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There have been all kinds of Discworld adaptations over the years, from the animated movies by Cosgrove Hall in the 1990s to the various live-action TV movies and series, yet none of them have been amazing successes. The most recent attempt, the BBC's controversial adaptation of the Night Watch novels, was critically panned for taking too many arbitrary liberties with the setting. Other adaptations have had their own high points and flaws.

There is one thread that explains why none of these adaptations have achieved any lasting success: none of them have quite landed on the tone that makes the original novels so timelessly endearing, even if the Discworld reading order is a little complicated. Emulating Terry Pratchett's unique mix of satire, slapstick, and parable requires an emotional intelligence that even the best adaptations have lacked.

Most Discworld Adaptations Almost Get It Right (But They're Missing Something) Various...

Chernobyl and The Virtues were the big winners at the Broadcasting Press Guild Awards in London on Friday.

Chernobyl, the Sister Pictures series for Sky and HBO on the Soviet nuclear disaster, won Best Drama Series, while writer Craig Mazin took home Best Writer, beating Fleabag scribe Phoebe Waller-Bridge.

More from Deadline'Stranger Things' Season 4: 'Fleabag's Brett Gelman Upped To Series Regular'Fleabag' & 'Chernobyl' Battle For Broadcasting Press Guild Awards'Sex Education': Netflix Renews British Comedy For Third Season

Shane Meadows’ Channel 4 show The Virtues claimed the prize for Best Single Drama/Mini-Series, while Stephen Graham won Best Actor for his performance as an alcoholic man haunted by his past. The award was also recognition of Graham’s work in Line Of Duty and A Christmas Carol.

Other winners included Fleabag for Best Comedy and For Sama for Best Single Documentary/Mini-Series, while two-time Oscar-winner Glenda Jackson was...

“The Masked Singer” panel finally got something right when Nicole Scherzinger and Robin Thicke correctly guessed that the Queen of Funk, Chaka Khan, was hiding beneath the Miss Monster mask. The “I’m Every Woman” singer was all smiles after being eliminated during Wednesday’s third episode. She was defeated in the Group A finals by Kangaroo, Turtle and White Tiger. Watch her performance of “You Don’t Own Me” by Lesley Gore above.

See‘The Masked Singer’ Group A power rankings: Kangaroo and White Tiger rule the pack

Although Robin and Nicole were able to recognize the legendary voice, the other panelists were stumped once again. Jenny McCarthy thought Miss Monster was “Chicago” actress and singer Queen Latifah. Guest panelist Leah Remini guessed the Supreme Mary Wilson while Ken Jeong was way off with his theory that Miss Monster was country superstar Reba McEntire. Did You correctly guess Chaka Khan was Miss Monster?...

Juliette Harrisson Aug 1, 2017

Looking to revisit the Discworld novels or try them for the first time? Here are some suggested routes through...

There’s a well-known question among fans of the late, great Sir Terry Pratchett’s forty-one Discworld novels – which one do you recommend to friends you’re encouraging to try the series? You’ll hear a number of different answers – and if your friend enjoys that first book, there’ll be a few different options for how to proceed with the rest of the series as well. Today, we’d like to be that Discworld-reading friend, and offer a few different recommendations for ways to get into this huge but incredibly rewarding series, or routes for a re-read for longtime fans.

See related American Horror Story renewed for seasons 8 and 9 American Horror Story: Roanoke might be its best season yet American Horror Story season 6: Roanoke Chapter 10 Ryan Murphy...

The Notorious B.I.G.'s influence lives on.

On Thursday, Ascap honored the Brooklyn rap icon during the 30th annual Ascap Rhythm & Soul Music Awards at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Beverly Hills, California.

Exclusive: Sean 'Diddy' Combs and Biggie Smalls' Son Talk 'Beautiful' Tribute to Late Rapper on 45th Birthday

The late rapper, who was born Christopher Wallace and died in 1997, received the coveted Founders Award, which was accepted by his wife, Faith Evans, son C.J. Wallace, and daughter T'yanna.

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Wayne Barrow and Mark Pitts, the rapper's former manager and estate consultant, were also onstage with the family, while Biggie’s DJs, Clark Kent, and DJ Enuff, treated the crowd to a roaring music battle featuring his song catalog.

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Sean "Diddy" Combs acknowledged Biggie's influence with a heartfelt video message introducing his sons, Justin and Christian Combs, who presented the award. The rap mogul signed "the greatest rapper alive" to his Bad...

First Ray Charles, now Marvin Gaye. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Jamie Foxx is developing a limited TV series about the legendary musician.Born in Washington DC, Gaye began his musical career as a session player during the early Motown days. Throughout the 1960s and 70s, he emerged as a major influence on R&B and Soul music before tragically dying in 1984.Read More…...

Bakermat has taken to SoundCloud this week to share a preview of his upcoming single “Dreamreacher.” For his latest effort, the Dutch producer has enlisted the help of singer songwriters Chevrae and Dumang, who contribute smooth vocals to the song.

The preview for “Dreamreacher” is actually rather lengthy, totaling in at just under three minutes and giving us a good idea where Bakermat is headed on the song. “Dreamreacher” features plenty of summery appeal with acoustic guitar plucks and soulful vocal hooks. Oceanic synth pads and catchy marimba melodies bring a playful touch to the song, layered over organic percussion and steady house beats.

Overall, Bakermat‘s latest work features a pleasing tropical production with plenty of memorable vocal hooks to compliment its lighthearted sound. We’re left in the dark as to an exact due date for “Dreamreacher,” with only the clue that it will be released “soon” via Dirty Soul Music.

Read More: Watch: Baz Luhrmann's 'The Get Down' Trailer Beautifully Blends '70s Soul Music and Modern Struggles Ever since it was immortalized by Audrey Hepburn over half a century ago, Tiffany & Co. remains the ultimate ideal in luxury and high fashion, both in New York City and around the world. However, few know what it is really like behind the scenes, but a brand new documentary is here to put all questions to rest. Directed by Matthew Miele ("Harry Benson: Shoot First"), "Crazy About Tiffany's" has been acquired by distributor Gravitas Ventures, who plans to release the film in select theaters and VOD on February 19. The film digs deep into the history and legacy of the famed jewelry store. It's impact on pop culture is covered through interviews with Baz Luhrmann Jessica Biel, Katie Couric and celebrity stylists Kate Young and Rachel Zoe. "It’s a...

Read More: Watch: Baz Luhrmann's 'The Get Down' Trailer Beautifully Blends '70s Soul Music and Modern Struggles Pairing writers and exec producers Louis C.K. and Zach Galifianakis has to be a comedic match made in heaven, so thank you FX. The upcoming FX series, "Baskets" released its official trailer today (above) which features Galifianakis' distinctive brand of oblivious comedy that he does so well. The illustrious Chip Baskets, a very little nonsense and self-professed artist, is of the highest caliber. After all, he has studied at the most prestigious clown school in Paris. Never mind the language barrier as this is no obstacle for Baskets. He'll wing it. It's all about the art anyway. Perhaps, Baskets will have more success in his love life, as he proposes to a French woman who doesn't love him, as she so succinctly puts it. However, Baskets is an optimist and a romantic,...

A few words on the life, books and humanity of Sir Terry Pratchett - a man who was a cast iron example of how to be a human being.

The first Terry Pratchett book I read was Truckers. The first Terry Pratchett book I heard was Only You Can Save Mankind, which we'd got out from the library a few months earlier to listen to in the car. The reason I got these books was simply because I had seen my Dad sitting reading Soul Music on holiday, laughing his head off, and I wanted in.

So, first of all, thank you very much Terry Pratchett for saving me having to think of a Christmas gift every year. That sounds glib, and lazy, but every year you could be assured of buying something that he was guaranteed to enjoy. It's easy to take that for granted, but it's a gift in itself,...

Structured like a collection of vivid memories rather than being controlled by a strict narrative arch, Tim Sutton’s “Memphis” is an experiential work that attempts to create a visual representation of a state of mind. Willis Earl Beal plays an outstandingly gifted musician who is not certain of the path he should follow. His talent is his cross to bear in a world that wants to exploit it. Vanishing into complete anonymity would suit him better than the ephemeral benefits of fame. With each ethereal and fragmented sequence, Sutton constructs sets of ideas and questions without ever offering definite answers or needing to.

Here is what the filmmaker shared with us about his creative process, spirituality, and Blues.

Carlos Aguilar: There are so many different ideas discussed simultaneously in “Memphis,” but they all revolved around this singular character. What was the original idea that sparked the writing process?

Tim Sutton: The very first idea that I had was influenced by the story of a singer named O.V. Wright. He is supposed to be the greatest singer to ever come out of Memphis. Al Green used to sneak into the studio to listen to him and try to get his trick. Aretha Franklin, Elvis, and others, they all try to listen to him at the studio. Elvis producer, Willie Mitchell said he was the best voice to come out of the city, but he is unknown. He was a very psychologically damaged character, when he died he was buried in an unmarked grave. That’s not a rare story within the idea of the Blues in American folklore. Having god-given talent but also having bad luck or having hellhound on you trail, that’s the real deal.

I wanted to make a movie that was not a “Blues movie” necessarily about Blues music or Soul music, but about the idea of a “Blues’ story. It is about a person who has wild gifts, almost magic powers. He has the voice of God, but for some reason, which he doesn’t explain, he doesn’t want to do what other people want him to do. He actually wants to just vanish. He wants to save his soul. I got the idea thinking about guys like O.V. Wright and movies like “Last Days” by Gus Van Sant - which I really like a lot - or the Maysles Brothers’ “Gimme Shelter,” because of their light touches of verite.

I wrote the story about this character who s of both world. One is a world of his own, a utopian vision, which is also sort of dystopian. The other is the real world in which people are trying to get him to sing. They are trying to get him to connect. I wrote a 40-page story, and that’s what got funded from the Venice Viennale and then we met Willis. He worked the character so clearly and so incredibly that a lot of the trappings that I had written were already embedded in him. Then we built the story piece by piece together.

Carlos Aguilar: Where you always conscious that you wanted the film to feel fragmented and have a surrealist atmosphere to it? Or did you ever considered how it would work as a more traditional narrative?

Tim Sutton: It was always supposed to be fragmented. It was always supposed to be something that feels like this is a world you are inhabiting more than a story. Some people are expecting more of a traditional narrative, like an indie version of “Ray,” but what I went out to make was a fragmented vision of a fragmented language. I always wanted it to feel like a psychedelic ghost story. I was more interested in making it something abstract over a more open-and-close narrative.

Carlos Aguilar: Spirituality and the Christian church seem to be very prominent in the film. God and religion are often present tin Willis’ work. Why was it important for you to include these references?

Tim Sutton: Making a movie about an African American singer in Memphis, even a very fictional one, to me it was always going to start and end with the church. I think that’s true to a town like Memphis and it’s true to the historic culture of the music. In the original story Willis does go back to church, but the more we worked on the story and the more Willis exerted his persona, it became quite obvious that Willis is a nature worshiper more than he is a Christian. As a filmmaker and as a person I’m the exact same way. I’m a Jew, but I’m a very secular Jew. I always knew that my spiritual sense was more in nature and with a more pastoral look at the world. That’s how I wanted the film to feel. I think Christians can watch this movie and really believe that the church is meaningful, but I wanted people to understand he has created his own spirituality and his own church, which is just as meaningful and works for him.

Carlos Aguilar: There seems to be a struggle within Willis about whether his talent is a curse or a blessing. Why is he so conflicted?

Tim Sutton: I think there is frustration for having something that he didn’t ask for. It is a natural talent. It doesn’t mean he would prefer not having the talent and not being that creative person, but what he doesn’t like is that his creativity needs to be recognizable to a certain vision. Whether is his producer saying, “You got to use this for an album” or his woman just wanting him be more committed to her and sing in the church, or his other friend saying “You got to sing for God.” What Willis really wants to do is to make it clear that music is just a part of him, is not something that he wants to push in a commercial direction. To him this is something that he feels more deeply, like whistling a tune down the street or singing to his friend in the car. That’s music to him. It’s something that’s more natural. I wanted to show that struggle, to me is not about a creative block. When talking about the film, a lot of writers talk about creative block. I think there is pieces of that in there for sure, but more importantly it’s about someone being creative in a way that is less recognizable to the mainstream.

Carlos Aguilar: Most of the scenes have an almost documentary quality to them. How much of what we see on screen was scripted and how much was it improvisation?

Tim Sutton: We would have a scenario, for example, one of my scenes says, “Willis is in the bedroom with the boy and they are playing cards”” I wanted that scene to feel verite because of the energy that Willis and the boy got off of each other. My cameraman had a little more free range in terms of creating this realistic feel.

I told Willis to ask him if he believes in God. The rest of it is really up to these people being in the room together and getting there. Sometimes it might come off as fake, but I’m never set on anything. If Willis asks something else or he does something different, I’m totally willing to go in that direction. I’m open to anything as long as it’s natural and it feels like it connects two people or like it connects a person with a place. I don’t shoot hours of footage and then find it in the edit. I just set up things with people who I think are comfortable enough to let scenes go and follow them where they go. Sometimes non-actors are better when they think the heart of the scene is over, and then they start giving you something meaningful. That’s how I work with a lot of non-actors, Willis included. He would never come right in and just bang it out, he really lived the character and then we would capture it.

Carlos Aguilar: Throughout the film you shift your attention towards the peripheral characters, those people who might not be at the center of the story but still play an important role. Why is this something that interests you?

Tim Sutton: The first version of the film we did for Venice had even more of these digressions with other people. I think it took a way from the experience that we were trying to create with Willis, but I do like moments in films where you go off with another character because this is their life too. It doesn’t have to connect plot-wise, it connects simply because we are with them now. I like this organic feeling. I like to go with someone else to experience what they’d be experiencing at the same time. In most movies you are no necessarily going to get that. Willis is like the Mississippi River, and then all these other characters are like streams of that river. They all have bodies of their own.

Carlos Aguilar: Given the nature of the project, what was the best and the most challenging thing about working with Willis?

Tim Sutton: The best thing about working with Willis is that he said he would go all the way and go down the line, and he did. There were scenes that we cut out because they weren’t his best, but what you see in the movie is a person completely living an independent and unique experience within the frame. It is absolutely Willis. At the same time it’s completely constructed. It’s all artifice and that was the idea of the movie. What Willis brings to it is this unbelievable sense of, not performance, but existence. The challenging part was mostly logistically. A film is sort of a living organism with lots of parts, and he is one of those parts. At times it was difficult to get the process going, sometimes it could be logistically frustrating.

Carlos Aguilar: The film is very open-ended. Was the end result or a definite conclusion important to you?

Tim Sutton: I think it is more about the idea of what success can mean. Some people at Q&As ask “Did he make the album?” and to me the album doesn’t matter. What matters is that he finds peace. In many ways every character finds some sort of peace at the end or everybody is moving forward. What I love about this movie is that I feel like Willis could still be in the woods or walking around town. Then another character could be living in Mississippi with his Cadillac. I feel like it’s one of those things that has a life of its own or could.

Carlos Aguilar: Ultimately, what would you say is at the center of this story? What’s its core?

Tim Sutton: I think it’s about a person searching to save his soul. I think it’s about life. It isn’t about one thing or the other. It’s about all these things wrapped together.

"Memphis" is currently playing in NYC and L.A.

Yusef Lateef, who died on Monday after a bout with prostate cancer, was a devout Muslim who did not like his music to be called jazz because of the supposed indecent origins and connotations of the word (although those origins are still debated). He preferred the self-coined phrase "autophysiopsychic music." Furthermore, his music encompassed an impressively broad range of styles, and the only Grammy he won was in the New Age category -- for a recording of a symphony. Think about those things amid the flood of Lateef obituaries with "jazz" in the headline.

That said, certainly Lateef's own musical origins indisputably revolved around jazz. Growing up in Detroit, a highly fertile musical environment in the 1930s and beyond, Lateef got his first instrument, an $80 Martin alto sax, at age 18. Within a year he was on the road with the 13 Spirits of Swing (arrangements by Milt Buckner).

A Detroit friend,...

The Voice is not the easiest show to recap for a fella like myself, who’s as cozy with snark and bitchery as a Kardashian is with secretly texting her exact whereabouts to the paparazzi. So on what am I supposed to hang my hat now that Season 5 is down to eight vocalists with enough combined talent to fill up an entire major label roster?

Oh sure, I can always find humor in Carson Daly’s attempts to position himself as Coach No. 5 — how I wish I could’ve been in the Sprint Skybox and shouted “Objection! Leading the witness!

Washington, Nov 14 (Ians/Efe) Soul music legend Tina Turner filed paperwork in late October at the Us Embassy in Switzerland to relinquish her citizenship, media reports said.

The 73-year-old singer, known for such hits as "Proud Mary", "Ooh Poo Pah Doo" and "What's Love Got to Do with It", signed the forms to voluntarily relinquish her citizenship Oct 24, The Washington Post reported, citing a document from the Us Embassy in Bern.

Turner affirmed in the documents that she does not have strong ties to the Us, "except for family, and has no plans to reside in the Us in the future," the daily said.

Turner, who was born in Nutbush, Tennessee, Nov 26, 1939, has lived in Switzerland for more than two decades and married.

New documentary puts as many survivors of the southern country-soul studio scene on screen as possible

A long line of ghosts, some famous, others unfairly forgotten, haunts Greg "Freddy" Camalier's splendid music documentary Muscle Shoals. Duane Allman, Arthur Alexander, Wilson Pickett, half of Lynyrd Skynyrd… a full accounting of the dead is too sad to contemplate, but Muscle Shoals does us the great favour of putting on camera almost all of the survivors of a defining era in American popular music and of two feuding studios – Fame and its spin-off Muscle Shoals Sound – both located in a single tiny town on the Tennessee river.

If you've read Peter Guralnick's Sweet Soul Music you'll know much of the story, but Camalier puts ageing faces to names often only seen in liner notes. The central figure is legendary producer Rick Hall, a dyed-in-the-wool Alabama good ol' boy who, in a place...

As the stage version of The Color Purple arrives in Britain, writer Candace Allen recalls the upset and uproar the novel caused among African Americans

The first page took your breath away: a mortified 14-year-old girl has started writing letters to God because she can tell no one else that, although "he never had a kine word to say to me", "he" [her putative daddy] has raped her and warned that she "better … git used to it". Page two, letter two: her mama dead and she "big" with her second baby. He "kilt" the first. "Kill this one, too if he can." Letter three: the letter-writer has a little sister she will protect "with God help". Letter four: sister Nettie has a friend named Mr ___. Letter seven: Mr ___ wants to marry Nettie but he carries a picture of a beautiful, worldly woman named Shug Avery in his wallet. The letter-writer is mesmerised by Shug Avery.

New Orleans -- As the concert portion of the 2013 Essence Music Festival kicked off on Friday night, The Huffington Post was live on hand to take in one of the country's most important -- and fun -- festivals.

Brandy, LL Cool J, Jill Scott, and Maxwell got the party at Essence Fest started right with four stunning performances.

Brandy, whose first album came out almost twenty years ago, kicked things off with awesome renditions of her classics. From some of her earlier hits like "I Wanna Be Down, and "Sittin Up In My Room" to the more recent "Two-Eleven" offerings, Brandy's show did more than just warm up the crowd.

While she clearly has plenty of hits of her own, the highlight of her show was without a doubt the three song medley she did covering her favorite Whitney Houston tunes. No one will ever be able to perform "How Will I Know,...

Singer Michelle Williams stunned in a detailed Spring 2013 Bcbgmaxazria dress while she attended the 2013 Ascap Rhythm and Soul Music Awards. The ‘If We Had Your Eyes’ singer arrived on the red carpet in the Runway Yvette dress in Talc. The Ascap Rhythm and Soul Music Awards ceremony was held on Thursday, June 27 at The Beverly Hilton Hotel in Los Angeles. The invitation-only awards celebration honored the songwriters and publishers of the most performed Ascap songs on the 2012 R&B/Hip-Hop, Rap and Gospel charts. Williams is just one celebrity, including Kristen Stewart, Ashley Greene, Angelina Jolie, Anna Paquin, Jaime King and Lucy Liu, who is a fan of [ Read More ]

The post Michelle Williams Stuns in Bcbgmaxazria Dress at Ascap Music Awards appeared first on Shockya.com.

Is there anything Justin Timberlake can’t do? His album, “The 20/20 Experience,” tops the charts for the a third time this week, he’s on a stadium tour this summer with buddy Jay-z, he generally seems to knock them dead wherever he goes. [More after the jump...] Tuesday night, he went to the White House to tape a Memphis Soul Music special for PBS, and perform in front of President Obama and the First Lady, Michelle Obama. As the clip below shows, Timberlake delivered a smooth version of “(Sittin’ On) The Dock of The Bay,” accompanied by none other than guitarist Steve...

Get ready for another music biopic! It’s time for a movie that will tell us the true story of the legendary singer and songwriter Sam Cooke, and according to the latest reports, One False Move helmer Carl Franklin is attached to direct the whole thing! Sounds like A Change Is Gonna Come, huh? So, at this moment we know that Franklin will direct the movie from a script written by Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais, which is based on Peter Guralnick’s book Dream Boogie: The Triumph of Sam Cooke. The film will tell us the true story of the soul legend Sam Cooke, who...

Click to continue reading Carl Franklin to Direct Biopic About Soul Music Legend Sam Cooke on | FilmoFilia

Related posts: Carl Franklin to Direct Corrupt Cop Drama City Of Night Lenny Kravitz As Marvin Gaye In A Julian Temple-Directed Biopic Jake Scott to Direct...

Tom Stoppard's Parade's End walked away with four awards at today's (March 14) Broadcasting Press Guild Awards.

Benedict Cumberbatch and Rebecca Hall won the best actor and actress titles, Stoppard took home the writer's award, while the series collected the best drama accolade.

Other awards were given to ITV's Exposure documentary about the Jimmy Savile sex abuse scandal and the BBC's coverage of the Olympics.

Last Leg comic Adam Hills won the breakthrough title and John Humphrys was celebrated with the Harvey Lee Award for an outstanding contribution to broadcasting.

Great British Bake Off, Hollow Crown and TV magician Dynamo also earned accolades.

List of Winners:

Best Single Drama

The Hollow Crown: Richard II

Best Drama Series

Parade's End

Best Single Documentary

Exposure: The Other Side of Jimmy Savile

Best Documentary Series

Inside Claridge's

Best Entertainment/Comedy

Twenty Twelve

Best Factual Entertainment

The Great British Bake Off

Best Multichannel...

Influential African Americans have attacked Quentin Tarantino's film for what they say is an inappropriate tone. Author and director Candace Allen explains why she disagrees

In the mid-1990s when my sister and I were nursing an A-list star's film project through what I came to term "Hollywood Nightmare No 1" and I, the writer, became daunted by the madness, my sister sought to steel my nerve by quoting sacred text from the La-la Land bible: "Remember, it ain't show art. It's show business."

As we consider the trajectory of Quentin Tarantino's much-anticipated Django Unchained this is a, if not the, salient thought to keep in mind. Irreverent, B-movie and grotesquerie devotee, n-word bandying, sometimes brilliant, usually outrageous, Tarantino directs his talents towards slavery. Cue the claque and all the usual suspects. From the film's announcement in early 2011, when copies of the 166-page Qt-annotated script first began to circulate in the film blogosphere,...

Another week, another box-office record smashed by Sam Mendes’ Skyfall. The twenty-third Bond became the fastest movie ever to take £50million after it amassed a grand total of £53million in just ten days. It’s now only a few million shy of The Dark Knight Rises total Box Office haul and looks odds on to become the highest grossing film of the year. It took a whopping £16million this past week and is absolutely streets ahead of Madagascar 3 which remains in second place with a solid and yet comparatively meagre £2.8million weekly haul. It really is astonishing just how popular Skyfall is proving to be. Everyone expected it to do well but to outshine mega-blockbuster franchise juggernauts like Avengers and Batman is really quite something. Turns out there’s life in the old tux-wearing dog yet.

A surprise success from this past weekend is the critically savaged Silent Hill...

Kanye West just doesn't stop. The rapper may release his sixth solo album as early as this year, according to producer/Def Jam exec No I.D. in a recent interview with MTV News. The LP will arrive sometime after the August 7 drop of G.O.O.D. Music's inaugural collaborative album "Cruel Summer" featuring West, John Legend, Big Sean, Kid Cudi, 2 Chainz, Common and Mos Def, among others. G.O.O.D. is West's own record label, which he founded in 2004. "He's coming right after that," No I.D. told MTV at the Ascap Rhythm and Soul Music Awards in Los Angeles, also stating that he'll...

I came at fandom costuming (or cosplay, or whatever term you want to go by) from a pretty sideways angle. The entire purpose of the first set of convention costumes I ever wore was to advertise, for three days straight, the first North American Discworld Convention, of which I was a co-founder, and which took place back in 2009.

(Side note: registration for NADWCon2013 is now open. Discworld fans: come to Baltimore next year and join the fun!)

All three of us co-founders were attending the 2008 UK Discworld Con, both to get an idea of how they ran their con (for the two of us who hadn’t been to a Discworld Con before) and to spread the word about our new con. The one co-founder who had been to the UK Con before happened to be a talented costumer – I mean the kind who can actually sew together outfits from...

Everything kicks off tomorrow, but the dealmaking has already begun at the Cannes Film Festival and Harvey Weinstein is already busy shaking hands and signing contracts.

Variety reports that The Weinstein Company has landed a chunk of worldwide rights, including North America of course, for Wayne Blair's "The Sapphires" starring Chris O'Dowd. No, this isn't a raunchy comedy, but instead, the Aussie flick is based on a true story of a girl group in the 1960s made up of four Aboriginal girls who entertain the U.S. troops in Vietnam. War? Music? Period drama? Sounds like it's hitting all the right notes for the Weinsteins. The film is screening out of competition, but with the Weinsteins giving it a stamp of approval, the previously under the radar flick will now get some extra shine. Here's the official synopsis -- you can check out a clip from the film below...

It’s another homecoming for an American Idol season 10 alum: Stefano Langone, reveals to E! Online, that he’s scheduled to perform his new single, “I’m On A Roll” on the Thursday, April 26 American Idol results show. ”I’m a little nervous but so excited for the opportunity,” says Stefano about his return. “It will be almost a year to the day since I was last on.” The single drops on iTunes April 24. Hollywood Records is planning to release Stefano’s debut album this summer.

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Daughtry’s new single, “Outta My Head” now has a brand new music video (embedded below), which features frontman,...

Associated Press Don Cornelius in his Los Angeles office in 2006.

In 2009, I was asked to sit for an interview that was part of a documentary VH1 was making about Don Cornelius and his TV variety show “Soul Train.”

“Soul Train” was about urban music. But I think that one of the keys to the success of the show was that it was perfect for suburbia. After all, the suburbs are the most in need of a visit from “the hippest trip in America.

We hired Randy to come guard our wine. He brought six friends.

“The Magnificent Seven” is based on the great Japanese film, “The Seven Samurai.” The setting is completely different, of course, and the Magnificent Seven don’t speak Japanese. There’s more stucco than paper in the construction business. Oh, and the western samurai use guns instead of swords. That’s fair, because the bad guys in “The Magnificent Seven” use guns, too. Gun-versus-sword fights don’t usually last too long. See “Raiders of the Lost Ark” for why.

The action’s not the only exciting thing about “The Magnificent Seven.” Elmer Bernstein’s score never fails to thrill, and it may cause you to search around for a Marlboro red to fire up. The soundtrack’s main theme was used in Marlboro TV commercials back in the ’60s. Yes, Virginia, smokes used to be advertised on television. That...

Soul music legend Sly Stone is homeless and living in a camper van in Los Angeles, according to the New York Post. The former frontman of Sly and the Family Stone blames his former manager, Jerry Goldstein, for the bulk of his financial woes. Sly Stone sued Goldstein last year for fraud and stolen royalty payments, seeking $50 million in damages.

Sly Stone at 48th Annual Grammy Awards in 2006

Stone, who once lived in a swank Beverly Hills mansion, now lives in a white camper van in a seedy Los Angeles neighborhood. A retired couple reportedly allows him to shower in their house and feeds him daily. According to the Post, Stone is “disheveled, paranoid” and believes the “FBI is after him” and “his enemies have hired hit men.”

Still, even if he weren’t broke, Sly Stone told the New York Post he is happy where he is. “I like my small camper,...

Sean 'Diddy' Combs is to receive the 'Founders Award' at this year's American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (Ascap)'s Rhythm & Soul Music Awards. The invitation-only gala, which takes place on June 24 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, honours the writers and publishers of songs across musical genres. Diddy has been selected by Ascap to receive its annual career achievement award in recognition of his high regard as a performer, songwriter and producer. "To be recognised for my contributions to music by Ascap is a true honour," the Diddy-Dirty (more)...

Pulsating track is the second Dre leak this summer and could be featured on Detox.

By Jayson Rodriguez

Dr. Dre

Photo: Denise Truscello/WireImage

Yet another unfinished track from Dr. Dre has hit the Web. This time, it's the pulsating "Turn Me On," a possible number for the producer's long-delayed Detox album.

"Seven stars must be my aura/ I mastered levitation, I stay up in the clouds," Dre raps on the track, which clocks in at barely two minutes. "Penthouse, hovering a hundred floors up/ I'm on some tantric yoga/ The ladies love the way I shine, I'm like Merlin when I'm erotic/ I make ya squirm no hands on ya body."

"Turn Me On" follows the West Coast producer's Jay-z collaboration, "Under Pressure," which leaked online to mixed reactions earlier this summer.

In June, just weeks after the Jay-z single leaked, Dre spoke about the track on the red...

Geneva - British musicians Phil Collins will Thursday kick off this year's Montreux Jazz Festival with what is being billed as a special pre-show dedicated to rhythm and blues. While the two-week music event officially starts Friday, the eight-time Grammy winner will perform a special tribute to Motown and Soul music. Festival organizers say the Motown label in the 1960s was a 'monument in music history that brought the world artists such as The Temptations, Stevie Wonder, The Supremes and Smokey Robinson.' Tickets for the sold-out Collins show ranged from 140-380 Swiss francs (130-355 dollars). The 44th edition of the annual festival along Lake Geneva in Switzerland is set to see a variety of acts, including...

"I didn't even get a chance to finish the record. The vocals are real rough, it's not blended right ... a hook is not even on the song. It's not done. The music isn't done. It's just like one of the things that we have to deal with today in the business. Because of technology and the Internet and all that, it's like, real easy for somebody to steal your sh--. What can you do?"

-Legendary rapper and producer Dr. Dre, who was lamenting the fact that a new track called "Under Pressure" — his hotly anticipated collaboration with Jay-z that will be included on the forthcoming and long-awaited Detox — was stolen and leaked before he had the chance to finish it. During a visit to the Ascap Rhythm and Soul Music Awards on Friday (June 25), Dre spoke about the song and also about the status of Detox. "I'm leaving this event...

The Doc laments online leak: 'It's just one of the things we have to deal with in the business today.'

By Mawuse Ziegbe

Dr. Dre

Photo: MTV News

Dr. Dre fans got a taste of his long-awaited Detox LP a couple of weeks ago when "Under Pressure," a track featuring Doc collaborator Jay-z, leaked online. Too bad it wasn't the real deal. The next day, Dre released a statement saying that the track was "incomplete" and that "when it's ready, you'll be hearing it from me." Recently, the beatmaking legend further explained that the leaked song was still in its early stages and lacked Dre's renowned polish.

"I didn't even get a chance to finish the record," Dre told HardKnock.tv in a video interview at the Ascap Rhythm and Soul Music Awards on Friday. The hitmaking icon, who was honored with the society's Founders Award, said that a...

Rapper Eminem, whose new album  is expected to top the U.S. pop chart next week, made a rare appearance at a music-industry bash on Friday to honor Dr. Dre, the hip-hop pioneer who made him a superstar.Dr. Dre received the Founders Award for career achievement during performing rights group Ascap's annual Rhythm & Soul Music Awards ceremony at a Beverly Hills hotel.Born Andre Young 45 years ago, Dr. Dre rose to fame in the 1980s as a member of rap group N.W.A. before going solo and launching Death Row Records. He also shepherded the careers not only of Eminem, but also 2Pac, Snoop Dogg and 50 Cent, and produced recordings for artists as diverse as Gwen Stefani and Mary J. Blige."He believed in me when not many others did," Eminem told the audience. "It would have been a lot easier for Dre to...

'He changed the face of music and he changed my life,' Eminem says.

By Kelly Marino

Dr. Dre

Photo: MTV News

It's been over a decade since his last solo album, but when Dr. Dre was honored with Ascap's Founders Award Friday night, it was a reminder to everyone that the doctor is still one of hip-hop's biggest pioneers in the game today.

The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers held it's 23rd annual Rhythm and Soul Music Awards last night at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Los Angeles, where some of music's biggest names were recognized for their contributions to music.

The biggest award of the night was handed to Dr. Dre for his achievements in the music industry and for inspiring and influencing his fellow music makers. The Ascap association put together a presentation package that played across the big screens, highlighting some of Dre's greatest quotes.

Singer/songwriter Janelle Monae is to become the latest star honored by the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publisher when she lands the Vanguard Award at the upcoming Rhythm & Soul Music Awards.

Monae, 24, will be feted at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Los Angeles on June 25. The Ascap Vanguard Award recognizes the impact of musical genres that help shape the future of American music. Past honorees include The Killers, Santigold, Sara Bareilles, The All-American Rejects, The Strokes, and the Beastie Boys.

Hip-hop legend Dr. Dre will also be honored at the event - he'll be presented with the Ascap Founders Award.

HollywoodNews.com: Dr.Dre will be receiving Ascap’s highest honor (Founders Award) at the 23rd annual Ascap Rhythm & Soul Music Awards, following past recipients Paul McCartney, Stevie Wonder, Garth Brooks & Billy Joel amongst other top icons.

In addition to the all star tribute to Dr.Dre, Awards of the year are going to Ne-Yo, Janelle Monae and The Dream as well as top songwriters/artists such as John Legend, Eve, Mario, Jamie Foxx, Kid Cudi, Gwen Stefani amongst others.

Past attendees include Ascap artists such as Justin Timberlake, Alicia Keys, Smokey Robinson, Beyonce, Jay-z, Timbaland, Mariah Carey, Jermaine Dupri and Mary J.Blige.

Awards News, Breaking News, Entertainment News, Movie News, Music News, Hollywood News

Image by PR Photos.

Rap legend Dr. Dre is to be honored by the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (Ascap) during the organization's 23rd annual Rhythm & Soul Music Awards. The hitmaker/producer will be presented with the Ascap Founders Award at the June 25 gala, held to salute songwriters and publishers of 2009's most performed songs.

Ascap president/chairman Paul Williams says, "Dre is one of the most important voices in modern music... and he continues to inspire artists and producers across all genres with his musical techniques." The event will take place in Los Angeles.

Dr. Dre's upcoming album "Detox" is scheduled to be released sometime this year. He recently collaborated with Jay-z for a new song titled "Under Pressure" which is likely to be included in the 45-year-old musician's forthcoming release.

Thump:::thump:::thump - It's that time of year again. The time where music lovers, DJs, record producers, and those who simply love to dance invade Miami. The Winter Music Conference (Wmc) has descended on the Magic City.

Tuesday officially marks the 25th anniversary of the Wmc. However, there have already been several warm up and kickoff parties. Most notably South Beach's newest hot spot, Bar 721 on Saturday night it held a line up that could have rivaled any of the larger parties during conference with several DJs and artists. Bar 721 is the location known for its "leave your attitude at the door" policy is the perfect spot to walk in and dance or just sit back in a comfortable setting and be serenaded. Bar 721 is also the site of the official afterparty for the 25th Annual International Dance Music Awards on Thursday.

However, on Sunday Dek23's Click weekly party was...

This show keeps getting better and better!

This week on Past life, two star crossed lovers had to overcome their tragic past to find each other. On Soul Music, someone doesn’t survive their regression therapy.

Kate and her team try unsuccessfully to help Jenny and Kevin. We must say that if one of the patients dies at the end, then the whole case must be considered a failure!

As a romantic at heart, this episode was bitter sweet to me, sort of like Romeo and Juliet in a distorted way. Kevin and Jenny’s souls reconnect time and time again, to act out crimes that eventually result in their death. What a depressing love story!

At the end of the show, Kevin losing his life and is shot by the police. This show isn’t there to just let you have the happy ending. It makes the plot more believable,...

With the big show coming to an end, the 2010 Grammy Awards have named the year’s big winners during a fun-filled Staples Center ceremony on Sunday night (January 31).

Taking home the top prize was Taylor Swift, while other big winners included Beyonce, the Black Eyed Peas and Lady GaGa.

As actor host Jeff Bridges led viewers through the crowning of category picks, fans were also treated to dazzling performances by the likes of Lady GaGa, Beyonce and Taylor Swift.

Not to be forgotten, Carrie Underwood, Usher, Smokey Robinson, Jennifer Hudson and Celine Dion teamed up for a high-energy tribute to Michael Jackson as his young children picked up their late father’s Lifetime Achievement Award.

A complete list of 2010 Grammy Award winners is as follows:

Album of the Year

Beyoncé – I Am… Sasha Fierce

Black Eyed Peas – The E.N.D.

Lady Gaga – The Fame

Dave Matthews Band – Big Whiskey...

Beyonce took home the most hardware with six wins to her credit, but Taylor Swift took home Album of the Year for "Fearless."

Here's the list of the winners in the major categories:

Record Of The Year

"Halo," Beyonce

"I Gotta Feeling," The Black Eyed Peas

"Use Somebody," Kings of Leon

"Poker Face," Lady Gaga

"You Belong With Me," Taylor Swift

Album Of The Year

"I Am...Sasha Fierce," Beyonce

"The E.N.D.," The Black Eyed Peas

"The Fame," Lady Gaga

"Big Whiskey and the Groogrux King," Dave Matthews Band

"Fearless," Taylor Swift

Song Of The Year

"Poker Face," Lady Gaga & RedOne

"Pretty Wings," Hod David & Musze

"Single Ladies (Put a Ring On It)," Thaddis Harrell, Beyonce Knowles, Terius Nash & Christopher Stewart

"Use Somebody," Caleb Followill, Jared Followill, Matthew Followill & Nathan Followill (Kings of Leon)

"You Belong With Me," Liz Rose & Taylor Swift

Best New Artist

Zac Brown Band...

Do you like music, dancing, entertainment and/or fun? Well, Good News! Soul Music Maniac #1 Peter Lucas will be flying in from Seattle for two very special shows at The Ritz!

First up is Sunday’s Soul On Screen!:

There’s nothing quite like the moves, grooves, fashions and passions of ’60s Soul music. By popular demand, guest curator Peter Lucas returns to hosts an all-star Soul celebration featuring the best of his classic and rare performance footage. James Brown, Joe Tex, Lee Dorsey, Etta James, Otis Redding, Sam & Dave, Stevie Wonder, Ray Charles, and Ike & Tina Turner will all be doing their thing up on the big screen. Of course, clapping, singing and dancing are encouraged. If you’ve missed any of our previous Soul Nites, or if you’ve been jonesin’ to see some gems again, then this special screening is a must!

Tickets Here!

Next, on Music Monday,...

The Alamo Guide

for January 21st, 2010

I would just like to inform the general public that after the Alamo Iron Chef show last night, our own John Bullington came out the victor! However, Parkside still remains delicious. They have some wicked seared foie gras that I can’t seem to stop ordering everytime I go there.

We’ve got a whole buncha goodies coming up this week! First of all, A Town Called Panic finally opens this Friday, and we’ve been waiting for the day every since we saw it at Fantastic Fest. It’s a great time so def check it out if you can. Also, if you’ve been following this whole Leno vs. Conan debacle, you may be interested to know that we’re showing the Final Episode Of The Tonight Show With Conan O’Brien. We’re definitely Team Coco. Our Valentine’S Day Feasts are selling strong,...

What’s in a list? Probably little more than an opportunity to show off, indulge in a some lazy cultural showboating and maybe even a chance to stir up a dash of barroom provocation. Perfect. So, in no particular order, here is my attempt to do just that. Any disagreements, disputes, outraged contempt, please feel free to comment..... 1. The White Ribbon (Michael Haneke) Haneke’s latest masterpiece. Beautifully scripted, shot and acted it is a glorious examination of the potential for human cruelty and moral collapse, issued down from one generation to the next. Bleak, disturbing but staggeringly beautiful. 2. A Serious Man (Joel & Ethan Coen) Only the Coen brothers could make the hopelessness of life seem so funny. We can only laugh at our impending demise in this retelling of the story of Job. 3. A Prophet (Jacques Audiard) Audiard, channelling the very best of Jean-Pierre Melville and the Nouvelle Vague,...

If you're going to announce the nominees for the 52 Annual Grammy Awards, do it in song. And that's just what CBS did Dec. 2. 

The award show will be broadcast live on Jan. 31.

Here's the complete list of nominees:

Record Of The Year

"Halo," Beyonce

"I Gotta Feeling," The Black Eyed Peas

"Use Somebody," Kings of Leon

"Poker Face," Lady Gaga

"You Belong With Me," Taylor Swift

Album Of The Year

"I Am...Sasha Fierce," Beyonce

"The E.N.D.," The Black Eyed Peas

"The Fame," Lady Gaga

"Big Whiskey and the Groogrux King," Dave Matthews Band

"Fearless," Taylor Swift

Song Of The Year

"Poker Face," Lady Gaga & RedOne

"Pretty Wings," Hod David & Musze

"Single Ladies (Put a Ring On It)," Thaddis Harrell, Beyonce Knowles, Terius Nash & Christopher Stewart

"Use Somebody," Caleb Followill, Jared Followill, Matthew Followill & Nathan Followill (Kings of Leon)

"You Belong With Me," Liz Rose & Taylor Swift

Best...

Taylor Swift keeps on making 2009 her year. After grabbing five kudos each from both Country Music Association Awards and American Music Awards, the 19-year-old singer was revealed on Wednesday, December 2 that she is among the leading contenders at the upcoming 52nd Annual Grammy Awards.

The country crooner got only two nominations less than Beyonce Knowles, who led the pack with 10 counts. Her nominations included Album of the Year for "Fearless", Song of the Year and Record of the Year. Both of the latest noms were for her "You Belong with Me" single. To win the mentioned three kudos, she will have to battle the R 'n' B diva as well as rising artist Lady GaGa.

Taylor Swift and Beyonce Knowles were not the only ones with multiple nominations for the Grammys. Kanye West, Black Eyed Peas and Maxwell each earned six nods, while David Guetta, Jay-z and Lady Gaga received five each,...

On a one-hour special dubbed "The Grammy Nominations Concert Live!! - Countdown to Music's Biggest Night", nominations recipients for next year's Grammy Awards have been revealed. Beyonce Knowles leads the pack with 10 nods.

Following Beyonce's domination is her junior Taylor Swift. The country music singer grabs eight nominations, four of which have her going head-to-head against Beyonce. The two female performers are up against each other in Song of the Year, Record of the Year, Album of the Year and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance.

The nominees were announced on December 2 with Nick Jonas and his new band, Black Eyed Peas and Maxwell rocking the special event. George Lopez unveiled contenders for Song of the Year which include "Poker Face" by Lady GaGa, "Pretty Wings" by Maxwell and "Use Somebody" by Kings of Leon in addition to "You Belong With Me" by Taylor and "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)" by Beyonce.