Spectre Teaser Trailer

We have gotten our first glipse at the newest James Bond movie, Spectre.  The teaser trailer was released today and, like its predecessor Skyfall, reveals just enough to get viewers excited about the latest 007 thriller without giving too much away just yet.  In fact, what makes the Spectre teaser so unique is there is absolutely no action shots whatsoever.

You can take a look at the teaser trailer over here.

You can certainly see the continuation of what Mendes did with Skyfall in the mood and camerawork, despite having a new cinematographer.  I like that Mr. White has returned since he was a loose end left over from Quantum of Solace and the old SPECTRE ring from the Connery films was a nice touch.

I'm not thrilled with what is being alluded to with Bond having a family, biological or adoptive it is not yet clear, connection to the film's antagonist, but being that the teaser trailer doesn't give much away this could be a purposeful misdirection.  I'm not yet ready to call the entire thing a failure because of this like some are already doing.

Well, until the full-length trailer or an announcement of who is performing the film's theme song is released, this will have to tide me over, but it is certainly a great tease to what will come.

Is Furious 7 Oscar's Next Best Picture?

When promoting an upcoming movie, actors will say a lot of crazy things to get the media talking about their film.  This serves a three-fold purpose: it gets the word of mouth out about their movie, it peaks curiosity that in turn drives people to buy tickets and see what the fuss is all about, and, finally, it breaks up the monotony of hundreds of press conferences over a span of a few weeks.

 

Actors are people too, just like you and me.  They get bored answering the same questions over and over again.  Sometimes they have to let loose and have some fun with it.  But I don’t think that is what Vin Diesel was doing in his latest interview with Variety regarding Furious 7 and I’ll explain why.

 

First let’s start with what he actually said:

 

"Universal is going to have the biggest movie in history with this movie," Diesel told Variety. "It will probably win best picture at the Oscars, unless the Oscars don't want to be relevant ever."

 

He went on and said, "This will win best picture. There is nothing that will ever come close to the power of this thing."

 

Did you hear that?  Nothing will ever come close to the power of this thing.  Sorry Schindler's List, your message just isn't powerful enough.  12 Years a Slave, you just aren't moving enough to usurp Furious 7 from its emotional throne of power.  Get out of here Casablanca.

 

Most that read that will have one of two reactions.  The first, and more popular, response is that Diesel has finally reached the point of stardom where reality is no longer a feasible plane of existence.  His ego has swelled so much because of the Fast and Furious franchise that his self-awareness is taking an extended vacation.

 

The other line of feedback to Diesel’s quotes is that he is clearly joking.  I personally don’t think he is joking and I will get to that in a moment.  But first let’s review why his line of thought is, similar to his famous street racing film franchise, daft and delirious.

 

It is no secret that the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences believes the coveted Best Picture Oscar is reserved for artsy, dramatic films that include perfect performances from its actors, innovative filmmaking from its directors, thought-provoking screenplays from its writers, and awe-inspiring work from the remaining crewmembers that receive accolades on awards night, including cinematographers, production artists, make-up and costume designers, visual and sound effect artists, and soundtrack composers.  Popcorn thrillers and franchise fluff such as comic book movies and action blockbusters don’t receive nominations for Best Picture.  In fact, it has only been in the last six years since the Best Picture field was expanded to more than five movies that films not falling into the genres of dramas, biographical, and art-house are getting better chances at being nominated, let alone winning.

 

In this new era of the Academy that recognizes more than just five films as the best possible movie of the year, it is still full of the regular fare, but it has also seen an uptick in the amount of action-based and science fiction movies that receive a nomination.  Last year’s American Sniper is one such example.  While it is still a biographical drama, much of the movie includes war-based action, and the film likely would not have made the cut if the Academy had kept its number of nominees at five.

 

Other recent action/science fiction/thriller films to receive a Best Picture nod likely due to the expanded number of nominations going around include Captain Phillips, Inception, Inglourious Basterds, District 9, and Avatar.  I left off Gravity, with much of its plot revolving around space survival action sets, and The Hurt Locker, another war action thriller, because both films would have survived the round of five, especially since The Hurt Locker won in its year.  I could maybe see Inglourious Basterds making the cut, but it would have been close.

 

Prior to the change in rules that allowed for more than just five movies to receive a Best Picture nominee, it wasn’t unheard of for action, science fiction, and fantasy films to have a chance.  Letters from Iwo Jima, another war picture from the director of American Sniper, was nominated in 2006 and in 2003, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King won the Best Picture award, the first and only fantasy film to ever do so.

 

What I’m trying to say is Vin Diesel might be correct in arguing for the inclusion of more action movies in the Best Picture nominee pool, but where his theory hits an oil slick and spins out of control is whether the Fast and Furious franchise is worthy enough of such an accolade.  My opinions regarding the misery it is to sit through those movies, which I’ve done on all but the third one titled The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift, are too broad to get into right now, so let’s get back to why I think it is Diesel isn’t joking when he says the latest entry in the franchise is Oscar worthy.

 

Anyone with even a mild interest in Hollywood and the film industry knows of the major incident that happened during the filming of Furious 7, but just in case you aren’t part of that group I will inform.  Diesel’s co-star and close friend Paul Walker died in a car crash not related to the movie.  It delayed filming and a decision had to be made as to whether they continued on with changes to the story, recasting Walker’s character, or scrapping things altogether.  It was ultimately decided to proceed with the movie and make some changes to Walker’s character.

 

Since the passing of Walker, Diesel has been very outspoken about how personal this movie is to him and the importance of completing it as a tribute to Walker’s memory.  Because of the off-screen death of his friend, Diesel has made it quite clear that this is a very personal film for him.  I don’t believe that he would make light of the movie’s story or acting by claiming it is Oscar worthy when it is pretty common knowledge that a movie like that wouldn’t stand a chance with Academy voters.  In my opinion, making a statement that the movie is Oscar bait and not believing it to be true when Diesel should clearly know better somewhat mocks Walker’s final movie and belittles his career since the Fast and Furious franchise is what he will be remembered for.

 

Diesel cares too much for this movie series and even more for his late friend to make a frivolous statement about Furious 7 being an Academy Award Best Picture if he didn’t mean it.  Now as for whether he’s driving with a full tank of NOS or not is another story.

Spectre Teaser Poster To Be Released (Update)

With the excitement of a new 007 movie coming out later this year, there are certain milestones along the way that build the anticipation of what will come later.  One of those moments is the unveiling of posters and artwork for the film.  It has been announced that some time later today the teaser poster will be revealed.

 

Following the announcement of the cast and film's title, the teaser poster is the next step of promotional material for a film.  Subsequent events are the teaser preview, character posters, theatrical trailer, and the announcement of who will perform the title song.

 

The teaser poster, like the teaser trailer, usually doesn't provide much in the way of plot, but it is still an exciting day in the life of a Bond fan.  Here are a few teaser posters from previous Daniel Craig-led 007 films.

 

Casino Royale



 

Quantum of Solace

 

Skyfall

 

Update:  And the poster has been released to the Internet.  Several websites are reporting the look, while very basic and giving away absolutely nothing, is a great throwback to Roger Moore in Live and Let Die.  Like I mentioned before, teaser posters (and trailers) are exactly what they suggest to be, teases.  Take a look for yourself.

Here is what Moore's turtleneck-wearing outfit looked like in his first outing as British super-spy James Bond.

The next milestone in the journey for Spectre to reach the big screen is the teaser trailer, which is slated to be shown March 28.  At that time we will have a bit better idea what the next adventure 007 will be on to save queen and country.

Not Enough Time In The Day

There is so much I would like to blog about right now.  I've got some hot sports opinions on racial issues that get into the Oklahoma University issue and Chip Kelly's football transactions.  After watching Gone Girl the other night I would like to do a feature on director David Fincher that would include a ranking of his filmography, because anyone who has read this blog for any length of time knows that I love lists.  I've also wanted to touch on a story Margot Robbie recently told regarding her screen test for the film Focus, which would lead into my most updated Top 5 "Freebie" list of celebrity women because, again, I just love lists.

 

But I am just too busy at work and with three kids and now a dog, yes we got a dog, to corral at home I simply haven't had time to devote to writing like I once did.  I hope to set aside some time soon to focus on something of interest.  In the meantime, for your viewing pleasure I recommend Birdman, The Imitation Game, Whiplash, or the newest episodes of House of Cards, just recently released through Netflix in the last two weeks.

The 87th Academy Awards Backlash Has Begun

The same thing happens every year.  You can almost set your clock by it.  As soon as the broadcast comes to a close for the Academy Awards, people flock to the Internet to criticize all things Oscar.  From the length of the telecast (which is actually pretty valid) and the bits that failed to the polarizing acceptance speeches, the same people that during the weeks leading up to the Academy Awards ceremony claim how antiquated and irrelevant the Oscars are immediately start chiming in on what the Academy got wrong.  And there is nothing that gets folks in more of a tizzy than the movie that wins Best Picture.  A movie could win the top prize at the Academy Awards and be a better feature than The Godfather, Casablanca, Citizen Kane, and Gone with the Wind combined, but there will still be the detractors out there that claim, “That movie sucked.  It didn’t deserve Best Picture!”

 

Last year the group that rallied against 12 Years a Slave, which in my humble opinion was the greatest feature film of the year, had to preface their derogatory remarks with, “I’m not racist, but ….”  While the Academy Awards is the biggest of all the awards shows when it comes to filmmaking accolades, that doesn’t mean it is the be all, end all in deciding what is and is not the best picture, or who had the best performances/work from movies the previous year.  Sure, they are usually in the right ballpark when the announcement is made at the end of the night as to what gets to tout itself as the greatest film from that year, but mistakes are made.  I will go to my grave believing that Saving Private Ryan was robbed the Best Picture statue.

 

So it came as no big surprise that starting on Monday the criticisms of Birdman being the best movie of the year really ramped up.  A repetitive theme in the snarky comments was the win came as a result of the Academy showing love for its own group because Birdman is about the life of acting/Hollywood.  Essentially the argument is that movies about Hollywood/actors will win more because it is Hollywood/actors voting for the films.

 

At face value and without any actual evidence to support or oppose that claim, I feel like that is a somewhat ludicrous premise.  The Academy members that vote for the best picture of the year are made up of not just actors, but also directors, casting directors, cinematographers, costume designers, editors, executives, producers, public relations people, sound and visual effects employees, writers, and others.  The thought that actors are only going to vote for a movie as best picture because it features their own profession would be a valid one if the majority of the voters were just that single line of business, but with 17 categories of Academy members it would take a lot more than just the actors’ votes to make a film about Hollywood the best of the year.

 

So now let’s look at past winners.  In the 87 years the Oscars have been happening, a total of six movies associated with Hollywood or the acting profession (which I am including Broadway in that category) have been crowned the best.  Those films include The Broadway Melody, The Great Ziegfeld, All About Eve, The Artist, Argo, and Birdman.  That puts movies about movies winning the best movie award at a 6.8% win rate.  In fact, there are three genres that have a better win rate, and they are war films, biopics, and epic period pieces.  Dramas about British life have also won six times.

 

It is worth noting that three of the past four winners have been about the Hollywood industry, but prior to that you have to go all the way back to 1950 to find a Best Picture winner that involved acting.

 

Looking at the eight nominees from this year’s ceremony, claiming Birdman was the obvious winner because it was about Hollywood could be a valid one if it weren’t for the films it was up against.  War films, biopics, and epic period pieces, historically, have a better chance of being named the best picture, and dramas about British life have an equally good chance.  So really, the movies that fall into genres with a similar or better winning percentage at the Oscars include American Sniper (war/biopic), The Imitation Game (war/biopic/British life), Selma (biopic), and The Theory of Everything (biopic).

 

If you want to make a case for why one of the other nominated films is the worthy winner, that is fine, but don’t disparage Birdman because of an unproven theory about Hollywood and the Academy members.

Hit And Run

The title of this post is quite the tease.  It probably made you think I was in some sort of accident recently and you are anticipating a riveting piece about how my neck cracked in three places or I chased the guy down on foot.  Sadly it has nothing to do with any of those scenarios.

 

Really I just hadn't posted anything for a little while and didn't have much to say, so this will be a short entry and then I am out of here.  Hence, hit and run.

 

This past weekend Joanna, my friend Evan, and I attended the AMC Theater Best Picture Showcase event, which screens all the best picture nominees from the upcoming Academy Awards.  Last Saturday we saw The Grand Budapest Hotel, Whiplash, Birdman, and Selma.  They were all really good.  I was anticipating Birdman the most, but I think I enjoyed The Grand Budapest Hotel the most.

 

The upcoming shows for Saturday will be Boyhood, The Theory of Everything, The Imitation Game, and American Sniper.  Following the marathon of movie watching that day, I will then make my way to Weatherford that night for some cards.  I then have church the next morning and finally the Academy Awards ceremony that night.  It is going to be a long two days.

 

That really about does it for me.  If something of great interest happens soon I will try to get it on here.



Need An Acura MDX Tire Changed? Call Me.

This past weekend I went on a couple's retreat just north of Broken Bow, Oklahoma, with the Zumwalts for a little relaxation away from the children.  It was also a birthday/Valentine's gift for Joanna and Brandy since their birthdays are in January and February.

 

On the final day of our weekend, Danny and I went to pack the car about an hour before check-out and found one of the tires to Joanna's car flat (it was actually Joanna who first noticed the problem).  While flat tires are an annoyance no matter what time of day or where you are, this ended up being the biggest hassle I have had in quite a while.

 

It should be noted, I am a tire changing master.  I've had Moby, my current Toyota Camry, since 2001 and in that time I have probably changed 10 flat tires.  While I still greatly fear the vehicle falling off the carjack and crushing the life out of me, I am quite proficient in the art of changing a tire.  However, this was the first time I had ever had to change a tire on a 2006 Acura MDX.  Well, after the ordeal on Sunday, I am now an expert for that car as well.

 

Once the problem was identified, Danny and I went into man mode.  We slowly moved the car to the paved street (since the parking area at the cabin was made of loose rocks and I really didn't want to end the trip on a bummer with a 5,500-pound SUV falling on top of me or Danny) and found most of the necessary tools needed to change the tire to the donut spare.  I say most of the tools because it turns out that Joanna's car has a special wheel nut on each tire that requires a key to loosen and remove.  Being my first time to change a tire on her car, I didn't realize this until the other four nuts had been loosened.  It took a quick Google search (because the Acura's owner's manual didn't tell us this) to learn that the key needed to remove the special wheel nut was located in the glove box.

 

So I now had all the wheel nuts removed, the flat tire taken off, and the spare donut tire put on.  We tightened everything up, lowered the car off the jack, put the tools back where they belonged, and moved the car to see if everything was working properly.  Everything was not working properly.

 

As soon as I rolled the wheel a whole revolution, Danny said the air inside the wheel completely dissipated and the tire went as flat as the original one.  The next idea was to put the original flat tire in Danny's trunk and drive to Broken Bow in order to get a new tire or patch the bad one.  About three miles away from the cabin, with another 8 miles to go into town, we decided to try something different.

 

Surprisingly, Danny's spare tire for his Kia was the same size as our Acura.  It just so happened to match up, because if the Acura had been a year younger or Danny's Kia had been a year older, things would not have worked out to where we could put Danny's spare on our car.  So we went back to the cabin, got the tools back out, jacked the car up again, replaced our spare with Danny's, and began lowering the vehicle.  As I was bringing the car down, Danny's spare tire was slowly getting flatter and flatter.  Yet, it didn't go all the way down.  That was progress.

 

There was enough air in the spare tire to get to the nearby gas station and fill it up.  I slowly navigated Joanna's car with Joanna and the Zumwalts following in their car to the gas station and we filled both Danny's tire and my spare tire up to the max pressure.  Danny and I decided having his spare, which was built for a vehicle half the size of our SUV, was probably not great to leave on for more than a few miles.  So what did we do?  It's time to change spare tires again.  For those counting, this is now the third time we have gone through this process and we still haven't gotten a proper-sized tire to go on the car.  We jacked the SUV up, got the tools out, took Danny's spare off, put our spare on, lowered the SUV back down, put the tools away, and decided to start driving to a tire shop.

 

You might not be surprised to learn that few tire shops are open on a Sunday.  The closest place we could find online was a Sears Automotive in Paris, Texas, which was approximately 65 miles away.  On the off chance that our spare tire blew out, the SUV flipped a couple of times, and I was ejected from the vehicle to my death, it was decided that I would drive Joanna's car alone and she ride in the safe car with the Zumwalts.  It was okay.  I had 50s on 5 with Sirius XM radio.

 

After an hour-and-a-half of driving we made it to the Sears Automotive in Paris.  And wouldn't you know it, the iPhone had lied to us.  The automotive portion of the store was closed.  I felt like Clark Griswold arriving at Wally World, except there was no robotic moose to punch in the nose.

 

At this point, which was 2 p.m. and nobody had eaten since breakfast that morning, we decided to just ride it out on the donut all the way to Arlington and I would worry about it on Monday.  As we were searching for a place to eat, Danny and I decided to drive the extra hour to Greenville and dine at a Chinese restaurant we are fond of.  We had found it during a friend's wedding that our wives were a part of and since then had returned a couple of times when visiting the area or passing through.

 

While driving to Greenville, Joanna found an NTB located there that was open until 6 p.m.  We dropped the car off, went and ate our Chinese food with the Zums, and returned to get our car, which would have four good wheels and new oil in the engine, at about 4:30.  The car wasn't finished yet because they couldn't find the key to remove the special wheel nut.  I had put it in the back seat with the other tire removal tools, which was neither where the key belonged nor the tools.  I had just put them there in order to get to them faster should I have to change the tire again at some point on the way from Broken Bow to the tire shop.

 

We were finally on the road in complete working order at about 5 p.m.  Our original plan was to be home about 3 to get the boys from my mom.  We didn't end up pulling into our driveway until 6:30 and she brought our children to us.

Long story short, if you need your tire changed, don't call me.  The title to this post originally was requesting your phone calls, but after Sunday's debacle I've done that chore enough for a while.

Couples Retreat: Gambling, Relaxation & Nature

Today's working hours are going to feel like forever because when the clock hits five Joanna and I are off to Oklahoma for a weekend of no kids.  We eventually will be joining the Zumwalts in Broken Bow, but our first leg of the trip will be to WinStar for some poker time and a free hotel room.  WinStar sends me free hotel nights every month, but I am never able to use them because it is only redeemable Sunday night through Thursday night.  Since I have a 9-5 job, getting to stay for free usually isn't possible unless I take a vacation day like I am doing for this trip.

 

After the gambling is over tonight and tomorrow morning, we will make our way to Broken Bow, where Danny and Brandy will be awaiting our arrival at a cabin we have rented.  We have made this trip before, but it was with the kids.  This time we are free of our parental obligations until Sunday.  It will be glorious!  Hopefully I have good stories for my other blog about my poker winnings.

 

On a sadder note, my friend Evan's father passed away last weekend.  A funeral service is scheduled Monday afternoon.  My thoughts and prayers go out to Evan and his mom while they have to work through this unfortunate transition in life.  I have not yet lost a parent and could not possibly know how hard it is, but I know that God is with Evan during this time and his friends will also help in any way we can.

'Spectre' Singer Betting Odds

So with 23 previous theme songs chronicled, who is currently the favorite rumored to be headlining the next 007 feature song?  As of the beginning of this year, “Stay with Me” crooner Sam Smith leads the pack at 4-1 odds.

 

The full roster of performing acts you can bet on include:

 

Sam Smith (pictured) 4-1

Ed Sheeran 6-1

Lana Del Ray 8-1

Rita Ora 8-1

One Direction 8-1

Ellie Goulding 10-1

Coldplay 10-1

Adele 12-1

Taylor Swift 12-1

Katy Perry 16-1

Thirty Seconds to Mars 16-1

Florence and the Machine 16-1

Lady Gaga 16-1

Tom Jones 16-1

 

As of a week ago The Daily Mirror was reporting that Adele was flown to Los Angeles to record potential new music for the film.  There are no sources backing this claim up, but if it is true, that puts Adele’s 12-1 odds at a really great bet.

 

Current James Bond actor Daniel Craig and 007 producers have made it very clear how happy they were with Adele’s contribution to the previous film, Skyfall, so bringing her back for another theme song isn’t completely out of left field.  If Adele were selected again, she would be only the second artist in history of the film series to record more than one song.  Shirley Bassey sang the theme songs for Goldfinger, Diamonds are Forever, and Moonraker.

The Skyfall Theme

Being the first Bond theme to win Best Song at the Golden Globes, Brit Awards, and Academy awards, “Skyfall” sounds exactly like what a 007 theme song would were it sung by Adele.  Adele and producer Paul Epworth wrote the musical number, with orchestration by J. A. C. Redford, featuring a 77-piece orchestra.  Additional accolades included Best Song at the Critics’ Choice Awards and Best Song Written for Visual Media at the Grammy Awards.

 

 

“Skyfall” was released at 12:07 a.m. on October 5, 2012 as part of the Global James Bond Day, which was a celebration of the 50th anniversary of the release of Dr. No.  The song was an immediate success, going to number one on the UK’s iTunes online store less than 10 hours after it was released.  It reached number two on the UK singles chart and eight on the Billboard Hot 100.  It has sold more than 1.6 million copies in the US and is the first Bond song to sell a million digital copies.  Among worldwide music charts, “Skyfall” peaked in top 10 among several countries, reaching the top spot in Belgium, the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, South Korea, and Switzerland.

 

From initial contact to final product, it took Adele and Epworth 18 months to complete “Skyfall.”  Included in the music is an intentional reference to Monty Norman’s “James Bond Theme” after the first chorus.  Reviews were particularly positive, with many comparisons being made to the Shirley Bassey themes.  Along with Bassey’s influence, Epworth watched the first 13 Bond films for additional inspiration.

 

Adele Laurie Blue Adkins was born May 5, 1988, in Tottenham, north London, England.  At the age of 4, Adele took an interest in singing and cites the Spice Girls as major influences in her singing.  She later became interested in R&B artists, including Aaliyah, Destiny’s Child, and Mary J. Blige, and after accidentally stumbling upon albums for Etta James and Ella Fitzgerald, Adele started experimenting with her voice.  In May 2006, she graduated from the BRIT School for Performing Arts & Technology.

 

Due to a posting of her demo on MySpace in 2006, Adele was signed to a contract with XL Recordings, which led to her debut album, 19, being certified four times platinum in the UK and double platinum in the United States.  Her second single from the album, “Chasing Pavements,” reached number two on the UK chart and stayed there for four weeks.  Subsequently, she won Grammy Awards for Best New Artist and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance.  Other awards included an Urban Music Award for “Best Jazz Act,” a Q Awards nomination for Breakthrough Act, a Mercury Prize nomination, and a Music of Black Origin nomination in Best UK Female.

 

Following an appearance on Saturday Night Live in 2008, Adele’s popularity in America climbed sharply.  The day after her performance, 19 topped the iTunes charts and ranked at number five at Amazon.com and “Chasing Pavements” rose into the top 25.  The album jumped 35 spots to number 11 on the Billboard 200.

 

Her second album in 2011, 21, was a critical and commercial smash, surpassing the first.  The album went on be certified 16 times platinum in the UK and diamond in the United States.  Adele’s record held the top position longer than any album since 1985 and is the longest running number one album by a female solo artist in the history of the UK and U.S.  It won a record-tying six Grammy Awards, including Album of the Year, two Brit Awards, and three American Music Awards.  In total, it has sold 30 million copies worldwide.  Adele became the first artist ever to sell three million albums in the UK in one calendar year.

 

While her first and second singles from 21, “Rolling in the Deep” and “Someone like You,” respectively, were in the top five of the UK singles chart, it made her the first living artist to achieve such a feat since the Beatles in 1964.  With the release of her third single, “Set Fire to the Rain,” Adele became the first artist ever to have an album hold the number-one position on the Billboard 200 concurrently with three number one singles.

 

Billboard named Adele Artist of the Year in 2011 and 2012.  In 2012, she was listed at number five on VH1’s 100 Greatest Women in Music and Time magazine named her one of the most influential people in the world.

 

Adele has one child, with charity entrepreneur Simon Konecki.

 

Paul Epworth, born July 25, 1974, is an English music producer, musician, and songwriter who has worked with artists that include Coldplay, Paul McCartney, Cee Lo Green, Florence and the Machine, Foster the People, John Legend, and Bruno Mars.

 

Along with his producing and songwriting, he is also known for remix work under the pseudonym Phones.  His remix catalogue of music includes selections from U2, P-Diddy, Nine Inch Nails, Interpol, and Coldplay.  Epworth briefly did work under the name Epic Man.

 

For Epworth’s work with Adele he has won four Grammies and an Academy Award.  His production on the number one debut album Made of Bricks by Kate Nash included a writing credit on the hit single “Foundations,” which earned him an Ivor Novello nomination.  Epworth is a member of the Music Producers Guild.  In 2009, Epworth won best newcomer at the inaugural Music Producers’ Guild Awards and the following year he won the Brit Award’s, Music Producers’ Guild Award’s, and Music Week’s Producer of the Year awards.

 

Jonathan Alfred Clawson Redford, born July 14, 1953, is an American composer, arranger, orchestrator, and conductor whose work spans across concert, chamber, and choral music, film, television, and theater scores, and recorded music.  Redford’s youth was influenced by arrange of music, from symphonic, nineteenth-century opera, and film composition to the Beatles, Frank Zappa, Joni Mitchell, and jazz artists.

 

As a teenager, Redford worked as a music arranger for rock ‘n’ roll bands and by his early 20 he was scoring documentaries and educational films.  After moving to Los Angeles in the mid-1970s, he started working in television, with early composing for Starsky & Hutch.  During a 1980s American Federation of Musicians strike, Redford used the time wisely, continuing his education with Hal Johnson, Frederick Zweig, and Walter Scharf.

 

Excluding the time he was on strike, Redford has been writing music at a steady pace since 1976, working with such artists as Steven Curtis Chapman, Bonnie Raitt, and Sting.  Artists that have performed his work include the Chicago Symphony, Israel Philharmonic, Kansas City Chorale, New York Philharmonic, and Utah Symphony.  His work has also been featured in programs at the Kennedy Center, Lincoln Center, Walt Disney Concert Hall, St. Peter’s Basilica, and London’s Royal Albert Hall.

 

Redford has written scores for more than three dozen feature films and 500 episodes of television.  His music on St. Elsewhere earned him Emmy nominations in 1984 and 1985.

 

Redford has authored a book, titled Welcome All Wonders: A Composer’s Journey.

The Quantum of Solace Theme

Marking the first duet in James Bond music history, Jack White of the White Stripes and Alicia Keys collaborated with one another for “Another Way to Die” from Quantum of Solace.  White wrote and produced the track.

 

Initial reviews of the song were mixed, with many believing it to be a good song on its own but poorly done when considered a 007 theme.  According to the 2008 Popjustice Reader’s Poll, the song was voted as the second “Worst Single” of the year.  The US Billboard Hot 100 debut reached only 81, where it spent only one week on the chart.  However, the song did fare better overseas, where it charted inside the top ten in the UK, Austria, Belgium, Switzerland, Germany, Norway, and Denmark, where it was certified gold.

 

In 2008, “Another Way to Die” won Best Original Song at the Satellite Awards and received a nomination for the same category at the Critics’ Choice Awards.  The music video was nominated at the Grammy Awards for Best Short Form Music Video.

 

Prior to White and Keys being officially announced as the performers, singers Leona Lewis and Amy Winehouse were rumored to be selected.  Winehouse had even recorded a demo track with producer Mark Ronson, but it was later explained that due to Winehouse’s well-publicized legal issues she was not prepared to record any music at that time.

 

Jack White, born July 9, 1975, as John Anthony Gillis, is the frontman for the White Stripes, but his collaborations with other artists and bands are varied, including Loretta Lynn, Bob Dylan, Beck, the Rolling Stones, and Danger Mouse.  He is the youngest of 10 children and was raised Catholic.  White began playing drums at the age of 6 and in elementary school was influenced by the Doors, Pink Floyd, and Led Zeppelin.  In his teenage years he began listening to blues and 1960s rock, which would become the influence that led to the White Stripes.

 

White’s first recorded album was with a family friend when the two were working together at upholstery.  White played guitar and the band was named the Upholsterers.  Eventually meeting Megan White, the two were wed and formed the White Stripes, although they did not present themselves as husband and wife, but as siblings.  The band released six albums and a live album, with their biggest hit being “Seven Nation Army,” which spent three weeks at number one on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart and won a Grammy for Best Rock Song.  It has even become an international sporting and protest anthem.

 

Along with the White Stripes, White has also been a founding member of the Raconteurs and the Dead Weather.  Along with producing all of his own work through his label, Third Man Records, he has also produced for numerous artists.  His two solo albums have received eight Grammy nominations and both albums have reached the top spot on the Billboard charts.

 

White has won eight Grammy Awards.  In 2010, Rolling Stone ranked White at 70 on its list of the 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time and David Fricke’s 2011 list ranked him at number 17.  White is a board member of the Library of Congress’ National Recording Preservation Foundation.

 

Along with his work on Quantum of Solace he has also contributed to Cold Mountain, where he was also featured in an acting role, The Great Gatsby, and It Might Get Loud, a documentary about the electric guitar.

 

White has married and divorced twice, once to bandmate Meg White, where he took her last name, and again to model Karen Elson.  White has a son and daughter with Elson.  He currently resides in Nashville, Tennessee.

 

Alicia Augello Cook, known professionally as Alicia Keys, was born January 25, 1981.  Keys studied music and dance at an early age, learning classical piano beginning at the age of 7.  She was enrolled in the Professional Performing Arts School at 12, where she majored in choir and began writing songs, and graduated at 16 as valedictorian.  Although accepted to Columbia University, Keys was unable to handle both recording music and attending classes and dropped out of college after a month.

 

It wasn’t until signing with her third record label that she released her debut album, Songs in a Minor, which sold more than 12 million copies worldwide and was certified six times platinum.  Her debut single Fallin’ spent six weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100.  Keys became the most successful new artist of the year and won five Grammy Awards for her work on the album, including Best New Artist and Song of the Year.  The achievement made her only the second American recording artist to win five Grammys in a single night.  Fallin’ was also nominated for Record of the Year.

 

Keys’ second and third albums were also successes, earning her another seven Grammies.  Her live album, Unplugged, debuted at number one in the United States, making her the first female to have an MTV Unplugged album debut at number one.  It was the highest debut since Nirvana’s release in 1994.

 

In total, Keys has released five studio and two live albums and sold more than 35 million albums and 30 million singles worldwide.  She has won 15 Grammy Awards, five American Music Awards, 17 Billboard Music Awards (including Latin and R&B/Hip-Hop ceremonies), seven BET Awards, 16 NAACP Image Awards, two People’s Choice Awards, and numerous other accolades.  Billboard magazine named her the top R&B artist of the 2000s and placed her number 10 on their list of the Top 50 R&B/Hip-Hop Artists of the Past 25 Years.  In 2010, VH1 included Keys on its list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time and two years later ranked her 14 on its 100 Greatest Women in Music.

 

Contributions to soundtracks other than Quantum of Solace include Men in Black, Shaft, Dr. Dolittle 2, Ali, Sex and the City 2, 12 Years a Slave, and The Amazing Spider-man 2.

 

Keys has appeared in television cameos on The Cosby Show, Charmed, and American Dreams, as well as film work in Smokin’ Aces, The Secret Life of Bees, and The Nanny Diaries.

 

Having given birth to her second child late last year with husband Swiss Beatz, a hip-hop recording artist and producer, Keys plans to release a series of children’s books.

The Casino Royale Theme

With the announcement of Daniel Craig as the new James Bond, the series went in a grittier, more realistic direction, mirroring the Jason Bourne films.  This rougher tone was also found in the music selections of theme song performers.  Craig's first outing in 2006 was Casino Royale and producers wanted a strong male singer to perform the theme.  They eventually selected Chris Cornell to work with composer David Arnold to create a song that could substitute for the "James Bond Theme" in order to reflect 007's inexperience in the movie.

 

 

Prior to the announcement that Cornell had been selected, other artists were rumored to be in the running, which included previous Bond theme performer Tina Turner and English musician Tony Christie.

 

"You Know My Name" was released early online and reviews were generally favorable, winning the Satellite Award and World Soundtrack Award.  This leaked version, which differed from the final product, peaked at number 20 on the UK Single Download Chart.  While the theme song didn't make it on the film's soundtrack, Cornell did include it on his second solo album.  Cornell and Arnold worked separately before combining their efforts into a single tune.  Arnold has stated "You Know My Name" has the "same genetic material as the Bond theme, but in a different order and in a different shape."

 

In the United States, the song peaked at 79 and 64 on the Billboard Hot 100 and Billboard Pop 100, respectively.  The official release of the single peaked at number 7 in the UK and other top 10 positions were found in Denmark (2), Finland (3), Italy (4), Norway (5), Switzerland (10), and the Netherlands (10).  The single was nominated for a Grammy for Best Song Written for Motion Picture, Television, or Other Visual Media.

 

For a complete biography of David Arnold, go here.

 

Christopher John Boyle, better known by his stage name as Chris Cornell, was born July 20, 1964, and raised in Seattle, Washington.  He is currently the lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist for Soundgarden and former lead vocalist of Audioslave.  Cornell has five siblings, several of whom are musicians and singers.

 

Cornell, along with two former members of a Seattle-based cover band by the name of the Shemps, formed Soundgarden in 1984.  Upon signing with A&M Records in the late 80s, Soundgarden became the first grunge band to sign with a major label.  In 1996, following the release of the group's fifth studio album, Soundgarden disbanded, leading Cornell to have a short solo career before joining three of the four Rage Against the Machine band members to form Audioslave.  Beginning in 2001, Audioslave released three studio albums, but Cornell left in 2006 to begin a second stint of a solo career.  Cornell announced a Soundgarden reunion in 2010, which has led to a national tour and new album.

 

Along with his involvement in Soundgarden and Audioslave, Cornell has released three solo albums and was the founder of Temple of the Dog, a tribute band dedicated to his former roommate, Andrew Wood.  Collaborations with other artists include Pearl Jam, Alice Cooper, Linkin Park, Slash, David Cook, and Carlos Santana.

 

Cornell was ranked fourth among Hit Parader's Heavy Metal's All-time Top 100 Vocalists, ninth on Rolling Stone's Best Lead Singers of All Time, and 12th on MTV's 22 Greatest Voices in Music, and was voted Rock's Greatest Singer by readers of Guitar World.  Along with his awards for "You Know My Name" from Casino Royale, Cornell has received 14 Grammy nominations, winning two, an MTV Video Music Award, and a Golden Globe nomination.

 

Cornell has been married twice.  His first marriage, to Soundgarden and Alice in Chains manager Susan Silver, ended in divorce but produced a daughter.  He is currently married to Vicky Karayiannis and has two more children, a daughter and son.

87th Academy Award Nominees

The nominees have been announced.  We are only about five weeks away from the ceremony.  The level at which my cinema-love is rising cannot be charted during this time of award season.

 

While my wife and I host an Oscar-watching party every year, it isn't because I believe award shows validate or solidify what is and isn't the best movies from the year.  Obviously it is a matter of taste for everyone.  What is a great movie to one person may be uninteresting and bland to another.  What I like about award season is that it brings to the forefront a group of movies from the past year (most of which were released in the past three months) that are considered by those in the industry who actually know what is and isn't good work to be the best and we as moviegoers can then view films that might not otherwise have ever be seen or even heard of.

 

Birdman and The Grand Budapest Hotel lead with nine nominations, while The Imitation Game received eight nominations.  I haven't gone over each nominee and category yet, but the only major snub I have noticed so far is that The Lego Movie wasn't nominated for Best Animated Feature Film.  That is a shame because The Lego Movie is one of the most creative and heartfelt movies of the year, animated or live-action.  Although The Interview got much more publicity because of its politics, The Lego Movie had a much more important message about creativity and free speech.

 

The following are nominees in some of the categories.

 

 Best Motion Picture of the Year

American Sniper

Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)

Boyhood

The Grand Budapest Hotel

The Imitation Game

Selma

The Theory of Everything

Whiplash

 

Achievement in Directing

Wes Anderson - The Grand Budapest Hotel

Alejandro G. Inarritu - Birdman

Richard Linklater - Boyhood

Bennett Miller - Foxcatcher

Morten Tyldum - The Imitation Game

 

Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role

Steve Carell - Foxcatcher

Bradley Cooper - American Sniper

Benedict Cumberbatch - The Imitation Game

Michael Keaton - Birdman

Eddie Redmayne - The Theory of Everything

 

Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role

Robert Duvall - The Judge

Ethan Hawke - Boyhood

Edward Norton - Birdman

Mark Ruffalo - Foxcatcher

J.K. Simmons - Whiplash

 

Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role

Marion Cotillard - Two Days, One Night

Felicity Jones - The Theory of Everything

Julianne Moore - Still Alice

Rosamund Pike - Gone Girl

Reese Witherspoon - Wild

 

Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role

Patricia Arquette - Boyhood

Laura Dern - Wild

Keira Knightley - The Imitation Game

Emma Stone - Birdman

Meryl Streep - Into the Woods

 

Best Animated Feature Film of the Year

Big Hero 6

The Boxtrolls

How to Train Your Dragon 2

Song of the Sea

The Tale of the Princess Kaguya

 

Adapted Screenplay

American Sniper

The Imitation Game

Inherent Vice

The Theory of Everything

Whiplash

 

Original Screenplay

Birdman

Boyhood

Foxcatcher

The Grand Budapest Hotel

Nightcrawler

Goodbye 2014

In response to my wife's request, this will be short and to the point.  It was a great year as my third and final child, Sawyer Dean, was born.  Emery is a wonderful big sister to the new baby and Jack is ... well, Jack is Jack.  He is our toughest kid right now, but I don't think it is because he feels any sort of middle child syndrome.  I rather just think he is full of energy and like all 3-year-olds is testing his boundaries.

 

Starting the middle of January I will be moving buildings at work to start a new position.  It is called Loan Action Specialist, but that is just a fancy term for someone who verifies the reasons loan officers deny or cancel loans.  It is somewhat of a compliance role, which isn't completely different from the quality assurance job I am supposed to be doing now.  I say "supposed to be doing" because instead of quality assurance I am checking legal documents to verify we have all the information necessary when a loan's servicing is purchased.  This is the job of Record Services, which is monotonous, mundane, and ususally done by temps.

 

The birth of my child and changing jobs were the two big events of 2014.  I did have some success in a yearly poker tournament I play in.  It was the second year of the tournament and the first time I finished third.  This year I improved and came in second place, winning $800.

 

Hope your year was also a good one and next year is even better.  Everyone have a safe New Year's Eve.

The Die Another Day Theme

Following an unsuccessful bid to garner success with the previous 007 theme song for The World Is Not Enough from alternative-rock band Garbage, MGM wanted a high-profile artist to perform the 20th James Bond film's theme, "Die Another Day."  It was decided the Queen of Pop, Madonna, was the right choice for the film series' significant milestone.  Receiving co-writing and producing credit was Mirwais Ahmadzai and Michel Colombier composed the track.

While "Die Another Day" was nominated for two Grammies and a Golden Globe, critics were mixed on its sound.  Some liked Madonna's exodus from the traditional Bond sound, but others found its electronic and stuttered editing uninspired.  One of the latter critics was Die Another Day soundtrack composer David Arnold, who, it has been rumored, loathed the tune so much he refused to include it in the film's score.  Along with award nominations praising its quality, the song also received a Golden Raspberry Award nomination for Worst Original Song.

Madonna included the song on her ninth studio album, along with her greatest hits album in 2009, and the single made its way to number eight on the Billboard Hot 100.  It was also the top selling dance song in the United States in 2002 and 2003.  It reached the top spot on music charts in Canada, Italy, Spain, and Romania and was a top ten hit in several more countries worldwide.  In the UK, it debuted at number three.  "Die Another Day" was certified silver in France, gold in Australia, Belgium, and Greece, and double platinum in Canada.

Not counting Sheena Easton's appearance in the opening credits of For Your Eyes Only, Madonna has the distinction of being the only theme song performer to have a cameo in the film.  She plays Verity, a fencing instructor at Blades Club in London.  The song also is the only one in the series that include s a scene from the film being shown as the credits roll.

Born October 23, 1960, in Switzerland to an Afghan father and Italian mother, Mirwais Ahmadzai, is a leader in the French style of progressive electronic dance music.  In the 1980s, Mirwais began as a guitarist in the punk band Taxi Girl and later formed the acoustic group Juliette et les Independents.  He then set off on a solo career in the 1990s.

His collaboration with Madonna began in 2000, and he has produced and co-written songs for three Madonna albums.  His work on Madonna's album Music garnered three Grammy nominations, including Record of the Year.

His other work includes producing tracks for Fischerspooner and Uffie.  He has also produced remixes of songs from Madonna and Franz Ferdinand.

Michel Colombier is a French composer, songwriter, arranger, and conducter whose filmography includes scores for Against All Odds, Purple Rain, The Golden Child, Major League II, Barb Wire, and How Stella Got Her Groove Back.  Colombier was born May 23, 1939, and died November 14, 2004.  Colombier was married to Dana Colombier and had two children.

With the same first and middle name as her mother, Madonna Louise Ciccone was born August 16, 1958.  Madonna gained fame as a singer in the 1980s by pushing social conventions in her music and reinventing herself over the years.  Her music videos were fixtures on MTV when released, despite controversial imagery and suggestive lyrics.

Prior to signing a solo deal with Sire Records in 1982, Madonna worked with music groups Breakfast Club and Emmy.  Recognized as the greatest-selling female musical artist of all time by Guiness World Records, she has sold more than 300 million records worldwide.  She has released 12 studio albums with an upcoming album scheduled for 2015.  According to the Recording Industry Association of America, Madonna is the best-selling female artist of the 20th century and the second best-selling artist in the United States, only behind Barbra Streisand, with 64.5 million certified albums.  Billboard ranked her second behind the Beatles on the Hot 100 All-Time Top Artists.  The magazine also declared her the top-touring female artist of all time.

Along with being a gay icon, her legacy includes influencing current artists Adam Lambert, Backstreet Boys, Beyonce, Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, Fergie, Gloria Estefan, Gwen Stefani, Jennifer Lopez, Justin Timberlake, Justin Bieber, Katy Perry, Kesha, Kylie Minogue, Lady Gaga, Miley Cyrus, New Kids on the Block, Nicki Minaj, 'N Sync, Paula Abdul, Pink, Rihanna, Spice Girls, and Taylor Swift.

Madonna has won seven Grammy awards, with an additional 21 nominations, received seven Golden Globe nominations, with two wins, two Ivor Novello Award wins, was named MTV's Artist of the Decade in 1989, and countless other accolades throughout her career.  She was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in her first year of eligibility and is a founding member of the UK Music Hall of Fame.

Besides music, Madonna's other ventures include film work, fashion design, writing children's books and founding the entertainment company Maverick.  Her filmography includes Dick Tracy, A League of Their Own, and Evita, for which she won one of her Golden Globes.

While her marriages include actor Sean Penn and director Guy Ritchie, both of which ended in divorce, her list of romantic entanglements include Robert F. Kennedy Jr., comedienne Sandra Bernhard, Warren Beatty, Antonio Banderas, Lenny Kravits, Vanilla Ice, Willem Dafoe, Jose Canseco, Dennis Rodman, and Alex Rodriguez.  Madonna has two children, one with fitness trainer Carlos Leon and the other with Ritchie.