Remember Chris Farley in Trailer for I Am Chris Farley
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Chris Farley is known as one of the funniest, most beloved comedians of our time. Since his death in 1997, so many of his clips and films still circulate on a continual basis; It's truly a wonder as to how it's taken this long for a full featured documentary to be made. But at last, I Am Chris Farley brings together variety of home videos from his childhood to early career footage, to some infamous SNL clips, along with interviews from actors David Spade, Christina Applegate, Dan Aykroyd, Lorne Michaels, Mike Myers, Adam Sandler, Molly Shannon, and many more to reflect on the comedian’s life and legacy from his road from the Midwest to Hollywood.
Opening in theaters on July 31st, 2015, the first trailer brings heartfelt to hilarious emotions. I Am Chris Farley will also be available on VOD, digital download, and DVD on August 11, 2015.
Watch a Young Amy Winehouse Sing Happy Birthday
After receiving rave reviews in May at the Cannes Film Festival, Amy remains one of the most highly anticipated films of 2015. Directed by Asif Kapadia, the film is featuring never-before-seen footage and interviews with her closest friends, ex-lovers, and collaborators, illuminating the Grammy winner’s early struggles with depression and bulimia en route to her surge as an artist.
However, Winehouse's father and former boyfriend have come out with much protest, issuing a statement claiming Amy “is both misleading and contains some basic untruths.” In response to this, the filmmakers have maintained cooperation of the Winehouse estate and confirmed to have "conducted in the region of 100 interviews with people that knew Amy Winehouse; friends, family, former partners and members of the music industry that worked with her." The film is said to be based off of these interviews.
Are there really "untruths" in the film, or was there more to Amy Winehouse than what her family and former boyfriend knew? Regardless, the controversy is adding both mystery and hype for the documentary's much anticipated release. For now, enjoy this special clip featuring the songstress singing "Happy Birthday" as a young 14-year-old. Amy will be in LA and NY theaters on July 3rd with a national release on July 10th.
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Is Taylor Swift Really Trying To Rob Photographers?
In recent news, Taylor Swift criticized Apple for initially not paying artists during the trial period for Apple Music, their latest music streaming service. The battle went on for one quick day as Apple shortly retreated, granting victory to Swift's team and stamping the rare power she continues to have on music business.
Meanwhile, at the stem of this rebuttal, freelance photographer Jason Sheldon published an open letter on his blog where he argued Swift's recent image-licensing policy, suggesting the hypocrisy to her complaints towards Apple. In her policy, Editorial photographers assigned to shoot her shows must sign away rights to their photos, preventing them from being paid while giving Swift unlimited use of the pictures for publicity and promotion. It gets worse...
One section of the policy that Sheldon doesn't mention is the right to her management company to destroy a photographer's equipment if they break the terms of the contact, one they are obligated to sign before shooing her show. It reads the following:
If you fail to fully comply with this Authorization, authorized agents of FEI, the Artist or the Related Entities may confiscate and/or destroy the technology or devices that contain the master files of the Photographs and other images, including, but not limited to, cell phones and memory cards, and the Photographs and any other images.
Just today, a UK representative for Taylor Swift quickly countered and told Business Insider via email that the standard photography agreement to which Sheldon referred was "misrepresented." To me, this all sounds like "Bad Blood" more than anything.
At this point, we know that Apple changed their course of action but will Taylor Swift? As a photographer, I feel this is indeed quite hypocritical. Especially because it's photos from concert photographers that tend to promote ticket sales, creating a huge monetary benefit for promoters, venues and the Swift team alike. Needless to say, I'll refrain from shooting any Taylor Swift shows any time in the near future. What do you think?
Chicago's First Annual Ruido Fest Music Schedule
Chicago adds yet another new outdoor music fest to their list this summer with the first annual Ruido Fest, held in Adams Park, just north of the Pilsen neighborhood on July 10-12, 2015. Collaborated with some of the most experienced event organizers in the country, the principals behind Ruido Fest are with strong ties to the Chicago Latino music industry and to local area communities. Pilsen being historically known for it's strong Mexican and Latino identity, there's really no better place to hold such an event.
Created for the Latino alternative music audience, the three-day outdoor music fest, which is the first of its kind in the country, is slated to bring some of the best in Latin Alternative music and culture, with headliners Café Tacvba, Zoe, Molotov, Nortec Collective and Enjambre. These are amongst more than forty acts scheduled to appear.
Just this week, the fest's official lineup was released creating quite a buzz. Find tickets here, and check out the lineup below.
North Coast Festival 2015 Lineup Updated
Summer is finally here, and although most Chicagoans don't want to talk about the end of Summer just yet, the 6th Annual North Coast Music Festival has much to be excited for. The fest will once again be held at Chicago’s Union Park over Labor Day Weekend, September 4-6, featuring an eclectic lineup.
Following up last month's initial lineup reveal featuring Widespread Panic, The Chemical Brothers, D'Angelo and the Vanguard, and The Roots is the announcement of a new wave of artists to round out the North Coast Music Festival. French producer Wax Tailor, New York producer Sweater Beats, and instrumental hip hop producer Little People are joining the lineup, with local Chicago favorites Porn and Chicken, SaveMoney's Leather Corduroys, and two-time Grammy-nominated producer Stefan Ponce round out the new list of recently-added artists.
Also returning this year is the festival's popular Silent Disco and "Living Gallery," presented by the Elder Tree graffiti area.
You don't want to miss out, so get your tickets here. Our team will definitely be there covering all that's great.
[Review] The Road to God Knows Where
The Road to God Knows Where
Director: Uli M. Schüppel
Rating: N/A
Re-Release Date: April 19, 2015 (CIMM Fest)
Nick Cave is truly a man of many talents. He's a critically acclaimed musician, songwriter, screenwriter, novelist and actor. Most recently, he has written the new screenplay for the highly anticipated remake of the hit movie, The Crow, coming to theaters in 2016. With decades of consistent work in Hollywood, Road to God Knows Where stretches back to the beginning of his career at the 1989 American tour with Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds. Having been originally released in 1990, the film is being re-released in theaters and festivals around the country, making a much bigger splash than it ever has before.
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The first thing you should know about Road to God Knows Where is that it's not a concert film, and more about the creative side of the music business as it chronicles The Bad Seeds' North American tour over February and March of 1989. Although the overall pacing is rather slow, filmmaker Uli Schueppel's student film sprinkles in a few live show moments, with long intervals back stage footage, on the tour bus, in hotels, in conflict with promoters, and behind-the-scenes of photo shoots and interviews, providing a realistic approach to what it's like on tour with a rock 'n' roll band.
The film was shot in high contrast black and white, setting the Winter's tone and reminding us of the time period when this was filmed. We often see glimpses of Cave's increased interest to remain low key as a writer and artist, than as a celebrity. By the end of the film, Cave expresses content in ending the tour, as it had flowed just as slow to the viewer as to The Bad Seeds alike.
[Review] Theory of Obscurity: a film about The Residents
Theory of Obscurity: a film about The Residents
Director: Don Hardy
Rating: N/A
Release Date: April 19, 2015 (CIMM Fest)
After receiving rave reviews at SXSW this year, Theory of Obscurity: a film about The Residents came highly recommended for it's CIMM Fest (Chicago International Movie and Music Fest) screening. So who are The Residents?, this is the question that the film tries to answer, but the answer doesn't come easy. Stemming from a group of creative misfits from Shreveport, La., drawn to and discovered in the San Francisco Bay Area around 1970, they’re a band, they're filmmakers, artists, pop culture historians, they’re a permanent exhibit at MOMA, and they have managed to stay completely anonymous until now.
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Unknown to many, Theory of Obscurity does a good job digging deep into The Residents' story as director Don Hardy managed to interview many well known industry folks as testament to their history and lasting influence. There are also former collaborators (musicians and artists), most famously including Penn Jilette, sharing their personal experiences with The Residents. Interviews also include long time band affiliates, including Primus, Devo, Ween, Simpson's creator Matt Groening, and countless fans, explaining how and why this group came to be so influential to them.
Another huge part of the film is on the The Cryptic Corporation, The Residents’ management company, formed in the early 70's to oversee and manage all of their work. Founders of the Cryptic Corporation speak quite a bit about the band’s business and their own involvement. Altogether, the film is about art. It's is a quirky and often comedic form of story telling on how a collective group of people remained anonymous for 40 years, and how they came to be part pop culture history, still touring the world today.
[RH Photos] The Culture Clash at SXSW 2015
Photos by AngieStarPhoto
SXSW came and went yet again this year, and as Austin cleans it's streets and goes back to normal, many of us out-of-towners are back home still recollecting the culture combo we were part of. Whether you're from Chicago, Atlanta, California, Texas, New York City, the UK, or anywhere else in the world, SXSW has become a place where anyone can come to mix culture, share art, collaborate, and eat endless delicious food options. In the past week, I've received more CDs, mixtape downloads, Instagram followers, and openly met more strangers and brand ambassadors than I ever have.
SXSW truly is a festival of its own kind. There's much more than music, film showcases and conferences, as it's more of a combination of Texan culture, art, food, and most of all, a diversity in people. Outside of the local "Keep Austin Weird" types, you have endless writers, bloggers, photographers, videographers, musicians, and actors from all over just trying to stick out and be seen or heard, and all in an open, free spirited form. Most intriguingly, it's all random... one minute you could be listening to a rock band on Rainey Street and the next you're bumping into Wiz Khalifa downtown, then backstage with comedian Hannibal Buress and Chance the Rapper at the Fader Fort (true story). And right when you think you've seen or experienced the most random scenario, someone else will share an even more random story with you. It's on open environment that connects all types of people and this is what loved to capture on the festival. I'm not saying it wasn't fun shooting the performances at various venues, but it was the wandering, behind-the-scenes, spontaneous perspective I loved the most - the plethora of food trucks were a definite plus.
Here are some photos I gathered that I feel capture the essence of the people and scenery while walking around at SXSW. From locals, to people of all ages from different parts of the world, to the food scene, culture, ambiance, and most of all, the great American gem that is Austin, Texas. Find more photos here.
