Entertaining Posts

Saturday, July 2, 2011

Santana, McLaughlin open Montreux jazz on high note

MONTREUX, Switzerland | Sat Jul 2, 2011 4:26am EDT

MONTREUX, Switzerland (Reuters) - Carlos Santana and John McLaughlin performed tunes by John Coltrane, Bob Dylan and Led Zeppelin, ushering in the 45th edition of the Montreux jazz festival with a spiritual note from the 1960s and 70s.

The two legendary guitarists kicked off Friday night's concert with "The Life Divine" and closed with "A Love Supreme," both tracks from their 1973 gold album "Love, Devotion and Surrender."

Their acoustic version of Led Zeppelin's "Stairway to Heaven" was a highlight of a nostalgic concert at Montreux, one of Europe's most prestigious summer jazz festivals, which runs until July 16.

"Coltrane, Dylan, Zeppelin -- we grew up with all of them. The next one is a real favorite of mine from the Mahavishnu Orchestra," said McLaughlin, introducing "The Creator has a Master Plan" from his pioneering fusion band.

Santana, dressed head to toe in white, his black curls touching his shoulders, also struck a meditative chord during the gig, which featured mariachis and Latin-influenced percussion.

"John and I have a lot in common, we resonate spiritual feelings and resonate with having fun. It is not just Mother Teresa, the Dalai Lama and Desmond Tutu who get to have fun.

"Our highest purpose is to touch your heart. Miles Davis, Billie Holiday, Marvin Gaye, and Dylan, we love all them all and pay tribute and celebrate the supreme spirit of a great drummer, if not the greatest drummer ever, Tony Williams," Santana, 64, told the crowd.

Cindy Blackman, Santana's second wife, joined on drums in a powerful rendition of "Vuelta Abajo," a tribute to the late American jazz drummer Williams who played with Miles Davis and McLaughlin.

"These tunes go back 150 years. Any more old hippies out there?" quipped the silver-haired McLaughlin, now 69. "It was a very special music that we played at that time. Cindy has taken the tradition of Tony Williams and pushed it further."

Santana and McLaughlin sat together front stage without the other nine musicians for two moving duets on acoustic guitars, "Naima," a Coltrane composition also from their "Love, Devotion and Surreder" album, and "Lotus Land."

"At this point in our lives, it is all about perception...So make a conscious choice to make every day the best day of your life," the Mexican-born American Santana said to cheers.

"Downstairs Blues," by Elvin Jones, got the crowd rocking, with Blackman on drums.

For an encore they played "Miles Davis (Black Satin)" and a "Love Supreme," the crowd chanting the lyrics, while Montreux festival founder Claude Nobs jumped in on harmonica.

B.B. King will join the pair on the famed Montreux stage on Sunday night.

"Montreux is known for special meetings of stars," Swiss fan David Pittet said as the lights went on.

(Editing by Michael Roddy)

Friday, July 1, 2011

Kate Moss marries rocker boyfriend Jamie Hince

LONDON | Fri Jul 1, 2011 7:28pm EDT

LONDON (Reuters) - British supermodel Kate Moss married her rocker boyfriend Jamie Hince on Friday in a small English country church, accompanied by 15 bridesmaids.

Moss, 37, and Hince, 42, a guitar player with The Kills, posed for photos outside the church in the village of Southrop in southern England, after the ceremony.

It was the first marriage for the British model, who met Hince in 2007.

Moss wore a sleeveless, full-length, white wedding dress designed by her close friend John Galliano and covered in rhinestones, according to Womens Wear Daily.

Her eight year-old daughter Lila was among the 15 bridesmaids, who were all dressed in ivory, British media reports said.

The couple are expected to throw a three-day reception and party at the model's home nearby, according to media reports.

Moss began her professional career as an ultra-slim 16 year-old and quickly became one of the best known and top-earning models in the world.

(Reporting by Jill Serjeant; Editing by Bob Tourtellotte)

Animated Martha Stewart reaches out to kid crafters

LOS ANGELES | Fri Jul 1, 2011 12:51pm EDT

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Lifestyle guru Martha Stewart is being reinvented as an animated 10-year-old in a bid to inspire young girls to take up cooking and crafting.

Stewart, 69, whose empire includes publishing, broadcasting and merchandising, is the inspiration behind an animated, multimedia Internet series called "Martha & Friends" that makes it debut on AOL Kids on Friday.

The 26 short webisodes feature a 10 year-old blonde Martha as a problem solving, craft-loving girl who with her three friends and two dogs shows kids how to do it themselves.

The series is aimed at 6-11 year-old girls and also features interactive online games, activities and projects.

"Ever since I was a little girl I've had a passion for crafting and cooking, and my hope is that this series will inspire a whole new generation of do-it-yourselfers," Stewart said in a statement.

The venture from Los Angeles-based A Squared Entertainment is also designed to encourage kids to be independent thinkers and problem solvers.

Stewart, founder of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, launched a magazine aimed at children in 2002 but the publication folded about four years later.

(Reporting by Jill Serjeant; Editing by Bob Tourtellotte)

Thursday, June 30, 2011

"Tudors" star Rhys Meyers hospitalized: report

LONDON | Thu Jun 30, 2011 3:29pm EDT

LONDON (Reuters) - Actor Jonathan Rhys Meyers, star of the "Tudors" television series, was taken to hospital this week after what tabloid newspaper The Sun reported was a suspected suicide attempt.

Meyers, who played King Henry VIII in the TV series and has starred in movies such as Woody Allen's "Match Point," is believed to have taken pills at his home, the Sun said on Thursday.

Representatives for Rhys Meyers were not available to comment. The actor has in the past battled alcohol abuse and been arrested for being drunk in public.

Los Angeles based celebrity website TMZ, citing an unnamed sources close to the actor, said Meyers had been drinking heavily but was not trying to kill himself.

British police, who usually refrain from naming names, said a man of Rhys Myers's age had been taken to hospital from an address in north London on Tuesday evening.

"Officers were called to an address in NW8 at 1945 on June 28 following reports that a 33-year-old man was refusing treatment," a police spokesman said. "He was taken to a central London hospital for treatment."

The Sun and other media reported that paramedics answering an emergency call found Meyers slumped on the floor and had to call police after he refused treatment at the scene for more than 30 minutes.

The actor was finally taken to a hospital near his London home and was discharged in the early hours on Wednesday. Asked later how he was, Meyers was quoted as telling The Sun: "No comment."

(Reporting by Paul Casciato; Editing by Stephen Addison and Bob Tourtellotte)

Harry Potter to cast final spell with eighth, last film

By Mike Collett-White

LONDON | Thu Jun 30, 2011 8:40am EDT

LONDON (Reuters) - As the studio behind the Harry Potter films likes to remind us, "It all ends here."

"Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2," the eighth and final installment in one of cinema's most successful series, has its premiere in London in a week, and experts predict records could tumble when it hits theatres on July 15.

The cast and crew have promised the most explosive Potter movie yet, even though computer-generated special effects and action scenes have been predominant throughout.

"The last movie is going to be really, really fast-paced and a load of action in it and it is like a war film," Harry Potter actor Daniel Radcliffe told Reuters in a recent interview.

The final film, the first Potter installment to be available in 3D, will reveal whether boy wizard Potter prevails over his evil nemesis Lord Voldemort in a classic good-versus-evil climax, although J.K. Rowling's novels provide the answer.

Knowing what happens next is unlikely to dampen enthusiasm among the huge fan base Rowling has built up through the seven books and movie adaptations, for whom Deathly Hallows Part 2 will be a bitter-sweet moment.

For millions of mostly young people around the world, the release of each Harry Potter novel or movie was a major event, explaining the long queues outside bookshops and screaming crowds at red carpet film launches.

"I've had eight years of my life with something to look forward to with the next Harry Potter, and it's about to end," said Ren Bishop, a 21-year-old from Springfield, Missouri in the United States.

"As a fan I'm sad; it's like saying goodbye to an old friend," added the two-time local Potter trivia champion.

Befitting such a landmark film, Hollywood studio Warner Bros will take over London's historic Trafalgar Square for the red carpet premiere, making space for the anticipated crowds dressed in Potter costumes and intense media interest.

LIFE AFTER POTTER?

For weeks plasma screens in Tokyo and advertisements across Britain have been flagging the sendoff, which is set to be marked with parties, stunts and promotional events.

On the red carpet will be the actors playing Harry, Ron and Hermione, aged between nine and 11 years old when they were cast and who have grown up in the bubble of super stardom.

For Rupert Grint (Ron), Radcliffe (Harry) and Emma Watson (Hermione), the transition to life post-Potter may not be easy, despite the fact that all three have sizeable personal fortunes and other acting options to pursue.

For Warner Bros, the end of Potter, its most bankable property, is equally daunting.

The seven movies released so far, starting with "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's (Sorcerer's) Stone" in 2001, have grossed $6.4 billion at the box office, averaging close to $1 billion per picture.

Although the figures hide a steady decline in admissions, with the first film still the most successful, experts predict that the combination of higher 3D ticket prices and anticipation surrounding the final chapter could see Deathly Hallows 2 break records.

Website Boxofficemojo said it could even eclipse the North American opening weekend record of $158.4 million set by Batman blockbuster "The Dark Knight" in 2008.

The movies are only a part of a lucrative Potter industry. Author Rowling's seven books have sold more than 400 million copies globally, and there are toys, video games and a theme park tied to the books and movies.

Despite the imminent disappearance of Potter from the big screen, Rowling wants to ensure that he lives on, commercially as well as creatively.

Last week she launched a new website Pottermore which will develop characters and storylines from the books and allow readers to interact and navigate her magical world.

There is also a shop, the exclusive vendor of the soon-to-be-launched eBooks along with other merchandise.

(Reporting by Mike Collett-White, editing by Paul Casciato)