The Washington Post- Review: Smashing Pumpkins' album is shiny and oh so bright
It’s no question The Smashing Pumpkins has had a tumultuous past. Multiple iterations, breakups and solo careers later, three founding members of the 90’s Chicago-rooted rockers — Billy Corgan, James Iha and Jimmy Chamberlin — are back to release their first collaborative album in 18 years, “SHINY AND OH SO BRIGHT, VOL. 1 / LP: NO PAST. NO FUTURE. NO SUN.”
The title of the LP is fitting, considering there’s a past the band likely wants to leave behind.
U.S. News & World Report- Clothes for People With Disabilities Highlighted on Catwalk
NEW YORK (AP) — New York Fashion Week has opened its glamorous tent wider to feature models with disabilities wearing adaptive clothing designs by Tommy Hilfiger, Nike and Target.
Organized by the Runway of Dreams Foundation, the show on Wednesday included a catwalk welcoming to wheelchairs, crutches, walking canes and more. Actor and model RJ Mitte of "Breaking Bad" was host.
Mitte said he understood the importance of inclusion on a personal level, having been diagnosed with cerebral palsy at age 3. "I'm really excited to see all this inclusivity and all of these strides to be diverse," he said.
The Telegraph- Ursula, Maleficent and Cruella de Vil on The Blonds runway
NEW YORK (AP) — Bejeweled bodices, thigh-high platform pumps, stiletto nails and seductive fishnet stockings brought a new level of femme fatale among Disney villains onto the catwalk.
The catwalk of the design duo The Blonds, that is. David and Phillipe Blond, known for edgy, provocative collections and runway shows, collaborated with Disney to merge the wicked and the sleek among its most famous villains — Ursula, Maleficent and more. Paris Hilton was Cruella de Vil in a studded silver bodysuit, carrying a Chihuahua down the runway Friday, long black and, of course, blonde, hair extensions cascading down. She wore one black thigh-high boot and one in white.
U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg has become something of an icon. Dubbed ‘the Notorious RBG’ by supporters as she gained notoriety among the American public, documentary film directors Betsy West and Julie Cohen had a suspicion that her fans didn’t know the whole narrative.
“And the thought was, ‘Someone should do a documentary about telling her full story,’” said Cohen. “And why shouldn’t it be us?”
In her love story highlighting the cinematically underrepresented autistic community, director Rachel Israel made the decision to cast non-professional actors with autism in the story's leading roles. This naturalistic approach in "Keep the Change" is one Israel hopes other directors and filmmakers will follow.
"I hope that this film pushes forward the conversation of authentic casting to the world of disabilities and that we start seeing not only more roles written for people on the autism spectrum, but roles cast with people in the autism spectrum," said Israel.
After flying to Cambodia to see elephants released onto a sanctuary, Ashley Bell, the director of “Love & Bananas: An Elephant Story,” said it was “naive to think it was a happily ever after story.”
It was more than a simple release. Going to Cambodia put Bell face to face with the mistreatment some Asian elephants in captivity endure—and it also put her face to face with Lek Chailert.
“There was illegal logging and poaching happening on the land. We were briefly surrounded by the Cambodian military in army fatigues, flip-flops and AK-47s But, through that whole situation I saw Lek Chailert’s iPad footage of what it took to rescue the elephants,” said Belle. “And it was raw and hopeful and victorious and harrowing and I’d never seen anything like that. And I said that, that's the story.”
"...'It seemed kinda surreal,' he explained. 'It’s like this weird crash of two worlds that had been completely separate.' I could only imagine. 'You’re used to hearing other bands’ music: bands that you like or admire that will play on the radio or TV,' Civil Twilight’s drummer, Richard Wouters, continued..."
"...A sauna inside the building, sweaty sticky bodies packed the floor. And as Marvin Gay’s voice pulsed through the crowd, the thrusts evidenced how few reservations anyone had for their raunchy or ridiculous dance moves. Outside where people had stepped out to escape the heat, the Icelandic band members mingled and meshed with some of Nashville’s more colorful personalities. In a city more traditionally known, for honky-tonks, it’s safe to say that Motown Monday at Five Spot isn’t Nashville’s most traditional crowd. But Kaleo’s along for the ride..."
She’s unapologetic in appearance. Leaning against the keyboard in her shredded jeans and Griswolds beanie, she takes a swig of Michelob Ultra. She puts down the bottle and pushes muddled blue strands of hair out of her face with the hand not clutching the mic. The mic captures the noise as she breathes in. And with her exhale the first note rings through the venue: strong, gritty, soulful.
"...Booking a show may not seem too crazy… until you try to do it yourself. What started as two college freshmen wanting to book shows and help a few of their musician friends morphed into EVAmore. The booking process needed to be simplified. Who knew it would take two college students, Channing Moreland and Makenzie Stokel, to finally start a company to do it..."
"... Every song out today seems to be seething with the musical influences of those who came before.The voice reminiscent of Dylan, the elusive guitar solo that brings Harrison to mind, the wail of this artist, the kick drums of that. How original is any of it? ..."
"... That’s where independent stations step in. While not as profitable as corporate stations, these stations have to value more than just the money or they’d play Jessie J as well. 'We’ve had the same philosophy the whole time,' said Lightning 100’s VP of Operations and Programming, Gary Kraen. 'We’re all about the music.' ..."
"...On the piano, three notes repeat, creating a backdrop like rain as her voice, whimsical and eerie, slides into the track. There is a sense of urgency in the tone of the piano drawing attention to the contrast in the calming nature of her own tone. The song, “If I’m,” is simple, almost celestial, and trance-like as Sea Oleena completely envelops the listener into her own little world of distortions and dreams..."