Filtered Excellence: November 14, 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:
*****************
WATCH THIS:
Nebraska. The latest from acclaimed director Alexander Payne (Sideways, About Schmidt, Election) stars Bruce Dern as Woody Grant, who travels from Montana to Nebraska with the hopes of claiming a lottery prize. Will Forte plays his son, who makes the trip with him even though he knows there’s no pot of gold awaiting there. Along the way, they reconnect with family and friends, and in Forte’s case, he hopes to reconnect with the father he never felt any connection to. Dern is in fine form as Woody, who is looking to live out the golden years in luxury and put a lifetime of disappointments behind him. There’s a strong Oscar buzz around his performance and its well deserved. The real finds in the film are Julie Squibb as Woody’s exasperated wife Julie, and Forte, who has found his first solid post-SNL. With a script by Bob Nelson and excellent direction by Payne, Nebraska has all of the makings of being the sleeper film of the season. It opens tomorrow nationwide.
- You can go to http://www.nebraskamovie.com/ for more info.
===============================================================================
READ THIS:
The Fat Lady Sang by Robert Evans. The long awaited (and oft delayed) sequel to The Kid Stays In The Picture finds former Paramount Pictures studio head Robert Evans as witty and at times, more brutally honest (especially about himself) as ever. This time, he details his painful recovery from a series of near fatal strokes and how he dealt with the left field success of his first book (in print and as an audiobook) and the accompanying documentary that was released in 2002. Of course, it’s loaded with great stories about his relationships with some of the biggest movers and shakers including John Kennedy, Frank Sinatra, Jack Nicholson, Warren Beatty, Graydon Carter, and Sumner Redstone. The women in Evans’ life also share the spotlight as he dishes on his multiple attempts at martial bliss, including an extensive look into his rapid fire courtship and four day marriage to actress Catherine Oxenberg. In your face and matter of fact, Evans proves once again that he’s just as good at storytelling as he was running Paramount during its glory days. It’s a fitting sequel to one of the most fascinating people to come out of Hollywood.
- Order The Fat Lady Sang
on Amazon.com
- Read “The Kid is Still in the Picture” on the ibang.com
Undisputed Truth by Mike Tyson. The resurrection of Mike Tyson continues with this raw, no stone left unturned autobiography. Clocking in at nearly 600 pages, Tyson tells how he went from being bullied in one of the toughest and poorest neighborhoods in New York City to becoming the youngest heavyweight champion in history. There’s tons of stories of reckless and destructive behavior, which culminated in prison sentence for rape (which is still contends to this day he didn’t do). Tyson also gives unnerving recollections of how women, drugs, alcohol and Don King left him broke and suicidal. Even more remarkable is how Tyson has managed to pick himself up – finding stability as a husband and father, doing a successful one man show on Broadway, making peace with those he hurt along the way and most importantly, finding peace with himself. To call this a sports bio wouldn’t serve it justice. This is a straight up classic autobiography of any genre.
- Order Undisputed Truth
on Amazon.com
===============================================================================
LISTEN TO THIS:
Released! The Human Rights Concerts: A Conspiracy Of Hope. In 1986, the international human rights organization Amnesty International celebrated its 25th Anniversary with a series of concerts aimed at increasing the awareness of human rights violations that were happening and to help free prisoners of conscience. The six city tour culminated with an all-day concert at Giants Stadium that featured among others, U2, Peter Gabriel, Lou Reed, Miles Davis, Jackson Browne, Joni Mitchell, Bob Geldof, Little Steven, The Neville Brothers and, closing out the show, a reformed Police. Subsequent tours in 1988, 1990 and 1998, featured among others, Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band, Jimmy Page & Robert Plant, Radiohead, Tracy Chapman, and Alanis Morissette. Released!, is a series of two-CD sets which features highlights from all of the tours. Proceeds from each sale will go to Amnesty International. It’s available now through Amazon and Itunes.
- You can go to www.amnesty.org to find out more info about Amnesty International.
- Order Released: The Human Rights Concerts 1986-1998 (6 DVD Set)
from Amazon.com.
Everything Changes by Julian Lennon. “Everything Changes” is Julian Lennon’s first album released worldwide in 15 years. His new CD is an upgrade of the version that was released just in the UK two years ago. The new release has extra songs including “Someday” performed by Aerosmith front man Stephen Tyler. A 40 minute documentary is included with the album when it’s purchased on iTunes.
- For more information, go to julianlennon.com
- Everything Changes
is also available at amazon.com
Still Climbing by Leslie West. It’s the latest album from one rock’s great guitarists, Leslie West of Mountain. The new CD contains great and unique collaborations including Johnny Winter on “Busted, Disgusted or Dead” and Twisted Sister’s Dee Snider on a cover of “Feeling Good”. “Still Climbing” also includes Leslie’s latest version of “Long Red” which appeared on Mountain’s debut album.
- Still Climbing
is available on amazon.com
- For more information, go to mountainrockband.com
===============================================================================
DO THIS:
NEW YORK CITY: DOC NYC. Since its launch back in 2010, DOC NYC has been the nation’s largest documentary festival. This year promises to be their biggest to date, with 73 features and 39 shorts slated to be screened. Some of the highlights include Errol Morris’ profile of Donald Rumsfeld (The Unknown Known); Citizen Koch, which looks at The Koch Brothers relationship with Wisconsin governor Scott Walker; and closing out the festival will be Is The Man Who Is Tall Happy?, Michel Gondry’s conversation with Noam Chomsky via animation. There’s also a couple of music documentaries that will be making their debut: The Punk Singer profiles Bikini Kill and Le Tigre frontwoman Kathleen Hanna and Death Metal Angola, a inspiring, sometimes haunting look at attempts to stage the first major rock concert in Angola after 40 years of civil unrest. Several Oscar contenders will be highlighted during the week, so if you’re into docs, this is the place to be. DOC NYC runs from November 14th through the 21st.
PASADENA CALIFORNIA: An Evening with David Sedaris. Author, humorist and NPR contributor David Sedaris will be appearing at the Pasadena Civic Center on Friday, November 15th. Sedaris, who’s made numerous appearances on Letterman, will be reading from his best selling books including from his latest, “Let’s Explore Diabetes with Owls”. The performance begins at 8pm.
CHICAGO: Treasures of the Walt Disney Archives. The true Disney fan won’t be headed to Orlando. Chicago’s Museum of Science and Industry is the place to see one of the most comprehensive collections of Disney history ever. The exhibit, going on now till May 4, 2014, contains nearly 300 Disney artifacts including early animations, costumes, props, theme park attraction plans and models from the work of Walt Disney and his company. There’s also rare behind the scenes photos celebrating the 50th anniversary release of Disney’s “Mary Poppins”.
NEW YORK CITY: Mavis Staples. R&B and gospel legend Mavis Staples is appearing at City Winery on Sunday, November 17th. Mavis with be performing with special guest, Ryan Montbleau. She’s touring again for her latest album, “You Are Not Alone”. Mavis will be doing songs from her new recording as well as her classics. Doors open at 6pm and show time is 8pm.
