Viral video a stealth promo for "Robot Chicken"

(MEYER, ROBOT, CHICKEN, WRITER, GREEN, EPISODE)

By Nellie Andreeva
LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - A viral video billed as "Breckin Meyer Responds to Perez Hilton" plays like a parody of Hilton`s video statement about his recent run-in with the Black Eyed Peas in Toronto. But in fact it`s a stealth promo for an upcoming "Robot Chicken" DVD release.
Since being released Wednesday on FunnyOrDie.com (www.FunnyOrDie.com) and later on AdultSwim.com (www.AdultSwim.com), the clip of actor/writer Meyer, which features Zac Efron, has nabbed about 370,000 views.
It was written by "Robot Chicken" creators Seth Green and Matthew Senreich and head writer Tom Root to tease Adult Swim`s unusual marketing campaign for the DVD release of the animated series` extended "Star Wars Episode II" special.
Green and Senreich are donning skates to host an eight-city roller-rink tour across the U.S. The admission-free events will feature performances by hip-hop band Gym Class Heroes and appearances by "Robot Chicken" writers, producers and voice cast members, including Meyer, as well as guest bands.
Sponsored by Boost Mobile, Adult Swim`s "Robot Chicken: Star Wars Episode II" Roller Skating Tour kicks off August 1 in Los Angeles, with stops in Las Vegas, Denver, Kansas City, Mo., Indianapolis, Richmond, Va., Philadelphia and New York.
"Grab your friends, your couples skate partner and some kneepads," Green said. "We`re coming to your town! Or at least to a major market somewhat close to your town."
To heat things up, "Robot Chicken" will hold a preview party July 25 during Comic-Con in San Diego with a guest DJ. It`s open to the public.
"When Seth first pitched the idea of throwing roller-skating parties around the country, I rolled my eyes and laughed at him," Senreich said. "Now that we`re actually going to do it, I`m in awe of its absurdity and can`t wait to attend. It fits with the randomness of our `Robot Chicken` show."
The "Robot Chicken: Star Wars Episode II" DVD, which features 15 minutes of never-before-seen footage, will be released July 21. The final nine new episodes of the show`s fourth season begin July 26.
(Editing by Sheri Linden at Reuters)
Original article

Avant-garde German choreographer Pina Bausch dies

(GERMAN, CHOREOGRAPHER, BAUSCH, DANCE, DIRECTOR, COMPANY)

By Sarah Marsh
BERLIN (Reuters) - German choreographer Pina Bausch, whose work is credited with revolutionizing the language of modern dance, died on Tuesday after being diagnosed with cancer only days earlier. She was 68 years old.
Bausch, artistic director of the Wuppertal Dance Theater, earned world renown for her avant-garde performances and choreographies mixing dance, sound and fragmented narrative.
"Just the Sunday before last, she was standing on stage with her company in the Wuppertal Opera house," the dance-theater company, which she had led since 1973, said on its website.
It said Pausch had been diagnosed with cancer only five days before her death.
"Unlike almost no other, she broke out of traditional structures in dance, modernized classical ballet and coined her own, idiosyncratic style," German Vice-Chancellor Frank-Walter Steinmeier said in a statement.
Bausch choreographed and staged her own pieces, such as Cafe Mueller and Viktor, and performed in films by iconic film directors Federico Fellini and Pedro Almodovar.
The German choreographer had been preparing to work together with director Wim Wenders on what was being called the first 3-D dance feature, a project named "Pina."
From Paris, where Bausch often performed, the city`s Mayor Bertrand Delanoe and France`s Culture Minister Frederic Mitterrand issued statements of condolence.
"The world of dance is in mourning today after the loss of one of its most brilliant representatives," Mitterrand said.
Pina Bausch began her dance studies at the age of 14 at the Folkwang School in Essen, where she studied with several teachers, including the German expressionist choreographer Kurt Jooss.
Bausch went to New York in 1960 to study at The Juilliard School, later becoming a member of the Metropolitan Opera`s ballet company.
In 1962, Bausch returned to Germany where she became a soloist in the newly-formed Folkwang Ballett. In 1973 she became artistic director and choreographer at the newly founded Wuppertal dance-theater company.
"Pina Bausch continually pushed the boundaries of what we call dance," said John Neumeier, the director of the Hamburg ballet company. "I simply cannot imagine a successor to Pina Bausch." (Reporting by Sarah Marsh; Additional Reporting by James Mackenzie in Paris; Editing by Noah Barkin)
Original article

U2 launch world tour in Barcelona on giant stage

(BARCELONA, MILLION, WHICH, SHARPLY, UNITED, STATES)

By Ben Harding
BARCELONA (Reuters) - Irish rock group U2 kick off their first tour in three years on Tuesday, playing to 90,000 fans in Barcelona on one of the biggest concert stages ever built.
Over the next four months U2 will perform to an estimated three million fans in 31 cities across Europe and North America, with more dates expected to be announced next year.
The " U2 360 Tour" lives up to its name with a round stage which fans will surround inside FC Barcelona`s Nou Camp stadium.
Around 500 ticket holders slept outside the venue on Monday night hoping to grab a spot right by the stage when the doors open, local media reported.
That will be easier this time around, organizers say, with the new stage concept giving more fans a clearer view as well as allowing for more people, meaning lower ticket prices during the recession.
The U2 360 Tour is reported to be the group`s most expensive to date, costing an estimated $100 million, but industry experts suggest it could be money well spent.
Live performance is becoming an increasingly important source of revenue for major acts like U2 as sales of physical CDs declines sharply and online piracy remains rampant.
Billboard, an authoritative music industry publication, believes the U2 360 Tour could become one of the highest grossing ever, possibly eclipsing its 2005-6 Vertigo tour which earned the band $389 million.
GRAND STATEMENT
The stage, which takes 120 trucks to transport, is another grand statement from the four rockers who have won more Grammy awards than any other band.
On the Zoo TV tour, huge video screens overloaded fans with flashing images of pop culture. On the PopMart tour lead singer Bono appeared from inside a 12 meter glitterball shaped like a lemon.
The abiding visual memory on this tour is sure to be the "Claw," a four-legged "monster" that towers 50 meters over the band`s heads and on which the sound system is mounted.
Bono, plus guitarists The Edge and Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen, Jr on drums will be showcasing their 12th studio album, "No Line on the Horizon."
Reviews of the record, which mixes trademark atmospheric guitars with more eclectic sounds from Morocco where it was partly recorded, were generally good, and it went straight to No. 1 in 30 countries including the United States and Britain.
Early sales in the United States, however, were sharply down on those for U2`s previous album "How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb," released in 2004.
(Editing by Mike Collett-White and Paul Casciato)
Original article

"No Clothes" brings together comics, politicos

(COMEDY, FORMER, SECRETARY, PRODUCERS, USCAF, ASPEN)

By Georg Szalai
NEW YORK (Hollywood Reporter) - "The News Has No Clothes," a stage show mixing politics and comedy and featuring comedian Lewis Black and former White House press secretary Dana Perino, might be the next late-night television format.
Veteran comedy producers and masterminds of the defunct U.S. Comedy Arts Festival (USCAF) in Aspen, Colorado, are returning to the mountain resort as part of this week`s Aspen Ideas Festival to try out their idea. If the stage show works, its producers hope to pitch the concept -- described as "The View" and "Politically Incorrect" meet the vintage BBC show "That Was the Week That Was" -- to TV networks for a possible late-night slot.
The first trial Thursday will feature co-hosts Perino (press secretary for President George W. Bush), Black, comedian D.L. Hughley, public radio host Kurt Andersen and "Daily Show" correspondent Larry Wilmore. It will include video packages by the Onion. Among the issues to be debated are the role of the news media, the economy, President Obama`s performance and the culture wars. Guests for specific topics will include former Secretary of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff. The show also will feature stand-up performances.
The team behind the idea includes Joe Lang, director of festival producer Jazz Aspen Snowmass and former local producer for USCAF; Craig Minassian, assistant press secretary and director of TV news in the Clinton White House and USCAF director; Robert Morton, former executive producer of "Late Show With David Letterman" and Comedy Central`s "Chocolate News"; and Stu Smiley, executive producer of "Flight of the Conchords" and "Everybody Loves Raymond" and a USCAF founder.
"So many late-night shows are single-person and host-driven," Morton said. "But you can plug various talent into this format."
The Aspen experiment also is a sign of the times. Facing cutbacks in the television development and pilot process, the producers decided to take matters into their own hands by taping the show, with the goal of showing it to networks themselves.
(Editing by Sheri Linden at Reuters)
Original article

`King of pop` Michael Jackson dies at 50

(JACKSON, MICHAEL, 50, US, THEIR, BROTHER, ALBUM)

Pop icon Michael Jackson dies at 50
Michael Jackson sets London concerts
Talk Of TheTown: Jackson on top
Michael Jackson turns 50
MOSCOW, June 26 (RIA Novosti) - Michael Jackson, the U.S. pop star whose career spanned five decades, has died of a heart attack in Los Angeles. He was 50.
Emergency services were called to his Beverly Hills home at 12.21 p.m. on Thursday (19.21 GMT), the TMZ.com website said. He was pronounced dead some three hours later at the UCLA medical centre.
His death came shortly before he was about to take part in series of comeback concerts in London.
His brother, Jermaine, told journalists that doctors had attempted to revive the singer for more than an hour.
"The family request that the media please respect our privacy during this tough time," he added.
Jackson, born in Gary, Indiana, near Chicago spent almost his entire life in the public eye, shooting to stardom in the 1970s with the Jackson 5, a pre-teen Michael and brothers stunning the U.S. with their vocals and synchronized dance routines. The group, who recorded for Motown, was the first to see their four debut singles reach the top of the U.S. charts.
As an adult, his Thriller album sold more than 50 million copies worldwide, making it the best selling album of all time.
His later career was hit by allegations of child abuse and financial difficulties.
"Today, the world has lost one of the most influential and iconic figures in the music industry. From his performances with the Jackson 5, to the premiere of the `moonwalk` and `Thriller,` Michael was a pop phenomenon who never stopped pushing the envelope of creativity," California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger said in a statement.
 
Original article

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Young, Springsteen give Hyde Park rock masterclass

(YOUNG, SPRINGSTEEN, STAGE, LONDON, PLAYED, VERSION, SONGS)

By Angus MacSwan
LONDON (Reuters) - If Mount Rushmore featured rock `n` rollers instead of U.S. presidents, the faces of Neil Young and Bruce Springsteen would surely be carved there.
The two elder statesmen showed just why they are venerated by fans of all ages at the Hard Rock Calling festival in central London`s Hyde Park this weekend in performances brimming with passion, energy and timeless songs.
To cap it all, Sir Paul McCartney joined Young on stage for his encore, literally bowing at his feet as the Canadian played a feedback-drenched version of the Beatles "A Day in the Life."
Now aged 63 and 59, neither Young nor Springsteen has let up the pace in recent years. Both have released new albums in the past several months which had their moments even if they did not reach the heights of past classics.
They each took prominent positions against former U.S. President George W. Bush and the Iraq War. Springsteen campaigned hard for Barack Obama and played at his presidential inauguration.
Politics was largely absent from the Hyde Park shows though as they focused on entertaining the summer crowds in London, after headlining the Glastonbury Festival earlier in the week.
Young took to the stage on Saturday night looking like an old mountain man seeking shelter from a storm, with his bedraggled, thinning hair, craggy features and muttonchop sideburns. Not known for indulging his audiences, he played a crowd-pleasing set which drew heavily on "Harvest," his best-known album, and the guitar-heavy "Everybody Knows this is Nowhere."
He kicked off in his "Godfather of Grunge" persona with a crunching version of "Hey, Hey, My, My" and its refrain "it`s better to burn out than to fade away." He then stormed though a number of hard rockers, delighting rapturous fans, before switching to a mellow mood with a run of country-flavored numbers including "Heart of Gold" and "Old Man," as night fell on the park.
Young finished with a blazing version of "Rockin` in the Free World," uncharacteristically leading the crowd in a bout of arm-waving and leaving his black guitar wailing feedback, its strings shredded.
McCartney, an old friend, bounded on stage to join Young for the encore of "A Day in the Life," hugging Young and dancing around him. The two were clearly having fun.
Among the crowd was Beth Harley, a 26-year-old archaeologist, who had just arrived from Turkey on Saturday morning to see Young. She said she had grown up listening to his music as her parents played it all the time.
"It`s got a lot of edge. The songs don`t seem to age. It still seems relevant to what`s going on now," she said.
If Young is a willful eccentric, Springsteen is the great showman who delivers every time.
Taking the stage with the mighty, black-clad E. Street band, he launched into The Clash song "London Calling," bellowing its refrain "we live by the river" loud enough to be heard just down the road at Buckingham Palace. He then moved into more familiar territory with "Badlands" and the pace didn`t let up for the next three hours.
Springsteen ran around the stage, danced, and strutted along a special platform to get close to the fans and collect signs with song requests. He sang plenty of old favorites, switching from songs on the dreams and struggles of the working man to joyful sing-alongs.  Continued...
Original article

Connery blasts BBC at Edinburgh film awards ceremony

By Ian MacKenzie
EDINBURGH (Reuters) - Actor Sean Connery lashed out at the BBC for its coverage of the awards ceremony at the Edinburgh International Film Festival (EIFF) on Sunday when he handed out the prizes.
The EIFF award for the best new British feature film went to Moon, a "creepy, poignant and funny" sci-fi film directed by Duncan Jones. The film, which received a prize of 20,000 pounds, stars Sam Rockwell and Kevin Spacey.
Connery, a festival patron who gained worldwide fame for his portrayal of British secret agent James Bond, told a packed audience on the final day of the EIFF that the BBC had 300 technicians at the current Glastonbury pop and folk festival in southwest England.
"Not one (technician) at the Edinburgh International Film Festival," he said.
"It affects us all, it certainly affects me, and I think we should do something about it."
The BBC said in response: "BBC news outlets covered the Edinburgh International Film Festival on radio, TV and online. Obviously Glastonbury is a huge live music, arts and performance event and cannot be compared as like for like."
It said the BBC would cover the Edinburgh international arts festival and T in the Park pop concert later this summer.
In Moon, Rockwell`s character has almost ended his three-year solitary posting mining fuel for earth on the moon with thoughts of returning to the planet and his family.
But as his return date approaches, life on his self-contained world takes a startling turn. The jury praised Moon for its "singular vision and remarkably assured direction"
The award for best performance in a British feature film went to Katie Jarvis for her role as 15-year-old Mia in Fish Tank, "an intense and surprising story of love, lust and family."
Jarvis turned 18 last week and said this was her best birthday gift.
Easier With Practice, directed by American Kyle Patrick Alvarez took the best new international feature award featuring sex, love and loneliness over the phone.
Best documentary award was taken by Aliona Van der Horst of The Netherlands with a lament for cult Russian poet Boris Ryzhy, who committed suicide in 2001 aged 26.
American director and writer Cary Jojo Fukunaga won the new director award for Sin Nombre centered on Honduran teenager Sayra and her involvement with a dangerous gang member on the run.
The Edinburgh film festival, which opened on June 17, has as one of its major aims discovering and promoting new talent in the industry.  Continued...
Original article

Q&A: Julian Marley carries on the family tradition

By Monica HerreraNEW YORK (Billboard) - After a six-year hiatus, Julian "JuJu" Marley is back with his third album, "Awake."
The Ghetto Youths/Universal release, which he co-produced with his brothers Damian "Jr. Gong" Marley and Stephen Marley, drew inspiration from the spirit of Cedella Marley Booker, their grandmother (and Bob Marley's mother), who died in 2008.
Marley spoke to Billboard about maturing as an artist, youth-on-youth crime and the family legacy that inspires his music.
Billboard: "Awake" is your first album since 2003. Have you been working on it this whole time?
Julian Marley: Overall it took me two years to really start and complete it. Before that I was helping out with different Marley family projects, like the Roots Rock Reggae Fest and Africa Unite, and working on Stephen's and Damian's albums. I wrote and recorded "Awake" during the months in between and had input on everything, from the riddims on down. On my first two albums, I was still growing and still unsure about music. I ran into problems where I'd even written songs in a key that wasn't right for me. This time I found my own comfort zone, and the songs are tailor-made.
Billboard: What is the concept behind the album?
Marley: What's going on in the world right now is a sign of the times -- in Jamaica we say "judgment time." Jobs are gone, there's violence in the streets, and everything that we want exceeds the money that there is. On the title track I sing, "For many years we have been lost in our tears/For many years the prophets have spoke/And still we can't find no peace of mind/When will we wake?" We need to awaken the mentality of mankind.
Billboard: Stephen sings on "Too Little Too Late," and Damian is featured on "Violence in the Streets." What's it like working so closely with your brothers?
Marley: Putting "Too Little Too Late" together with Stephen was a great experience. It was like we were playing a game of soccer. I didn't know what to expect, but I loved how it came out. Jr. Gong and I have done other collaborations, but "Violence in the Streets" is about how we see the violence in Jamaica, or really anywhere. In England, you have 15-year-olds killing 15-year-olds, and no one understands why. It's because of lack of education.
Billboard: How are you promoting the album?
Marley: We've been playing new songs from the album live since April. We did three shows in the U.S. in April, in Mississippi, St. Petersburg (Florida) and the Jazz Fest in New Orleans. Now we're headed back to Jamaica to do a lot of promotional appearances and performances.
Billboard: Are you influenced by dancehall and other contemporary offshoots of classic, Marley-style reggae?
Marley: It's all natural. If I'm influenced enough to move my head and dance, then that's enough. The single "Boom Draw" is like street-style dancehall, but downtempo. We're promoting Jamaica on that song. As an artist, I can be inspired by other music -- that's how you learn.
Billboard: How does your family's influence run through "Awake?"
Marley: Our grandmother, Mrs. Booker, passed away while I was making the album, before I had started to record my vocals. I wouldn't say I was influenced by sadness, but "Awake" was born right there. I didn't take a pause with the recording process, because our grandmother was a person who would say, "Everything is all right. You need to do what you have to do." And she might be vexed if you're not doing it. To me, it's like, our ancestors that we love so much -- we're not going to see them again on this side of the fence. The only way I can feel them is through their spiritual energy, the same way that you see God through divine energy. At the end of the day, that energy runs through all of us as brothers.
(Editing by Sheri Linden at Reuters)

Source: Reuters

Woodstock rarities unearthed on boxed set

By Gary Graff
DETROIT (Billboard) - Thirty-eight previously unreleased recordings from groups such as the Who, the Grateful Dead, Creedence Clearwater Revival and Jefferson Airplane will be included on a boxed set commemorating the 40th anniversary of the Woodstock festival.
The six-CD, 77-song collection, "Woodstock -- 40 Years On: Back to Yasgur's Farm," will be released by Rhino on August 18.
Among the highlights are a 19-minute rendition of the Dead's "Dark Star," "Amazing Journey" and "Pinball Wizard" by the Who, "Feelin' Alright" by Joe Cocker, CCR's "Bad Moon Rising," Blood Sweat and Tears' "You've Made Me So Very Happy" and tracks from Sweetwater, Bert Sommer, Tim Hardin, Ravi Shankar, Joan Baez, Melanie, Country Joe & the Fish, Sha Na Na, the Butterfield Blues Band and Johnny Winter.
The set, whose retail list price is $79.98, also restores full-length performances of Canned Heat's "Woodstock Boogie" (to a whopping 30 minutes) and the Who's "We're Not Gonna Take It," and it includes the never-released Woodstock performances of Arlo Guthrie's "Coming Into Los Angeles" and Mountain's "Theme for an Imaginary Western," which were replaced by better-sounding recordings from other concerts for the original "Woodstock: 3 Days of Peace and Music" soundtrack.
The track lineup reflects the actual performance order of the legendary 1969 festival, and it includes stage announcements (you still need to avoid the brown acid, apparently), Wavy Gravy's announcement of "breakfast in bed" for the crowd estimated at 500,000, Max Yasgur's famous speech to the audience and audio of Abbie Hoffman's encounter with Who guitarist Pete Townshend.
"This will be the most comprehensive collection of Woodstock music yet," Rhino vice president of A&R Cheryl Pawelski told Billboard.com. "The goal was to make it as real as possible ... as authentic an experience as possible. It feels like dirt. It feels like a field. We wanted to take you there. We worked very hard to make it a true document of that time."
Co-producers Andy Zax and Mason Williams compiled "Woodstock -- 40 Years On" from the original multitrack tapes recorded during the festival.
One performance is conspicuously absent; Pawelski says Ten Years After would not clear the use of its performance -- including its epic version of "Goin' Home" -- for the boxed set. The Band and Keef Hartley were the only other acts that opted out of the set.
"Woodstock -- 40 Years On" follows Rhino's re-release earlier this week of "Music From the Original Soundtrack and More: Woodstock" and "Woodstock 2." A new Woodstock.com Web site also launched this week, and a new DVD edition of "Woodstock: 3 Days of Peace and Music -- The Director's Cut" comes out Tuesday.
On June 30, Legacy adds to the onslaught with "Woodstock Experience" editions of seminal albums by five of the festival's acts -- the Jefferson Airplane's "Volunteers," Janis Joplin's "I Got Dem 'Ol Kozmic Blues Again Mama!," Santana's debut album, Sly & the Family Stone's "Stand!" and Johnny Winter's self-titled effort -- each with a second CD featuring the act's complete Woodstock performances, on disc for the first time.
(Editing by Sheri Linden at Reuters)

Source: Reuters