Robert Angier (Hugh Jackman) commissions a machine from Nikola Tesla (David Bowie) during Tesla’s time in Colorado Springs. This video clip is taken from the motion picture The Prestige, and was released in theatres back in 2006.
https://youtu.be/PF76qlwWM8s
The Short Story Dispenser offers intellectual breaks to enchant readers, while enabling businesses with lengthy wait times to improve upon their customer experience. Put a story where people gather in your business, surprise them poetically and encourage interaction, so they leave with a smile.
With the Short Story Dispenser, you can improve your customer relationship by transforming the low points of their experience (having to wait, feeling ignored, impatience, etc.) into highlights (surprise, smiles, a great read).
Short Édition’s aim is to adapt literature to the modern world by combining short literature, the community and technology. In this way Short Édition uses passion and humour to inspire the community of readers and authors who dare to like short stories. Created in 2011, Short Édition has generated over 19 million readings of works and now has more than 230,000 reader subscribers to its participatory platform, short-edition.com, designed for reading on the move.
9,000 of their authors have been selected and promoted by the readers of the Short Édition community. They have written the works offered on the short-edition.com platform. The shortest and best are selected to be offered to the public via the Short Story Dispenser. They have signed a publishing contract with Short Édition which protects them, gives Short Édition responsibility for managing their creative output and enables them to receive royalty payments. Our authors are therefore paid in royalties, every time their work is accessed in a Short Story Dispenser.
Bird scientist Tom Stevenson listens to famous metal songs and tell us what birds he thinks the vocalists sounds like. Tom seriously invented an app called BirdGenie which can identify a bird by it’s song.
Are you an 80s or 90s kid? Fancy some retro nostalgia? Here’s a medley of some of the best 80s and 90s kids TV themes broadcast in the US and UK/Ireland, played on solo fingerstyle guitar, as played by John Tracey.
Nick Burchill from Nova Scotia has been banned from the Empress Hotel in Victoria, B.C for the last 17 years. What? I thought we Canadians were nice! Why? Well, he explained the bizarre circumstances that led to his ban online, and it’s gone viral, for excellent reasons.
Google has shared a look at the songs, artists, concerts and movies that are heating up the summer of 2018, according to Google Trends insights over the last 3 months.
The top trending lyrics people are searching for:
1. Drake, “In My Feelings”
2. Childish Gambino, “This is America”
3. Kanye West, “Lift Yourself”
4. Drake, Lil Baby “Yes Indeed”
5. Pusha T, “Story of Adidon”
6. Drake, “Emotionless”
7. Drake, “Duppy Freestyle”
8. The Carters, “APES**T”
9. 6ix9ine ft. Nicki Minaj, “FEFE”
10. Post Malone, “Rich & Sad”
Top Festival Searches
1. Vans Warped Tour
2. Lollapalooza (Chicago, IL)
3. Outside Lands (San Francisco, CA)
4. Austin City Limits (Austin, TX)
5. Made in America Festival (Los Angeles, CA)
6. Electric Zoo (New York, NY)
7. Bumbershoot (Seattle, WA)
8. Lockn’ Festival (Arrington, VA)
9. Hard Music Festival (Fontana, CA)
By: W. Andrew Powell, The GATE
Jim Cummings has been voicing some of your favorite animated characters for close to 30 years, and he’s worked on dozens of blockbuster animated films and games, from Aladdin, The Lion King, and The Princess and the Frog, to The Elder Scrolls, Mass Effect 2, and Star Wars: The Old Republic. His most beloved roles though are most definitely Winnie the Pooh, and Tigger.
In Walt Disney’s new live action film, Christopher Robin, Cummings returns as the beloved little bear from the Hundred Acre Wood, and I had the distinct pleasure of chatting with the actor about his career, characters, and how working on this film differed from the other Winnie The Pooh films and series.
To get ready for a particular character, I asked what his thought process was like to get into character, but the answer was a little surprising.
“No thinking involved,” he said. “No, instincts are the best-stinks. You just follow them and that’s the only way to go.”
“People say, ‘How do you keep it separated?’ Well, how do you keep songs separate when you hear them? When a Beatles song comes on and then you hear Rachmaninoff, how can you tell them apart? ‘Cause you can, I guess, right? I would think, yeah. That’s the way it works for me.”
Cummings, who was ever the comedian, joked that he didn’t quite get the career he hoped. “See, you have to understand, I’m a dismal failure,” he said. “I wanted to be a mime. Can’t tell you how this has backfired on me. Complete failure.”
And I wondered if he had a favorite character, considering the dozens he’s played over the years.
“You know, I kind of have a top 10 but I can’t think of any of them right now. I’m gonna say Pooh, go out on a very sturdy limb and put Pooh and Tigger up there. They’re tied for first place. How’s that? That’s my new answer.”
Christopher Robin is out in theatres today, Friday, August 3. Watch the full interview with Jim Cummings below, and for a little extra fun, watch my interview with the characters of Christopher Robin, including Winnie The Pooh, Tigger, Piglet, and Eeyore below.
In 1967, an enigmatic singer, songwriter and producer named Bobbie Gentry rose out of the Mississippi delta and enchanted audiences around the world with her beautiful, captivating voice and her “Ode To Billie Joe.” An unconventional, beguiling song with simple acoustic guitar and sparse production, and notably without a discernible chorus, the song introduced Gentry and her style of storytelling that was very different to the confessional song writing of other emerging female singers. The song caused a lot of commotion as it shot to number one in America and knocked The Beatles’ “All You Need Is Love” off the top spot. When the album Ode To Billie Joe was released the following month, it topped the charts and was the only record to displace Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band from its 15-week reign. Over the next several years, Gentry, whose birthday was this past Friday, July 27, released seven studio albums and broke ground in numerous ways as one of the first female musicians to write, produce and even publish her own music. She also produced her elaborate stage shows via her own production company and was the first female singer songwriter to be afforded her own BBC TV series in the UK where she was wildly popular. She became one of the most iconic and influential artists of the 1960s and 70s, and then in the early ’80s she made her final appearance and disappeared from the public eye completely, never to return.
Capitol/UMe are proud to announce that on September 21, they will release the first major retrospective of this most groundbreaking artist with The Girl From Chickasaw County – The Complete Capitol Masters, an eight CD box set that includes all seven of Gentry’s studio albums sensitively remastered from the original tapes, supplemented by over 75 previously unreleased recordings including her ‘lost’ jazz album, outtakes, demos, rarities and an eighth disc of live performances taken from her celebrated series for the BBC. The release has specially commissioned cover art by David Downton and includes an 84-page book with a comprehensive essay by boxset compiler Andrew Batt, rare and unseen photos, eight postcards and a facsimile of her original handwritten lyrics for “Ode To Billie Joe.”
Gentry’s seven albums for Capitol Records featured some exceptional material. She was an artist who could turn her hand to fit country, folk, soul, pop, Americana, blues and jazz, and this box set brings all the magic together. Pick outs include the classic originals of “Ode To Billie Joe,” swamp funk mover “Mississippi Delta” (complete with an alternative version), classy Glen Campbell duet “Mornin’ Glory,” her definitive cover of “Hushabye Mountain,” pop-soul triumph “Fancy,” and from her final album, the melancholy “Lookin’ In.”
In addition, there are superb previously unreleased recordings including originals like “I Didn’t Know” and “Joanne” alongside essential covers of “Conspiracy Of Homer Jones,” “God Bless The Child,” and “Spinning Wheel.” Also included are intimate acoustic performances of “The Seventh Son,” “Feelin’ Good,” “Seasons Come, Seasons Go” and “Belinda.” For the rarities and obscurities fan, making their appearance on CD/digital for the first time are “La Siepe,” Bobbie’s Italian-language entry to the 1968 San Remo song festival, UK number one single “I’ll Never Fall In Love Again” sung in Spanish, and a little-known duet with Kelly Gordon; “Love Took My Heart And Mashed That Sucker Flat.” Lastly there’s disc eight featuring live recordings from her BBC TV series, including an inspired pairing of “Niki-Hoeky with Barefootin’,” and dazzling takes of “Refractions,” “Ode To Billie Joe,” “He Made A Woman Out Of Me,” and an extended “Your Number One Fan.”
Gentry’s career blazed brightly for a few short years, but only now is the full extent of her artistry coming into focus. When we think of empowered female stars we think of Beyoncé, Madonna, or even Dolly Parton, but before all of them there came the girl from Chickasaw County. When she emerged in the late 60’s women were just starting to make their mark in the music industry, but female identity was polarized between the light entertainment star and the confessional singer-songwriter. Gentry developed her own unique persona, which was a hybrid of both; part creative songwriter, and part musical theatre performer. A storyteller at heart, Gentry created characters and situations that were often inspired by her Southern childhood, and the media and public alike were fascinated by the contrast between her glamorous appearance and the rural simplicity of her origins. Romanticized over time, these stories have coalesced into a classic version of the American dream; a rags-to-riches story that took Gentry from the Delta backwoods to the world’s most glittering stages.
Her disappearance intrigues us quite as much as what was thrown from the Tallahatchie Bridge: Why did she disappear? What has she been doing? Where is she now? But ‘Where is Bobbie Gentry?’ is not the question we should be asking: Gentry was a trailblazer who was years ahead of her time; a successful writer, singer, musician, performer, producer, publisher, and businesswoman. What we should really be asking ourselves is ‘Who was Bobbie Gentry?’ – The Girl From Chickasaw County provides more answers to that question than ever before, definitively re-appraising the musical legacy of this influential and iconic artist.
THE GIRL FROM CHICKASAW COUNTRY – THE COMPLETE CAPITOL MASTERS
DISC 1 – ODE TO BILLIE JOE
1. Mississippi Delta
2. I Saw an Angel Die
3. Chickasaw County Child
4. Sunday Best
5. Niki Hoeky
6. Papa, Woncha Let Me Go to Town With You?
7. Bugs
8. Hurry, Tuesday Child
9. Lazy Willie
10. Ode to Billie Joe
BONUS TRACKS
11. The Seventh Son [Demo]*
12. I Saw an Angel Die [Demo]*
13. Niki Hoeky [Demo]*
14. Papa, Woncha Let Me Go to Town With You? [Demo]*
15. Hurry, Tuesday Child [Demo]*
16. Mississippi Delta [Alternate version]*
17. Sunday Best [Alternate take]*
18. Show-Off [Stereo version]*
19. La Siepe [Original 7″]
20. La Citta E’ Grande [Original 7″]
DISC 2 – THE DELTA SWEETE
1. Okolona River Bottom Band
2. Big Boss Man
3. Reunion
4. Parchman Farm
5. Mornin’ Glory
6. Sermon
7. Tobacco Road
8. Penduli Pendulum
9. Jessye’ Lisabeth
10. Refractions
11. Louisiana Man
12. Courtyard
BONUS TRACKS
13. The Seventh Son [Band version]*
14. Feelin’ Good [Demo]*
15. I Didn’t Know [Demo]*
16. Morning to Midnight [Demo]*
17. Refractions [Demo]*
18. Louisiana Man [Demo]*
19. Sermon [Demo]*
20. Morning Glory [Demo]
21. Jessye’ Lisabeth [Demo]*
22. Courtyard [Demo]*
23. Louisiana Man [‘The Tom Jones Show’ 06/07/1968]*
24. Ode to Billie Joe [‘The Tom Jones Show’ 06/07/1968]*
DISC 3 – LOCAL GENTRY
1. Sweete Peony
2. Casket Vignette
3. Come Away Melinda
4. The Fool on the Hill
5. Papa’s Medicine Show
6. Ace Insurance Man
7. Recollection
8. Sittin’ Pretty
9. Eleanor Rigby
10. Peaceful
11. Here, There and Everywhere
BONUS TRACKS
12. Hushabye Mountain [Original 7″]
13. Skip A Long Sam [Ode to Bobbie Gentry]
14. Conspiracy of Homer Jones*
15. Sweet Peony [Alternate Version]*
16. Cotton Candy Sandman [Demo] *
17. Hushabye Mountain [Demo]*
DISC 4 – BOBBIE GENTRY & GLEN CAMPBELL
1. Less of Me
2. Little Green Apples
3. Gentle on My Mind
4. Heart to Heart Talk
5. My Elusive Dreams
6. (It’s Only Your) Imagination
7. Mornin’ Glory
8. Terrible Tangled Web
9. Sunday Mornin’
10. Let It Be Me
11. Scarborough Fair/Canticle
BONUS TRACKS
12. All I Have to Do Is Dream [Original 7″]
13. Walk Right Back [Original 7″]
14. Sunday Mornin’ [Alternate version]*
15. Let It Be Me [Without strings]*
16. Scarborough Fair/Canticle [without strings]*
17. Love Took My Heart and Mashed That Sucker Flat [Duet with Kelly Gordon] [Defunked, 1969]
18. Fool on the Hill [Japanese language version] [Original 7″]
19. No me quiero enamorar [Spanish Language ‘I’ll Never Fall In Love Again’] [Original 7″]
20. En Todas Partes [Spanish Language ‘Here There and Everywhere’] [Original 7″]
DISC 5 – TOUCH ‘EM WITH LOVE
1. Touch ‘Em with Love
2. Greyhound Goin’ Somewhere
3. Natural to Be Gone
4. Seasons Come, Seasons Go
5. Glory Hallelujah, How They’ll Sing
6. I Wouldn’t Be Surprised
7. Son of a Preacher Man
8. Where’s the Playground, Johnny
9. I’ll Never Fall in Love Again
10. You’ve Made Me So Very Happy
Bonus Tracks
11. More Today Than Yesterday*
12. Spinning Wheel*
13. Touch ‘Em with Love [Stereo version]*
14. Glory Hallelujah, How They’ll Sing [Alternate take]*
15. Seasons Come, Seasons Go [Demo]*
16. Suppertime*
17. God Bless The Child*
18. Since I Fell For You*
19. Save Your Love For Me*
20. Here’s That Rainy Day*
21. Stormy [Ode To Bobbie Gentry]
22. This Girls In Love With You
23. Windows of the World [The Best of Bobbie Gentry: The Capitol Years]
DISC 6 – FANCY
1. Fancy
2. Delta Man
3. Something in the Way He Moves
4. Find ‘Em, Fool ‘Em and Forget About ‘Em
5. He Made a Woman Out of Me
6. Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head
7. If You Gotta Make a Fool of Somebody
8. Rainmaker
9. Wedding Bell Blues
BONUS TRACKS
10. In the Ghetto [I’ll Never Fall In Love Again (UK)]
11. Fancy [Mono radio edit]*
12. Apartment 21 [Original 7″]
13. Away In A Manger [The Christmas Sound of Music, 1969]
14. Scarlett Ribbons [The Christmas Sound of Music, 1969]
15. Circle ‘Round the Sun*
16. Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head [Alternate take]*
17. Wedding Bell Blues [Alternate take]*
18. Apartment 21 [Without strings]*
19. Scarlett Ribbons [Alternate version]*
20. If You Gotta Make A Fool Of Somebody [Live on ‘Top Of The Pops’]
DISC 7 – PATCHWORK
1. Benjamin
2. Interlude 1
3. Marigolds and Tangerines
4. Interlude 2
5. Billy the Kid
6. Interlude 3
7. Beverly
8. Interlude 4
9. Miss Clara/Azusa Sue
10. Interlude 5
11. But I Can’t Get Back
12. Jeremiah
13. Interlude 6
14. Belinda
15. Mean Stepmama Blues
16. Your Number One Fan
17. Interlude 7
18. Somebody Like Me
19. Lookin’ In
BONUS TRACKS
20. Smoke [The Best Of The Capital Years, 2007]
21. Joanne*
22. Salome Smith and the Amazing Dancing Bear*
23. Benjamin [Alternate take]*
24. Belinda [Alternate version]*
25. Smoke (Demo)*
26. The Girl from Cincinnati [Original 7″]
27. You and Me Together [Original 7″]
DISC 8 – LIVE AT THE BBC
1. Mississippi Delta [Live on ‘Bobbie Gentry’ 08/03/1968]*
2. Papa Won’t You Let Me Go To Town With You [Live on ‘Bobbie Gentry’ 08/03/1968]*
3. I Saw An Angel Die [Live on ‘Bobbie Gentry’ 08/03/1968]*
4. My Dog Sargent [Live on ‘Bobbie Gentry’ 08/03/1968]*1.15
5. Ode to Billie Joe [Live on ‘Bobbie Gentry’ 08/03/1968]*
6. Mornin’ Glory [Live on ‘Bobbie Gentry’ 07/27/1968]*3.15
7. Sunday Best [Live on ‘Bobbie Gentry’ 07/27/1968]*
8. Hurry Tuesday Child [Live on ‘Bobbie Gentry’ 07/27/1968]*
9. Nikki Hokey / Barefootin’ [Live on ‘Bobbie Gentry’ 08/10/1968]*
10. Penduli Pendulum [Live on ‘Bobbie Gentry’ 08/10/1968]*
11. Ace Insurance Man [Live on ‘Bobbie Gentry’ 08/10/1968]*
12. Chickasaw County Child [Live on ‘Bobbie Gentry’ 08/10/1968]*
13. Recollection [Live on ‘Bobbie Gentry’ 07/16/1969]*
14. Sweet Peony [Live on ‘Bobbie Gentry’ 07/16/1969]*
15. Refractions [Live on ‘Bobbie Gentry’ 07/16/1969]*
16. Greyhound Goin’ Somewhere [Live on ‘Bobbie Gentry’ 07/16/1969]*
17. Cotton Candy Sandman [Live on ‘Bobbie Gentry’ 07/16/1969]*
18. Open Your Window [Live on ‘Bobbie Gentry’ 02/01/1971]*
19. Mother Nature’s son [Live on ‘Bobbie Gentry’ 02/01/1971]*
20. Mr. Bojangles [Live on ‘Bobbie Gentry’ 02/01/1971]*
21. Your Number One Fan [Live on ‘Bobbie Gentry’ 02/01/1971]*
22. He Made A Woman Out of Me [Live on ‘Bobbie Gentry’ 03/08/1971]*
23. Billy the Kid [Live on ‘Bobbie Gentry’ 03/08/1971]*
24. Wailing Of The Willow [Live on ‘Bobbie Gentry’ 03/08/1971]*
25. Belinda [Live on ‘Bobbie Gentry’ 03/08/1971]*
26. Circle ‘Round The Sun [Live on ‘Bobbie Gentry’ 03/08/1971]*
*Previously unreleased
Kate McKinnon picked up some Hungarian language while filming The Spy Who Dumped Me in Budapest through a ’90s rap song by Animal Cannibals, “Yozsefváros.”
https://youtu.be/olupGxvGd9s
On this episode of “Slang School,” NCT 127 teaches you Korean slang words.
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Eric Alper is a 6-time nominee for Publicist of the Year during Canadian Music Week and has overseen the publicity campaigns for over 183 JUNO Award-nominated albums (and 16 in 2025), 45 Grammy-nominated albums, including 47 JUNO Award, 58 Canadian Folk Music Award, 126 Maple Blues Award-winning albums and is also truly honoured to work with some of the biggest and most important artists of our time.
Contact me: eric@thatericalper.com
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