Nicola Alesini and Pier Luigi Andreoni & other: May 2008

Wednesday 28 May 2008

Barbara Walters on Star Jones: “Poor woman, she’s gone through so much”

The feud between Star Jones and Barbara Walters isn’t likely to be settled anytime soon — Walters has launched yet another scathing attack on her former co-host.

Speaking to Larry King Live Monday night, the ‘View’ star said of Jones: “Poor woman, she’s gone through so much.”

Walters was quizzed over Jones’ comments last week, where she said: “It is a sad day when an icon like Barbara Walters, in the sunset of her life, is reduced to publicly branding herself as an adulterer, humiliating an innocent family with accounts of her illicit affair and speaking negatively against me all for the sake of selling a book. It speaks to her true character.”

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Saturday 24 May 2008

L.A. Phil: sharing the spotlight

A Bach cantata contemplating the joys of life beyond death seems an odd bedfellow for romantic music by Reinecke, Schumann and Schubert. And, in fact, it didn't quite fit stylistically or thematically in a chamber music program played by members of the Los Angeles Philharmonic and two guests Tuesday night at Walt Disney Concert Hall. But it provided an opportunity to appreciate at least one orchestra member who might otherwise not be showcased.

Strangely popular these days, considering its theme, Cantata No. 82, "Ich habe genug" (I have enough), rejects worldly life and yearns for the eternal happiness promised to the Christian believer. The text was inspired by an episode in the Gospel of Luke in which the aged Simeon says that his life has finally been fulfilled with the sight of the infant Jesus.

The bass soloist was Eric Owens, impressively seen here in 2006 as Elliot Goldenthal's tortured hero-villain in Los Angeles Opera's "Grendel." On Tuesday, Owens used his grainy but focused voice modestly but effectively, although he didn't probe the text very deeply or memorably.

Ariana Ghez was the lapidary oboe soloist. The most expressive player, however, was violinist Robert Vijay Gupta, at 20 the youngest member of the orchestra. Without breaking the bounds of collaboration or good taste, Gupta inflected his lines most tellingly.

The rest of the ensemble consisted of violinist David Chernyavsky, violist Meredith Snow, cellist Jonathan Karoly and guest organist Mark Robson, a regular on the Piano Spheres and Jacaranda series.

The program opened with Reinecke's Impromptu on a Theme From Schumann's "Manfred," with husband-and-wife pianists Joanne Pearce Martin (the orchestra's principal keyboardist) and Gavin Martin in perfect sync. The music doesn't go very deep, but it has a certain salon charm.

The Martins were joined by cellists Peter Stumpf and Ben Hong and horn player Bruce Hudson for the original version of Schumann's Andante and Variations, which incorporates one of the songs from the composer's cycle "Frauenliebe und Leben" (A Woman's Love and Life). The variations traverse a variety of moods and, despite some balance issues, the five musicians played them with care and sympathy.

The concert concluded with Schubert's Quartet No. 13 in A minor, "Rosamunde," which takes its name from the composer's incidental music for an ill-fated play -- music that was also used for a set of variations in the Andante.

Violinist Mark Kashper was the leading expressive voice in the piece, gently and artfully articulating the haunting theme of the opening movement. His colleagues, violinist Mitchell Newman, violist Hui Liu and cellist David Garrett, tended, perhaps reasonably, to defer to him, but one wished for stronger musical contributions from them.

chris.pasles@latimes.com

Winehouse quizzed by police over drug claim

Singer Amy Winehouse has been questioned in connection with a video which allegedly showed her smoking crack cocaine, a police source said on Wednesday.
A Scotland Yard spokesman said officers interviewed the 24-year-old in connection with an allegation of unlawful possession of a controlled drug.
He said she was not arrested, but was interviewed under caution and inquiries were continuing.
Last month footage obtained by the Sun newspaper appeared to show Winehouse inhaling fumes from a crack pipe.
The disturbing images were said to have been filmed during a party at Winehouse's London home.
The singer is now in rehab, admitting herself to the clinic in north London on 24 January days after the video appeared.
On 4 February the singer took a break from her treatment to apply for a US visa so she could attend the Grammys in Los Angeles on 10 February, where she is nominated for six awards.
The application process will not be simple due to her drugs record. Last October she was arrested and fined in Norway for possession of cannabis.

Balkan Beat Box

Artist: Balkan Beat Box

   Genre(s):
Breakbeat
   Rock

Discography:

Nu Med

Year: 2007
Tracks: 14

Balkan Beat Box

Year: 2005
Tracks: 10

With a chemical group of musicians rotating around the Israel-born New Yorkers Ori Kaplan and Tamir Muskat, Balkan Beat Box plays Mediterranean-influenced music that incorporates traditions from Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and New York electronica. Both men had plentitude of experience playing in respective eclectic bands earlier starting BBB: saxophonist Kaplan came to the U.S. to play jazz just presently fell into the underground, immigrant-driven scene, draw up with Gogol Bordello and others, spell percussionist Muskat played in Firewater for a spell as well as flexing his production muscles (which he besides uses with BBB) in projects with Gogol Bordello among others. In 2005, with help from bassist Itamar Ziegler, trombonist Dana Leong, and MC/percussionist Tomer Yosef, the band released their self-titled album on Jdub Records, a label that focused on promoting Jewish music of all sorts. They before long became a fastness in the New York resistance, and Balkan Beat Box came out with their s full-length, Nu Med -- an record album that besides included contributions from guitar player Jeremiah Lockwood, trumpeter Ben Holmes, and saxist Peter Hess -- in 2007.

David Bowie - Iman Took Time To Fall For Bowie

DAVID BOWIE's model wife IMAN resisted his charms when they first met - because she didn't want a relationship with a rock star.

Bowie fell in love with the Somalian-born catwalk queen the second they met - but 52-year-old Iman took some convincing, even though she was a "huge fan".

She even rejected his amorous attempts to lure her into his dressing room.

She says, "It took me a while. because, you know, he's a rock star and you've got to be careful with rock stars.

"I was a huge fan though. I would go to his concerts and there were invitations to see him backstage, but I didn't do that. I'm not that girl."

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American Idol finalists announced (spoilers)

A baby-faced high school student likened to an old-fashioned crooner and a scruffy bartender who sings alternative rock music will compete in next week's season finale of US television's American Idol.

Guitar-playing rocker David Cook, 25, and 17-year-old piano balladeer David Archuleta beat out the final female contestant, Syesha Mercado, 21, after voting was revealed on Wednesday's broadcast of the most popular US television show.

"After 56 million votes, America has decided that the two people going head-to-head in our finale next week are David Archuleta and ... David Cook," the show's host Ryan Seacrest said during the live broadcast, sending Mercado home.

On Tuesday, each contestant had to perform three songs - one picked by a judge, one chosen by the performer and one selected by the show's producers.

Throughout the seventh season, the two Davids have been favorites among the show's judges and pundits, while Mercado came close to elimination on several occasions.

More than once, judges suggested she was more likely to make it big singing on Broadway than as a pop star. Still, her performances impressed them increasingly in recent weeks until Tuesday, when they said she struggled.

Her rendition of Peggy Lee's Fever on Tuesday was drubbed by no nonsense Idol judge Simon Cowell as "a lame cabaret performance".

But as she was voted off the hit show on Wednesday Mercado remained gracious, saying to her fans, "I just want to say thank you" before singing on Idol for the last time - performing the Alicia Keys hit If I Ain't Got You.

This year has seen the second straight season of declining ratings for the show, which airs on News Corp's Fox network.

Last week 21.8 million people watched Tuesday's episode, the lowest Tuesday audience in over five years, and 22.9 million people tuned in for Wednesday's vote, the worst Wednesday audience in three years, data from Nielsen Media Research showed.

Last year the show routinely topped 30 million viewers.

But by some measures it could claim to be more popular than politics. During last year's season finale 74 million votes were cast - 12 million more than the 62 million votes cast for President George W Bush when he was reelected in 2004.

Unlike in presidential elections, fans of American Idol are allowed to vote multiple times, and some do dozens of times.

American Idol pits singers against one another in a months-long competition that awards a recording contract to the winner. Past winners such as Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood have gone on to music stardom.

Several of the show's losers have gone on to stardom too. Rocker Chris Daughtry finished fourth in 2006 but has scored major chart success since.

And Jennifer Hudson, who finished seventh in 2004, went on to win an Oscar for her performance in the musical movie Dreamgirls.

*Who do you think will win? Post your comments below.

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Late Of The Pier cause crowd members to lose shoes

Late Of The Pier played to a packed crowd in the Barfly at the Great Escape in Brighton last night (May 15).

There were queues stretching far down the road from the venue long before the gig began, punters willing to wait it out to have a chance at catching the fast-rising band.

As it happens, many of those who did make it into the venue ended up losing their shoes in a chaotic, high-octane gig.

Wearing sky-blue T-shirts, the band came onstage at 10:15pm (BST) and tore into opening song 'Broken'. They were in an elated mood throughout set, displaying unusual dance moves.

Before playing 'Space And The Woods', frontman Samuel Dust invited the crowd to "do everything you can to get as close as possible. Use your arms, legs and your own spit if you have to". The crowd responded by surging towards the band.

'The Bears Are Coming' upped the ante, as various fans lost their shoes attempting to crowd surf towards the stage from the moshpit.

As the gig got sweatier, Dust bizarrely said that his band needed to "exorcise ghosts, exercise legs, and exercise instruments".

During a sweaty, riotous rendition of set closer 'Bathroom Gurgle', the singer grabbed onto the ceiling, before leaning into the front row to give crowd members a hug.

The song�s refrain, "Find yourself a new girl", prompted a mass singalong, before Dust thanked the crowd for their efforts, saying, �Sweet dreams Brighton."

Late Of The Pier played:

'Intro'
'Broken'
'Space and the Woods'
'Bears Are Coming'
'Random Firl'
'Heartbeat'
'White Snake'
'VW'
'Focker'
'Enemy'
'Bathroom Gurgle'

May 19, 2008 at Kasbah, Coventry -
May 20, 2008 at Sugarmill, Stoke -
May 21, 2008 at Yales, Central Station, Wrexham -
More Late Of The Pier tickets