On Thursday, Tennessee Governor Bill Lee signed the United States’ very first AI music law: the Elvis Act, which amends pre-existing legislation to protect the voices of artists as property rights.
Signed at a ceremony hosted at a honky tonk in Nashville’s famous Broadway district, the Elvis Act was supported by the initiative, The Human Artistry Campaign, and has a number of prominent supporters, including country stars Luke Bryan and Chris Janson (who were both at the signing), Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr., a bipartisan coalition of Tennessee lawmakers, and more.
Amending the state’s pre-existing Personal Rights Protection Act of 1984, the law — formally titled the Ensuring Likeness, Voice, and Image Security Act of 2024 — basically upgrades an individual’s voice to a property right, like their name, photograph, and likeness. Those who knowingly use an individual’s voice “for purposes of advertising products, merchandise, goods, or services, or for purposes of fundraising,...
Signed at a ceremony hosted at a honky tonk in Nashville’s famous Broadway district, the Elvis Act was supported by the initiative, The Human Artistry Campaign, and has a number of prominent supporters, including country stars Luke Bryan and Chris Janson (who were both at the signing), Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr., a bipartisan coalition of Tennessee lawmakers, and more.
Amending the state’s pre-existing Personal Rights Protection Act of 1984, the law — formally titled the Ensuring Likeness, Voice, and Image Security Act of 2024 — basically upgrades an individual’s voice to a property right, like their name, photograph, and likeness. Those who knowingly use an individual’s voice “for purposes of advertising products, merchandise, goods, or services, or for purposes of fundraising,...
- 3/22/2024
- by Jo Vito
- Consequence - Music
Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee signed the Elvis Act into law on Thursday in an effort to protect musicians from unauthorized artificial intelligence deep fakes and voice clones.
The bill, short for the Ensuring Likeness Voice and Image Security Act, updates the state’s Protection of Personal Rights law (which protects an individual’s “name, photograph, or likeness”), to include protections for artists’ voices from AI misuse.
At honky-tonk Robert’s Western World in Nashville, Lee was surrounded by legislative leadership and country stars Luke Bryan and Chris Janson as he signed the bill,...
The bill, short for the Ensuring Likeness Voice and Image Security Act, updates the state’s Protection of Personal Rights law (which protects an individual’s “name, photograph, or likeness”), to include protections for artists’ voices from AI misuse.
At honky-tonk Robert’s Western World in Nashville, Lee was surrounded by legislative leadership and country stars Luke Bryan and Chris Janson as he signed the bill,...
- 3/21/2024
- by Charisma Madarang
- Rollingstone.com
Tennessee Governor Bill Lee signed a bill today that bolsters the protections for the use of a person’s image and likeness in areas like artificial intelligence.
The Ensuring Likeness Voice and Image Security Act, or Elvis Act, expands on the state’s right of publicity law. The new law expands the unauthorized uses of a person’s image and likeness to include not just name, photograph, or likeness, but the use of a person’s voice.
The bill also finds that a person is liable to a civil action “if the person distributes, transmits, or otherwise makes available an algorithm, software, tool, or other technology, service, or device.”
The law includes an exemption for news, public affairs, or sports broadcasts or accounts, to the extent that it is protected by the First Amendment. There also is a fair use exemption for the purposes of comment, criticism, scholarship, satire or parody.
The Ensuring Likeness Voice and Image Security Act, or Elvis Act, expands on the state’s right of publicity law. The new law expands the unauthorized uses of a person’s image and likeness to include not just name, photograph, or likeness, but the use of a person’s voice.
The bill also finds that a person is liable to a civil action “if the person distributes, transmits, or otherwise makes available an algorithm, software, tool, or other technology, service, or device.”
The law includes an exemption for news, public affairs, or sports broadcasts or accounts, to the extent that it is protected by the First Amendment. There also is a fair use exemption for the purposes of comment, criticism, scholarship, satire or parody.
- 3/21/2024
- by Ted Johnson
- Deadline Film + TV
A Tennessee law that bans hormone therapy and puberty blockers for transgender youth can go into effect immediately, a U.S. appeals court ruled on Saturday. The decision temporarily stays a ruling from a lower court and marks the first time a federal court has allowed a law banning transition care to come to fruition, albeit temporary for now, in the country.
The ruling from a divided three-judge panel (who voted two to one) of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit contrasts other recent decisions by...
The ruling from a divided three-judge panel (who voted two to one) of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit contrasts other recent decisions by...
- 7/8/2023
- by Althea Legaspi
- Rollingstone.com
Phoebe Bridgers, Lucy Dacus, and Julien Baker took a stand against anti-lbgtq+ legislation in Tennessee during their Nashville show on June 25. Dressed in full drag, the Boygenius members, who are all openly queer, gave the metaphorical middle finger to Republican Governor Bill Lee.
Decked out in glitter, rhinestones, and hairspray for Pride Month, the band members introduced their drag alter egos: Queef Urban (Bridgers), Shanita Tums (Baker), and Lucille Balls (Dacus). Even the cameraman did their part, wearing a dress while recording the performance from the front row. The show comes just a few months after Tennessee became the first state to pass a ban on public drag shows on March 2.
"I have a lot of anger for the people who have made me feel small."
As a Tennessee native, Baker stepped in front of the mic to speak out against the state's anti-trans laws and to share her personal...
Decked out in glitter, rhinestones, and hairspray for Pride Month, the band members introduced their drag alter egos: Queef Urban (Bridgers), Shanita Tums (Baker), and Lucille Balls (Dacus). Even the cameraman did their part, wearing a dress while recording the performance from the front row. The show comes just a few months after Tennessee became the first state to pass a ban on public drag shows on March 2.
"I have a lot of anger for the people who have made me feel small."
As a Tennessee native, Baker stepped in front of the mic to speak out against the state's anti-trans laws and to share her personal...
- 6/28/2023
- by Chanel Vargas
- Popsugar.com
Iggy Pop and Julien Baker have joined the Armed to roll out their latest single “Sport of Form.” The release arrives ahead of the band’s upcoming album, Perfect Saviors, out Aug. 25.
Baker serves on vocals and Iggy plays God for the track’s accompanying video. The Armed’s Tony Wolski explained the song’s title in a statement to Rolling Stone: “There are two types of sport — those of measure and those of form. A sport of measure like basketball, football, or soccer has a point system and...
Baker serves on vocals and Iggy plays God for the track’s accompanying video. The Armed’s Tony Wolski explained the song’s title in a statement to Rolling Stone: “There are two types of sport — those of measure and those of form. A sport of measure like basketball, football, or soccer has a point system and...
- 6/27/2023
- by Charisma Madarang
- Rollingstone.com
The members of Boygenius made a bold statement during their performance in Tennessee on Sunday. The band’s Phoebe Bridgers, Lucy Dacus, and Julien Baker hit the stage dressed in drag queen makeup and looks as they made a statement about the state governor’s anti-lgbtq stances with a chant of “F–ck Bill Lee.”
The indie rockers donned wigs and leotards on the Great Lawn stage as they performed their sad songs — and even one of the cameramen did his job in a dress.
“Today I’m so grateful for my life,...
The indie rockers donned wigs and leotards on the Great Lawn stage as they performed their sad songs — and even one of the cameramen did his job in a dress.
“Today I’m so grateful for my life,...
- 6/26/2023
- by Tomás Mier
- Rollingstone.com
Living in Pakistan, Abdul Aziz and Farah Naz dreamed of sending their eldest daughter to high school in America, in hopes she would matriculate at a U.S. college. In 2018, Sabika Sheikh was accepted as an exchange student at Santa Fe High School. In her first semester, she was killed in a school shooting.
On what would have been the week of their daughter’s 18th birthday, the Sheikhs sued the gunman’s parents, working with the litigation team at Everytown for Gun Safety, a non-profit that was less than five years old.
On what would have been the week of their daughter’s 18th birthday, the Sheikhs sued the gunman’s parents, working with the litigation team at Everytown for Gun Safety, a non-profit that was less than five years old.
- 6/9/2023
- by Sarah Grant
- Rollingstone.com
Barry Newman, best known for starring in the action-thriller “Vanishing Point”, has died. He was 92.
Newman’s wife, Angela, confirmed the news of Newman’s death to The Hollywood Reporter on Sunday. The actor died of natural causes on May 11 at the NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia University Irving Medical Center.
Newman had a number of smaller screen roles and performed on Broadway until he was cast in the 1971 car chase classic “Vanishing Point”, by director Richard C. Sarafian. He starred as a former race car driver named Kowalski who drives a Dodge Challenger across the US while avoiding cops and getting entangled in a deadly criminal conspiracy.
The film went on to be a cult classic and genre-defining epic that went on to be revered for its action set-pieces and proved to be influential on the next generation of blockbuster filmmakers.
Newman later went on to play defence lawyer Anthony J. Petrocelli...
Newman’s wife, Angela, confirmed the news of Newman’s death to The Hollywood Reporter on Sunday. The actor died of natural causes on May 11 at the NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia University Irving Medical Center.
Newman had a number of smaller screen roles and performed on Broadway until he was cast in the 1971 car chase classic “Vanishing Point”, by director Richard C. Sarafian. He starred as a former race car driver named Kowalski who drives a Dodge Challenger across the US while avoiding cops and getting entangled in a deadly criminal conspiracy.
The film went on to be a cult classic and genre-defining epic that went on to be revered for its action set-pieces and proved to be influential on the next generation of blockbuster filmmakers.
Newman later went on to play defence lawyer Anthony J. Petrocelli...
- 6/5/2023
- by Corey Atad
- ET Canada
Over two months after Tennessee’s restrictive anti-drag law was scheduled to go into effect, a federal judge has blocked the bill, deeming it “unconstitutional.”
In a ruling issued after midnight Friday, District Judge Thomas Parker wrote that “the Court finds that — despite Tennessee’s compelling interest in protecting the psychological and physical wellbeing of children — the Adult Entertainment Act (“Aea”) is an Unconstitutional restriction on the freedom of speech.”
In late-March, after Gov. Bill Lee signed the Aea into law, Memphis-based LGBTQ theatre group Friends of George’s filed a lawsuit against the state,...
In a ruling issued after midnight Friday, District Judge Thomas Parker wrote that “the Court finds that — despite Tennessee’s compelling interest in protecting the psychological and physical wellbeing of children — the Adult Entertainment Act (“Aea”) is an Unconstitutional restriction on the freedom of speech.”
In late-March, after Gov. Bill Lee signed the Aea into law, Memphis-based LGBTQ theatre group Friends of George’s filed a lawsuit against the state,...
- 6/3/2023
- by Daniel Kreps
- Rollingstone.com
John Beasley, the actor best known for his work in the TV shows “The Soul Man” and “Everwood”, as well as a long string of memorable film roles, has died. He was 79.
The veteran character actor’s son, Mike Beasley, confirmed the news on Tuesday with a heartbreaking post on Facebook, paying tribute to his late father.
“Man…you know this is a part of life…but that doesn’t make it any easier,” Mike wrote. “I lost my best friend today. They say you shouldn’t ever meet your heroes because they don’t turn out to be who you thought they were. That is so wrong. My hero was my father.”
“Thank you for everything. I hope I made you proud. Love you more,” he added, alongside a photo of himself with his arm around his smiling father’s shoulders.
John’s other son Tyrone told The Hollywood Reporter...
The veteran character actor’s son, Mike Beasley, confirmed the news on Tuesday with a heartbreaking post on Facebook, paying tribute to his late father.
“Man…you know this is a part of life…but that doesn’t make it any easier,” Mike wrote. “I lost my best friend today. They say you shouldn’t ever meet your heroes because they don’t turn out to be who you thought they were. That is so wrong. My hero was my father.”
“Thank you for everything. I hope I made you proud. Love you more,” he added, alongside a photo of himself with his arm around his smiling father’s shoulders.
John’s other son Tyrone told The Hollywood Reporter...
- 5/31/2023
- by Corey Atad
- ET Canada
In early March, Tennessee became the first state to ban drag shows in public places.
The state’s Republican governor, Bill Lee, signed a bill that banned “adult cabaret entertainment” on public property or in locations where it can be viewed by minors, including “topless dancers, go-go dancers, exotic dancers, strippers, male or female impersonators, or similar entertainers.”
Critics of the law, which went into effect April 1, say that categorizing drag as “adult entertainment” automatically deems them sexualized performances. They also argue the language surrounding “male and female impersonators” is inherently anti-trans.
At least a dozen other states are considering similar anti-drag legislation. It was a topic of discussion at the recent taping of the “RuPaul’s Drag Race” finale.
For Season 15 contestant Aura Mayari, the anti-drag law hits close to home. “I am from Tennessee,” Mayari told TheWrap. “I always say, just keep your head up. There’s a whole community behind you.
The state’s Republican governor, Bill Lee, signed a bill that banned “adult cabaret entertainment” on public property or in locations where it can be viewed by minors, including “topless dancers, go-go dancers, exotic dancers, strippers, male or female impersonators, or similar entertainers.”
Critics of the law, which went into effect April 1, say that categorizing drag as “adult entertainment” automatically deems them sexualized performances. They also argue the language surrounding “male and female impersonators” is inherently anti-trans.
At least a dozen other states are considering similar anti-drag legislation. It was a topic of discussion at the recent taping of the “RuPaul’s Drag Race” finale.
For Season 15 contestant Aura Mayari, the anti-drag law hits close to home. “I am from Tennessee,” Mayari told TheWrap. “I always say, just keep your head up. There’s a whole community behind you.
- 4/15/2023
- by Lawrence Yee
- The Wrap
Since Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee signed a bill that would ban drag performers from staging “adult-oriented performances that are harmful to minors,” at least 14 states have proposed similar laws. Such legislation, separate but related to a broader skepticism and antagonism among Republican lawmakers toward trans-affirming care, taps into a centuries-long history in the U.S. — and in Los Angeles in particular — of government action against gender nonconformity.
In the nineteenth century in the United States, ordinances criminalizing “cross-dressing” existed at city and state levels. Initially, law enforcement used anti-masquerading laws to enforce the restriction of gender divergence. “This was part of a larger effort to really begin regulating people’s gender expression,: explains Dr. Eric Cervini, a Pulitzer finalist and historian focusing on LGBTQ+ politics. “These laws were originally constructed to prevent people from disguising themselves and rioting.”
Laws specifically prohibiting men dressing as women and women dressing as...
In the nineteenth century in the United States, ordinances criminalizing “cross-dressing” existed at city and state levels. Initially, law enforcement used anti-masquerading laws to enforce the restriction of gender divergence. “This was part of a larger effort to really begin regulating people’s gender expression,: explains Dr. Eric Cervini, a Pulitzer finalist and historian focusing on LGBTQ+ politics. “These laws were originally constructed to prevent people from disguising themselves and rioting.”
Laws specifically prohibiting men dressing as women and women dressing as...
- 4/14/2023
- by Hilton Dresden
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
John Oliver used the opening segment of Sunday’s Last Week Tonight to weigh in on the tragic event that took place in Tennessee last month, when three kids and three adults were killed in a school shooting.
Following the tragedy at Covenant School, a private elementary school in a Nashville suburb, on March 27, young activists took to the state Capitol to protest “the lack of response from the legislature while engaging in some catchy chants concerning Governor Bill Lee,” Oliver noted, before showing footage of the protesters repeatedly chanting, “Fuck Bill Lee!”
Replied the HBO show’s host: “Look, you can try and get clever with it. But at the end of the day, there’s just nothing like a chant that goes ‘fuck’ and then the name of the person that you’re mad at. It’s short. It’s sweet. It’s to the point. It’s...
Following the tragedy at Covenant School, a private elementary school in a Nashville suburb, on March 27, young activists took to the state Capitol to protest “the lack of response from the legislature while engaging in some catchy chants concerning Governor Bill Lee,” Oliver noted, before showing footage of the protesters repeatedly chanting, “Fuck Bill Lee!”
Replied the HBO show’s host: “Look, you can try and get clever with it. But at the end of the day, there’s just nothing like a chant that goes ‘fuck’ and then the name of the person that you’re mad at. It’s short. It’s sweet. It’s to the point. It’s...
- 4/10/2023
- by Kimberly Nordyke
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
A federal judge temporarily halted Tennessee’s bill that restricts public drag performances on Friday, hours before it was set to take effect on Saturday.
Judge Thomas L. Parker sided with Friends of George’s, a Memphis-based LGBTQ theatre group that filed suit against the state. “If Tennessee wishes to exercise its police power in restricting speech it considers obscene, it must do so within the constraints and framework of the United States Constitution,” Parker wrote, citing constitutional protections of freedom of speech. “The Court finds that, as it stands,...
Judge Thomas L. Parker sided with Friends of George’s, a Memphis-based LGBTQ theatre group that filed suit against the state. “If Tennessee wishes to exercise its police power in restricting speech it considers obscene, it must do so within the constraints and framework of the United States Constitution,” Parker wrote, citing constitutional protections of freedom of speech. “The Court finds that, as it stands,...
- 4/1/2023
- by Charisma Madarang
- Rollingstone.com
Melissa Joan Hart, the actor who became a ’90s teen icon thanks to her roles on Nickelodeon’s “Clarissa Explains It All” and ABC’s “Sabrina the Teenage Witch,” revealed in an emotional Instagram video that she helped young children and teachers escape the Nashville school shooting on March 27. Three adults and three 9-year-old children were killed by the 28-year-old Audrey Hale at Nashville’s Covenant School. The shooter was shot and killed by police on site.
“My kids go to school right next to a school where there was a shooting today,” Hart said in the Instagram video. “My husband and I were on our way to [their] school for conferences. Luckily our kids weren’t in today.”
Hart, who lives in Nashville, spotted children fleeing the Covenant School during the drive and stopped to help bring them to safety.
“We helped a class of kindergartners across a busy highway...
“My kids go to school right next to a school where there was a shooting today,” Hart said in the Instagram video. “My husband and I were on our way to [their] school for conferences. Luckily our kids weren’t in today.”
Hart, who lives in Nashville, spotted children fleeing the Covenant School during the drive and stopped to help bring them to safety.
“We helped a class of kindergartners across a busy highway...
- 3/29/2023
- by Zack Sharf
- Variety Film + TV
Melissa Joan Hart spoke about helping kindergartners escape the shooting at the Covenant School in Nashville earlier this week in a tearful video shared on Instagram.
Hart and her husband happened to be near the scene on Monday, while headed to the nearby school that their kids attend for a day of conferences (Hart noted her kids weren’t in school that day). The couple arrived amidst the aftermath of the shooting and soon found themselves assisting a group of kids fleeing the campus.
View this post on Instagram
A...
Hart and her husband happened to be near the scene on Monday, while headed to the nearby school that their kids attend for a day of conferences (Hart noted her kids weren’t in school that day). The couple arrived amidst the aftermath of the shooting and soon found themselves assisting a group of kids fleeing the campus.
View this post on Instagram
A...
- 3/29/2023
- by Jon Blistein
- Rollingstone.com
As host of the national country-music morning program The Bobby Bones Show, DJ Bobby Bones knows firsthand the deep-rooted connection between country music and gun culture. But that didn’t stop him from speaking out in favor of gun regulation after a school shooting in Nashville on Monday that left three 9-year-old students and three adult school staff members dead.
In an Instagram Story post on Monday, Bones wrote about the lack of nuance in the gun control debate and blamed politicians for dividing their constituents. “I am a proud gun owner,...
In an Instagram Story post on Monday, Bones wrote about the lack of nuance in the gun control debate and blamed politicians for dividing their constituents. “I am a proud gun owner,...
- 3/28/2023
- by Joseph Hudak
- Rollingstone.com
Sheryl Crow and Leann Rimes are among the celebrities sharing their “rage and heartbreak” over the mass shooting that took place at a private Christian elementary school in Nashville, Tennessee, on Monday (27 March).
The shooter, who has been identified as Audrey Hale, a 28-year-old and former student at the school, was killed at the scene by police officers who were called to the city’s Covenant School.
Three nine-year-old children were killed in the attack, and three adults. Read live updates on the incident here.
The tragedy is the 128th mass shooting in the US this year according to the Gun Violence Archive, which defines a mass shooting as an incident in which at least four people are injured or killed, excluding the shooter.
The latest shooting has been met with horror by many country stars on social media.
Singer Sheryl Crow, who lives in Nashville, wrote on Twitter: “No words…...
The shooter, who has been identified as Audrey Hale, a 28-year-old and former student at the school, was killed at the scene by police officers who were called to the city’s Covenant School.
Three nine-year-old children were killed in the attack, and three adults. Read live updates on the incident here.
The tragedy is the 128th mass shooting in the US this year according to the Gun Violence Archive, which defines a mass shooting as an incident in which at least four people are injured or killed, excluding the shooter.
The latest shooting has been met with horror by many country stars on social media.
Singer Sheryl Crow, who lives in Nashville, wrote on Twitter: “No words…...
- 3/28/2023
- by Ellie Harrison
- The Independent - Music
Rosanne Cash, Jason Isbell, Sheryl Crow, and Margo Price were just some members of the Nashville music community calling out Tennessee politicians over the state’s gun laws following a mass shooting at a private Christian school on Monday morning that left seven dead, including the shooter.
Cash and Crow along with Nashville singer-songwriter Will Hoge, all responded to Republican state senator Marsha Blackburn’s tweet saying she and her husband Chuck were “heartbroken” over the tragedy.
Don’t even. You vote against every common sense gun control bill that comes across your desk,...
Cash and Crow along with Nashville singer-songwriter Will Hoge, all responded to Republican state senator Marsha Blackburn’s tweet saying she and her husband Chuck were “heartbroken” over the tragedy.
Don’t even. You vote against every common sense gun control bill that comes across your desk,...
- 3/27/2023
- by Joseph Hudak
- Rollingstone.com
Joe Biden took a step towards marijuana decriminalization last week when he granted a mass pardon to anyone convicted of a federal crime for simple possession of the drug. He also asked governors to take similar steps, and directed his administration to review marijuana’s status as a Schedule I substance alongside hard drugs like heroin.
“Too many lives have been upended because of our failed approach to marijuana,” Biden said. “It’s time that we right these wrongs…There are thousands of people who were convicted for marijuana possession who may be denied employment,...
“Too many lives have been upended because of our failed approach to marijuana,” Biden said. “It’s time that we right these wrongs…There are thousands of people who were convicted for marijuana possession who may be denied employment,...
- 10/10/2022
- by Andy Greene
- Rollingstone.com
Foo Fighters, Lizzo, and Tyler, the Creator are set to headline the return of Bonnaroo, scheduled for Labor Day Weekend 2021.
Tame Impala, Megan Thee Stallion, and Lana Del Rey will also perform top-billed sets at the four-day festival, which — after it was forced to cancel its 2020 event due to the coronavirus pandemic — returns to “the Farm” in Manchester, Tennessee, on September 2nd through 5th, three months after the fest’s usual June scheduling.
Other acts slated to play Bonnaroo 2021 — which marks the 20th anniversary of the summer festival — include Run the Jewels,...
Tame Impala, Megan Thee Stallion, and Lana Del Rey will also perform top-billed sets at the four-day festival, which — after it was forced to cancel its 2020 event due to the coronavirus pandemic — returns to “the Farm” in Manchester, Tennessee, on September 2nd through 5th, three months after the fest’s usual June scheduling.
Other acts slated to play Bonnaroo 2021 — which marks the 20th anniversary of the summer festival — include Run the Jewels,...
- 3/31/2021
- by Daniel Kreps
- Rollingstone.com
After nearly 30 years collaborating with Spike Lee to compose the music on his films, Terence Blanchard’s soaring compositions are finally getting noticed. He got his first Oscar nomination for BlacKkKlansman, a Best Picture nominee which brought Lee his first Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay. And the morning they sat down to discuss the method of their collaboration with Mike Fleming Jr., Lee’s first words to Blanchard were congratulatory, since Da 5 Bloods had just joined the Academy’s Best Score shortlist. The pair have worked together on more than 15 films, including Malcolm X, When the Levees Broke, Jungle Fever, Inside Man and Miracle at St. Anna. Blanchard, who moonlights as a jazz musician in between scoring jobs, has also worked on the Kasi Lemmons-directed Eve’s Bayou, Anthony Hemingway’s Red Tails, executive produced by George Lucas, and the Matthew Rhys-starrer HBO series Perry Mason. Here, Blanchard and...
- 2/25/2021
- by Mike Fleming Jr
- Deadline Film + TV
Christopher Plummer died Friday at age 91. A star of the stage, film and television, Plummer’s career spanned six decades and included memorable turns in “The Sound of Music,” “Beginners” (for which he became the oldest actor to win an Oscar) and “Knives Out.” Check out some of his most memorable roles.
“The Lark” (1955)
Like many actors of his generation, Plummer honed his acting chops on the stage. Here he is backstage performing in “The Lark” by Jean Anouilh on Broadway.
“The Sound of Music” (1965)
In perhaps his most famous role, Plummer played the dashing Captain Von Trapp, a widower with seven children who falls in love with their governess, portrayed by Julie Andrews. Bill Lee provided Plummer’s singing voice in the film.
“Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country” (1991)
Plummer donned prosthetics and an eye path to portrayed the Klingon General Chang, who (naturally) had a penchant for quoting Shakespeare.
“The Lark” (1955)
Like many actors of his generation, Plummer honed his acting chops on the stage. Here he is backstage performing in “The Lark” by Jean Anouilh on Broadway.
“The Sound of Music” (1965)
In perhaps his most famous role, Plummer played the dashing Captain Von Trapp, a widower with seven children who falls in love with their governess, portrayed by Julie Andrews. Bill Lee provided Plummer’s singing voice in the film.
“Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country” (1991)
Plummer donned prosthetics and an eye path to portrayed the Klingon General Chang, who (naturally) had a penchant for quoting Shakespeare.
- 2/6/2021
- by Lawrence Yee
- The Wrap
Plummer in "Battle of Britain" (1969).
By Lee Pfeiffer
Christopher Plummer, the world-acclaimed star of stage, screen and television, has passed away at age 91. Complications from a fall in his Connecticut home were cited as the cause of death. Plummer never had to make his way up the ranks on the big screen. He received prominent billing in his movie debut in Sidney Lumet's 1958 production of "Stage Struck"- and henceforth he would generally enjoy starring roles. Plummer moved with ease between films, stage and TV, earning critical plaudits along the way, as well as winning two Tony Awards and a late career Oscar for the film "Beginnings" in 2010. He was especially acclaimed for his work in Shakespearean productions in the U.S., England and Canada. Plummer, a native Canadian, became a legend by playing the male lead, Captain von Trapp, in the 1965 Oscar-winning film production of "The Sound of Music...
By Lee Pfeiffer
Christopher Plummer, the world-acclaimed star of stage, screen and television, has passed away at age 91. Complications from a fall in his Connecticut home were cited as the cause of death. Plummer never had to make his way up the ranks on the big screen. He received prominent billing in his movie debut in Sidney Lumet's 1958 production of "Stage Struck"- and henceforth he would generally enjoy starring roles. Plummer moved with ease between films, stage and TV, earning critical plaudits along the way, as well as winning two Tony Awards and a late career Oscar for the film "Beginnings" in 2010. He was especially acclaimed for his work in Shakespearean productions in the U.S., England and Canada. Plummer, a native Canadian, became a legend by playing the male lead, Captain von Trapp, in the 1965 Oscar-winning film production of "The Sound of Music...
- 2/5/2021
- by nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
Christopher Plummer, the prolific actor who starred in The Sound of Music, Beginners, The Last Station and countless more, died Friday, February 5th. He was 91.
Plummer’s manager, Lou Pitt, confirmed his death, in a statement to Variety, “Chris was an extraordinary man who deeply loved and respected his profession with great old fashion manners, self deprecating humor and the music of words. He was a National Treasure who deeply relished his Canadian roots. Through his art and humanity, he touched all of our hearts and his legendary life will...
Plummer’s manager, Lou Pitt, confirmed his death, in a statement to Variety, “Chris was an extraordinary man who deeply loved and respected his profession with great old fashion manners, self deprecating humor and the music of words. He was a National Treasure who deeply relished his Canadian roots. Through his art and humanity, he touched all of our hearts and his legendary life will...
- 2/5/2021
- by Jon Blistein
- Rollingstone.com
Spike Lee’s next project will be a movie musical based on the origin story of the Pfizer erectile dysfunction drug Viagra, the filmmaker announced Tuesday, November 17th.
Based on David Kushner’s 2018 article “All Rise: The Untold Story of the Guys Who Launched Viagra,” originally published in Esquire, the movie will be directed by Lee from a screenplay he wrote with Kwame Kwei-Armah. The film will feature original songs by Stew Stewart and Heidi Rodewald, who also wrote for the Tony Award-winning musical Passing Strange.
Alongside the movie announcement,...
Based on David Kushner’s 2018 article “All Rise: The Untold Story of the Guys Who Launched Viagra,” originally published in Esquire, the movie will be directed by Lee from a screenplay he wrote with Kwame Kwei-Armah. The film will feature original songs by Stew Stewart and Heidi Rodewald, who also wrote for the Tony Award-winning musical Passing Strange.
Alongside the movie announcement,...
- 11/17/2020
- by Claire Shaffer
- Rollingstone.com
Viagra has had a strong place in pop culture since it made its debut in 1998. Former Senator Bob Dole and soccer star Pelé pitched the erectile disfunction drug in ads, while countless shows and movies have used it as fodder for jokes over the last two decades. Now, the little blue pill is inspiring the next Spike Lee Joint: Lee is set to direct a musical take on the origins of the medication. (Via Deadline).
Lee co-wrote the screenplay with Kwame Kwei-Armah, and based it on David Kushner’s Esquire article “All Rise: The Untold Story of The Guys Who Launched Viagra.”
Inspired by Pfizer’s discovery and launch of Viagra, originally intended as a heart-related drug, original songs will be written by Stew Stewart and Heidi Rodewald, creators of the Tony-winning musical “Passing Strange.” Lee directed a filmed version of that stage production that was released in 2009.
Lee’s...
Lee co-wrote the screenplay with Kwame Kwei-Armah, and based it on David Kushner’s Esquire article “All Rise: The Untold Story of The Guys Who Launched Viagra.”
Inspired by Pfizer’s discovery and launch of Viagra, originally intended as a heart-related drug, original songs will be written by Stew Stewart and Heidi Rodewald, creators of the Tony-winning musical “Passing Strange.” Lee directed a filmed version of that stage production that was released in 2009.
Lee’s...
- 11/17/2020
- by Chris Lindahl
- Indiewire
Spike Lee has found his next project, a musical that will tell the story of the development and accidental invention of the erectile dysfunction medication Viagra.
Lee will direct the untitled film for Entertainment One from a screenplay he wrote with Kwame Kwei-Armah. The project is based on an article in Esquire by David Kushner from 2018, “All Rise: The Untold Story of the Guys Who Launched Viagra.”
Stew Stewart and Heidi Rodewald, who previously wrote the musical “Passing Strange” that Lee directed a filmed version of, will write original songs and music for the Viagra project.
Matt Jackson’s Jackson Pictures will produce with Lee’s 40 Acres and a Mule Filmworks. The project will be the next Spike Lee Joint. Joanne Lee of Jackson Pictures and David Kushner will executive produce.
Lee had a lot of people to thank and a lot of excitement for this latest film, which you...
Lee will direct the untitled film for Entertainment One from a screenplay he wrote with Kwame Kwei-Armah. The project is based on an article in Esquire by David Kushner from 2018, “All Rise: The Untold Story of the Guys Who Launched Viagra.”
Stew Stewart and Heidi Rodewald, who previously wrote the musical “Passing Strange” that Lee directed a filmed version of, will write original songs and music for the Viagra project.
Matt Jackson’s Jackson Pictures will produce with Lee’s 40 Acres and a Mule Filmworks. The project will be the next Spike Lee Joint. Joanne Lee of Jackson Pictures and David Kushner will executive produce.
Lee had a lot of people to thank and a lot of excitement for this latest film, which you...
- 11/17/2020
- by Brian Welk
- The Wrap
Spike Lee’s next project will be a movie musical about the origin story of Viagra, Pfizer’s erectile dysfunction drug.
The Entertainment One film is based on David Kushner’s Esquire article titled “All Rise: The Untold Story of the Guys Who Launched Viagra.”
Lee is directing the untitled musical from a screenplay he wrote with Kwame Kwei-Armah. The movie will feature original songs and music penned by Stew Stewart and Heidi Rodewald, the duo behind the Tony-winning musical “Passing Strange.”
In a statement, Lee said, “First And Foremost,I Thank Ms. Jacquelyn Shelton Lee. I Thank My Late Mother For As She Would Say Taking “My Narrow,Rusty Behind” Dragging,Kickin’ And Screamin’ To The Movies When I Wuz A Nappy Headed Kid Growing Up In Da Streets Of Da People’s Republic Of Brooklyn. I Did Not Want To See Corny People Singin’ And Dancin’. I Instead...
The Entertainment One film is based on David Kushner’s Esquire article titled “All Rise: The Untold Story of the Guys Who Launched Viagra.”
Lee is directing the untitled musical from a screenplay he wrote with Kwame Kwei-Armah. The movie will feature original songs and music penned by Stew Stewart and Heidi Rodewald, the duo behind the Tony-winning musical “Passing Strange.”
In a statement, Lee said, “First And Foremost,I Thank Ms. Jacquelyn Shelton Lee. I Thank My Late Mother For As She Would Say Taking “My Narrow,Rusty Behind” Dragging,Kickin’ And Screamin’ To The Movies When I Wuz A Nappy Headed Kid Growing Up In Da Streets Of Da People’s Republic Of Brooklyn. I Did Not Want To See Corny People Singin’ And Dancin’. I Instead...
- 11/17/2020
- by Rebecca Rubin
- Variety Film + TV
The headline sort of says it all, and frankly there’s maybe not much else necessary to convince, but for the sake of details: Deadline reports Spike Lee will direct a currently untitled musical based on David Kushner’s Esquire article All Rise: The Untold Story of The Guys Who Launched Viagra, as scripted by himself and playwright Kwame Kwei-Armah; songs are by Stew Stewart and Heidi Rodewald, whose musical Passing Strange was given film treatment by Lee in 2009. Entertainment One are behind the project in conjunction with 40 Acres and a Mule.
A cursory glance through Kushner’s article will foretell certain of Lee’s interests—corporate America, public image, family strife, integrations (or resistance to) with social mores—which is to say nothing of his musical fortes. And of course it’s just funny to imagine a Spike Lee musical about Viagra. We are not above that base amusement.
A cursory glance through Kushner’s article will foretell certain of Lee’s interests—corporate America, public image, family strife, integrations (or resistance to) with social mores—which is to say nothing of his musical fortes. And of course it’s just funny to imagine a Spike Lee musical about Viagra. We are not above that base amusement.
- 11/17/2020
- by Leonard Pearce
- The Film Stage
Exclusive: While drug manufacturer Pfizer has lately been getting headlines for its potential breakthrough Covid-19 vaccine, Studio Entertainment One and Spike Lee are prepping an untitled tumescent tuner on the breakthrough of an earlier Pfizer miracle drug: Viagra. Lee will direct from a screenplay he has written with Kwame Kwei-Armah.
The original songs and music will be written by the acclaimed songwriting team of Stew Stewart and Heidi Rodewald, who previously created the Tony-winning musical Passing Strange. The musical is based on the David Kushner Esquire article All Rise: The Untold Story of The Guys Who Launched Viagra. It is inspired by the true events surrounding around Pfizer’s discovery and launch of the erectile dysfunction drug Viagra (Sildenafil), which was hatched as a treatment for heart-related chest pain only for researchers to find its game-changing qualities occurred below the belt. The little blue pill had immediate staying power in the global marketplace,...
The original songs and music will be written by the acclaimed songwriting team of Stew Stewart and Heidi Rodewald, who previously created the Tony-winning musical Passing Strange. The musical is based on the David Kushner Esquire article All Rise: The Untold Story of The Guys Who Launched Viagra. It is inspired by the true events surrounding around Pfizer’s discovery and launch of the erectile dysfunction drug Viagra (Sildenafil), which was hatched as a treatment for heart-related chest pain only for researchers to find its game-changing qualities occurred below the belt. The little blue pill had immediate staying power in the global marketplace,...
- 11/17/2020
- by Mike Fleming Jr
- Deadline Film + TV
Despite the near-absence of on-camera masks during the 54th CMA Awards ceremony Wednesday, the Country Music Association maintains that it was “extremely diligent” in making sure that the indoor ceremony, performed before a live audience, was held in a safe manner.
Darius Rucker and Reba McEntire hosted the ceremony, which was broadcast on ABC live from Music City Center in downtown Nashville, Tenn. A fraction of the usual number of attendees were in the audience, and they were seated at tables and banquettes that were spaced apart from each other throughout the indoor venue. During the evening, several attendees appeared to have clear,...
Darius Rucker and Reba McEntire hosted the ceremony, which was broadcast on ABC live from Music City Center in downtown Nashville, Tenn. A fraction of the usual number of attendees were in the audience, and they were seated at tables and banquettes that were spaced apart from each other throughout the indoor venue. During the evening, several attendees appeared to have clear,...
- 11/12/2020
- by Kimberly Roots
- TVLine.com
A federal judge Monday permanently struck down as unconstitutional an anti-abortion bill in Georgia — legislation that prompted protests from Hollwyood last year and had some threatening to move production out of the state if it was ever enforced.
U.S. District Judge Steve Jones ruled against Georgia in a lawsuit filed by reproductive rights groups and several physicians. He had first blocked the bill with a temporary restraining order last October before it was scheduled to take effect in January. Both sides presented their cases again in a hearing last month. And both were waiting for a decision. The new ruling permanently enjoins the state from ever enforcing House Bill 481.
“The district court blocked Georgia’s abortion ban, because it violates over 50 years of Supreme Court precedent and fails to trust women to make their own personal decisions. This case has always been about one thing: letting her decide. It...
U.S. District Judge Steve Jones ruled against Georgia in a lawsuit filed by reproductive rights groups and several physicians. He had first blocked the bill with a temporary restraining order last October before it was scheduled to take effect in January. Both sides presented their cases again in a hearing last month. And both were waiting for a decision. The new ruling permanently enjoins the state from ever enforcing House Bill 481.
“The district court blocked Georgia’s abortion ban, because it violates over 50 years of Supreme Court precedent and fails to trust women to make their own personal decisions. This case has always been about one thing: letting her decide. It...
- 7/13/2020
- by Jill Goldsmith
- Deadline Film + TV
Update (6/5): A Nashville judge has ruled that Tennessee must provide registered voters the opportunity to vote by mail-in ballot. “In this time of the worldwide Covid-19 pandemic and its contagion in gatherings of people, almost all states – both Republican and Democrat – are providing their citizens the health protection of a voting by mail option,” Davidson County chancellor Ellen Hobbs Lyle wrote. Fiona Prine, who has been advocating for absentee voting, tweeted that the judge’s decision is a “great step forward. Thank you to the courts for upholding our right to vote safely.
- 6/4/2020
- by Joseph Hudak
- Rollingstone.com
Final Oscar voting begins today, and Deadline is providing a last call to consider the films nominated for the Best Picture Oscar. The hope is that these will remind voters how they felt when they saw these great films, and pull the focus away from the toxic narratives that have marred this long awards season. This started last week with Sean Penn’s impassioned column on Bradley Cooper and A Star Is Born. Next is BlacKkKlansman, nominated for six awards including Best Picture, Best Supporting Actor (Adam Driver), Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Director for Spike Lee, who would be the first black filmmaker in film history to win the award. What follows is conversation with Harry Belafonte and Lee on how a long relationship led to one of the most chilling and stirring scenes in that or any other 2018 film.
Of all the powerful scenes Best Director nominee Spike...
Of all the powerful scenes Best Director nominee Spike...
- 2/12/2019
- by Mike Fleming Jr
- Deadline Film + TV
When Brothers Osborne snapped Florida Georgia Line’s three-year run as Vocal Duo of the Year at the 2016 Cma Awards, it was a pivotal moment in country music. The Deale, Maryland, sibling duo of singer Tj Osborne and guitarist John Osborne represented a return to the rootsy side of the genre, while bro-country kings Fgl were the epitome of slick and polished radio country. Now the once underdog Brothers Osborne have the chance to three-peat at this year’s Cma Awards, airing live November 14th on ABC.
“All genres of...
“All genres of...
- 11/7/2018
- by Joseph Hudak
- Rollingstone.com
While mainstream country music in the Trump era has begun to wade quietly into the realm of resistance politics — Little Big Town showing up at the March for Our Lives rally, Cam’s support for the Women’s March and artists departing en masse from their relationships with NRA Country — most have stopped short of openly supporting a candidate. Enter Brothers Osborne, one of Music Row’s most politically vocal acts. The Cma Award-winning duo will appear and perform at a Nashville fundraiser on September 18th for Tennessee Democratic gubernatorial candidate Karl Dean,...
- 9/10/2018
- by Marissa R. Moss
- Rollingstone.com
The following is excerpted from “Between Screenings,” a memoir by Peter Scarlet forthcoming from Seven Stories Press.
It’s hard to believe 32 years have flown by since Spike Lee first appeared at Cannes, but that’s when Pierre-Henri Deleau, selected “She’s Gotta Have It” for Directors’ Fortnight. Two months earlier, the film’s very successful World Premiere screening had been at the San Francisco International Film Festival. Except it was almost a disaster!
Since we’d screened Spike’s hour-long student film “Joe’s Bed-Stuy Barbershop: We Cut Heads” at Sf in 1983, those of us who programmed the fest were looking forward eagerly to the chance to see his feature debut. When he sent us a copy of “She’s Gotta Have It” we were not disappointed! Not only had he written, produced and directed the new film, he also played one of the leads, and the films’ score was by his father,...
It’s hard to believe 32 years have flown by since Spike Lee first appeared at Cannes, but that’s when Pierre-Henri Deleau, selected “She’s Gotta Have It” for Directors’ Fortnight. Two months earlier, the film’s very successful World Premiere screening had been at the San Francisco International Film Festival. Except it was almost a disaster!
Since we’d screened Spike’s hour-long student film “Joe’s Bed-Stuy Barbershop: We Cut Heads” at Sf in 1983, those of us who programmed the fest were looking forward eagerly to the chance to see his feature debut. When he sent us a copy of “She’s Gotta Have It” we were not disappointed! Not only had he written, produced and directed the new film, he also played one of the leads, and the films’ score was by his father,...
- 5/16/2018
- by Peter Scarlet
- Indiewire
Prof. Caryl Flinn on the enduring appeal of The Sound of Music
Spring is finally here in Michigan. I was gathering my thoughts for this column while walking my dog and out of nowhere saw a young woman in the green, guitar in hand. Even without any drapery-clad “urchins” around her, she showed me that The Sound Of Music is always ready to bump into real life.
There’s not a line of the film that I don’t know by heart, a time that I don’t cry when the Captain breaks ranks with his hyper-disciplined masculinity and speak-sings for the first time. My mom first took me to see it for the first time, and then eventually agreed to pay the exorbitant special price for the soundtrack LP: $6.00. We listened to it together, over and over.
Spring is finally here in Michigan. I was gathering my thoughts for this column while walking my dog and out of nowhere saw a young woman in the green, guitar in hand. Even without any drapery-clad “urchins” around her, she showed me that The Sound Of Music is always ready to bump into real life.
There’s not a line of the film that I don’t know by heart, a time that I don’t cry when the Captain breaks ranks with his hyper-disciplined masculinity and speak-sings for the first time. My mom first took me to see it for the first time, and then eventually agreed to pay the exorbitant special price for the soundtrack LP: $6.00. We listened to it together, over and over.
- 5/3/2018
- by Prof. Caryl Flinn
- Pure Movies
Back in the late 1980s when Spike Lee was helping to revolutionize the indie film world with vibrant, colorful, emotional and music-filled epics like School Daze and Do the Right Thing, his brother Cinqué Lee was traveling in the exact opposite direction with his own debut directorial effort, the drab and dreary Window on Your Present.
But, be warned: “Drab and dreary” are merely descriptions of this lovely, resurrected masterpiece and not criticisms to be lobbed against it. The film has gone largely unseen in the past 30 years, but has been recently released by BrinkDVD. It’s a shame it’s been out of the spotlight all this time since, based on the accomplished, thoughtful filmmaking on display in this first film. Had Window on the Present been released when it was made, Cinqué could have had an equally stellar career along with his more famous brother. Talent in the...
But, be warned: “Drab and dreary” are merely descriptions of this lovely, resurrected masterpiece and not criticisms to be lobbed against it. The film has gone largely unseen in the past 30 years, but has been recently released by BrinkDVD. It’s a shame it’s been out of the spotlight all this time since, based on the accomplished, thoughtful filmmaking on display in this first film. Had Window on the Present been released when it was made, Cinqué could have had an equally stellar career along with his more famous brother. Talent in the...
- 3/14/2012
- by Mike Everleth
- Underground Film Journal
Welcome to The Ultimate Silver Screen Mixtape, a collection of many all time best musical moments in cinema. What I’m striving for here is an overhaul of moments that are elevated, punctuated or immortalized by the film’s soundtrack. That said; let’s jump right in!
I’ve only heard one Sam Cooke song in my life but I think many, if not most of you, will agree that “A Change Is Gonna Come” is an immensely moving piece of music on its lonesome. In the United States, it has been appropriated as symbolic of the Civil Rights era, and its not surprising that Mr. Cooke wrote and performed it precisely as a response to several incidents that beset him in those middle years of the movement. Pieces like “A Change Is Gonna Come” have consequences when contrasted with images, and Spike Lee certainly knew the stakes when he...
I’ve only heard one Sam Cooke song in my life but I think many, if not most of you, will agree that “A Change Is Gonna Come” is an immensely moving piece of music on its lonesome. In the United States, it has been appropriated as symbolic of the Civil Rights era, and its not surprising that Mr. Cooke wrote and performed it precisely as a response to several incidents that beset him in those middle years of the movement. Pieces like “A Change Is Gonna Come” have consequences when contrasted with images, and Spike Lee certainly knew the stakes when he...
- 5/27/2011
- by Mark Zhuravsky
- Obsessed with Film
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