The Filtered Excellence: February 21, 2013
Bob Geldof once asked us, “Where is the filtered excellence!?” It’s right here. Here are this weeks picks of what to WATCH, what to DO what to TRY what to READ what to LISTEN TO and more:
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WATCH THIS:
The 2013 Film Independent Spirit Awards. Saturday, February 23 – IFC – 10:00pm Eastern. It’s the party under the tent the night before the Oscars. The corporate awards may be given out on Sunday, but Saturday night, the best in independent filmmaking is recognized. This year’s Spirit Awards are hosted by Andy Samberg. Nominees for Best Feature include: “Beasts of the Southern Wild”, “Bernie”, “Keep the Lights On”, “Moonrise Kingdom” and “Silver Linings Playbook”.
The 85th Annual Academy Awards. Now known simply as “The Oscars” – Sunday, February 24 – ABC – 8:30pm Eastern. Producers have changed the name of the Academy Awards broadcast to “The Oscars”. Hollywood’s big night will be emceed by first time host Seth MacFarlane.
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For more information, go to oscar.go.com
- Join our Oscar Contest Before Sunday at 3pm!
TCM’s Annual 31 Days of Oscar Continues. You still have time to watch TCM’s expertly selected round the clock festival of Oscar nominated and Oscar winning movies. And this last week features some of the best films all month. It’s all excellence here are this week’s highlights: Alfie, Mr Smith Goes to Washington, All the Kings Men, From Here to Eternity, Bye Bye Birdie, Anatomy of a Murder, Cat Ballou, Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner, On the Waterfront, Easy Rider, The Last Detail, The Guns of Navarone, The Bridge On the River Kwai, Lawrence of Arabia, Ghandi, Tootsie, Kramer vs Kramer Midnight Express, Bob and Carol and Ted and Alice, Close Encounters,
AMC Best Picture Showcase. It’s that time of year where there’s not many new films worth going to see, but here’s the good news, AMC Theaters are showcasing this year’s Oscar nominees, so if you missed anything, here’s your chance to catch up. You can still attend a twenty four hour marathon of all nine films on February 23rd for just $60 (from 10am to 10am) if you have the ass for it.
- Get all the info at amc.com.
- Watch the trailer for “The Godmother of Rock & Roll”
- For more information, go to pbs.org
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READ THIS:
The Soundtrack Of My Life – Clive Davis with Anthony DeCurtis. The long time music industry giant – 40 years and counting in the business – recalls in this extensive memoir the role he played in the career arcs of some of the biggest names in music past and present: Aretha Franklin, Whitney Houston, Janis Joplin, Simon and Garfunkel, Barry Manilow, Patti Smith, Lou Reed, Dionne Warwick, Carlos Santana, The Grateful Dead, Alicia Keys, Kelly Clarkson, Jennifer Hudson, the list goes on and on. But its also a personal story. Davis recalls his Brooklyn roots, becoming an orphan as a teenager, the work and dedication that he put that got into NYU, Harvard Law School and ultimately as President of Columbia Records, founder of Arista and J Records and his current position as Chief Creative Officer of Sony Music Entertainment. Then there’s of course the news that twice divorced Davis’ news that his last two long term relationships – including the one that he’s in now – have been with men. Told in a straight forward, pull no punches style, The Soundtrack Of My Life is a fascinating look of a man who shaped the musical landscape the last six decades. It’s available now through Amazon and all digital and local bookstores.
yoYO Magazine. Curated & edited by acclaimed writer Greg Tate, the latest edition (dubbed satrically, ‘The Advanced Ebonics Issue’) features poems, essays and artist profiles by some of the best and brightest African-American writers mainstream and underground.
- It’s available for order through this link
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LISTEN TO THIS:
Robert Randolph Presents The Slide Brothers. Sacred Steel is a musical style that was started in the Black Pentecostal churches in the 1930s. The high energy yet beautifully emotive style remained in the church until Robert Randolph & The Family Band took the masses in 2001. Randolph (along with John McDermott), co-produced this collection by The Slide Brothers (Calvin Cook, Chuck Campbell, Darick Campbell, and Aubrey Ghent), a collective of sacred steel musicians players who best embody this long time tradition. The material is the sacred meeting the secular and a having a party: The Allman Brothers ‘Don’t Keep Me Wonderin’, Fatboy Slim’s ‘Praise You’, and George Harrison’s ‘My Sweet Lord’ are put through the Sacred Steel filter and it slays. Tracks such as ‘It Hurts Me Too’, ‘Motherless Children’ and ‘The Sky Is Crying’ remakes the band as a top notch down and dirty blues band. As a producer, Randolph doesn’t try and add any slick production gloss – he lets these exceptional core of musicians do what they do best. This is an excellent introduction to those unfamiliar with Sacred Steel and is a great holdover until Robert Randolph & The Family Band drop their new album later this year. Robert Randolph Presents The Slide Brothers is available now on Itunes, Amazon and all digital music outlets.
Push the Sky Away by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. Listen closely and listen to the album in full. It’s dark poetry. It’s imagery-intense storytelling set to music. It’s atmospheric in its rich spookiness. It’s just what you’d want to hear, as a Nick Cave fan, and it’s optimal to experience the work as a whole. Push the Sky Away is the 15th release for the singer-songwriter-novelist-screenwriter with his backing band the Bad Seeds (their first without Mick Harvey), and it’s certainly a strong one. It features Cave’s ever-brooding baritone, melancholy and measured here, resounding as he conveys his songs, many heavily themed with the sea; track after track like inky, murky waves sweeping the shore in the most curiously strange and beautiful way.
What the Brothers Sang by Bonnie “Prince” Billy. What the Brothers Sang is tribute release of songs by The Everly Brothers, collaboratively performed by “Prince” Billy a.k.a Will Oldham and Dawn McCarthy (of the psych-folk-rock band Faun Fables). These songs that the brothers sang are not yanked form the best knowns or greatest hits, however. Most of the covers featured on the album are songs from later in The Everly Brothers’ career. These deeper tracks are sang with a certain respect, an old-time country American feel, that comes through sweet, soft, and straightforward.
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DOWNLOAD THIS:
The Official Oscars App. Track EVERYTHING Oscar related. Watch the countdown to the Oscars, see behind the scenes clips, get a synopsis of all nominees and watch trailers, watch the red carpet on Oscar night, watch winners go backstage after getting their awards, make and track your own Oscar picks, track your friends picks, and see them all ranked, and more! Available for Android and iPhones.
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DO THIS:
New York City: New York City – Peter Wolf in Concert. Sunday, February 24 – The City Winery – 8pm. There are still tickets available for Peter Wolf at the City Winery for his Sunday, February 24th show. The former J. Geils Band frontman has rescheduled his City Winery shows from last November and Saturday’s show is sold out. The City Winery is located at 155 Varick Street New York, NY 10013
- For more information and to get tickets, go to citywinery.com
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