Famous birthdays for July 20: Judy Greer, Sandra Oh
They include:
-- Macedonian leader Alexander the Great in 356 B.C.
-- Poet Petrarch in 1304
-- Pope Innocent IX in 1519
-- Monk/botanist Gregor Johann Mendel in 1822
-- Explorer Edmund Hillary in 1919
-- Artist Nam June Paik in 1932
-- Writer Cormac McCarthy in 1933
-- Former Sen. Barbara Mikulski, the longest serving woman in U.S. Congress history, in 1936 (age 89)
-- Actor Diana Rigg in 1938
-- Actor Natalie Wood in 1938
-- Artist Judy Chicago in 1939 (age 86)
-- Musician John Lodge (Moody Blues) in 1943 (age 82)
-- Musician Kim Carnes in 1945 (age 80)
-- Musician Carlos Santana in 1947 (age 78)
-- Musician Jay Jay French (Twisted Sister) in 1952 (age 73)
-- Musician Paul Cook (Sex Pistols) in 1956 (age 69)
-- Actor Donna Dixon in 1957 (age 68)
-- Musician Mick MacNeil (Simple Minds) in 1958 (age 67)
-- Musician Chris Cornell (Soundgarden/Audioslave/Temple of the Dog) in 1964
-- Actor Dean Winters in 1964 (age 61)
-- Actor Adam Godley in 1964 (age 61)
-- Musician Stone Gossard (Pearl Jam) in 1966 (age 59)
-- Actor Josh Holloway in 1969 (age 56)
-- Actor Sandra Oh in 1971 (age 54)
-- Actor Omar Epps in 1973 (age 52)
-- Actor Simon Rex in 1974 (age 51)
-- Actor Judy Greer in 1975 (age 50)
-- Actor Charlie Korsmo in 1978 (age 47)
-- Model Gisele Bundchen in 1980 (age 45)
-- Musician Mike Kennerty (All-American Rejects) in 1980 (age 45)
-- Actor/filmmaker John Francis Daley in 1985 (age 40)
-- Actor Osric Chau in 1986 (age 39)
-- Dancer/Julianne Hough in 1988 (age 37)
-- Actor Alycia Debnam-Carey in 1993 (age 32)
-- U.S. Olympic figure skater Maia Shibutani in 1994 (age 31)
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After ‘Eddington:' 7 Offbeat Westerns to Watch Next
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The movie has an episodic structure, with the pair getting into misadventures along the way, gorgeously shot by legendary cinematographer Gordon Willis, as their wayward drifting transitions to out-and-out lawlessness. If you've seen it and are a fan of it or want to check it out now for the first time, Fun City Editions put out a terrific Blu-ray edition recently that is very much worth checking out. 'Walker' (1987) After making 'Repo Man' and 'Sid & Nancy,' British director Alex Cox turned his sights on a one-of-a-kind western. The movie stars Ed Harris as William Walker, an American physician, lawyer and mercenary who organized military expeditions into Mexico and at one point made himself president of Nicaragua. Like 'Eddington,' 'Walker' leans into the events of recent (and current) history – it was actually filmed in Nicaragua during the Contra War, a conflict that would have major implications for American politics. (Just Google Iran-Contra.) What makes 'Walker' really bonkers is Cox's use of historical anachronisms – there will be a Zippo lighter or a Coke can in scenes, and, if you don't know this going in, it can make you feel like you're going insane. Incredibly, Universal Pictures released the movie, selling it as a more straightforward western (in the trailer you here but never see a helicopter) and it promptly tanked. Since then, it has caught a second wind, and Criterion put out a killer Blu-ray that is very much worth your time. 'Unforgiven' (1992) Aster has openly stated that he was influenced by 'Unforgiven' in making 'Eddington,' and it's both easy and somewhat difficult to see. There is a meandering quality to the story in both 'Unforgiven' and 'Eddington,' and we mean that in a positive. If it's been a while since you've seen the Best Picture-winning Clint Eastwood film, there's a whole section of the movie where the wronged prostitutes hire an assassin named English Bob (Richard Harris), who totally punks out and leaves them high and dry, before they even find Eastwood's 'Will' Munny. There are so many narrative left turns and surprises, which translate to 'Eddington' (we don't want to give anything away), even if 'Unforgiven' is a much more traditional Western in tone and look. But hey, if you were looking for an excuse to rewatch 'Unforgiven,' consider 'Eddington' the reason. 'Lone Star' (1996) John Sayles' masterpiece, set in modern times and starring Chris Cooper as a sheriff who investigates the murder of one of his predecessors (Kris Kristofferson) years earlier, investigates time and how the past impacts the present. (These are things very much in 'Eddington.') What was striking about 'Lone Star' at the time – and what's still striking now – is how much iconography and narrative convention from a classic western could be grafted to something that would be considered a 'contemporary' film. These are themes and characters and even shot compositions that would not be out of place in a classic western, but dealing with modern concerns and moral ambiguity. (We don't want to ruin anything if you've never seen 'Lone Star.') Just watch it; it has a handful of award-worthy performances and a script by Sayles that was nominated for the Oscar for original screenplay. It also has a must-own 4K from Criterion. 'The Proposition' (2005) 'The Proposition' is bleak, even bleaker than 'Eddington' and with fewer jokes. But they do share a connective tissue in their desire to showcase a particular moment in time and the people who inhabit that moment. In 'Eddington,' it's 2020, and the breakdown of law and order around the pandemic is evident. In 'The Proposition' it's the 1880's, when criminals populated the Australian bush (like famous outlaw Ned Kelly) and English were brutally exterminating Australian Aboriginals. Like we said – bleak. Chances are you've never seen this one, which marked the breakthrough film of Australian director John Hillcoat, working from a screenplay by Australian musician Nick Cave, so we'll spare the details. We'll just say that Guy Pearce and Ray Winstone enter into a truly screwed up agreement that has dire consequences. Just watch it. It's worth it. Even if you have to close your eyes occasionally. 'The Counselor' (2013) Both more straightforward and more bonkers, Ridley Scott's underrated masterpiece 'The Counselor' is the perfect chaser to 'Eddington.' Like 'Eddington,' it is set in modern times, with deeply conflicted characters occasionally bumping up against and colliding with one another. In the only original screenplay written by the great Cormac McCarthy, Michael Fassbender plays a lawyer who gets in deep with some underworld types and attempts to save himself and his new wife (Penelope Cruz) from damnation. It's heady, for sure, but also extremely pulpy, with some of the best dialogue this side of the Rio Grande. (Most of it is too filthy to directly quote here.) Javier Bardem, Cameron Diaz and Brad Pitt all offer up superb supporting performances. And if you really want to feel the full power of 'The Counselor,' which we would put in the top 5 Ridley movies, watch the extended version. It gives everything more time to luxuriate. We are desperate for a longer 'Eddington', too, for that matter. 'Hell or High Water' (2016) What a movie – aesthetically 'Hell or High Water' is probably closest to 'Eddington' in its attempt to replicate the feeling of the old west in contemporary context. The movie, which people forget was nominated for four Academy Awards (including Best Picture), follows Chris Pine and Ben Foster, who are robbing banks to save their family ranch. Jeff Bridges is the Texas Ranger on their tail. They both tackle current-day social issues (the pandemic vs. the country's abysmal economic condition) but do it in an incredibly entertaining way, with Scottish director David Mackenzie upping the tension and Nick Cave and Warren Ellis delivering a beautiful, elegiac score (they also scored 'The Proposition,' see above). While 'Hell or High Water' might be more outwardly entertaining, it is still very much of a piece with 'Eddington.' Again: with fewer jokes and conspiracies. The post After 'Eddington:' 7 Offbeat Westerns to Watch Next appeared first on TheWrap.
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Donald Trump Repeats False Claim Beyoncé Was Paid $11 Million To Endorse Kamala Harris; Calls To Prosecute Singer, Oprah & Al Sharpton
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Tom Lehrer, musical satirist, dies at 97
Tom Lehrer, an acerbic songwriter and Harvard-trained mathematician who rose to fame in the 1950s and '60s by pillorying the sensibilities of the day, has died at age 97. Lehrer died at his home in Cambridge, Mass., on Saturday. His death was confirmed by friends on Facebook. No cause of death was given. The bespectacled Lehrer began performing on college campuses and clubs across the country in the 1950s, playing the piano and singing darkly comedic numbers that he penned on topics such as racial conflict, the Catholic Church and militarism, earning him the sobriquet of "musical nerd god." In "National Brotherhood Week," which lampooned the brief interlude of imposed tolerance celebrated annually from the 1930s through the early 2000s he wrote: Oh, the white folks hate the black folksand the black folks hate the white folks,to hate all but the right folks is an old established rule …But during National Brotherhood Week (National Brotherhood Week),Lena Horne and Sheriff Clark are dancing cheek to fun to eulogizeThe people you despise,As long as you don't let 'em into your school. Lehrer's songs also took aim at then-taboo subjects such as sexuality, pornography and addiction. In 1953, his self-released album 'Songs of Tom Lehrer" became an underground hit. Produced for $40 and promoted by word of mouth, the cover image was of Lehrer in hell playing piano as the devil. It eventually sold an estimated 500,000 copies and sparked demand for concert performances around the world. During the mid-1960s, Lehrer contributed several songs to the satirical NBC news show 'That Was the Week That Was,' hosted by David Frost. The show inspired Lehrer's third album, 'That Was the Year That Was.' Released in 1965, it reached the 18th spot on American music charts. On the occasion of his 90th birthday in 2018, Los Angeles Times columnist Michael Hiltzik wrote that Lehrer's lyrics were written "with the facility of William S. Gilbert and tunes that evoked the felicity of Sir Arthur Sullivan. Lehrer's work bounced the absurdities and paranoias of that period back at us, in rhymed couplets and a bouncy piano beat." Thomas Andrew Lehrer was born in New York City on April 9, 1928, to a middle-class family. His father James Lehrer was a successful necktie manufacturer. As a child he took piano lessons but preferred Broadway show tunes — with a particular affection for the works of Gilbert and Sullivan — to the classics. After entering Harvard University at age 15, his penchant for sardonic humor surfaced in his parody song "Fight Fiercely Harvard," which challenged the football team's reputation for toughness and earned him a measure of renown on campus. For a time he followed a dual track, music and academia, though he never completed the PhD thesis he began while pursuing doctoral studies at Harvard and Columbia University. After a two-year break between 1955 and 1957 when he served in the Army, Lehrer once again performed concerts across the U.S., Canada and Europe. In a 1959 Time article, the magazine described Lehrer and fellow comedians Lenny Bruce and Mort Sahl as the symbols of a new 'sick' comedy. 'What the sickniks dispense is partly social criticism liberally laced with cyanide, partly a Charles Addams kind of jolly ghoulishness, and partly a personal and highly disturbing hostility toward all the world." Lehrer's work opened the door for generations of musical satirists including Randy Newman and 'Weird Al' Yankovic and exerted an influence on everything from the musical skits of "Saturday Night Live" to the mockumentary "This Is Spinal Tap." "He set the bar for me — and provided an example of how a nerdy kid with a weird sense of humor could find his way in the world,' Yankovic once said of Lehrer. 'Done right, social criticism set to a catchy tune always makes politics easier to digest,' Lizz Winstead, co-creator of "The Daily Show," told Buzzfeed in an article examining Lehrer's influence on modern satirical comedy. But Lehrer was first and foremost an academic, over the course of his career teaching math and musical theater at Harvard, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and UC Santa Cruz and working for a time at the Atomic Energy Commission. He viewed entertainment largely as a sideline, and by the late 1960s had grown weary of life in the public eye. After several pauses to focus on his academic pursuits, he stepped off the stage in 1967 following a concert in Copenhagen. In 1971, he wrote songs for the PBS children's series "The Electric Company." His last turn in the spotlight was a year later. After performing at a presidential campaign rally for the Democratic nominee, South Dakota Sen. George S. McGovern, he gave up performing for good. Lehrer explained his retreat from the stage by saying that 'political satire became obsolete when Henry Kissinger was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize." In an interview with the New York Times, he elaborated: 'The Vietnam War is what changed it. Everybody got earnest. My purpose was to make people laugh and not applaud. If the audience applauds, they're just showing they agree with me.' But audiences were not through with Lehrer. After nearly a decade in self-imposed exile, Lehrer became a hit once again in the early 1980s when Cameron Mackintosh, the British theatrical producer, created "Tomfoolery," a revue of Lehrer's songs that opened in London's West End before going to to play New York, Washington, Dublin and other cities. Despite the public acclaim, Lehrer maintained a fiercely private life. He never married nor did he have children. In 2020, Lehrer announced through his website that he was making all of the lyrics he wrote available to download for free without further permission, whether or not they were published or retained a copyright. Two years later he went further in relinquishing his rights, saying: 'In short, I no longer retain any rights to any of my songs. So help yourselves, and don't send me any money.' Get notified when the biggest stories in Hollywood, culture and entertainment go live. Sign up for L.A. Times entertainment alerts. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. 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