Archive for January, 2013
Television: Celebrate Black History Month with Three World Premiere Movies on LIFETIME
Posted by Amy Steele in TV on January 29, 2013
Betty & Coretta tells the dual real-life stories of Coretta Scott King (Golden Globe® Award-winner and Academy Award®-nominee Angela Bassett) and Dr. Betty Shabazz (nine-time Grammy®-winning recording artist Mary J. Blige), the wives of Dr. Martin Luther King (Malik Yoba, New York Undercover) and Malcolm X (Lindsay Owen Pierre, The Killing Yard). After their husbands’ tragic assassinations, they create a life-long bond.
Kicking off Lifetime’s Black History Month celebration, Betty & Coretta will premiere Saturday, February 2, at 8:00pm ET/PT.
Twist of Faith, an interfaith love story about a single Christian mother (six-time Grammy-winner Toni Braxton) and an Orthodox Jewish widower (David Julian Hirsh, Weeds), whose mutual passion for music and singing draws them together, will premiere Saturday, February 9, at 8:00pmET/PT.
Pastor Brown, which follows a young woman (Salli Richardson-Whitfield) who returns home to take over as pastor of the family church after her father’s (Keith David) death and is forced to face her sordid past and mend fences with her son (Michael B. Jordan) and sister (Nicole Ari Parker), will premiere Saturday, February 16, at 8:00pm ET/PT.
Lifetime received ten NAACP Image Award nominations, more than any other basic cable network, for Steel Magnolias, 2012’s number one cable movie telecast among key demographics (excluding miniseries), and Abducted: The Carlina White Story, which averaged more than 4 million Total Viewers.
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News from Heaven: book review
Posted by Amy Steele in Books on January 28, 2013
News from Heaven: The Bakerton Stories by Jennifer Haigh. Publisher: Harper (January 29, 2013). Literary fiction. Hardcover. 256 pages. ISBN: 0060889640.
When she wrote her second novel—the authentic and riveting Baker Towers, Jennifer Haigh created the fictitious mining town Bakerton, Pennsylvania with memorable characters and a strong sense of place. In her new short story collection, she returns to Bakerton. It’s the type of small mid-Atlantic state town where people stay and pursue the same blue collar jobs generation after generation, where they die from black lung disease, where they marry their high school girlfriends and boyfriends often because of pregnancies and where dreams don’t travel far beyond the town’s borders. Those who move beyond Bakerton’s jurisdiction tend to become outsiders. Or they look back with melancholy and regret. It’s rather bleak and very small town America.
A girl meets her aunt, merely 12 years older than her in “Broken Star.” She enjoys the company of this cool older woman yet doesn’t understand her mother’s tepid attitude until she learns years later her aunt was her sister in need of a kidney. “Favorite Son” encapsulates Bakerton’s changing landscape and communal dreams through the dashed post-high school football career of a star athlete. What I like best about “Favorite Son” is the narrator. I made an incorrect assumption. How fantastic when that happens.
“I was that young once, Agnes thinks, but it isn’t true. At fifteen she was middle-aged already. She is younger now than she was then.”
–“Thrift”
“Thrift” is a marvelously peculiar story about a 50-year-old woman who never left Bakerton. Agnes saved her money working as a nurse. Took care of her ailing miner father. After her mom died she worked at the hospital and lived in her parents’ house until one day she met the much younger Luke. Her sister doesn’t trust him. Agnes maybe doesn’t know better or doesn’t care. She’s enjoying herself.
“His whole life, he’d believed there were two kinds of men: the kind who’d fathered him and the kind who’d raised him; men who took advantage of their freedom and men who threw it away; men who lived big lives and men who were content being small.”
“The Bottom of Things”
My favorite story might be “The Bottom of Things” which best describes that struggle between being comfortable with the familiar or breaking the cycle of small town suffocation to become successful. News from Heaven is a collection to be savored and treasured. Keenly observant and sophisticated.
FTC Disclosure: I received this book for review from the publisher.
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The Modern Age: two video versions
Posted by Amy Steele in Music on January 26, 2013
original by The Strokes
–perform with swagger and edgy guitar. In the Strokes video they’re on stage– the place where the band commands attention, seduces the audience with its talent, its mod style, its confidence.
cover by Chelsea Wolfe
–Her version’s a dark swirling mysteriousness. In Chelsea Wolfe’s video it’s a bizarre murky setting where a naked Chelsea wanders through the woods.
I’ve posted both to allow you to compare and contrast.
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Indians: music review
Posted by Amy Steele in Music on January 25, 2013
This fall, Indians opened for Other Lives at The Paradise and I thought “This is the opener? Solo skinny guy with a guitar and keyboard? How hipster.” Turned out to be quite the magical set. After a decade playing in bands Copenhagen singer/songwriter Soren Lokke Juul decided to become a one-man-band which takes guts and talent. Somewhere Else is one of those beginning to end albums that you’ll play on repeat. Quiet, exquisite compositions and a voice that melts with a serene, romantic tone. Indians takes you on a marvelously experimental sonic journey with futuristic beats.
Somewhere Else
4AD
Release date: January 29, 2013
purchase at Amazon: Somewhere Else
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He’s My Brother She’s My Sister: music review
Posted by Amy Steele in Music on January 23, 2013
Looking for new music to warm you up? You’ll be shimmying around to this charming debut album from He’s My Brother She’s My Sister. Alternating lead vocals, Rachel Kolar sings in a throaty, emotional rockabilly way while Robert Kolar has a forthright, baritone voice. HMBSMS mixes vintage musical stylings and nouveau alt- Americana with flair. Unusual instrumentation– stand-up bass, kick drum and guitar on a lap slide— bolsters the creativity level. “Let’s Go” grooves with super jangly twang. On the potent, super catchy “Electric Love” the vocals resonate with a Nick Cave quality at times. Hear tap dancing percussionist Lauren Brown do her thing on super-charged “Clackin’ Heels.” Dusty ambling urban brilliance on “Can’t See the Stars.” Smart, whimsical freedom.
Nobody Dances in This Town
Press the Van
release date: January 22, 2013
purchase at Amazon: Nobody Dances In This Town
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GIVEAWAY: CANADA by Richard Ford
Posted by Amy Steele in Books on January 22, 2013
The New York Times bestseller from Pulitzer Prize winner Richard Ford is now available in paperback from HarperCollins Publishers.
I have ONE copy to give away courtesy of HarperCollins.
Contest open to U.S. Residents ONLY.
TO ENTER: in the comments section, tell me what interests you about this novel. include your name and email address so that I can contact the winner.
Entries close January 31, 2013.
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Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
Posted by Amy Steele in Books on January 21, 2013
“Nothing in the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity.”
“The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically. Intelligence plus character – that is the goal of true education.”
“Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, ‘What are you doing for others?'”
“At the center of non-violence stands the principle of love.”
–Martin Luther King, Jr.
In college I took and African-American history class and read this wonderful biography on MLK:
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GLISS: music review
Posted by Amy Steele in Music on January 20, 2013
The Danish/ American three-piece with singer Victoria Cecilia, Martin Klingman and David Reiss provide a splendorous atmospheric journey. Every song on Langsom Dans engulfs you in layers of emotions and enigmatic, dreamy qualities. Melodic, lush, dark yet transformative. Opening track “Blood on My Hands” opens with a tom-tom beat and Victoria Cecilia’s vocals ranging from deep and troubled to soft and whispery, secretive. Fitting. Songs can tell stories. Songs do tell stories. “Weight of Love” is a perplexing, beguiling song. More upbeat yet at the same time forlorn in its moodiness. Then there’s “Blur” about “falling out of love again and again.” It has a grooving pop beat with soothing vocals. Gliss possesses many elements of mod, goth and shoegazing bands. Reminds me of my favorite 90s Boston band Mistle Thrush. Listen to it over and over again and surrender to the tranquility that washes over you. If you like The Joy Formidable or Purity Ring, you’ll truly appreciate Gliss.
Langsom Dans
label: MODERN OUTSIDER
release date: out 1/22
purchase at Amazon: Langsom Dans
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Project Runway Season 11: Teams Edition
Posted by Amy Steele in TV on January 18, 2013
MEET THE DESIGNERS:
Who: AMANDA VALENTINE
Age: 31
Hometown: Lincoln, NE
Current: Nashville, TN
Favorite designers: Isabel Marant, Yves Saint Laurent, Balmain, Alexander Wang
Style icon: Cindy Crawford (1994 House of Style Cindy)
School: The University of Nebraska with a degree in clothing and textile design
Misc: brother is in Maroon 5
Who: BENJAMIN MACH
Age: 35
Hometown: Sydney, AUS
Current: London
Favorite designers: Madame Gres, Madeleine Vionnet, Cristobal Balenciaga
Style icon: The woman who appreciates his design and wears it well
School: Sydney Institute of Technology
Misc: worked with Marchesa in London
Who: CINDY MARLATT
Age: 59
Hometown: Kent, Wash.
Current: Kent, Wash.
Favorite designers: Joseph Altuzarra
Style icon: Michelle Obama
School: Art Institute of Seattle
Misc: funeral director for 20 years
Who: DANIEL ESQUIVEL
Age: 48
Hometown: Austin, Texas
Current: Austin, Texas
Favorite designers: Wes Gordon
Style icon: Sarah Jessica Parker
School: self-taught
Who: EMILY POLLARD
Age: 24
Hometown: Richfield, Ohio
Current: Falls Church, VA
Favorite designers: Gareth Pugh, Haider Ackermann, Ann Demeulemeester, Yoji Yamamoto
School: Savannah College of Art and Design – fashion and graphic design
Misc: likes to make her own fibers
Who: JAMES MARTINEZ
Age: 29
Hometown: Dallas, Texas
Current: Dallas, Texas
Favorite designers: Viktor & Rolf, Valentino
Style icon: Lenny Kravitz
School: unknown
Misc: fashion line called Barron & J
Who: JOSEPH AARON SEGAL
Age: 30
Hometown: Framingham, Mass.
Current: Providence, RI
Favorite designers: JC de Castelbajac, Walter Van Beirendonck, Lanvin
Style icon: Grace Jones, Leigh Bowery, Prince
School: UMass, Amherst—BFA in painting & art history; Rhode Island School of Design– MFA in textile design
Misc: teaches at RISD, clothing lines Pretty Snake and WORLD of JAS
Who: KATELYN PANKOKE
Age: 23
Hometown: Parkland, Fla.
Current: Chicago
Favorite designers: Alberta Feretti, Marchesa, Alexander McQueen
Style icon: Grace Kelly
School: Florida State University — Apparel Design and Technology program
Misc: owner and creative director of Elaya Vaughn Bridal
Who: LAYANA AGUILAR
Age: 28
Hometown: Valadares, Brazil
Current: New York
Favorite designers: Alexander McQueen, Givenchy, Balmain, Marchesa
Style icon: Kate Moss
School: Fashion Institute of Technology
Who: MAT ARTHUR
Age: 30
Hometown: Hammond, LA
Current: New Orleans
Favorite designers: Alexander McQueen, Nicolas Ghesquière, Marc Jacobs
Style icon: Kelly Bundy
School: college degree for journalism; self-taught designer
Who: MICHELLE LESNIAK FRANKLIN
Age: 34
Hometown: Portland, Ore.
Current: Portland, Ore.
Favorite designers: Bottega Venetta, Marc Jacobs, Alexader McQueen Derek Lam
Style icon: Auntie Mame
School: self-taught
Misc: worked in Oregon wine industry
Who: PATRICIA MICHAELS
Age: 46
Hometown: Taos, NM
Current: Taos, NM
Favorite designers: Tom Ford, Prada, Diesel, Balenciaga, Coco Channel
Style icon: Debbie Harry, Anna Wintour, Audrey Hepburn
School: Chicago Art Institute and the Institute of American Indian Arts
Misc: first Native American to appear on Project Runway
Who: RICHARD HALLMARQ
Age: 40
Hometown: Sacramento, Calif.
Current: Sacramento, Calif.
Favorite designers: Maison Martin Margiela
Style icon: Grace Jones
School: u/k—degree in Fashion Design and Marketing
Misc: works as Director of Marketing
Who: SAMANTHA BLACK
Age: 28
Hometown: Bronx, New York/ Fairfield, Conn.
Current: Brooklyn, New York
Favorite designers: Alexander McQueen, Balmain
Style icon: Lisa Bonet, Grace Jones, Madonna
School: first of her family to graduate from college
Who: TU NAKCHAT
Age: 26
Hometown: Chacheangsao, Thailand
Current: Springfield, Virginia
Favorite designers: Cristobal Balenciaga, Dries Van Noten, Maison Martin Margiela
Style icon: Queen Sirikit, Carine Roitfeld, Nicole Richie and Lady Gaga
School: Parsons School of Design and Paris American Academy
Who: STANLEY HUDSON
Age: 45
Hometown: Pomona, Calif.
Current: West Hollywood, Calif.
Favorite designers: Balenciaga, Alexander McQueen, Yves Saint Laurant, Halston
Style icon: Halston
School: OTIS and Parsons
Misc: eight siblings
Project Runway Season 11—Teams Edition
Premieres Thursday January 24 on Lifetime
Hosted by supermodel Heidi Klum
Mentored by Liz Claiborne Chief Creative Officer Tim Gunn
judges Nina Garcia and featured judge Zac Posen
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Choice Quotes: Gone Girl
Posted by Amy Steele in Books on January 17, 2013
“I used to be a writer. I was writer who wrote about TV and movies and books. Back when people read things on paper, back when anyone cared about when I thought. I’d arrived in New York in the late 90s, the last gasp of the glory days, although no one knew it then. New York was packed with writers, real writers, because there were magazines, real magazines, loads of them. This was back when the internet was still some exotic pet kept in the corner of the publishing world—throw some kibble at it, watch it dance on its little least, oh quite cute, it definitely won’t kill us in the night.”
“Then after they siphoned off my money, my “feminist” parents let Nick bundle me off to Missouri like I was some piece of chattel, some mail-order bride, some property exchange. Giving me a fucking cuckoo clock to remember them by.”
“But I’m a romantic. In real life, if Nick had killed me, I think he would have just rolled my body into a trash bag and driven me to one of the landfills in the sixty-mile radius. Just dispose of me.”
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About Me
covering mostly music and books. focus on alternative/indie and women in music, literature and the arts. feminist. vegan. mostly alternative, a bit bohemian. Masters in journalism from Boston University. BA from Simmons College.
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Based on a work at entertainmentrealm.comCopyright © 2009. All writing, unless otherwise noted, by Amy Steele.
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