Notizie

LL Cool J, Gretchen Rhodes, Mick Fleetwood and Lukas Nelson are among several artists performing in the #MauiStrong livestream event benefiting those impacted by the Maui wildfires.

The event, hosted by Kcrw’s Elvis Mitchell and Jimmy Jam, will be streamed live Sept. 8 at 5 p.m. Pt/8 p.m. Et on Ziggy Marley’s YouTube channel. Other celebrities participating include Marley, Benny Uyetake, Fred Armisen, Gretchen Rhodes, Kai Lenny, Matthew Pinfield, Nathaniel Rateliff, Ryan Bingham, Sarah McLachlan, Skunk Baxter, Slim Jim Phantom, Stewart Copeland and Uncle George Kahumoku Jr.

All funds raised will support the Maui Strong Fund, which provides recovery aid for people and areas devastated by the Maui wildfires, and MusiCares, an organization that supports the music community through preventive, emergency, and recovery programs.

According to the event’s press release, “The livestream will cast a spotlight on stories of local heroism and the rich history and challenges...

It is fitting to find Fanny: The Right to Rock broadcast on PBS. The channel thrives on educational material, and director Bobbi Jo Hart’s documentary teaches many lessons. The film chronicles the career, and captures the reunion of Fanny, a group of musicians who changed the dynamics of rock in the 1970s. The lineup was unique, labels and management executives dubbed them the “female Beatles.” They made history as the first all-women rock band to release an LP with a major record label.

Originally called The Svelts and rebranded as Wild Honey, Fanny was formed in the mid-1960s in Sacramento, Calif., by three Filipina American musicians: sisters June and Jean Millington, on guitar and bass, and drummer Brie Darling. All three sang. When Darling had her daughter, Brandi, in 1968, Fanny added drummer Alice de Buhr, and roving keyboardist Nickey Barclay.

As was the fashion of the time, they lived in a band house.

As I mentioned in its introduction, my Steely Dan appreciation last week stemmed from an email exchange with several other people. And my article was not the last word by a long shot. One of the participants, Tony Alterman, is responding with his own album-by-album review, and his brother, CultureCatch's own Ian Alterman, is pitching in with his own observations. Here, with punctuation corrected and tangents omitted, is the origin of the debate and its continuation.

Tony Alterman:

Katy Lied -- Probably [Steely Dan's] fourth-best album, after Aja, Can't Buy a Thrill, and Royal Scam, in that order. Of course, fourth-best for Steely Dan is a bit like Beethoven's fourth-best symphony -- shades of difference here.

Ian:

Re: Steely Dan, it might be heresy, but I think Royal Scam is better than Aja. So my order would be Royal Scam, Aja, Can't Buy a Thrill, and then...well...it wouldn’t be Katy Lied.

So the other day a bunch of us were emailing back and forth about something and a tangent appeared in which we were ranking our favorite Steely Dan albums in order -- sticking to their '70s albums, their prime period.

Naturally I ended up writing a defense of my ranking. Doing so meant that I had to say unkind things about aspects of some tracks, which might seem like I'm denigrating them when, in fact, they all bring me pleasure. This is an exercise in relativity akin to the distasteful Howard Stern activity of pointing out the tiny flaws in some beautiful woman to explain why he, troglodyte that he is, finds her less than perfect. It is akin to pointing out Natalie Portman's mole. But if one is intent on ranking things, it must be done. And ultimately it all boils down to my highly personal tastes,...

Does 2013 look like a promising one for Lgbt entertainment sensations? My answer: Who knows, honestly? That's why we need to prepare a wish list, and fast. How can we know we're disappointed if we don't know what we want? 

Here are 10 wishes for entertainment in 2013. Please add your own at the bottom, whether or not they pertain specifically to gay entertainers. Let's make this year count, starting with a triumph at the Grammys.

1. Frank Ocean runs off with Album of the Year.

There've been some meaningless Grammy moments, particularly for Album of the Year. Steely Dan's 2001 triumph comes to mind, as does Herbie Hancock's peculiar tribute to Joni Mitchell that earned top honors for 2008. But an Album of the Year win for Frank Ocean's Channel Orange would give the Grammys back a modicum of much-needed credibility: He's mainstream, but not an utter juggernaut. His music is fresh and meaningful.

Years ago, in ancient Rome, a clever method was devised to find wealth beyond people's wildest imaginings – the Romans headed to streams and mountainsides to pan for gold. You'd separate the grit from the gold and bingo! One or two nuggets of worth to be had – of course, the only problem is making your way through the dirt and grit to find anything of value.

Which brings me onto Doctor Who's latest escapade – if you'd already seen the many trailers on BBC1, you'll know that it's called Dinosaurs!!! On. A. Spaceship!!! Yes, Doctor, thanks for stating the obvious. As far as titles go, it's not exactly the best. What next? Killer Robots On A Sandminer? Spaghetti Monsters In A Nuclear Reactor? Crappy Giant Chicken In A Dutch Crypt?

There are good things to be said about Dinosaurs On A Spaceship – it's the first of two this season from Chris Chibnall,...