Their songs crossed musical boundaries, becoming hits in pop, rhythm and blues, adult contemporary, jazz, and even country music.
Few songwriting partnerships have left a larger imprint on twentieth-century popular music than the collaboration between Burt Bacharach and Hal David. Together they created a body of work distinguished by elegant melodies, sophisticated harmonies, conversational lyrics, and an emotional depth that elevated popular songwriting to an art form. Their songs crossed musical boundaries, becoming hits in pop, rhythm and blues, adult contemporary, jazz, and even country music,
The film concentrates on the tense seventy-two hours leading up to the D-Day landings, when Allied commanders had to determine whether weather conditions would permit the largest amphibious invasion in history.
Pressure (2026) is a British-French historical war drama directed, co-written, and edited by Anthony Maras. Adapted from David Haig’s acclaimed 2014 stage play of the same name, the screenplay was written by Haig and Maras, expanding the original theatrical work into a more cinematic account of one of the most consequential decisions of the Second World War. Rather than focusing on the combat itself, the film concentrates on the tense seventy-two hours leading up to the D-Day landings,
Jaafar Jackson, Michael Jackson’s real-life nephew, makes his feature-film acting debut in the title role.
Michael (2026) is an American biographical musical drama about the life and career of Michael Jackson, directed by Antoine Fuqua and written by Academy Award-nominated screenwriter John Logan. The film was produced by Graham King, John Branca, and John McClain through GK Films and Optimum Productions, with Lionsgate handling distribution in the United States and Universal Pictures releasing it internationally. Jaafar Jackson, Michael Jackson’s real-life nephew, makes his feature-film acting debut in the title role, with Juliano Krue Valdi portraying Michael as a child.
Here, on the Semiquincentennial of America, I found it fitting to write about Ken Burns, the filmmaker known for his documentary films and television series, many of which chronicle United States history and culture.
Ken Burns was born Kenneth Lauren Burns on July 29, 1953, in Brooklyn, New York, into a family that experienced both cultural richness and early tragedy, as his mother, Lyla Smith Burns, died of cancer when he was just eleven years old, an event that would later shape his sensitivity to themes of memory,
This is a series of posts that will talk about my favorite songs with female vocals. See if you agree with any of these!
“Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy” is a 1941 World War II–era jump blues/swing novelty song written by Don Raye and Hughie Prince and introduced by The Andrews Sisters in the Abbott and Costello film Buck Privates, with the trio’s tight harmonies and upbeat, horn-driven arrangement capturing a fictional story about a top boogie-woogie trumpet player
Reporting on several guys that have recently passed.
These guys were a cartoonist and author of the comic strip Dilbert; musician and songwriter best known as a founding member of the Grateful Dead; film director, screenwriter, animator, storyboard artist and playwright, best known for his Disney work; and the bass guitarist of German rock band Scorpions.
Some more music and film stars to report on here.
These artists were guitar players and a founding member of the band KISS; a movie and TV star an actress in the BBC sitcom Fawlty Towers; was a movie star in such as Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, and TV like Kingdom Hospital; and a drummer in bands like Squeeze and for Jools Holland.
Some great musicians and a wonderful film star have passed.
These artists were the bassist for the Moody Blues; acted in The Godfather series of movies, Play It Again Sam, Reds, and many more; was the bassist for the Yardbirds and Box of Frogs; and was in Buddy Holly’s band the Crickets, and wrote the theme song for the Mary Tyler Moore Show.
Redford was one of the defining movie stars of the 1970s, crossing with ease between the Hollywood new wave and the mainstream film industry, before also becoming an Oscar-winning director and producer in the ensuing decades.
Charles Robert Redford Jr. was born on August 18, 1936, in Santa Monica, California, to Charles Robert Redford Sr. and Martha Woodruff Redford, and he grew up in Van Nuys where he attended Van Nuys High School. After graduation he enrolled at the University of Colorado in Boulder on a baseball scholarship but left after a year and a half,
Hart rose to prominence in the mid-1960s when he partnered with Tommy Boyce.
Robert Luke Harshman, known professionally as Bobby Hart, was born on February 18, 1939, in Phoenix, Arizona, the son of a church minister. Growing up in a religious household, he taught himself piano, guitar, and Hammond B-3 organ while still in school, and he even built a small amateur radio console with turntables and microphones during his teenage years.
