Video: Jason Segel performs with Swell Season
Jason Segel (Associated Press photo)
Swell Season
Comic actor Jason Segel made a surprise appearance Wednesday at the Swell Season’s Los Angeles show, and not surprisingly, hilarity ensued.
Segal performed an original song at the show, claiming the Swell Season’s Marketa Irglova had given him the songwriting advice to make his song as personal as possible. So, he crooned a little ditty offering his personal phone number to any available ladies in the audience.
The song also referenced his infamous nude scene in the movie “Forgetting Sarah Marshall” and his sweet-natured character on the TV show “Freaks and Geeks.”
Swell Season, the duo of Irglova and Glen Hansard, are best known for starring in and winning a best original song Oscar for the movie “Once.” They are incredibly talented musicians and clearly have an excellent sense of humor.
Check out this YouTube video of the performance; it’s sure to make your evening:
-BAM
Video: Twinprov’s “The Twilight Saga: New Moon” rap
Twinprov, AKA Oklahoma City comedians Buck and Clint Vrazel returned to the NewsOK studios this week with another of their humorous film-related raps. Since the hotly anticipated sequel “The Twilight Saga: New Moon” opens today, the Brothers Vrazel could only be paying hilarious tribute to Stephenie Meyer’s vampire-romance epic.
Admire both the fast-talking fun and the amusing choreography in Buck and Clint’s latest rhyming comic masterpiece.
As a bonus, Twinprov manager Eric Webb and the guys put together a behind-the-scenes preview video to go along with their big NewsOK debut performance:
The guys also performed their rap at five midnight “New Moon” screenings today/last night at Harkins Bricktown Cinema 16.
Thanks to Twinprov for again paying us a visit. It’s always a fun time.
-BAM
Video: “The Twilight Saga: New Moon” sneak peek
Well, “Twihard” fans, we finally made it! “The Twilight Saga: New Moon” Week continues here on BAM’s Blog, and I’m sure I don’t have to tell you that today is the big opening day for the hotly anticipated sequel.
I recently traveled to Los Angeles to take part in the huge press day for “New Moon,” participating in news conferences with Taylor Lautner, Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart and many of the other stars and filmmakers attached to the film. I’ve shared many of those interviews with you in the past few days, with more to come.
Talented NewsOK videographer Grayson Cook assembled this special sneak peek video of “New Moon,” which also features greetings from yours truly from L.A.
Happy watching, “Twihards!”
-BAM
Wednesday Video Spotlight: “The Twilight Saga: New Moon”
“The Twilight Saga: New Moon” Week continues here on BAM’s Blog, and in this Wednesday Video Spotlight, I’m sharing some trailers, TV spots, featurettes, as well as Taylor Swift’s hilarious “Saturday Night Live” parody “Firelight.”
I’m sure I don’t have to tell you that “New Moon” opens in theaters on Friday.
-BAM
Friday Featured Track for Nov. 13, 2009: A song from Carney, AKA Spider-Man’s band
Carney
Reeve Carney (Associated Press photo)
The song that has been on my brain the most this week:
- “Testify,” Carney, from www.myspace.com/carneytheband.
Truth be told, I’ve had just the general blues-rock sound of Los Angeles-based band Carney going through my head all week. I’ll pinpoint “Testify” in particular because it’s my favorite of their songs, a sonic trip that sounds just a bit as if someone mashed together Metallica’s “Ronnie” and Led Zeppelin’s “Kashmir.”
Of course, the reason this song and Carney’s music in general has been jamming its way through my head is simple: Lead singer Reeve Carney was announced last week as the choice to play the title role in the upcoming Broadway musical “Spider-Man Turn Off the Dark.” According to the Associated Press, the production is set to open sometime in 2010. It will be directed by Julie Taymor of “The Lion King” fame and features a score by Bono and The Edge of U2.
The lavish show has had a troubled history, with work on the musical stopped for last summer because of financial difficulties, according to the AP. But the producers have said financing is in place now.
Reeve Carney has a great soulful voice, so it’s easy to imagine him as a singing-and-web-slinging Peter Parker. The California vocalist became a finalist for the role after Taymor cast him as Ferdinand in her upcoming film version of Shakespeare’s “The Tempest,” said Zane Carney, the band’s guitarist and Reeve’s younger brother. She invited Reeve to audition for the movie after seeing one of the band’s gig.
When I spoke to Zane over the summer, he said the bandmates weren’t sure when their debut album on Interscope would be released since Reeve was a finalist for the Spider-Man role.
“Those things are pretty crucial and are obviously big exposure things for our band, so I think Interscope is trying to wait to see if he gets Spider-Man. And then if he does … they might want to wait until Spider-Man starts,” Zane Carney said. “But I would hope it would be within in the next six to eight months.”
In the meantime, the band has a single called “Love Me Chase Me” out on iTunes and will be looking forward to watching its frontman swing onto a Broadway stage.
And check out this fan-shot video of the band performing an extended jam version of “Testify” live:
-BAM
What to do in Oklahoma on Nov. 13, 2009
Stephen Kovash, owner of the Istvan Gallery, surveys a display in the Blue Sage Studio section of Urban Art, 1218 N. Western. Urban Art houses the Istvan Gallery, Art Fusion Studio, and Blue Sage Studio. (Photo by Nate Billings/The Oklahoman)
Today’s featuredStephen Kovash, owner of the Istvan Gallery, surveys a display in the Blue Sage Studio section of Urban Art, 1218 N. Western. Urban Art houses the Istvan Gallery, Art Fusion Studio, and Blue Sage Studio. By Nate Billings event:
See new work by Oklahoma City artists Suzanne C. Thomas and Billy Reid from 6 to 10 tonight at an opening reception and second anniversary celebration for Istvan Gallery, 1218 N Western Ave.
The Oklahoman’s Steve Lackmeyer talked to Istvan Gallery owner Stephen Kovash about the success of his gallery, which shares the Urban Art space with Art Fusion Studio, and Blue Sage Studio. Click here to read the story, and check out NewsOK video host Angi Bruss’ report from her gallery, embedded below.
For more information, call 831-2874 or go to www.istvangallery.com.
For more events, go to www.wimgo.com.
-BAM
Wednesday Video Spotlight: Classic “Sesame Street” musical performances
Big Bird reads to children during a taping of “Sesame Street.” (Associated Press photo)
To celebrate this week’s 40th anniversary of the venerable children’s TV series “Sesame Street,” today’s Video Spotlight focuses on some of the show’s wonderful musical performances. These classic performances feature celebrities ranging from the late Madeline Kahn to Stevie Wonder, along with the “Sesame Street” Muppets.
And of course …
-BAM
Wednesday Video Spotlight No. 1: New Blake Shelton video
Oklahoma country star Blake Shelton teams up with Trace Adkins to charm the patrons of a fancy New York restaurant in the video to their playful duet “Hillbilly Bone.” Gotta love these guys; they’re having so much fun.
-BAM
Video: Carrie Underwood kicks off series of TV appearances
Oklahoma native and country star Carrie Underwood kicked off a series of several TV appearances Monday night on “The Late Show with David Letterman.”
In the next month or so, Underwood will perform songs from her new album “Play On,” releasing today, on several shows. She also will be profiled in an episode of “Biography,” play two different awards shows and co-host the CMA Awards and host her first Christmas special.
Here is a list of her TV appearances:
Yesterday The Late Show with David Letterman
Today Good Morning America- live in New York
Nov 5 Live! with Regis & Kelly
Nov 10 Good Morning America- live in Nashville
Nov 10 “In The Spotlight with Robin Roberts: Bright Lights. Big Stars. All Access Nashville”- ABC Special
Nov 11 43rd Annual CMA Awards
Nov 12 A&E “Biography- Carrie Underwood”
Nov 16 The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien
Nov 18 The Ellen DeGeneres Show
Nov 19 Jimmy Kimmel Live!
Nov 22 American Music Awards
Dec 7 “Carrie Underwood: An All-Star Holiday Special” on Fox
If you want more TV news, check out Penny Soldan’s TV blog at http://blog.newsok.com/television.
-BAM
Video: Toby Keith pays tribute to Wayman Tisdale
Oklahoma singer-songwriter Toby Keith pays tribute to the late Wayman Tisdale with the new music video to his song “Cryin’ For Me (Wayman’s Song).” The video premiered exclusively this morning on CMT.
The new single may be the most personal and emotionally raw offering of the country music star’s entire career. “Cryin’ For Me (Wayman’s Song)” and its accompanying video offer a heartfelt homage to Tisdale, whom Keith considered a close friend.
An all-American basketball player for Oklahoma and NBA star before launching a second career as a jazz bassist, Tisdale passed away unexpectedly in May from complications resulting from cancer treatments that seemed to have left him with a clean bill of health, according to a news release.
For Keith, Tisdale’s death was a terrible blow unlike anything he’d experienced before, the release states. He poured his emotions into music, writing a song he intended to play at Tisdale’s funeral, but the wound was still too fresh.
“I’ve had some loss in my life, of course my dad, but that’s different,” Keith says in the release. “I’ve lost some friends and acquaintances along the way, but this one was very difficult for me. I wrote this for (the funeral), but I could not get through it. I ended up doing Willie’s ‘Angel Flying Too Close To The Ground’ because I wasn’t attached to that. It was weeks before I could make it all the way through the song. It was tough on me.”
“Cryin’ For Me (Wayman’s Song),” co-produced by Mark Wright, was the most added song at country radio last week, according to Country Aircheck/Mediabase. And the video has been added by CMT in Hot Shot Rotation, and by GAC in its Turbo Track slot.
The video features video and photos of Tisdale from both his careers, as well as scenes of him hanging out with Keith, spending time with his family and getting around on his prosthetic limb after losing a leg to cancer. Those images are intertwined with scenes of Keith singing and playing guitar and jazz star Dave Koz, another friend of Tisdale’s who plays on the track, wailing away on his saxophone.
The video will have you welling up with emotion, particularly if you are an Oklahoman and/or a fan who was touched by Tisdale’s life and luminous smile. It is a fitting visual to go with the tearjerking song.
“Cryin’ For Me” is the second single from Keith’s recently released chart-topping “American Ride” album, following the smash No. 1 title track.
Keith’s “America’s Toughest Tour” continues to draw standing-room-only crowds, and the Norman resident will embark on his first European tour this month.
-BAM
