Saturday, August 6, 2011
AMY WINEHOUSE: PATRICK KIELTY FACES BACKLASH OVER AMY GAGS
AMY Winehouse fans have blasted TV bosses for screening sick jokes about their tragic idol.
Patrick Kielty, the Irish stand-up comedian, riled Amy Winehouse fans when his rants, including branding Amy a smelly tramp, were broadcast.
In an old routine Kielty, 40, slammed the tragic songbird as “dirty”.
And his disgusting one-liners included: “She looks like she has pissed in more sinks than she’s washed in.”
Kielty made the string of cruel jibes in a show filmed several years ago for the Live At The Apollo series.
But fans and friends of Amy slammed cable station Comedy Central for repeating the episode. Bosses aired the show just days after Amy, 27, was found dead at her £2.5million home in Camden, north London.
A close pal of the Back To Black singer fumed: “It’s unbelievably distasteful timing. Her family could easily have tuned in. What a shambles."
One fan ranted online: “This is sick, sick, sick. Arseholes for showing this.”
A spokesman for Comedy Central said: “We would like to apologise. The airing of the episode was an oversight.”
The outrage came as Amy’s family announced her 10-room home will be used as the base for a rehab foundation in her memory.
Coldplay debuts new music, honors Amy Winehouse at Lollapalooza
CHICAGO – Chris Martin’s signature bounce is adjusting to a whole new setlist, if Coldplay’s show last night is a testament.
The British band made a live concert return to the U.S. headlining Lollapalooza day one (Aug. 5), and brought a graffiti-spattered pocketful of fresh tracks, many of which made their American debut.
Leaving their rustic French Revolution “Viva La Vida” days behind, the four-piece band opted instead for a slicker and, at times, more colorful stage show. Frontman Chris Martin acoustic guitar had scratches and characters etched into it’s slate façade, like a blackboard, while guitarist Jonny Buckland’s electric axe was tagged by colorful marker all over the body. The organ and piano were painted up with various geometric designs, a reflection of the multi-colored laser light pattern that shot out from the back of the stage whenever the band performed a new song. Otherwise, it was all basic and bold colors that shone in monochrome on the stage, like a bath of spray paint. The giant, high-flying balloons in the audience still abounded.
It’s right in line with what the band has said was the inspiration for their new, forthcoming album, which will likely include the single (and show-closer) “Every Teardrop Is a Waterfall.” That track’s music video brandishes one of the biggest nods, to American graffiti and street art. And while this pop-rock band may have little urban influence about it, they nonetheless have made some new tracks that reflect the rainbow.
[Jump...]
“Concrete canvas, I'll go making my mark / Armed with a spray can soul,” Martin sings on “Hurts Like Heaven” -- as opposed to Hell -- which opened the show and thus made its American debut. It’d been performed only a couple times before live, starting in May this year, but this banger took to the audience quite well, the front row already drenched as much as Martin. (He took the sweat straight into “Yellow,” the band’s very first smash hit; the stage and video screens in the back were awash in, you guessed it, yellow.)
Another painterly suggestion arrives at the end of fresh “Charlie Brown,” Martin explaining, “We’ll be glowing in the dark.” This song also has only made a handful of appearances (listen) since the band took to festivals in May, but it certainly lifted the midsection of a slower setlist. This big, four-on-the-floor pop track gives way to a dance-rock bridge section and gang vocals; Martin’s verse melody reminded me of Bruce Springsteen’s “I'm Goin' Down,” and may even be tipping its hat with the line “Took a car downtown where the lost boys meet.”
Coldplay are adept at both this arena-filling sound, and at the softer, sensitive sonics that help tracks like faux-blues song “Trouble” or megahit “The Scientist,” or transitioning “Lost!” to its crippled brother “Lost?” That’s how new “Us Against the World” can be categorized, its sad, solo trek of desperation peaking with the occasional help of harmony vocals on the chorus, “Slooooow it down.” The audience obliged the request.
And the sun-soaked attendees were also only a little mixed on Martin’s unexpected tribute, a somber take on the chorus of Amy Winehouse’s “Rehab,” which appropriately segued into “Fix You,” each song touching on those individual songwriters’ fascination with addiction (of all sorts). The now-deceased singer’s voice would have popped right over that cordial funeral organ sound, but Martin merely made his point and soberly moved on.
“Clocks” kicked off Coldplay’s one and only encore, and roof-blasting “Waterfall” capped it. All the other smash hits were demolished adeptly, particularly on personal favorite “Shiver,” played in the pocket from note one. “This was the first song we ever played in America,” Martin said, preceding it.
“Violet Hill” always sticks out to me, with its Survivor-like Classic Rock underpinnings, and the extended version of “Everything’s Not Lost” had me checking my voicemails and eyeing the bathroom. But with a hit-parade like Coldplay’s, these moments didn’t last for long. The crowd was thrown the lead mic on “Viva La Vida,” or Martin would spontaneously take a knee or lay on the ground like a pool, keeping all guess what he’d pop up to offer next.
Reg Traviss 'in a really bad way' after Amy Winehouse death
The 35-year-old film director - who had been dating the 'Rehab' hitmaker on and off for two years - is struggling to deal with his loss after the troubled singer was found dead at her home in Camden, north London on July 23 at the age of 27.
Sam Shaker, a close family friend who hosted a party to celebrate Amy's life at his club Jazz After Dark last week, said: "Everyone was enjoying that evening. It was a celebration of Amy's life but Reg was just sitting in the corner drinking. He feels terrible and is in a really bad way."
However, while Amy and Reg were talking about marriage, Sam explained her "heart was always a little" with ex-husband Blake Fielder-Civil - who openly admits to introducing her to drugs - and she still used to call him in prison on a regular basis.
Sam added to the Daily Mirror newspaper: "Amy and Reg had talked about being engaged but there was no ring. She wanted to be with Reg but her heart was always a little with Blake. I told her many times not to call Blake but they were always in touch."
Reg recently admitted he had been going through "hell" since his "darling" Amy was found dead.
He said: "The last three days have been hell. We have suffered a terrible untimely loss and want peace.
"I can't describe what I am going through and I want to thank so much all of the people who have paid their respects and who are mourning the loss of Amy, such a beautiful, brilliant person and my dear love. I have lost my darling who I loved very much."
Lady Gaga To Play Amy Winehouse In Biopic? Dear God, Say It Ain't So!
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"Lady Gaga may soon be parlaying her talents into the big screen: The pop singer is reportedly in talks with Hollywood producers about playing Amy Winehouse in a new film about the singer`s tragic life."
Amy Winehouse was a gifted singer and an a talented songwriter, her confessional lyrics spoke of love, pain and betrayal. Listening to a Winehouse song puts you through an emotional wringer -- you tap your toes and clutch your heart at the same time.
Amy`s personal life blended with her public life, her messy and dissolute lifestyle was played out in the pubs of London and in the UK tabloids.
Amy did little to protect her brand, she didn`t care about polishing her image. The troubled singer`s passions in life were her music and addictions. Amy was as real as an overdose, she was the essence of authenticity.
Lady Gaga is a gifted singer, but a hack songwriter. Her controversial lyrics are meant to make the cash register ring. Listening to a Gaga song is like chewing bubble gum, after a few minutes the taste is gone and you spit it out.
Lady Gaga`s personal life is just that -- personal. All we see of the pop diva is her fake persona, we see the shell, but we never see the soul. Lady Gaga is the epitome of artifice, there is nothing real about her. Her accent is fake, her music is a poor imitation of Madonna, and her public personality is a put on.
It`s bad enough that Lady Gaga has been playing Madonna for years, I would be outraged if Lady Gaga is chosen to play Amy Winehouse in a movie.
Amy Winehouse - Officials Appeal For Return Of Amy Winehouse Street Signs
Fans scrawled tributes on several signs close to the house in Camden, north London, where the singer was found dead on 23 July (11), and officials at Camden Council had planned to donate the plaques to Winehouse's family as a memorial.
However, four of the signs have been stolen, and council bosses are urging whoever is in possession of them to turn them into a police station.
Deputy council leader Sue Vincent tells the Bbc, "We are appealing to the good nature and conscience of the person or persons who stole the signs and are asking for them to be returned.
"We are not concerned with who took them, and will not be investigating this if we get them back. The signs can be returned to any police station in Camden and no questions will be asked."
A statement from the council adds, "Since Amy Winehouse's passing, fans have left messages on the signs, with the remaining street signs being given to the family."
The news comes as it emerged that Winehouse's relatives plan to turn the late star's house into the headquarters for a charity set up in her name. The Amy Winehouse Foundation's full mission statement will be unveiled on 14 September (11), on what would have been Winehouse's 28th birthday.
How could they fire Jerry Lewis?
The program will also be shortened this year from twenty hours to a mere six. And I bet they still have trouble filling the bill. Good luck getting Tony Orlando this year.
Once upon the time the Jerry Lewis telethon was a highlight of the year. Twenty hours of the highest camp, schmaltziest schmaltz, cheesiest cheese, and glitziest entertainment ever assembled on one stage. And it was all live. Jaw-dropping moments were as common as a check of the tote board. I even wrote about it a couple of years ago.
Jerry created this faux Vegas main showroom format, which was already dated in 1966 when he first introduced it. Over the years it became a time piece. Singers still in tuxedos and formal gowns – at 7:00 AM. Wayne Newton -- the major headliner. Lounge comics trotting out material that I’m sure killed in 1955. Puppeteers. Bird acts.
And it was all held together by Jerry. No comedian has ever taken himself more seriously, and in an unintentional twisted way, that only made him funnier. One minute dripping sincerity, the next crossing his eyes and acting like a moron. Genius! Sheer genius!
Add to the mix the fatigue factor. Put someone like that on live television with major sleep deprivation and by hour 15 you’ve got real theater. Crying, badgering, doing rat pack racial slurs. You never knew what you were going to get… from moment to moment. And again, that was the brilliance of it all. That was the appeal. Once Jerry took his tie off you were on high alert for hilarity.
Plus, it was all for a really good cause.
Say what you will, Jerry raised millions and millions for MDA. His telethon became a part of American culture. He is 85. You knew it was just a matter of time. But to not let him go out in a dignified way, on his own terms, that’s unconscionable.
As far as I’m concerned there is no more MDA telethon. And it’s too bad because Nigel’s kids need the help just as much as Jerry’s.
Thanks again for everything, Jerry. I’ll never be able to hear Rockabye My Baby With a Dixie Melody ever again without crying… and laughing.
Friday, August 5, 2011
Love, etc.: Zara Phillips gets married in yet another royal (sort of) wedding
• Married: Zara Phillips and longtime boyfriend Mike Tindall Saturday in Scotland. The bride, 30, is Queen Elizabeth’s oldest granddaughter but wasn’t given a royal title at the request of her mother, Princess Anne. The groom, 32, is captain of England’s national rugby team; the couple was introduced in 2003 by Phillip’s cousin, Prince Harry. The bride wore an ivory silk and satin gown by Stewart Parvin and a diamond tiara from her mother. Royal watchers were quick to note that Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge, wore a cream-colored outfit — the same one she wore to another wedding five years ago. Just like, you know, real women do. (See a gallery of photos from Zara Phillips’s wedding.)
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