Grease - Grease Star Dead At 93

GREASE and GREASE 2 star DODY GOODMAN has died at a New Jersey hospital after a lengthy battle with illness. She was 93.

The beloved funnywoman, who was also a regular on late-night hit The Tonight Show in America in the 1950s and 1960s, played Principal MCGee's assistant Blanche in both Grease films.

Goodman was also a hit on Broadway, where she began her career after training as a dancer at the School of American Ballet and the Metropolitan Opera Ballet School in the late 1930s and early 1940s.

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Sizzla, Journey: Very Best Of

Six years on from VP records' The Story Unfolds, the idiosyncratic and mercurial Bobo sing-jay Sizzla Kalonji is well overdue another retrospective. And this nicely-presented effort by VP's new acquisition, Greensleeves, including a bonus DVD, gives each chapter of the chronicle a fair hearing, even if the odd key verse has inevitably been missed out.

Sizzla's received a lot of flak for perceived changes to his voice. The reality is he's never stopped changing it. From aggressive shouting to wolf-like howls and high pitched feline wails, he's taken his now ravaged pipes in every possible direction, cutting astonishing tunes over some of Jamaica's most iconic rhythm tracks.

These range from the ruminative (Just One Of Those Days on Bobby Digital's relick of John Holt's Queen Majesty) to the uplifting (Good Ways using Digital's version of Alton Ellis' classic Studio 1 piece, Breaking Up) to the heavily prophetic (Africa Prepare on Frenchie's re-interpretation of Lee Perry's Blackboard Jungle). We also hear evidence of his more recent interest in hip hop and R&B with Give Me A Try and Rise To The Occasion (for Donovan Bennett aka Don Corleon).

Of course, an overview of such an important artist is bound to solicit some grumbles, the most trenchant being that not enough time is devoted to Sizzla's early work, which set the standard for sing-jaying in the 90s. What's more, his mellower side predominates: for a taste of the shouty Sizzla check the raw, camera mic recorded footage on the DVD. However, it's understandable that a best of, aimed at a wide audience, would avoid anything too uncompromising on the ear, although the odd smattering of homophobia is on display.

There are a few glaring omissions, particularly Solid As A Rock – both the cut from his Da Real Thing album, or his equally worthy Damon Dash-produced remake - but all in all, this is a good summary of a career that has constantly flouted convention and expectation. The Journey is a sometimes jarring mix of reflection, belligerence, political incorrectness and religious fervour - just like Sizzla himself.


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Duffy - Fascinating Fact 5468

Soul singer DUFFY competed on the Welsh version of THE X FACTOR, WAWFFACTOR, in 2003.

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A radically different view

Fanon Che Wilkins learned about of the significance of his first names from a very early age. But while being named after revolutionaries Franz Fanon and Che Guevara creates expectations in people, he's never felt pressured by the legacy."I always saw it more metaphorically," says Wilkins on the phone from Japan where he is associate professor of African-American History and Culture at Doshisha University.He says the message he got from his parents - both activists in the 1960s American civil rights/black power movement - was more along the lines of: "Here are two people we think were very important, we hope you are able to recognise and get some sustenance from what they did."Wilkins, who will be delivering a public lecture at Auckland University on June 4 entitled "George Bush Doesn't Care About Black People", says his parents always gave him permission to be himself."I was not a Che Guevara or Franz Fanon, I was Fanon Che, which was something different. That's the hip-hop side of me. Hip-hop is always about how one can have the courage to be oneself."




The title of his lecture comes from American rap artist and hip-hop producer Kanye West, who shocked America with the statement on September 2, 2005, during a Red Cross benefit concert on NBC for Hurricane Katrina relief.Wilkins says at the time the statement resonated with him. "I knew there was going to be a lot of backlash, so I immediately wrote a piece called 'Thank you Kanye!'."The essay became viral, rapidly spreading across internet sites, reiterating West's view that racist media images were depicting black people as "looters" and whites as "finders" of food and basic necessities. Wilkins says West captured what many were thinking - that the response to the Hurricane Katrina disaster was woefully slow."It was clear for many of us that we saw what was to come. And that was neglect, because this was not a new phenomenon."Wilkins sees West's call to action as a pivotal moment that not only dispels ideas of youth apathy and political cynicism, but also shows how hip-hop is a force to be reckoned with. That may be a bridge too far for many, but in Wilkins' view hip-hop artists have reconstructed the history of the black freedom movement.Get him started on the topic and Wilkins becomes a stream of hip-hop propaganda."Alongside some of the romantic notions of bling, excessive materialism and even misogyny - what some of us call the negative and downside dimensions of hip-hop - there has been this consistent and persistent way in which hip-hop has sought to valorise the oppressed."Wilkins sees hip-hop as a lens for understanding the past - "a resource of intelligence and insight given its 30-45 year history".

Neve Campbell returns home to Canada to shoot eco-thriller 'Burn Up'

"Burn Up," a Canada/U.K. co-production airing next Tuesday and Wednesday on Global, is a story of big oil clashing with "big green."

Sounds like a touchy subject for a production that was shot in Calgary, but Neve Campbell - who plays an environmentalist working within an oil company - says nobody there tried to run her over with an SUV.

"No, Calgary was very welcoming," says Campbell, who appears opposite former 'West Wing' star Bradley Whitford and British actor Rupert Penry-Jones in the conspiracy eco-thriller.

Campbell was drawn to the timeliness of the subject matter.

"It's about something on the minds of many of us at the moment," she said this past weekend on the phone from Halifax, where she is shooting her next project, an adaptation of Jack London's "The Sea Wolf."

Campbell says she doesn't always pick "message" films to work on but "it's always good when they do have something to say."

Her character thinks she's been hired to nudge the company toward a greener future but she's really there just for the P.R. value.

The character is a "green wash," explains Campbell, a term for companies who set up an environmental department just for show.

"The inner workings of the company are very strong and it's going to be very difficult for her to change things," she says.

That holds true for American TV network thinking.

While "Burn Up" will air here on Global and in the U.K. on BBC, it has yet to land an American network deal. The subject matter likely cuts a little to close to the bone during a U.S. presidential election year when gas prices are soaring and American car companies - especially those that sponsor TV shows - are hurting.

"Networks are sometimes afraid of these topics depending on where their politics are," she says. "When you're making a piece like this, there's got to be balance. You want to give adequate and accurate information and not feel that it is just sensationalist."

The 33-year-old native of Guelph, Ont., who starred for six seasons on "Party of Five," is always proud to return and work in Canada.

She was a little disappointed, however, about Calgary's environmental efforts. She noted how her Halifax apartment had separate chutes for recyclables, yet the Calgary neighbourhood she lived in while shooting "Burn Up" was still not with the program.

"I was kind of shocked coming from Canada," she says. "Growing up there, we already seemed very environmentally aware compared with the States."

Campbell has been living in London the past few years with her husband, actor John Light. The couple were married in 2007.

"I absolutely love it there," she says. "It's a wonderful city, it has so much to offer, museums and the theatre, although it's a very expensive city."

She says she doesn't really miss Hollywood.

"I don't know how much it really changed things," she says the impact her move abroad has had on her career.

"When I was in Los Angeles for 13 years I shot 'Party of Five' there and maybe two or three other projects but I usually went some place else to shoot."

The current trend away from TV movies and miniseries concerns her as an actress but she sees no point in worrying about it.

"Unfortunately, there's been a massive shift toward reality," says Campbell. "Hopefully, people will continue to try and produce things. I do hope the heart of drama will bring people back."

What does the star of "Burn Up" miss most about living in Canada? "I miss proper winters to be honest," she says. "Living in London has been nice because at least we have some form of seasons."

-

Bill Brioux is a freelance TV columnist based in Brampton, Ont.

News from �The Canadian Press, 2008

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Stefano Bollani Trio

   
Artist: Stefano Bollani Trio

   Genre(s): 
Jazz
   

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Discography:


   
 Live Casa Del Jazz

   Year: 2006   
Tracks: 9


   
 Black And Tan Fantasy

   Year: 2003   
Tracks: 9

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There Will Be Blood - 6/3/2008

Hollywood writers are back at work

Hollywood screenwriters have voted to end their three-month-long strike over new media royalties, bringing an end to the US entertainment industry's most damaging dispute for 20 years.
The dispute forced the postponement or cancellation of television shows and films, and caused hundreds of millions of dollars in losses.
The strike also led to the cancellation of the Golden Globes awards ceremony.
The back-to-work order was back by 92.5% of Writers Guild of America members and followed union leaders' endorsement of their contract settlement with the studios.
Members of the guild will vote at a later date on a proposed three-year contract, which would give writers new payments for work streamed on the internet and double the money they earn for TV shows and films resold as downloads. The contract would also cover made-for-web content.

Kanye West Not Dating Victoria's Secret Model

A representative for Victoria's Secret model Selita Ebanks has denied online reports that she is dating Kanye West, after the pair were spotted at a New York nightclub together last weekend.

Following West's recent break-up with his former fiancee Alexis Phifer, stories have suggested that the rapper and Ebanks were seen kissing while out at Manhattan's Tenjune bar on Saturday night.

The 26-year-old model's rep tells Hollyscoop that the pair are "just friends" and that they were there with guests including Serena Williams and Ebanks' father and did not leave together.

NEXT:  Kristin Davis To Launch Clothing Collection

Photo courtesy of Rocafella.

Die Kreuzen

   
Artist: Die Kreuzen

   Genre(s): 
Rock
   

---

Discography:


   
 October File

   Year: 1998   
Tracks: 14

---

Formed in Milwaukee, WI, in the early '80s, Die Kreuzen took equalize parts of punishing alloy and hardcore punk as its inspiration, producing some of the more challenging indie rock of the period and in many ways anticipating the grease stone intelligent of the '90s. The dance band consisted of Dan Kubinski (vocals), Brian Egeness (guitar), Keith Brammer (bass), and Eric Tunison (drums). After signing to Touch & Go in 1984, they continued a displace from hard-core into a more traditional hard rock sound.





Benighted

Paul Newman - Ailing Newman Pulls Out Of Play

Movie icon PAUL NEWMAN has fuelled reports he's battling cancer after pulling out of plans to direct the stage production for Of Mice and Men at the Westport Country Playhouse in Connecticut.

Newman has laughed off reports about his failing health, insisting recent trips to a doctor that were made public were for treatment of athlete's foot "and hair loss".

American tabloid reports suggest the actor had undergone cancer surgery.

In a statement, Newman has confirmed he'll be passing on directing Of Mice + Men to Mark Lamos.

He says, "I'm very sorry I can't be part of this Westport Country Playhouse production, but I leave Of Mice and Men in Mark Lamos' very capable hands with the full support of my wife, Joanne Woodward, and Anne Keefe as Playhouse artistic directors."

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New Back To The Future Film Ruled Out

With the success of the new 'Indiana Jones' movie and Eddie Murphy about to bring Axl Foley back in 'Beverly Hills Cop 4', it seems the eighties movie revival is on, however, the writer and producer of 'Back to the Future' has ruled out an often speculated update of the series.

Speaking recently at at a benefit, Bob Gale told BTTF.com that, "We've all seen sometimes where they make one too many sequels and you say, 'Maybe they shouldn't have done that.' I'm not going to name any names of movies, but you know what they are!"

He continues, "But more importantly, as I'm sure you all know, Michael J. Fox is not in the best of shape with his Parkinson's.  The idea of making another 'Back to the Future' movie without Michael J. Fox — you know, that's like saying 'I'm going to cook you a steak dinner and I'm going to hold the beef.' You can't do that."

Gale, along with Steven Spielberg and Robert Zemeckis, were involved with the making of the time travelling trilogy and "all love the three Back to the Future movies just the way they are."

"I'm sure Universal would love it if we were to say to them, 'Hey, let's do another one,' but we don't think we could ever make a fourth one that would live up to how great the first three are, so we're going to leave well enough alone."

NEXT: Brokeback Mountain, The Opera Coming Soon

Photo courtesy of Universal.