Bob Dorough, Bill Takas and Friends & other: June 2008

Monday, 30 June 2008

Stuntman killed on John Woo film set

HONG KONG —

A stuntman was killed and six others injured in a fire while shooting an action scene in director John Woo's Chinese historical epic "Red Cliff," the film's crew and Chinese media said Tuesday.

The accident occurred Monday morning while filming an action sequence in Beijing, the crew said in a statement.

A small boat was set ablaze and collided with a larger boat as the filmmakers had intended, but the fire quickly raged out of control and engulfed both ships.

The person killed was a 23-year-old stuntman, the Beijing News reported, citing a local fire commander.

Woo, told of the news while promoting his film in Hong Kong, rushed back to Beijing, the crew said.

The crew "is deeply distraught and full of regret. They are making every effort to make arrangements for the deceased, his family and the injured crew members," the statement said.

It was the latest setback to Woo's massive production, which marks his return to Chinese-language film after a stint in Hollywood.

"Red Cliff," about a well-known battle in feudal-era China, has suffered casting changes and set problems since it started filming in April last year.

Actors Chow Yun-fat and former Cannes best actor winner Tony Leung Chiu-wai earlier pulled out, although Leung later returned to the cast.

Woo also wasn't able to shoot at China's largest river, the Yangtze, forcing him to create a similar backdrop with special effects. He didn't say why his team wasn't allowed to film there.

The budget for "Red Cliff" was more than $80 million - huge by Chinese standards. Woo later said that figure was overstated, but didn't provide a new number.

The Chinese government views the movie, which is partly backed by state-run China Film Group, as an important showcase of Chinese history and wants it released before the Beijing Olympics. The Olympics start on Aug. 8.

Woo made hits such as "Broken Arrow," "Face/Off" and "Mission: Impossible 2."

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Outdoor movies perfect for summer nights

Watching movies while snuggled under a blanket with the moon and stars above is the perfect blend for summertime fun.

Presented with a range of choices on outdoor screens this summer — from comedy classics such as "The Goonies" and "The Princess Bride" to more adult-themed horror films such as "The Shining" and "Cloverfield" — you'll have no trouble choosing a night to suit your tastes.

Vulcan Real Estate, which produces the South Lake Union Cinema on the Lawn, has a high-school-themed series that bridges the best of early-'80s/'90s movies with a contemporary favorite. Its lineup features the snarky wit of "Heathers," the campy cheerleader-battle flick "Bring It On" and then closes out with the coming-of-age teen pregnancy comedy "Juno" (a popular new movie that makes an appearance in four outdoor series around the region this summer).

"This is the first year we picked a theme; in the past we picked a whole range of movies," Lori Mason Curran, spokeswoman for Vulcan Real Estate, said. "Our sponsor, KEXP, had the public choose from three movies on their Web site. It's kind of exciting. We had to get a specific license to show ['Heathers'] outside. Not sure, but it may be the first time it's been shown outside."

By far the most ambitious of the area's series is Fremont's Outdoor Movies. The event, now in its 16th season, is a wild mix of comedy, improv, audience interaction, movie-themed games and, oh yeah, movies. Among Fremont's offerings: "Juno," the hilarious "Superbad" and the not-so-hilarious "An Inconvenient Truth."

Al Gore's climate-change documentary is "not a date movie," said Andrew McMasters, artistic director of Wing-It Productions. But patrons are urged to bring their bikes for a bicycle fashion show.

"In other words, don't drive," said McMasters, adding that the idea was to present a progressive night, but still keep it fun. Proceeds will go to Sustainable Ballard and Sustainable West Seattle.

Fremont also features a trio of "Twisted Flicks": Think '50s-era B-movie rejects, with Jet City Improv providing dialogue, sound effects and music based on audience suggestions.

The Seattle Center's scenic Movies at the Mural is on the sloping lawn of the Mural Amphitheater with the Space Needle looming high above. Its lineup, which starts with standard outdoor fare ("The Princess Bride," "Batman Begins," "The Goonies"), finishes with a midnight showing of the cult-classic "The Rocky Horror Picture Show."

"It's not necessarily programming for young children," said Julia Colson, managing artistic director for Seattle Center Productions, "but we got a lot of requests for 'Rocky Horror,' and with the midnight showing the people who might not like it aren't going to make the effort to come out and see it."

Elsewhere around the region, there are plenty of opportunities to get your moonlit cinema fix. Redhook Ale Brewery in Woodinville holds a six-week series that features several R-rated films, restricted to those 21 and older.

Others include Marymoor Park in Redmond, Liberty Park in Renton, Auburn's Summer Sounds & Cinema Series, Everett's Cinema Under the Stars, Kirkland's Movies at the Beach and Tukwila's Summer Concert and Cinema Series.

Jeff Albertson can be reached at: jalbertson@seattletimes.com

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'Rock Band'/ 'Guitar Hero' Rivalry Heats Up, Draws Third Competitor

There's a new war brewing on the gaming battlefield. But it isn't between Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo — it's between three music games: Activision's "Guitar Hero: World Tour," MTV Games' "Rock Band" and newcomer "Rock Revolution" from Konami.

Just this week, a new "Rock Band" will be released for the Wii and a new "Guitar Hero" is out for the Nintendo DS. Across the street from MTV's New York offices, a "Rock Band" billboard sits directly above an electric sign that has been looping ads for the new "Guitar Hero." "Rock Band" gets featured on MTV. "Guitar Hero" showed up on "American Idol." This battle of the band games is serious.

And come this fall, there will be at least three games, including Konami's "Rock Revolution," that offer users a virtual band experience. The stakes are high for each.

One of the questions gamers now face is, just how many plastic instruments are they willing to buy?

For some, the question is irrelevant. They just want more music games. "I, for one, will be getting [both 'Rock Band' and 'Guitar Hero']," said a user on the "Rock Band" forums. "I just cram the useless plastic instruments in my closet anyway. No reason to miss out on a good game because I have my head shoved up another company's ass."

But that's not the answer for everyone. Though pricing for the next "Guitar Hero" has yet to be revealed, if it's anything like the currently available "Rock Band" bundle, consumers are being asked to drop more than $150 for each experience. Buying two of these games is just as expensive as purchasing a brand-new Xbox 360 or Wii.

And there are many conflicting issues specific to each game. If you're a big fan of Aerosmith , for example, and have already purchased "Rock Band," there's a problem. "Guitar Hero" publisher Activision has exclusively signed Aerosmith to the "Guitar Hero" franchise. (Aerosmith will be featured in "Guitar Hero: Aerosmith," which releases later this month.) So, for the foreseeable future, you'll never sing "Dream On" in "Rock Band." So far, "Rock Band" has not announced any exclusive artists, but if Activision continues to sign musicians, that's not out of the question.

It's not as simple as just buying one set of instruments and picking up each game separately, either: The controllers are not universally compatible. A "Rock Band" controller is not guaranteed to work with "Guitar Hero." "Rock Band" developer Harmonix wanted to release patches for their games to enable support of the "Guitar Hero" guitars, but Activision objected and the idea was scrapped.

The associate producer of newcomer "Rock Revolution" sees this as a problem.

"Compatibility is a big issue for music games," Konami Digital Entertainment associate producer Keith Matejka told MTV News. "Peripherals are expensive for the user and they are expensive to produce. The existing peripherals all deliver only a slightly different gameplay experience. Different teams have varying perspectives on what should be compatible with each game. I think all guitar- and drum-based games need to be compatible with each other to some level."

Just because it might be in the best interest of the consumers, however, doesn't mean it will happen, and gaming-industry analysts don't necessarily think it's a requirement.

"The lack of compatibility reduces the amount of switching between 'Guitar Hero' and 'Rock Band,' " said Pacific Crest Securities analyst Evan Wilson. "Because 'Guitar Hero' currently has a larger installed base, it is to its advantage if market share remains the same. Most consumers don't want to buy duplicative hardware. So, lack of compatibility certainly isn't a problem for Activision."

Hard-core gamers — the ones who drove early sales of "Guitar Hero" and "Rock Band" before they achieved mainstream success — aren't necessarily happy with the technicalities and legal hoops stopping the music games from getting along with one another. These are big questions for game fans, presenting obstacles that prevent them from purchasing more.

"Guitar Hero" fan Matthew Berch told MTV News that he wanted to purchase "Rock Band" for his Wii but decided not to. His top reason for not purchasing "Rock Band"? It's incompatible with the "Guitar Hero III" guitar he already owns. "It's very disappointing, because when it was first announced, I was ready to pre-order, even though I already had 'GH3,' " Berch said.

"I think both Activision and Harmonix are to blame for the whole situation on all systems," he continued. "They really need to work together to have compatible drums, guitars and mics between their games. I don't think they realize that it hurts them both."

If that's all too confusing, there are other, less pricey music games to consider. Disney is currently prepping "Ultimate Band" for later this year on Wii and DS. Unlike the other music games mentioned here, "Ultimate Band" requires no extra controllers — nor does it offer the same experience, but it's likely to retail for much less.

With so much money still to be made in music games, the competition isn't likely to die down anytime soon. Some gamers are happy with that. To them, it means each company is forced to up the ante with their new music games.

"I'm not hating on 'Rock Band,' " wrote one user on the "Guitar Hero" forums. "But I'll just say that ['Guitar Hero'] will be way better. 'Rock Band' is a good game, but ['Guitar Hero'] is improving on it."

There are still many important details that have yet to be revealed. A long-rumored sequel to "Rock Band" has not been announced, and we don't know the pricing of the band-centric "Guitar Hero" and "Rock Revolution." With the industry's largest annual expo, E3, coming up in a few weeks, however, those answers may not be far off.

Until then, maybe it's time to clean out the closet and make room for another plastic drum set.

Today, Multiplayer more closely examines all three games' stances on two crucial issues: approaches to Wii development and design of the drums. Check out Multiplayer.MTV.com for more.

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50 Cent: 'I Tape All My Calls With Idiots'

Rapper 50 CENT has taken steps to prove the authenticity of a taped telephone conversation between himself and former G-UNIT bandmate YOUNG BUCK - by broadcasting the whole recording on his website.
Earlier this week (16Jun08) the In Da Club hitmaker released a new track - entitled The Taped Conversation - featuring Buck grovelling to the rapper, seemingly begging him to be allowed back in to the hip-hop group after he was kicked out in April (08) following a dispute over song royalties.
Buck - real name David Darnell Brown - has subsequently criticised his former bandmate, insisting the taped conversation was doctored - with Brown's manager Blue Williams branding 50 Cent "an obviously scorned and angry man".
Now, 50 Cent is aiming to disprove Brown's claims the conversation was heavily edited, by making the recording available in its entirety on his site ThisIs50.com.
And the star has further blasted his former music partner, telling New York radio station Hot 97 on Thursday (19Jun08) he always tapes his conversations - especially if the people on the other end of the phone are "idiots".
He says, "A lot of times people don't see what the other person is doing. They don't understand the cause and effect. They don't see the other person; they just pay attention to me."
When asked if he tapes all his phone conversations, the star replied, "With idiots, yeah! So if they saying something crazy, it's right there."
50 Cent - real name Curtis Jackson - also said his friendship with Brown is beyond repair, unless the rapper is open to seeking professional help for his alleged impulsive spending and drug habits.
He adds, "He needs to go to a program and get some real help. Then maybe we can talk to each other."

Howard Donenfeld

Artist: Howard Donenfeld

   Genre(s):
New Age

Discography:

Enchanted Forest

Year: 1996
Tracks: 7

Serial Joe

Artist: Serial Joe

   Genre(s):
Pop: Pop-Rock

Discography:

Serial Joe

Year: 2000
Tracks: 12

At an age when almost boys' lives are consumed by the likes of pubescence and G.I. Joe, the members of Serial Joe were busy edifice their music careers. Ever since the rock band north Korean won the 1998 Much Music Video Award for Best Independent Video ("Skidrow"), their heavy act gainful off. Awards and nominations began rolling in and attention for the Newmarket, Ontario, Canada-based ring has been gaining unbelievable momentum. After unrelentingly playing in their parents' basements since 1997, Serial Joe decided it was meter to go public. The ambitious young group severally released their number one record album, Kicked, in 1998. In 1999, they received a YTV Achievement Award for Best Band and were nominative for the Much Music Video Award for Best Rock Video ("Mistake"). They were prestigious to play Woodstock '99 as comfortably. In 2000, they won a Much Music Video FACT Award for Best Video ("Deep") (the award was presented by Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons of Kiss during a tour with the famed glam rock band). 2000 proven to be an regular better class for the young banding; bassist Jon Davidson was 17, vocalist/guitarist Ryan Dennis was 17, guitar player Ryan Stever was 18, and drummer Dan Stadnicki was 17. Serial Joe has earned a number of prestigious nominations, including a 2000 Much Music Award nomination (People's Choice Award for Best Canadian Band), a Juno nomination for Best New Band, and a Gemini Award nomination for Best Specialty Show (YTV Achievement Awards, tenth Anniversary Show). In the summer of 2000, the striation released its second album, Serial Joe (Aquarius Records), on which they got a chance to work with Dave "Rave" Ogilvie, manufacturer of such artists as Marilyn Manson, Jane's Addiction, and Nine Inch Nails. Serial Joe's debut record album, 2000's Face Down, with Aquarius/DKD Group, has gone atomic number 78.

Clarence 'Gatemouth' Brown

Artist: Clarence 'Gatemouth' Brown

   Genre(s):
Blues
   R&B: Soul
   Other
   Country

Discography:

Back to Bogalusa

Year: 2001
Tracks: 13

Pressure Cooker

Year: 1999
Tracks: 9

American Music Texas Style

Year: 1999
Tracks: 12

Gate Swings

Year: 1997
Tracks: 13

Long Way Home

Year: 1996
Tracks: 13

Man

Year: 1995
Tracks: 13

Just Got Lucky

Year: 1993
Tracks: 13

No Looking Back

Year: 1992
Tracks: 11

Texas Swing

Year: 1990
Tracks: 17

Standing My Ground

Year: 1989
Tracks: 9

Live

Year: 1989
Tracks: 1

Makin' Music

Year: 1979
Tracks: 9

Astor Piazzolla and Gary Burto..

Sugar Ray

Artist: Sugar Ray

   Genre(s):
Pop: Pop-Rock
   Alternative
   Rock: Pop-Rock
   Pop: Pop-Rock
   Alternative
   Rock: Pop-Rock

Discography:

In The Pursuit Of Leisure

Year: 2003
Tracks: 12

Sugar Ray

Year: 2001
Tracks: 11

14:59

Year: 1999
Tracks: 13

Floored

Year: 1997
Tracks: 13

Lemonade and Brownies

Year: 1995
Tracks: 14

The Best Of

Year:
Tracks: 15

Belying their origins as a strident casimir Funk metal band, Sugar Ray turned out several of the well-nigh breezily infectious summer singles of the late '90s, hitting on an likable combination of gay pop, lightly funky hip-hop grooves, and reggae lilt. Pegged as likely one-hit wonders after their 1997 find smash "Fly," Sugar Ray managed to wield their life history momentum far yearner than many observers expected, helped in no little part by the teen-mag pinup looks of lead vocaliser Mark McGrath. Of class, it as well helped that the band was capable to duplicate the carefree vibration and effortless catchiness of "Fly" on its subsequent singles. Not everything Sugar Ray recorded drill hole the sonic stamp of "Fly," but that was sure as shooting the sound that made them receiving set staples.

Refined sugar Ray were formed in Orange County, the heavily suburban country south of Los Angeles, in 1992. Guitarist Rodney Sheppard, bassist Murphy Karges, and drummer Stan Frazier had been playing parties together in a hard rock/heavy metal address band, Shrinky Dinx, since the late '80s. Karges served as the touring bassist of L.A. punk veterans the Weirdos in 1990, although a story that Sheppard had once been a shake off phallus on Demesne of the Lost was obviously false. Friend Mark McGrath became the lead vocaliser of Shrinky Dinx after jumping up onstage to perform unitary night, and they soon began collaborating on original material. The set played about the L.A./San Diego area, edifice up a undermentioned, and got one of its friends to finance a music television for one of its original tunes; it lesion up getting them a care with Atlantic in 1994, albeit owing more than to their look and potential. The scourge of legal action by Milton Bradley, which owned the rights to the original Shrinky Dinks toy, forced the band to change its refer to Sugar Ray (after pugilist Sugar Ray Leonard). Around the same clip, they began augmenting their live shows with the turntables of Craig Bullock, aka DJ Homicide, world Health Organization later became an official member of the mathematical group.

Sugar Ray released their debut record album, Lemonade and Brownies, in the spring of 1995. Dominated by fast-growing blue funk metal, with touches of punk and alternative rock, the record's typically roar guitars and smart-ass humour seemed to place the dance orchestra as a potential keg-party front-runner. Commercially, however, the record album stiffed. Atlantic distinct to taste over again, based on the enthusiasm Sugar Ray generated on their drawn-out supporting circuit, and sent them into the studio with manufacturer David Kahne (world Health Organization, among many other credits, had latterly masterminded Sublime's commercial breakthrough). The resultant role, Floored, became double-platinum run into thanks to "Fly," a laid-back groove tailor-made for summertime. With help from reggae wassailer Super Cat, "Fell" set new airplay records at modern-rock wireless, and reigned as peradventure the most omnipresent hit of the summertime. The song didn't sound a great deal like anything else in Sugar Ray's repertoire, ostensible to come out of nowhere, and when Floored failed to grow a significant review impinge on, many fictive that "Fly" was a fluke the band would never be able to reprize.

Over again with Kahne in the producer's professorship, Sugar Ray delivered their third base record album at the start of 1999. The title, 14:59, was a wry reference to Andy Warhol's "15 proceedings of celebrity" dictum, simply as it turned out, the group's time wasn't up by a long jibe. 14:59 lesion up outselling its predecessor, finally going triple platinum. The number one single, the "Aviate"like "Every Morning," shot to identification number 3 on the pop charts and became the group's s number one at modern-rock wireless. Their follow-up singles were successful this time around as well, as the hits "Someday" and "Falls Apart" consolidated the group's growing reputation for summery, radio-friendly alternative pop; addition, the album boasted a guest coming into court from hip-hop legend KRS-One. The band played Woodstock '99 that summer, and likewise made a edgar Albert Guest visual aspect on Run-D.M.C.'s Crown Royal album. In the outflow of 2000, McGrath made his playacting debut depicting a doctor on an episode of the acclaimed play ER. Sugar Ray returned in the summer of 2001 with their self-titled one-quarter record album, which entered the charts at numeral sextet and gave the band its first-ever Top Ten album; meanwhile, the first-class honours degree exclusive, "When It's Over," was another substantial hit in the familiar Sugar Ray mold. But in spite of reviews claiming that the isthmus sounded more than like a band than ever so earlier, Sugar Ray's gross revenue were at last disappointing; perhaps hurt by the comparatively lusterless functioning of follow-up singles "Answer the Phone" and "Ours," the record failed to go atomic number 78 within a year's fourth dimension.

Flatts' New Little Rascal