By Ray Bennett
LONDON – One of Canada’s most successful singers, Anne Murray, who turns 70 today, became a huge international entertainer but she told me two things had made her nervous – performing in Las Vegas and at the Quebec Winter Carnival. Continue reading
By Ray Bennett
LONDON – Happy birthday to Elizabeth Hurley, who turns 50 today.
I met her at a party during the Festival de Cannes several years ago. I turned on the terrace and there she was in a white dress lit up suddenly from behind by a bright light and to all intents and purposes she appeared to be naked. Continue reading
By Ray Bennett
LONDON – Fans of “The Voice” might not suspect that the venerable Sir Tom Jones, who turns 75 today, was censored on American television when he was younger.
His show “This is Tom Jones” aired on the ABC network for three seasons until 1971 and his electrifying performances made him a huge sex symbol that terrified his network TV bosses. Continue reading
By Ray Bennett
LONDON – Nobody loved being a movie star more than Tony Curtis, who was born on this day 90 years ago and who died in 2010, and as he got older he liked nothing more than to talk about it. “Don’t I have great stories?” he said to me. “Don’t you fucking love it?”
Curtis did an hilarious impression of Cary Grant to seduce Marilyn Monroe (pictured below) in “Some Like it Hot” (1959) but he told me that when director Billy Wilder screened the film for him, Grant said, “I don’t talk like that”, and Curtis said it just as Grant would have. They had starred together in the Blake Edwards war comedy “Operation Petticoat”. Continue reading
By Ray Bennett
KRAKOW – Themes from some of the most popular television shows in the world rocked the impressive new Tauron Arena here on Saturday as the Krakow Film Music Festival celebrated the exciting vibrancy of music for TV series.
An enthusiastic crowd of around 15,000 greeted familiar themes from shows such as “Downton Abbey”, “The Borgias”, “House of Cards”, “Vikings” and “Game of Thrones”. Continue reading
By Ray Bennett
KRAKOW – Powerful, melodic and mischievous, Elliot Goldenthal’s music for the productions of his partner Julie Taymor was given full rein at an exhilarating Shakespeare in Concert performance as part of the Krakow Film Music Festival on May 29. Continue reading
By Ray Bennett
KRAKOW – Andrzej Wajda’s devastating images from his 2007 film “Katyń” and the haunting music of Krzysztof Penderecki formed the emotional heart of the Polish Music Gala: Scoring4Wadja here last night. Continue reading
By Ray Bennett
KRAKOW – Wojciech Kilar advised artists to fight the sin of pride, Elliot Goldenthal said as he received the first Kilar Award at the Krakow Film Music Festival on Thursday: “You are looking at a sinner tonight.” Continue reading
By Ray Bennett
KRAKOW – U.S. orchestral rock outfit Critical Hit showed how infectious music from videogames can be with a 90-minute high-energy concert here last night that featured an ensemble of highly talented and glamorous performers. Continue reading
By Ray Bennett
KRAKOW – The 8th Krakow Film Music Festival kicked off today with morning masterclasses and a noon media conference in which artistic director Robert Piaskowski welcomed around 800 artists who will play at 10 concerts during the event. Continue reading
