Gwyneth Paltrow & Tim McGraw from the upcoming movie, Country Strong, in theaters January 7, 2011. Photo by Scott Garfield, courtesy of Sony Pictures USA & Monarch Publicity.
From Crazy Heart to Country Strong, Hollywood and Nashville were tightly linked in 2010.
There’s probably not a better phrase to describe an all-star band that’s being put together by producer T Bone Burnett. Bluegrass legend Ralph Stanley, who sung the Grammy-winning “O Death” on T Bone’s O Brother, Where Art Thou? soundtrack, will share the stage with keyboard players Elton John and Leon Russell, eclectic rocker Elvis Costello, Americana artist Neko Case and actor Jeff Bridges under the banner T Bone Burnett’s Speaking Clock Revue. They’ll be assembled Oct. 24 at the Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View, Calif., during the second day of Neil Young’s annual Bridge School Benefit.
The rock-and-country mix in T Bone’s ensemble is reflective of the multi-genre texture of the event’s larger lineup. Country-rock pioneers Buffalo Springfield will reunite for the weekend, and country’s Merle Haggard and Kris Kristofferson will play the same stage as Americana’s Lucinda Williams, classic-rockers Jackson Browne and Billy Idol, and modern-rock bands Pearl Jam and Modest Mouse.
The link between country artists and their pop and rock peers is strong these days. And it’s in full force in a lot of ways. Among other notable examples:
David Nail up to bat during the All-Star softball game. Photo courtesy of UMG Nashville.
There aren’t too many country stars who can boast that they’ve hit a homerun in a major-league ballpark – but David Nail can.
David popped one over the fence during a celebrity softball game Monday in Angel Stadium during the festivities surrounding Major League Baseball’s All-Star Game.
His homerun is just one of numerous current sports-related items in country music, including Big Kenny’s World Cup debut and Taylor Swift’s shot at induction into a hall of fame.
The Golden Globe Awards are often hailed as the movie industry’s warm up for the Oscars, and it certainly worked that way for Ryan Bingham.
When “The Weary Kind (Theme From Crazy Heart)” won the Golden Globe for Best Original Song in January, Ryan was off chatting at the bar, leaving co-writer T Bone Burnett to deliver a somewhat bewildered acceptance speech.
Ryan learned an important lesson for Oscar night: stay in your seat. And he did exactly that on Sunday, until “The Weary Kind” won again. Ryan and T Bone shared the podium at the Kodak Theatre, though Ryan did most of the talking, including a sweet dedication to his wife, Anna Axster.
Jeff Bridges visits with Nan Kelley on the set of Top 20 Country Countdown.
Actor Jeff Bridges — star of the movie Crazy Heart — is a Best Actor front-runner in this Sunday’s Oscar race. As the down-and-out country singer Bad Blake, Jeff effortlessly oozes the grit and charisma of country legends like Kris Kristofferson (Separated at birth? These two could easily be brothers!).
Jeff recently visited GAC to talk about the movie and some artists whose music he’s currently enjoying. Here’s his Top 5 list: Continue Reading
Over 75 artists gathered in Hollywood on February 1, 2010 to record the 25th Anniversary version of "We Are The World."
On February 1, over 75 stars gathered at the Henson Recording Studios in Hollywood, CA to record the 25th Anniversary version of “We Are The World.” The collection of artists and celebrities was incredible, from Akon to Zac Brown and everyone in between. Lionel Richie, who produced the original version with Michael Jackson, was on hand once again to help produce this all new 2010 version.
Proceeds from this new recording and the accompanying video will go directly to Haitian relief efforts through the We Are The World Foundation. If you want to help out you can got to iTunes and download the song or video at www.iTunes.com/wearetheworld or you can text “world” to 50555 to donate $10 via your mobile account.
I already mentioned Zac Brown, but some other artists with a tie to country music you’ll catch a glimpse of in the video include Sugarland, Julianne Hough, Miley Cyrus, and Jeff Bridges.
I applaud all the stars for taking time out to participate in this uplifting project and for continuing to help drive fund-raising efforts for Haiti. There are way too many stars to mention by name in this post, so just click on the video below and see for yourself. Have fun trying to spot all your favorites…
Leave me a comment and let me know what you think of the 2010 version of “We Are The World” and tell me what other country stars you would like to have seen in the video…
If you watched the Golden Globe Awards this year, you likely recall a flustered T Bone Burnett stalling for time just a bit to let Ryan Bingham find his way to the podium when “The Weary Kind (Theme From Crazy Heart)” swiped the honor for Best Original Song.
Eventually, T Bone made the speech himself, and the Golden Globes moved on with no sight nor sound on television from Ryan.
Ryan gets a second chance to get it right at the Oscar Awards. “The Weary Kind” was nominated Tuesday by the Motion Picture Academy for Best Original Song, and it’s doubtful anyone will have trouble locating him this time around.
Twenty-five years after Kenny Rogers’ then-manager Ken Kragen helped coordinate the landmark USA For Africa single “We Are The World,” the song was re-recorded Monday in Los Angeles with a cast of characters that apparently dwarfed the original, which featured nearly 50 artists of the time.
With Quincy Jones back to produce and Lionel Richie, who co-wrote the song with Michael Jackson, at the center of the event, more than 100 artists were expected to take part, according to CNN, though none of the artists who played on the first version were asked back this time. That means no Bob Dylan, no Bruce Springsteen, no Tina Turner and no Paul Simon. Country music’s Willie Nelson was on that first version, too.
Even without Willie, and without Kenny, country has a role again in the 2010 version. Zac Brown, Sugarland, Julianne Hough and Miley Cyrus are among the artists who joined the crew in Los Angeles, according to an official release. They sang alongside Tony Bennett, Barbra Streisand, the Jonas Brothers, Celine Dion, Wyclef Jean, Jason Mraz, Jeff Bridges, Josh Groban, Pink, Usher and Carlos Santana.
Jeff Bridges visits with Nan Kelley on the set of Top 20 Country Countdown.
Jeff Bridges is getting huge Oscar buzz for his performance in the movie Crazy Heart, while Ryan Bingham and T Bone Burnett have a Golden Globe nomination for writing the picture’s theme song. All three of them will visit host Nan Kelley on this weekend’s edition of GAC’s Top 20 Country Countdown.
The film is about a former country star who’s down and out, playing small dives and drinking too much whiskey. Jeff’s character, Bad Blake, is a rough-edged singer built artistically around such iconic stars as Willie Nelson and Kris Kristofferson, and Jeff’s acting drew a comparison from New York magazine to the alcohol-fueled guy Nicolas Cage played in the depressing Leaving Las Vegas. Nicolas apparently drank between takes so he could play the part as realistically as possible in that film, though Jeff declined to go that far to develop his role in Crazy Heart.
