London – June 25, 2013 – The Beatles’ second feature film, 1965’s Help!, makes its worldwide digital release debut today, exclusively on the iTunes Store (www.iTunes.com/TheBeatles). The digitally restored film and 5.1 soundtrack features iTunes Extras including a 30-minute documentary about the making of the film, memories of the cast and crew, an in-depth look at the restoration process, an outtake scene, original theatrical trailers and radio spots and detailed art, including a companion piece with an introduction by the film’s director, Richard Lester and an appreciation by Martin Scorsese.
Forever Dusty Ticket and Playbill Signed by Kirsten Holly Smith
Do you love the music of legendary pop/soul singer Dusty Springfield? I sure do. So it was a super fun treat to attend a Sunday matinee performance of the musical, Forever Dusty this past weekend at New World Stages, a really cool, multi-theater off Broadway venue. Forever Dusty tells the fascinating story of the life of Springfield (born Mary O’Brien), whose career spanned four decades before she passed away from cancer in 1999. Everyone knows Dusty’s music, but her personal life was just as colorful as her songs. I loved this play so much! Continue reading Must See Show: Forever Dusty→
If I didn’t have a calendar in front of me I’d swear it was April Fools’ Day, because I just read about a new musical coming to off-Broadway which is based on the true story of the late sixties’ all female rock band, The Shaggs. For those unfamiliar with this pop cultural phenomenon, the band was composed of sisters Dorothy “Dot” Wiggin (vocals/lead guitar), Betty Wiggin (vocals/rhythm guitar), Helen Wiggin (drums), and later Rachel Wiggin (bass). The Shaggs were formed by Dot, Betty, and Helen in 1968 on the insistence of their father, Austin Wiggin, who believed that his mother foresaw the band’s rise to stardom. Continue reading Shaggs: Philosophy of The World Comes to the Off Broadway Stage!→
Julie Taymor is an extremely literal-minded director. That much is in evidence if you’ve seen the film Across the Universe, a Taymor-directed 2006 release in which she visually interpreted, word-for-word, a cache of The Beatles’ most popular songs in order to tell the most simple-minded love story imaginable.
