#tracy gershon

[ginalover]

ginagershon A big Happy Birthday to a special Gemini - the fierce funny forward thinking loyal most beautiful in the land girl , I’m lucky enough to call my Sister, @tracygershon . She gave me my first gig when I was 4 as a dancing spirit. She would paint me with body glow then make me stand under the bright bathroom lights in order to activate- I’d then jump out of the closet on cue and dance. And she has been guiding artists to glory ever since!! Also thanks for saving my life that time I got stuck in the rip tide looking for sand dollars- and of course for keeping me honest. Happy birthday to my forever young big seestor, Tracy! Love You!! 💃💃❤️❤️✨✨#gemini #sister #thegoodone

[sellingsecrets]

Important news: Gina Gershon has an older sister named Tracy who looks Like This.

[speakingparts]

Killer Joe, William Friedkin, 2011

[annoyingthemesong]

SUBLIME CINEMA #225 - KILLER JOE

William Friedkin’s Killer Joe was like a shotgun blast of a reminder that he is one of the great directors, a film I checked at Toronto film festival and couldn’t help but smile at how many people ran out of the theater before the movie ended. I heard vomiting, but I wasn’t sure if it was from the audience or what was happening on screen - hard to tell. 

This movie is batshit; visceral, dark, and disturbingly hilarious in its psychopathy. The Coen Brothers left a screening of this film and one of them quipped: ‘now that’s a movie’. 

[cinema-of-cruelty]

KILLER JOE (2011)—Kentucky Fried Fellatio 

by Cinema of Cruelty • A podcast on Anchor and Spotify

On this week’s annotated deep dive, The Cultists present William Friedkin’s ‘Killer Joe’ (2011). Notable as the film that jump-started the brief but shinning “McConaissance," this charming humble tale tells the story of a group of morally bereft human trash-fire Texans who will do whatever it takes to kill mom. London and Benji explore how this “American southern-gothic, dark comedy, crime film” puts the joy back into casual matricide in a way that only a Friedkin-Letts collaboration can. (And why no watcher has ever been able to look at a chicken leg the same way ever again.)

Episode Safeword: “vegan”

[bkenber]

William Friedkin Talks About 'Killer Joe' at Landmark Theatres

William Friedkin Talks About ‘Killer Joe’ at Landmark Theatres

Oscar winning director William Friedkin made a special appearance at Landmark Theatres in West Los Angeles on August 3, 2012 to talk about his film “Killer Joe.” He appeared in front of a sold-out audience who had just finished watching it, and Friedkin ended up paraphrasing a review from the Los Angeles Times by saying, “Welcome to the abyss!”

This remark was in reference to the fact that…

[trspencermd]

Today’s Sunday Funday Mix was inspired by some SWEET House Music that I heard the other day when checking out various DJ’s.  Smiling.  There is something about House Music that just keeps my feet tapping and my body Moving.  I enJOY the heavy Bass, Vocals, and Rhythm that is ever present in EVERY Track.  Please check out Today’s Mix:  “Dreaming of Something Sweet ~ Soulful House Music”!   There is a mini tribute to honor Diana Ross for her birthday this weekend too!  BOOM!  Please EnJOY!  DJ Suspence

  ~~~CLICK THE IMAGE AND CHECK OUT MY PERFORMANCE~~~

***FREE TO WATCH/LISTEN/SHARE/ENJOY***

Here is the TrackList:

1. Filtered Church (Original Mix)  ~~~  Vjuan Allure2. Looking 4 Something (Original Mix)  ~~~  Lokee3. Sweet Dreams - Club Remix  ~~~  Eurythmics4. Plastic Dreams (Cubed Remix 2020)  ~~~  The Cube Guys5. Dreams (Pete Moss Remix)  ~~~  Colette, Pete Moss6. Say Something (Feat. Christina Aguilera)  ~~~  A Great Big World7. Something Good (Terry Hunter Bang Mix)  ~~~  Estelle, Terry Hunter8. Something (So Good) [Sofa King Good Mix]  ~~~  Alias Rhythm9. Just Be Good To Me (Original Mix)  ~~~  Earth n Days10. Something About Da Muziq  ~~~  David Harness11. Something About You (Steven Stone Remix)  ~~~  The Love Club, Steven Stone12. Something About You (Tsalikee’s Soulfunked Mix)  ~~~  Tsalikee, Kathy Brown13. Something Deeper (Dj Spen Raw Dub Edit)  ~~~  Kerri Chandler, DJ Spen14. Something Going On (Sonny Wharton Remix)  ~~~  Todd Terry, Jocelyn Brown, Martha Wash, Roland Clark, Sonny Wharton15. Something In My Heart (CalVINSOL Remix)  ~~~  Michelle, CalvINSOL16. Something In The Past (Feat. Mr. 6IXXX) [DjPopes Sound Of Baltimore Vocal Mix]  ~~~  DjPope, Dana Weaver17. Something Inside (DJ Spen & Gary Hudgins Remix)  ~~~  Jersey Maestros, Sarah Dash, DJ Spen, Gary Hudgins18. Something More (Quentin Harris Remix)  ~~~  Patti Labelle19. Something Wit Jazz (Manoo Remix)  ~~~  Mr. V, Manoo20. Tell You Something  ~~~  MICWO21. I'm Coming Out  (Remix By Maurice Joshua)  ~~~  Diana Ross22. Upside Down (Almighty Anthem Mix)  ~~~  Diana Ross23. Take Me Higher  ~~~  Diana Ross24. The Boss - Remixed  ~~~  Diana Ross25. It's So Good (Original Mix)  ~~~  Terance James26. In the Midst  ~~~  Eastside Boogii27. Little Black Samba (DJ Oji's 2021 Beatapella)  ~~~  Carolyn Victorian, DJ Oji, DJ Oji Aka Original Man28. Night Fever (Sunset Mix)  ~~~  JFC29. Round Midnight (Sandy Rivera's Classic Mix)  ~~~  Sandy Rivera, Tamara Raven30. Thinking Of You (Extended Club Mix)  ~~~  Cafe 432, Sheree Hicks31. Running (DjPope Funkhut Main Mix)  ~~~  Dee Jay Sound, DjPope32. The Mighty Douglas (Doug's Godbizniss Mix)  ~~~  Doug Willis, Dave Lee33. Express Yourself (Feat. Assurance)  ~~~  DJ Spen34. Easily Triggered (Geology Remix)  ~~~  Kid Enigma, Geology35. I Got Love (Booker T Remix)  ~~~  Lomax (CH), Michael Procter, Booker T36. I Love You (Feat. Aretha Franklin)  ~~~  Oscar P37. Hard to Love (Vocal Mix)  ~~~  Adira Kasey38. (If You Want My Love) Put Something Down On It  ~~~  Marc Evans39. Que Delicia  ~~~  Mijangos40. Chagu (Henrik Schwarz Extended Version)  ~~~  MoBlack, Emmanuel Jal, Henrik Schwarz41. Reach Deep (ThomChris Soulful Remix)  ~~~  Muzzaik, Exacta, ThomChris42. Hey Child (Main Mix)  ~~~  Neil Pierce, Hanlei43. We Flow (Soulful Delivers Mix)  ~~~  Pavel Svetlove, EverLove, Soulful Delivers44. Ramasedi (Ralf GUM Main Mix)  ~~~  Ralf GUM, Soweto Gospel Choir45. Good Life (Blackk Rubb Vocal)  ~~~  Stephanie Cooke, Shino Blackk46. Reclaiming My Beatz  ~~~  Vjuan Allure47. No Plans For Love (Clean)  ~~~  D-Nice feat. Ne-Yo & Kent Jones48. Oweibaba (Original Mix)  ~~~  Dj Spen & Greg Lewis49. Ribbon In The Sky  ~~~  Stevie Wonder50. Givin' Me Sumthin' (Soulful House Mix)  ~~~  Tracy Hamlin, John Khan51. Sumthin' Sumthin'  ~~~  Maxwell52. Everybody Wants Something (Feat. Alex Mills) - Rhemi Remix  ~~~  Akabu53. I Might Do Something Wrong (Feat. N'Dea Davenport)  ~~~  Tortured Soul54. Sittin Up In My Room (Powerhouse Remix Edit)  ~~~  Brandy55. Beautiful View (Antonello Ferrari Main Mix)  ~~~  Antonello Ferrari, Dawn Tallman56. Beautiful People (The Knocks Club Remix)  ~~~  Chris Brown57. Beautiful People (Underground Network Remix)  ~~~  Barbara Tucker58. Beautiful Liar  ~~~  Beyoncé59. Beautiful (DJ Spen Vocal Mix)  ~~~  Mary J. Blige60. Stomp  ~~~  Line Dances61. Stomp  ~~~  Kirk Franklin62. Battle Cry - Remix  ~~~  The Clark Sisters63. God's Got It (DJ Spen & Troy Morton ReWork)  ~~~  DJ Booman, Troy Morton, DJ Spen64. He's Alright  ~~~  Addvibe65. Blessed & Grateful (AFRIK-N-SOUL RETOUCH)  ~~~  DJ Randall Smooth, T.S.O.N., AFRIK-N-SOUL66. Turbo Hustle  (Tom Tom Hamilton Mix)  ~~~  DJ Maestro67. Mama Say Mama Sa (Original Mix)  ~~~  Lokee, Stefane68. They Dont Know (Karizma Remix)  ~~~  Jon B69. You Know How To Love Me (Joey Negro Extended Disco Mix)  ~~~  Phyllis Hyman, Joey Negro70. I Decided (Moto Blanco Edit)  ~~~  Solange71. And I Know It (Vocal Mix)  ~~~  Restless Soul72. Huggin' & a Luvin' (Mike Dunn Luvz Huggin' U ReMixX)  ~~~  Gershon Jackson73. Ain't Nobody Feat. Onita Boone (Mousse T.'s Ain't No Good Man Mix)  ~~~  Seductive Souls, Onita Boone, Mousse T74. Feels Good (Yeah!) (Terry Hunter Soooo Good Club Mix)  ~~~  Kelly G., Terry Hunter75. Good Kisser (Funkystepz Remix)  ~~~  Usher76. Good Vibrations (Dirty Secretz Remix)  ~~~  Soul Divide, Dirty Secretz77. I Put A Spell On You (Honeycomb & Vega Mix)  ~~~  Honeysweet, Vega78. Sweet Love (Autocycle Edit)  ~~~  Anita Baker79. So Sweetly (Feat. Shaun Escoffery)  ~~~  M&S80. Sweet Sensation (Original Mix)  ~~~  BBwhite81. Let Me Tell You - Sweet Sensation (Extended Mix)  ~~~  ANOTR82. Love Sensation (Soulfuledge Remix)  ~~~  Susu Bobien, Soulfuledge83. What A Sensation  ~~~  Masters At Work84. Sweet Sensation (Extended Mix)  ~~~  Stephanie Mills

[ginalover]

ginagershon Wild and fun night celebrating with my sister @tracygershon and Brandi Carlile who absolutely Slayed! On SNL last night- !! Congrats to all involved! Great to see Jason Sudakis as well back home doing his thing- Ive missed these nights. Warmed my heart seeing so many old friends. @brandicarlile @jason_sudeikis jason_sudeikis @shooterjennings @chrispowellondrums @maryammalakpour #manhands #saturdaynight #newyorkisbackbaby

[bdpst24]

Intelligens bérgyilkos - jön a Killer Joe!

Egy szinte mindig kulturált rendőr Ki ez a fazon? Egy alapos, magára és környezetére igényes, majdnem mindig kulturált rendőr? Egy kegyetlen, intelligens bérgyilkos?  Sokaknak a moziból már ismerős lehet a történet. A 2011-es fekete humorú krimi (főszereplői Matthew McConaughey, Emile Hirsch, Juno Temple, Gina Gershon és Thomas Haden Church voltak) Tracy Letts azonos című darabja alapján…

[speakingparts]

Killer Joe, William Friedkin, 2011

[redcarpetview]

2022-2023 National Board of Trustees

        Announcing the newly elected Board of Trustees to The Recording Academy! This diverse group of leaders have demonstrated an outstanding commitment to our creative community and will work to ensure the Recording Academy continues its evolution into an organization that works year-round to serve the music community, rightfully promote diversity, equity, and inclusion, fight for creators' rights, protect music people in need, preserve music’s history, and invest in its future.  

      See the list of newly elected or re-elected Board of Trustees below:

         2022-2023 National Board of Trustees 

*elected this year to their 1st or 2nd term

    National Officers 

Tammy Hurt - Chair

Rico Love - Vice Chair

Om'Mas Keith - Secretary/Treasurer

Christine Albert - Chair Emeritus

           Trustees

Yolanda Adams*

Chuck Ainlay*

Cheche Alara

Maria Elisa Ayerbe

Nabil Ayers*

Larry Batiste

Marcus Baylor

Jennifer Blakeman*

Evan Bogart

Bun B

Ferddy Calderon

Alex Chávez*

Dave Cobb

Beth Cohen

Samantha Cox

Doug Emery*

Anna Frick

EJ Gaines*

Kennard Garrett

Tracy Gershon

Chelsey Green*

David Gross

Jordan Hamlin*

Jennifer Hanson

David "Swagg" Harris

J. Ivy

Terry Jones*

Andrew Joslyn*

Thom "TK" Kidd*

Angélique Kidjo

Mike Knobloch*

John Legend*

Susan Marshall

Julia Michels

PJ Morton*

Natalia Ramírez*

Michael Romanowski*

Von Vargas*

Gebre Waddell*

    We congratulate all officers dedicated to serving their fellow music professionals and the entire music community.

                                                                                                           # # #

[djfreedomlives]

Free Mixes (remixes) from "Our Favorite Soulful Things Volume 2": (1) Gershon Jackson, Mike Dunn "Love Desire"  (Mike Dunn's BlackBall x DJ Freedom's HM ReVibe) (2) Tracy Cruz "Love Galaxy"  (DJ Freedom's Soulful & Funky House Experience)  BOTH unreleased remixes (PROMO USE ONLY-NO DOWNLOADS) On demand: SoundCloud.com/DJFreedomLives 📀📀📀📀 The official site: www.HouseMassive.com The social meetup: www.HouseMassive.net 📀📀📀📀 UP COMING House Massive MIX SHOW HIGHLIGHTS 07.09 Favorite Soulful Things 5 07.16 Celebrate Jill Scott! (5.0) 08.13 House Massive Global 08.27 Journey Into Paradise 09.10 Celebrate Salsoul! 10.08 #DanceSterDam 2020 12.04 House Massive Miami 📀📀📀📀 EVENTS. If the pandemic subsides by the fall into next year: October: #DanceSterDam December #BackToTheBeach January 2021: new monthly residency at Silver Factory, Brooklyn (details soon) March 2021: #Poolside.jo.liami2021 April 2021: #SheCago2021 (Ladies Night in Chicago during the Black Women's Expo 2021) 📀📀📀📀 #HouseMassiveNYC #housemix #housemusic #mixshow # #deephouse #soulfulhouse #ClassicWorkout #remixes #DJLife #HouseMassive #globalhouse #afrohouse #classichouse #nudisco #discohouse #funkyhouse #underground #garagehouse #nychouse #DJFreedomLives #fortheloveofhouse #houseclassics #StayInTune #beachhouse #reworks (at Brooklyn, New York) https://www.instagram.com/p/CCSkD2VJLNW/?igshid=1fassp6gyyz1x

[garudabluffs]

British TV and radio presenter Nikki Bedi will host ... an evening of music, comedy and discussion with key figures in the country music scene.

There will be live performances by up-and-coming singer/songwriter Cam, breakthrough artist Jimmie Allen and Australian country singer Morgan Evans.

Comedian Trae Crowder, known as “the liberal redneck,” also will perform.

Special guests include Tracy Gershon, co-founder of the Change the Conversation movement to promote women artists, and R.J. Curtis, executive director of the Country Radio Broadcasters organization.

READ MORE https://news.vanderbilt.edu/2019/05/29/bbcs-the-arts-hour-on-tour-to-record-episode-at-vanderbilt-june-3/

On Tour in Nashville   The Arts Hour

On stage in the indisputable home of country music, Nikki Bedi is joined by top country artists, Cam, Jimmie Allen and Morgan Evans, who all perform live and join the discussion on what `country music` really means in Nashville, Tennessee, right now.

As country music gets more popular all over the world, and morphs to include elements of R&B, pop and rock, why is it that women artists like Kacey Musgraves can fill stadiums, but still get so much less airplay than men on country radio?

And why was rapper Lil Nas X’s worldwide hit, `Old Town Road`, disqualified from the Billboard Country Chart? Was there a racial aspect to that decision?

Industry insights come from R.J Curtis, who is head of the Country Radio Broadcasters organisation, and Tracy Gershon, who is co- founder of the `Change the Conversation’ movement to promote women artists.

There is live stand-up comedy from the “Liberal Redneck”, Trae Crowder, known across the States, for the sharp satire of his viral videos and local radio host, Colleen Phelps, takes Nikki Bedi on the `Culture Cab’ journey around Nashville’s artistic secrets.

LISTEN 53 minutes   https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/w3csypcm         

[mrmichaelchadler]

Ebertfest 2019: A Photo Journal

Roger's presence was alive and well in the Virginia Theatre at our 21st Ebertfest! Festival Director Nate Kohn and I presented the Roger Ebert's Film Festival in collaboration with Roger's alma mater, the College of Media at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. We were assisted by Festival Coordinator, Andrew Michael Hall ("Andy"). The following photo diary offers snapshots of our cherished memories that took place April 10th through April 13th in Champaign and Urbana, Illinois.

Photos courtesy of Timothy Hiatt.

DAY ONE

The Opening Night Gala for Ebertfest was hosted graciously by University President Timothy Kileen and his wife Dr. Roberta Johnson. Opening speeches were also given by Chancellor Robert Jones and College of Media Dean Tracy Sulkin. 

During my speech at the gala, I was joined at the podium by two of the festival's special guests, Gina Gershon and Jennifer Tilly. Coincidentally, Gina Gerson's cousin, Alan Elliott, preserved, restored and presented our opening night selection, "Amazing Grace," the amazing documentary about Aretha Franklin recording the best selling gospel album in history over two nights in a church in Watts, Los Angeles in 1972.

Preceding "Amazing Grace," Alan Elliott was joined onstage for a Q&A with producer Tirrell D. Whittley and our Ebert Fellow, Whitney Spencer. Elliott told us of his musical roots and of how he was influenced by gospel music and why he was so passionate about bringing this performance of Aretha Franklin to the public. 

Tirrell Whittley's background as a Deacon was evident in his powerful invocation. Once we saw this powerful film we understood Alan Elliott's quest to bring it to the screen. It is being distributed by NEON and has opened in select theaters across the country. No doubt church groups and many others will line up to see this historic performance. 

The crowd-pleasing screening concluded with a performance by the Martin Luther King Jr. Community Choir of Champaign-Urbana that had the audience on its feet.

Turns out moving our musical finale of the festival to opening night was a great idea after all. It raised our spirits through the roof and held them there through the entirety of the week.

DAY TWO

Prior to showtime at the Virginia Theatre, two inspiring academic panel discussions were held at the nearby Hyatt Hotel, the first sponsored by the Champaign County Alliance for Inclusion and Respect. 

It was entitled "Challenging Stigma Through the Arts," and moderated by Dr. Eric Pierson. The discussion challenged whether the images of addiction in the movies helped or hindered the public's understanding of addiction. Pierson was joined onstage by therapist Marcina Hale, film critic Matt Fagerholm, and professional representatives of the recovery community, including from the Rosencrance Rehabilitation Center. Their in-depth discussion offered suggestions on which movies and TV shows portrayed addiction accurately, but more importantly, they offered practical solutions to treating addiction and it's aftermath as a service to the audience. 

The second panel focused on "Women in Cinema: Hollywood or Independent, Does it Make a Difference," and featured such speakers as Alliance of Women Film Journalists president Jennifer Merin, "Bound" stars Jennifer Tilly and Gina Gershon... They too offered practical suggestions for how to increase the representation of women in cinema, both in front of and behind the camera.

...RogerEbert.com Assistant Editor Nell Minow, "Maya Angelou and Still I Rise" director Rita Coburn and "The Curvy Critic" Carla Renata (filmmaker Stephen Apkon and Sony Pictures Classics co-president Michael Barker were also present).

Alloy Orchestra members Ken Winokur and Terry Donahue chatted onstage with Michael Phillips and Todd Rendleman following their live musical accompaniment of a silent screen classic, in this case, Jean Epstein's 1923 melodrama, "Coeur fidèle" ("The Faithful Heart"). The third member of their trio, Roger Miller, was busy selling their priceless merchandise in the festival's boutique.

The Alloy Orchestra has performed at Ebertfest for over 16 years and are always brought back by popular demand. They compose original scores for the silent films they select, even making some of the instruments they use. What a talented group. We are fortunate to have them. 

Both of the morning panels were reflected in the second film of the day, and Sony Pictures Classics Co-President, Michael Barker, delivered an amazing homage to the late Jonathan Demme's 2008 masterwork, "Rachel Getting Married." It featured Anne Hathaway in what I still consider her best performance, as a struggling addict returning home for her sister's wedding. This film is phenomenal with a cast including Rosemarie DeWitt, Bill Irwin, Debra Winger, Anna Deveare Smith, Tunde Adebimpe and many others. Demme considered it one of his favorites in contributing to the understanding of human behavior. It shows how whole families become dysfunctional and act out in various ways, but how facing up to addiction, admitting wrongs, making amends, forgiveness and love can help you face the very messiness of life and come together as a family and community. Michael Barker is without a doubt one of Ebertfest's favorite guests. 

Barker spoke onstage after the film with our critic, Nell Minow, and one of Demme's closest friends, Stephen Apkon, a recipient of the Roger Ebert Humanitarian Award for his documentary, "Disturbing the Peace." The screenwriter of "Rachel Getting Married," Jenny Lumet (the granddaughter of Lena Horne and the daughter of Sidney Lumet), joined in the conversation over the satellite.

Lana and Lilly Wachowski's hugely enjoyable debut feature, "Bound," was the evening's cinematic treat, and it was made ten times more entertaining by the Q&A afterward with Gina Gershon and Academy Award nominee Jennifer Tilly. Their banter with critics Chuck Koplinski and Pamela Powell was a joy to watch.

DAY THREE

Michael Phillips introduced the audience to the 2018-19 University of Illinois College of Media Roger Ebert Fellows, Curtis Cook, Pari Apostolakos and Eunice Alpasan, who did a splendid job covering their first full Ebertfest experience. Although Phillips is the film critic for the Chicago Tribune, he is the revered mentor for the Ebert Fellowship program at the University of Illinois, and is valued for his knowledge and experience and his love of teaching. He makes the program better every year. 

One of our longtime Ebertfest guests, Sam Fragoso, was encouraged by Roger to keep doing what he loved, and he is now an accomplished critic, podcaster and filmmaker. His wonderful short film, "Sebastian," preceded the first feature screened on Day 3 of Ebertfest, and earned him the coveted Golden Thumb.

Pawel Pawlikowski's ravishing Polish romance, "Cold War," was the discussion topic for Festival Director Nate Kohn, Michael Phillips and Carla Renata, following the morning screening. Carla Renata interviewed the film's director and shared some revealing insights into the movie. It was partially based on Pawlikowski's parents' tempestuous love story and is an epic told over several decades. Renata is also a recurring actress on ABC's Superstore, and just published a book for actors on marketing. 

Horace Jenkins' newly restored 1982 gem, "Cane River," brought out a stellar quartet of talents: producer Sandra Schulberg, actress Tommye Myrick and Jenkins' children, Sacha and Dominique Jenkins. This film is a modern day Romeo & Juliet played out in Louisiana among descendants of African-American Creoles and slaves. It is a tale of colorism, land ownership, and a young woman's determination to pursue her education, but above all, it a tale of love. Very romantic. Ms. Myrick hilariously told us how she had to learn to swim and ride horses because she couldn't do either and the film required both. Schulberg told us how she preserved to get the film restored. And Dominique and Sacha told us of their remarkable father whose life itself is worthy of a film. 

The great Polish actress, Madame Maja Komorowska, traveled all the way from Warsaw to attend our Ebertfest screening of Krzysztof Zanussi's 1984 love story, "A Year of the Quiet Sun," which paired her with the late Scott Wilson, to whom this year's festival was dedicated. She was joined on stage by her amusing translator, Jerzy Tyszkiewicz, who also happens to be her grandson. 

Their Q&A was moderated by Professor Todd Rendleman and Jennifer Merin. After tribute clips of Scott Wilson's film career, his widow, Heavenly Wilson, spoke of getting this movie made in Poland and at Monument Valley in the United States.

Here Maja Komorowska and Jerzy are joined by Scott's widow, Heavenly Wilson. Getting to spend time with them was heavenly indeed. It has become an Ebertfest tradition for guests and audiences to pose with the sculpture of Roger on the plaza of the Virginia Theater. The sculpture is by artist Rick Harney and was installed by the fundraising efforts of festival donors Donna and Scott Anderson. It was truly a gift from the heart, as Donna woke up in the hospital when she was having a heart transplant and said she wanted to do whatever it took to get a sculpture of Roger near the Virginia Theater as a gift to the community. 

Iconic "Simpsons" producer David Mirkin brought down the house with his beloved 1997 comedy, "Romy and Michele's High School Reunion." Festival Director Nate Kohn appears here with film critics and broadcasters Chuck Koplinski and Pamela Powell who had a ball chatting with David Mirkin onstage.The audience loved seeing Lisa Kudrow and Mira Sorvino in their screwball roles. Mirkin presented an image of high school that so many can relate to. He was a delightful guest. 

DAY FOUR

Beginning the last day of Ebertfest 2019 were two films about heroic figures who have left an indelible imprint in our culture long after their passing. The first was "Maya Angelou and Still I Rise," directed by Rita Coburn, who spoke onstage with our Editor at Large Matt Zoller Seitz and Ebert Fellow Whitney Spencer afterward. Rita Coburn, in a surprise, was presented with the inaugural ICON award, for the scope of her film about the iconic Maya Angelou, and her contributions to humanity. This was the first ICON award ever given at Ebertfest. Rita Coburn is actually one of those phenomenal women that Angelou talks about. The film was awarded a Peabody among other awards.

Director Morgan Neville won the Ebert Humanitarian award for his film, "Won't You Be My Neighbor?" about the television trailblazer and radical humanist Fred Rogers.  It was only the third humanitarian award given. The second was given to Norman Lear for his lifetime of work in television in highlighting the various nuances of the human condition through humor.  Neville was joined onstage by RogerEbert.com Assistant Editors Nick Allen and Matt Fagerholm, who were both great admirers of the movie. Matt movingly shared with the audience the letter he wrote to Mr Rogers when he was five years old, and also the amazingly long and very specific response Mr Rogers wrote back to five-year-old Matt in encouragement. It illustrated the respect Mr Rogers had for children and his principle of radical kindness.

Our festival culminated with a celebration of Roger's longtime on-air "At the Movies" partner, Richard Roeper. A montage of hilarious and touching highlights from their reviews preceded my conversation with him onstage. Richard chose two films to present at Ebertfest, and both were well received: "Almost Famous," and "Sideways." Richard's career includes broadcasting on radio and television and other platforms, publishing books about movies and gambling, and lecturing. He may also be working on future movie projects.

RogerEbert.com Managing Editor Brian Tallerico and Editor at Large Matt Zoller Seitz chatted with Richard Roeper and Sam Fragoso about one of their favorite movies, Cameron Crowe's "Almost Famous," a film very close to Roger's heart (and his own life story). Crowe provided a special video introduction to the picture that was appreciated by the whole audience. His film still plays well all these years later, with an luminous performance by Kate Hudson, and an unbelievably perfect cast, including Billy Crudup, Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Jason Lee and the vulnerable newcomer Patrick Fugit.

Photo by Matt Fagerholm

Last but certainly not least, we screened one of Roeper's most prized films he ever got to review with Roger, Alexander Payne's "Sideways." The film's Oscar-nominated star, the beautiful Virginia Madsen, joined us via Skype from the set of her new TV series, "Swamp Thing," for an emotional conversation about Roger and his championing of the film. The film starred Paul Giamatti, Thomas Haden-Church and the unforgettable Sandra Oh. Virginia shared many insights, including about drinking fabricated fake wine. Hilarious.  Richard Roeper, Matt Zoller Seitz and Nell Minow were on hand for the discussion. All in all, a perfect end to another unforgettable Ebertfest. Join us April 15th through April 18th next year for the 22nd anniversary of Roger Ebert's Film Festival!

from All Content http://bit.ly/2Pp5a7S

[dont-let-me-stop-you]

NASHVILLE  — At the “Music’s Leading Ladies Speak Out” presentation at the Music Biz conference on Tuesday, Atlantic Records co-chairman/COO Julie Greenwald told a story that more than lived up to the event’s name. She was speaking of the first time she heard the forthcoming new album — and Atlantic debut — from Kelly Clarkson.

“I put the record on and it was like she kicked through the door,” Greenwald said in a Q&A session with Clarkson moderated by NPR’s Ann Powers. “I say to people all the time: I run a record company, I could eat you, that’s part of my rep. And we all know Kelly has this big voice. But these songs have so much attitude. She’s not walking through the door, she’s kicking it the f— open.”

She may have been talking about an album, but Greenwald set the theme for the presentation — which also featured an introduction from Nielsen Music SVP Erin Crawford and a panel with CMT senior vice president Leslie Fram, Country Music Association CEO Sarah Trahern, Red Light artist manager Tracy Gershon and Cosynd CEO/Women in Music president Jessica Sobhraj — offering insights on how to bring more women into the industry as artists and professionals.

“It’s got a lot of sass — like I might beat you up with my sound,” Clarkson said of her still-untitled album, which she says is a mixture of “urban, pop, soulful R&B” and is due later in the year. “My backup singers who’ve worked with me for years said ‘It’s the first time you’ve done a record that’s, like, full-on your personality.’”

For an artist who began her career by topping a favored Justin Guarini in the first season of “American Idol,” sparred publicly with music industry titan Clive Davis and is known for empowering songs like “Stronger” and “Since U Been Gone,” that’s saying something.

“I’ve always been a confident person, I think that’s just being Texan,” Clarkson said. “But I think being a mom has brought another level of confidence, because basically the things a mom does daily — without adding a job — is pretty insane. We’re gladiators, basically.”

Finding that elusive work/life balance that also allows an artist or professional to chase her passion was a key topic during the two-hour discussion.

Greenwald explained how she rose through the ranks under the tutelage of Lyor Cohen, with whom she worked at Rush Management, Def Jam Records and Atlantic. She said she was often the only woman in the room and found ways to engineer greater acceptance for herself in the highest levels of the industry. She believes in building an environment that fosters risk-taking and free-form ideas, things that helped her and Cohen innovate on the frontlines of hip-hop in the early 1990s.

“Lyor was incredible,” she said. “He allowed me to be fearless. He encouraged me every day to take risks, and I take everything that I learned from him and share that with everybody that I mentor,” Greenwald said. “But one thing I did change is he really didn’t let me take maternity leave with either of my kids. There were just certain things like that where if I’d had a woman boss, maybe she would say, ‘You could at least take a week off.’”

She fights that syndrome now, trying to help her employees avoid the familiar traps she fell into.

“I really only see my children in the morning and then on the weekend,” Greenwald said. “So I really try to make sure the other women who work for me know, ‘Hey, listen, you have an iPhone, you have a laptop, it’s okay. Don’t miss certain events, because you’re not going to get them back. I try to teach a lot of my young ones to learn from my mistakes. That new-baby smell goes away and they become smelly!”

She said she admires Clarkson’s fierce protection of family time — the singer has a blended family of four children with husband and Nashville manager Brandon Blackstock — or at least including them in her life.

“She protects her family,” Greenwald said. “‘I’m going to work, I’m going to kick ass, but I’m going to protect my time for my family. As a woman, I respect that so much.”

The panelists stressed the importance of networking, building relationship and supporting other women to the scores of young female professionals and students in the several-hundred-strong crowd.

“Find the people that are your people,” Trahern said. “Tracy and I have been walking in the park on the weekends for many years. We may only get to do it a few times a year, but you can cut to the chase even if you don’t see each other often. We all grew up in this generation together. You find those people in your group and you’re going to grow together.”

And everyone agreed passion was the most important hallmark they look for when mentoring and placing potential employees.

“You’ve just got to roll your sleeves up and do it,” Sobrahj said. “Nothing pisses me off more than having an intern or an assistant who says, ‘I’m not going to do that. I’m not going to draft those tweets. I’m not going to get that coffee.’ I’m the CEO of my company and I’ll go get anybody a cup of coffee. I don’t care — because if you’re not going to roll your sleeves up and dive in, then why are you doing it?”

Gershon told a story that vividly illustrated Sobrahj’s point and demonstrated the lengths to which she’ll go to help a client — in this case rockabilly singer/guitarist Rosie Flores.

“She needed $1,500 to go into the studio,” Gershon said. “I said, ‘I know — I’ll [get the money by] going on a game show.’ I dressed up in the dumbest outfit and frosted my hair and jumped up and down like a wild goose and told them I was a senior aerobics instructor — and yes, I got on that show. It was called ‘Hot Streak.’ I won $1,600 and luggage, and literally that’s how we got Rosie in the studio. And basically, [the resulting recordings] won her a deal with Warner Bros.”

[ranciddream]

Live From New York...

Here is a list of all the people who have said LFNY and the number of times they have said it. (end of season 42). Also includes voice overs, prerecorded material and several specials.

- Darrell Hammond - 74

- Dana Carvey - 54

- Chevy Chase - 35

- Will Ferrell - 35

- Fred Armisen - 30

- Phil Hartman - 30

- Jason Sudeikis - 24

- Taran Killam - 23

- Kate McKinnon - 23

- Chris Parnell - 23

- Jay Pharoah - 23

- John Belushi - 21

- Tim Meadows - 21

- Kenan Thompson - 21

- Bobby Moynihan - 19

- Kristen Wiig - 19

- Dan Aykroyd - 18 

- Kevin Nealon - 18

- Alec Baldwin - 17

- Will Forte - 16

- Mike Myers - 15

- Gilda Radner - 15

- Bill Hader - 14

- Bill Murray - 14

- Amy Poehler - 14

- Joe Piscopo - 13

- Beck Bennett - 11

- Ana Gasteyer - 11

- Cecily Strong - 11

- Laraine Newman - 10

- Maya Rudolph - 10

- Horatio Sanz - 10

- Vanessa Bayer - 09  

- Rachel Dratch - 08

- Jimmy Fallon - 08

- Chris Farley - 08

- Tina Fey - 08

- Norm MacDonald - 08

- Garrett Morris - 08

- Molly Shannon - 08

- Billy Crystal - 07

- Jon Lovitz - 07

- Seth Meyers - 07

- Aidy Bryant - 06

- Eddie Murphy - 06

- Jane Curtin - 05

- Jan Hooks - 05

- Kyle Mooney - 05

- Nasim Pedrad - 05

- Charles Rocket - 05

- Andy Samberg - 05

- Rob Schneider - 05

- Sasheer Zamata - 05

- Jim Belushi - 04

- Larry David - 04

- Jim Downey - 04

- Chris Kattan - 04

- Steve Martin - 04

- Adam Sandler - 04

- Paul Shaffer - 04

- Julia Sweeney - 04

- Ellen Cleghorne - 03

- Pete Davidson - 03

- Mikey Day - 03

- Denny Dillon - 03

- Rudy Giuliani - 03

- Leslie Jones - 03

- Julia Louis-Dreyfus - 03

- Michael McKean - 03

- Mark McKinney - 03

- Tracy Morgan - 03

- Cheri Oteri - 03

- Chris Rock - 03

- Justin Timberlake - 03

- Robert DeNiro - 02

- Robert Downey Jr. - 02

- Abby Elliott - 02

- Al Franken - 02

- John Goodman - 02

- Gilbert Gottfried - 02

- Tom Hanks - 02

- Howard Hesseman - 02

- Melanie Hutsell - 02

- Dwayne Johnson - 02

- Gary Kroeger - 02

- John Lithgow - 02

- Madonna - 02

- Gail Matthius - 02

- Melissa McCarthy - 02

- Finesse Mitchell - 02

- Alex Moffat - 02

- Rick Moranis - 02

- Don Novello - 02

- Don Pardo - 01

- Randy Quaid - 02

- Ann Risley - 02

- Harry Shearer- 02

- David Spade - 02

- Paula Abdul - 01

- Ben Affleck - 01

- Rosanna Arquette - 01

- Drew Barrymore - 01

- Deb Blair - 01

- Jim Breuer - 01

- Paul Brittain - 01

- Matthew Broderick - 01

- A. Whitney Brown - 01

- Beth Cahill - 01

- John Candy - 01

- Robert Carlock - 01

- John Carpenter - 01

- Steve Carell - 01

- John Cleese - 01

- Hillary Clinton - 01

- Sacha Baron Cohen - 01

- Bryan Cranston - 01 

- Cindy Crawford - 01

- Connie Crawford - 01

- Macaulay Culkin - 01  

- Miley Cyrus - 01

- Rodney Dangerfield - 01

- Tom Davis - 01

- Danny DeVito - 01

- Mike Ditka - 01

- Joe Disco - 01

- Bob Dole - 01

- Michael Douglas - 01

- Robin Duke - 01

- Chris Elliott - 01

- Chris Evert - 01

- Siobhan Fallon - 01

- President Gerald Ford - 01

- Teri Garr - 01

- Sarah Michelle Gellar - 01

- Gina Gershon - 01

- Tom Gianas - 01

- Al Gore - 01

- Tipper Gore - 01

- Merv Griffin - 01

- Mary Gross

- Christopher Guest - 01

- Marvelous Marvin Hagler - 01

- Anthony Michael Hall - 01

- Rich Hall - 01

- Jon Hamm - 01

- Mark Harmon - 01

- George Harrison - 01

- Florence Henderson - 01

- Buck Henry - 01

- Pee-Wee Herman - 01

- Charlton Heston - 01

- Steve Higgins - 01

- Hulk Hogan - 01

- Dennis Hopper - 01

- Helen Hunt - 01

- Janet Jackson - 01

- Jesse Jackson - 01

- Victoria Jackson - 01

- Mick Jagger - 01

- Scarlett Johansson - 01

- Carolyn Kepcher - 01

- Sam Kinison - 01

- Richard Kneip - 01

- Ed Koch - 01

- Queen Latifah - 01

- Jay Leno - 01

- David Lewis - 01

- Jerry Lewis - 01

- Monica Lewinsky - 01

- Lindsay Lohan - 01

- Ron Luciano - 01

- Tobey Maguire - 01

- Joe Mantegna - 01

- John McCain - 01

- John McLaughlin - 01

- Vince McMahon - 01

- Lorne Michaels - 01

- Dennis Miller- 01

- Mr. T - 01

- Ralph Nader - 01

- Lori Nasso - 01

- Liam Neeson - 01

- New York City Children’s Chorus - 01

- President Barack Obama - 01

- Michael Palin - 01

- Sarah Palin - 01  

- George Pataki - 01

- Walter Payton - 01

- Paula Pell - 01

- Sean Penn - 01

- Joe Perry - 01

- Brad Pitt - 01

- Mary Kay Place - 01

- Jason Priestley - 01

- Colin Quinn - 01

- Ron Reagan - 01

- Jeff Renaudo - 01

- Jeff Richards - 01

- Dennis Rodman - 01

- Linda Ronstadt - 01

- Jon Rudnitsky - 01

- Fred Savage - 01

- Charles Schumer - 01

- Arnold Schwarzenegger - 01

- Stephanie Seymour - 01

- Al Sharpton - 01

- William Shatner - 01

- Michael Shoemaker - 01

- Martin Short - 01

- Paul Simon - 01

- Robert Smigel - 01

- Dick Smothers - 01

- Tom Smothers - 01

- Sissy Spacek - 01

- Miskel Spillman - 01

- Ringo Starr - 01  

- George Steinbrenner - 01

- Julia Stiles - 01

- Ben Stiller - 01  

- Patrick Swayze - 01

- Fran Tarkenton - 01

- Lily Tomlin - 01

- Toonces

- John Travolta

- Steven Tyler - 01

- Unidentified English Milkman - 01

- Danitra Vance - 01

- Nancy Walls - 01

- Christopher Walken - 01

- Damon Wayans - 01

- Noel Wells - 01

- Brooks Wheelan - 01

- Betty White - 01

- Robin Williams - 01

- Flip Wilson - 01

- Oprah Winfrey - 01

- Fred Wolf - 01