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Why It Took Garbage’s Shirley Manson A Long Time To Call Herself An Artist

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Strange Little Birds is Garbage’s latest album, released on Stunvolume, the label it collectively founded in 2012. It comes just ahead of Manson’s 50th birthday, and she says that her 20-plus years of performing have had a profound effect on both her instrument and her outlook.

“I mean, when I first started out, I didn’t even think of myself as an artist: I just thought of myself as a lucky girl who got a lucky break,” she says. “It took me a long time, arguably a decade or more, before I thought, ‘Actually, I am a musician, and I need to make music in order to be happy.’ And once I figured that out, I realized that I was a creative artist, and that changed the way I approached making music. It changed my intent, for want of a better word.”

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The Function of Music, As Explained By Radiolab Host

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Jad Abumrad, one of the hosts of Radiolab, explores the function of music. Produced by Mac Premo, it takes a pretty good stab at a question that would confound a lot of people.

The Function of Music with Jad Abumrad from mac premo on Vimeo.

Remember The Gong Show? It Had A Big Canadian Connection Involving Tommy Hunter

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The Gong Show, which premiered on June 14, 1976, was an irreverent response to years of strait-laced variety talent shows from the likes of Ed Sullivan and Lawrence Welk. The singular Chuck Barris hosted most of the episodes of both the daytime and primetime versions of the show, where contestants had 45 seconds to impress celebrity judges before being in danger of getting “gonged” off the stage.

The idea for The Gong Show came after Tommy Hunter, “Canada’s Country Gentleman,” told producer Chris Bearde about a guy who had auditioned for his show. The idea clicked with Bearde, who then pitched the concept as a series to the CBC.

“Hunter was telling me about these guys that juggle and throw bowling pins up and they bang them on the head and they never catch them,” Bearde recalled. “Then they take four bowling pins and they throw them up in the air and they miss every one of them, and then the guy turns to them and says ‘Now I would like to do it blindfolded’ … Let’s get Hunter and dress him in a nice tuxedo, and after we get him in the tuxedo he’ll introduce all these people.” When the CBC said no, Bearde joined up with Chuck Barris to create it in the United States.

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Kathleen Hanna on Her Feminist Path

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You’ve been an activist musician for more than 20 years. Is it ever dispiriting to still be railing against the same sexism on a song like “Mr. So and So” that you were calling out as a young person?

No, it feels euphoric, actually. Now I’m the one in control. I get to go out and sing that funny song. People might think, “She’s such a tough-as-nails, feisty little firecracker feminist” or whatever, but I’ve had to be nice to sound guys who were treating me horribly because I didn’t want them to turn my vocals down during the set. That’s just the nature of the work. But I’m able to deal with the emotions that have to do with keeping quiet and all of the more insidious forms of sexism.

I just think it’s totally hilarious that I get paid to sing about it. Back in the ’90s these were things we didn’t talk about. I would sing songs about mansplaining before that was a word. But I’m really happy that mansplaining is a word! All of a sudden it’s this thing that everyone gets, and that’s expanding our ability to talk about things.

There’s been a lot of talk recently about the commodification and marketing of feminism. How does this wave of trendy feminism differ from what you experienced with riot grrrl?

The second fanzine my band wrote was called “Girl Power,” and then, what do you know, three years later, the Spice Girls were like, “Girl power!” I’ve seen the commodification thing. But that’s why we’re artists — we just keep coming up with new ideas. People are going to steal them. That’s how rock ’n’ roll was invented — get real. This isn’t the first time or the last time that things are being appropriated. I don’t consider myself a victim in any way. I’m very lucky as a feminist artist to get the attention that I’ve gotten.

I understand people who are [upset] when things like the Stanford rape are still happening. You can’t wear a Sleater-Kinney T-shirt or be really into Beyoncé’s “Lemonade” and be like, “Everything’s O.K. now.” I totally get it. But the fact of the matter is that I got into bands because I wanted to make feminism cool. I mean, “Ally McBeal” was cool; feminism was not cool. So I said, I’m going to be the Pied Piper, the gateway drug, and try to get people into this because I was lucky enough to go to college and be given a feminist book.

If Beyoncé is going to have the word “feminist” written behind her in lights and she’s going to write “Formation” and talk about black power, I’m not going to say she’s fetishizing stuff. It’s not a good career move. It’s not like you go through the record books and see all the feminist musicians who just really cleaned up. Let’s not put down people who have enough power to spread stuff beyond our little punk-rock world or our feminist academic world. Everyone is invited to this party.

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Old Footage Of Martin Scorsese Having Dinner With His Proud Parents

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Here’s a really heartwarming clip from the 1991 film The Scorsese Machine in which Martin Scorsese sits down to dinner with his parents Charles and Catherine, both of whom spoke of their son with wonderful pride and love. I kinda expected Robert DeNiro to come out with a plate of spaghetti.

And Now…Bob Odenkirk Playing Stephen Colbert Playing Bob Odenkirk

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‘Late Show: The Movie’ might be Bob Odenkirk’s Colbert-iest performance yet.

Love Has No Labels And This Video Proves It

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For years, kiss cams have been a big part of American sports culture. This year, Love Has No Labels puts a twist on the kiss cam by turning it into a symbol for unbiased love. In the stadium, fans cheered for love in all its forms – regardless of race, gender, disability, age or religion.

Love Has No Labels is a movement to open our eyes to unconscious bias. While the vast majority of Americans consider themselves unprejudiced, many of us unintentionally make snap judgments about people based on what we see – whether it’s race, age, gender, religion, sexuality, or disability. By becoming aware of our own biases, we can work to end bias in ourselves, our families, our friends, and our communities.

Show the world you’re a Fan of Love by submitting a photo in their Faces of Love tool here.

https://youtu.be/b-xScLIevw0

Where Is Everyone Going To Be Sunday Night? Yeah, “Big Little Lies” Starts On HBO

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Based on the bestselling novel of the same name, and featuring tour de force performances by several top Hollywood actors, Big Little Lies is a darkly comic drama set in Monterey, CA that begins with a suspicious homicide at an elementary-school fundraiser. Though the victim and the perpetrator initially remain a mystery, it seems likely that the murder was spawned by rivalries and secrets surrounding three mothers: type-A stay-at-home mom Madeline Mackenzie (Reese Witherspoon), who harbors jealousy towards her ex’s new, younger wife Bonnie (Zoe Kravitz), a yoga instructor with a Zen attitude; Madeline’s best friend Celeste Wright (Nicole Kidman), a former corporate lawyer with a seemingly perfect marriage to a younger man (Alexander Skarsgård); and Jane Chapman (Shailene Woodley), a single mom with a dark past, whom Madeline and Celeste take under their wing.

Intercut with interrogation-room insights of other parents and school staff – who offer up a Greek chorus of gossip on the town’s allegiances and rivalries, particularly revolving around Madeline and her nemesis, tech-exec career mom Renata Klein (Laura Dern) – the story unspools over seven tense yet subversively funny episodes, revealing how each of the women had something to hide leading up to that one fateful night. Also starring Adam Scott, James Tupper and Jeffrey Nordling, Big Little Lies is directed by Jean-Marc Vallée (Wild) and written by David E. Kelley (Ally McBeal).

Big Little Lies debuts Sunday, February 19, at 9 pm Eastern on HBO.

Chris Stapleton Announces Tour Dates And Ideas For New Music

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“Chris Stapleton’s All-American Road Show” will bring the acclaimed musician to cities across North America this year, including stops at L.A.’s The Forum, Denver’s Red Rocks Amphitheatre and Toronto’s Budweiser Stage.

After a breakout 2015 and 2016, Stapleton will release new music on May 5—exactly two years to the day since the release of Traveller. Additional details to be announced in the coming weeks.

Exclusive Stapleton Fan Club pre-sales will begin next Tuesday, February 21 at 10:00am local time. Public tickets for the newly announced concerts begin Friday, February 24 at 10:00am local time.

American Express® Card Members can purchase tickets before the general public beginning Tuesday, February 21 at 12pm local time through Thursday, February 23 at 10pm.

The tour will offer two premium VIP packages on tour, including an interactive collection of instruments and memorabilia. The extensive 2017 tour follows a series of seminal years for Stapleton since the release of his breakthrough double Platinum solo debut album Traveller. Released last May 2015 on Mercury Records Nashville, Traveller initially debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard Country Albums chart with more than 27,000 albums sold, making it one of the best-selling first weeks by a debut country artist in 2015.

Following a historic turn on the 49th Annual CMA Awards—where Stapleton became the first artist to win Album of the Year, Male Vocalist of the Year and New Artist of the Year at the same awards – Traveller became the first album to re-enter the Billboard 200 all-genre album chart at No. 1, where is stayed for two straight weeks. The album went on to win multiple Grammy and ACM Awards and was the #1 selling Country album of 2016 and the fourth-highest selling album of 2016 across all genres.

Most recently, Stapleton was nominated for three awards at the 52nd Annual ACM Awards, including Male Vocalist of the Year, Song of the Year (“Tennessee Whiskey”) and Video of the Year (“Fire Away”).

Chris Stapleton Tour Dates:
March 9—Houston, TX—Rodeo Houston
March 18—London, ON—Budweiser Gardens*
March 19—Ottawa, ON—Canadian Tire Centre*
March 22—Winnipeg, MB—MTS Centre*
March 24—Calgary, AB—Scotiabank Saddledome*
March 25—Edmonton, AB—Rexall Place*
March 27—Vancouver, BC—Rogers Arena*
March 28—Seattle, WA—Key Arena†
March 30—Las Vegas, NV—Pearl Theater – Palms Casino Resort†
April 6—Columbus, GA—Columbus Civic Center†
April 8—Ft. Lauderdale, FL—Tortuga Music Festival
April 20—Roanoke, VA—Berglund Center‡
April 21—Pikeville, KY—East Kentucky Expo Center‡
April 22—Pikeville, KY—East Kentucky Expo Center‡
April 27—Columbia, MO—Mizzou Arena+
April 28—Cape Girardeau, MO—Show Me Center+
April 29—Bloomington, IL—U.S. Cellular Coliseum+
May 5—Alpharetta, GA—Verizon Amphitheatre§
May 11—Virginia Beach, VA—Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater at VA Beach§
May 12—Raleigh, NC—Coastal Credit Union Music Park at Walnut Creek§
May 13—Charlotte, NC—PNC Music Pavilion§
May 18—San Diego, CA—Mattress Firm Amphitheatre§
May 19—Phoenix, AZ—Ak-Chin Pavilion§
May 20—Los Angeles, CA—The Forum§
May 23—Denver, CO—Red Rocks Amphitheatre§
June 1—Fresno, CA—Save Mart Center at Fresno State§ (on-sale March 10)
June 2— Mountain View, CA—Shoreline Amphitheatre§
June 3—Wheatland, CA—Toyota Amphitheatre§
June 9—Southaven, MS—BankPlus Amphitheater at Snowden Grove#
June 10—Birmingham, AL—Oak Mountain Amphitheatre#
June 15—Charleston, WV—Charleston Civic Center#
June 16—Cincinnati, OH—Riverbend Music Center#
June 17—Indianapolis, IN—Klipsch Music Center# (on-sale March 3)
June 22—Tulsa, OK—BOK Center#
June 23—Manhattan, KS—Country Stampede
June 24—North Platte, NE—Nebraskaland Days
June 29—Chicago, IL—Wrigley Field†
July 5—Milwaukee, WI—Summerfest††
July 6—Milwaukee, WI—Summerfest††
July 14—Mansfield, MA—Xfinity Center#
July 15—Hartford, CT—The XFINITY Theatre#
July 16—Darien Lake, NY—Darien Lake Performing Arts Center#
July 20—Holmdel, NJ—P.N.C. Bank Arts Center#
July 21—Wantagh, NY—Northwell Health at Jones Beach Theater#
July 22—Bristow, VA—Jiffy Lube Live#
July 28—George, WA—Watershed Festival
July 29—Central Point, OR—Country Crossings Music Festival
July 30—Mountain Home, ID—Mountain Home Country Music Festival
August 3—Duluth, MN—AMSOIL Arena**
August 4—Prairie Du Chien, WI—Country on the River
August 5—St. Louis, MO—Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre**
August 10—Hershey, PA—Giant Center**
August 11—Pittsburgh, PA—KeyBank Pavilion**
August 12—Philadelphia, PA—BB&T Pavilion**
August 17—Toronto, ON—Budweiser Stage**
August 18—Cleveland, OH—Blossom Music Center**
August 19—Clarkston, MI—DTE Energy Music Theatre** (on-sale March 3)
August 25 – Gilford, NH – Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion**
*with special guest Lindi Ortega
†with special guest Maren Morris
‡with special guest Brent Cobb
+with special guest Lucie Silvas
§ with special guests Brothers Osborne and Lucie Silvas
#with special guests Anderson East and Brent Cobb
**with special guests Margo Price and Brent Cobb
††with Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers

Ricky Gervais Announces Fist Worldwide Stand-Up Tour In Seven Years

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Ricky Gervais has announced the first American, Canadian and European dates of Humanity, his first worldwide stand-up tour in seven years.

2017 hails the British comedian’s return to stand-up comedy on an international stage, as Ricky Gervais brings Humanity to the USA with shows in New York, LA and Chicago, as well as new dates announced in Europe, with Gervais playing Reykjavik, Dublin, Stockholm, Amsterdam and Copenhagen this year.

After selling out his first few UK shows instantly, Ricky Gervais has added the second leg of the UK tour with fourteen new dates, including four nights at London’s Hammersmith Apollo this October.

Ricky Gervais said: “Thousands of people paying hard earned cash to come and see you live is such a privilege. You’d better have something different, interesting and funny to say. Humanity is my angriest, most honest and I think my best tour yet. It’s probably my most personal too. I feel I may as well tell you everything before I die. Hope you enjoy it. Or not. There are no refunds. Just like life, I guess.”
He also added: “I’m thrilled to be able to take this tour around the world and look forward to performing stand-up to a Canadian audience for the first time. Watch this space for even more dates being added too. I’m coming to your town! (If your town has an arena and a 5-star hotel with a helipad.)”.

Gervais has had a busy couple of years with the international theatrical and DVD release, alongside the exclusive partnership with Netflix USA, of mockumentary comedy feature film David Brent: Life On The Road. 2016 also marked the debut album release of David Brent & Foregone Conclusion – Life On The Road, which became a Top 10 UK hit on the iTunes chart. Special Correspondents, which Gervais wrote, directed and starred in alongside Eric Bana, was launched on Netflix worldwide, and Gervais also hosted the Golden Globes for a 4th time.

This year Ricky Gervais returns to his first love of stand-up comedy, with the British comic taking his new show Humanity on a 37-date tour around the world.

The creator and star of The Office, Extras & Derek, Ricky Gervais, has won three Golden Globes, two Primetime Emmy Awards and seven BAFTA’s. The award-winning stand-up comedian also has four international tours under his belt. His 2007 stand-up show ‘Fame’ was the fastest selling UK stand-up show in history, with 100,000 tickets for the London dates selling out in just 9 minutes.

Ricky Gervais Tour Dates
Bristol: 21st – 23rd February (Sold Out)
York: 28th February – 1st March (Sold Out)
Cardiff: 6th – 7th March (Sold Out)
Manchester: 13th – 14th March (Sold Out)
Liverpool: 15th March (Sold Out)
Bournemouth: 22nd – 23rd March (Sold Out)
Belfast: 28th – 29th March (Sold Out)
Sheffield: 3rd April
Portsmouth: 11th April
Iceland (Reykjavik): 20th April
Plymouth: 25th April
Glasgow: 2nd May
Brighton: 9th May
USA (New York): 21st May
USA (Chicago): 24th May
Newcastle: 5th June
Edinburgh: 8th June
Oxford: 13th June
Southampton: 18th June
Dublin: 24th June
Birmingham: 28th June
Sweden (Stockholm): 1st July
Canada (Toronto): 14th July
Netherlands (Amsterdam): 8th September
Denmark (Copenhagen): 29th September
London (Hammersmith Apollo): 4th – 7th October
USA (Los Angeles): 28th October