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All the Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery Cameos, Ranked
In Rian Johnson‘s Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, constant twists and turns await the viewer, as nothing is as it seems when a billionaire (Edward Norton) invites his closest friends — and detective Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) — on an island getaway-turned-murder mystery. And that includes the film’s casting, which not only features a stellar main ensemble including Kate Hudson, Leslie Odom Jr., Kathryn Hahn, Jessica Henwick, Dave Bautista, and Madelyn Cline, and the incredible Janelle Monáe, but a bonkers collection of famous faces from all realms of pop culture as cameos. So in tribute to those wild casting choices, let us rank them from “enjoyable” to “what a wonderful surprise.” From the world of sports to the realm of fictional detectives, the 10 cameos listed below are just one fa...
How Thom Bell Created a Sound for a City, a Record Label, and for Generations of Fans
50 years ago, the sound of Philly Soul was born out of the legendary Philadelphia International Records. With the talents of The O’Jays, Patti LaBelle, Teddy Pendergrass, The Three Degrees, McFadden & Whitehead, and others, the label rewrote the standards of soul music. In light of Bell’s passing on December 22nd, 2022, his 2021 interview with Marcus Shorter. For some households, a Sunday morning consists of certain sounds. The sizzle from a couple strips of bacon cooked just right. That crack an egg makes before it gets scrambled or goes over sunny-side. And, of course, a tune by The Stylistics echoing in every room. Or The Delfonics. Or The Spinners. What defined these songs, besides the incredible performances, was the production courtesy of singer, songwriter, arranger, and record ...
Harmony Korine Explains Why “We’re Living Closer to Science Fiction Than Ever Before”
“I’m slow to make movies and I haven’t really made that many,” says Harmony Korine, the American filmmaker responsible for Gummo, Julien Donkey-Boy, Mister Lonely, Spring Breakers, Trash Humpers, The Beach Bum, and of course, the screenplay for Larry Clark’s Kids – a film clouded in controversy thanks to its hedonistic nonchalance and irreverence. Self-deprecating candor and vague mystique appear to be Korine’s default when it comes to interviews. In 1995, aged just 19, he joined the Late Show with David Letterman’s sofa as part of a Kids media junket. “I guess it’s controversial,” he said of the film, through an awkward smile. “I just wanted to make a sequel to Caddyshack,” he adds. Korine doesn’t take himself, or anything for that matter, too seriously. What surrounds him is what s...
The Muppet Christmas Carol Was Right to Cut Its Worst Song
Sometimes, on a film’s journey to completion, scenes are cut which add extra insight to a character’s backstory, or contribute to the world-building; cuts that later feel like mistakes, creating a whole ancillary market for extended editions and special features. But sometimes, there are scenes that really were cut fo the film’s benefit — such as the “When Love Is Gone” sequence from The Muppet Christmas Carol. To celebrate the 30th anniversary of Brian Henson‘s timeless and charming adaptation of the Charles Dickens classic, Disney+ recently presented subscribers with the option to watch either the original theatrical release or the “full-length version.” The primary difference between the two is the inclusion of one extra song, which Henson has said then-Disney executive Jeffrey Katzenbe...
Madlib’s Mastery of Beat-Making Knows No Boundaries
From collaborating with Freddie Gibbs and Erykah Badu to the late legends MF Doom and J. Dilla, Madlib has been proving his beat-making skills for over three decades. Known for his meticulous approach to sampling — the act of reusing and remixing sound from another recording — it may seem like the producer has the process of engineering the perfect loop down to a science, but really, he says, anyone can do it. (Turns out, despite being one of hip-hop’s most influential names, he’s also a pretty humble guy.) According to Madlib, sampling is just about listening for a catchy sound to pull from a track and then chop, layer and warp to create something new. It’s a process that launched him to legend status following the release of 2004’s critically-acclaimed Madvillainy, the sole LP to come ou...
5 Things to Know About Molly Tuttle, Best New Artist Nominee at 2023 Grammys
While Molly Tuttle has technically been part of the bluegrass scene since 2006, the 29-year-old reached new heights in 2022, netting two nominations at the 2023 Grammys: Best New Artist and Best Bluegrass Album. This year saw the artist release her first project since 2020’s …but I’d Rather Be With You. Tuttle’s third studio album Crooked Tree, recorded with her band Golden Highway, arrived in April 2022, and landed her the Best Bluegrass Album nomination. As for the Best New Artist nod, Tuttle will be up against Anitta, Domi & JD Beck, Latto, Omar Apollo, Samara Joy, Muni Long, Tobe Nwigwe, Måneskin and Wet Leg in the category, come Music’s Biggest Night on February 5th, 2023. Advertisement Related Video Here are five things to know abut Molly Tuttle prior to the 2023 Grammy Awards, a...
From Guitars to Golf Clubs: Behind James Carbonetti‘s Extremely Limited Brooklyn Putter
In James Carbonetti’s shop, guitars adorn the white walls, red Persian rugs line dark wood floors and vinyl spins on a turntable. No corner is empty and the workspaces are messy yet orderly. It’s a music lover’s paradise, and yet glimpses of another obsession are present. A Golden Tee arcade machine, a set of Ben Hogan irons, an iPad playing the ’86 Masters and a long strip of “turf.” Carbonetti grabs his putter and strokes a ball down the green runway. He holds the club in his hands as if it were a newborn child. As the owner of Carbonetti Guitars, he has made instruments for musicians like Richard Fortus of Guns N’ Roses, Matt Sweeney of Chavez and Willie Weeks of Joe Walsh’s band, but this putter is one of his proudest creations. When you’re holding a Carbonetti Brooklyn putter, yo...
Whitney Houston Comes to Life (At Least On Stage) In I Wanna Dance With Somebody: Review
The Pitch: In 2012, America lost its Voice — Whitney Houston, the once-in-a-generation pop music icon, tragically died at the too-young age of 48. She was on the verge of a comeback after a stint in rehab, haunted by the twin specters of drugs and expectation; that we never got to see that beautiful second act makes her passing all the more tragic. In the meantime, we’ve got the songs and story Whitney left behind, and Kasi Lemmons’ I Wanna Dance with Somebody (or, as Sony’s SEO-focused title change goes, Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody) tries to stuff that into a two-and-a-half-hour speedrun of her life and career, featuring Naomi Ackie as the tragic figure. We see her early days as a gospel singer, groomed for greatness by her ambitious mother Cissy (a perfectly-balance...
Samuel L. Jackson’s 10 Best Roles
Top Performances is a recurring feature in which we definitively handpick the very best performances from an iconic actor or actress. Samuel L. Jackson is far, far more than a series of memes. It’s a fact worth remembering as time goes on, and the actor’s most iconic performances have become inexorably linked to “say what again” image macros and a great many jokes about motherfuckin’ snakes on motherfuckin’ planes. But there’s so much more to the venerable performer than younger audiences may realize and perhaps even more than Pulp Fiction enthusiasts do either. Over a staggering 178 onscreen appearances since 1972 (and with nine more on the way, at various stages of production), Jackson has carved out a distinct niche as an untouchable tough guy with a disarming humor about...
Beyond the Boys’ Club: Pioneering Rocker Leather Leone
Beyond the Boys’ Club is a monthly column from journalist and radio host Anne Erickson, focusing on women in the heavy music genres, as they offer their perspectives on the music industry and discuss their personal experiences. Erickson is also a music artist herself and has a new EP and single out, “Last Love,” with Upon Wings. The latest edition of Beyond the Boys’ Club features an interview with Leather Leone. Throughout the 1980s, Leather Leone was a strong voice in metal music. From her early days in Rude Girl to her high-profile performances with guitar icon David T. Chastain’s band Chastain, Leone was one of the pioneers for women in heavy music. After a long break away from the music scene, Leather is as active in the industry as ever. She recently released her third solo album, We...
Frank Zappa in 10 Songs
This feature was originally published in August 2012, but we’re dusting it off for Zappa’s birthday on December 21st. Ever felt overwhelmed by an artist’s extensive back catalog? Been meaning to check out a band, but you just don’t know where to begin? In 10 Songs is here to help, offering a crash course and entry point into the daunting discographies of iconic artists of all genres. This is your first step toward fandom. Take it. You’re a Serious Music Fan. You like artists who have a “Genius With a Capital G” tag affixed to them. You’re looking to immerse yourself in the world of a composer who will always keep you guessing, a musician who gave great interviews, broke new ground every time his or her feet touched the floor, and has a catalog so densely packed that it would make even Robe...
Every Pearl Jam Album Ranked From Worst to Best
This article originally ran in 2016 and has since been updated; we’re dusting it off for Eddie Vedder’s birthday on December 23rd. “Fuck.” That was the only word Michael Roffman texted me late Monday night. As I shrugged off sleep to try and figure out what exactly that meant, the rest of his message came through: “Tonight’s set was so much better.” I stopped getting dressed and sank back into bed. I knew what he was upset about. No apocalypse, no emergency, just a Pearl Jam setlist that he liked better than the one we got two nights earlier at Wrigley Field. I clicked on the setlist link, scanned down, and texted back: “Oh fuck…” Advertisement In words barely more eloquent than those, we spent the next hour, on and off, bemoaning that we had covered the wrong show — like two spoiled brats...
