Chris Noth, most noted for his role of Mr. Big in ‘Sex and the City’, has resigned from his hit cop drama ‘Law and Order: Criminal Intent’ after three seasons playing Detective Mike Logan.
In a statement announcing his resignation, Noth said he was leaving the show on amicable terms.
“When others couldn’t get television shows produced in New York, Dick Wolf found a way to do it, and as a New Yorker I truly appreciate all that he has done for the city,” he said.
“The last few years have been fantastic, and both sides are happy with the result. All’s well that ends well.”
Noth was one of the original cast on tthe original ‘Law & Order” series on NBC from 1990 to 1995.
He will be replaced on screen by film actor Jeff Goldblum, star of ‘Jurassic Park’ and ‘Independence Day’. “Jeff’s presence will add a new dimension to an already successful show,” said series creator Dick Wolf.
Photo courtesy of New Line Cinema.
Tuesday, 1 July 2008
Monday, 23 June 2008
Doug Levitt
Singer/songwriter Doug Levitt specializes in war zones. Initially working as an overseas reporter for outlets like CNN and MSNBC, he'd gather firsthand accounts from people in Rwanda, Iran and Bosnia. But now the Washington, D.C., native is "reporting" on conflicts of a different kind.
Four years ago, after returning to the United States, Levitt boarded a Greyhound bus with a bag and a guitar and crossed America for six weeks. He interviewed other travelers—many of them armed service veterans—and began writing songs based on stories of poverty and sticky social issues. He performed in bus terminals and at political rallies and city meetings. When he returned home, he burned some CDs of the songs and wrote a book, "The Greyhound Diaries," published by Dogged Pony. Then he did it all again. And again.
"I'm political to the extent my music reflects what people are feeling and speaks to the conflicts of the moment," Levitt says. "I write on our human portrait. We're dealing with a different war here."
Levitt has since created a Web series that features his music and narrative accounts on douglevitt.com, a home for his thoughts on the ongoing conflict in the Middle East and hopeful musings on America's shifting political climate. His support of the Democratic party has also lead to a unique way to share his music: He is a surrogate for the Barack Obama campaign and has stumped for the presidential candidate when he was unable to make an appearance at rallies himself.
"I consider myself a musician first, but there's a shift toward being a multiplatform artist," the 36-year-old says. Levitt has been moving forward with licensing opportunities with the help of powerhouse lawyer Ken Hertz (Will Smith, Beyoncé, Christina Aguilera) and is in talks with TV producer Bryn Freedman ("TMZ," A&E's "Intervention") about bringing "The Greyhound Diaries" to cable. He has already released a "Greyhound Diaries" EP, produced by David Henry (Guster, Josh Rouse) and is planning to release a full-length by September—just in time for election season.
See Also
Four years ago, after returning to the United States, Levitt boarded a Greyhound bus with a bag and a guitar and crossed America for six weeks. He interviewed other travelers—many of them armed service veterans—and began writing songs based on stories of poverty and sticky social issues. He performed in bus terminals and at political rallies and city meetings. When he returned home, he burned some CDs of the songs and wrote a book, "The Greyhound Diaries," published by Dogged Pony. Then he did it all again. And again.
"I'm political to the extent my music reflects what people are feeling and speaks to the conflicts of the moment," Levitt says. "I write on our human portrait. We're dealing with a different war here."
Levitt has since created a Web series that features his music and narrative accounts on douglevitt.com, a home for his thoughts on the ongoing conflict in the Middle East and hopeful musings on America's shifting political climate. His support of the Democratic party has also lead to a unique way to share his music: He is a surrogate for the Barack Obama campaign and has stumped for the presidential candidate when he was unable to make an appearance at rallies himself.
"I consider myself a musician first, but there's a shift toward being a multiplatform artist," the 36-year-old says. Levitt has been moving forward with licensing opportunities with the help of powerhouse lawyer Ken Hertz (Will Smith, Beyoncé, Christina Aguilera) and is in talks with TV producer Bryn Freedman ("TMZ," A&E's "Intervention") about bringing "The Greyhound Diaries" to cable. He has already released a "Greyhound Diaries" EP, produced by David Henry (Guster, Josh Rouse) and is planning to release a full-length by September—just in time for election season.
See Also
Wednesday, 18 June 2008
MP3-killers line up against the king of digital music formats
DENVER - Much like the Dvorak keyboard, new digital music formats pose a challenge even as they offer solutions.The Dvorak is an alternative to the standard QWERTY keyboard that rearranges the keys so that typing on it is much quicker and more efficient. Yet few outside of hardcore computer programmers use it because replacing the existing QWERTY standard would be too costly and difficult. For much the same reasons, alternative digital music formats face an uphill battle replacing the tried-and-true MP3.The Motion Pictures Experts Group, otherwise known as MPEG, will meet this month in Germany to consider making a new digital audio format called MT9 an international standard.Developed by the South Korean company Audizen, the MT9 format - commercially known as Music 2.0 - splits an audio file into six channels, such as vocals, guitar, bass and so on. Users playing the track can then raise or lower the volume on the different channels like a producer on a mixing board, to the point of isolating a single item.
According to the Korea Times, its inventors say the new format will replace MP3 as the standard for all digital music. But certain music industry realities stand in the way of their goal.From a technical perspective, replacing MP3 with a new digital music standard would be rather easy. Digital retailers in a matter of months could refresh their entire database with music containing the new format - just as Napster and Wal-Mart quickly switched from digital rights management to non-DRM formats.But to do so, these retailers would need their label partners to provide them with music encoded in the new format, meaning that all the major labels and the host of independents would need to one day agree to start using a new technology to sell their music.Then they would need audio manufacturers - in particular, Apple - to start making products that support the format and its capabilities. The average life span of today's MP3 player is about eight to 12 months, so it would take time to re-seed the market with new devices.Implementing a new digital music format would require an unprecedented level of cooperation among the labels, digital retailers and manufacturers.Keeping fans interestedIt's possible to attempt a staged rollout, where only a computer could access the full features of the new format while portable devices slowly caught up, but that setup would be far less interesting to the music fan."The value proposition to the consumer is linked to the functionality," says Napster COO Christopher Allen, who oversaw the company's format change to MP3. "So if I can do something on my PC with a client player but I can't do it on the web or my device, the value to the consumer of that format is not as exciting as if there were a whole ecosystem that could take advantage of the new format's capabilities."
According to the Korea Times, its inventors say the new format will replace MP3 as the standard for all digital music. But certain music industry realities stand in the way of their goal.From a technical perspective, replacing MP3 with a new digital music standard would be rather easy. Digital retailers in a matter of months could refresh their entire database with music containing the new format - just as Napster and Wal-Mart quickly switched from digital rights management to non-DRM formats.But to do so, these retailers would need their label partners to provide them with music encoded in the new format, meaning that all the major labels and the host of independents would need to one day agree to start using a new technology to sell their music.Then they would need audio manufacturers - in particular, Apple - to start making products that support the format and its capabilities. The average life span of today's MP3 player is about eight to 12 months, so it would take time to re-seed the market with new devices.Implementing a new digital music format would require an unprecedented level of cooperation among the labels, digital retailers and manufacturers.Keeping fans interestedIt's possible to attempt a staged rollout, where only a computer could access the full features of the new format while portable devices slowly caught up, but that setup would be far less interesting to the music fan."The value proposition to the consumer is linked to the functionality," says Napster COO Christopher Allen, who oversaw the company's format change to MP3. "So if I can do something on my PC with a client player but I can't do it on the web or my device, the value to the consumer of that format is not as exciting as if there were a whole ecosystem that could take advantage of the new format's capabilities."
Sunday, 8 June 2008
Spiritualized announce October tour
Spiritualized have announced a new UK tour, set to take place in October.
Jason Pierce's group will call at seven cities on the tour, including Newcastle, Oxford and Birmingham.
The jaunt is in support of Spiritualized's new album 'Songs In A&E'.
The band will play:
Newcastle Academy (October 9)
Leeds University (10)
Manchester Academy (11)
Oxford Academy (13)
Portsmouth Pyramids (14)
Birmingham Academy (15)
London Roundhouse (16)
To check the availability of Spiritualized tickets and get all the latest listings, go to NME.COM/GIGS now, or call 0871 230 1094.
May 20, 2008 at KOKO, London -
May 28, 2008 at Tripod, Dublin -
May 29, 2008 at Mandela Hall, Belfast -
More Spiritualized tickets
Jason Pierce's group will call at seven cities on the tour, including Newcastle, Oxford and Birmingham.
The jaunt is in support of Spiritualized's new album 'Songs In A&E'.
The band will play:
Newcastle Academy (October 9)
Leeds University (10)
Manchester Academy (11)
Oxford Academy (13)
Portsmouth Pyramids (14)
Birmingham Academy (15)
London Roundhouse (16)
To check the availability of Spiritualized tickets and get all the latest listings, go to NME.COM/GIGS now, or call 0871 230 1094.
May 20, 2008 at KOKO, London -
May 28, 2008 at Tripod, Dublin -
May 29, 2008 at Mandela Hall, Belfast -
More Spiritualized tickets
Saturday, 7 June 2008
Faye Dunaway - Dunaway Slams Hollywood Ageism
Veteran actress FAYE DUNAWAY has scolded Hollywood film producers for denying older female stars the chance to play major movie lead roles.
Dunaway, 67, insists movie bosses' casting decisions are hypocritical - because they allow ageing male stars, including her former Chinatown co-star Jack Nicholson, to romance much younger actresses on the big screen.
She says, "I am furious that they think I'm too old to play the love interest of guys like Jack Nicholson and Clint Eastwood. Why should I play sisters and mothers while guys like Jack and Clint (Eastwood), who are older than me, have on-screen lovers half their age?"
See Also
Fleetwood Mac and Christine Perfect
Artist: Fleetwood Mac and Christine Perfect
Genre(s):
Other
Discography:
Albatross
Year: 1977
Tracks: 16
Boyz II Men stand up for Simon Cowell
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)