Filtered Excellence: February 28, 2013

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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:

Genius On Hold. This riveting documentary tells the story of Walter L. Shaw, the inventor of the now standard phone features such as touch tone dialing, conference calling, call-forwarding, and hands-free speaker phone possible. Instead of being put in the pantheon of Edison, Tesla and Bill Gates, Shaw spent decades fighting Bell Telelphone for proper credit – and compensation. Desperate for money, Shaw turned to the mob for help. He invented ‘The Black Box’, which allowed bookmakers to make untraceable, toll-free calls. This invention would land Shaw before a Senate sub-committee and later, in prison. Shaw passed away in 1996, broke and largely forgotten. What makes this film even more interesting is that its produced by Shaw’s son, Walter T. Shaw, who saw his father get broken down by corporate America and the government and ended up being a member of organized crime as one of the world’s most notorious jewel thieves. This doc has it all: The blue collar guy vs the corporate machine, the mob, powerful Senators, and ultimately, a sense of redemption. Genius On Hold opens at Landmark Cinemas in New York and Los Angeles this Friday. Walter T. Shaw and actors Debi Mazar and Frank Vincent will do a Q&A following Friday’s 7:15 screening in New York.

  • You can go to www.whoiswaltershaw.com for more info.

War Witch.  March 1st (Limited) *Oscar nominated*  Montreal-based writer-director Kim Nguyen worked on War Witch, for over ten years. The filmmaker’s painstaking attention to detail shows as what has been rendered here is a gorgeously shot, heartbreaking, and poignant chronicle set in an intensely realistic and violent reality. War Witch reveals Komona, a fourteen year old child soldier, stolen from her African village, stunningly played by non-professional actress Rachel Mwanza This film is based in very serious subject matter, sad and appalling, but it’s also a coming-of-age love story too. In the midst of tumult and frenzy, a love story begins to materialize in this agonizing yet beautiful film shot in The Democratic Republic of The Congo.

Prince on Jimmy Fallon. This Friday tune in to “Late Night with Jimmy Fallon” to see music legend Prince perform live on the late night show.  Late Night airs at 12:35 in the east.

2013 Baseball Classic.  Founded in 2005, the World Baseball Classic is an international tournament in which the best baseball players in the world compete against one another while representing their home countries. The 2013 USA Team will be managed by Joe Torre and his coaching staff which includes Greg Maddux, Dale Murphy, Gerald Perry, Larry Bowa, Willie Randolph and Marcel Lachemann. Included on the roster are 2012 Cy Young Award Winner R.A. Dickey, Shane Victorino, Mark Texeira, Ryan Braun and David Wright.  The tournament runs from March 1 through March 19 and will air on the MLB Network.

The Master on DVD. Paul Thomas Anderson’s latest film received three Academy Award nominations (best actor, best actress and best supporting actress) and our pick for best film of the year. Joaquin Phoenix, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Amy Adams and the rest of the cast give outstanding performances all brought together by the brilliant director, PT Anderson. Anderson’s eagerly awaited follow-up to There Will Be Blood is loosely based on Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard with Philip Seymour Hoffman as ‘Master’ Lancaster Dodd, leader of a new faith movement. Adams plays his wife and Joaquin Phoenix plays Freddie, an out of control Navy vet that becomes Dodd’s biggest project – and problem. If you missed it in theaters, now you can watch it at home.

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LISTEN TO THIS:

Old Yellow Moon by Emmylou Harris & Rodney Crowell. Two country music legends pair up for this beautiful 12 song cycle that best recalls the sublime series of duets that Harris performed with the late Gram Parsons. It’s great to see Crowell, one of the finest singer-songwriters of the last 30 years, get a well deserved victory lap. On an album that features songs by Kris Kristofferson, Roger Miller and Matracha Berg (all Country Music and Nashville Songwriter Hall Of Famers), the four songs that he wrote for the album more than hold their own, including the aching ‘Open Season On My Heart’. Harris, who has been a creative and commercial reinassance for nearly 20 years, is clearly having a ball with the material. She soars on ‘Spanish Dancer’ (written by Patti Scialfa), the bluesy ‘Black Caffenine’ and ‘Back When We Were Beautiful’. This is country music at its absolute best. Old Yellow Moon is available now on Itunes, Amazon and all digital music outlets.

  • You can also go to www.emmylouharris.com for a complete rundown of tour dates in support of the album.
  • Order Old Yellow Moon now

A Love Surreal by Bilal. This Philly born singer-songwriter was a key player in the so-called ‘neo-soul’ movement of the early 2000’s that also launched the careers of Erykah Badu, D’Angelo, Jill Scott, and Robert Glasper. HIs 2001 debut 1st Born Second put him at the forefront of the movement and fans eagerly awaited a follow-up. Interscope rejected his 2nd album, Love For Sale and it would be nearly a decade before Bilal released Airtight’s Revenge in 2010. Now with a new label and a fresh outlook, A Love Surreal is a sweeping song cycle about falling in, out and staying in love. With its unique blend of funk, R&B, Hendrixan soundscapes and even ambient, A Love Surreal continues the musical path that was blazed by the likes of Jimi, Al Green, Prince and Marvin Gaye. Easily a step up and above what you are hearing in contemporary R&B.

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BUY THIS:

The Vault. Sign up for The Vault, a subscription service by Jack White’s Third Man Records. Vinyl lovers are treated to rare, limited releases, shipped directly to their door throughout the year. Just subscribe by the posted deadline and wait anxiously for your vinyl to arrive. Collectors be warned though- Jack is a vinyl nut himself and he really enjoys driving other collectors crazy. In the past, the Vault has issued “bonus tracks” only accessible by peeling the label off the record to reveal hidden music.

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DO THIS:

New York City:  First Time Festival.  March 1st and run through March 4th in New York City is a salute to the independent film spirit and the importance of diversity in film and helping new artists to get their start. The mission is to showcase the work of first time filmmakers both locally and globally. The work of 12 finalists will be judged by a panel of 4 experts, as well as the audience, and the winner will receive theatrical distribution from Cinema Libre. In addition to showcasing the work of these twelve debut directors, the festival will be screening the film debuts of some of our great established directors like Sofia Coppola, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Todd Solondz, and Darren Aronofsky.

  • Go to firsttimefest.com to find out how to get tickets and for the full schedule, and visit their twitter @firsttimefest.

New York City: Blues For Smoke @ The Whitney Museum. This multimedia exhibit features the blues and the blues asthetic as it pertains to contemporary art. There’s stunning pieces by Romare Beardon, Kerry James Marshall, Alma Thomas, Jack Whitten (among many others), family workshops, lectures, short films and public performances featuring music and poetry. This is an all-inclusive look featuring the DNA of all forms of American popular music. Blues For Smoke runs through April 28th.

New York City: The Rascals: Once Upon a Dream on Broadway. Tickets are now available for the new musical coming to Broadway based on the career and music of the legendary Rascals. There are only fifteen performances being scheduled, beginning April 15. Passionately produced by Steven Van Zandt, the show is a unique hybrid of a Rock ‘n’ Roll concert and a Broadway show, and marks the first time The Rascals, have played together since 1970. Original band members will present a complete concert performance including their smash hits “Good Lovin’,” “Lonely Too Long,” “It’s a Beautiful Morning,” “How Can I Be Sure” and “Groovin” and will also feature the history of the iconic group told through archival footage, narration, and film segments.

Memphis:  Dan Aykroyd and Judith Belushi Present: The Original Blues Brothers Band.  Dan Aykroyd and Judith Belushi Present “The Original Blues Brothers Band” featuring Steve “The Colonel” Cropper and Lou “Blue Lou” Marini.  Not only will it be a night of great music and nostalgia, it’s also a tribute to  the great Donald “Duck” Dunn , the great session musician who passed away last summer.  Doors at 6pm.

San Francisco and Nationwide:  The Bay Bridge Light Project.  Starting March 5, the San Francisco Bay Bridge is about to become the world’s largest light sculpture.  The Bay Lights is an iconic light sculpture designed by world-renowned artist Leo Villareal. The Bay Lights will be the world’s largest LED light sculpture, 1.8 miles wide and 500 feet high. Inspired by the Bay Bridge’s 75th Anniversary, its 25,000 white LED lights are individually programmed by artist Leo Villareal to create a never-repeating, dazzling display This stunning fine arts experience will live for two years on the San Francisco Bay Bridge West Span, starting with the Grand Lighting on March 5, 2013 at 8:30pm PST (11:30 in the east).  Over six million dollars has been raised to fund this incredible project.  If you can’t make it to see this amazing project in person, you can watch the ceremony online.

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The Editor