Peter Bart: ‘Rocketman’s Strong Start Will Launch Exotic Mix Of Musical Biopics From Elvis To Aretha
With Rocketman opening strongly this past weekend at 3,500 theaters, and with a dozen other music-driven movies huddled at the starting line, one movie milestone is being studiously ignored: the 50th anniversary of Paint Your Wagon.
At its opening, Roger Ebert called Paint “a lump of a movie.” Its failings, he wrote, display all that could go wrong in the music genre – a comment that should resonate with Celine Dion, David Bowie, Boy George, Aretha Franklin, Bruce Springsteen, Carole King, Elvis Presley, Judy Garland and, yes, even the Beatles, all of whose stories will be immortalized in upcoming musical biopics.
Having lived through the production of Paint Your Wagon, I’m more than a little surprised by this sudden musical gridlock.
Some context: Fifty years ago, with box office dwindling, Hollywood turned to the musical genre in the hope of re-awakening a golden era. But instead of discovering a new Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers,...
At its opening, Roger Ebert called Paint “a lump of a movie.” Its failings, he wrote, display all that could go wrong in the music genre – a comment that should resonate with Celine Dion, David Bowie, Boy George, Aretha Franklin, Bruce Springsteen, Carole King, Elvis Presley, Judy Garland and, yes, even the Beatles, all of whose stories will be immortalized in upcoming musical biopics.
Having lived through the production of Paint Your Wagon, I’m more than a little surprised by this sudden musical gridlock.
Some context: Fifty years ago, with box office dwindling, Hollywood turned to the musical genre in the hope of re-awakening a golden era. But instead of discovering a new Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers,...
- 6/6/2019
- by Peter Bart
- Deadline Film + TV
Richard Zoglin, the original author of the “60 Minutes” 50th anniversary retrospective, was removed from the project over his pursuit of questions about workplace sexism on the CBS News program, The New York Times reported on Tuesday. Three unnamed sources told the Times that Zoglin was told by “60 Minutes” executive producer Jeff Fager that he was focusing too much on the negative aspects of the show, to the detriment of the book. Zoglin left the project after completing more than a dozen interviews. Fager’s byline now appears on the book, “Fifty Years of 60 Minutes,” published in October. Also Read: Charlie.
- 12/5/2017
- by Reid Nakamura
- The Wrap
The Simpsons premiered 26 years ago Thursday, as part of Fox's Sunday night lineup that at the time included Married... with Children.
Because the family had popped up as animated shorts on The Tracy Ullman Show a few years earlier – and also because of creator Matt Groening's success with the cartoon strip Life in Hell – they weren't exactly an unknown quantity when the show premiered on Jan. 14, 1990.
Critics were quick to respond, too. In honor of The Simpsons' 26th birthday, check out what some of the country's leading pop-culture publications were saying about the show in its first few months on air.
Because the family had popped up as animated shorts on The Tracy Ullman Show a few years earlier – and also because of creator Matt Groening's success with the cartoon strip Life in Hell – they weren't exactly an unknown quantity when the show premiered on Jan. 14, 1990.
Critics were quick to respond, too. In honor of The Simpsons' 26th birthday, check out what some of the country's leading pop-culture publications were saying about the show in its first few months on air.
- 1/14/2016
- by Alex Heigl, @alex_heigl
- People.com - TV Watch
The Simpsons premiered 26 years ago Thursday, as part of Fox's Sunday night lineup that at the time included Married... with Children. Because the family had popped up as animated shorts on The Tracy Ullman Show a few years earlier - and also because of creator Matt Groening's success with the cartoon strip Life in Hell - they weren't exactly an unknown quantity when the show premiered on Jan. 14, 1990. Critics were quick to respond, too. In honor of The Simpsons' 26th birthday, check out what some of the country's leading pop-culture publications were saying about the show in its first few months on air.
- 1/14/2016
- by Alex Heigl, @alex_heigl
- PEOPLE.com
Time magazine film critic Richard Corliss died Thursday night in New York City after a stroke. He was 71. Corliss worked as a film critic for Time for 35 years, and is survived by his wife, Mary Corliss, also a film critic, and his brother, Paul. Time editor Nancy Gibbs made the announcement in an email to the staff Friday morning. "It’s painful to try to find words, since Richard was such a master of them," Gibbs wrote. "They were his tools, his toys, to the point that it felt sometimes as though he had to write, like the rest of us breathe and eat and sleep." Time also has a touching tribute from theater critic Richard Zoglin, who calls Corliss an "indestructible, inexhaustible resource" for the magazine. Zoglin relays one delightful anecdote where, because of an "arcane" rule, Corliss couldn't add the names of two correspondents who had helped report a story he had written.
- 4/24/2015
- by E. Alex Jung
- Vulture
"On Thursday night, following a major stroke that felled him a week ago, Richard Corliss, 71, died in New York City," writes Richard Zoglin for Time, where Corliss "was an indestructible, inexhaustible resource. He wrote some 2,500 reviews and other articles for the magazine, including more than two dozen cover stories. For 20 years, Corliss edited Film Comment, taking on Jonathan Rosenbaum as a Paris correspondent, and then, as he was handing the reins to Richard T. Jameson, cast a worried eye on his profession: "All Thumbs: Or, Is There a Future for Film Criticism?" naturally drew a response from Roger Ebert: "All Stars: Or, Is There a Cure for Criticism of Film Criticism? Pt. 2." » - David Hudson...
- 4/24/2015
- Keyframe
"On Thursday night, following a major stroke that felled him a week ago, Richard Corliss, 71, died in New York City," writes Richard Zoglin for Time, where Corliss "was an indestructible, inexhaustible resource. He wrote some 2,500 reviews and other articles for the magazine, including more than two dozen cover stories. For 20 years, Corliss edited Film Comment, taking on Jonathan Rosenbaum as a Paris correspondent, and then, as he was handing the reins to Richard T. Jameson, cast a worried eye on his profession: "All Thumbs: Or, Is There a Future for Film Criticism?" naturally drew a response from Roger Ebert: "All Stars: Or, Is There a Cure for Criticism of Film Criticism? Pt. 2." » - David Hudson...
- 4/24/2015
- Fandor: Keyframe
An all-new Theater Talk features critic and author Richard Zoglin on his new bestseller, Hope Entertainer of the Century Simon amp Schuster, a comprehensive biography of the incomparable comedian, stage, film amp TV star Bob Hope. Joining Zoglin is writer and iconic talk show host Dick Cavett, who shares his own memories and anecdotes about Hope with co-hosts Michael Riedel of the New York Post and Susan Haskins.
- 12/17/2014
- by BWW News Desk
- BroadwayWorld.com
Richard Zoglin is the author of Hope: Entertainer of the Century, published this week by Simon & Schuster and cited by reviewers as the definitive biography of the comedy legend. In its current issue, People singles it out as the book of the week. Here, an excerpt from the work.Viewers of The Tonight Show during the 1970s and '80s might have assumed that Bob Hope was one of Johnny Carson's favorite guests. No one appeared on the show more often than the comedy legend, and his guest appearances clung to a familiar, almost comical ritual. He would walk...
- 11/6/2014
- by Richard Zoglin
- PEOPLE.com
He had a million of 'em, literally. Bob Hope kept nearly every joke ever written for him — the good, the bad, the keepers, and the rejects — in a voluminous joke file locked away in a vault in his Toluca Lake, California, home. He was America's unofficial comedian-laureate for more than half a century, wisecracking about everything from presidential politics to Dean Martin's drinking. Today, Hope's comedy is often dismissed as dated and corny — not to mention the product (in the old-fashioned way) of writers, rather than the comedian's own ideas, experiences, and neuroses. But Hope's topical monologues were the foundation stone for all modern stand-up comedy; no one ever delivered a one-liner better, and some of his gags remain classics. Richard Zoglin, author of Hope: Entertainer of the Century (on sale today), picked ten worth remembering. 1. "Welcome to the Academy Awards. Or as it’s known at...
- 11/4/2014
- by Richard Zoglin
- Vulture
The It’s Only a Play revival hit Broadway Thursday night with Rupert Grint, Matthew Broderick, Stockard Channing and Nathan Lane all starring.
'It's Only A Play' Debut
It’s Only a Play centers on Peter Austin’s (Broderick) play’s opening night, on which he's fraught with worry that it won’t be much of a hit. Backstage, he interacts with TV star and best friend (Lane), the stage diva (Channing), a theater critic (F. Murray Abraham), the play's producer (Mullally) and his prodigious director (Grint).
Grint made his stage debut with the play, an experience that he’s found to be completely rewarding. “I was thousands of miles away from home and surrounded by people that are so experienced and really know comedy,” Rupert told the Evening Standard. 'It's not something I've really mastered, I must say, but just working with them I've learnt so much. I'm still...
'It's Only A Play' Debut
It’s Only a Play centers on Peter Austin’s (Broderick) play’s opening night, on which he's fraught with worry that it won’t be much of a hit. Backstage, he interacts with TV star and best friend (Lane), the stage diva (Channing), a theater critic (F. Murray Abraham), the play's producer (Mullally) and his prodigious director (Grint).
Grint made his stage debut with the play, an experience that he’s found to be completely rewarding. “I was thousands of miles away from home and surrounded by people that are so experienced and really know comedy,” Rupert told the Evening Standard. 'It's not something I've really mastered, I must say, but just working with them I've learnt so much. I'm still...
- 10/10/2014
- Uinterview
When Wicked opened in October 2003, critics instantly fell in love with the show’s stars, Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth, who played “bad” witch Elphaba and “good” witch Glinda, respectively. It marked a high point for two Broadway stars, both of whom have since transcended (and in both cases, returned to) their stage roots. But the show as a whole divided critics. Time loved it: “If every musical had a brain, a heart, and the courage of Wicked,” wrote critic Richard Zoglin, “Broadway really would be a magical place.” Variety’s Charles Isherwood said the show’s plot was “muddled.
- 8/27/2010
- by Tanner Stransky
- EW.com - PopWatch
For those who are unable to attend the live tour of "Glee", there's a glimpse of the musical performance at NYC's Radio City Music Hall taking place Friday, May 28 to Sunday, May 30. The cast cramped 21 songs in the 80-minute set list, including fan favorite "Don't Stop Believing" and the recently aired piece "Bad Romance".
Apart from solos by Lea Michele and Kevin McHale, the girls team up for a medley of "Halo" / "Walking on Sunshine" which could be found on the episode "Vitamin D". They all basically wear the same outfit as in the TV version. Already, the four-city tour garnered criticism from Time and NY Times.
Richard Zoglin from the former said, "Glee may actually play better onstage than it does on TV. For one thing, there's none of the haphazard editing that too often wreaks havoc with the musical numbers on the home screen. For another, the super-amplified...
Apart from solos by Lea Michele and Kevin McHale, the girls team up for a medley of "Halo" / "Walking on Sunshine" which could be found on the episode "Vitamin D". They all basically wear the same outfit as in the TV version. Already, the four-city tour garnered criticism from Time and NY Times.
Richard Zoglin from the former said, "Glee may actually play better onstage than it does on TV. For one thing, there's none of the haphazard editing that too often wreaks havoc with the musical numbers on the home screen. For another, the super-amplified...
- 5/31/2010
- by AceShowbiz.com
- Aceshowbiz
Hollywoodnews.com: The “Glee” stage show which recently concluded a four-city tour with a weekend at Radio City Music Hall in New York City has been hitting a high note with critics.
Many of the show’s cast are present on stage, i.e. Lea Michelle and Cory Monteith, belting out covers seen over the last season. For example, Kevin McHale, who plays the handicapped Arty sings “Dancing With Myself” as well as the harmonious Journey track from the pilot, “Don’t Stop Believen.”
Richard Zoglin from Time, who is non-Gleek, exclaims:
In fact, Glee may actually play better onstage than it does on TV. For one thing, there’s none of the haphazard editing that too often wreaks havoc with the musical numbers on the home screen. For another, the super-amplified sound system muddies the voices just enough that almost everyone sounds at least passable, and in some cases (like Michele’s) pretty terrific.
Many of the show’s cast are present on stage, i.e. Lea Michelle and Cory Monteith, belting out covers seen over the last season. For example, Kevin McHale, who plays the handicapped Arty sings “Dancing With Myself” as well as the harmonious Journey track from the pilot, “Don’t Stop Believen.”
Richard Zoglin from Time, who is non-Gleek, exclaims:
In fact, Glee may actually play better onstage than it does on TV. For one thing, there’s none of the haphazard editing that too often wreaks havoc with the musical numbers on the home screen. For another, the super-amplified sound system muddies the voices just enough that almost everyone sounds at least passable, and in some cases (like Michele’s) pretty terrific.
- 5/31/2010
- by HollywoodNews.com
- Hollywoodnews.com
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