Elton John and Leon Russell: Documentary on their collaboration on “The Union” airs Thursday on HBO
From left, Elton John and Leon Russell - Provided Photo
“The Union,” a documentary directed by Cameron Crowe capturing musical legends Elton John and Oklahoma native Leon Russell as they collaborated on their album, debuts at 8 p.m., Thursday, Feb. 2 on HBO.
A summary of the film, provided by HBO, is as follows:
After 38 years of not seeing or speaking to Leon Russell, Elton John listens to Russellʼs greatest hits album while on safari in Africa with his partner David Furnish. He is moved to tears. Distraught at the thought that Russell – whom John considers one of his greatest musical influences – has seemingly fallen into obscurity, he vows to contact his idol and propose that they collaborate on an album together.
So begins “The Union,” an unprecedented personal look into the making of John and Russellʼs acclaimed album of the same name. Stepping into The Village studio in Los Angeles, director Cameron Crowe captures a myriad of intimate moments involving the two artists, including the first-ever filming of John composing music to lyrics written by Bernie Taupin, his longtime collaborator. Underscoring Johnʼs desire that the new album sound like one of Russellʼs classics, the film is filled with concert footage of John and Russell throughout their careers, including Johnʼs first U.S. appearance at The Troubadour in Los Angeles, a show attended by Russell.
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Adele returns to the stage on “The 54th Annual Grammy Awards” Feb. 12
Adele - Columbia Records Photo
Current Grammy Award nominee Adele will perform live for the first time since undergoing vocal cord surgery last fall at “The 54th Annual Grammy Awards,” which airs live at 7 p.m.. Sunday, Feb. 12 on CBS.
“I’m immensely proud to have been asked to perform at this year’s Grammy Awards,” Adele said in a news release. “It’s an absolute honor to be included in such a night and for it to be my first performance in months is very exciting and of course nerve-racking, but what a way to get back into it all.”
Adele, already a two-time Grammy winner, has six nominations: Record Of The Year, Song Of The Year and Best Short Form Music Video for “Rolling In The Deep”; Album Of The Year and Best Pop Vocal Album for “21″; and Best Pop Solo Performance for “Someone Like You.”
Previously announced performers for “The 54th Annual Grammy Awards” include Glen Campbell with The Band Perry and Oklahoma native Blake Shelton; Jason Aldean and Kelly Clarkson; Coldplay and Rihanna; Foo Fighters; Bruno Mars; Paul McCartney; Nicki Minaj and Taylor Swift.
LL Cool J will host the Grammy Awards show.
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“106 & Park”: Ardmore native Cicely J to perform live on BET show Feb. 15
Ardmore native and pop singer Cicely J won a “Blaze the Stage” state competition produced by the makers of “106 & Park” last month in Oklahoma City, according to a news release, and will perform live on the nationally televised BET show in New York City at the CBS Building at 5 p.m. (Central time), Wednesday, Feb. 15.
She will be competing against two other acts selected from other states and viewers can vote via text and online.
For more information on “106 & Park,” click here.
Follow me on Twitter: @MelissaHayer
“The Living Room with Gerry Bonds”: February’s spotlight is on Oklahoma’s job market
Host Gerry Bonds and Gov. Bill Anoatubby of the Chickasaw Nation - Provided Photo
The February edition of “The Living Room with Gerry Bonds” radio program features the subject of Oklahoma’s job market, asking the questions “Where are the jobs?” and “What is the employment picture for 2012?”
The first guest to join host Gerry Bonds is Gov. Bill Anoatubby of the Chickasaw Nation. He discusses the successful network of tribal enterprises in the state and how that translates into job opportunities, according to a news release.
He covers topics including the Bedre Chocolate factory and welcome center under construction, the Artesian Hotel under construction, the Winstar Casino tower, the Chickasaw Cultural Center, a compressed natural gas station and many health care facilities, retail operations, etc.
Guests in the second segment of the program are Deidre Myers, director of Policy, Research and Economic Analysis at the Oklahoma Commerce Department; and Dr. Phil Berkenbile, director of the Oklahoma Department of Career and Technology Education.
They talk abut the industries offering job opportunities right now, the geographic areas of the state with more job openings than applicants, as well as the availability of skills training to compete for those jobs.
This edition of “The Living Room with Gerry Bonds” will air on KOSU public radio at 6:30 p.m., Wednesday, Feb. 1; at 2:30 p.m. (new time), Saturday, Feb. 4; and at 8:30 a.m., Tuesday, Feb. 7.
The program also streams live online at kosu.org.
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From left, Deidre Myers, Gerry Bonds and Dr. Phil Berkenbile
Movies on Demand features past Academy Award winners, current nominees
Ryan Gosling stars in "Drive" - AP Photo/Film District
Oscar-nominated films available for viewing on Movies on Demand on Cox Cable, in lists provided from a news release, are as follows:
· Midnight in Paris – Now playing (Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, Best Art Direction)
· The Help – Now playing (Best Picture, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actress)
· The Tree of Life – Now playing until March 25 (Best Picture, Best Director, Best Achievement in Cinematography)
· Moneyball – Now playing (Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Achievement in Film Editing, Best Achievement in Sound Mixing)
· Warrior – Now playing (Best Supporting Actor)
· Bridesmaids – Now playing through Feb. 29 (Best Supporting Actress, Best Original Screenplay)
· Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 – Now playing (Best Achievement in Art Direction, Best Makeup, Best Visual Effects)
· Beginners – Now playing (Best Supporting Actor)
· Margin Call– Now playing (Best Original Screenplay)
· The Ides of March – Now playing (Best Adapted Screenplay)
· Kung Fu Panda 2 – Now playing (Best Animated Feature)
· Anonymous –Premieres Feb. 7 (Best Costume Design)
· Hell and Back Again– Now playing (Best Documentary)
· If a Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front– Now playing (Best Documentary)
· Drive – Premieres Jan. 31 (Best Sound Editing)
· Transformers: Dark of the Moon– Now playing (Best Sound Editing, Best Sound Mixing, Best Visual Effects)
· Rise of the Planet of the Apes – Now playing (Best Visual Effects)
· Real Steel – Now playing (Best Visual Effects)
Oscar-winning films available via Movies on Demand on Cox Cable includes:
· American Beauty (Paramount)
· As Good As It Gets (Sony)
· Crash (Lionsgate)
· Crazy Heart (Fox)
· Erin Brockovich (NBC Universal)
· Mary Poppins (Disney)
· Million Dollar Baby (WB)
· Slumdog Millionaire (Fox)
· The Blind Side (WB)
· The Departed (WB)
· The Pianist (NBC Universal)
· Walk The Line (Fox)
Additional upcoming film releases via Movies On Demand include:
· Dream House (Universal) – 1/31
· The Thing (Universal) – 1/31
· Drive (Sony) – 1/31
· In Time (Fox) – 1/31
· The Big Year (Extended Edition) (Fox) – 1/31
· A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas (3D) (WB) – 2/7
· Anonymous (Sony) – 2/7
· The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1 (Summit) – 2/11
· The Rum Diary (Sony) – 2/14
· Take Shelter (Sony) – 2/14
· Tower Heist (Special Edition) (Universal) – 2/21
· J. Edgar (WB) – 2/21
· Martha Marcy May Marlene (Fox) – 2/21
· Johnny English Reborn (Universal) 2/28
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Jack Nicholson and Verdell in a scene from the movie "As Good As It Gets" - AP Photo/TriStar
“The Good Wife”: Grand jury showdown exceptional
"The Good Wife" cast: from left, Archie Panjabi as Kalinda Sharma, Matt Czuchry as Cary Agos, Christine Baranski as Diane Lockhart, Julianna Margulies as Alicia Florrick, Josh Charles as Will Gardner, Chris Noth as Peter Florrick and Alan Cumming as Eli Gold - CBS Photo
In this week’s episode of “The Good Wife” entitled “Another Ham Sandwich,” Will (Josh Charles) faces off against Special Prosecutor Wendy Scott-Carr (Anika Noni Rose) in front of a grand jury as she tries to get him indicted for bribery.
Other members of the Lockhart-Gardner law firm are forced to appear before the grand jury, as well as a judge, in this intense episode that also features Eli Gold (Alan Cumming) once again tangling with nemesis Stacie Hall (Amy Sedaris).
As usual, Alicia (Julianna Margulies) is as composed as possible under fire, in this case as she’s grilled by the special prosecutor, who is played with absolute ruthlessness by Rose.
The scenes with Cumming and Sedaris add some levity to the seriousness of the grand jury hearing story line, and the way the indictment situation is handled is pure genius.
“Another Ham Sandwich” was written by Leonard Dick and directed by Frederick E.O. Toye and continues the show’s tradition of overall excellence.
“The Good Wife” airs at 8 p.m. Sundays on CBS.
– Melissa Hayer
mhayer@opubco.com
Follow me on Twitter: @MelissaHayer
“A Smile as Big as the Moon”: Hallmark Hall of Fame movie blasts off Sunday
"A Smile as Big as the Moon" - Hallmark Hall of Fame Photo
John Corbett stars in the latest Hallmark Hall of Fame movie “A Smile as Big as the Moon,” playing Michigan high school football coach and special-education teacher Mike Kersjes, who helps his special-ed students attend Space Camp in 1989.
Based on a true story, the movie follows the journey of Kersjes, fellow teacher Robynn McKinney (Jessy Schram) and their students as they pave the way for special-ed participants to attend the Space Camp at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville, Ala.
When Kersjes realizes how attending the program would greatly enhance the self-esteem of his students, he faces opposition to his plan, which includes school administrators saying it’s too expensive and Space Camp officials, led by Dr. Deborah Barnhart (Cynthia Watros), being reluctant at first to change the way things have always been done and allow the special-ed students to participate.
Then there was the $50,000 that had to be raised to allow the students to attend as well, along with almost a year’s worth of training to prepare for the camp, including swimming and learning to work as a team.
Many of the special-ed students are portrayed by young actors who are special needs children themselves, with Down syndrome, ADD, autism, dyslexia, etc.
“Mike Kersjes changed a lot of lives,” Corbett said in a news release quote from an interview at the Space Camp. “As a teacher, he made a great impact on the special-ed kids he worked with. But he also broke down barriers for countless other kids. Once his class made that first ground-breaking visit to Space Camp, the doors were thrown wide open.
“Thanks to a foundation he set up, more than 3,000 special-ed kids have been able to come here and experience the wonder and magic of space exploration.”
If you’d like to enter the Hallmark Hall of Fame Space Camp Sweepstakes, in which one lucky family can win a weekend adventure at Space Camp in Alabama, visit www.hhofsweepstakes.com.
“A Smile as Big as the Moon” airs at 8 p.m., Sunday, Jan. 29 on ABC.
Follow me on Twitter: @MelissaHayer
“Touch”: Preview of new Fox drama to air tonight
From left, Kiefer Sutherland and David Mazouz of "Touch" - Fox Photo
Kiefer Sutherland (“24″) returns to television as the lead in the Fox drama “Touch.”
Sutherland plays Martin Bohm, a widower and single father haunted by an inability to connect to his emotionally challenged 11-year-old son Jake (David Mazouz).
Martin discovers, however, that Jake can predict events before they happen and then everything changes, according to a news release.
In a special preview of the pilot episode, which airs at 8 tonight, Jan 25, on Fox, Martin becomes associated with social worker Clea Hopkins (Gugu Mbatha-Raw) and Professor Arthur Teller (guest star Danny Glover), who may have the keys to help unlock Jake’s mind.
The series premiere of “Touch” is scheduled for 8 p.m., Monday, March 19.
Follow me on Twitter: @MelissaHayer
“Luck”: Quality of new HBO drama should ensure satisfaction for viewers
From left, Dennis Farina and Dustin Hoffman in "Luck" - HBO Photo
If you’re drawn to character-driven drama, you’re bound to be enamored with the HBO series “Luck,” which focuses on the many personalities involved with horse racing.
“Deadwood” creator David Milch and acclaimed director Michael Mann have collaborated on a series that has as much talent in the cast as it does behind it.
As the series begins, Dustin Hoffman stars as Chester “Ace” Bernstein, who has just been released from federal prison and has bought a horse that his driver and bodyguard, Gus Demitriou (Dennis Farina) fronts as the owner for.
The horse’s proficient but disreputable trainer is Turo Escalante (John Ortiz), whose girlfriend, Jo, (Jill Hennessey) is the track veterinarian.
Nick Nolte plays trainer-turned-owner Walter Smith, who is haunted by a past event, but has a horse with serious potential.
Four degenerate gambling buddies, Marcus (Kevin Dunn), Renzo (Ritchie Coster), Jerry (Jason Gedrick) and Lonnie (Ian Hart) pool together what money they have to bet Jerry’s hunch on the day’s long shot, a high-stakes Pick Six winners contest.
Other key roles include jockey agent Joey Rathburn (Richard Kind); beginner jockey Leon (Tom Payne); exercise girl Rosie (Kerry Condon); and veteran jockey Ronnie Jenkins, played by real-life racing Hall of Famer Gary Stevens.
Guest stars such as Joan Allen, Bruce Davison, Mercedes Ruehl, Patrick J. Adams and Sir Michael Gambon also appear throughout “Luck.”
The first episode, directed by Mann and written by Milch, sets the tone for a show that is deliberately paced (with the exception of the horse races), is beautifully shot, and is absolutely intoxicating in its ability to get viewers caught up in the lives of all of these diverse characters.
Hoffman’s restrained and principled Ace is fascinating to watch, especially as he interacts with Gus.
Nolte’s performance as agonized and honorable horse owner Smith is commendable as well; while Condon’s portrayal of Rosie, who has dreams of becoming a jockey, makes you cheer for her.
In addition, Kind plays stuttering agent Rathburn in a dignified way that invokes sympathy for his down-on-your-luck character.
“Luck,” abounding in rich characters, absorbing acting by the entire cast and a story that involves all walks of life, is a good risk for television viewers to take.
“Luck” premieres at 8 p.m., Sunday, Jan. 29 on HBO.
– Melissa Hayer
mhayer@opubco.com
Follow me on Twitter: @MelissaHayer
Nick Nolte in "Luck" - HBO Photo
“Da Vinci’s Demons”: New Starz series to feature British actor Tom Riley
Starz Entertainment and BBC Worldwide Productions have announced that British actor Tom Riley will portray a young Leonardo da Vinci in the upcoming Starz original series “Da Vinci’s Demons.”
“Da Vinci’s Demons,” written by David S. Goyer, is a historical fantasy, following the “untold” story of the world’s greatest genius during his turbulent youth in Renaissance Florence, according to a news release.
The twenty-five-year-old da Vinci will be shown as a brilliant and passionate artist, inventor, swordsman, lover, dreamer and idealist, and as a free thinker, struggling to live within the limits of his own reality and time.
Riley has received critical acclaim in the UK for his performances in theater, film and on television. He has starred in multiple productions at London’s Royal Court Theatre since 2005, and on Broadway was nominated by the Drama Desk Awards for his performance as Septimus Hodge in “Arcadia.”
On television, he is best known for his role as Laurence Shepherd on ITV’s drama series “Monroe,” and his lead film roles include “A Few Days In September,” “I Want Candy” and “Happily Ever Afters.”
Follow me on Twitter: @MelissaHayer
