Gael Garcia Bernal to Portray Salvador Dali in New Podcast “Playboy Interview”

Posted on June 25, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

Gael Garcia Bernal’s art is about to imitate art life…

The 42-year-old Mexican actor and producer is joining a slew of stars who’ll portray famous figures across history in a new podcast series from Playboy and Audio Up.

The two companies are launching Playboy Interview, an audio series that features teleplay-style re-enactments of the most iconic Playboy interview conversations.

In addition to Garcia Bernal, other stars set to take part in the program are Rosanna Arquette, Taye Diggs, Maya Hawke, Shea Whigham, Michael Shannon, Kevin Corrigan and Gina Gershon.

The series, which is set to debut in September, will see Arquette voice feminist pioneer Betty Friedan, Diggs will portray Muhammad Ali, Garcia Bernal plays Salvador Dali, Shannon is Tennessee Williams, Shea Whigham is John Wayne, Maya Hawke is Helen Gurley Brown, Kevin Corrigan is Frank Sinatra and Gina Gershon is Oriana Fallaci.

The first two episodes will feature “conversations” with Friedan and Ali.

The series is based on the classic Playboy Interview, which started in 1962 with Alex Haley’s conversation with Miles Davis and has run for more than 500 interviews including the likes of Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, Fidel Castro, Bob Dylan, John Lennon and Yoko Ono, Steve Jobs, Whoopi Goldberg and Maya Angelou.

“Working on the Playboy Interview was an incredible experience,” said Maya Hawke, who also portrays Ayn Rand in the second season, which is likely to launch in early 2022. “I got the rare opportunity to portray two of history’s most influential, controversial, and complicated women. I was allowed to inhabit the characters rather than being asked to impersonate them, which left me thinking about their respective perspectives for weeks after. And I felt inspired. Even if I don’t agree with them about everything, or anything – their strength, persistence, and insistence on being exactly who they are has reminded me to be exactly who I am.”

“Playboy is culturally iconic for many reasons, but their in-depth interviews and journalistic integrity is a large part of what has made the publication so cool,” said Gina Gershon. “I was so happy to work on a project that celebrates Playboy’s historic interviews with so many incredible individuals. I’ve always been fascinated by Oriana Fallaci, and was so excited to be able to take part in bringing her interviews to life. It was so much fun to explore this remarkable woman and share her point of view with the world.”

“We couldn’t be more excited to unveil the first season of the Playboy Interview podcast,” added Rachel Webber, Chief Brand Officer at PLBY Group and producer of the series. “Audio is the perfect format for these intimate and revealing conversations. Each brilliant performance by this incredible cast gives you chills, making you feel like you’re right there in the room as history unfolds.”

“This podcast is the culmination of a personal journey for me having spent seven years as Playboy’s editorial director,” added Audio Up’s Chief Creative Officer Jimmy Jellinek, who adapted, produced and directed all 10 episodes of season one. “Thanks to the explosion of audio as a medium, today we’re able to reintroduce these incredible conversations to a new generation. I have long thought the Playboy Interview would lend itself perfectly to formats off the page. In my wildest dreams I didn’t anticipate that something this magical would be the result.”

“We’ve paired the greatest conversations of the 20th century with the greatest actors of the 21st. Audio Up is in the business of pushing the boundaries of audio entertainment and this project exemplifies that mission in every way,” said Audio Up founder and Chief Executive Officer Jared Gutstadt.

Demi Lovato to Take Part in Vote With Us Virtual Rally on “Vote Early Day,” Saturday, October 24th

Posted on October 18, 2020 by Tom Castaneda

Demi Lovato is encouraging you to vote with her…

The 28-year-old part-Mexican American singer will appear during the Vote With Us virtual rally, which is set to livestream on “Vote Early Day,” on Saturday, October 24th.

Lovato joins a roster of A-list participants that includes Justin Bieber, Mark Ruffalo and Vic Mensa.

Andra Day will also perform “Remember I Bleed” and the War and Treaty will cover John Lennon’s “Power to the People” during the three-hour event, which highlights early vote events in Atlanta, Detroit, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, Milwaukee, Philadelphia, and Phoenix.

The Vote for Us livestream will also show clips from the upcoming documentary Us Kids, featuring survivors of the Parkland school shooting-turned-activists Emma González, David Hogg, Jaclyn Corin, Samantha Fuentes, Bria Smith and Alex King.

“To vote is to harness your power, and we have to use the power that’s given to us,” Gonzalez said in a statement. “Don’t just vote for yourself, vote for every person; for every person whose basic rights are at risk, for every person who can’t vote because they are undocumented or incarcerated, for every person who is affected by the system and for every person who fought with everything they had just to give us the right to vote. Vote because you can. Vote because we haven’t always been able to.”

Organizers behind advocacy groups We Stand United, March On, Future Coalition, Us Kids Film (Sundance 2020), Black Voters Matter, M.O.B.B., Headcount, Vote Early Day, Future Coalition, All in for Voting, Pull Up Neighbor, Black Men Vote, Ballot Ready, Milk Studios, Collective Education Fund, APAI Vote, RepresentUs, League of Women Voters, The Early Vote, and Civic Power Media have united for the first time for the Vote With Us event, which aims to increase voter turnout among young voters.

“Young people are done watching older generations gamble our futures away for the sake of power,” said Katie Eder, Executive Director of Future Coalition, said in a statement. “We’ve spent much of 2020 making our message loud and clear in the streets, and we’re going to make it binding at the ballot box, too. After November 3, nobody will say anymore that young people don’t show up. We are showing up in record numbers and we are the ones who are about to decide the future of our country.”

The Vote With Us rally will livestream both at the official site and YouTube as well as partner coalitions’ social media pages on October 24th beginning 3:00 pm EST.

Lovato has upped her political voice in the last week, with the release of her Trump-bashing song “Commander In Chief.”

Dave Navarro Signs Deal with Primary Wave Music Publishing

Posted on July 28, 2019 by Tom Castaneda

Dave Navarro has a new deal…

Primary Wave Music Publishing has acquired a stake in the 52-year-old half-Mexican American singer-songwriter-guitarist’s publishing catalog, master revenue streams and writer’s share royalties.

The worldwide publishing deal also includes a co-publishing agreement for Navarro’s future output.

“When I partnered up with Primary Wave, the first question they asked was, ‘So, where would you like to see your music being heard?’ I had never before been asked for my artistic input from a corporate entity and I was instantly relieved to know that I had finally found a home for my catalog,” said Navarro in a statement. “This was something new and fresh. In addition to this being a team partnership, Primary Wave utilizes its resources to put my music in front of ears that would have otherwise never heard it. They protect their artists and their catalog.”

Navarro is a member of Jane’s Addictionand a former member of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, who he played with from 1993 to 1998.

The Primary Wave deal includes such Navarro-penned songs as “Been Caught Stealing” and “Jane Says” (with Jane’s Addiction) and “Aeroplane” (with Red Hot Chili Peppers). He has additionally released two solo records, including the 2001 album Trust No One.

“We are honored to have a legendary artist such as Dave join our growing Primary Wave family,” added Primary Wave CEO and founder Lawrence Mestel. “Dave’s accomplishments speak for themselves. His contributions to Jane’s Addiction and Red Hot Chili Peppers left an indelible impression, influencing future generations of musicians.”

Founded in 2006, Primary Wave is a full-service music company that has acquired copyrights to over 15,000 songs from legendary artists like John Lennon, Kurt Cobain, Whitney Houston, Smokey Robinson, Aerosmith and Bob Marley.

Juanes Writes First English Song “Goodbye for Now”

Posted on March 16, 2017 by Tom Castaneda

Juanes is switching tongues…

The 44-year-old Colombian superstar has written his first English song, “Goodbye for Now,” with the help of PooBear.

The track is part of his anticipated visual album, Mis planes son amarte, to be released in the next few months.

“Four or five years ago I started recording in English, but honestly I find it very difficult,” Juanes told The Associated Press in a recent presentation of his new production in New York.

“I did a few experiments and they didn’t come out very well, until finally this time, after several years living here in this country and knowing the language better, I felt more comfortable doing it,” he said.

Last May, Juanes posted on Instagram a black-and-white photo of him with PooBear seemingly working in Los Angeles. “Making magic,” he wrote.

PooBear, the writer behind R&B hits like Usher‘s “Caught Up” and Chris Brown‘s “She Ain’t You, “is an incredible songwriter,” Juanes said. “We sat there and talked about feelings and things and he would choose the right words.”

“To me this is something very hard to do in English,” he said, “but I really had the desire to try.”

The result is “Goodbye For Now,” a piece that fits in the album’s story line about a time traveler astronaut who lands in present time in search of an indigenous goddess who is the love of his life.

“Let’s say goodbye for now/ And go our separate ways/ It hurts down to my soul watching us go/ It will hurt more if we stay,” Juanes sings in his distinctive mix of Colombian rhythms. “Doesn’t mean I don’t love you/ Doesn’t mean you lose my security/ Doesn’t mean you can’t love me/ Doesn’t mean we will never speak.”

Juanes has sung in English in concert – often something by Bob Marley – and at special events like the Eagles tribute (“Hotel California“) and John Lennon‘s 75th Birthday Concert (“Woman“). He also sang in English with Tony Bennett in a duet of “The Shadow of Your Smile” and included the words “It’s Time to Change” in his hit’s “Odio por amor” title and refrain. But “Goodbye For Now” is his first original song recorded entirely in English.

It’s the only English song in Mis planes son amarte, which also features his singles “Fuego” and “Hermosa ingrata.”

Maldonado & Pentatonix Release Music Video for Their Take on John Lennon’s “Imagine”

Posted on March 13, 2017 by Tom Castaneda

Kirstie Maldonado is imaging a unified world…

The 24-year-old half-Mexican, part-Spanish American singer and her fellow Pentatonix members have released a simple-yet-impactful music video with a message for their cover of John Lennon’s classic “Imagine.”

In the video, the a cappella group, Maldonado and her group mates each holds up a sign with a word that describes them personally, and then flips it over to reveal another word that can be applied to them more generally.

The phrases include “LGBTQ+,” “Man,” “Jewish,” “American,” “Black,” “Christian,” “Latina” and “Woman.”

Pentatonix’s cover of the song will be included on their upcoming album PTX Vol. IV – Classics, which will be available on April 7 and also includes their Grammy-winning collaboration with Dolly Parton on the country singer’s classic hit “Jolene.”

At the end of the video, each of the five members grabs a board and writes a letter on it. Then they flip them over in unison to spell out a single word: “H-U-M-A-N.”

Blacc to Participate in Netflix’s Animated Beatles-Themed Series “Beat Bugs”

Posted on July 28, 2016 by Tom Castaneda

Aloe Blacc is getting animated…

The 37-year-old Panamanian American singer-songwriter has been added to the voice cast of Netflix’s animated musical series Beat Bugs.

There’s no word yet on Blacc’s role/participation on the kids show inspired by the songs of The Beatles.

The series follows five best friends who together discover life’s most important lessons in an overgrown suburban backyard. The Beat Bugs live out these childhood adventures to the words and music of The Beatles.

“Because I’m able to tell [the story] through streaming episodes, you’re able to engage in cinematic storytelling,” says creator Josh Wakely. “To do Pixar-level storytelling was really the intention from the beginning.”

Beat Bugs incorporates more than 50 songs from the John Lennon/Paul McCartney ‘Northern Songs’ catalog and features covers by P!nk, Eddie Vedder, James Corden, Regina Spektor, Of Monsters and Men, The Shins, Chris Cornell, Rod Stewart, Jennifer Hudson, Robbie Williams, Tori Kelly and Sia.

Beat Bugs will premiere its 13-episode first season globally on August 3 on Netflix, and Season 2 on November 18.

Spain Selects Trueba’s “Vivir es Facil con los Ojos Cerrados” as Its Oscar Entry for Best Foreign Language Film

Posted on September 26, 2014 by Tom Castaneda

Does David Trueba‘s latest film have what it takes to earn Oscar glory?

The Spanish Academy of Arts and Cinematographic Sciences seems to think so, selecting the 45-year-old Spanish director’s Vivir es Facil con los Ojos Cerrados as its entry for best foreign language film at next year’s Academy Awards.

Trueba’s film, chosen Thursday the nation’s film acaedmy, tells the true story of an English-language teacher from Spain who traveled to the southern province of Almeria in 1966 to try to meet late Beatles star John Lennon, who was staying there.

The movie takes its name from the lyrics of the Beatles song “Strawberry Fields Forever,” which Lennon began writing in Almeria.

The U.S. film academy will select finalists for the Oscars in January, with the awards announced a month later.

Spain has won four Oscars for best foreign language film. Trueba’s brother, Fernando Trueba, won the category in 1994 for Belle Epoque. The country’s other winners include José Luis Garci’s Begin the Beguine (1982), Pedro Almodovar’s All About My Mother (1999) and Alejandro Amenábar’s The Sea Inside.

In all, Spain has earned 18 Best Foreign Language Film nominations since the launch of the category in 1956, with The Sea Inside serving as the country’s last nominated (and eventual Oscar-winning) film.

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