Cecil Womack has died at age 65. He was the brother of Bobby Womack and an R&B star in his own right. Early on, Cecil, Bobby and their two brothers sang back up for Sam Cooke as The Valentinos. Cecil’s first wife was Motown legend Mary Wells, with whom he had three children. Wells, whose hits included “My Guy” and “Two Lovers,” died in 1992. But he and Wells were divorced, and she also a child with Cecil’s older brother, Curtis. Cecil went on to marry Linda Cooke, daughter of the late Sam Cooke, while brother Bobby married Sam’s widow. Cecil Womack made six albums with his third wife Linda as Womack and Womack. Their big hit was “Love TKO,” covered by everyone from Teddy Pendergrass to Boz Scaggs. It’s one of those soul classics that you can’t get out of your head, and will last a lifetime. A lot of history and a lot of soul. Cecil Womack will be missed.
R&B Singer Cecil Womack Dies Abroad in Africa at age 65
Hold on, He’s Angry: Legendary Singer Sam Moore ‘Sound-aliked” in Super Bowl Milk Commercial
You would think in 2013, after the use of ‘soundalikes’ in commercials has already been through the Supreme Court, we wouldn’t be hearing about it again. Imagine the surprise Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Sam Moore got last night while watching the Super Bowl: hit 1966 hit record “Hold On I’m Coming” appeared in a commercial featuring Dwayne Johnson, aka The Rock, for the Milk Processor Education Program. Only it wasn’t Sam’s voice, or the original master recording of him and Dave Prater as Sam & Dave. It was a soundalike– and it sounded bad.
“Hold on,” Sam said, “it’s happening again.” Moore has had to fight off innumerable imitators over the years. But this is pretty flagrant.
The commercial was produced by Deutsch Advertising. They used a firm called Beta Patrol, which found a soundalike group in San Diego called The Styletones. That group gave an interview recently to a San Diego newspaper that pretty much confirms the whole scenario. The Styletones admit to trying sound just like Sam Moore and David Porter– they get it wrong since Porter co-wrote the song, but Dave Prater sang it with Sam. It’s kind of unbelievable. Moore’s phone lit up last night with fans, friends and family wondering if that was him on the commercial.
http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/jan/31/styletones-super-bowl-milk-tv-commercial/?page=1#article-copy
Soundalike cases go on all the time now. The Black Keys recently filed one, and Eminem was involved in one a couple of years ago. The precedent was created when Bette Midler sued Ford Motor Company and Young & Rubicam in 1988. They’d hired one of her backup singers to re-record her hit, “Do You Wanna Dance?” She lost the first round, but the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld her. The case was affirmed by the Supreme Court.
The appeals court wrote: “A voice is as distinctive and personal as a face. The human voice is one of the most palpable ways identity is manifested. We are all aware that a friend is at once known by a few words on the phone… these observations hold true of singing, especially singing by a singer of renown. The singer manifests herself in the song. To impersonate her voice is to pirate her identity…We need not and do not go so far as to hold that every imitation of a voice to advertise merchandise is actionable. We hold only that when a distinctive voice of a professional singer is widely known and is deliberately imitated in order to sell a product, the sellers have appropriated what is not theirs and have committed a tort…”
The Styletones were paid a “five figure fee,” one of their members told the San Diego Paper. Jake Naylor said: “Obviously, it’s a lot less expensive to do it this way than to pay the licensing fee to the original performers.” It’s obvious to him, maybe, but not to Moore or the Black Keys or Eminem, or the artists who’ve had to deal with this outrageous behavior some 25 years after Midler won her case.
If Deutsch, the Milk people, or the Styletones weren’t sure of what they were doing, or Moore’s renown, then maybe a quick search on YouTube would have found them Bruce Springsteen introducing Moore at the 25th anniversary of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame show– to the strains of “Hold On I’m Coming.” Moore says he’s talking to his lawyers, but I wouldn’t be surprised if they’re not singing “Hold On I’m Suing” very soon. Or another one from 2003 with Bruce in Asbury Park, New Jersey.
Robert DeNiro Opens Up to CBS Sunday Morning About “Silver Linings” in Rare Interview
Lee Cowan did such a great job on Robert DeNiro yesterday morning, I’m putting it up here. A great interview, and rare. DeNiro is working on a documentary with New York journalist Perri Peltz on his father, the late artist Robert DeNiro Sr. Perri says DeNiro has really opened up for her in interviews. Looking forward to that as well. DeNiro gives a wonderful Oscar caliber performance in “Silver Linings.”
Al Pacino To Get the Jack Valenti L.A.-Italia Award During Oscar Week
Al Pacino may not be up for an Oscar this week, but he is getting a nice award. Pacino will receive the Jack Valenti-L.A. Italia Award on February 17th in Los Angeles. Al deserves all the awards he can get, frankly. Here’s the release:
Academy Award®-winning actor Al Pacino will be the recipient of the inaugural JACK VALENTI – L.A., ITALIA LEGEND AWARD, it was announced today by noted Italian filmmaker Lina Wertmuller, honorary chairman of the Istituto Capri nel Mondo, the governing body of the Los Angeles, Italia – Film, Fashion and Art Fest. Named in memory of long-time MPAA president Jack Valenti, it is the festival’s highest honor and it will be given annually to an outstanding Italian-American who has made major contributions to the global motion picture industry.
Valenti’s daughter Courtenay, executive vice president of production for Warner Bros. Pictures, will present the award to Pacino on February 17th during the festival’s opening night ceremonies at the Chinese Theatre in Hollywood, where the 8th edition of L.A., Italia will take place from February 17th through the 23rd, the week preceding the Oscars®. The festival is produced by founder Pascal Vicedomini and chaired by Italian-American talent manager and film executive Rick Nicita, with producer Martha De Laurentiis serving as president and producer Mark Canton serving as honorary chair. Madalina Ghenea, the Italian-Romanian supermodel and actress will be Mistress of Ceremonies.
Known for his forceful dramatic presentation, Al Pacino is most closely associated with the roles of Michael Corleone in The Godfather trilogy, as well as Tony Montana of the legendary gangster film Scarface. However, it was his performance as Frank Slade, a blind, retired Lt. Colonel, in Scent of a Woman that won him the Academy Award for Best Actor in 1993 and a supporting actor nomination in the same year for Glengarry Glen Ross. This came after seven previous Oscar nominations for The Godfather (1973), Serpico (1974), The Godfather: Part II (1975), Dog Day Afternoon (1976), And Justice For All (1980) and Dick Tracy (1990). Amongst his other awards are five Golden Globes, including the HFPA’s Cecil B. DeMille Award (2001), the American Cinematheque Award (2005) and the American Film Institute’s prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award in 2007.
“One of the greatest actors in all of film history, Al Pacino established himself during one of film’s greatest decades, the 1970s, and has become an enduring and iconic figure in the world of American movies,” said Lina Wertmuller in making the announcement. “His commitment to acting as a profession and his constant screen dominance has established him as one of the movies’ true legends.
There is no one in the world more suitable and deserving to receive the first Jack Valenti – L.A., Italia Legend Award.”
No Bounce for Beyonce, But She Does Announce World Tour
If you were wondering why Beyonce sang at the Inauguration. performed at the Super Bowl, put together a Destiny’s Child reunion there, and issued a Destiny’s Child greatest hits album with a new track for no apparent good reason– now we have a reason. Beyonce has just announced a world tour beginning in April in Serbia.
The tour comes to the US in June, and lands at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, where husband Jay Z has an interest. It’s called “The Mrs. Carter Tour” because Jay Z’s real name is Shawn Carter. So that explains it: the end game of all this marketing was a big tour with high priced tickets. At least there is an endgame because frankly, why else put yourself through all this?
Meanwhile, there’s no apparent sales bounce in CD or download sales for Beyonce or Alicia Keys after last night. Amazon.com is selling Beyonce download albums for five bucks, but it hasn’t pushed them into the stratosphere. Keys’s “Girl on Fire” has shown no appreciable change in sales either.
Alicia Keys “Star Spangled” Ka-Ching: Her Super Bowl National Anthem Could Make Her Some Money
UPDATE: The NFL is blocking the video of Alicia singing “The Star Spangled Banner” on copyright grounds! Hilarious. They confirmed the following story.
Alicia Keys elegantly performed “The Star Spangled Banner” last night at the Super Bowl. And now she can apply for a copyright on it. Keys’ uniquely slow version, accompanying herself on the piano, also featured her own arrangement. Her little “tail” at the end — “livin’ in the home of the brave” –is her personal addition to the 200 year old song. “The Star Spangled Banner” is in the public domain. And you can get a copyright on a public domain song if you record it with your own arrangement. That means Keys could make money from its future use in that form, and get her a shared songwriting credit with composers Francis Scott Key and John Stafford Smith, who died in the 1800s.
Keys isn’t alone in her “Star Spangled Banner” copyright. BMI lists the song 307 times; ASCAP, 410. Jimi Hendrix played his own scorching guitar version at Woodstock in 1969 and got his own copyright. His estate makes money from that famous recording every time it’s used in a movie or played somewhere. Jose Feliciano has a copyright on the song, too, for his unique version. He plays it in public every chance he gets. Ka ching! (See below.)
The arguably best version of our national anthem ever sung at a sporting event was Whitney Houston‘s, at the 1991 Super Bowl. Houston is not listed as the copyright holder on that version. And she gave away the proceeds of sales of her single and recording to charity, as George H.W. Bush had just launched us into the Gulf War.
By the way, not everyone who sings “The Star Spangled Banner” — or otherwise records a song in the public domain– seeks a copyright, obviously. But those 700 or so instances that are registered with BMI and ASCAP are from times when the performer did something unusual enough to the original song to claim it. For Alicia, her version was no doubt an artistic choice. But it’s also one that will kick a few pennies into her coffers over time– unless she also donates it to charity.
PS I told you some time ago that Keys may have infringed on the copyright for the hit song “Hey There Lonely Girl” in her current hit, “Girl on Fire.” A lawsuit was filed against her subsequently by Earl Shuman, co-writer of “Hey There” with the late Leon Carr. I’m told a settlement may be in the works. In the meantime, ASCAP has removed Keys’s name from the song credits on its website until a final understanding is reached.
Alicia Keys:
Whitney Houston:
Jimi Hendrix:
Jose Feliciano:
Beyonce Super Bowl Half Time Show: Swagger But Not Much Singing (Full Video)
Beyonce put on a good show of pyrotechnics and dancing, but I wouldn’t say there was much actual singing as we used to know it. She has two good songs–“Crazy in Love”– which is really just a repurposed song by the late great Eugene Record of the Chi Lites–and “Single Ladies.” Another song, “Halo” consists mostly of Bey belting out the word “Halo.” It was neither terrible nor great. One big problem is that Beyonce doesn’t have much of a catalog to pull from. She just has a great swagger, and no one struts lie her, and that may be all you need these days. Anyway, she sang live and that’s all that matters at this point. No lip synching all night. But the 49ers maybe should have lip synched the first half.
Update: The Ravens just scored again. If you’re going to San Francisco, be sure to bring some flowers to their grave…Jeesh…
And quoth the Ravens: Never more, never more.
Super Bowl: Jennifer Hudson Nails It, Alicia Keys Is Just Fine
Super Bowl 2013: Jennifer Hudson has the pipes. She sang “America the Beautiful” with the Sandy Hook Elementary School choir and nailed it, of course. JHud is the voice of her generation, and she can belt it out in any weather, live, without augmentation. Give her an A plus.
Alicia Keys performed the Star Spangled Banner with her piano, slow and steady and deliberate. Alicia doesn’t always sing on key, but she was flat just once toward the end. Otherwise, she looked beautiful and caused ho harm. Going slow suited her delivery. The fact that the Super Bowl entertainment is Alicia, JHud, and Beyonce, with Jay Z, is very cool, so let’s appreciate it.
Of the movie commercials, “Oz: The Great and Powerful” looked excellent. And “World War Z” has shaped up as the must see End of the World blockbuster. But “The Lone Ranger” is worrying, especially Johnny Depp doing his pirate-as-Indian. I just don’t get it. Maybe more footage will explain. And whoever attempted to sing “Hold on I’m Coming” in that commercial with the Rock–yikes! The worst!
Justin Timberlake Is Releasing an Old School Album of R&B Songs (Videos)
Justin Timberlake introduced two new songs from his “20/20 Experience” last night at a show in New Orleans. Seems like JT has made an old school album of R&B songs complete with melodies and instruments. If this is the case, what will happen to all the sampled, pre-programmed fake stuff that’s become so popular? Good move, JT. Can’t wait to hear the whole thing.
Ben Affleck Wins Directors Guild, “Argo” Gets Its Own Silver Lining
Ben Affleck won the DGA Award for “Argo” last night, and “Argo” got its own silver lining, so to speak. It does seem as though a Best Picture win is getting more likely for a movie that will not have a Best Director or any acting prizes. While the DGA was gathering last night, I was watching “Argo” at home on my Academy screener, and there’s no denying it: the last twenty minutes are seat of your pants exciting, and that’s what everyone takes away from it. And that at least is what makes him Best Director in a year of great movies and a lot of best directors.
It’s a silver lining for Affleck since he was not nominated for the Oscar for Best Director. Neither were Kathryn Bigelow, Tom Hooper nor Quentin Tarantino. Very strange, indeed.
The other DGA winners are “Searching for Sugar Man” in Documentary,” plus– in TV– the ubiquitous Lena Dunham for the pilot for “Girls,” Jill Mitwell for “One Life to Live,” Jay Roach for HBO’s “Game Change,” and Rian Johnson for an episode of “Breaking Bad.” I’m not taking away from the TV winners, but at this point it would be interesting for some mental health professional to analyze the psychology of the same people winning over and over for the same thing endlessly…
Meantime. Affleck’s win reflects his prior two films, “Gone Baby Gone” and “The Town.” After a career collapse as an actor with movies like “Gigli” and “Bounce,” Affleck made a stunning change to the director’s chair. He’s also married to a beautiful, talented actress and has a full head of hair. I hate him. (Just kidding.)
Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Feature Film
Ben Affleck
Argo (Warner Bros. Pictures)
Mr. Affleck’s Directorial Team:
Unit Production Manager: Amy Herman
First Assistant Director: David Webb
Second Assistant Director: Ian Calip
Second Second Assistant Directors: Clark Credle, Gavin Kleintop
First Assistant Director (Turkey Unit): Belkis Turan
This is Mr. Affleck’s first DGA Feature Film Award nomination
Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Documentary
MALIK BENDJELLOUL
Searching For Sugar Man (Sony Pictures Classics)
Passion Pictures Production
Canfield Pictures & The Documentary Company
Red Box Films
This is Mr. Bendjelloul’s first DGA Award nomination.
TELEVISION
Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Dramatic Series
RIAN JOHNSON
Breaking Bad, “Fifty-One” (AMC)
Mr. Johnson’s Directorial Team:
Unit Production Manager: Stewart A. Lyons
Assistant Unit Production Manager: James Paul Hapsas
First Assistant Director: Ben Scissors
Second Assistant Director: Louis Lanni
Second Second Assistant Director: Anna Ramey
Additional Second Assistant Director: Joann Connolly
This is Mr. Johnson’s first DGA Award nomination.
Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Movies For Television and Mini-Series
JAY ROACH
Game Change (HBO)
Mr. Roach’s Directorial Team:
Unit Production Manager: Mary Kane
First Assistant Director: Josh King
Second Assistant Director: Emily McGovern
Second Second Assistant Director: Brian F. Relyea
This is Mr. Roach’s second DGA Award nomination. He previously won the DGA Award for Outstanding
Achievement in Movies for Television and Mini-Series for Recount in 2008.
Jay Roach won the Emmy for the same film about sarah Palin. “This is unbelievable to win this award… in a room filled with my heroes,” he said onstage. Roach noted that he grew up in a very conservative New Mexican family where his mother made a rule to never talk about politics at the dinner table. “And I stuck to that for most of my life – at least at home,” he said. “But when I watched John McCain in 2008 rush to propose Sarah Palin be the next in line for the President of the United States, I said, ‘We’ve got to talk about this’.” The remark drew a mixture of laughter and applause.
Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Comedy Series
LENA DUNHAM
Girls, “Pilot” (HBO)
Ms. Dunham’s Directorial Team:
Unit Production Managers: Regina Heyman, Ilene S. Landress
First Assistant Director: Mark McGann
Second Assistant Director: Jason Ivey
Second Second Assistant Director: Marcos Gonzalez Palma
This is Ms. Dunham’s first DGA Award nomination.