TV / Film News

Bandleader Kevin Eubanks Ends 18 Years with Leno

Source: All About Jazz
May 31, 2010

It's a wrap for Tonight Show bandleader Kevin Eubanks after 18 years backing up host Jay Leno.

“I don't think we've ever had an argument," Leno said, bidding Eubanks farewell on Friday's show. “We've had a lot of fun." Eubanks, whose duties included comic sidekick to Leno as well as guitarist, had been aboard since Leno took over NBC's Tonight in 1992. Eubanks became musical director when Branford Marsalis left in 1995. The 52-year-old Eubanks joined Leno last fall for ...

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'Cove' Release Sparks Ire in Japan

Source: All About Jazz
May 31, 2010

Oscar-winning doc “The Cove," which depicts the annual dolphin slaughter in Taiji, Japan, is now set for a June 26 Japanese bow on 27 screens -- but the road to release has been rocky and the troubles may not yet be over.

“The Cove's" helmer Louie Psihoyos and his staff encountered fierce opposition from the locals when filming, forcing them to shoot not only underwater but also undercover. That opposition from various sources has continued since Tokyo-based Medallion Media acquired ...

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Theme Songs Integral Part of Classic Remakes

Source: All About Jazz
May 31, 2010

Studios capitalize on title tunes familiar to both old and young. In a year when the TV Academy nearly abolished its Emmy “main title theme" category, classic TV themes are turning out to be incredibly valuable properties -- especially when it comes to remakes.

An update of “Hawaii Five-O" is coming to CBS in the fall, and Morton Stevens' classic theme (a top-10 hit for the Ventures in 1969) is not only integral to the show, it's a major element ...

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Top Ten Jazz Movies

Source: All About Jazz
May 31, 2010

The Bottom Line: This category was not as crowded as I would have liked because there are few great movies about jazz but several movies with great jazz.

This is a very difficult epinion for me to write because I love jazz so much and movies about jazz are few and far between or just plain lousy. In the 50's, there was a trend to memorialize some of the big band greats, but with one exception, they were mostly inferior ...

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Camping with Qaddafi

Source: All About Jazz
May 29, 2010

Spending quality time with the Libyan dictator is in the realm of living dangerously-Risky Business.

Radan Popovic, 45, sits in the Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf in West Hollywood, a cup of tea in one hand, the other running through his head of thick, black hair. Hes your average, mild-mannered, former Eastern-bloc cinematographer living the Hollywood dream. A Los Angeles resident of 18 years with a hint of a Serbian accent, he has a beautiful family and a thriving career ...

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Harry Gregson-Williams Works for Ogres and Princes Alike

Source: Michael Ricci
May 29, 2010

It's the life of a film composer: One week you're in a fairy-tale world populated by green ogres and talking donkeys, the next week you're dashing around 6th century Persia with a spunky princess and a magical dagger.

“Had the tasks been similar, it would be a very dull life," says Harry Gregson-Williams, composer of both “Shrek Forever After" and “Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time," two big summer movies opening within a week of each other this month. ...

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Lee DeWyze is Season 9 'Idol'

Source: Michael Ricci
May 27, 2010

This is it: The new “American Idol" gets crowned tonight, as America says goodbye to Simon Cowell. (Until next year when he returns to Fox with his new show.) What was it like to actually be inside the Nokia?

[Spoiler alert: This contains details from the finale of “American Idol."]

This year, the Nokia has a special surprise waiting for its “Idol" guests. To get to your seat, you have to first stand in a line that wraps around ...

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Davell Crawford: New Orleans Jazz Musician Featured on NBC's the Today Show

Source: Michael Ricci
May 26, 2010

Almost five years ago, New Orleans jazz & R&B sensation Davell Crawford, like many others, was tragically struck hard by the torment of Hurricane Katrina.

The proclaimed “Prince of New Orleans" had his home, studio, piano and all other possessions destroyed and turned to rubble - and although the rebuilding process still has a long road ahead, Davell Crawford is beginning to see a bright light at the end of this otherwise dreary tunnel.

This is thanks in large part ...

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