Peg4.com Weblog tag:peg4.com,2007-07-09://1 2007-07-10T10:50:07Z Film previews, Entertainment, Pop music Movable Type Publishing Platform 4.0-beta4-20070627 On this day, Hollywood's biggest star is Harry Potter tag:peg4.com,2007://1.33 2007-07-10T10:46:20Z 2007-07-10T10:50:07Z They dutifully worked the red carpet, chatting up everyone, including the Sci Fi Channel and the fan website Mugglenet.com. Imelda Staunton in a tidy lavender suit gamely served up the precious little giggle that makes her character Dolores Umbridge so deliciously evil. And there was costar Chris Rankin, who plays Ron Weasley's brother Percy, bragging about his upcoming holiday on Santa Monica Beach. Nearby, director David Yates, who has signed on to direct the next film in the series, patted the sweat from his brow and recalled the weeks he and screenwriter Michael Goldenberg spent poolside at the Chateau Marmont working on the film's script. Across the street from the theater, people stood about 10-deep for a block waving their signs (one read "Trust Snape") and wearing their "Harry's My Homeboy" T-shirts. Their screams were so deafening that the actors were barely audible to reporters standing inches away. This, Watson said, is what you call " 'Potter' mania." Grint said he was shaking in his stars-and-stripes Chuck Taylors when he stepped up to the crowd to sign autographs. Radcliffe likened the experience to "sheer terror." "Before you get out of the car," Radcliffe said, shooting his ice-blue eyes over at the crowd, "you have to prepare yourself for the screaming thing. I'll never be completely cool with it." Radcliffe fans had a bit more than usual to scream about this year. Their idol got naked on stage in a London production of "Equus" that concluded in early June. A series of photos depicting nearly every inch of Radcliffe are still making the rounds on the Internet. When asked about the images, and the impression they made on the public, Radcliffe breathlessly defended them. "A lot of people were saying that was a really stupid thing to do," he said. "It wasn't. I don't think it was. I maintain it was the right decision and it went down really well." All right then. Elsewhere on the red carpet, the star turnout was modest. Two stars of "CSI Miami" -- Eva LaRue and Emily Procter -- swanned past wearing deep tans and stilettos. Chatty "Hannah Montana" star Miley Cyrus was there in her skinny black jeans and white pumps. But, lest we mistake her for a "Potter" fan, Miley insisted she'd come only as a favor to her little brother. "I've seen the movies," she said, "but I don't really know if I understand completely." After the screening, hundreds of premiere guests were shuttled to Jim Henson Studios in three double-decker buses for a party. Warner Bros. pulled out all the stops, lavishing the space with Potter-esque décor. There was a Forbidden Forest, a Nine and Three-Quarters train platform and a room of moving portraits and changing weather. Umbridge's meowing cat plates covered the walls of the bathrooms and guests walked through replicas of the green-flamed fireplaces that the wizards used as transport in the film. It was nearly midnight before the last stragglers headed home. Miles away, fan Kristen Allen and her pals were sleeping off their all-night Potter vigil. They'd spent Saturday night parked on the sidewalk across from Grauman's, awaiting their idols, wearing their Hogwarts uniforms. Their stake-out was ultimately fruitless. They didn't get an autograph or a handshake. And after the premiere, Allen looked beaten, her mascara smeared, her Hogwart's tie askew. She hadn't eaten a real meal in 24 hours. But she and her friends weren't daunted. They were coming back Monday to watch Radcliffe and the gang sink their hands and wands in the cement outside Grauman's. Why does she go to all the trouble? Allen could muster only the simplest reply, "It's just fun." Cook http:// "HARRY Potter" star Daniel Radcliffe stood on Hollywood Boulevard in his dapper gray suit and polka dot tie, woozy from jet lag and the hot afternoon sun, marveling at the hordes of "Potter" fans screaming his name.

Los Angeles, he said, moments later, is "a town I can't quite get my head around."

Welcome to the club, mate. This, the home of real rabid fan worship, is a throbbing dreamscape that gives everyone a bit of a headache.

Even seasoned pros like the elfin Radcliffe, the winsome Emma Watson and mellow Rupert Grint were nearly overwhelmed by the fan love washing over them outside Grauman's Chinese Theatre on Sunday at the L.A. premiere of "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix." The film, the fifth in the "Potter" series, opens worldwide on Wednesday -- about three weeks before the last book in the series is published. And a whole gaggle of Brits made the trek to L.A. to promote the Warner Bros. picture.

]]> Come Early Morning tag:peg4.com,2006://1.32 2006-10-26T16:44:31Z 2007-07-09T22:38:07Z Release Date: November 10, 2006 (limited) Studio: Roadside Attractions Director: Joey Lauren Adams Screenwriter: Joey Lauren Adams Starring: Ashley Judd, Jeffrey Donovan, Laura Prepon, Diane Ladd, Scott Wilson, Ray McKinnon, Tim Blake Nelson Genre: Drama, Romance MPAA Rating: R (for... Cook http:// Release Date: November 10, 2006 (limited) Studio: Roadside Attractions Director: Joey Lauren Adams Screenwriter: Joey Lauren Adams Starring: Ashley Judd, Jeffrey Donovan, Laura Prepon, Diane Ladd, Scott Wilson, Ray McKinnon, Tim Blake Nelson Genre: Drama, Romance MPAA Rating: R (for language and some sexual situations) Official Website: ComeEarlyMorningthefilm.com Review: Not Available DVD Review: Not Available DVD: Not Available Movie Poster: View here Production Stills: View here Plot Summary: A thirty-something Southern woman named Lucy (Ashley Judd) searches for love, but ends up having far too many one-night-stands in that search. 20 Centimeters tag:peg4.com,2006://1.31 2006-10-19T20:21:59Z 2007-07-09T22:38:07Z Release Date: October 27, 2006 (NY) Studio: TLA Releasing Director: Ramón Salazar Screenwriter: Ramón Salazar Starring: Mónica Cervera, Pablo Puyol, Rossy De Palma, Pilar Bardem, Najwa Nimri, Miguel O'Dogherty, Macarena Gómez, Lola Dueñas, Concha Galan, Geli Albaladejo Genre: Comedy, Musical... Cook http:// Release Date: October 27, 2006 (NY) Studio: TLA Releasing Director: Ramón Salazar Screenwriter: Ramón Salazar Starring: Mónica Cervera, Pablo Puyol, Rossy De Palma, Pilar Bardem, Najwa Nimri, Miguel O'Dogherty, Macarena Gómez, Lola Dueñas, Concha Galan, Geli Albaladejo Genre: Comedy, Musical MPAA Rating: Not Available Official Website: 20Centimeters.com Review: Not Available DVD Review: Not Available DVD: Click here to buy! Movie Poster: Not Available Production Stills: Not Available Plot Summary: With an "Almodovarian" twist and the flamboyance of "The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert," director Ramón Salazar's "20 Centimeters" tells the story of Marieta (Mónica Cervera) a narcoleptic, transsexual who longs to get rid of 8 inches of equipment that separates her from being the glamorous woman she dreams to be. When she accidentally falls asleep in the most inopportune times, Marieta's dreams become lavish and colorful musical numbers, where as a real woman she can sing in Spanish, French & English. So cue up the lights, powder that face and slip on that sexy gown because Marieta's dreams are about to come true... Black Lips Sign To Vice tag:peg4.com,2006://1.30 2006-09-30T09:37:17Z 2007-07-09T22:38:07Z Atlanta-based quartet Black Lips have found a new home for their southern-fried garage punk. After two albums with Bomp and one on In The Red, the band has now signed with Vice and is already working on two records for... Cook http:// Black Lips Tour Dates: 09/29 - Southpaw - Brooklyn, NY* 09/30 - Boston, MA - Middle East* 10/01 - Northampton, MA - Pearl Street* 10/03 - Philadelphia, PA - First Unitarian Church* 10/04 - Baltimore, MD - Sonar Lounge* 10/05 - Washington, DC - Black Cat* 10/06 - Carrboro, NC - Cat's Cradle* 10/07 - Atlanta, GA - Drunken Unicorn* * With Be Your Own Pet]]> "Emergency" trailers to rescue of Canada TV fans tag:peg4.com,2006://1.29 2006-09-05T11:18:37Z 2007-07-09T22:38:07Z TORONTO (Hollywood Reporter) - Oxanna Cpin happily reclines on a couch with popcorn in hand to watch her favorite TV show, "G-Spot," on a giant wall-mounted flat-screen. It was a fast dash, as the 19-year-old Toronto store clerk nearly missed... Cook http:// TORONTO (Hollywood Reporter) - Oxanna Cpin happily reclines on a couch with popcorn in hand to watch her favorite TV show, "G-Spot," on a giant wall-mounted flat-screen. It was a fast dash, as the 19-year-old Toronto store clerk nearly missed the season premiere of the homegrown comedy about Gigi, a B-movie actress played by Brigitte Bako ("Red Shoe Diaries"), and three girlfriends bedding porn stars and Hollywood movers. "I love Gigi. She acts like a porn star might, except every guy she goes out with cheats on her," Cpin giggles. But what makes the scene noteworthy is this is not Cpin's living room. She is instead seated in an Emergency Viewing Station, or a 28-foot trailer outfitted with three TV screens and couches by Showcase, Canada's drama cable channel. The idea is that fans of Showcase's weeknight 10 p.m. dramas who are too harried to be home for fall season premieres can view them on the road. Sara Moore, senior vp marketing and publicity at Showcase parent Alliance Atlantis Communications, says the marketing stunt aims to illustrate how her network's fall 10 p.m. lineup is TV that can't be missed. "You need to do whatever you need to do to be on your couch at 10 p.m.," Moore says of the message behind Showcase's marketing campaign. The souped-up trailers will be out on the streets of Toronto and Vancouver from August 29 to September 10 to hype season premieres for popular U.S. cable dramas "Weeds," "Rescue Me," "The L Word" and "Six Feet Under," as well as "G-Spot." Besides traditional on-air promos, other marketing tactics include distributing dashboard signs that tell other drivers to pull over to make way for Showcase viewers speeding home for 10 p.m., and fake traffic violation tickets placed on car windshields after dark telling people they should be home to catch Showcase dramas. To illustrate obsession for its lineup, Showcase's print and TV ad campaign depicts such comic bits as medical surgery suddenly broken off, or a businessman leaving a lap-dancer barely beginning her strip tease so that he can be home by 10. Showcase is hardly new to guerrilla marketing. Last year, the network arranged free cab rides so fans of its programming could ensure they'd be home by 10 p.m. for the fall premieres. Back in the trailer, Cpin insists watching the trials and tribulations of Gigi and her thirtysomething friends gives her a sense of what it takes to get to the top, and to stay on top, in Hollywood. But Chris Webster, a Toronto subway driver and another "G-Spot" fan visiting Showcase's mobile trailer, has a different take on the steamy comedy. "I just watch for the babes," he smiled. Busta Rhymes Opens With A Bang, Scoring His First #1 LP tag:peg4.com,2006://1.28 2006-06-22T09:56:11Z 2007-07-09T22:38:07Z Three Days Grace, Billy Joel also debut in Billboard top 20. Chopping off his signature dreadlocks probably had nothing to do with it, but perhaps aligning with Dr. Dre's Aftermath imprint did the trick. Whatever the reason, Busta Rhymes should... Cook http:// Three Days Grace, Billy Joel also debut in Billboard top 20. Chopping off his signature dreadlocks probably had nothing to do with it, but perhaps aligning with Dr. Dre's Aftermath imprint did the trick. Whatever the reason, Busta Rhymes should be sporting the widest grin he can muster today as the latest SoundScan totals show that The Big Bang will open at #1 on Billboard's album chart, marking a first in a career that spans 15 years, seven solo albums and a stint with Leaders of the New School. Week-one sales of The Big Bang, Busta's first collection of fresh material since 2002, topped out at nearly 209,000 copies — more than enough to earn Rhymes his inaugural chart-topping debut. The success has to taste sweet for Busta, especially after his last release, 2002's It Ain't Safe No More, opened at #43 with 62,000 scans — the rapper's first LP to debut outside of the top 10.]]> Rhymes' current retail dominance helped him usurp the Billboard crown from previous champs AFI. Second-week sales of the rockers' Decemberunderground slipped 43 percent to finish the week with 104,000 sales and the chart's #3 ranking. The Dixie Chicks' Taking the Long Way spends a second-straight week at #2 after selling 130,000 units. There's no stopping the soundtrack to the Disney Channel original movie "High School Musical," which climbs one spot to #4 with 79,000-plus scans after 23 weeks in stores. The #5 slot belongs to a newcomer: One-X, the second LP from Canadian rockers Three Days Grace, which sold 78,000 copies its first week out. The soundtrack to the animated feature "Cars" follows at #6 with 75,000 scans, just in front of Stadium Arcadium, the Red Hot Chili Peppers' Rick Rubin-produced double album. During its sixth week of release, Arcadium sold another 74,000 copies to finish at #7. Rascal Flatts' Me & My Gang holds at #8 with 73,000 scans, followed at #9 by Yung Joc's New Joc City, which slides six spots with nearly 70,000 sales. Ice Cube's Laugh Now, Cry Later drops to #10 after selling 64,000 copies during its second week in stores. Busta and Three Days Grace led a total of 13 new releases that will crack the Billboard 200. Billy Joel's 12 Gardens Live, a two-disc souvenir from the Piano Man's recent 12-show stand at Madison Square Garden, opens at #14 with 44,000 scans. Widespread Panic's Earth to America put up first-week sales of close to 21,000 for a #48 bow. Sonic Youth's Rather Ripped debuts at #71 with 16,000 sold, while Shadows Fall claim #83 after first-week interest in the New England metallers' Fallout From the War turned into 13,000-plus sales. Regina Spektor debuts at #135 after selling nearly 8,000 copies of Begin to Hope. Anatomy Of, an album's worth of covers from Ozzfest 2006 performers Between the Buried and Me, finishes at #151 with sales just shy of the 7,000 mark. Keb' Mo's Suitcase claims the #176 slot, selling close to 6,000 copies, and Frankie J just makes the cut at #198, selling 5,000 copies of his new Spanish-language album, Un Nuevo Dia. Invincible tag:peg4.com,2006://1.27 2006-05-02T22:28:06Z 2007-07-09T22:38:07Z From the studio that brought you "The Rookie" and "Remember the Titans" comes "Invincible," inspired by the true story of Vince Papale (Mark Wahlberg), a man with nothing to lose who ignored the staggering odds and made his dream come... Cook http:// From the studio that brought you "The Rookie" and "Remember the Titans" comes "Invincible," inspired by the true story of Vince Papale (Mark Wahlberg), a man with nothing to lose who ignored the staggering odds and made his dream come true. When the coach (Greg Kinnear) of Papale's beloved hometown football team hosted an unprecedented open tryout, the public consensus was that it was a waste of time -- no one good enough to play professional football was going to be found this way. Certainly no one like Papale -- a down-on-his-luck, 30 year-old, substitute teacher and part-time bartender who never even played college football. But against these odds, Papale made the team and soon found himself living every fan's fantasy -- moving from his cheap seats in the upper deck to standing on the field as a professional football player. Britney Spears reclaimed the top spot of all the entertainment positions tag:peg4.com,2005://1.26 2005-12-18T07:34:44Z 2007-07-09T22:38:07Z According to the Yahoo's annual list of the most searched for terms on the Internet, Britney Spears reclaimed the top spot of all the entertainment positions. It's especially noteworthy judging on the fact that for the last three or four... Cook http:// According to the Yahoo's annual list of the most searched for terms on the Internet, Britney Spears reclaimed the top spot of all the entertainment positions. It's especially noteworthy judging on the fact that for the last three or four years Britney has always been number one. Does it mean we have a new American idol? May be. So, go ahead, Britney! Till it goes. Secondo and AM/PM tag:peg4.com,2005://1.25 2005-12-02T16:31:02Z 2007-07-09T22:38:07Z There in London lives one outstanding guy with a creative sole – Radovan Skasasha. It is exactly he who is behind such projects like Secondo and AM/PM. His approach to music is very interesting. Let’s have a look at AM/PM.... Cook http:// There in London lives one outstanding guy with a creative sole – Radovan Skasasha. It is exactly he who is behind such projects like Secondo and AM/PM. His approach to music is very interesting. Let’s have a look at AM/PM. When you are listening to his album The Ends it seems to you are dealing with one single unity. But things are like they appear. All the tracks are collaged exclusively from veiled codes (the endings of the musical pieces). What is the salt of the whole thing is that it is important not to make the used hit recognizable, but to make all the codes flow gently from one into another to for a sequence of very smooth subsiding. In the final end you get the incredible feeling of constantly ending music. The case with Secondo is a little bit different. The music is much more vivid and energetic, and the concept of it is serious. Unlike AM/PM, Secondo is composed from hundreds of micro fragments taken from one song but combined in such a way that disables you to get the original. Every segment of Secondo lasts for a millisecond. Afterwards all the segments are mixed into one decent and rather comprehensible unit. You see, people have a clue when they say that a poor musician is impeded by sounds. The Age of Rock tag:peg4.com,2005://1.24 2005-11-21T12:41:43Z 2007-07-09T22:38:07Z Nowadays a curious trend may be observed – the comebacks of old rock’n’roll, heavy-metal, blues and rock bands, who managed to outlast their gerontologists and self-survive. Like Phoenixes, they tend to rise from ashes and to bombard the audience with... Cook http:// Nowadays a curious trend may be observed – the comebacks of old rock’n’roll, heavy-metal, blues and rock bands, who managed to outlast their gerontologists and self-survive. Like Phoenixes, they tend to rise from ashes and to bombard the audience with their ubiquitous presence. They come up with new albums, tours and designs, though their image stays pretty much the same. Sometimes these retrospective shows produce touching effect (like Judas Priest), arouse pity (like The Kiss) or perplexity (like Dead Can Dance). Though sometimes they can really astonish you and make you wonder what makes then still roll. The only case of the last is The Rolling Stones, who despite everything are still able to give a good drive and prove that time is virtually nothing. Though the idea itself of restoring what should have gone long time ago is not that good. Rock should give the feeling of strength, fill you with power and energy and to charge you with a lot of stamina, not make you anticipate the inevitable end. Rock should have young outlook, not the faded face and the remnants of the hair. Rock should always adjust to time, not mirror the gone days. Rockers should change in the course of time, not always stay the same, with the same make-ups and costumes. Of course, it might be believed that stability is the feature of professionalism, that nostalgia for the past days is greater then the desire of new, that present-day art can’t be rivaled to the romance and drive of seventies. Well, perhaps. The older you become, the more you start to look back and long for those days. But on the other hand, the older you become, the younger you would like to be. But when you come to a concert and hear the songs you heard million years ago, you start counting you age. When you look at the stage and spot the faded faces and thinned out hair, you realize you are not getting younger either. Don’t think it is that much of a pleasure. Everything good is good in its season. What is passing should pass. And in case something is rock’n’rolling away, so let it roll. Screening of Zorro tag:peg4.com,2005://1.23 2005-11-18T10:51:14Z 2007-07-09T22:38:07Z The other boring and meaningless screening interpretation of Zorro has been introduced to the public. This time it is The Legend of Zorro starring Antonio Banderas and Catherine Zeta-Jones. The lack of at least somehow comprehensible plot or convincing actors’... Cook http:// The other boring and meaningless screening interpretation of Zorro has been introduced to the public. This time it is The Legend of Zorro starring Antonio Banderas and Catherine Zeta-Jones. The lack of at least somehow comprehensible plot or convincing actors’ performance is to some extent compensated by the comical effect. It even seems weird why the producers haven’t classified this movie as a comedy. Doubt that? So pay attention to the laugh-out-loud way the actors are goggling their hazel-nut eyes, blowing out their nostrils, swinging their arms and legs, kissing, etc., doing it more than the audience may chew. Though all this obviously hasn’t been sufficient for the film directors, so they decided to strengthen the fun-effect by introducing the Zorro-son who is behaving off his age (by the way, this very fact makes you think the next sequel will probably include Zorro-grandchildren). And of course, they couldn’t have done without thrillingly juicy explosion scene – what a Hollywood film without it! So, ladies and gentlemen, enjoy the dynamite-crammed train, which explodes in a rather spectacular way. All in all the film is a perfect time-eater, especially if you have any other deadline to meet. Screening of DOOM tag:peg4.com,2005://1.22 2005-11-09T21:06:47Z 2007-07-09T22:38:07Z Computer games are pretty suitable objects for screening, because the popularity with viewers and smashed book-office records are primordially guaranteed. Every person who has at least once switched on a computer to shoot the other hundred of monsters will hardly... Cook http:// Computer games are pretty suitable objects for screening, because the popularity with viewers and smashed book-office records are primordially guaranteed. Every person who has at least once switched on a computer to shoot the other hundred of monsters will hardly resist the temptation to witness the wiping out of the same creatures on a big screen. And if the title of the game is only used with such attribute as cult", then the fans of it are sure to come to the first night with the couple of friend to step into the shoes of a real keyboard knight armed with joystick and mouse. Though even the most trivial shooting game may be shot as a real piece of art, which is not quite the case of Andrew's Bartkowiak's Doom. Contrasted to it even Lara Croft looks like a real masterpiece. Perhaps it is because the Doom is purely masculine, with robust machos with guns, and no place was left for such beauties as Angelina Jolly. On the other hand, it is easy to understand the scriptwriters - what a plot can ever be made out of mere shots and screams? So, they took up the easiest approach of never-inventing-anything: just a space station with people in white gowns studying the population of aliens. One of the researches gets lost and the Earth sends troops to search for him. Everything is as simple as possible. Though, to make it at least a little bit intrigue, the authors created the woman-character, Sam, a biologist from Mars, who is to be saved. Though, not in the first turn. Firstly, the troops are roaming along the endless corridors, stirring up the bloodstained gowns and shooting the monsters. Doing this, they lose their guys. The monsters are multiplying, the heroes are dying until only Sam and her brother John stay alive. The key point at this stage are the monsters (thus, mutated scientists) who breed according to the patters of traditional zombie horror films - by biting each other's necks. And it also becomes clear that the whole thing happened when the scientists injected people with the extra pair of DNA chromosomes, which made evil people into monsters, though good ones remained unchanged. Sam believes her brother to be good, so she injects him with some chromosomes; he turns into gamer and kills all the monsters with sprint speed and the stuff is seen with the eyes of a man sitting at computer screen. So, in case all this makes any sense, then you should really possess a couple of extra chromosomes to enjoy stuff of this kind. A Word about Remakes and Morrison tag:peg4.com,2005://1.21 2005-11-01T17:08:26Z 2007-07-09T22:38:07Z I’m not going to dwell upon my attitude to all those mawkish remakes and remixes of Jim Morrison’s songs by all those rap and DJ freaks – no one could be interested in it anyway. I’ll just describe what... Cook http:// The day has gone. I open my window, unlock the door and close my eyes. I merge into the shadow of the night’s wing. Darkness; complete, scaring silence. The consciousness is wondering somewhere in the floods of truth. Thirst and blood, sand and eternity. Desert. I’m looking for Him. I’m on the right way – for I’ve deserved it. Because I live, being constantly burnt; live, being born postdeathly; live between short flashes of orgasms.]]> “I give you my fragile mind, my immaculate sole. Where are you?” “Is anybody here?” the voice comes from the beyond. “Yes, my God.” “Will you die for me?” “My Divinity…” “Then the ceremony is about to begin…” Flash. A small boy living in a desert. Indians and military stations scattered around. He comes here to play with lizards and snakes. He feels safe with them. He dreams of being their king. – “Kiss the snake’s sting.” Flash. A mad child arrives at Los Angeles. He walks along he highway. He watches people destroying one another. The lights of the huge night city surround him. Occasional meetings, intentional poems. He is a stranger. – “Faces look ugly when you are alone.” Flash. Fame. The transformation of ego. James Douglas becomes Jim Morrison. Music rolls around. The weapons of war. People dying in Vietnam. A woman, learning to play a weeping song n the grave of her child. – “Some are born to the endless night.” Flash. Constant unspoken inferior knowledge. He is their Lizard King. Murderous awareness of beasts. Not paranoiac but grave carelessness – feeling of violence in its eternal presence. Oedipus complex – “Kill the father, fuck the mother.” Flash. Demonic laugh. Bosom friends. Love for sale. Rotting society. Smoke of joints. Hatshepsuet’s melancholy. – “Let me sleep all night at your soul kitchen.” Flash. Paris. Bathroom. Heroin. Overdose. Weeping crowds at Père – Lachaise. – “This is the end, my onlyfriend, the end…” Pain. Shaman’s hand, crumpling my soul. Music, tearing my brain apart. The breath of death. And the purifying explosion of consciousness. Done. I’m awake. Yes, I can’t get much higher. So, can it at least somehow be compared to the effect remakes have on people? In case you say “Yeah!” you are either DJ or you can’t read…]]> John Peel Day gigs honour late DJ tag:peg4.com,2005://1.20 2005-10-14T18:48:42Z 2007-07-09T22:38:07Z More than 300 concerts have taken place around the world to mark John Peel Day in honour of the late radio presenter. BBC Radio 1 broadcast a six-hour tribute programme on Thursday to mark one year since his final show.... Cook http:// More than 300 concerts have taken place around the world to mark John Peel Day in honour of the late radio presenter. BBC Radio 1 broadcast a six-hour tribute programme on Thursday to mark one year since his final show. Peel died on 25 October last year. Gigs were held in countries such as the UK, New Zealand, Italy and Canada. Some of Peel's favourite acts, including New Order, The Fall and Super Furry Animals, played at the first tribute gig in London on Wednesday.]]> Last Updated: Friday, 14 October 2005, 08:01 GMT 09:01 UK E-mail this to a friend Printable version John Peel Day gigs honour late DJ John Peel was renowned for championing new bands Peel remembered More than 300 concerts have taken place around the world to mark John Peel Day in honour of the late radio presenter. BBC Radio 1 broadcast a six-hour tribute programme on Thursday to mark one year since his final show. Peel died on 25 October last year. Gigs were held in countries such as the UK, New Zealand, Italy and Canada. Some of Peel's favourite acts, including New Order, The Fall and Super Furry Animals, played at the first tribute gig in London on Wednesday. New Order headlined the first tribute gig in London on Wednesday New Order frontman Bernard Sumner told the crowd at the Queen Elizabeth Hall the band's former incarnation, Joy Division, would have got "nowhere" without Peel's support. And Pulp singer Jarvis Cocker said Peel provided his musical education and inspired him to "make music my life". New and established acts took part in concerts on Thursday, reflecting the fact that Peel championed new music. Performers included punk band The Anti-Nowhere League at Trillians Rock Bar in Newcastle and members of indie bands Mogwai and The Pastels at Glasgow venue Mono. Dance act Dreadzone played at Salisbury City Hall, Mercury Music Prize nominee KT Tunstall performed at Sheffield Octagon and new act Supersmash Monkeyhouse played at Staples Pub in Limerick, Ireland. Radio 1's six-hour show paid tribute to Peel and the music and bands he discovered. Peel worked at Radio 1 for almost 40 years on his own late-night show. He also became presenter of BBC Radio 4's Home Truths in 1998. His career was marked by discovering and championing new artists, from Joy Division to the White Stripes. John Peel Day is followed by a Radio 1 documentary, Keeping It Peel, on 17 October and a week of tribute shows on BBC digital radio station 6 Music from 24 October. Meanwhile Roger Daltrey, Sir Elton John, Robert Plant, David Gilmour and Pete Shelley of the Buzzcocks are due to appear on a tribute single alongside newer acts. The single is the brainchild of Peel's son Tom Ravenscroft. Ravenscroft is also a researcher on John Peel's Record Box, a TV programme exploring Peel's musical tastes to be broadcast on Channel 4 in November. Les Paul releases first rock album at age 90 tag:peg4.com,2005://1.19 2005-10-12T18:49:36Z 2007-07-09T22:38:07Z Father of the electric guitar is lauded by legends like Clapton and Page NEW YORK - Take it from Peter Frampton. Or from Jeff Beck, Eric Clapton, Peter Townsend or Jimmy Page — they all owe a debt to Les... Cook http:// Father of the electric guitar is lauded by legends like Clapton and Page NEW YORK - Take it from Peter Frampton. Or from Jeff Beck, Eric Clapton, Peter Townsend or Jimmy Page — they all owe a debt to Les Paul, father of the electric guitar. “They all mention Les as an inspiration because of [his] early records, which were jaw-dropping when you first heard them as a novice guitarist,” says Frampton, who recalls learning licks off of Paul’s records as a 9-year-old in England. “We revere him, but Les is so genuine and down-to-earth that he’s still one of the lads.” At age 90, the man who developed the solid-body electric guitar has finally released his first rock album, which is remarkable considering that he is a longtime inductee into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He appears with Frampton, Beck, Clapton, Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top, Bon Jovi’s Richie Sambora and other guitar legends on the new CD.]]>