THURSDAY, AUGUST 11, 2016 l i f e s t y l e
MUSIC & MOVIES Bon Iver hints at new album ahead of festival
on Iver, whose emotionally intense folk Days” at the Eaux Claires festival, while others vals across North America. rock has won a strong following, is hinting mused that the work would come out in 22 days. Setting the festival in the woods, Vernon has Bit is ready with its first album in five years Bon Iver first emerged with the 2007 album “For vowed to give a unique aesthetic bent to Eaux ahead of the band’s own festival. The band led Emma, Forever Ago,” written by Vernon when he Claires with the latest edition including literary by Justin Vernon plays Friday at the second edi- locked himself in a cabin in Wisconsin for three readings, contemporary dance and selected art- tion of the Eaux Claires festival, established last months as he struggled with illness, a break-up work. Other headliners at the festival will include year in the group’s hometown of Eau Claire, and professional obscurity. Cornelius, the DJ who was a key figure in Japan’s Wisconsin. The group said in June that it would The album gradually won acclaim for the Shibuya-kei alternative electronic scene in the devote its set to new music and recently posted emotional power of songs such as “Skinny Love.” 1990s, in a rare performance of his 1997 album on social media a cryptic video with abstract The band followed up with a self-titled second “Fantasma.” — AFP shapes, household items as well as crucifixes album in 2011, winning two Grammy Awards that float in the air beyond an open door. including Best New Artist. Vernon had spoken of Anticipation built Tuesday as the band post- retiring Bon Iver soon afterward but the band This file photo taken shows Justin ed similar imagery on Instagram and a mural returned last year for the inaugural Eaux Claires Vernon of Bon Iver posing with the Best appeared in Brooklyn with the same design festival and earlier this year toured Asia. Vernon Alternative Music Album award for ‘Bon along with the words, “22 Days - It Might Be Over designed Eaux Claires with Aaron Dessner of The Iver’ and the Best New Artist award at Soon.” Several social media users speculated that National, another indie band known for rich, the 54th Grammy Awards in Los Bon Iver would debut an album entitled “22 dark textures, amid a proliferation of music festi- Angeles, California. — AP
Led Zeppelin loses fight for Sheeran faces legal fees in ‘Stairway’ case copyright lawsuit over ‘Thinking
ed Zeppelin may have won the copy- Randy Wolfe, founder of the band Spirit. right war over its creation of “Stairway to The trust for Wolfe, better known as Randy Out Loud’ LHeaven,” but it lost its battle Monday to California, claimed Page and Plant were famil- recoup nearly $800,000 in defense fees. iar with his work and stole a riff from the eirs of the composer for Marvin Gaye’s “Let’s Judge R Gary Klausner ruled that the band’s short tune “Taurus” that repeats throughout Get It On” sued British musician Ed Sheeran on songwriters, record label and associated com- the first two minutes of their classic 1971 rock HTuesday, claiming his hit song “Thinking Out panies were not entitled to legal fees and anthem. Wolfe’s trust had been seeking credit Loud” copies core elements of the late soul singer’s other costs because the copyright lawsuit for the song and millions in damages. But 1973 track. against them was not frivolous. A Los Angeles jurors found the tunes were not similar The copyright infringement lawsuit was filed by federal jury in June found that guitarist enough for Led Zeppelin to have violated the the heirs of Ed Townsend, who co-wrote the lyrics to Jimmy Page and singer Robert Plant did not 1968 copyright protection of “Taurus.”— AP “Let’s Get It On” in 1973 and created its musical com- lift the introduction of “Stairway” from an position, according to the complaint filed in federal Jimmy Page, left, and Robert Plant appear at a news conference in London in 2012. — AP obscure instrumental written by the late court in the Southern District of New York. Representatives for defendants Sheeran, Sony/ATV Music Publishing, and Atlantic Records did not imme- diately respond to requests for comment. The lawsuit, which asks for damages to be assessed at a jury trial, Fur flies on argues that the harmonic progressions, melodic and rhythmic elements central to “Let’s Get It On” formed the structure of Sheeran’s “Thinking Out Loud.” ‘Fast & Furious’ as “The Defendants copied the ‘heart’ of ‘Let’s’ and repeated it continuously throughout ‘Thinking,’” the The Rock lets rip lawsuit said. “The melodic, harmonic, and rhythmic compositions of ‘Thinking’ are substantially and/or hen they butted their chests in “Fast Five,” movie strikingly similar to the drum composition of ‘Let’s.’” hardmen Vin Diesel and Dwayne “The Rock” Grammy Award-winning Sheeran has become one of WJohnson-or rather their onscreen characters- Britain’s top-selling artists in the past two years, and almost ended up taking out half of Rio. So it could be time has written and co-written tracks for artists such as for Hollywood to batten down the hatches, because the One Direction, Taylor Swift and Justin Bieber. film industry’s most macho musclemen appear to have The lawsuit came two months after California- beef in real life. It all started when Johnson, 44, posted an based musicians sued Sheeran for $20 million over emotional rant Monday on his Facebook and Instagram his hit song “Photograph” in an unrelated case. Gaye’s accounts, referring to some of his male co-stars on the family last year successfully sued R&B recording shoot of “Fast and Furious 8” as “candy asses.” “There’s no artists Robin Thicke and Pharrell Williams for copy- other franchise that gets my blood boiling more than this right infringement in another unrelated case over one. An incredible hard working crew,” he said, praising the their hit single “Blurred Lines,” winning a $7.4 million professionalism of his female co-stars in the action fran- judgment. — Reuters chise. “My male co-stars however are a different story. Some conduct themselves as stand up men and true profession- als, while others don’t,” the former wrestler went on. “The In this image released by Fox, characters, from left, Bart, voiced by Nancy Cartwright, Lisa, voiced by Yeardley Smith, ones that don’t are too chicken shit to do anything about it Maggie, Marge, voiced by Julie Kavner and Homer, voiced by Dan Castellaneta appear in a scene from the animated anyway. Candy asses. When you watch this movie next series, “The Simpsons.”— AP April and it seems like I’m not acting in some of these scenes and my blood is legit boiling-you’re right.” Johnson didn’t name names or say what was riling him, while Diesel, Jason Statham, Scott Eastwood and rapper ‘The Simpsons’ to air first Ludacris have refrained from responding. But the gossip website TMZ-citing unnamed “production sources”-report- ed that Diesel was the target of the tirade, and that the pair had a secret meeting on set in Atlanta Tuesday to “hash one-hour episode; poor Mr Burns things out.” “We’re told The Rock has butted heads with Vin during the production, in part because V.D. is a producer he Simpsons” is doubling down with an hour-long former wife of a music mogul who has conned Mr Burns into and has made decisions that didn’t sit well with the former episode in January. It will be the first time the half- bankruptcy. Key voices a rapper, Jazzy James, who joins with wrestling champ,” TMZ said. Meanwhile an insider was “Thour animated series has expanded to a full hour, Praline, Homer and Bart to help Mr. Burns seek revenge. The quoted by E! News as saying that filming “wasn’t easy for Fox said Monday. Al Jean, executive producer of the series airdate for the episode, titled “The Great Phatsby,” a play on anyone” and had been especially difficult for Johnson, who that revels in daring humor, included a political shot in the classic “The Great Gatsby,” was not announced. “The is also a producer on the movie, which finishes filming in a announcing the episode. “I just pray it won’t be the last thing Simpsons” begins its 28th season on Sept 25, and will reach its week. — AFP people see before a Trump inauguration,” Jean said in a state- 600-episode milestone Oct 16. — AP ment. Taraji P Henson, who plays Cookie on Fox’s “Empire,” and Keegan-Michael Key will guest star. Henson voices Praline, the Grant admits film acting makes him ‘a little sad’
These two file photos show actor Dwayne Johnson nterviewing Hugh Grant-the poster boy for a ‘Full of fear’ “You’re doing an easy-peasy moment and revue, Grant claims to have enjoyed treading (left) during the Warner Bros premiere of ‘Central campaign against press intrusion and a noto- “With all of these things, you’re on these you’ve rehearsed it well and suddenly they say the boards. “Not so much in the cinema, to be Intelligence’ in Westwood, California, on June 10, Iriously prickly subject when the mood takes shows, you’ve got to think of something funny ‘Right, let’s shoot it close up now, Hugh’ and absolutely honest. I was talking to Kevin Bacon 2016; and actor Vin Diesel (right) in the press room him-can be an intimidating experience. When to say and you make catastrophic mistakes all bang!” he says. “Sweat, tension-it’s so ridicu- last night at a screening and we agreed you during the Peopleís Choice Awards 2016 at the actor sits down at a hotel in Beverly Hills to the time.” Grant, whose breakthrough role lous.” always go home a little sad,” he says. “You’re Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles, California, on promote his latest movie, “Florence Foster came in the Richard Curtis-scripted “Four marvelous in rehearsal and in the wide shot, January 6, 2016. — AFP Jenkins,” he looks ill at ease but determined to be Weddings a Funeral” in 1994, has gone on to ‘Never quite as good’ which you never really use in the edit, and on form, politely offering coffee and forcing a become one of the most bankable stars in Grant thinks he would be fine “poncing when it finally gets to your close-up, you smile. “I’m lovely in some interviews, I’m a little Hollywood. His 25 films have earned well in about” on the stage, as his attacks are a unique always clench up a bit. You’re never quite as ratty in others. For some reason I’m ratty with excess of $2 billion, not to mention a Golden affliction of film acting, brought on by “having good.” those showbiz shows-’Extra’ or ‘ET’-they’re too in Globe, yet he doesn’t exactly brim with pride my head in the little box in close-up.” Having Grant’s self-deprecation often seems calcu- ‘Croods 2’ release my face,” he explains. when asked about his back catalogue. “I’m glad started out in regional theater before touring lated to deflect questions that require deeper “The big celebrity ones,” he says, affecting a that some of them were successful and pleased London’s club circuit with his own comedy self-analysis, though he admits to being a pushed back to 2018 southern California “Valley Girl” accent. “I grind people,” he offers. tough person to work with at times. Jon my teeth in them.” Grant, 55, is the most high- “I take the Richard Curtis line, because he’s a Stewart famously banned him from “The Daily ox has moved DreamWorks Animation’s family film “The profile face of the Hacked Off campaign against great advocate of commercial films and how Show” in 2012 after the actor had a backstage Croods 2” from 2017 to an unknown date in 2018. The criminality and corruption in the British tabloids difficult they are to do well, as opposed to arty- tantrum over the cutting of a joke from a clip Fanimated film had been set to hit theaters on Dec 22, for the last five years. But he is something of a farty films which tend to get more prizes. “He for his latest film. The host described his inter- 2017, but Fox has moved its own “The Story of Ferdinand” into paradox-on one hand campaigning to protect argues it’s a little easier to please a small audi- viewee as the worst guest ever, adding: “And that slot. Based on the classic 1936 children’s book, ordinary people from the worst excesses of Fleet ence in Hampstead or the Village in New York we’ve had dictators on the show.” Grant also “Ferdinand” was previously set to open July 21, 2017. Fox has Street and on the other taking a torch to his own than it is to please a mass audience across the admits to riling colleagues by getting involved handled DreamWorks Animation’s release slate since 2013, privacy whenever a microphone is shoved world, and there’s a sort of snobbishness about in parts of the filmmaking process that ought starting with “The Croods,” but it’s uncertain how much longer before him. In the week leading to his interview that.” Grant says he was “full of fear” after being not to concern him, and says the habit of a life- it will do so following Comcast-owned NBCUniversal’s acquisi- with AFP, Grant was all over the world’s print and cast by director Stephen Frears to star along- time resurfaced on the set of “Florence Foster tion of DreamWorks Animation in April. The $3.8 billion deal is online media and volunteered several revealing side Meryl Streep in “Florence Foster Jenkins,” Jenkins.” “I interfere in stuff that’s none of my expected to close by the end of the year with Jeffrey anecdotes on America’s late night chatshow cir- the moving and hilarious biopic of a tone-deaf business, like where the camera should be,” he Katzenberg stepping down as CEO to pursue new ventures. cuit. wannabe soprano which hits US theaters on says. “But to be fair to Stephen Frears, he was Three other DreamWorks movies are set to be released On James Corden’s “Late Late Show,” he glee- Friday. very welcoming of that kind of stuff.” — AFP through-”Trolls” on Nov 4; “Boss Baby” on March 31, 2017; and fully told of an emotional breakdown during More than 30 years after his film debut, “Captain Underpants” on June 2, 2017. Universal had no com- which he “couldn’t stop crying for three weeks”-a Grant still suffers from sudden, crippling attacks ment on “The Croods 2.” “The Croods,” produced for $135 mil- story he rounded off with an amusing vignette of stage fright, which he tries to keep at bay This file photo shows Hugh Grant as he lion, was a major success, grossing $587.2 million at the world- about a disastrous visit to a hypnotist. “Maybe I with morning runs and doses of the stress attends the Hollywood Foreign Press wide box office. The film was set in a pre-historic era and didn’t think that one through. Really I was just reliever Rescue Remedy. He had a scene with Association (HFPA) Annual Grants starred Nicolas Cage, Emma Stone, Ryan Reynolds, Catherine trying to get to the hypnotist anecdote which I Streep which had to be re-shot twice after he Banquet, in Beverly Hills, California. — AFP Keener, Clark Duke, and Cloris Leachman. —Reuters thought was quite a funny one,” he tells AFP. was hit by what he describes as a panic attack.