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The Who’s Pete Townshend Gets the Les Paul Award in California

Roger Friedman
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The Who’s Pete Townshend Gets the Les Paul Award in California

Before the week gets away from us: last weekend, Pete Townshend received the Les Paul Award in Anaheim, California. Julia Fordham performed, Paul McCartney sent a video message (in our home page video player), and there was a lot of rocking going on.

The gregarious and dependable Martin Lewis not only helped put the whole thing together, but then he wrote it up for me. Since I can’t improve on Martin’s recollections, here’s his version:

Rock And Roll Hall Of Famer and Kennedy Center Honoree Pete Townshend of The Who has received one of the music industry’s highest accolades – the Les Paul Award. Named in honor of guitarist and multi-track recording pioneer the late Les Paul, the trophy is presented annually to honor “individuals or institutions that have set the highest standards of excellence in the creative application of audio technology.”

Townshend was the 22nd recipient of the award that was first established in 1991.  Past winners include:  Peter Gabriel • Brian Wilson • Neil Young • Sting • Paul McCartney • Robbie Robertson • Bruce Springsteen • David Byrne • Steve Miller • Al Kooper • Lindsay Buckingham • Steve Vai 

The award was presented to Townshend in Anaheim, California – the same city in which Townshend’s band The Who kicked off their 2013 US tour this past Monday (January 28th).

Among those toasting Townshend at the presentation were rock legends Slash, John Sebastian of the Lovin’ Spoonful (who emceed the awards show) and Eric Burdon of the Animals (friendly rivals to the Who in the 1960s).  Townshend was presented his award by an old friend, producer and humorist Martin Lewis – who recruited and produced Townshend for his ground-breaking acoustic performances at Amnesty International’s first “Secret Policeman’s Ball” in 1979.

In Lewis’ speech presenting Townshend with the Les Paul Award, he surprised the honoree by showing two special messages he’d arranged from two of Townshend’s oldest pals who were in the UK and unable to attend the event – Rolling Stone Sir Mick Jagger and Beatle Sir Paul McCartney.

Following Townshend’s heartfelt acceptance speech – the evening was brought to a crescendo with a five-song, 30-minute musical salute produced by Lewis and Musical Director Larry Batiste that climaxed with an unscheduled on-stage performance by Townshend who was moved to join the grand finale.

Backed by the event’s house band – The 2Cold Chilibone TEC Band – Townshend and the 1,000 industry professionals in attendance in the Pacific Ballroom of the Anaheim Hilton heard these songs:

“I Can’t Explain” – the Who’s first hit – written and recorded in 1965.  Performed by a 19-year-old newcomer from Los Angeles, Bree Kennedy. Guest bass player on this performance was former Jeff Beck & Rod Stewart bassist Phil Chen – whose friendship with Townshend dates back to 1965.  (Chen was a member of “Jimmy James & The Vagabonds” – a Jamaican ska-soul band who often supported the Who in 1965-1966.)

“Won’t Get Fooled Again” – Townshend’s 1971 classic performed as a finger-picking acoustic solo by multiple Grammy-winning guitarist Laurence Juber – who shared his first Grammy with Townshend when both were among the multiple guitarists on the studio version of Paul McCartney’s 1979 track “Rockestra”.  (They also performed together at the 1979 “Concerts for the People of Kampuchea”)

“The Seeker” – Townshend’s 1970 song about his spiritual journey was performed by 71-year-old Rock And Roll Hall Of Famer Eric Burdon – vocalist for the Animals.  Apart from their musical paths crossing frequently in the 1960s and 1970s, the two worked together in a literary vein in the 1980s when Townshend commissioned and edited Burdon’s autobiography “I Used to Be an Animal But I’m All Right Now” for British book publishers Faber & Faber.  Playing bass on this performance was 26-year-old Australian bass prodigy Tal Wilkenfeld who currently plays for Jeff Beck.

“Lifehouse Medley” – L.A.-based British chanteuse Julia Fordham brought Townshend to his feet to applaud her vocals on a medley of two key songs from Townshend’s famous 1971 “Lifehouse” project (originally conceived as the follow-up to “Tommy” – but subsequently abandoned and not released till 1999.)   Martin Lewis – a longtime admirer of Townshend’s “Lifehouse” – conceived the medley consisting of “The Song Is Over” and “Pure And Easy” and arranged it with Musical Director Larry Batiste.

“Let My Love Open The Door” – led by Grammy-winning David Pack – formerly vocalist/guitarist for 1970s/1980s rock band Ambrosia – all the evening’s musicians assembled on stage together – with Eric Burdon, Julia Fordham and Bree Kennedy providing backing vocals. The performance of Townshend’s 1980 Top Ten solo hit brought the night to a rousing end.

Midway through the song, Townshend left his table to join the musicians on-stage – bringing the entire audience to its feet in salute. Townshend embraced Burdon and after joining in on the chorus – delighted the crowd by singing several verses from the song – taking evident pleasure in delivering one of the tongue-in-cheek lyrics in the song “you’re so lucky I’m around…” to the crowd – a sentiment that the cheering ballroom appeared to endorse.

The ceremony was the highlight award of the 28th Annual TEC Awards (Technical Excellence in Creativity) – often referred to as the “backstage Grammys” – awards that recognize excellence in the professional audio world.   (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TEC_Awards).  The awards night was held under the aegis of the world’s largest annual music products trade fair – the NAMM Show (first established in 1901).  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NAMM_Show   The TEC Awards were established in 1985.  They are executive-produced by TEC Foundation founders David Schwartz and Hillel Resner.

The TEC Foundation for Excellence in Audio is a 501(c)(3) public benefit corporation. Proceeds of the TEC Awards have been donated over the years to organizations that educate both sound professionals and music listeners about hearing health. The Foundation has also funded scholarship endowments at a number colleges and universities for students of the audio arts and sciences.   http://www.tecfoundation.com/

Flash: Barbra Streisand to Perform on Oscars for First Time in 36 Years

Roger Friedman
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Flash: Barbra Streisand to Perform on Oscars for First Time in 36 Years

Barbra Streisand is coming to the Oscars. She’s singing. Imagine a show with Barbra, Adele, and Jennifer Hudson all performing. Holy cow. This will be a good show. Plus, Hugh Jackman, Anne Hathaway, and the tributes to “Chicago,” “Mamma Mia,” “Hairspray,” “Dreamgirls.” Bring a pillow and a blanket!

Here’s the press release:

BEVERLY HILLS, CA – Two-time Academy Award® winner Barbra Streisand, who has sung on the Oscars only once before, will perform on the upcoming Oscar® telecast on February 24. Streisand last sang the love theme from “A Star Is Born” on the March 28, 1977 show, winning the Best Original Song Oscar for “Evergreen” that same night.

http://www.showbiz411.com/2012/10/11/streisand-gets-political-in-her-brooklyn-singing-return

“In an evening that celebrates the artistry of movies and music,” said producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron, “how could the telecast be complete without Barbra Streisand? We are honored that she has agreed to do a very special performance on this year’s Oscars, her first time singing on the show in 36 years.”

Streisand won her first Oscar for Best Actress in “Funny Girl” (1968), and was nominated again in 1973 for her lead performance in “The Way We Were.” She was also nominated for producing the Best Picture nominee “The Prince of Tides” (1991), which she also directed, and for co-writing the original song “I Finally Found Someone” from “The Mirror Has Two Faces” (1996).

http://www.showbiz411.com/2012/09/19/barbra-streisand-aretha-franklin-rare-meeting-of-divas-for-hamlisch

Justin Timberlake Single Sales Soft: Is it Jay Z or the Six Year Absence?

Roger Friedman
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Justin Timberlake Single Sales Soft: Is it Jay Z or the Six Year Absence?

Justin Timberlake’s first album in six years, “The 20/20 Experience,” is coming on March 19th. I told you about Timberlake’s new album last fall exclusively. Last week, he released the premiere single, “Suit and Tie,” featuring Jay Z, to some fanfare after teasing it on social media. The single is great, and so is the video. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KReoTOZK9W8 But after a flurry of initial interest and sales, “Suit and Tie” has struggled on all charts. It’s dropped to number 9 already on iTunes, and number 13 on amazon.com. It’s only been 10 days.

Of note: the top pop station in the US, Z-100, lists “Suit and Tie” at number 20 of its most popular records this week. And in morning drive, “Suit and Tie” is simply not in the rotation of the last 10 records played.

What does this say for “20/20”? A couple of things. First of all, “Suit and Tie” is just about ruined by Jay Z’s rap plopped into the middle of the song for no reason. Jay Z is fine if you like him, but Timberlake fans don’t want him popping up on records willy-nilly. I hope there’s a version of “Suit and Tie” without him, much like Alicia Keys released her own “Empire State of Mind” sans the entrepreneur rapper.

Second, six years may have been too long to stay away. “Suit and Tie” is behaving like a single from a ‘legacy artist’ like the Rolling Stones– and not like a contemporary artist. Timberlake is 31 years old, which is ancient in the world set up by record labels in 2013. The other Justin, who is frightful, is 18. Pop music has become the domain of prepubescents. “Suit and Tie” is already too sophisticated for the dumbed down audience of today. I hope someone’s thought about that. You think of JT as a kid, but Lady Gaga and Adele are six years younger than him.

 

Oscars: Is “Argo” the Best Picture or the Most Snubbed?

Roger Friedman
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Oscars: Is “Argo” the Best Picture or the Most Snubbed?

As the Oscar voting goes into high gear, some people are wondering whether “Argo” is the Best Picture of the Year or the Most Snubbed? So far “Argo” seems to have picked up awards based at least partly on the Academy’s inadvertent snub of Ben Affleck as the director of “Argo.” The directors chosen by the Academy voters have caused no end of discussion among the Oscar cognoscenti.

My own theory was that the Academy didn’t have the DGA final nominees list in front of them. But for some reason, the Academy left out Affleck, Kathyrn Bigelow, Quentin Tarantino and Tom Hooper. Now it would seem a little odd to have a Best Picture that was directed by someone who didn’t even make the ballot. But that’s the case for “Argo,” “Zero Dark Thirty,” “Django Unchained,” and “Les Miserables.”

And then we have Ang Lee, David O. Russell, and Steven Spielberg– all of whom have the Best Picture and Best Director nominations. “Life of Pi,” “Silver Linings Playbook” and “Lincoln” would seem like more reasonable choices– and less emotional. It’s possible that since “Argo” won its early awards, voters have calmed down from that earlier ‘we’ll show ’em” stance. I do think people are actually feeling sorry for Ben Affleck (who I like a lot and have known since “Good Will Hunting”). But really, kids, he’s married to Jennifer Garner. And he’s Ben Affleck. He should feel sorry for us.

“Life of Pi” is very popular, and Fox is spending on its campaign. “Silver Linings” is just hitting $70 million at the box office, and keeps engendering great word of mouth. “Lincoln” remains the epic achievement, with a Best Actor nominee in Daniel Day Lewis who’s sure to win. And that’s another thing–aside from Alan Arkin, “Argo” has no acting nominees. Can it be Best Picture without a director or actors?

I think there are still some surprises out there. The Oscar race is far from over.

Oscar News: Oscar Hits the Road, and Academy Gets Classic Posters

Roger Friedman
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Oscar News: Oscar Hits the Road, and Academy Gets Classic Posters

Oscar news from the Academy: first, Oscar is hitting the road. The Academy is sending out two reps to various cities so regular people can see Oscar statues close up and even hold them. It’s the first time ever for this opportunity and it’s all being done via social networking. You can follow the journey of Oscar Roadtrip reporters Ben Gleib and Angie Greenup on OscarRoadtrip.com, @OscarRoadtrip and Facebook.com/TheAcademy.

Then: the Academy announced today that it’s received a gift of 1,088 original movie posters from the golden age of Hollywood filmmaking.

“The posters have been donated by Dwight Cleveland, a Chicago real estate developer, who has amassed one of the largest and most historically significant collections of movie posters in the world.

The donated posters document the studio era of “B” movie filmmaking in the first half of the 20th century and include examples from Twentieth Century-Fox.  A variety of genres are represented, including westerns, war films, musicals, biblical tales, and social problem films.

The gift, which will be housed in the Academy’s Margaret Herrick Library, fills some significant gaps in the Academy’s collection.  “B-movies tap into the public consciousness and provide rich fodder for better understanding the times,” said Margaret Herrick Library Director Linda Mehr.

Mr. Cleveland began collecting in 1977 while still in high school, inspired after seeing film posters in an art teacher’s classroom.  After moving to Los Angeles, Cleveland scoured the once-plentiful collector’s shops on Hollywood Boulevard for high-quality memorabilia.  He continues to collect today.

“I really think that film posters are one of the very few truly indigenous art forms of our country,” Mr. Cleveland said.  “By making these gifts, I hope to excite an appreciation for the works themselves among members of the general public and also set a good example for other collectors.”

“Dwight’s collection was a dream to receive.  Not only was it very well organized, but the posters also were in excellent shape.  Our staff is fairly certain he was a librarian in another lifetime,” said Anne Coco, the Herrick’s graphic arts librarian.

The Cleveland collection has been meticulously cataloged, conserved and photographed.  Posters in the library’s collections are stored in climate-controlled vaults in Beverly Hills and may be accessed by filmmakers, historians, journalists, students and the general public.  They are frequently shown at the Academy’s own exhibitions and loaned to cultural institutions worldwide.

For more information about Academy’s holdings, visit www.oscars.org.

The Soaps Are Safe: CBS Renews Entire Daytime Slate

Roger Friedman
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CBS has renewed its whole daytime schedule, ensuring more “Young and the Restless” and “Bold and the Beautiful,” as well as “The Talk” and “The Price is Right.” CBS killed two soaps — “As the World Turns” and “Guiding Light”– after owner Procter and Gamble strangled them like villains on…a soap! “B&B” is unwatchable, and “Y&R” is glaringly missing Jess Walton, but life goes on. The soaps are safe. At NBC, “Days of Our Lives” continues to be the Karen Ann Quinlan of soaps. On ABC, “General Hospital” is a miracle reborn. The two ABC soaps that were snuffed during a moment of madness– “All My Children” and “One Life to Live”– will return in April online, on Hulu, and other places in reconstituted form. So far still no word on Susan Lucci. In the end, the lesson learned here is that audiences are loyal to soaps, and that there are only so many discussions of rutabaga to be had before even shut ins lose their minds.

Jeff Zucker Kicks Ass, Makes Big Changes at CNN: Cuomo and Burnett to Host Morning Show

Roger Friedman
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Jeff Zucker Kicks Ass, Makes Big Changes at CNN: Cuomo and Burnett to Host Morning Show

Jeff Zucker is cleaning house so fast today at CNN that heads are spinning, rolling, and screaming. Chris Cuomo is coming over from ABC’s “20/20” to co-host the new morning show with Erin Burnett. CNN managing editor Mark Whitaker is out. So are James Carville and Mary Matalin, who’ve been with CNN forever. There’s talk of moving Anderson Cooper, maybe to midday, since his evening ratings are not great. Also, if you’ve noticed, James Earl Jones is back announcing “This is CNN.” No one knows where Soledad O’Brien goes, but she’s great so I hope there’s something for her. The Cuomo-Burnett pairing is very good. And no one knows morning better than former “Today” show whiz Zucker. More changes coming…

Chris Brown Thinks He’s Being Crucified, Posts Jesus on Cross Painting

Roger Friedman
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Chris Brown Thinks He’s Being Crucified, Posts Jesus on Cross Painting

Chris Brown, already kind of bonkers, thinks he’s being crucified over his incident with Frank Ocean. And now, ta da, he’s posted this painting on Instagram.

Whitney Houston’s Mom Writes Unflinching Memoir, Calls The Singer a “Heifer”

Roger Friedman
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Whitney Houston’s Mom Writes Unflinching Memoir, Calls The Singer a “Heifer”

Cissy Houston gave us just a taste of what she has on her mind last night with Oprah. Her book, “Remembering Whitney,” is the most candid, frank, harsh and unabashed since Keith Richards “Life.” This is so unusual for a celebrity memoir. But with Whitney gone, Cissy has nothing to lose. You get the feeling that these are the things she’s been waiting to say for 20 years or more. Whitney’s fans may not be so happy. Cissy’s book vindicates legendary singer Sam Moore’s CNN interview from last year– http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P8SBeaR-gSA. It’s heartbreaking but Whitney was out of control, a drug addict, self-possessed and determined not listen to anyone.

On Oprah, Cissy says of Whitney: “I made her what she was.” In the book, Cissy — who was a famous back up singer but never had the career of her cousin Dionne Warwick, or friend Aretha Franklin — is bitter about Whitney maybe attaining what she never could. Cissy recalls: “She had been watching me in sessions and onstage for years, picking up pacing, breathing, and microphone techniques, and then adding her own little nuances, too. My son Michael used to joke with me about Nippy’s technique—“ Ma,” he’d say, “Nippy should be in jail for stealing all your riffs and everything. You should sue her.”

It didn’t help that Whitney let people think Aretha Franklin, for whom Cissy had worked for many years, was her godmother. “I would tease Ree about supposedly being Nippy’s godmother— a story that started years before, when I was touring with her and she came over to our house on Dodd Street. Nippy was so impressed with Aretha that she started telling all her friends she was her godmother, and the story stuck because Ree never denied it. Eventually, reporters picked it up and everybody assumed it was true. And Nippy never did stop telling people that.”

Houston moved out of the family home an into an apartment with her friend Robyn Crawford at age 18. Crawford was gay, and Cissy did not like her. “What made Nippy’s move particularly hard for me was her decision to room with Robyn Crawford in an apartment in Woodbridge, New Jersey. She knew how I felt about Robyn, but she was determined to live with her anyway. It wasn’t that there was serious tension between Robyn and me— we just didn’t see eye to eye. Still, we tried to be respectful of each other and of our places in Nippy’s life, and we figured out how to give each other the necessary space. We had our love for Nippy in common, and though we rarely agreed, we were at least able to keep things from being too uncomfortable when we were all together.”

Later Crawford moved with Whitney into her big mansion in Mendham, New Jersey. “Early on, Robyn Crawford nicknamed me “Big Cuda”— short for barracuda— and that suited me just fine. The name stuck, and from then out, whenever I’d be coming somewhere to see Nippy, people would warn each other that Big Cuda was coming.”

But it was Crawford who had the guts to tell Cissy about Whitney’s drug problems early on, long before Bobby Brown arrived on the scene. What follows is Cissy’s eye-view of the fights, interventions, and downward spiral that no one could control. At one point, Whitney rejects rehab but lets Cissy stay in her house with her. It doesn’t work, and Whitney gets worse. Bobby Brown doesn’t help, and Cissy sure doesn’t like him.

Cissy pulls no punches. And while she loves Whitney, she’s also hard on her. She calls her a “heifer,” meaning bossy like a cow. She sort of becomes afraid of her as time goes by.

People will say Cissy wrote the book for money, and maybe she did. But let her have it. This is as unflinching a memoir as you’re going to read, and well worth it. At least for once we get the true story, horrible as it is and was, by the person who knows the story. I knew all these people from the mid 1980s. I still think about walking around Whitney’s Olympic sized pool with her in the late 80s. I don’t think there was much drug use then. She was such a funny, sweet kid. And Robyn, who was tough, was so devoted to her. It seemed like their future was limitless. That it ended this badly is still unbelievable.

 

 

Vanity Fair Hollywood Issue Cover (Here): Ben, Bradley, Emma, Halle

Roger Friedman
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Vanity Fair Hollywood Issue Cover (Here): Ben, Bradley, Emma, Halle

The Vanity Fair Hollywood issue is here, always a lot of fun and most anticipated. On the cover: Ben Affleck, Emma Stone and Bradley Cooper in bed. An insert of Eddie Redmayne and of Q from “Beasts of the Southern Wild.” Inside cover has Halle Berry (great picture), an odd shot of Kerry Washington, and Olivia Wilde as Josephine Baker. Jonah Hill is photographed Hurrell-style by Bruce Weber surrounded by beauties in a convertible– he is a lucky, lucky man. There’s a portrait of Quincy Jones with his daughters including famous Rashida. VF says: “When [Bruce] Weber was staging Quincy Jones and three of his beautiful daughters—Rashida, Kidada, and Kenya—Weber asked them to come up with a song they all knew so that they could sing together. Michael Jackson’s “Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’,” from the Thriller album, which Quincy produced, was their choice.” Check it out at www.vanityfair.com. More to come…

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