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Many people grew up with the music of the Village People, but Jonathan Belolo literally did. His father co-founded the disco group in 1977, and the younger Belolo was immersed in the band’s history, even once joining them onstage as a toddler. But as he watched from behind the stage at the Capitol One Arena in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 19, Belolo beheld one of the strangest sights of the Village People chronicle. As the current version of the long-running band launched into its exuberant “Y.M.C.A.,” they were joined onstage...

Days after original Village People singer and songwriter, Victor Willis, threatened to sue news outlets for describing their 1978 hit “Y.M.C.A.” as a gay anthem, the group’s longtime construction worker, David Hodo, has hit back, saying that it is.

On Facebook earlier this week, Willis threatened to take legal action against “each and every news organization” that refers to the song as a “gay anthem” after January 2025, alleging that his lyrics have long been misconstrued and that the association has become “damaging.” He also defended Donald Trump’s usage of the track, claiming that the President Elect “seems to genuinely like ‘Y.M.C.A.’” and that Village People have grossed “several million dollars since the President Elect’s continued use of the song.”

But Hodo — who began performing as the construction worker in 1977 and sang backing vocals on “Y.M.C.A.” — has made a post of his own,...

1977: ABC's serialized comedy series Soap premiered.

1979: The Edge of Night's Raven clashed with Elliot.

1985: Days of our Lives' Marlena & Richard made love.

1985: Gh's Anna told Robert that Robin was his daughter."History speaks to artists. It changes the artist's thinking and is constantly reshaping it into different and unexpected images."

― Anselm Kiefer

"Today in Soap Opera History" is a collection of the most memorable, interesting and influential events in the history of scripted, serialized programs. From birthdays and anniversaries to scandals and controversies, every day this column celebrates the soap opera in American culture.

On this date in...

1969: Susan Lucci and Helmet Huber were married. Lucci joined All My Children for its debut a few months later playing ambitious teenager Erica Kane. The Hubers are celebrating their 46th anniversary today.

1971: On The Doctors, Dr. Althea Davis (Elizabeth Hubbard) visited her mother, who was recovering from a stroke.

Washington — When I paid a visit back in June to the campaign headquarters of Democratic presidential contender Andrew Yang, the candidate and his team were riding high. He’d qualified for the first and second DNC debates. The Yang Gang, his fervent online following, was growing by the day. What was lacking was the lifeblood of any serious presidential operation: money. (Read my in-depth story of Yang and his insurgent presidential campaign.)

Fundraising was the Yang campaign’s “weak spot,” as the campaign’s finance director, Dylan Enright, told me.

New York-born Felipe Rose was in his early 20s when he strapped on a Native American costume and shot to stardom as a founding member of 70s disco and soul supergroup, the Village People.  Felipe Rose shared the stage with some other epic villagers including Randy Jones as the cool looking cowboy, Alex Briley as the stud sailor, David Hodo as the hard-working construction man and Glenn Hughes as the leather-bound biker.  The Village People...

The Eighth Annual Better World Awards, themed Roc4Humanity, and benefitting Wells of Life was held on Wednesday, November 14, 2018, at The Loeb Boathouse where it recognized outstanding humanitarians who have made the world a better place.

Jean Shafiroff Attends Better World Awards

Credit/Copyright: Krista Kennell

Jean Shafiroff was presented with the Humanitarian Philanthropist Award, by New York State Assemblywoman Rebecca Seawright. Acclaimed photographer Harry Benson, Cbe, was presented with the Humanitarian Arts Award by Kerry Kennedy, President of Robert F. Kennedy of Human Rights Foundation. Philanthropist and author. Fred Schneider was given the Humanitarian Musician Award, and Claudinette Jean, wife of Wyclef Jean, was given the Humanitarian Helping Hand Award.

The event was hosted by CBS Radio and CNN anchor, Rita Cosby, and Consuelo Vanderbilt Costin, CEO of SohoMuse.

Acclaimed by critics around the world as one of the greatest living guitarists, eight-time Grammy Award-winning musician, Jose Feliciano celebrated...

1977: ABC's serialized comedy series Soap premiered.

1979: The Edge of Night's Raven clashed with Elliot.

1985: Days of our Lives' Marlena & Richard made love.

1985: Gh's Anna told Robert that Robin was his daughter."The best prophet of the future is the past."

― Lord Byron

"Today in Soap Opera History" is a collection of the most memorable, interesting and influential events in the history of scripted, serialized programs. From birthdays and anniversaries to scandals and controversies, every day this column celebrates the soap opera in American culture.

On this date in...

1969: Susan Lucci and Helmet Huber were married. Lucci joined All My Children for its debut a few months later playing ambitious teenager Erica Kane. The Hubers are celebrating their 46th anniversary today.

1971: On The Doctors, Dr. Althea Davis (Elizabeth Hubbard) visited her mother, who was recovering from a stroke.

1977: Primetime comedic serial Soap premiered on ABC.

Author: James Kleinmann

It’s rare that a producer’s name becomes as familiar to the public as the stars of the films he or she makes, but in the late 1970s and ’80s, Allan Carr was a regular talk show guest and caftan wearing celebrity in his own right. A new fast paced, fascinating documentary by Emmy winner Jeffrey Schwarz (‘I Am Divine’, ‘Tab Hunter Confidential’) follows the highs and lows of Carr’s colourful career featuring interviews with those who knew him best.

‘The Fabulous Allan Carr’

Starting out in the entertainment industry as a talent booker for Hugh Hefner’s television show, Carr soon became a talent manager representing the likes of Ann-Margaret, Peter Sellers, Tony Curtis and Mama Cass Elliot. Following Carr’s legendary New York subway station premiere party for ‘Tommy’, he gained a reputation for being able to launch a movie with a splash.

The AppleThe musical possesses a unique form of power rarely afforded to other Hollywood genres. In the words of film scholar Rick Altman, “The musical invites us to forget familiar notions of plot, psychological motivation, and causal relationships.” In contrast to other commercial genres, the musical is almost one-of-a-kind in its ability to arrest time and space, to suspend disbelief, to defy our lived understanding of human relationships and even the very conventions of filmgoing. In what other mainstream genre can fictional characters get away with looking into the camera lens so often? Dramatic logic is replaced in the Hollywood musical by spectacle and raw emotional appeal, with singing as the defining device for such purely cinematic priorities.But what happens to the musical when singing is taken out of it? This was the conundrum of the short-lived disco musical, a sub-genre that ended as soon as it began.Popular...

Stars: Caroline Williams, Debbie Rochon, Adrienne King, Amy Steel, Randy Jones, Desiree Gould, Lesleh Donaldson, Alan Rowe Kelly, Brewster McCall, Michael Varrati, Andrew Glaszek, Susan Adriensen, Bette Cassatt | Written by Alan Rowe Kelly, Bart Mastronardi, Michael Varrati | Directed by Alan Rowe Kelly, Bart Mastronardi

It’s something of an understatement to say that the work of poet and short story writer Edgar Allan Poe has had a lasting effect on the horror genre. Especially when it comes to horror cinema in particular. It’s not so long ago that we had the likes of P.O.E.: Poetry of Eerie and it’s sequel Project of Evil, David DeCoteaus’s The Pit and the Pendulum, and the animated anthology Extraordinary Tales; and now comes Tales of Poe – which adapts Poe’s short stories The Tell Tale Heart, Cask of Amontillado and Dreams.

The first story, The Tell Tale Heart,...

In the history of the horror genre, there has been no shortage of movies adapted from the great Edgar Allan Poe. From the classic 1935 Universal adaptation of “The Raven," to the brilliant gothic Roger Corman/Vincent Price collaborations of the 1960s, and even through Stuart Gordon’s 1991 filming of “The Pit and the Pendulum” for Full Moon Features, there’s not a corner of horror that hasn’t been touched by the works of Poe. This makes any new adaptation of the author’s work challenging, though, because so many horror fans may carry a “been there, seen that” mentality towards the umpteenth retelling of “The Tell-Tale Heart.” It is to the credit of directors Bart Mastronardi and Alan Rowe Kelly that their new anthology, aptly titled Tales of Poe, offers a new spin on an author whose work has been brought to the screen for nearly 100 years.

Adapting three...

In my early days on the beat, NBC had an ad campaign encouraging people to watch summer reruns, promising, "If you haven't seen it, it's new to you!" In the age of Peak TV, that slogan seems less cynical than accurate. The rise of streaming services has put the bulk of TV history only a click or two away, which means that people are constantly discovering The Wire, or Arrested Development, or Terriers (sigh) for the very first time. In lieu of a summer rewind this year, I wanted to offer up primers of shows you can stream, whether an older series available in full(*) or something current you can catch up on before its next season begins. So far, I've done a pair of current shows in Crazy Ex-Girlfriend and Halt and Catch Fire, plus a completed show in United States of Tara. (*) Note: with these picks, I'm trying...

We return with another edition of the Indie Spotlight, highlighting the recent independent horror news sent our way. Today’s feature includes a trailer for Bloodsucking Bastards, Phantasmagoria, and The Scarehouse, The Boston Horror Show lineup for 2015, Zombie with a Shotgun episode details, a Q&A with Ninjas vs Monsters director, Justin Timpane, and much more:

Bloodsucking Bastards Trailer and Premiere Details: “An Office Space meets Shaun of the Dead action-packed vampire comedy, Bloodsucking Bastards stars Fran Kranz as Evan Sanders, a dutiful and overworked employee stuck at a soul-killing corporation with his beautiful co-worker and girlfriend Amanda (Emma Fitzpatrick) and his slacker best friend Tim (Joey Kern). Evan’s world begins to crumble when Amanda dumps him and his boss Ted (Joel Murray) hands his coveted promotion to his nemesis Max (Pedro Pascal). When his officemates start going through disturbing changes and bodies begin to pile up, Evan must...

By Jonathan Weichsel, MoreHorror.com

Tales of Poe, an anthology film directed by Bart Mastronardi and Alan Rowe Kelly, consists of three very strong, but very different short films adapted from the works of Edgar Alan Poe. Some viewers will prefer the straightforward yet creepy The Telltale Heart, others will laugh out loud the campy Tales from the Crypt inspired The Cask of Amontillado, while others will get sucked into the lush visuals of the abstract, surreal Dreams. The three stories in the anthology are all so strong, yet so distinct, that three people could watch the film and each one have a different favorite.

"The Telltale Heart", the most straightforward adaptation in the anthology, is also conversely the one that takes the most interesting liberties with its source material. Switching the genders of the main characters, and having the narrator, brilliantly played by the great Debbie Rochon, tell her...

Michael Williams: Paintings

The Canada Gallery, NYC

Through December 8, 2013

Int. Bellylaffs Comedy Club - Evening

House Band [Jay-z/Kanye West]: I ball so hard muthafuckas wanna find me, first niggas gotta find me / Tha shit cray / Tha shit cray / Tha shit cray / Ain’t it, Jay?

Music Fades.

Sidekick [Tracy Morgan]: Give it up for Jay-z and Kanye West, Ladies and Gentlemen… and now, you have probably seen his recent special It Ain't Gonna Suck Itself [Applause]…Bellylaffs is pleased to present one white boy who really does ball hard…

Host [James Franco] - enters stage right]: Thank you Tracy! Thank you! [Applause] Thank you! It’s true, I really do ball hard. Very hard. Mostly by myself… [Laughter/Applause]… Thank you…

Host: So this guy, who has never been sick a day in his life, calls his boss. He says, "I can’t come in today, I’m sick." The boss says, "No problem, take the day off.

Might what we know as Disco actually contain hidden meanings, despite attempts by "revisionists" to re-shape it as as a misunderstood culture of protest? Through interviews with the likes of Gloria Gaynor, The Village People, Kool and the Gang, and others, along with a goldmine of stock footage and speculative reenactments, The Secret Disco Revolution presents a comical investigation into disco and its "mysterious longevity." A glittery pop journey into the moral-political-aesthetic soul of Disco, the most famously flakey pop form that will not die. From the current “silent disco” craze to evergreen concert queen Donna Summer, filmmaker Jamie Kastner bops verite-style from...

There's a brain-frying moment in writer-director Jamie Kastner's flawed, mildly entertaining documentary The Secret Disco Revolution in which members of the Village People vehemently deny that double entendres run rampant in songs like "In the Navy" and "Ymca." "They were just party songs," insists the exasperated Construction Worker. "There was no innuendo." Group delusion turns mean-spirited when the Native American sniffs, "Those guys [songwriter-producer Henri Belolo and the group's late impresario, Jacques Morali] couldn't write a double entendre." Cut to Belolo explaining that the late, openly gay Morali definitely and pointedly worked to bring post-Stonewall liberated queer maleness to the mainstream with his most popular creation. That moment crackles in the film,...

Check out what's new to rent and own this week on the various streaming services such as cable On Demand, Amazon, iTunes, Vudu, and, of course, Netflix. Cable On Demand: Same-day-as-disc releases, older titles and pre-theatrical exclusives for rent, priced from $3-$10, in 24- or 48-hour periods Dark Skies (horror; Keri Russell, Josh Hamilton; rated PG-13) Lore (Australian-German WWII drama; Saskia Rosendahl, Kai Malina; not rated) Hammer of the Gods (action; Charlie Bewley, Clive Standen; available May 30 before limited theatrical release on July 5; rated R) The Secret Disco Revolution (documentary; the Village People, Gloria Gaynor; available now before limited theatrical release in June; unrated)   Streaming/Digital Download: Rent from $4-$7 or own from...

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It used to be that you had to dig out a bin of old clothes, photo albums, and diaries to truly remember just how silly an earlier era was. Now forgotten fashions, celebrities, and trends are just a YouTube search away — and no matter how much you think you remember of, say, the eighties or nineties, it's always a shock to be confronted with the fact that pop culture was even more delightfully silly than you'd recalled. I recently spelunked down into a YouTube wormhole and returned with five videos that make the eighties and nineties feel like a fever dream. Click on for a creepy TV special from the Playboy Mansion (with leering host Richard Dawson and the Village People!), an ad for Full House dolls, and a game-show moment Alec Baldwin would likely want scrubbed off the Internet. Off we go into the not-as-way-back-as-you'd-think machine!Playboy's Roller-Disco...

All very promising, with the return of well-received shows like Find Our Missing and Unsung for new seasons; as well as new scripted comedy series Belle's. The full story via press release from TV One below... TV One Announces January 2013 Premieres And Specials – Acclaimed Docu-Series Find Our Missing and Unsung Return with New Seasons; Special Encore Episode of Parole Diaries Air with Extended Content; Unsung Pays Tribute to Disco with Two-Hour Special Featuring Gloria Gaynor, The Village People and Kc of the Sunshine Band – December 11, 2012, Silver Spring, MD – TV One announced today its programming line-up for January 2013. Docu-series Find...

The Cool Ones (1967). Directed by Gene Nelson. Written by Nelson, Joyce Geller, Robert Kaufman.

Nothing ages more quickly and more embarrassingly than a movie or TV show which had worked so hard to be cool in its time. You disagree? Feathered hair, big lapels. Oh, God – mullets! You gonna honestly tell me that stuff still works for you as anything but a laugh-getter?

Lead times for some movies are so long, some crazes burn out between the pitch meeting and opening weekend. Roller disco was dying (if not dead) by the time Roller Boogie (1979) and Xanudu (1980) hit theaters, and did anybody still care about The Village People when Can’t Stop the Music (1980) had movie-goers wishing they could?

The only thing even more embarrassing is a movie that’s lethally uncool even before the first frame of film runs through the camera, not because it’s late to the party,...

Screen Media Films has acquired U.S. theatrical rights to Jamie Kastner’s “The Secret Disco Revolution.” The company plans a June theatrical release. Gloria Gaynor, Village People, Kool and the Gang, Kc and the Sunshine Band and more appear in the documentary about the birth of disco in the ’70s and the part the music movement played in the liberation of gays, blacks and women. The movie includes footage and classic songs of the era such as “Boogie Fever," “Macho Man," “I Will Survive” and “It’s Raining Men.” Read More: Tiff Capsule Review: 'The Secret Disco Revolution' Kastner also wrote and produced the project. “For anyone that grew up with disco this film will transport you back in time while filling in the blanks to what you didn’t even realize was happening around you," said Screen Media Films president Suzanne Blech. “If you weren’t around at the.

Screen Media Films has acquired U.S. theatrical rights to the documentary "Secret Disco Revolution," featuring interviews with many 70's music icons, including Gloria Gaynor (pictured with model), The Village People, and Kool and the Gang. ScreenMedia plans a June 2013 U.S. theatrical run of the documentary, the company announced Monday. Written, directed, and produced by Kastner, the film looks into the disco movement and many of its key figures. Also read: Donna Summer, Disco Queen, Dead at 63 "For anyone that grew up with disco this film will transport you back in time while...

So it turns out that disco was actually a revolutionary tool that ended the oppression of women and black and gay people in the Us. Who knew?

I like disco as much as the next person, which is to say I like it at night, in moderate helpings, and only when accompanied by spirits. Disco has long been the musical genre to caricature rather than savour, best enjoyed in the background on hazy nights out rather than as a legitimate musical experience. So presented with the opportunity to sit through a two-hour disco documentary at the London film festival, I was a bit circumspect.

But from the first bar of that sour-sweet high-octane disco beat, I was hooked. This is because The Secret Disco Revolution is no ordinary history lesson about the 70s craze. Rather than simply charting the rise and fall of disco to a thumping soundtrack, the film...

The Liberation Army: Disco Still Sucks with this Commentary Track

Proposed as more than just a dance and lifestyle craze, but as a coming out party for minorities, Secret Disco Revolution dates disco before it was called disco, musically timelines its mutation and its death in a chronological order with some of the main players in the short lived era. Despite the fact that many of the docs’ subjects concur with the notion that there was nothing political about the music, helmer Jamie Kastner’s soft and fluffy approach and a line-up of talking heads without much insight does a disservice to what is a fairly bold thesis statement.

Shaped with an academia approach and a laughable, oddly confectioned cartoony manifesto, it’s via an assortment of dull talking heads, stock footage, and concert/video assemblage we come to learn that African Americans, women and gay men were at the...

Might what we know as Disco actually contain hidden meanings, despite attempts by revisionist to re-shape it as as a misunderstood culture of protest? Through interviews with the likes of Gloria Gaynor, The Village People, Kool and the Gang and others, along with a goldmine of stock footage and speculative reenactments, The Secret Disco Revolution presents a comical investigation into disco and its "mysterious longevity." The Canadian-produced feature documentary was directed by Jamie Kastner; it'll premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival next month. Cheekily fun and intellectually absorbing, Jamie Kastner’s meticulously researched documentary...

In terms of documentary film servings in the fall (pre Idfa in November), in the hands of Thom Powers, Tiff’s former Real to Reel section now simply known as Tiff Docs is the equivalent to riding the gravy train. To be housed at the new spanking brand new Bloor Hot Docs Cinema, this year’s docu items included such names/titles as Ken Burns and what looks to be the Telluride preemed The Central Park Five, Julien Temple’s London – The Modern Babylon, Marina Zenovich’s sequel Roman Polanski: Odd Man Out, another hot topic subject for Alex Gibney with Mea Maxima Culpa: Silence in the House of God and an exec produced item from Errol Morris with Joshua Oppenheimer’s The Act of Killing side by side with with the latest from Crossing the Line helmer Daniel Gordon (9.79*) and Operation Filmmaker helmer Nina Davenport (First Comes Love). Here...

Following up an already stellar initial line-up, the Toronto International Film Festival 2012 has announced additional sections including Midnight Madness, Documentaries and Vanguard. When the clock strikes 12, some titles one will be able to see include the highly anticipated Seven Psychopaths, from In Bruges director Martin McDonagh. There’s also the world premiere of the horror anthology The ABCs of Death, as well as Dredd and Eli Roth‘s Aftershock and new films from Rob Zombie and Barry Levinson.

The documentary section brings new films from Alex Gibney, Ken Burns and an interesting one titled How to Make Money Selling Drugs, featuring interviews with 50 Cent, Eminem and more. Rounding out the Vanguard section is many titles screened elsewhere, including the excellent documentary on The Shining, Room 237, as well as the next from Kill List director Ben Wheatley, Sightseers (Cannes review). We also have Luis Prieto‘s Pusher remake, and Michel Gondry...

A federal judge is taking the unusual step of allowing an amicus brief to be considered at the early stages of litigation that will determine whether the original lead singer of the Village People has a right to terminate copyright grants on 32 songs, including the big hit "Y.M.C.A." After Victor Willis filed paperwork to regain control over his share of copyright, Scorpio Music and Can’t Stop Productions, the two companies that administer publishing rights to the group's songs, filed a lawsuit seeking a declaration that he couldn't exploit a provision of the U.S. Copyright Act that allows

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One of the mainstays of the Muppet world is their love of music and over the years they have put their Muppet “spin” on a number of popular songs. The soundtrack for the newest film (The Muppets) continues this trend with Camilla and the Chicken’s version of CeeLo’s “Forget You” and the Muppet Barbershop Quartet taking on Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit.” The Muppets never just cover these songs; they incorporate their crazy antics and sometimes even change up the lyrics making the song their own. Although the Muppets have their own band (shout out to Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem) it never stops the rest of the crew from getting in on the musical action. As featured on The Muppet Show, Kermit proves sometimes the best way to allude someone is to channel the Beach Boys and break into a rendition of “Surfin’ USA”: And continues the Beach Boy love with...

Jennie Garth has signed up to star in a new pilot for ABC Family. Village People will see Garth playing a career woman who adopts a baby, Deadline reports. Garth's character ends up taking care of both the baby and the child's biological mother, who is a teenager. Garth is probably best known for her role as Kelly Taylor in Beverly Hills, 90210 and the CW reboot 90210. Sadie Calvano, who recently worked on Fox's pilot Family Album, (more)...

New York-based actress-comedian Andrea Rosen (Comedy Central’s Michael & Michael Have Issues) has landed the female lead opposite Andrew Gurland in Showtime’s comedy pilot The Andrew Gurland Project (form. Gurland On Gurland). The project, produced by Showtime in association with CBS TV Studios and Glenn Gordon Caron’s Picturemaker Prods., is a first-person documentary comedy written, directed and starring filmmaker Andrew Gurland, which reflects his real family life and the challenges he faces pursuing the next phase of his career. Gurland and Caron are executive producing. Rosen is with Gersh. Sebastian Sozzi, Rachel Cannon and Sadie Calvano have joined Jennie Garth in the ABC Family’s half-hour comedy pilot Village People, from creator Meg DeLoatch. The project centers on Alexa (Garth), a single, high-powered career woman who adopts a baby from a teen mother (Calvano) — whom she ends up caring for as well. Sozzi and Cannon will play Alexa’s fiends Remy and Candace,...

Former "Beverly Hills, 90210" star Jennie Garth is headed to ABC Family.

Garth will star in and executive produce a comedy pilot called "Village People" -- which, title aside, has nothing to do with the disco band. We're guessing it's a take on the saying "It takes a village to raise a child," because that's what Garth's character will be doing.

The pilot, from writer Meg DeLoatch ("Eve," "Family Matters") stars Garth as a single, career-minded woman who adopts a baby born to a teenage girl, then ends up taking care of the birth mother as well. (Sort of like the current "Parenthood" subplot with Erika Christensen's character, but with a laugh track.)

If it's picked up, "Village People" will be Garth's second sitcom lead -- she also starred in "What I Like About You" for The WB from 2002-06. She reprised her role as Kelly Taylor on the first...

Two and a Half Men is adding a new lady to the mix.

Mimi Rogers is set to appear in multiple episodes of the CBS staple, playing the mother of Ashton Kutcher’s Walden Schmidt, Deadline reports. Men‘s self-made millionaire apparently got his brains from his lookalike mom, who happens to be a noted primatologist.

Ready for more of today’s TV dish? Well…

• Looks like The Closer is getting spun off without Corey Reynolds. Deadline is reporting that the actor has turned down a spot on Major Crimes, the long-running TNT drama’s upcoming offshoot. In the meantime,...

Exclusive: 90210 alumna Jennie Garth has been tapped as the lead in ABC Family’s half-hour comedy pilot Village People, from creator Meg DeLoatch. The project centers on Alexa (Garth), a single, high-powered career woman who adopts a baby from a teen mother — whom she ends up caring for as well. In addition to starring, Garth will also executive produce the pilot alongside DeLoatch. Garth recently reprises her role as Kelly Taylor on the CW’s 90210 reboot. On the comedy side, she starred on the WB series What I Like About You.

Following the launch of our Razzie prediction center, the awards' founder John Wilson sat down with us to dish this year's contenders. Among the Worst Picture competitors we discussed were "Breaking Dawn: Part 1," "Transformers Dark of the Moon," "Jack and Jill" and "Bucky Larson." Back in 1980, John was inspired to create the Razzies -- short for the Golden Raspberry Awards -- following a double feature of the Village People biopic "Can't Stop the Music" and the Olivia Newton-John musical "Xanadu." He has guided Razzie voters over the last thirty years in "honoring" the worst in cinema. The group's notorious winners for Worst Picture include "Showgirls" (1995), "Battlefield Earth" (2000), and "Gigli" (2003). Along with Worst Picture, the Razzies also recognize the worst in acting, writing, and directing. Several former Razzie "...

Pure has launched a music subscription service to rival platforms such as Spotify and Deezer. Pure Music is a cloud-based programme that allows users to stream more than 15 million songs per month through 7Digital's streaming engine, reports Music Ally. The service is available for PC, Mac, smartphones and Pure internet radios for £4.99 per month. The platform holder confirmed that it will feature tracks from a wide variety of artists, from Beyoncé to the Village People. Classic music and contemporary folk (more)...

HollywoodNews.com: This morning, Studio 54 will wake up with a hangover, look around the floor for its clothes, and try to remember what happened last night. Now a dowager theatre home to the Roundabout, Studio will recall celebrating like it was 1977 last night, and was younger than springtime.

Oh yes, Studio 54. Liza, Calvin, Andy, Halston, Truman Capote. Bianca Jagger on the white horse. The doormen, the barricades, the coke, and the quaaludes. In 1977, New York City was pretty much on the skids. Steve Rubell and Ian Schrager threw the most decadent party in the history of the world. It would have gone forever except for tax evasion and jail for the owners. When it came back, under Mark Fleishmann, it was cool but not the same. Nothing ever is.

So last night, Sirius Xm recreated Studio for just one night in its original home, now the Roundabout Theater’s place of business.

Eriq Gardner

Victor Willis, the original lead singer of the Village People, presents arguments why music publishers must accede to his attempt to terminate copyright grants on 32 songs. Meanwhile, other artists are about to terminate the rights to other songs -- including rock anthem "Eye of the Tiger"

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Los Angeles, California (X17online) - Pop star-turned-actor Justin Timberlake has been cast as Casablanca Records co-founder Neil Bogart in an upcoming biopic. The film, titled Spinning Gold, will follow Bogart’s rise to success as a record executive who put artists like Kiss, Donna Summer, and the Village People on the map. "This is saga about a young dreamer who started with nothing and came of age in the ’60s and ’70s, believing anything was possible and every risk was worth taking," Bogart’s son and the film’s screenwriter, Tim Bogart, told Deadline. Timberlake will also produce the flick, which comes from Boardwalk Films.

 Justin Timberlake has signed on to star in the musical biopic Spinning Gold.  Timberlake will play Neil Bogart, the music legend who founded Casablanca Records in 1974.  Bogart, the late father of film writers and producers Tim and Evan Bogart, is credited with discovering, launching and nurturing the careers of a generation of music superstars.   Kiss, Parliament, Donna Summer and Village People (ask your parents) were just a few of the acts on the roster at Casablanca Records. "This movie is...

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'Spinning Gold' follows life of label co-founder Neil Bogart.

By Jocelyn Vena

Justin Timberlake

He once played Napster co-founder Sean Parker in "The Social Network," and now he's getting ready to play another real-life entrepreneur. Deadline Hollywood reports that Justin Timberlake will play '70s record producer and Casablanca Records co-founder Neil Bogart in a new biopic.

"Spinning Gold" will take a close look at Bogart's career as a record executive who launched the careers of acts like Kiss, Parliament, Donna Summer and the Village People. "This is saga about a young dreamer who started with nothing and came of age in the '60s and '70s, believing anything was possible and every risk was worth taking," said Tim Bogart, Neil's son and the film's writer. He said the film is "literally three decades in the making."

Bogart died of cancer in 1982, at the age of 39. Bogart added,...

'Spinning Gold' follows life of label co-founder Neil Bogart.

By Jocelyn Vena

Justin Timberlake

He once played Napster co-founder Sean Parker in "The Social Network," and now he's getting ready to play another real-life entrepreneur. Deadline Hollywood reports that Justin Timberlake will play '70s record producer and Casablanca Records co-founder Neil Bogart in a new biopic.

"Spinning Gold" will take a close look at Bogart's career as a record executive who launched the careers of acts like Kiss, Parliament, Donna Summer and the Village People. "This is saga about a young dreamer who started with nothing and came of age in the '60s and '70s, believing anything was possible and every risk was worth taking," said Tim Bogart, Neil's son and the film's writer. He said the film is "literally three decades in the making."

Bogart died of cancer in 1982, at the age of 39. Bogart added,...

Justin Timberlake's been one of the most important people in entertainment since he was a teenager, and every time you think he's peaked in one area or another, he starts succeeding somewhere else. He hasn't made an album in 2006, but in the meantime has proven himself as both an Oscar-caliber actor (in The Social Network) and a box office draw (in Friends With Benefits). Now he's taking that power and making a movie familiar to a lot of popular actors: he's becoming a producer. Boardwalk Entertainment Group announced today that Timberlake will produce and star in Spinning Gold, a biopic of music producer Neil Bogart, who launched the careers of 70s music icons like Kiss, Donna Summer and the Village People. Bogart died at just 39 years old of cancer, but before he did he founded Boardwalk Records, which became a Boardwalk Entertainment Group which is now Boardwalk Films, the...

Killer Elite

Directed by: Gary McKendry

Cast: Jason Statham, Clive Owen, Robert De Niro

Running Time: 1 hr 45 mins

Rating: R

Release Date: September 23, 2011

Plot: An ex-special ops agent (Statham) comes out of quiet retirement when his mentor (De Niro) is kidnapped by a sheik in Oman who wants revenge for his three sons as ransom. He is sent around the world to track down the man’s son’s killers, but is being chased by Spike (Owen) the leader of a secret military organization called “The Feather Men.”

Who’S It For? Action fans will find this dull, and even Statham apologists will be hoping for its swift end. Those who live to see Robert De Niro hold guns should see this, and that’s it.

Expectations: Not much to take away from the trailer, other than sunglasses, guns, and Clive Owen’s mustache. All three of them have seen bright days in action,...

Good news, "Make It or Break It" fans. We know you've been waiting patiently to hear whether the show would return or not, and ABC Family has finally announced their decision! The network has picked up the show for an eight-episode Season 3, which will see the gymnasts head for the Olympics.

Also on deck are more episodes of "The Lying Game," about twin sisters played by Alexandra Chando who swap places. The initial first season order of nine episodes has now been extended to 19, so look forward to the series continuing in 2012.

Though "The Nine Lives of Chloe King" has officially been axed, there are four pilots in development -- one of which, "Baby Daddy," is from "Nine Lives" executive producer Dan Berendsen.

"Bunheads," from "Gilmore Girls" creator Amy Sherman-Palladino, is a go, about a Las Vegas showgirl who winds up working at a small-town dance school.

"I spent 20 years...

It’s a busy week at ABC Family.

Following yesterday’s cancellation of The Nine Lives of Chloe King, the teen net announced today it has picked up four new series, one of which comes from Gilmore Girls creator Amy Sherman-Palladino. The network also renewed gymnastics-centered drama Make It or Break It for a third season and ordered an additional 10 episodes of The Lying Game.

Sherman-Palladino’s project, titled Bunheads, is a one-hour drama that follows a Las Vegas showgirl who married a man and moves to a small coastal town to teach at his mother’s dance school. The other drama picked up,...

Update 11 Am: I have learned that, like Nine Lives, ABC Family’s new comedy State of Georgia also has been canceled. Previous: ABC Family news kept coming in dribs and drabs all day yesterday: The back-12 episode pickup for The Lying Game, the cancellation of The Nine Lives of Chloe King and the pickup of two new drama pilots, Amy Sherman-Palladino’s Strut and the technology-themed Intercept. This morning, the network made its official announcement, which includes the pickups for Lying Game, drama pilots Strut (now titled Bunheads) and Intercept, as well as the pickup of two comedy pilots — Baby Daddy, from Nine Lives creator Dan Berendsen, and Village People — and the renewal of gymnastics drama Make It or Break It, “in time to ignite Olympic fever,” as ABC Family president Michael Riley put it. The network’s breakout hit this past summer, Switched at Birth, has already been renewed for a second season.

Filed under: Reality-Free, TV News

Update: The network has canceled 'State of Georgia.'

After canceling 'The Nine Lives of Chloe King,' ABC Family has spared 'Make It Or Break It.' The show will return for a third season along with dramas 'The Lying Game' and 'Switched at Birth.'

On the development front, ABC Family has ordered four pilots: 'Village People,' 'Baby Daddy,' 'Intercept' and Amy Sherman-Palladino's 'Bunheads.'

"We are thrilled about our returning originals, the hugely successful summer and the exciting new pilots that will continue to deliver on our promise to offer our viewers programming that is engaging, optimistic and relatable," Kate Juergens, executive vice president of original programming and development at ABC Family, said in a statement. "Our line-up continues to resonate with our audience and we believe that the shows in development will become strong...

The last, and undoubtedly most diverse, British festival of the summer is Bestival. Created by DJ and producer Rob da Bank in 2004, this carnival of colour and excitement continues to grow from a small boutique of choice music picks into a full scale alternate reality.

A four day phantasmagoria situated on the Isle of Wight, Bestival is typified by world class music acts such as this year’s headliners ‘The Cure’, ‘Primal Scream’ and ‘Björk’; all the while wrapped in a warm electric bubble of vibrancy that is bigger than the music itself.

The inflatable church, erected to let you marry a beautiful stranger; the poky ‘polka’ dance tent; an all day roller disco; transcendental meditation in the ambient forest; the freestyle skating ramp; the Wi tent; Shisha by Bollywood, Club Tropicana; The ‘Wishing Tree’ club in enclosed in bark and then so, so much more .The reason Bestival continues...