Results tagged “elviscostello”

Not quite outdoing her husband's 60th birthday bash at the Beacon last year (which starred the Rolling Stones and was filmed by Martin Scorsese), Hillary Clinton entered a new age last night. Choosing the same venue to celebrate her 60th in, the music was provided by Elvis Costello and the Wallflowers (apparently no one from her campaign song list was available), and Billy Crystal provided some humor. The AP reports that she likened herself to the Wallflowers Jakob Dylan (perhaps not the best idea) saying that "no matter how much her family connections may have helped propel her candidacy, she ultimately will win or lose on her own." Maybe she'll have more success than Jakob.

Blender has a list of 100 Days That Changed Music, and not surprisingly a good amount of them took place in New York. Here are a few, see any missing?

There are some important shows this week. It's your last chance ever to see Q and not U (@ Knitting Factory). Brian Jonestown Massacre (whose gear was stolen the other day) are at the very small Pianos. Steve Winwood is at the very small Bowery Ballroom. Yesterday Bon Jovi rocked the very small Nokia Theater. These shows all matter, but they're not the focus of this week's post . Instead, let's concentrate this week on Hurricane Katrina survivor benefits.

Last week I didn't tell you about the show Beck played at Hiro Ballroom Friday night (one night before his appearance on Saturday Night Live). That's because the "secret" show wasn't even announced until Thursday. Beck is known for playing last-minute small-venue shows, and I was lucky enough to score a ticket to this one. Here are the pictures.

Father Joe: Lesson number one to Ashlee should have been that usually singers can change the songs they sing midway through. Think Elvis Costello's 1977 SNL appearance, when he started to play Less Than Zero but then switched to Radio, Radio; SNL hadn't wanted him to play Radio, Radio, which criticized his record label, but Elvis showed them. Anyway, Gothamist did think that Ashlee sounded surprisingly less screechy during first song Pieces of Me (we've seen her MTV show, and boy, can she not really sing), so it wasn't a surprise that she lip synced - the shock and surprise is that it was unveiled like this. Ashlee's limited talent aside, we'd like to point out that the fish stinks from the head - management, record labels, the marketing machine, etc., for encouraging and supporting a culture of lip syncers, and the fact is that tons of singers do it. Odds are that Ashlee will develop at least a very bad rash, if not another inferiority complex, from this incident. We can only wait for the next Teen People to address this. And the poor talent team of Jude Law - was the one supposed to be at the center of attention.

Lana G, Celebrity Make-Up Artist

Lost in Translation, the upcoming film directed by Sofia Coppola, might be one of the loveliest movies you see this year - it certainly is for Gothamist. Also written by Coppola, Lost in Translation is the Tokyo story of the new friendship between two Americans; Bill Murray plays an American movie star shilling for Japanese products and Scarlett Johanssen is the lonely young wife who tagged along on her photographer husband's business trip. A valentine to frenetic modern Tokyo (cinematographer Lance Acord manages to make the city shimmer at some moments, dull at others, but always interesting), Lost also has a wonderful Bill Murray performance that is at times physically hilarious and at others very tender. Imagine Herman Blume less beleagured and more joyful, karaokeing to Elvis Costello. The film just unfolds before you, inviting you to get to know the characters better and then you are practically participating in their lives. There is also a fabulous soundtrack (Air, My Bloody Valentine).

Okay, here's the ultimate double feature for you this weekend: Frothy romantic comedy, Down with Love, and dark window into the human condition, The Shape of Things.

Newsday tells which musicians are performing at Central Park's SummerStage:

The Grammys are over and the winners now get to calling themselves "Grammy-winning." Remember, so is Christopher Cross (sorry, Christopher Cross, you're just too tempting a punchline). So is a deserving Lauryn Hill, but where are you these days Lauryn? We need you. Norah Jones was the big winner of the night, winning the most prestigious categories, Record, Song, and Album of the Year. Bruce Springsteen represented, winning three, and the Dixie Chicks, Eminem, and Coldplay all won two. Dixie Chicks co-producer Lloyd Maines looks exactly like daughter and lead singer Natalie Maines. Eminem gave a respectful acceptance speech, thanking the MCs who came before him. Coldplay gave an awesome rendition of "Politik" with the New York Philharmonic. But the best performance was "London Calling," the tribute to the late Joe Strummer, with Elvis Costello, Dave Grohl, Bruce Springsteen, Steven Van Zandt, and Tony Kanal. There was a lot of making up: Mayor Bloomberg welcoming the Grammys back to New York after Giuliani's squabble with then NARAS head, Michael Greene. The Dixie Chicks pointedly thanked Sony after their contentious earlier fight. Of other interest: Jon Pareles on the many categories of the Grammys; more information about writer of Song of the Year, "Come Away with Me," Jesse Harris; and get thoughts of The Onion A.V. Club, one of the best arts sections around, on the best albums of 2001 and 2002, many of them ones that Grammys voters have never heard of. Virginia Heffernan called the night repressed, Ken Tucker mourns that the Boss didn't win more.