For whatever reason, Legacy decided to shortchange Destiny’s Child fans with an incomplete collection of music videos on the new DVD The Video Anthology. As it is, there are 15 videos included and eight missing in action. While I love Beyoncé’s voice, as well as the harmonies of the classic lineup that included Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams, Destiny’s Child...
Some of Hollywood’s Craziest Celebrity Rider Demands
The more a celebrity rises among the Hollywood ranks, the more demanding he or she tends to become. There’s certainly nothing wrong with that—after all, part of being a star is being able to ask for some extravagance of service now and then. Many stars request things such as having a proper green room backstage, maybe some room temperature water...
Book Review: The Godfather: The Official Motion Picture Archives by Peter Cowie
Anyone with even a passing interest in Francis Ford Coppola’s famed trilogy of Mafia films would do well to check out Peter Cowie’s The Godfather: The Official Motion Picture Archives. Not only does the book detail the making of the films (with a primary focus on the 1972 original) via text and photos, there are several inserts containing removable facsimile...
Blu-ray Review: The Grifters
Twenty-three years after its original theatrical release, Stephen Frears’ The Grifters still holds up as a chilling portrait of utterly unscrupulous characters engaged in the seedy underworld of con artists. Finally available on Blu-ray, the hard-boiled, neo-noir thriller is bolstered by the performances of John Cusack, Anjelica Huston, and Annette Bening. The latter two were both rewarded with Academy Award...
An Insightful Look at Audio Mastering with Steve Hoffman
Rock and roll is a tireless universe. The whole of it is made of so many elements that to begin to catalog them would be an immense undertaking. There are all kinds of music that need to sound their best for an audience. That’s where great engineers separate from the many who call such an undertaking a job. As with...
On the Right Path: Interview with Rogue’s Jarod Joseph
It was just three years ago that actor Jarod Joseph made his professional debut in the big screen adventure Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief. While his role might not have been an especially big one, the actual experience is one that he vividly remembers to this day. “I’d performed in acting class and appeared in a play...
Books: J. David Spurlock on The Alluring Art of Margaret Brundage: Queen of Pin-Up Art
As the editor and publisher of Vanguard Productions, J. David Spurlock has overseen the release of a multitude of books over the course of his lifetime. Given that his own history is intertwined with those of dozens of past masters and living legends of illustration and comics, it’s little surprise that his imprint’s catalog features the work of such luminaries...
DVD Review: Koala Kid
Here’s a rather curious computer-animated import from South Korea. Originally titled The Outback, the 2012 feature film has been rechristened Koala Kid and is now available on DVD in the U.S. exclusively at Walmart and Sam’s Club. Directed by Kyung Ho Lee (co-director of 2007’s Garfield Gets Real), it’s the story of an all-white koala bear named Johnny who is...
Comics: David Sandoval on The Tribulations of Abaddon
One of the great things about crowdfunding generally, and sites like Kickstarter in particular, is that it creates a level playing field. While long-time fan favorites might appear to have an advantage over the first-time creator, that’s simply not necessarily the case. Everyone enters the system with essentially the same amount of space to state their case and solicit support....
Comics: Elaine Lee and Michael William Kaluta on Starstruck—Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow
Picking right up where we left off last time, Elaine Lee and Michael William Kaluta discuss some of the controversies that surrounded the original release of Starstruck and why they have no real concerns about their work being received in the same way in today’s marketplace. They also share some of their fond memories surrounding the early days of their...