In 1967, Dolly Parton’s career reached new heights when Porter Wagoner invited her to appear on his television show. The spot on The Porter Wagoner Show brought her increased exposure, and their duets consistently landed her in the Top 10 on country charts. Still, Parton bristled at the notion that Wagoner discovered her. She had been working as a musician for a long time before she joined Wagoner on his show.
Dolly Parton said Porter Wagoner did not discover her
Parton was unquestionably grateful for the impact Wagoner had on her career. Still, she wondered if he got a bit too much credit for her success. She believed her uncle did more to get her started as a musician.
“I sometimes wonder if Porter doesn’t take more credit than he deserves,” she wrote in the book Dolly: My Life and Other Unfinished Business. “On the other hand, I often wonder if he gets enough credit.
Dolly Parton said Porter Wagoner did not discover her
Parton was unquestionably grateful for the impact Wagoner had on her career. Still, she wondered if he got a bit too much credit for her success. She believed her uncle did more to get her started as a musician.
“I sometimes wonder if Porter doesn’t take more credit than he deserves,” she wrote in the book Dolly: My Life and Other Unfinished Business. “On the other hand, I often wonder if he gets enough credit.
- 4/28/2024
- by Emma McKee
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
“Michael,” the upcoming biopic about pop legend Michael Jackson that seems guaranteed to spark conversation, debuted a dazzling and emotional first look at CinemaCon during Lionsgate’s presentation to theater owners on Thursday in Las Vegas.
The sweeping footage starts as hysterical fans scream along to Jackson as he owns the stage, flashing between performances of his biggest hits like “Man in the Mirror” and “Thriller.” The movie, which is still in production, will feature over 30 songs and recreate several performances of them, starting with Jackson 5’s classic rendition of “ABC” on “American Bandstand.”
Directed by Antoine Fuqua, “Michael” promises to be a sweeping look at the musician’s life, including the emotional toll that being a superstar took on the shy and private man behind the moonwalk. The trailer also captures Jackson as he’s stalked by adoring crowds and paparazzi.
“There might be some people who think you’re different,...
The sweeping footage starts as hysterical fans scream along to Jackson as he owns the stage, flashing between performances of his biggest hits like “Man in the Mirror” and “Thriller.” The movie, which is still in production, will feature over 30 songs and recreate several performances of them, starting with Jackson 5’s classic rendition of “ABC” on “American Bandstand.”
Directed by Antoine Fuqua, “Michael” promises to be a sweeping look at the musician’s life, including the emotional toll that being a superstar took on the shy and private man behind the moonwalk. The trailer also captures Jackson as he’s stalked by adoring crowds and paparazzi.
“There might be some people who think you’re different,...
- 4/10/2024
- by Rebecca Rubin and Brent Lang
- Variety Film + TV
Annie, are you okay? You look like you might faint after producer Graham King turned up at CinemaCon to surprise the crowd with a first look at Antoine Fuqua’s Michael Jackson biopic, Michael. Said to be an emotionally intense depiction of the King of Pop, Michael is positioning itself as a Huge event film. JoBlo’s editor-in-chief, Chris Bumbray, is in the crowd and says Michael will surely be controversial.
During his presentation, Graham said he knows everyone has an opinion about Michael Jackson, for good or ill. However, he did change the world of pop music forever, and his controversy made him a fascinating subject for Fuqua’s film. Graham also said Jackson was an enigma, but behind everything was a man with a very complicated, difficult life.
Michael contains 30 songs from Jackson’s legendary catalog. Next, a trailer played for the crowd, showing Jaafar Jackson as the Gloved One.
During his presentation, Graham said he knows everyone has an opinion about Michael Jackson, for good or ill. However, he did change the world of pop music forever, and his controversy made him a fascinating subject for Fuqua’s film. Graham also said Jackson was an enigma, but behind everything was a man with a very complicated, difficult life.
Michael contains 30 songs from Jackson’s legendary catalog. Next, a trailer played for the crowd, showing Jaafar Jackson as the Gloved One.
- 4/10/2024
- by Steve Seigh
- JoBlo.com
Exclusive: Stevie Van Zandt, a member of Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band, has had a long association with television, starring as Silvio Dante in The Sopranos and leading Netflix’s Lilyhammer.
The musician and actor is now looking to merge the two with a music television format, The Jam.
Van Zandt has teamed up with Apploff Entertainment, the company behind Fox game shows Don’t Forget The Lyrics and We Are Family, to develop the project.
A weekly live-to-tape event, the series is inspired by classic series such as American Bandstand and Soul Train as well as MTV Unplugged. It will bring together global pop stars and new artists with performances, story packages and interviews.
It is the latest music format for Jeff Apploff’s company; in addition to Don’t Forget The Lyrics, the company is behind Fox’s Beat Shazam. Elsewhere, it produces CBS’ Lotería Loca and NBC’s The Wheel.
The musician and actor is now looking to merge the two with a music television format, The Jam.
Van Zandt has teamed up with Apploff Entertainment, the company behind Fox game shows Don’t Forget The Lyrics and We Are Family, to develop the project.
A weekly live-to-tape event, the series is inspired by classic series such as American Bandstand and Soul Train as well as MTV Unplugged. It will bring together global pop stars and new artists with performances, story packages and interviews.
It is the latest music format for Jeff Apploff’s company; in addition to Don’t Forget The Lyrics, the company is behind Fox’s Beat Shazam. Elsewhere, it produces CBS’ Lotería Loca and NBC’s The Wheel.
- 4/2/2024
- by Peter White
- Deadline Film + TV
The cast of Lionsgate and Universal Pictures International’s forthcoming Michael Jackson biopic Michael has come into focus lately with the casting of many of the film’s pivotal roles. The studios announced on Monday, March 25th that they have cast several new key roles in the highly anticipated film, now in production, with a group of individuals who have featured prominently throughout Michael’s life.
Chief among them is Larenz Tate, who plays Motown Records founder and impresario Berry Gordy – the man who redefined American music by developing and giving a national platform to such acts as Smokey Robinson & the Miracles, Diana Ross & the Supremes, the Temptations, Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, the Four Tops, Gladys Knight and the Pips – and the Jackson 5 – to name a few.
Other new prominent roles include the following:
Kat Graham plays the legendary Diana Ross, lead singer of the chart-topping Motown group The Supremes,...
Chief among them is Larenz Tate, who plays Motown Records founder and impresario Berry Gordy – the man who redefined American music by developing and giving a national platform to such acts as Smokey Robinson & the Miracles, Diana Ross & the Supremes, the Temptations, Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, the Four Tops, Gladys Knight and the Pips – and the Jackson 5 – to name a few.
Other new prominent roles include the following:
Kat Graham plays the legendary Diana Ross, lead singer of the chart-topping Motown group The Supremes,...
- 3/25/2024
- by Editor
- CinemaNerdz
Antoine Fuqua’s Michael Jackson biopic, Micheal, is one of the most anticipated film projects in recent memory. Bringing the King of Pop’s story to life on the silver screen is a Herculean task, and you need shining stars to help it burn bright on screens. Today, Lionsgate and Universal Pictures International announced new vital roles for the forthcoming film, including actors to play La Toya Jackson, Dick Clark, Diana Ross, and more!
Per today’s official press release courtesy of Lionsgate and Universal Pictures International:
Larenz Tate plays Berry Gordy, the Motown Records founder and impresario. Gordy is the man who redefined American music by developing and giving a national platform to such acts as Smokey Robinson & the Miracles, Diana Ross & the Supremes, the Temptations, Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, the Four Tops, Gladys Knight and the Pips – and the Jackson 5 – to name a few.
Kat Graham plays the legendary Diana Ross,...
Per today’s official press release courtesy of Lionsgate and Universal Pictures International:
Larenz Tate plays Berry Gordy, the Motown Records founder and impresario. Gordy is the man who redefined American music by developing and giving a national platform to such acts as Smokey Robinson & the Miracles, Diana Ross & the Supremes, the Temptations, Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, the Four Tops, Gladys Knight and the Pips – and the Jackson 5 – to name a few.
Kat Graham plays the legendary Diana Ross,...
- 3/25/2024
- by Steve Seigh
- JoBlo.com
A host of conspiracy theories surrounded the sudden disappearance of pioneering transgender soul singer Jackie Shane from the music world in 1971 after she packed Toronto nightclubs during the 1960s, only to resurface when news of her death in Nashville broke in 2019.
Despite leaving the public eye, the Nashville-born R&b performer’s celebrated, yet complicated legacy lived on in Jackie Shane Live, a bootlegged 1967 live set recording of Shane performing at Toronto’s famed Saphire Tavern that caught the ear of local filmmaker and music fan Michael Mabbott.
Mabbott talked to The Hollywood Reporter before his documentary, Any Other Way: The Jackie Shane Story — which he co-directed with Lucah Rosenberg-Lee and is executive produced by Elliot Page — world premieres at the South by Southwest Festival on Saturday.
“I was just so intrigued by her story, but no one knew anything besides she had disappeared, with very mysterious rumors and conjecture...
Despite leaving the public eye, the Nashville-born R&b performer’s celebrated, yet complicated legacy lived on in Jackie Shane Live, a bootlegged 1967 live set recording of Shane performing at Toronto’s famed Saphire Tavern that caught the ear of local filmmaker and music fan Michael Mabbott.
Mabbott talked to The Hollywood Reporter before his documentary, Any Other Way: The Jackie Shane Story — which he co-directed with Lucah Rosenberg-Lee and is executive produced by Elliot Page — world premieres at the South by Southwest Festival on Saturday.
“I was just so intrigued by her story, but no one knew anything besides she had disappeared, with very mysterious rumors and conjecture...
- 3/8/2024
- by Etan Vlessing
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Bill Hayes, the actor and singer who with his real-life wife, Susan Seaforth Hayes, starred on NBC’s Days of Our Lives as the beloved first couple of daytime television, died Friday in Los Angeles, a rep from the show told The Hollywood Reporter. He was 98.
Before he was known as a soap opera legend, Hayes was a regular on Sid Caesar‘s famed live TV variety program Your Show of Shows, and in 1955 he had the No. 1 song in America, “The Ballad of Davy Crockett.”
He also partnered in a nightclub act with future Brady Bunch star Florence Henderson; they were known as “The Singing Sweethearts” and sang about Oldsmobiles on TV commercials, many of them performed live.
Hayes joined Days of Our Lives to play con artist/lounge singer Doug Williams in February 1970. Seaforth Hayes, who portrayed the spoiled heiress Julie Olsen Banning Anderson Williams, had joined the show 15 months earlier.
Before he was known as a soap opera legend, Hayes was a regular on Sid Caesar‘s famed live TV variety program Your Show of Shows, and in 1955 he had the No. 1 song in America, “The Ballad of Davy Crockett.”
He also partnered in a nightclub act with future Brady Bunch star Florence Henderson; they were known as “The Singing Sweethearts” and sang about Oldsmobiles on TV commercials, many of them performed live.
Hayes joined Days of Our Lives to play con artist/lounge singer Doug Williams in February 1970. Seaforth Hayes, who portrayed the spoiled heiress Julie Olsen Banning Anderson Williams, had joined the show 15 months earlier.
- 1/13/2024
- by Mike Barnes
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Dick Clark and Barry Manilow had a friendship that spanned decades. But there was one of Manilow’s songs that Clark loved more than any other. It was such a favorite it was a midnight request for a decade of his annual New Year’s Rockin’ Eve special.
Barry Manilow made a ‘friend for life’ in Dick Clark
Barry Manilow shared details regarding his long friendship with Dick Clark with Billboard. He said he made a “friend for life” with the entertainment personality.
“My first national television appearance ever was on American Bandstand at the end of 1974, when ‘Mandy’ came out,” Manilow recalled to Billboard. “I sang ‘Mandy’ on the show. The next week, it went to No. 1, and I had a pop career and a friend for life.”
“Dick and I, I don’t know. He connected with what I do,” Manilow revealed.
“He just got me, even in those early days.
Barry Manilow made a ‘friend for life’ in Dick Clark
Barry Manilow shared details regarding his long friendship with Dick Clark with Billboard. He said he made a “friend for life” with the entertainment personality.
“My first national television appearance ever was on American Bandstand at the end of 1974, when ‘Mandy’ came out,” Manilow recalled to Billboard. “I sang ‘Mandy’ on the show. The next week, it went to No. 1, and I had a pop career and a friend for life.”
“Dick and I, I don’t know. He connected with what I do,” Manilow revealed.
“He just got me, even in those early days.
- 12/31/2023
- by Lucille Barilla
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
The first episode of David X. Cohen's and Matt Groening's animated sci-fi sitcom "Futurama," called "Space Pilot 3000," saw the directionless twentysomething Fry (Billy West) wandering into a cryogenics lab, delivering a pizza just minutes before midnight. No one is there. He checks the order slip and sees that the pizza was ordered by "I.C. Wiener." He is despondent and annoyed. The year 2000 is about to begin, and he opens a beer, depressed to be ringing in the millennium alone and at a dead end in life. Then he trips. Fry lands in a cryogenic tube, and he is immediately flash-frozen. He will remain frozen for nearly 1000 years.
When he awakens, it is still New Year's Eve, only in 2999. The future is a strange and wondrous place. There are space aliens living on Earth, wandering through the streets of vast, towering metropoles. Sentient robots walk among us ... and are alcoholics.
When he awakens, it is still New Year's Eve, only in 2999. The future is a strange and wondrous place. There are space aliens living on Earth, wandering through the streets of vast, towering metropoles. Sentient robots walk among us ... and are alcoholics.
- 9/24/2023
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
Good morning, Baltimore!
In 1988, director John Waters debuted his wacky, irreverent quasi-musical “Hairspray” in theaters. The story of Tracy Turnblad (Ricki Lake), a young Baltimore teen desperate to become a star on the Corny Collins show, went on to gross over $8 million at the box office that year on a $2.7 million budget, garnering six Independent Spirit Award nominations and the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival. It also marked the mainstream explosion of Waters, whose campy spirit connected with audiences at large as “Hairspray” has since become a bona fide fan favorite, with a long-running Broadway show that was also adapted into a true movie musical in 2007.
Waters, who has gone on to make other cult classics including “Serial Mom” and “Polyestor,” attributes the film’s success to not talking down to its audience, no matter how misguided they might be. “It’s a political movie without anyone preaching,...
In 1988, director John Waters debuted his wacky, irreverent quasi-musical “Hairspray” in theaters. The story of Tracy Turnblad (Ricki Lake), a young Baltimore teen desperate to become a star on the Corny Collins show, went on to gross over $8 million at the box office that year on a $2.7 million budget, garnering six Independent Spirit Award nominations and the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival. It also marked the mainstream explosion of Waters, whose campy spirit connected with audiences at large as “Hairspray” has since become a bona fide fan favorite, with a long-running Broadway show that was also adapted into a true movie musical in 2007.
Waters, who has gone on to make other cult classics including “Serial Mom” and “Polyestor,” attributes the film’s success to not talking down to its audience, no matter how misguided they might be. “It’s a political movie without anyone preaching,...
- 9/14/2023
- by Kristen Lopez
- The Wrap
At first, the title of Alex Gibney’s “In Restless Dreams: The Music of Paul Simon” seems as if it could be a warning about the director’s approach in this supersized documentary. The film, its title seems to be saying, is about the music of Simon, not the life or the loves or the times of Simon. But it turns out that the music is a gateway to all those other things in this three-and-a-half hour film that covers most of what you’d want to know about the seminal singer-songwriter.
Partly, that’s because Gibney’s jumping off point is Simon’s new album, “Seven Psalms,” an uncommonly personal and soul-searching work for the man who’s been writing songs for seven decades. A half-hour meditation on faith and mortality that came to Simon in a dream and was written during a time when he’d begun to...
Partly, that’s because Gibney’s jumping off point is Simon’s new album, “Seven Psalms,” an uncommonly personal and soul-searching work for the man who’s been writing songs for seven decades. A half-hour meditation on faith and mortality that came to Simon in a dream and was written during a time when he’d begun to...
- 9/10/2023
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
This week marks the 40th anniversary of Madonna’s self-titled debut album. The Detroit-born, New York City-made legend was cutting her teeth at the clubs when her song “Everybody” had taken off in the early Eighties — and its success eventually helped get her signed by Sire’s Seymour Stein. When Madonna was released on July 27, 1983, it would set off a slow burn that would eventually scorch every corner of the pop culture world.
Six months after releasing the album, Madonna was beginning to see her singles like “Burning Up” and...
Six months after releasing the album, Madonna was beginning to see her singles like “Burning Up” and...
- 7/27/2023
- by Brittany Spanos
- Rollingstone.com
It’s hard to imagine Dolly Parton being afraid of anything. But that’s part of the charm of the Queen of Country—she’s always been honest about her fears. Along with her lifelong fear of the dark, Parton is also quite the nervous flyer.
Dolly Parton’s trip to Chicago
One of the first big developments in Parton’s career was signing with Fred Foster at Monument Records
“Fred invested a lot of time and effort and money in me,” Parton wrote in her 1994 memoir, Dolly: My Life and Other Unfinished Business. “He bought clothes for me so that I would ‘look the part’ and made a great effort to get me known.”
Foster was always looking for different ways to promote Parton. One day, he booked her on “American Bandstand” and at a jukebox convention in Chicago.
Dolly’s first flight and where her fear of flying...
Dolly Parton’s trip to Chicago
One of the first big developments in Parton’s career was signing with Fred Foster at Monument Records
“Fred invested a lot of time and effort and money in me,” Parton wrote in her 1994 memoir, Dolly: My Life and Other Unfinished Business. “He bought clothes for me so that I would ‘look the part’ and made a great effort to get me known.”
Foster was always looking for different ways to promote Parton. One day, he booked her on “American Bandstand” and at a jukebox convention in Chicago.
Dolly’s first flight and where her fear of flying...
- 7/23/2023
- by Kelsey Goeres
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
In the early days of television, the “Big Three” networks ruled the small screen. ABC is the baby, entering the new medium a little behind its competitors, and finding new and creative ways to find success against two mighty opponents.
ABC found its earliest success with two programs that had begun on radio, “The Lone Ranger,” which was the network’s first big hit, and “The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet,” a sitcom loosely based on the life of the real-life Nelson family. The latter remained on the air for 14 seasons, and was the longest-running prime-time comedy for decades, and the longest-running live action sitcom until 2021. However, ABC still struggled against the firmly established NBC and CBS, and found innovative ways to compete.
In 1954, ABC and Walt Disney struck an unprecedented deal: the network helped finance the filmmaker’s ambitious Disneyland Park, while Disney produced a weekly TV show for the network.
ABC found its earliest success with two programs that had begun on radio, “The Lone Ranger,” which was the network’s first big hit, and “The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet,” a sitcom loosely based on the life of the real-life Nelson family. The latter remained on the air for 14 seasons, and was the longest-running prime-time comedy for decades, and the longest-running live action sitcom until 2021. However, ABC still struggled against the firmly established NBC and CBS, and found innovative ways to compete.
In 1954, ABC and Walt Disney struck an unprecedented deal: the network helped finance the filmmaker’s ambitious Disneyland Park, while Disney produced a weekly TV show for the network.
- 5/10/2023
- by Susan Pennington, Chris Beachum and Misty Holland
- Gold Derby
The box was about two feet high and made out of wood, a rudimentary but useful tool to allow Jerry Blavat to get an unencumbered view of his dancers at bars and clubs that didn’t have a proper stage. In his later years, Blavat, a diminutive but supremely influential DJ, placed the box in the middle of the dance floor, hopped upon it like a king on his throne, and began what to some might be considered a shtick, but to those in Philadelphia was the soundtrack of their...
- 2/9/2023
- by Joseph Hudak
- Rollingstone.com
Penske Media Eldridge has acquired Dick Clark Productions — known for programming the Golden Globe Awards, American Music Awards, and other major live broadcast awards shows. The deal will bring the largest owner and producer of televised live entertainment into the fold for the parent company of Rolling Stone, Variety, Billboard, and more top-tier media brands.
It expands on Penske Media Eldridge’s live event offerings, which include SXSW, Life is Beautiful, Atx TV festival, and LA3C. The financial terms of the deal have not been disclosed.
“I am thrilled...
It expands on Penske Media Eldridge’s live event offerings, which include SXSW, Life is Beautiful, Atx TV festival, and LA3C. The financial terms of the deal have not been disclosed.
“I am thrilled...
- 1/25/2023
- by Rolling Stone
- Rollingstone.com
Penske Media Eldridge has acquired Dick Clark Productions in a deal that marks a major expansion for the parent company of Variety, Rolling Stone, Billboard and other top media brands.
Financial details of the deal with Todd Boehly’s Eldridge Industries were not disclosed.
“I am thrilled to expand our partnership with Eldridge and Todd,” said Jay Penske, CEO and Founder of Penske Media. “I have long admired Dcp’s portfolio of iconic and prominent live entertainment brands and look forward to growing and evolving Dcp’s footprint and legacy for future audiences across all platforms.”
Penske Media Eldridge is a newly formed unit of Penske Media Corp. (Pmc) that was created as part of the Dcp transaction. The deal expands the ties between Pmc and Eldridge, which began in the fall of 2020 when Pmc acquired Billboard, The Hollywood Reporter, Vibe and other assets from Eldridge. The Penske Media Eldridge...
Financial details of the deal with Todd Boehly’s Eldridge Industries were not disclosed.
“I am thrilled to expand our partnership with Eldridge and Todd,” said Jay Penske, CEO and Founder of Penske Media. “I have long admired Dcp’s portfolio of iconic and prominent live entertainment brands and look forward to growing and evolving Dcp’s footprint and legacy for future audiences across all platforms.”
Penske Media Eldridge is a newly formed unit of Penske Media Corp. (Pmc) that was created as part of the Dcp transaction. The deal expands the ties between Pmc and Eldridge, which began in the fall of 2020 when Pmc acquired Billboard, The Hollywood Reporter, Vibe and other assets from Eldridge. The Penske Media Eldridge...
- 1/25/2023
- by Cynthia Littleton
- Variety Film + TV
Aditya Chopra’s Come Fall in Love – The Ddlj Musical, a new version of his iconie film Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (Ddlj), had a spectacular opening night at The Old Globe Theatre in San Diego. Receiving a rousing standing ovation, the show is well on its way to a brilliant run at the classic theatre.
In Come Fall in Love – The Ddlj Musical, director Aditya Chopra, who is making his directing debut for the theatre, takes a fresh and exciting new look at his hit famous film, renewing it for a new generation and in a new format. With an American audience in mind, he moves the action of the early scenes to America and not England as in the film. He focuses the story more precisely on Simran’s experience, adding gravity and power to her journey. Chopra said, “Come Fall In Love is the story of Simran, an Indian American.
In Come Fall in Love – The Ddlj Musical, director Aditya Chopra, who is making his directing debut for the theatre, takes a fresh and exciting new look at his hit famous film, renewing it for a new generation and in a new format. With an American audience in mind, he moves the action of the early scenes to America and not England as in the film. He focuses the story more precisely on Simran’s experience, adding gravity and power to her journey. Chopra said, “Come Fall In Love is the story of Simran, an Indian American.
- 9/17/2022
- by Stacey Yount
- Bollyspice
Aditya Chopra’s Broadway-bound musical Come Fall In Love- The Ddlj Musical is trying to tell an important and a relevant story in today’s times. It is about celebrating love and how it can unify people and cultures and break down all barriers. The musical has started its performances at the prestigious The Old Globe theatre in San Diego, and the musical has been receiving standing ovations from audiences every single night! Come Fall In Love marks Aditya Chopra’s debut as a director of a musical on stage, and his wife, Rani Mukerji, is traveling to San Diego to watch Come Fall In Love- The Ddlj Musical this weekend and cheer for Adi and the entire team of the production!
Come Fall In Love, the musical, is about the need for cultural unification in a growingly divisive and toxic world. It is about celebrating inclusivity and diversity in...
Come Fall In Love, the musical, is about the need for cultural unification in a growingly divisive and toxic world. It is about celebrating inclusivity and diversity in...
- 9/9/2022
- by Stacey Yount
- Bollyspice
“Feeling proud as an Indian to see a standing ovation for ‘Come Fall In Love’ on the first night!” Vishal & Sheykhar, who are composing music for the Broadway-bound Aditya Chopra musical ‘Come Fall In Love’, reveal the show has got a standing ovation on the first night!
Aditya Chopra’s Broadway-bound musical ‘Come Fall In Love’ is trying to tell an important and a relevant thing in today’s times. It is about the celebration of love and how it can unify people, cultures and break down all barriers. The musical has started its performances at the prestigious The Old Globe theatre in San Diego and Vishal and Sheykhar, who are composers of ‘Come Fall In Love’, revealed how proud they felt as Indians to witness a standing ovation on the first night!
Vishal posted the video and wrote, “What a surreal feeling!! Our first standing ovation for an Indian...
Aditya Chopra’s Broadway-bound musical ‘Come Fall In Love’ is trying to tell an important and a relevant thing in today’s times. It is about the celebration of love and how it can unify people, cultures and break down all barriers. The musical has started its performances at the prestigious The Old Globe theatre in San Diego and Vishal and Sheykhar, who are composers of ‘Come Fall In Love’, revealed how proud they felt as Indians to witness a standing ovation on the first night!
Vishal posted the video and wrote, “What a surreal feeling!! Our first standing ovation for an Indian...
- 9/4/2022
- by Glamsham Editorial
- GlamSham
Tucker Wiard, who won five Emmys as a TV editor behind landmark comedy series including The Carol Burnett Show and the entire run of Murphy Brown, died August 28 in Los Angeles from complications due to heart failure, his family said. He was 80.
Born in Detroit in 1941 and raised in Lansing, Mi, Wiard attended Michigan State where his major was Radio/Television. In 1962 he joined the Army where he designed and built the studio and remote videotape department at Fort Benning in Georgia.
Hollywood & Media Deaths 2022: A Photo Gallery
Wiard moved to Los Angeles in 1968 and worked in the videotape department at CBS; his first video tape editor credits came on the network’s The Red Skelton Hour the next year. He followed that with credits on Norman Lear’s All in the Family and Good Times before joining The Carol Burnett Show. He was editor on 48 episodes of the show’s run,...
Born in Detroit in 1941 and raised in Lansing, Mi, Wiard attended Michigan State where his major was Radio/Television. In 1962 he joined the Army where he designed and built the studio and remote videotape department at Fort Benning in Georgia.
Hollywood & Media Deaths 2022: A Photo Gallery
Wiard moved to Los Angeles in 1968 and worked in the videotape department at CBS; his first video tape editor credits came on the network’s The Red Skelton Hour the next year. He followed that with credits on Norman Lear’s All in the Family and Good Times before joining The Carol Burnett Show. He was editor on 48 episodes of the show’s run,...
- 8/30/2022
- by Patrick Hipes
- Deadline Film + TV
Click here to read the full article.
Tucker Wiard, a five-time Emmy-winning film editor who worked on The Carol Burnett Show, Alice and all 10 seasons of the original Murphy Brown, has died. He was 80.
Wiard died Sunday in Los Angeles of complications from heart failure, his wife, Nancy Bradley Wiard, a former producer on the CBS soap opera The Young and the Restless, announced.
Wiard also cut episodes of such comedies as All in the Family, Good Times, Night Court, Charles in Charge, My Sister Sam and The Drew Carey Show before he retired in 2009.
Wiard earned eight of his 12 career Emmy noms for his work on CBS’ Murphy Brown, winning in 1989 for its pilot episode, “Respect,” and for a 1991 installment, “On Another Plane.” From 1988-1998, he cut 160 episodes, including the original finale, of the Candice Bergen starrer.
He worked on CBS’ The Carol Burnett Show from 1976-78, winning his...
Tucker Wiard, a five-time Emmy-winning film editor who worked on The Carol Burnett Show, Alice and all 10 seasons of the original Murphy Brown, has died. He was 80.
Wiard died Sunday in Los Angeles of complications from heart failure, his wife, Nancy Bradley Wiard, a former producer on the CBS soap opera The Young and the Restless, announced.
Wiard also cut episodes of such comedies as All in the Family, Good Times, Night Court, Charles in Charge, My Sister Sam and The Drew Carey Show before he retired in 2009.
Wiard earned eight of his 12 career Emmy noms for his work on CBS’ Murphy Brown, winning in 1989 for its pilot episode, “Respect,” and for a 1991 installment, “On Another Plane.” From 1988-1998, he cut 160 episodes, including the original finale, of the Candice Bergen starrer.
He worked on CBS’ The Carol Burnett Show from 1976-78, winning his...
- 8/30/2022
- by Mike Barnes
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Ronnie Hawkins, the Southern rockabilly singer who helped shape and launch the Band and other Canadian rock artists, died Sunday after battling a long-term illness. He was 87.
Hawkins’ death was confirmed to The Canadian Press by his wife, Wanda: “He went peacefully and he looked as handsome as ever.”
The musician, revered by his peers and followers as ‘the Hawk,’ grew his reputation with his highest-charting single, “Mary Lou” which reached No. 26 in the U.S. charts. The Hawk was famous for his stage presence, characterized by his robust vocals and humorous exchanges, including his signature “camel walk” dance.
The Arkansas native began touring in Ontario in 1958. By the time he was featured in a CBC Telescope documentary, he was beloved by Canadian artists and audiences.
“You know, I don’t know anything about Canadian politics, the price of wheat or Niagara Falls,” he said in the documentary. “But I...
Hawkins’ death was confirmed to The Canadian Press by his wife, Wanda: “He went peacefully and he looked as handsome as ever.”
The musician, revered by his peers and followers as ‘the Hawk,’ grew his reputation with his highest-charting single, “Mary Lou” which reached No. 26 in the U.S. charts. The Hawk was famous for his stage presence, characterized by his robust vocals and humorous exchanges, including his signature “camel walk” dance.
The Arkansas native began touring in Ontario in 1958. By the time he was featured in a CBC Telescope documentary, he was beloved by Canadian artists and audiences.
“You know, I don’t know anything about Canadian politics, the price of wheat or Niagara Falls,” he said in the documentary. “But I...
- 5/29/2022
- by Thania Garcia
- Variety Film + TV
Ronnie Hawkins, a Southern rockabilly artist widely credited with inspiring the Canadian music scene, died Sunday morning at age 87. His wife, Wanda, confirmed his death after an unspecified illness.
“He went peacefully and he looked as handsome as ever,” she told The Canadian Press news outlet.
Known for his enthusiastic stage presence, the singer of “Ruby Baby,” “Mary Lou” and Bo Diddley cover “Who Do You Love” was known as Mr. Dynamo, Sir Ronnie, Rompin’ Ronnie and the Hawk.
Hawkins was the founder of his backing band the Hawks, which played with Bob Dylan on his landmark 1966 first electric tour. .Five members of the Hawks, including Levon Helm and Robbie Robertson, would later form the Band.
Despite frequent clashes among the volatile personalities Hawkins joined the Band onstage as part of their iconic 1976 farewell show, captured in Martin Scorsese’s concert film The Last Waltz.
“He was really good at...
“He went peacefully and he looked as handsome as ever,” she told The Canadian Press news outlet.
Known for his enthusiastic stage presence, the singer of “Ruby Baby,” “Mary Lou” and Bo Diddley cover “Who Do You Love” was known as Mr. Dynamo, Sir Ronnie, Rompin’ Ronnie and the Hawk.
Hawkins was the founder of his backing band the Hawks, which played with Bob Dylan on his landmark 1966 first electric tour. .Five members of the Hawks, including Levon Helm and Robbie Robertson, would later form the Band.
Despite frequent clashes among the volatile personalities Hawkins joined the Band onstage as part of their iconic 1976 farewell show, captured in Martin Scorsese’s concert film The Last Waltz.
“He was really good at...
- 5/29/2022
- by Bruce Haring
- Deadline Film + TV
Howie Pyro, a founding member of New York City punk band D Generation, pioneering party DJ, and avid collector of music and movie ephemera, died Wednesday. He was 61. Pyro had undergone a liver transplant last year and was recovering in a Los Angeles hospital. Jesse Malin, Pyro’s friend and bandmate in D Generation, confirmed his death from Covid-related pneumonia following a long battle with liver disease.
Pyro was an integral yet unassuming fixture of New York’s gritty punk scene in the Seventies and Eighties, part groundbreaking artist and part observer.
Pyro was an integral yet unassuming fixture of New York’s gritty punk scene in the Seventies and Eighties, part groundbreaking artist and part observer.
- 5/5/2022
- by Joseph Hudak
- Rollingstone.com
Steve Salas, a cofounder of the Los Angeles R&b band Tierra and an activist in Chicano politics, died Thursday morning at age 69, according to his family. Salas had been battling myeloma for two years and recently contracted Covid-19.
Salas was born Jan. 5, 1949, in Lincoln Heights to Mexican American parents. Together with his brother, Rudy, they began performing at local parties.
“Steve and Rudy created the soundtrack for many people’s lives, and we are so grateful to everyone who loved their music,” band and family members said in a statement on Facebook. “The Salas Brothers left an indelible mark on the history of Chicano music with Tierra.”
Steve Salas was part of the historic student walkout at Lincoln High School in 1968 that was part of the early stages of the Chicano power movement. After graduating, he received a full academic scholarship to Stanford University.
That stint lasted two years,...
Salas was born Jan. 5, 1949, in Lincoln Heights to Mexican American parents. Together with his brother, Rudy, they began performing at local parties.
“Steve and Rudy created the soundtrack for many people’s lives, and we are so grateful to everyone who loved their music,” band and family members said in a statement on Facebook. “The Salas Brothers left an indelible mark on the history of Chicano music with Tierra.”
Steve Salas was part of the historic student walkout at Lincoln High School in 1968 that was part of the early stages of the Chicano power movement. After graduating, he received a full academic scholarship to Stanford University.
That stint lasted two years,...
- 2/17/2022
- by Bruce Haring
- Deadline Film + TV
Almost 40 years after her debut album, Janet Jackson is lifting the veil like never before. Five years in the making, the long-awaited documentary "Janet Jackson." premiered simultaneously on Lifetime and A&e on Jan. 28 and 29. It features archival footage and never-before-seen home videos, along with a long list of celebrity cameos, to tell Jackson's extraordinary story, including her previous marriages and the 2004 Super Bowl halftime show controversy involving Justin Timberlake. "This is my story, told by me. Not through someone else's eyes. This is the truth. Take it or leave it. Love it or hate it. This is me," the 55-year-old superstar says in the first teaser.
Related: Janet Jackson's Evolution From Cute Child Star to Full-Fledged Music Icon
"This is my story, told by me. Not through someone else's eyes."
From Jackson visiting her childhood home in Gary, Indiana, with brother Randy Jackson to family matriarch Katherine Jackson sharing...
Related: Janet Jackson's Evolution From Cute Child Star to Full-Fledged Music Icon
"This is my story, told by me. Not through someone else's eyes."
From Jackson visiting her childhood home in Gary, Indiana, with brother Randy Jackson to family matriarch Katherine Jackson sharing...
- 1/30/2022
- by Princess Gabbara
- Popsugar.com
MRC has tapped NBCUniversal alum Adam Stotsky as president of the newly created MRC Live & Alternative, which will absorb the operations of Dick Clark Productions.
MRC has slowly been phasing out the Dick Clark Prods. moniker. Stotsky will oversee a division that produces major awards franchises including the American Music Awards, Academy of Country Music Awards and ABC’s annual New Year’s Eve special “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest.”
Stotsky’s hire is sign that MRC intends to invest in its live event and unscripted production capabilities, after a long period of uncertainty around Dick Clark Prods. The company was shopped to prospective buyers a few years ago and came close to being sold to China conglomerate Dalian Wanda in 2017.
“Adam is well positioned to lead MRC Live & Alternative as we go through a period of rapid growth and innovation. He brings...
MRC has slowly been phasing out the Dick Clark Prods. moniker. Stotsky will oversee a division that produces major awards franchises including the American Music Awards, Academy of Country Music Awards and ABC’s annual New Year’s Eve special “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest.”
Stotsky’s hire is sign that MRC intends to invest in its live event and unscripted production capabilities, after a long period of uncertainty around Dick Clark Prods. The company was shopped to prospective buyers a few years ago and came close to being sold to China conglomerate Dalian Wanda in 2017.
“Adam is well positioned to lead MRC Live & Alternative as we go through a period of rapid growth and innovation. He brings...
- 9/13/2021
- by Cynthia Littleton
- Variety Film + TV
When Ron and Russell Mael, the two brothers who make up the cult band Sparks, were young, their father would take them to the movies every Saturday. He was a commercial and fine artist who didn’t bother timing these weekly excursions to any showing’s start time, and whatever film they were seeing was usually already playing by the time the family took their seats. Similarly, no matter where you start Edgar Wright’s documentary The Sparks Brothers, it’s like coming into a movie after it’s begun. This is brilliant, but you can’t exactly credit the director. It’s the subject.
According to the documentary, Sparks was the “best British group to ever come out of America.” You can look them up on Wikipedia and learn nothing. Everyone thinks they’re identical twins, but they weren’t even born in the same sunny California town. Sparks...
According to the documentary, Sparks was the “best British group to ever come out of America.” You can look them up on Wikipedia and learn nothing. Everyone thinks they’re identical twins, but they weren’t even born in the same sunny California town. Sparks...
- 6/15/2021
- by David Crow
- Den of Geek
Two California state lawmakers have proposed a bill that would allow major theme parks in Southern California to reopen faster than under Gov. Gavin Newsom’s Blueprint for a Safer Economy.
Assembly members Sharon Quirk Silva, D-Buena Park, and Suzette Valladares, R-Santa Clarita, seek to co-sponsor Ab 420, which would place all major theme parks in tier 3 (orange), or moderate, of the state’s Covid-19 Industry Guidance for Amusement Parks and Theme Parks. Gov. Newsom previously placed the major theme parks in tier 4 (yellow), or minimal. Theme park officials collectively called that move “unworkable.”
Since last summer, the major theme parks in Southern California ...
Assembly members Sharon Quirk Silva, D-Buena Park, and Suzette Valladares, R-Santa Clarita, seek to co-sponsor Ab 420, which would place all major theme parks in tier 3 (orange), or moderate, of the state’s Covid-19 Industry Guidance for Amusement Parks and Theme Parks. Gov. Newsom previously placed the major theme parks in tier 4 (yellow), or minimal. Theme park officials collectively called that move “unworkable.”
Since last summer, the major theme parks in Southern California ...
Johnny Nash, the angel-voiced reggae-pop singer-songwriter who had U.S. hits with “I Can See Clearly Now,” “Stir It Up” and “Hold Me Tight,” died Tuesday at his home in Houston. He was 80. No cause of death was revealed.
Nash scored a pop smash in 1972 with his self-penned “I Can See Clearly Now,” which spent a month at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. He followed up that success with a cover of reggae legend Bob Marley’s “Stir It Up” that just missed the top 10. Nash’s first big pop hit was “Hold Me Tight,” which reached No. 5 in 1968.
But he remains best known for “I Can See Clearly Now,” the islands-tinged soft-rock classic that has been featured in dozens of films anf TV shows and famously was covered by reggae icon Jimmy Cliff for the 1993 John Candy movie Cool Runnings (watch the video of Cliff’s cover below). That...
Nash scored a pop smash in 1972 with his self-penned “I Can See Clearly Now,” which spent a month at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. He followed up that success with a cover of reggae legend Bob Marley’s “Stir It Up” that just missed the top 10. Nash’s first big pop hit was “Hold Me Tight,” which reached No. 5 in 1968.
But he remains best known for “I Can See Clearly Now,” the islands-tinged soft-rock classic that has been featured in dozens of films anf TV shows and famously was covered by reggae icon Jimmy Cliff for the 1993 John Candy movie Cool Runnings (watch the video of Cliff’s cover below). That...
- 10/7/2020
- by Erik Pedersen
- Deadline Film + TV
Throughout its almost 50-year history, the Daytime Emmy Awards have delivered as heartfelt and, at times, humorous moments as the shows the ceremony itself celebrates. This year, in honor of the upcoming 47th annual kudofest, Variety is looking back on some of the most memorable parts of events past.
15. Alex Trebek’s first post-cancer win
(46th annual ceremony)
Although later admitting some of the struggle he has faced while undergoing treatment for pancreatic cancer, here “Jeopardy” host Trebek was all gratitude and his signature wit, joking that it was a “sympathy” win and quoting Sally Field’s, “You like me, you really like me.” Seeing him step on stage looking so healthy felt like a win in and of itself.
14. Dick Clark & "American Bandstand" tribute
(37th annual ceremony)
What started out as a clip package of highlights from “American Bandstand’s” impressive multi-decade run turned into a live and in-person...
15. Alex Trebek’s first post-cancer win
(46th annual ceremony)
Although later admitting some of the struggle he has faced while undergoing treatment for pancreatic cancer, here “Jeopardy” host Trebek was all gratitude and his signature wit, joking that it was a “sympathy” win and quoting Sally Field’s, “You like me, you really like me.” Seeing him step on stage looking so healthy felt like a win in and of itself.
14. Dick Clark & "American Bandstand" tribute
(37th annual ceremony)
What started out as a clip package of highlights from “American Bandstand’s” impressive multi-decade run turned into a live and in-person...
- 6/27/2020
- by Danielle Turchiano
- Variety Film + TV
Chicago – The year 2019 was when everyone, including myself, seemed to struggle to focus. Politics suddenly appeared to be all consuming when we have an administration as George Orwell predicted, trying to convince so many not to believe their own eyes.
“What you are seeing and what you are reading is not happening,” proclaimed the President in July. This eerily echoed Orwell’s warning. “The Party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears … it was their final, most essential command.” Meanwhile the Commander-in-Chief was enthusiastically tweeting out images with his head badly photoshopped onto different bodies.
Last year 98 celebrities posed for my lens, and a fashion accessory – both on and off the red carpet – became quickly apparent. A modest poem about that trend … If you were a fashionable male/One worshipped by the masses/And you posed for my lens last year/You were probably wearing glasses.
“What you are seeing and what you are reading is not happening,” proclaimed the President in July. This eerily echoed Orwell’s warning. “The Party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears … it was their final, most essential command.” Meanwhile the Commander-in-Chief was enthusiastically tweeting out images with his head badly photoshopped onto different bodies.
Last year 98 celebrities posed for my lens, and a fashion accessory – both on and off the red carpet – became quickly apparent. A modest poem about that trend … If you were a fashionable male/One worshipped by the masses/And you posed for my lens last year/You were probably wearing glasses.
- 1/6/2020
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Lorin Salob, an assistant director, production manager and Emmy-winning producer with credits including The Getaway, Charlie's Angels, Tron and A Woman Named Jackie, has died. He was 77.
Salob died Oct. 23 in Staunton, Virginia, after a long battle with cardiac Als, said his wife, Joan.
Salob also served as a vice president in TV production at such companies as Disney, TriStar, New World and All American Television, home of Baywatch.
Born on May 25, 1942, in New York City, Salob started out on Dick Clark's American Bandstand and at documentarian David L. Wolper's company before becoming involved in ...
Salob died Oct. 23 in Staunton, Virginia, after a long battle with cardiac Als, said his wife, Joan.
Salob also served as a vice president in TV production at such companies as Disney, TriStar, New World and All American Television, home of Baywatch.
Born on May 25, 1942, in New York City, Salob started out on Dick Clark's American Bandstand and at documentarian David L. Wolper's company before becoming involved in ...
- 11/5/2019
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Lorin Salob, an assistant director, production manager and Emmy-winning producer with credits including The Getaway, Charlie's Angels, Tron and A Woman Named Jackie, has died. He was 77.
Salob died Oct. 23 in Staunton, Virginia, after a long battle with cardiac Als, said his wife, Joan.
Salob also served as a vice president in TV production at such companies as Disney, TriStar, New World and All American Television, home of Baywatch.
Born on May 25, 1942, in New York City, Salob started out on Dick Clark's American Bandstand and at documentarian David L. Wolper's company before becoming involved in ...
Salob died Oct. 23 in Staunton, Virginia, after a long battle with cardiac Als, said his wife, Joan.
Salob also served as a vice president in TV production at such companies as Disney, TriStar, New World and All American Television, home of Baywatch.
Born on May 25, 1942, in New York City, Salob started out on Dick Clark's American Bandstand and at documentarian David L. Wolper's company before becoming involved in ...
- 11/5/2019
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
Joseph Eric Rice, a talent agent who headed Jr Talent Group, died unexpectedly at his home in Laguna Beach, Calif. He was 61.
Rice headed his own talent agency based in Studio City where he primary handled actors. Earlier in his career, he headed the theatrical department at Abrams Artists Agency.
Rice was born in Miami but grew up in the San Fernando Valley. He was a regular dancer on “American Bandstand” as a teenager in the 1970s. He earned a degree in economics from UCLA and got his start in the mailroom at William Morris Agency. He later worked at the Lew Sherrill Agency.
Rice was known to friends for his love of collecting classic cars and creating Zen gardens with succulents. He died Sept. 7.
Rice’s survivors include a wife, Gabriella; two children, Tane and Maya; three brothers and a sister.
Rice headed his own talent agency based in Studio City where he primary handled actors. Earlier in his career, he headed the theatrical department at Abrams Artists Agency.
Rice was born in Miami but grew up in the San Fernando Valley. He was a regular dancer on “American Bandstand” as a teenager in the 1970s. He earned a degree in economics from UCLA and got his start in the mailroom at William Morris Agency. He later worked at the Lew Sherrill Agency.
Rice was known to friends for his love of collecting classic cars and creating Zen gardens with succulents. He died Sept. 7.
Rice’s survivors include a wife, Gabriella; two children, Tane and Maya; three brothers and a sister.
- 10/14/2019
- by Variety Staff
- Variety Film + TV
Joseph Eric Rice, a manager and agent, died at his home in Laguna Beach, Calif. on Sept. 7. His death was confirmed by his family.
Rice grew up in the San Fernando Valley and in his teenage years he became a regular dancer on American Bandstand.
After graduating from UCLA with a Bachelor’s degree in economics, he began his career at the William Morris Agency in the mail room. He later joined the Lew Sherrill Agency, where he worked as an agent.
From there, Rice shifted to running the theatrical department at Abrams Artists Agency, then formed J.R. Talent Group, where he managed the careers of myriad well-known actors.
He is survived by his wife, Gabriella; his children, Tane and Maya; his brothers: Wayne, Darryl and Allan Jr.; his sister, Denice; their spouses; six nieces and nephews; and many cousins...
Rice grew up in the San Fernando Valley and in his teenage years he became a regular dancer on American Bandstand.
After graduating from UCLA with a Bachelor’s degree in economics, he began his career at the William Morris Agency in the mail room. He later joined the Lew Sherrill Agency, where he worked as an agent.
From there, Rice shifted to running the theatrical department at Abrams Artists Agency, then formed J.R. Talent Group, where he managed the careers of myriad well-known actors.
He is survived by his wife, Gabriella; his children, Tane and Maya; his brothers: Wayne, Darryl and Allan Jr.; his sister, Denice; their spouses; six nieces and nephews; and many cousins...
- 10/13/2019
- by Bruce Haring
- Deadline Film + TV
Jackson Browne’s 1976 was a tumultuous one. In February, his emotive ballad “Late for the Sky” was featured in Taxi Driver, during a scene in which Robert De Niro watches American Bandstand shortly after shooting a man in a bodega. In March, while Browne was in the studio cutting The Pretender, his wife Phyllis Major fatally overdosed on barbiturates. “Here Come Those Tears Again,” a devastating song co-written by Major’s mother, was included on the album.
To promote The Pretender, Browne appeared on the television series Soundstage, performing tracks...
To promote The Pretender, Browne appeared on the television series Soundstage, performing tracks...
- 9/13/2019
- by Angie Martoccio
- Rollingstone.com
Ted Summers, a television editor whose credits included Barney Miller, General Hospital and the broadcast of Alice Cooper: Welcome to My Nightmare, for which he won an Emmy Award, has died. He was 82.
Summers passed away today of a heart attack in Santa Clarita, California, his family said.
The Texas native was born in El Paso and raised in Mesilla, New Mexico. He began his Hollywood career in the 1960s as an actor, with his longtime friend, F. Murray Abraham.
Summers then moved behind the camera at ABC Television, working on live stage shows, including American Bandstand. He segued into videotape editing when the format took hold, and didn’t look back.
He enjoyed a successful career working on ABC productions, including Barney Miller, Battle of the Network Stars and Soap. He would later go to work on ABC’s Wild World of Sports for the 1976, 1980 and 1984 Olympics, for...
Summers passed away today of a heart attack in Santa Clarita, California, his family said.
The Texas native was born in El Paso and raised in Mesilla, New Mexico. He began his Hollywood career in the 1960s as an actor, with his longtime friend, F. Murray Abraham.
Summers then moved behind the camera at ABC Television, working on live stage shows, including American Bandstand. He segued into videotape editing when the format took hold, and didn’t look back.
He enjoyed a successful career working on ABC productions, including Barney Miller, Battle of the Network Stars and Soap. He would later go to work on ABC’s Wild World of Sports for the 1976, 1980 and 1984 Olympics, for...
- 9/10/2019
- by Anita Bennett
- Deadline Film + TV
Kip Addotta, a frequently featured stand-up comedian on The Tonight Show, died earlier this week, according to a Facebook post shared by his family. He was 75.
"It is with great sadness that we announce the death of Kip Addotta earlier this week. Thank you to all of his friends and fans who have supported him throughout his life and career. His wit will be missed but his writings will live forever," Addotta's family wrote in their post.
Along with entertaining Johnny Carson's audiences, Addotta's credits included appearances on The Midnight Special and American Bandstand, as well as ...
"It is with great sadness that we announce the death of Kip Addotta earlier this week. Thank you to all of his friends and fans who have supported him throughout his life and career. His wit will be missed but his writings will live forever," Addotta's family wrote in their post.
Along with entertaining Johnny Carson's audiences, Addotta's credits included appearances on The Midnight Special and American Bandstand, as well as ...
- 8/17/2019
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
Professional beach volleyball player Eric Zaun died on Thursday afternoon from an apparent suicide. He was 25.
Zaun died after jumping out of his Atlantic City hotel room, News 12 in New Jersey reported Thursday. The outlet reported that Zaun’s room was on the 29th floor the Borgata Hotel, Casino & Spa; People reported that police responded to the report of a man found dead in the hotel’s parking lot just after 5:30 p.m. Edt.
Atlantic City Police did not immediately respond to a request for comment from TheWrap.
Also Read: Lew Klein, Natpe Founder and 'American Bandstand' Executive Producer, Dies at 91
Originally from Cherry Hill, N.J., Zaun moved to California in 2017 to pursue his volleyball career. That year he was named rookie of the year by VolleyballMag.com and the Association of Volleyball Professionals. He previously received the National Volleyball League Breakthrough Athlete award in 2015, according to Volleyballmag.
Zaun died after jumping out of his Atlantic City hotel room, News 12 in New Jersey reported Thursday. The outlet reported that Zaun’s room was on the 29th floor the Borgata Hotel, Casino & Spa; People reported that police responded to the report of a man found dead in the hotel’s parking lot just after 5:30 p.m. Edt.
Atlantic City Police did not immediately respond to a request for comment from TheWrap.
Also Read: Lew Klein, Natpe Founder and 'American Bandstand' Executive Producer, Dies at 91
Originally from Cherry Hill, N.J., Zaun moved to California in 2017 to pursue his volleyball career. That year he was named rookie of the year by VolleyballMag.com and the Association of Volleyball Professionals. He previously received the National Volleyball League Breakthrough Athlete award in 2015, according to Volleyballmag.
- 6/14/2019
- by Ross A. Lincoln
- The Wrap
Lew Klein, a Philadelphia television executive who was a producer of “American Bandstand” and founded the National Assn. of Television Program Executives, died Wednesday at his home near Philadelphia. He was 91.
Klein was a longtime president of Natpe. He launched the organization’s educational arm, Natpe Foundation, in 1978 and remained head of its educational arm until his death.
“Lew was the soul and inspiration for Natpe,” said Natpe chairman Andy Kaplan. “We will dearly miss his wise counsel, smiling face and his class. He was one of a kind.”
He also worked as an adjunct professor at Temple University for 65 years. In 2017, the school renamed its school of media and communication as the Lew Klein College of Media and Communication.
“Lew Klein has left an indelible imprint on the lives of countless Temple students who have gone on to build successful careers in media, communication and related fields,” said Temple University president Richard Englert.
Klein was a longtime president of Natpe. He launched the organization’s educational arm, Natpe Foundation, in 1978 and remained head of its educational arm until his death.
“Lew was the soul and inspiration for Natpe,” said Natpe chairman Andy Kaplan. “We will dearly miss his wise counsel, smiling face and his class. He was one of a kind.”
He also worked as an adjunct professor at Temple University for 65 years. In 2017, the school renamed its school of media and communication as the Lew Klein College of Media and Communication.
“Lew Klein has left an indelible imprint on the lives of countless Temple students who have gone on to build successful careers in media, communication and related fields,” said Temple University president Richard Englert.
- 6/13/2019
- by Cynthia Littleton
- Variety Film + TV
Lew Klein, founder of Natpe and a broadcasting pioneer who helped create American Bandstand, has died. He was 91 and no cause of death was given.
Natpe chairman Andy Kaplan issued a statement on Klein’s passing:
“It is with the deepest regret that we inform you that Lew Klein, Natpe’s founder and guiding light, has passed away. Lew was the soul and inspiration for Natpe and was tireless in his work and support of both Natpe and the Natpe Foundation, which he founded and served as president until his passing.
“Our condolences go out to Janet, Lew’s wife, who was by his side for a lifetime and always present at Natpe events, and to Lew’s entire family. We will dearly miss his wise counsel, smiling face and his class. He was one of a kind.”
Klein started his career in the 1950s in the programming department of Wfil (now Wpvi) in Philadelphia.
Natpe chairman Andy Kaplan issued a statement on Klein’s passing:
“It is with the deepest regret that we inform you that Lew Klein, Natpe’s founder and guiding light, has passed away. Lew was the soul and inspiration for Natpe and was tireless in his work and support of both Natpe and the Natpe Foundation, which he founded and served as president until his passing.
“Our condolences go out to Janet, Lew’s wife, who was by his side for a lifetime and always present at Natpe events, and to Lew’s entire family. We will dearly miss his wise counsel, smiling face and his class. He was one of a kind.”
Klein started his career in the 1950s in the programming department of Wfil (now Wpvi) in Philadelphia.
- 6/13/2019
- by Denise Petski
- Deadline Film + TV
Lew Klein, a longtime broadcast TV executive who founded Natpe and was an executive producer for “American Bandstand,” died on Wednesday. He was 91.
Klein died on Wednesday, according to Temple University, where he taught for more than six decades.
Klein began working at Philadelphia’s local TV station Wfil, now Wpvi, where he directed “Romper Room” and co-created “Captain Noah and His Magical Ark,” two children’s programs in the 1960s. He was an executive producer on “American Bandstand,” the popular music performance and dance show that was hosted by Dick Clark.
Also Read: Edith Gonzalez, Mexican Telenovela Star, Dies at 54
Klein is credited for helping to launch the career of Dick Clark as well as Bob Saget.
Klein founded the National Association of Television Program Executives (Natpe) in 1963 and was its former president; he also founded the Natpe Educational Foundation and served as its president. The Educational Foundation was...
Klein died on Wednesday, according to Temple University, where he taught for more than six decades.
Klein began working at Philadelphia’s local TV station Wfil, now Wpvi, where he directed “Romper Room” and co-created “Captain Noah and His Magical Ark,” two children’s programs in the 1960s. He was an executive producer on “American Bandstand,” the popular music performance and dance show that was hosted by Dick Clark.
Also Read: Edith Gonzalez, Mexican Telenovela Star, Dies at 54
Klein is credited for helping to launch the career of Dick Clark as well as Bob Saget.
Klein founded the National Association of Television Program Executives (Natpe) in 1963 and was its former president; he also founded the Natpe Educational Foundation and served as its president. The Educational Foundation was...
- 6/13/2019
- by Tim Baysinger
- The Wrap
Arguably the most sturdily crafted and entertainingly anecdotal documentary of its kind since Denny Tedesco’s “The Wrecking Crew,” a similarly nostalgic celebration of artists who generously contributed to the soundtrack of the baby boomer generation, Andrew Slater’s “Echo in the Canyon” offers a richly evocative and star-studded overview of the 1960s Laurel Canyon music scene.
Audiences old enough to have many of the epochal LPs referenced here stashed in their closets will know they’re in good hands right from the start, as the iconic first chords of the Byrds’ “Turn! Turn! Turn!” resound during the darkness of the film’s opening moments. But wait, there’s more: The songs of Buffalo Springfield, the Mamas and the Papas, the Beach Boys and other L.A.-based hitmakers of the era are also featured in a doc that shows how music that defined the California Sound of a half-century...
Audiences old enough to have many of the epochal LPs referenced here stashed in their closets will know they’re in good hands right from the start, as the iconic first chords of the Byrds’ “Turn! Turn! Turn!” resound during the darkness of the film’s opening moments. But wait, there’s more: The songs of Buffalo Springfield, the Mamas and the Papas, the Beach Boys and other L.A.-based hitmakers of the era are also featured in a doc that shows how music that defined the California Sound of a half-century...
- 5/22/2019
- by Joe Leydon
- Variety Film + TV
Willie Tyler (right) gained fame in the '80s with his impressive ventriloquist skills -- alongside his comedic counterpart Lester (left) -- on shows like "American Bandstand," "ABC Weekend Specials," "Match Game" and "Hollywood Squares." Guess what they look like now!
- 11/30/2018
- by TMZ Staff
- TMZ
Roy Clark, best known to TV audiences as co-host of the long-running country music variety series Hee Haw, has died at the age of 85.
According to Variety, Clark passed away in his Tulsa, Okla. home following complications from pneumonia. He is survived by his wife, Barbara, as well as his four children and five grandchildren.
Clark served as co-host of Hee Haw in all three of its incarnations; the series began on CBS in 1969, then transitioned to first-run syndication in 1971, where it ran through 1993. A short-lived revival then aired on the now-defunct Tnn from 1996-1997.
Prior to Hee Haw, Clark...
According to Variety, Clark passed away in his Tulsa, Okla. home following complications from pneumonia. He is survived by his wife, Barbara, as well as his four children and five grandchildren.
Clark served as co-host of Hee Haw in all three of its incarnations; the series began on CBS in 1969, then transitioned to first-run syndication in 1971, where it ran through 1993. A short-lived revival then aired on the now-defunct Tnn from 1996-1997.
Prior to Hee Haw, Clark...
- 11/15/2018
- TVLine.com
Roy Clark, the multi-talented musician, Country Music Hall of Fame member and co-host of Hee Haw, died Thursday at home in Tulsa, Oklahoma, of complications from pneumonia. Clark’s publicist confirmed the musician’s death. He was 85.
Clark was often quoted as saying, “I grew old on Hee Haw, but I could’ve grown old without it.” He and his longtime co-star on the show, Buck Owens, delivered corn-fed punchlines, which earned the series plenty of eye-rolling ridicule, but the pair, and their many co-stars through the years, also provided...
Clark was often quoted as saying, “I grew old on Hee Haw, but I could’ve grown old without it.” He and his longtime co-star on the show, Buck Owens, delivered corn-fed punchlines, which earned the series plenty of eye-rolling ridicule, but the pair, and their many co-stars through the years, also provided...
- 11/15/2018
- by Stephen L. Betts
- Rollingstone.com
Roy Clark, the legendary guitarist and singer, Country Music Hall of Fame and Grand Ole Opry member, Grammy, Acm and Cma award winner and co-host of the “Hee Haw” television series, died today at the age of 85 due to complications from pneumonia at home in Tulsa, Okla.
His starring stint on the at times deliberately corny “Hee Haw” television show belied his stellar musicianship and deep pedigree as a country-music pioneer, particularly the “Bakersfield” sound of the late 1950s and early 1960s in which he was deeply involved with fellow picker Buck Owens, who also appeared on the show. With the later rise of country stars ranging from Emmylou Harris and Dwight Yoakam to Brad Paisley and Keith Urban, Clark’s vast influence has received its proper due. (The biography that follows is an edited version of one provided by 2911 Media.)
Born Roy Linwood Clark on April 15, 1933 in Meherrin, Virginia,...
His starring stint on the at times deliberately corny “Hee Haw” television show belied his stellar musicianship and deep pedigree as a country-music pioneer, particularly the “Bakersfield” sound of the late 1950s and early 1960s in which he was deeply involved with fellow picker Buck Owens, who also appeared on the show. With the later rise of country stars ranging from Emmylou Harris and Dwight Yoakam to Brad Paisley and Keith Urban, Clark’s vast influence has received its proper due. (The biography that follows is an edited version of one provided by 2911 Media.)
Born Roy Linwood Clark on April 15, 1933 in Meherrin, Virginia,...
- 11/15/2018
- by Jem Aswad
- Variety Film + TV
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