KJERSTI COMES TO THE STAGE — Kjertsi Long’s play and concert Piece of You (An Atypical Music) debuted last week at Theatre Royal Drury Lane in London. The reviews lauded Long’s songwriting prowess and the soundtrack just released on Van Dean’s new imprint Center Stage Records.
All That Dazzles said: “Kjersti Long’s songs are undoubtedly impressive. Wise beyond her years, she is a natural talent, penning some effortlessly beautiful numbers, all present in this show, delivering earworms and cleverly crafted numbers you might expect to find in the charts (if that’s even still a thing).”
The West End Best Friend said: “Little Piece of You: An Atypical Musical in Concert presents a compelling exploration of depression through a unique concert format, featuring music and lyrics by Kjersti Long and Jeremy Long. The mise en concert effectively introduces us to the struggles of a mother battling her own demons, a daughter grappling with the loss of her idol to suicide, and a well-meaning father who feels powerless to help.”
Record Collector’s Daryl Eslea attended the first performance and said it was terrific. Adding, “A refreshing, original show, lovely to hear the female voice leading it all.”
Long is working on a new EP for release early next year provisionally titled Emotions.
MURPHY’S FUNKADLEIC — (Via Deadline) Bill Condon is set to direct Eddie Murphy in Amazon MGM Studios’ untitled George Clinton biopic. Murphy, who teamed with Condon and was Oscar-nominated for his role in Dreamgirls, will star as Parliament-Funkadelic leader George Clinton.
The project was initiated by Catherine Davis, a lifelong George Clinton fan, who brought the idea to Murphy.
The film is based on George Clinton’s memoir, Brothas Be, Yo Like George, Ain’t That Funkin’ Kinda Hard On You? The film is the untold story of influential pioneer of funk and his tumultuous journey to founding musical collective Parliament-Funkadelic. Known for their outlandish sci-fi themes, surreal sounds, and psychedelic shows, Clinton and his band’s wild road redefined music and culture.
The film reunites Murphy and Condon, who most recently worked together on Dreamgirls, in which Murphy starred alongside Jamie Foxx, Beyonce Knowles and Oscar winner Jennifer Hudson. Condon is in post-production on Kiss of the Spider Woman, a feature adaptation of the Tony-winning Broadway musical, starring Jennifer Lopez and Diego Luna.
Will Coss
SHORT TAKES — Saturday’s Today Show had the Macy’s parade coordinator on, Will Coss, who seemed to be channeling Lin-Manuel Miranda. Hey, the parade’s 3 weeks away! …
It’s been quite the year for movie-disasters. Costner’s Horizon, Coppola’s Megalopolis, the Jason Reitman-directed Saturday Night movie, but the most unexpected may be Robert Zemeckis’ Here which opened Friday. I read a slew of reviews and each one was worse than the previous one. The UK’s Guardian may have summed it up the best in saying: In what feels like double the time we sat for, Zemeckis tells us very little and makes us feel even less. For a film about living, Here is a remarkably lifeless endeavour. Sad as Zemeckis’ work has been, for the most part been exemplary …
Billy Crystal Before
We’ve watched 4 episodes Billy Crystal’s Before on Apple TV+ and am loving it. It bears striking similarities to M. Night Shyamalan’s Servant, but Crystal -even with what can only be described as his new hair- is compellingly engaging as Dr. Eli Adler, who after losing his wife (Judith Light) finds a boy who seems to know him. Crystal’s a great comedian for sure, but this role, as dramatic as possible, is a nifty change of pace for him. We’re loving in and curious to see how it ends. 10-episodes … I voted early this weekend: 8:00 AM in fact and was stunned to see the voting-operation in full motion. There must have been at least 50 guides and aides to ease everyone through. I’ve voted every cycle and don’t recall seeing such a streamlined operation like this. It looked like a Trader Joe’s at noon on a Saturday! Chaotic, but organized. I’ve been here for years, but I’ve never seen such a divisive fight like this one. In Hollywood, they’re terribly worried with some saying Harris peaked too soon and asking where is George Bush in all this? Also, questions remain about Harris’ running mate, with many suggesting that Pennsylvania governor Josh Shapiro would have made a better running mate as Trump’s lead with young men has increased. It looks like a dead-heat, but we’ll know soon. In reviewing all the different posts, this one stood out: It’s not a “gut” check, it’s a reality check.
And, if you haven’t already, VOTE! … Happy Bday Barry Fisch!
NAME IN THE NEWS — Tom & Lisa Cuddy; Radcliffe Joe; Joe Lynch; Steve Cuozzo; Melinda Newman; Zach Martin; Jim Acosta; Tim Carter; Mark Bego; Robert Funaro; Lee Jeske; Jim Bessman; Brad Balfour; Bobby Bank; Donnie Kehr; Cori Gardner; Anthony Pomes; Skip Tracer; Amanda Naylor; and ZIGGY!
Images on this page have been licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license.
This post was originally published on here
