News

The Strokes teased a new song, “Starting Again,” in a campaign ad for New York City mayoral candidate Maya Wiley. The clip arrives one day before the Democratic primary election for the NYC mayoral race, June 22nd, with the winner largely expected to win the general election in November.

The Strokes’ Julian Casablancas wrote “Starting Again” with Gregg Alexander, frontman of the New Radicals, with David Kahne and Alexander producing the track. The song is vintage Strokes with a driving drum beat and wiry guitar lines. In the new spot,...

Robert Altman's murder tale reeks of insider access and Hollywood hipster Bs; its main claim to greatness is its fifty-plus star cameos. It may no longer seem as smart as it looked in 1992, but they don't make 'em any slicker than this. The Player Blu-ray The Criterion Collection 812 1992 / Color /1:85 widescreen / 124 min. / Available through The Criterion Collection / Street Date May 24, 2016 / 39.95 Starring Tim Robbins, Greta Scacchi, Fred Ward, Whoopi Goldberg, Peter Gallagher, Brion James, Cynthia Stevenson, Vincent D'Onofrio, Lyle Lovett. Cinematography Jean Lépine Original Music Thomas Newman Written by Michael Tolkin from his novel Produced by David Brown, Michael Tolkin, Nick Wechsler Directed by Robert Altman

Reviewed by Glenn Erickson

Robert Altman's filmography is undergoing what looks like a full retrospective through Criterion; even the 1975 title Nashville came out not long ago. This very successful later picture marks a revitalization of the director's career. It's sort of a Kafkaesque spin on Hail,...

One hundred fourteen scores from eligible feature-length motion pictures released in 2013 will be vying for nominations in the Original Score category for the 86th Oscars®, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced today.

A Reminder List of works submitted in the Original Score category will be made available with a nominations ballot to all members of the Music Branch, who shall vote in the order of their preference for not more than five achievements. The five achievements receiving the highest number of votes will become the nominations for final voting for the award.

Nomination voting in all Oscar categories begins Friday, December 27 and ends Wednesday, January 8.

The eligible scores along with their composers are listed below, in alphabetical order by film title:

“Admission,” Stephen Trask, composer

“Ain’t Them Bodies Saints,” Daniel Hart, composer

“All Is Lost,” Alex Ebert, composer

“Alone Yet Not Alone,” William Ross, composer

“The Armstrong Lie,...

The Academy has unveiled its list of films eligible for the best original score Oscar. A whopping 114 original scores are in contention. See the full list below. AMPAS will narrow down to the final five when Oscar nominations are announced Thursday, January 16. Today, the HFPA nominated "All Is Lost" (Alex Ebert), "Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom" (Alex Heffes), "Gravity" (Steven Price), "The Book Thief" (John Williams) and "12 Years a Slave" (Hans Zimmer) for best original score Golden Globes.      "Admission," Stephen Trask, composer       "Ain't Them Bodies Saints," Daniel Hart, composer       "All Is Lost," Alex Ebert, composer       "Alone Yet Not Alone," William Ross, composer       "The Armstrong Lie," David Kahne, composer       "Arthur Newman," Nick Urata, composer       "At Any Price," Dickon Hinchliffe, composer ...

And they are: “Admission,” Stephen Trask, composer “Ain’t Them Bodies Saints,” Daniel Hart, composer “All Is Lost,” Alex Ebert, composer “Alone Yet Not Alone,” William Ross, composer “The Armstrong Lie,...

A total of 114 scores from feature-length films released in 2013 are in contention for nominations in the original score category for the 86th Oscars, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences said Thursday. The eligible scores (listed in alphabetical order by film title): "Admission," Stephen Trask, composer "Ain't Them Bodies Saints," Daniel Hart, composer "All Is Lost," Alex Ebert, composer "Alone Yet Not Alone," William Ross, composer "The Armstrong Lie," David Kahne, composer "Arthur Newman," Nick Urata, composer "At Any Price," Dickon Hinchliffe, composer

read more...

Senior executives at the Academy announced on Dec 12 that 114 scores have been submitted for the original score Oscar category.Scroll down for full list

A reminder list of works submitted will be made available with a nominations ballot to all members of the music branch, who will vote in the order of their preference for up to five scores.

Those five that receive the highest number of votes will be announced as nominees on January 16 2014.

According to the rules, to be eligible the original score must be a “substantial body of music that serves as original dramatic underscoring, and must be written specifically for the motion picture by the submitting composer.

Scores diluted by the use of tracked themes or other preexisting music, diminished in impact by the predominant use of songs, or assembled from the music of more than one composer shall not be eligible.”

Admission, Stephen Trask

Ain’t Them Bodies Saints, Daniel Hart

[link...

By Zachary Swickey

Some people have begun taking notice of rising star Lana Del Ray’s previous musical iteration – Lizzie Grant, her real name and the one she used when she first tried to break into the music business in 2010. Her first “real” debut can no longer be found on iTunes, but according to a new interview with the singer that is about to change.

Many believed the absence of the album on iTunes (where it was only up for two months) meant Del Ray was attempting to hide from her “embarrassing” past (think Lady Gaga in her Stefani Germanotta days); however, the singer reveals that’s not the case at all. Talking to BBC News, she revealed, “I’m re-releasing it, maybe in late summer.”

The album only cost (her rich daddy) $10,000 to create and it touted production duties from established producer David Kahne – who has worked with everyone...

Lana Del Rey has revealed plans to re-release her 2010 album put out under the name Lizzy Grant. The singer-songwriter's debut, which cost $$10,000 to record and was helmed by Regina Spektor producer David Kahne, was only available for two months on iTunes. "I had signed to an independent label but they couldn't fund the release of it," Del Rey told BBC Newsbeat. "People act like it's so shrouded in mystery, the 'forgotten terrible album'. "But if you look on YouTube, all 13 tracks are available with millions of views, so it's not like no-one's heard them. We were all proud of it. It's pretty good." (more)...

It’s been a while since we’ve heard from Ingrid Michaelson, but she’s back to haunt us with the dramatic “Ghost.” She’s “broken down the middle of my heart, heart....” from love’s disastrous results. She’s left to roam the halls with the pieces of her that haven’t already died from her lover’s negligence. The string-laden, wrenching track, which premiered on EW.com today, is a stunning return from the New York singer-songwriter and the opening salvo from her David Kahne-produced fourth album, “Human Again,” out Jan. 24. Hear it here. If you're having a tough time with your own relationship and need to...

Directors: Lev Anderson, Chris Metzler Writers: Lev Anderson, Chris Metzler Starring: Laurence Fishburne (narrator), Norwood Fisher, Angelo Moore, Chris Dowd, Dirty Walt Kibby II, David Kahne, Ice T, Larren Jones, Kendall Jones, Flea, Gwen Stefani, George Clinton, Mike Watt, Vernon Reid, Questlove, Dazireen Moore Let’s start at the very beginning...and the Black history of Los Angeles leads effortlessly right into the meeting of the original core members of Fishbone at a predominantly Caucasian high school. From there John Norwood Fisher (bass, vocals), Phillip "Fish" Fisher (drums), Angelo Moore (vocals, saxophone), Kendall Jones (guitar), "Dirty" Walter A. Kibby II (vocals, trumpet) and Christopher Dowd (keyboards, trombone, vocals) plunged right into the white La punk scene of the early 1980s. As a band, they were a pure democracy; everyone with their own personality and input, creating a sound that is still to this very day an unclassifiable hodgepodge of musical styles.

Of all the high profile rock reunions that went down in 2010 (including Soundgarden, Pavement, Faith No More and Guided By Voices), none of them was more low-key than the Strokes. Though they were once declared the saviors of American rock music, the group slouched back into existence after a four year hiatus to very little fanfare. It was somehow appropriate for the quintet, as they have always seemed to shrug off any sort of over-the-top buzz and get to the heart of the matter. While that particular character trait has probably prevented them from becoming a much bigger band, it has also kept them steady and focused on the music. It's probably also why people generally ignored the group's third (and at the moment final) album First Impressions of Earth, which was released on this day in 2006.

Thanks to a growing interest in other musical genres and the influence of...

Paul McCartney's son James has announced the release of his debut Ep. The five-track disc is titled Available Light and was recorded over the last two years in the Us and UK, including sessions at Abbey Road Studios. It has been produced by David Kahne and ex-Beatle Paul. "It is basically rock 'n' roll, clean sounding and vocal," James said. "The words on the album refer to spirituality, love, (more)...

Sir Paul McCartney's son James has started a band influenced by The Beatles. The 32-year-old's group is called The Light and features Charlie Turner and Bryan Johnson from Liverpool rockers The Dead 60s, who split last year. Speaking about the venture, James told The Sun: "I have been playing music since I was 9 and writing along the way. "I met my band about a year ago. Producer David Kahne introduced (more)...

The Beatles legend is a massive influence on James, 32, who has formed The Light with pals Bryan Johnson on drums and bassist Charlie Turner, who grew up in Allerton, the same area of Liverpool where Paul spent his childhood and inspired many of the group’s later hits. James – who plays a cherry-red Fender Stratocaster guitar given to him by the international star – said: "I have been playing music since I was nine and writing along the way. "I met my band about a year ago. Producer David Kahne introduced us and my dad helped. He added to Britain’s The Sun newspaper: "I am currently recording an album. The music was inspired by The Beatles, Nirvana, The Cure, Pj Harvey, Radiohead and all good music." James is not the only family member to be inspired by Paul’s music – his grandchildren like impersonating him. Earlier this year, the bassist...

Sir Paul McCartney has inspired his son to make music. The Beatles legend is a massive influence on James, 32, who has formed The Light with pals Bryan Johnson on drums and bassist Charlie Turner, who grew up in Allerton, the same area of Liverpool where Paul spent his childhood and inspired many of the group's later hits. James - who plays a cherry-red Fender Stratocaster guitar given to him by the international star - said: "I have been playing music since I was nine and writing along the way. "I met my band about a year ago. Producer David Kahne introduced us and my dad helped. He added to Britain's The Sun newspaper: "I am currently recording...

Sir Paul McCartney has inspired his son to make music. The Beatles legend is a massive influence on James, 32, who has formed The Light with pals Bryan Johnson on drums and bassist Charlie Turner, who grew up in Allerton, the same area of Liverpool where Paul spent his childhood and inspired many of the group's later hits.

James - who plays a cherry-red Fender Stratocaster guitar given to him by the international star - said: "I have been playing music since I was nine and writing along the way."

"I met my band about a year ago. Producer David Kahne introduced us and my dad helped."

He added to Britain's The Sun newspaper: "I am currently recording an album. The music was inspired by The Beatles, Nirvana, The Cure, Pj Harvey, Radiohead and all good music."

James is not the only family member to be inspired by Paul's music - his grandchildren like impersonating him.

Lion from Zionby Matt Fink

Having struggled to find middle ground between refining his novelty for a wider audience and retaining his reggae and hip-hop flourishes on 2006’s Youth, Matisyahu’s third album finds him caught between returning to his core and pushing further into the mainstream. The surprise is that the world’s leading (and only) Orthodox Jewish dancehall star actually succeeds by doing the latter, enlisting producer David Kahne (Sublime, Paul McCartney) and an eclectic cast of reggae all-stars (Sly & Robbie, Stephen McGregor), creating an album loaded with oversized guitars, electronic beats and anthemic choruses. Reggae and spiritual self-improvement remain Matisyahu’s foundation, but they’re increasingly buried in the mix, allowing him to focus on his developing ear as a pop songwriter (the soulful “I Will Be Light” and the pitch-shifted hookery of “Struggla”). Add in a few banjos, clarinets and a children’s choir, and you...

Kelly Clarkson's song titled "Did You?" is rumored as one of the tracks considered to be featured in "The Twilight Saga's New Moon". It has hit the web and contains darker lyrics than the ones carried by her previous songs. "Did you ever believe in me?/Did you ever love me?" part of its lines read.

"Did You?" is said to be a leftover from Kelly's 2007 effort "My December". Written by the winner of "American Idol" season one herself, it is produced by David Kahne and revolves around a broken-hearted person.

Kelly is indeed a fan of Stephanie Meyer's "Twilight" novel series and looks forward to see "New Moon" in the big screen. " Finished the Twilight books (so did my mom and sister) and we cannot wait for the next movie 'New Moon'," she wrote on her blog back in January.

Kelly is not the only "American Idol...