Phil Spector News

When a culture critic is as prolific and well known as Greil Marcus, and has written books as revered as Mystery Train and Lipstick Traces, it's a mouthful to say any one book defines him

The twilight view of Central Park in all its springtime lushness set a perfect mood for Lynda Carter's show Long Legged Woman last Saturday night (April 23) at the Appel Room, which ran for two nights as part of the Jazz at Lincoln Center series. With her all-star Nashville crew, whose members have between them played on hundreds of albums (including dozens of gold records), the star best known for her iconic TV portrayal of 'Wonder Woman' performed an ambitious set covering six musical genres: pop, rock, country, Texas swing, jazz, and blues.

King is being portrayed by the very talented Abby Mueller. Mueller. Sound familiar? Her sister, Jessie Mueller, won the Tony Award for her portrayal of Carol in the original Broadway production of the show.

Broadcast Music, Inc. (BMI) will present Taylor Swift with an award bearing her name in recognition of her incomparable creative and artistic talent and influence on music lovers throughout the world.

SAY: The Stuttering Association for the Young will host its 14th Annual Benefit Gala, on Monday, May 2, 2016, to celebrate the courage and achievements of more than 70 million people who stutter, including 5% of all children. SAY Founder Taro Alexander said 'Our Annual Benefit Gala reminds us all that every voice matters. Not some. Not most. But every voice.'

Atlantic Theater Company presents the world premiere of Academy Award nominee and Pulitzer Prize finalist Kenneth Lonergan's latest play HOLD ON TO ME DARLING, directed by Atlantic Artistic Director Neil Pepe.

Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts at Brooklyn College continues its 2015-16 season on Saturday, April 2, 2016 at 8pm with Darlene Love. Darlene Love has been captivating audiences worldwide for decades with her warmth, grace, and electrifying performances. From her No. 1 hit, 'He's A Rebel,' to her induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, she continues to blaze a trail of success, proving why Rolling Stone magazine calls her 'one of the greatest singers of all time.' Tickets for the Darlene Love concert are $40 and can be purchased at BrooklynCenter.org or by calling the Brooklyn Center box office at 718-951-4500.

Patricia Arquette, Abraham Attah, Jason Bateman, Bryan Cranston, Taye Diggs, Jon Hamm, Keegan?Michael Key, Diane Lane, Julia Louis?Dreyfus, Helen Mirren, Pedro Pascal, Jeremy Renner and J.K. Simmons will be presenters at the 22nd Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards

Bergen Performing Arts Center located at 30 North Van Brunt Street in Englewood, New Jersey presents Darlene Love - Saturday, February 13, 2016 at 8PM. Purchase tickets at www.ticketmaster.com or Box Office at 201.227.1030.

The prospect of a new stage musical about the Righteous Brothers is an enticing idea, and with the premiere of That Lovin' Feelin', James A. Zimmerman's new production about the lives and careers of Bobby Hatfield and Bill Medley, we ventured into the Valley to take in a performance. The show is being staged through January 24 at the Lonny Chapman Theatre in North Hollywood. As with all of our 'road trips,' there is a local Ventura County angle, in this case, Brenden MacDonald, a graduate of California Lutheran University's drama program who also attended Moorpark College, where he studied under John Loprieno. MacDonald fares well in his Group Rep Theatre debut but the production suffers from obvious miscasting and an overall unsatisfactory book, which fails to effectively portray the lives and tumultuous partnership of Hatfield and Medley.

INTRODUCING DARLENE LOVE, Love's first solo LP in 27 years, was released this fall on iTunes, Google Play, Amazon and other retailers. Now, you can stream the full album via Spotify. Check it out below, plus scroll down for a list of Love's 2016 tour dates!

Award-winning veteran director Jules Aaron has been putting his directorial stamp on musicals and plays for several decades.  Mr. Aaron takes time out of his busy schedule to talk with us about his current project, the west coast premiere of The Group Rep's production of THAT LOVIN' FEELIN' running December 11 through January 24, 2016 at the Lonny Chapman Theatre in North Hollywood, which already has some SOLD OUT performance dates.  He also gives us a glimpse into his background and the encouragement he received along the way.

Deck the halls, trim the tree, and spin the dreidel. BroadwayWorld is continuing our tradition of celebrating the holiday season with a special countdown. This year we've invited Director of Programming at Feinstein's/54 Below and author of The Untold Stories of Broadway book series Jennifer Ashley Tepper to share her favorites holiday performances. Check back daily to get in the holiday spirit in time for December 25 and to find out what else made her list!

China Doll, the new play by David Mamet starring Tony, Emmy and Academy Award-winner Al Pacino, officially opens tonight, December 4, after a two-week delay. Directed by Tony Award-winner Pam MacKinnon (Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf) and co-starring Christopher Denham ('Master Harold'... and the Boys, Argo, 'Manhattan'), China Doll plays the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre (236 West 45th Street) and marks the tenth presentation of a David Mamet work by Messrs Richards, Frankel and Treaxler on Broadway and in the West End.

Joe's Pub at the Public has announced a fresh slate of shows for the holiday season, starting today, December 2!

Joe's Pub at the Public has announced a fresh slate of shows for the holiday season, starting December 2-13! 

Joe's Pub at The Public has announced its upcoming nightly performances from November 25-December 6, 2015. Scroll down or visit www.joespub.com for a complete list of shows!

The new David Mamet play starring Al Pacino and directed by Pam MacKinnon will open two weeks later than scheduled.

Babes' new album Untitled (Five Tears) is out today, October 30 on Barsuk. The full album is currently streaming on Consequence of Sound, hear the album below!

Marquis Publishing, an affiliate of the Marquis Gallery announces the release of author and photographer Marques Vickers' 'Murder in California: The Topography of Evil.' The 417-page edition is a visual return to 101 infamous crime scenes detailing the shocking and often searing narratives behind each tragedy. Over 200 images amplify the experience by escorting the reader to the crime location, offering a critical context and perspective for understanding. The captured snapshots portray visual testimonies of extinguished lives removed by acts of violence. Crime scenes often revert back into unremarkable landscape or unassuming buildings over the ensuing years and decades. Several have altered little since their moment of infamy. Many are passed daily by pedestrian and vehicular traffic unaware of a location's unique significance. California has been the residence for many notorious individual and serial killers including the Zodiac, Ted 'Unabomber' Kaczynski, Dan White, Charles Manson, Sirhan Sirhan, Jim Jones, Richard Allen Davis, David Carpenter, Menendez Brothers, Juan Corona, Rodney Alcala, Phil Spector, Juan Corona, Richard Ramirez and Scott Peterson. The media has renamed some such as the Trailside Killer, Co-ed Killer, Children of Thunder, Vampire of Sacramento, Zebra Killers and the Death House Landlady. The region has also buried notables among the profiled victims including Senator Robert Kennedy, San Francisco Mayor George Moscone, Supervisor Harvey Milk, Mobster Bugsy Siegel, Black Panther Huey P. Newton, Journalist Chauncey Bailey, Nicole Simpson-Brown, Rapper Christopher Wallace a.k.a. Notorious B.I.G., Actors Haing Ngor, Ramon Novarro and Sal Mineo, Singers Marvin Gaye and Sam Cooke, Polly Klaas, Lacy Peterson and members from the People's Temple Massacre in Jonestown, Guyana and Heaven's Gate cult suicide in Rancho Santa Fe. 'The Murder in California' edition is segmented into nine categories including assassinations, abductions, historical legacies, reckless homicides, chance encounters and manslaughters, law enforcement fatalities and controversies, unsolved murders, rampage and serial killers. An extensive listing of fatality victims is included along with convicted and deceased killers. Each living convict still registered within the California and other state penal systems is identified by their respective current penitentiary residence. A paperback edition is available through Amazon.com and in electronic format via the Amazon Kindle online store. Supplementary videos on numerous prominent chapters are available on YouTube.com and Vimeo.com. For further information regarding Marquis Publishing, visit MurderInCalifornia.com and InsiderSeriesBooks.com.