Atlanta, GA – Monday, Jan. 13 at Fox Theatre (660 Peachtree St. NE, Atlanta, GA 30308)
New Orleans, LA – Friday, Jan. 31 at New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center (900 Convention Center Blvd., New Orleans, LA 70130)
Los Angeles, CA – Sunday, March 23 at Orpheum Theatre (842 Broadway, Los Angeles, CA 90014)
Additional cities will be announced soon.
Per Fox: “Registration will begin at 8:00 AM at each venue. Auditioners traveling to cities for the open calls should make arrangements to stay for at least two days following their initial audition in the event of a callback.”
The Rules:
Dancers either must be U.S. citizens, legal permanent residents of the U.S. or possess current legal Employment Authorization Cards enabling them to seek employment freely in the U.S. (i.e., without restrictions as to employer) by the date specified in the eligibility rules. Dancers must be no younger than 18 or older than 30 years of age on the first day they register for auditions. Any dancer who is a minor in his/her state of residence must also have a parent or legal guardian sign all required documents. Dancers must provide legal, valid proof of age when they register for auditions. Check www.fox.com/dance for full eligibility rules.
Brandy Clark came to Nashville from Morton, Wash., where she watched her grandmother smoke on the front porch as Mount St. Helens erupted a short ways away, and later worked in a fencing mill. Her love for Patsy Cline, Merle Haggard and Loretta Lynn, coupled with her perceptive observations of everyday characters, fueled her ascension as a songwriter. Two No. 1 hits — The Band Perry’s “Better Dig Two” and Miranda Lambert’s “Mama’s Broken Heart” — are Clark co-writes, along with Kacey Musgraves’ “Follow Your Arrow” and “It Is What It Is” and songs picked up by Sheryl Crow, Kellie Pickler, Reba, Darius Rucker and Kenny Rogers.
What’s surprising is why she waited until now to step forward as a performer. Throughout 12 Stories, produced by Dave Brainard and released by Slate Creek Records, Clark gets deep inside each lyric with an understated but tuneful delivery; sometimes ironic, sometimes laconic, she lets the tales speak vividly for themselves.
Her first single, “Stripes” (written by Clark, Matt Jenkins and Shane McAnally), recounts the protagonist’s decision not to blow away her dimwit boyfriend because “I don’t look good in orange and I hate stripes,” told to the twang and gallop of a spaghetti Western soundtrack.
Every other track is a gem too. It’s not necessary to single any of them out; taken individually and as a whole, they confirm that as long as Brandy Clark is around, poetic narrative in the finest tradition of Country songwriting will endure.
IN HER OWN WORDS
MUSICAL HERO
“Dolly Parton.”
SONG YOU’D LOVE TO COVER
“‘Here You Come Again.’”
TOP ALBUM ON YOUR PLAYLIST
“A random compilation of sad songs.”
WHAT YOU SING IN THE SHOWER
“I don’t sing in the shower. It’s too easy to inhale water ;).”
WORD YOU SAY OVER AND OVER
“At the end of the day.”
WHAT YOU’D BE IF NOT A MUSICAL ARTIST
“An esthetician.”
GREATEST PERFORMANCE TO DATE
“Opening a show in Carmel, Ind., for Sheryl Crow – perfect venue and perfect audience.”
FAVORITE FOOD ON THE ROAD
“Room service.”
SOMETHING WE’D NEVER GUESS ABOUT YOU
“I spent my first two summers after school fighting forest fires.”
Godzilla is set to stomp into theaters on May 16, 2014 with Monsters director Gareth Edwards at the helm. The reboot of the classic monster franchise stars Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Ken Watanabe, Elizabeth Olsen, Juliette Binoche, David Strathairn, and Bryan Cranston and, fortunately, has nothing to do with the disastrous 1998 film which found Godzilla visiting Manhattan.
The Plot:
An epic rebirth to Toho’s iconic Godzilla, this spectacular adventure, from Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures, pits the world’s most famous monster against malevolent creatures who, bolstered by humanity’s scientific arrogance, threaten our very existence.
Legacy Recordings will be releasing a new Johnny Cash album made up of 12 recently discovered tracks on March 24, 2014. The previously undiscovered tracks that make up Out Among The Stars were recorded in 1981 in Nashville at Columbia Studios and in 1984 at the 1111 Sound Studios.
The recordings aren’t demos or outtakes but instead are full recordings stored in Columbia Records’ vault and simply forgotten. Among the tunes found by John Carter Cash and the Cash Experts at Legacy in 2012 are duets with June Carter Cash and Waylon Jennings. “When my parents passed away, it became necessary to go through this material,” said John Carter Cash. “We found these recordings that were produced by Billy Sherrill in the early 1980s…they were beautiful.”
Out Among The Stars Track List
1. Out Among The Stars
2. Baby Ride Easy – duet with June Carter Cash
3. She Used To Love Me A Lot
4. After All
5. I’m Movin’ On – duet with Waylon Jennings
6. If I Told You Who It Was
7. Call Your Mother (written by Johnny Cash)
8. I Drove Her Out Of My Mind
9. Tennessee
10. Rock and Roll Shoes
11. Don’t You Think It’s Come Our Time – duet with June Carter Cash
12. I Came To Believe (written by Johnny Cash)
“The moment I finished The Invention of Wings, I knew this had to be the next Book Club selection,” said Oprah Winfrey. “These strong female characters represent the women that have shaped our history and, through Sue’s imaginative storytelling, give us a new perspective on slavery, injustice and the search for freedom.”
“I’m thrilled and honored that Oprah Winfrey chose my novel as her new book club selection,” responded Sue Monk Kidd. “After researching and writing The Invention of Wings for the past four years, I can’t tell you how exciting it is to launch the novel with Oprah’s Book Club 2.0. I’m immensely grateful.”
The Invention of Wings will be available in stores on January 7, 2014, and an interview Oprah conducted with the author will be included in the January issue of O, The Oprah Magazine.
Meanwhile Sons of Anarchy‘s Charlie Hunnam came in first on the emerging stars list due to his performances in SoA and Pacific Rim and the fact he was initially cast as the lead in Fifty Shades of Grey (he later dropped out).
“The big story this year is Jennifer Lawrence, who is literally ‘The Girl on Fire,’” said Keith Simanton, IMDb’s managing editor. “In 2011 she ranked #1 on the IMDb Top 10 Emerging Stars of the Year list. In 2012 she came in at #2 on our overall Top 10 Stars of 2012 on the strength of the first Hunger Games. This year, she’s #1 as she dominated much of the early awards season, when she won the Oscar for Best Actress for Silver Linings Playbook. Then she re-ignited the latter half of the year as The Hunger Games sequel, Catching Fire, lit up November with box office records. It’s also important to note that she dominated this year’s rankings, outpacing her nearest competitor, Chloë Grace Moretz, with 89% more page views. She led the rest of the field by a much higher margin.”
“Chloë Grace Moretz has also experienced a significant rise over the last several years, moving from #55 on our Top Stars of 2011 chart, to #17 in 2012,” added Simanton. “She catapulted from #17 to #2 in 2013 – an impressive accomplishment that was fueled by fan interest in the remake of Carrie and her film Kick-Ass 2.”
The lists are pulled from actual page views on IMDB which has more than 160 million unique visitors each month.
The IMDb Top 10 Stars of 2013
1. Jennifer Lawrence
2. Chloë Grace Moretz
3. Leonardo DiCaprio
4. Ryan Gosling
5. Tom Hardy
6. Anna Kendrick
7. Johnny Depp
8. Henry Cavill
9. Chris Hemsworth
10. Benedict Cumberbatch
The IMDb Top 10 Emerging Stars of 2013*
1. Charlie Hunnam (#14 overall)
2. Nicholas Hoult (#26 overall)
3. Paul Walker (#61 overall)
4. Shailene Woodley (#64 overall)
5. Aaron Paul (#66 overall)
6. Karl Urban (#69 overall)
7. Logan Lerman (#73 overall)
8. Rebel Wilson (#75 overall)
9. Natalie Dormer (#85 overall)
10. Dave Franco (#86 overall)
*These are the stars who made their debut on the IMDb Top 100 Stars of the Year chart for the first time in 2013. List determined by total page views in 2013.
For those of you who just can’t get enough of Carrie Underwood testing out her acting skills in the live The Sound of Music production which aired on NBC on Thursday, December 5, 2013, Universal Studios Home Entertainment will be making the DVD of The Sound of Music Live! available on December 17th (in time for holiday shopping).
The DVD release of the special will include a ‘Making Of’ special feature that provides a backstage look at the production from the rehearsal process through the actual live performance.
18.6 million viewers tuned in to the live broadcast, and NBC says that The Sound of Music Live! attracted more viewers to a Thursday night program than any show (excluding sports) since the series finale of Frasier back in 2004.
The Cast and the Plot:
The hills are alive with music again – and just in time for the holidays! The Sound of Music, one of the most beloved musicals of all time, is performed live as a joyous television event originally broadcast on NBC. Grammy award-winning performer Carrie Underwood stars as Maria, the vivacious young governess who falls in love with the straitlaced Captain von Trapp (Steven Moyer) and his seven children and teaches them all to embrace the joy of music and sing-along.
Six-time Grammy-winning recording artist Carrie Underwood stars as Maria, the vibrant young governess who brings the joy of music back into the household of the straitlaced, but dashing, Captain von Trapp and his seven lively children. The Sound of Music Live! also stars Stephen Moyer, five-time Tony winner Audra McDonald, and Tony Award winners Laura Benanti and Christian Borle, as well as newcomers Ariane Rinehart, Michael Campayno, Sophia Anne Caruso, Peyton Ella, Michael Nigro, Grace Rundhaug, Ella Watts-Gorman, and Joe West.
Elton John, The Bee Gees, Wings, and Donna Summer are featured on the soundtrack to American Hustle, the ensemble drama from director David O. Russell. Madison Gate Records & Legacy Recordings will be releasing American Hustle – Original Motion Picture Soundtrack on December 10, 2013 digitally and on December 24th in stores in support of the movie’s December 20th theatrical release (December 13th in LA and New York).
Set in the ’70s and showing off the bad hair and wardrobe of the decade, American Hustle features an A-list cast led by Christian Bale and including Bradley Cooper, Amy Adams, Jennifer Lawrence, and Jeremy Renner.
The Plot:
A fictional film set in the alluring world of one of the most extraordinary scandals of the 1970s, American Hustle tells the story of brilliant con man, Irving Rosenfeld (Christian Bale), who along with his equally cunning and seductive partner, Sydney Prosser (Amy Adams), is forced to work for a wild FBI agent, Richie DiMaso (Bradley Cooper). DiMaso pushes them into a world of Jersey powerbrokers and mafia that’s as dangerous as it is enchanting.
Jeremy Renner is Carmine Polito, the passionate, volatile, New Jersey political operator caught between the con-artists and Feds. Irving’s unpredictable wife, Rosalyn (Jennifer Lawrence), could be the one to pull the thread that brings the entire world crashing down.
American Hustle – Original Motion Picture Soundtrack Track List
1. Jeep’s Blues | Duke Ellington
2. Goodbye Yellow Brick Road | Elton John
3. White Rabbit | Mayssa Karaa
4. 10538 Overture | Electric Light Orchestra
5. Live And Let Die | Wings
6. How Can You Mend A Broken Heart | Bee Gees
7. I Feel Love | Donna Summer
8. Don’t Leave Me This Way | Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes
9. Delilah | Tom Jones
10. I’ve Got Your Number | Jack Jones
11. Long Black Road | Electric Light Orchestra
12. A Horse With No Name | America
13. Stream Of Stars | Jeff Lynne
14. Live To Live | Chris Stills
15. Irving Montage | Danny Elfman
Writer/directors Andy Wachowski and Lana Wachowski continue their work in the sci-fi genre with Jupiter Ascending, another extraordinary-looking movie from the filmmaking siblings. Coming to theaters on July 25, 2014, Jupiter Ascending stars Channing Tatum, Mila Kunis, Sean Bean, Eddie Redmayne, and Doona Bae.
The Plot:
Jupiter Jones (Mila Kunis) was born under a night sky, with signs predicting that she was destined for great things. Now grown, Jupiter dreams of the stars but wakes up to the cold reality of a job cleaning other people’s houses and an endless run of bad breaks. Only when Caine (Channing Tatum), a genetically engineered ex-military hunter, arrives on Earth to track her down does Jupiter begin to glimpse the fate that has been waiting for her all along—her genetic signature marks her as next in line for an extraordinary inheritance that could alter the balance of the cosmos.
Spike Jonze (Where the Wild Things Are, Adaptation) delivers an unusual love story with Her starring Joaquin Phoenix, Amy Adams, Rooney Mara, Olivia Wilde, and Scarlett Johansson. Her‘s been included on numerous best films of 2013 lists (American Film Institute, National Board of Review, and the LA Film Critics) and is gaining Oscar momentum for the film’s director, screenplay, and lead actor (Phoenix). Unfortunately, Johansson has been ruled ineligible for her performance by the Hollywood Foreign Press so we won’t be seeing her name on the list of 2014 Golden Globe nominees. Why? Because she is never seen on screen.
Phoenix plays a man who falls in love with his computer operating system, and Johansson (who replaced Samantha Morton in post-production) provides the teasing, sexy voice of his love interest.
At the AFI Fest, Jonze took part in a Q&A in support of the Warner Bros Pictures release hitting theaters on December 18 2013.
On writing Her:
Spike Jonze: “Well, I wrote Where the Wild Things Are with Dave Eggers. This is the first script I had written on my own. It just felt right because it was something I’d been writing notes on over a few years as we were working on Where the Wild Things Are. It was just everything I was thinking about at the time.
I worked with Charlie Kaufman on a number of things. He’s been a good friend and my favorite writer, and one of the things he said one time was that he tries to approach a script to try to represent everything he’s thinking about at that moment in his life and put it in a screenplay. I was inspired by that and was trying to do that, in terms of relationships and our lives and the way we’re living our lives right now.”
On the inspiration for Her:
Spike Jonze: “More just a feeling, more that I’ve been thinking about things, trying to figure out things, questions I’m thinking about.”
On creating the characters:
Spike Jonze: “I think with Samantha, I really liked the idea of trying to empathize with her and understand what her experience would be. One of the things that Scarlett Johansson and I were talking a lot about was the idea that when we first started working on it together, I was in New York and she came over and we read a bunch of scenes. One of the things I was saying to her was when Samantha was created, she doesn’t have any fears or doubts or insecurities or baggage. Like we are, and we learn those. We learn self-doubts and we learn those things. I think it was at that point she was like, ‘Okay, this is going to be hard. This is going to be harder than I thought it was going to be, to try to unlearn those things.’”
On recording Scarlett Johansson’s voice work:
Spike Jonze: “Actually when we shot, we initially had cast Samantha Morton as the character Samantha. Samantha was really involved in giving Joaquin a lot to work from. Then when we got into editing, we had realized that what Samantha and I had done together wasn’t working for what the character needed, and so we ended up having to recast at that point.”
On creating the look of Her:
Spike Jonze: “I think one of the things we decided early on when we were starting to design the look of the movie, especially when K.K. Barrett – our production designer – came on and Casey Storm, when Casey and K.K. came on, one of the things we decided early on is that we weren’t trying to make a future movie, like a predictive movie, like, ‘This is what the future is going to look like.’ We started going down that road and hit all the techie things that are going to happen with monitors in glass and panes of glass, what Corning glassware is doing. It didn’t seem that relevant to our movie and we let go of all that stuff.
I think the idea was to try to make this more seemingly utopic feeling, all soft materials and warm colors and woods. Kind of the idea of in L.A. it’s a pretty nice place to live, outside of traffic, but we have subways that work really well. The weather’s amazing, the mountains are there, the ocean is there, there’s great food, great coffee everywhere. Everything’s nice and easy, especially with technology the way it’s making our lives easier. We wanted to make a movie that felt like that, so the wardrobe felt like that and that’s Casey finding the fabrics and colors.
Even in a world that seems like you should have everything to make your life nice, there’s still sort of aloneness and isolation that I think is maybe true. There’s something that feels contemporary about that and also specifically feels like L.A. about that.”
On coming up with the score:
Spike Jonze: “The music’s done by Arcade Fire. They were working on that record as they were working on this so it was interesting. Win [Butler] and I started talking about the score about two years ago. It kind of seemed like the record informed the soundtrack and the soundtrack informed the record a little bit. There’s a song on the record, the last one, called ‘Supersymmetry’ that he wrote for the movie, but then sort of became something else.
I think what Win and I started talking about in the beginning was just that we wanted the soundtrack to have this electricity to it, a current to it, but not to be electronic and not to use synthesizers at all, not to feel synthetic but to feel handmade but still have an electricity to it, and also just to play a sort of romance and love story and longing of Theodore.”
Spike Jonze: “Actually, I guess sometimes I didn’t think they were cast against type but I guess I was trying to cast them for aspects that I felt is their essence. With Joaquin, the reason I kept wanting to work with him is just because I think he’s an amazing actor and he’s so alive and holds the camera in this incredible way in his movies. His choices are so surprising and so authentic, and also because I was thinking of who could actually hold the camera that way, because his performance has to sort of represent both of the characters on screen since she’s not physically represented. I was thinking I didn’t know if he was going to be… I mean, I thought he’d be amazing. He’s an amazing actor, but was he going to be Theodore?
So I met with him the week after I finished the script. I sent Megan [Ellison, producer] the script and went and met with Joaquin and I just instantly felt this, because I’d met him over the years a little bit but I didn’t really get a sense of him, and when I talked with him I saw how playful he was and he’s somebody that as seriously as he takes his work, he doesn’t take himself seriously at all. Within the first five minutes watching him I realized I wasn’t even listening to what he was saying. I was just smiling, ‘Wow, absolutely, really, that’s interesting.'”
On the rehearsal process:
Spike Jonze: “We rehearse a lot. The process usually though is just reading the script and the scenes together over and over and talking about it, not really acting it. Not trying to cement it in this scene has to be played this way. I think with Joaquin, when he’s excited about a scene, he doesn’t know how to play it. When the scene is written, ‘This is how to play it and this is the one way it’s supposed to go and there’s no other possibilities,’ I think the scene feels dead to him.
But when he’s reading a scene and he starts to imagine all the different possibilities and he doesn’t know what this scene is exactly, but he knows it has a lot of different ways it can go, that’s when he gets excited about a scene. He’s not playing the scene like, ‘Oh, this is the scene that’s about… This scene he’s apologizing and that’s what the scene’s about.’ I think if it comes to that, then that almost makes him anxious and he shuts down. When the scene has possibilities to be anything, go anywhere, it can be an apology but it could be also a tension to it or an uncertainty of how he’s going to get accepted. Some complex thing happening that makes the apology.”
On deciding on the look of the future Los Angeles:
Spike Jonze: “We actually collaged Shanghai and LA together to make this future L.A. K.K. Barrett, our production designer, it was a lot of location scouting both here in L.A. and Shanghai to find this exact thing. Then of course going into spaces, going into the office where we built the lettering office in a building, what he did in there. There was actually a photographer named Rinko Kawauchi, a Japanese photographer who Hoyte [Van Hoytema], our cinematographer, and I had obsessed on his book because the photos have this real softness but real bright colors, blown out and white but then real strong hints of pink or pale blue. I think that became a reference for the romantic quality of the photography we were going for.”
Stumble It! 
Legacy Recordings will be releasing a new Johnny Cash album made up of 12 recently discovered tracks on March 24, 2014. The previously undiscovered tracks that make up Out Among The Stars were recorded in 1981 in Nashville at Columbia Studios and in 1984 at the 1111 Sound Studios.
