Shoemaker of Dreams , which tracks Ferragamo’s life from humble beginnings to California … [Read more...] about Sony Classics Sets Release Dates For Hugh Jackman-Laura Dern Drama ‘The Son’ & Four Others

EXCLUSIVE : American Zoetrope has acquired screen rights to Alysia Abbott’s Fairyland: A Memoir of My Father , with Sofia Coppola set to adapt it with Andrew Durham. She will produce with Roman Coppola. The memoir was published by W. W. Norton & Co  last June. The book is a coming of age story set against San Francisco’s vibrant cultural scene in the 1970s and ’80s, both before and after the AIDS epidemic, a crisis that would later claim the life of Abbott’s father, Steve Abbott, a widowed poet and gay activist. “I love the book Fairyland ; it’s a sweet and unique love story of a girl and her dad, both growing up together in 1970’s San Francisco,” Coppola said. “I think it will make an engaging and touching movie on a subject I’ve never seen before.” Said the author: “I’m delighted that Sofia Coppola and Zoetrope are going to create the film version of Fairyland. Sofia’s understanding of the feminine perspective and the artistic vision that she shares with … [Read more...] about Sofia Coppola To Co-Write ‘Fairyland’ For American Zoetrope

A 25th anniversary celebration of Rodgers & Hammerstein ’s Cinderella will air with a news special cast reunion and presentation of the original film as part of Disney Princess Week. The package, Cinderella: The Reunion, A Special Edition of 20/20 , airs on ABC-TV on Tuesday, Aug. 23 stating at 8 PM ET/PT and will stream the next day on Hulu. The reunion will feature Brandy, Whoopi Goldberg, Paolo Montalban, Victor Garber, Bernadette Peters, Jason Alexander, and Veanne Cox. Following the news special, The Wonderful World of Disney will aira presentation of the original film from 9-11 PM ET/PT. (9:00-11:00 p.m). It will also be available to stream on Disney+. The Disney live-action film marked a groundbreaking moment in television history, introducing America’s first Black Cinderella (Brandy) and Fairy Godmother (Whitney Houston). The ABC News Studios reunion special explores how the made-for-television musical expanded society’s view of the term … [Read more...] about ABC’s ‘20/20’ Will Air ‘Cinderella: The Reunion’ 25th Anniversary Special

One day in 2014, “N—– in Paris” producer Hit-Boy started working with Beyoncé on two songs. One of them, released later that year, became the hit Nicki Minaj collaboration “Feeling Myself.” The other was a track with a seductive house beat that would’ve been a major departure for Beyoncé at the time; she came up with a few ideas for it, then put it aside. As Hit-Boy reveals on the new episode of Rolling Stone Music Now , at some point in the last couple years, Beyoncé picked up the track again, and developed it into “Thique,” a standout track on her new album Renaissance . (The first 36 seconds of the song start with a separate beat added in the interim by Megan Thee Stallion collaborator Lil Ju.) “I had to sit on that beat for eight years!” Hit-Boy says in the episode. “That’s the way the game goes sometimes. I’ve had a lot of ups and downs in the game and certain people will perceive like, ‘Oh, where’s Hit-Boy been? What’s Hit-Boy been doing?’ But then … [Read more...] about Exclusive: Hit-Boy Produced Beyoncé’s New Song ‘Thique’… Eight Years Ago