Demetri Martin in talks for Ang Lee’s Taking Woodstock
You may know Demetri Martin from his "Trendspotting" segment on The Daily Show With Jon Stewart where he serves as the Youth Correspondent, covering such “youthy” topics as text-messaging, the Internet and credit card debt. Martin's segments report on trends like the term “Youthquake” used liberally by various television anchors to describe young voters influencing the 2008 election. The comedian is now in negotiations for the starring role in Ang Lee’s next film, Taking Woodstock. As previously reported, the film takes a fresh look at the often chronicled festival. Lee has teamed up with James Schamus again—the duo created Brokeback... read more
Hold Steady, Breeders, more dive into JellyNYC's pool
JellyNYC’s wildly popular Pool Party concert series is back this summer, featuring a stellar lineup of artists including MGMT, The Hold Steady, Black Lips and the Breeders. This summer, JellyNYC and Helio will host a free concert from 2 p.m. – 8 p.m. every Sunday at New York City’s McCarren Pool. Revelers can hula-hoop, Slip ’n’ Slide, swim and sunbathe, all while enjoying the music of Aesop Rock, Deerhunter or the Ting Tings. More than 50,000 people attended last year’s parties, and even more are expected this year. Dates and additional bands will be announced soon. Although admission is free,... read more
The Cure announces monthly singles, new album and tour
In a world where one can collect many worthy things—stamps, Coke cans, baseball cards—why not collect The Cure? In anticipation of its September 13 release, the band has opted to release a single for the 13th of each month leading up to its 13th studio album, which comes on Sept. 13th. That’s right, expect four exclusive singles with b-sides in the coming months and then a whole new album. So far the singles have only been announced for May and June. “The Only One” will include the b-side “NY Trip.” On June 13, the band will release “Freakshow,” including the... read more
Tom Wolfe's Charlotte Simmons heading to the big screen
Tom Wolfe's 2005 novel, I Am Charlotte Simmons (Picador), about an innocent country girl facing the comparative social wilds of an American college, will get its chance to shock theater audiences when music video director Liz Friedlander takes all its scandalous content to full-length feature format next year. The last book the newspaper reporter-turned-bestselling author optioned for film was 1987's The Bonfire of the Vanities. Freidlander's previous directorial credits include episodes of One Tree Hill, 2006's Antonio Banderas-led Take The Lead and a segment in Blink 182: Greatest Hits, as well as music videos for the likes of U2. John... read more
Matt Damon pulls out from Bourne game
Given all the lousy movie-to-video game adaptations out there, it's always refreshing when an adaptation looks like its developer actually cares about a project. So when Sierra showed off The Bourne Conspiracy, and it looked like the game actually caught the spirit of the film franchise, it left only one question looming: where is Jason Bourne? According to developer High Moon, Matt Damon turned down the role while still in negotiations to lend his voice and likeness to the game. Damon told the The Boston Globe, "I lobbied hard [with the video producers] to not make a first-person shooter game... read more
Javier Bardem drops out of Rob Marshall’s Nine
Actor Javier Bardem has dropped out of Rob Marshall’s upcoming film Nine, Variety reports. Bardem was expected to play the lead role of Guido Contini, a film director whose life grows increasingly complicated as he struggles to juggle all of the women in his life. Nine is Oscar-award winning director Marshall’s adaptation of a stage musical inspired by the Federico Fellini film 8½. Fresh off of his Academy Award winning performance in the Coen Brothers’ No Country For Old Men, Bardem was ready to start shooting Nine late last year. Production on the film was postponed, though, when needed refinements... read more
Ian McKellen revisiting Middle Earth
After such great performances in The Lord of the Rings, it's hard to imagine anyone but legendary pretender Ian McKellen portraying Gandalf. It's good that we won't have to, then, since McKellen confirmed in an interview with Empire that he'll be reprising his role as the cantankerous old geezer/demigod. "Yes, it’s true,” McKellen said. "I spoke to Guillermo [del Toro] in the very room that Peter Jackson offered me the part and he confirmed that I would be reprising the role. Obviously, it’s not a part that you turn down, I loved playing Gandalf.” He also let out that... read more
The Hold Steady planning to Stay Positive on July 15
Brooklyn-via-Minneapolis rockers The Hold Steady have announced the street date of their fourth full-length album: Stay Positive is set for release on July 15 in the US and July 14 in the UK. Written on the road and recorded in New York and New Jersey, the 11 new tracks feature "more dynamics, different instrumentation, more complex arrangements, and not always hiding behind raw volume," lead singer Craig Finn said in a statement. That "different instrumentation" includes doses of banjo, talk box and harpsichord, undoubtedly in addition to the band’s long-beloved sonic combination of accordion, guitars and beer. As befits the... read more
The Strokes' Albert Hammond, Jr. to ask ¿Cómo Te Llama?
Albert Hammond, Jr., has revealed that his sophomore solo release, entitled ¿Cómo Te Llama?, will come out on July 8. He recorded the album during the Strokes' two-year (and counting) hiatus, taking breaks to celebrate his 28th birthday in April, to produce a track for N.Y. -ased act The Postelles, and (of course) to keep up with Upper East Side cult hit Gossip Girl. "I'm really proud of the power this record has," Hammond said in a statement. "I feel like my melodies and song arrangements have matured. Lyrically, I tried to have the words flow out more freely and... read more
Steven Soderbergh wants you to watch his Girlfriend
Steven Soderbergh is set to start his next film, The Girlfriend Experience, based on the real-life stories of $10,000-per-night call girls. Coming soon, Soderbergh's two Che Guevara biopics will premiere at Cannes: The Argentine and Guerrilla. Soderbergh, Brian Koppelman and David Levien came up with this concept while working on the set of Ocean’s 13. Koppelman and Levien will be working on the screenplay for this one as well. Much like Soderbergh’s Bubble, where he cast Ohio natives in lead roles, reportedly he plans to cast a true-life call girl as the protagonist. The low-budget film will be mildly improvised... read more
Who is your favorite musical artist over the age of 50?
Neil Diamond releases his 29th album, Home Before Dark, this week. Who is your favorite artist over the age of 50? [2412 votes total] Elvis Costello (211): 9% Neil Young (309): 13% Tom Waits (369): 15% Stevie Wonder (87): 4% Emmylou Harris (83): 3% Neil Diamond (118): 5% Bob Dylan (592): 25% Al Green (39): 2% Lucinda Williams (76): 3% Bruce Springsteen (298): 12% Other (230): 10% Full Results Comments ... read more
Widespread Panic announces June/July tour dates
Another batch of Athens, Georgia’s favorite sons (no, not R.E.M. this time), Widespread Panic, is launching into touring mode for the summer. The band has traveled all spring and has decided not to let the party stop, springboarding from its Bonnarro set into two solid months of coast-to-coast shows in support of Free Somehow. Dates: June 15 - Manchester, Tenn. @ Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival 20 - Los Angeles, Calif. @ The Orpheum Theatre 21 - Los Angeles, Calif. @ The Orpheum Theatre 22 - Los Angeles, Calif. @ The Orpheum Theatre 24 - San Diego, Calif. @ San... read more
Josh Ritter, John Williams, set to perform with Boston Pops
The Boston Symphony Orchestra has lined up a season’s worth of special guests to perform during the annual Boston Pops concert series at the city’s Symphony Hall. The series’ opening night concert on May 7 will feature eight-time Grammy winner Natalie Cole performing the music of composer Leonard Bernstein in celebration of the 90th anniversary of his birth. Other Boston Pops concerts planned for the summer include Film Night with guest composer John Williams and EdgeFest with Natalie Merchant and the Dresden Dolls’ Amanda Palmer. One highlight of the season is sure to be Josh Ritter’s performance with the Boston... read more
John Lennon's "Peace" lyrics sheet to be auctioned off in July
All he was saying was "give peace a chance." Christie's plans to auction off a hand-written sheet of lyrics to John Lennon's "Give Peace A Chance" this July during its rock and pop memorabilia sale. Lennon gave friend and fan Gail Renard the piece of paper during his eight-day "bed-in" in with Yoko Ono in Montreal, the one that culminated with the recording of the popular song. It later went on to become a worldwide hit, and a phrase that's part of the popular lexicon, pacifist or otherwise. The event occurred toward the end of Lennon's stint as a Beatle;... read more
Joan Jett to spread her love of rock 'n' roll on tour
Get ready, America. Joan Jett and her Blackhearts are heading out on tour this summer in support of their upcoming greatest hits release, and they still love rock 'n' roll. On four of their dates they'll be joined by Cyndi Lauper and The B-52s. Called the True Colors Tour, the three iconic groups will gallop through Texas and Arizona before parting ways in California. Jett also recently spoke with AOL Spinner about her life and the history of her independent label, Blackheart Records. Jett speaks her mind on the upcoming election, her experience as a woman living the rock 'n'... read more
Bloc Party to roc parties in the U.S. this summer
Sound the silent alarm, kids, because Bloc Party's crossing the pond this summer. Although the cheeky British quartet is currently holed up in a studio assembling the third Bloc Party LP, once the weather gets warmer the lads will be motivating folks to move at clubs and festivals across the western hemisphere. The band's not in "Flux" about benefiting the environment or choosing sides in the bizarre London mayoral race. For a taste of Bloc Party's angular aural appetizers, check out Paste's video footage of the band's performance at last year's Austin City Limits Festival. Bloc off these dates: July... read more
Will Oldham announces Lie Down in the Light details
Will Oldham is preparing his latest release under the Bonnie 'Prince' Billy moniker. Titled Lie Down in the Light, the record will come out on May 20, and will feature Emmett Kelley, Shahzad Izmaily, Ashley Webber and Oldham's brother, Paul. The dozen-song disc will be available on Drag City Records, and it will be available in the UK a day early. (This is something to think about, especially if you have a stimulus check burning a hole in your pocket.) Oldham will tour Europe through June and July. We last left Billy after 2006’s album, The Letting Go, but since... read more
The Fiery Furnaces Remember live album for tour
The Fiery Furnaces will release a new live album, entitled Remember, this fall. But hardcore fans will have chance to snag an early copy at one of the band’s shows this summer. Remember is a double-live record meant to showcase the Furnaces’ one-of-a-kind stage shows. Brother-sister duo Matthew and Eleanor Friedberger reconstruct their songs every time they hit the road, resulting in versions that differ widely in instrumentation, tempo and arrangement from the originals. The band never repeats itself, and sometimes goes as far as combining multiple songs (or even bits of an entire album) to create an intricate musical... read more
Big name artists join HeadCount, rally for voter registration
Wilco wants you to vote. HeadCount, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that dedicates itself to getting more people registered to vote, has increased its, you know, headcount. Numbers matter, and musicians of all stripes are hopping on the democracy-bolstering bandwagon in this election year, among them Paste favorites The Decemberists, Wilco and My Morning Jacket, as well as Dave Matthews Band, The Allman Brothers Band, members of The Grateful Dead and Phish, Jack Johnson, Megadeth, Santana and The Foo Fighters. The artists are the keystone of HeadCount's plan to register 100,000 voters at over 1,000 concerts this year. DMB, John Mayer... read more
TV on the Radio, Band of Horses, more to play Monolith
DeVotchKa, TV on the Radio and Band of Horses will be just a few of the bands playing this year’s Monolith Music Festival. The festival will take place Sept. 13-14 at Red Rocks Amphitheatre outside Morrison, Colo. The Monolith Festival debuted just last year as the first multi-stage, multi-day festival ever to be hosted at Red Rocks. Last year’s lineup was a who’s-who of indie artists, including the Flaming Lips, Spoon, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah and Ghostland Observatory. This year promises more of the same, with artists including Neko Case, Vampire Weekend, the Avett Brothers, Justice and the Tokyo... read more
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