The new season of TV's American Idol starts on Tuesday, but four previous Idol stars — Taylor Hicks, Fantasia Barrino, Kellie Pickler and Chris Daughtry — have all put out albums within weeks of each other. Rock critic Ken Tucker says their styles vary widely, but that quality-control is a common problem.
Classical music critic Lloyd Schwartz reviews The Rodgers & Hammerstein Collection, a 12-disc DVD set of musicals created by composer Richard Rodgers and lyricist Oscar Hammerstein II.
Clint Eastwood has examined the Battle of Iwo Jima from two sides this year. His acclaimed film Flags of Our Fathers followed the stories of the American soldiers who raised the flag in one of World War II's most enduring images. His new movie, Letters from Iwo Jima, explores the perspective of the Japanese soldiers who fought it. The actor once best-known as a western and action star has directed a number of great films, including Unforgiven, Mystic River, and Million Dollar Baby.
Republican pollster Frank Luntz advises politicians on the language they should use to win elections and promote their policies. Although he works on one side of the aisle, he says that what he does is essentially nonpartisan, seeking clarity and simplicity in language. His critics disagree, and have accused him of using language that misrepresents policies to "sell" them to the public. Frank Luntz is the author of Words That Work.
Singer, guitarist, and author Alex Kapranos is the frontman for the Glasgow-based indie rock quartet Franz Ferdinand. The band, best known for its single "Take Me Out," has produced two hit CDs. Kapranos has a new book about eating on tour, called Sound Bites. The book is compiled partly from his column in London's Guardian newspaper about his gastronomic adventures.
Journalist Zev Chafets is a former New York Daily News columnist and founding editor of the Jerusalem Report. In his new book, A Match Made in Heaven, Chafets explores American evangelical support for Israel.
Never Hear the End of It is the new double album by Sloan. The quartet from Nova Scotia was formed in 1991, and has spent most of the time since then as one of Canada's most popular rock bands. Their new album consists of 30 songs, which is an unusually large amount of new material.
Not many countries saw their traditional music gain popularity and vitality in the late 20th century, but Ireland did. Starting in the late 1960s with the Chieftains, and continuing with more rock-oriented groups like Planxty and Horslips, Irish music had a renaissance. Then came punk rock, and with it the Pogues, whose first five albums have just been reissued by Rhino. The releases are Red Roses for Me, Rum, Sodomy & the Lash, If I Should Fall from Grace with God, Peace & Love and Hell's Ditch.
Jazz critic Kevin Whitehead reviews What Exit, the major label debut by violinist Mark Feldman. After touring with Loretta Lynn in the 1980s, Feldman moved to New York, where he got involved with jazz, open improvisation and contemporary classical music.
Film critic David Edelstein reviews The Painted Veil, from a novel by W. Somerset Maugham, and Miss Potter, about the life of the author and illustrator of Peter Rabbit.
English comedian and actor Sacha Baron Cohen is best-known for his characters. They include a journalist from England named Ali G, and Bruno, a flamboyantly gay Austrian fashion reporter. His most famous character is Borat, a Kazakhstan reporter who stars in the controversial film Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan. All three characters were part of his Da Ali G Show.
Novelist Robert Stone has written a new memoir that begins with a stint in the Navy in the late 1950s, continues through his work as a journalist in Vietnam and then includes his counterculture years in the 1970s, taking hallucinogenic drugs, cross-country road trips, and hanging out with Ken Kesey and the Merry Pranksters. His memoir is, Prime Green: Remembering the Sixties. Stone's novels include Dog Soldiers (which was adapted into the film Who'll Stop the Rain), and Outerbridge Reach.
The 2006 award season is drawing to a close and linguist Geoff Nunberg gets in just under the wire with the announcement of the first annual Becky award, bestowed by a group of linguists.
Classical music critic Lloyd Schwartz reviews three new releases of live recordings by the late mezzo-soprano Lorraine Hunt Lieberson: John Harbison's North and South; Peter Liberson's Neruda Songs; and Rilke Songs.
Writer Stefan Kanfer. His new book is âStardust Lost: The Triumph, Tragedy, and Mishugas of the Yiddish Theater in America.â Itâs about the glory days of Yiddish theater in the late 19th and early 20th century. Kanfer was a writer and editor at Time magazine for 20 years and is the author of many books including biographies of Lucille Ball and Groucho Marx.
Journalist Jody Rosen. Heâs put together an album called âJewfaceâ (Reboot Stereophonic Records). Itâs the first anthology of Jewish minstrel songs. Tracks include âCohen Owes Me 97 Dollars,â âIâm a Yiddish Cowboyâ and other long lost hits from the vaudeville stage of the early 20th century. Rosen is the music critic for Slate.com and also writes for The Nation. Heâs the author of the book âWhite Christmas: The Story of an American Song.â
The "Godfather of Soul" passed away on December 25, 2006. Brown is considered one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, blending gospel, rhythm and blues, and funk. His many hits include "Get Up Offa That Thing," "Funky President," "Papa's Got a Brand New Bag," "Super Bad," and "I Got You." The self-proclaimed "Hardest Working Man in Show Business" received a Lifetime Achievement Grammy Award and was one of the first musicians inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Along with Ralph Blaine, Hugh Martin wrote "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas." The song was made famous in the 1944 film Meet Me in St. Louis, but since then, many different versions have been recorded with changes in lyrics. Martin also wrote music for Broadway productions including Best Foot Forward, Look Ma, I'm Dancin' and the stage version of Meet Me in St. Louis. Martin is 94.
