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The Guardian
4 hours ago
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
From Zooey Deschanel to Captain Kirk doing Dylan: the best songs by actors, ranked!
It perhaps stretches the definition of 'actor': Parker starred in a soap opera, but was better known as pornographic actor Wade Nichols. However, Like an Eagle is incredible, a soaring, euphoric mid-tempo disco epic produced by his then-partner, Jacques Morali – and infinitely cooler than Morali's biggest successes with Village People – so let's bend the rules. Captain Kirk's debut album raises questions: are its hysterical recitations of pop hits and Shakespeare soliloquies meant to be funny or a wildly misguided attempt at out-there art? They sound nuts either way. Later albums, where Shatner is audibly in on the joke, are somehow less fun; they're certainly less disturbing. Produced by TV on the Radio's Dave Sitek, Johansson's debut album was heavy on Tom Waits covers and featured a cameo from David Bowie. It received a mixed response. As this self-penned song proves, it's pretty good, its dark, foggy atmospherics suggesting a love of This Mortal Coil. If you want evidence of where Willow Smith's eclectic musical taste came from, her mother Jada's penchant for nu-metal seems a good place to start. Bleed All Over Me is great: the guitars rage, former Fishbone drummer Philip Fisher adds a swing, and Jada Pinkett Smith's vocals are really powerful. The queen of the nouvelle vague sang in Godard's Une Femme Est une Femme but recorded only intermittently: in her 70s, she worked with Giant Sand's Howe Gelb. The pick of her oeuvre is the raw, gleeful garage rock of Roller Girl, the first – but not last – credit for songwriter Serge Gainsbourg in this list. Some of Zooey Deschanel's indie-rock collaborations with M Ward as She & Him are a little too sugary for their own good. But the lead single from their second album, Volume Two, hits the mark: a melding of smooth 70s soft rock and jazzy pre-rock'n'roll pop that's as warm and lovely as its title suggests. The star of Yellowjackets released a debut EP of experimental pop last year. This, her follow-up, was her intriguing contribution to the soundtrack of the horror film Heretic, a hazy cover of the Bob Dylan classic set to the melody – and the mood – of Mazzy Star's Fade Into You. It fits with the film, but works perfectly in its own right. The Blow Up star's debut album, David Hemmings Happens, is impressively star-studded: he is backed by various members of the Byrds and legendary LA session players the Wrecking Crew for a collection of improvised jazzy psychedelia and baroque folk-rock. Its real classic is this otherwise unreleased song by former Byrd Gene Clark: a world-weary minor masterpiece. Why They Don't Know was not a hit for its composer, Kirsty MacColl, is an enduring mystery: apparently written when she was 16, it's a dizzyingly perfect pop song. It finally made the UK and US Top 10 thanks to Ullman's brief sojourn as a pop singer, helping to kickstart her wildly successful career in the US. There was far more to Jane Birkin's singing career than the heavy-breathing scandal of Je T'aime … Moi Non Plus: her 70s albums are particularly fine examples of leftfield francophone pop. From her solo debut album, Di Doo Dah, Encore Lui is understated, fabulously orchestrated and supremely cool. Margaret Qualley certainly isn't the only US actor to pursue a parallel career in acoustic alt-rock, but In the Sun She Lies – produced by her husband, Jack Antonoff, for a new Ethan Coen film called Honey Don't! – is impressively, naggingly odd: swathed in spooky echo, backed by the sound of gusting winds and abstract guitar noise, occasionally dying away entirely. Samantha Morton's collaborative album with producer and XL Recordings boss Richard Russell, Daffodils & Dirt, was a leftfield delight: its moody brand of trip-hop revivalism is perfectly encapsulated by the darkly seductive, distinctly nocturnal pop of Let's Walk in the Night, the jazzy sax provided by Alabaster DePlume. Matt Berry is an astonishingly prolific musician, turning out everything from proggy folk to ambient synth instrumentals to country rock. Take My Hand is particularly fantastic: melodic, soft-focus psychedelia with a hint of Elton John's Song for Guy in its DNA, it's also the theme to Toast of London. Foxx's singing career has yielded deeply variable results: you need a strong stomach to cope with him in priapic loverman mode, and his biggest success involved impersonating Ray Charles on Kanye West's Gold Digger. I Don't Need It, though, is great: tough, Timbaland-produced 21st-century funk. Ryan Gosling and Zach Shields' solitary album as Dead Man's Bones is a curious thing: ghost-themed gothic alt-rock featuring a children's choir on every track. But it contained one unequivocal triumph: Pa Pa Power is creepy and compelling, and was subsequently covered by Cat Power to striking effect. Patsy Kensit had been an actor since childhood, but a parallel career as a pop star stubbornly refused to take off. Her band Eighth Wonder couldn't get a hit until Pet Shop Boys gave them the haunting Europop-influenced I'm Not Scared. Success proved fleeting, but at least they left behind one fabulous single. Brigitte Bardot may have been an icon of French cinema, but she was no great shakes as a singer. It scarcely mattered once a lovestruck Serge Gainsbourg started turning out extraordinary songs for her. Bonnie and Clyde makes a virtue of her limited range: her voice sounds like the epitome of cool hauteur. Feverish, cinematic and eerie, Johnny Remember Me is one of the masterpieces of pre-Beatles British pop, showcasing the late Joe Meek's genius as a producer. It was helped to No 1 by John Leyton's role in the TV series Harpers West One when a performance of the song was somehow worked into the plot. Harris's late 60s collaborations with songwriter Jimmy Webb are extraordinary: lavish, lush, adventurous examples of post-Sgt Pepper experimental pop. The episodic MacArthur Park is more than seven minutes long, mystifying but utterly gripping and furthermore, a huge hit. Harris may not be the greatest singer, but he's a captivating presence here. Most actors' singing careers are an adjunct to their main gig: they might produce hits, but they seldom produce anything that garners a response like This Is America. A lot of attention was understandably directed at the choreographed violence of its extraordinary video, but the track doesn't need visual accompaniment to strike home: trap beats and sweet choral vocals, a performance by Glover that switches from austere rapping to gentle singing, cameos from rappers including 21 Savage and Quavo, lyrics that explore systemic racism and gun violence. Not for nothing did it win song of the year at the Grammys.
Hamilton Spectator
17 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Hamilton Spectator
How Festival of Friends booked Sugarhill Gang
General manager Robert Rakoczy was on a layover from a vacation in Spain when he got the email confirming Sugarhill Gang would perform at Festival of Friends this year. But to add to his excitement, Rakoczy would soon receive another call from the agent asking if there was enough in the budget to add American rappers Melle Mel and Scorpio from The Furious Five, known for the legendary song 'The Message.' Since Sugarhill Gang was one of the first acts he booked, there was, he said. 'I was like 'Are you kidding me? I have Sugarhill Gang, but now I can add Grandmaster Flash's guys?'' said Rakoczy. They are hip hop legend drops in the bucket of performances set for Friday to Sunday , all viewed for free, at Gage Park (1000 Main St. E.) . Sister Sledge perform on the second day of Festival of Friends, Saturday, Aug. 2. Girl group Sister Sledge ('We Are Family'), Canadian country singer Brett Kissel, Canadian indie rock-folk artists Dan Mangan and the returning Hamilton rock band The Trews exemplify the festival's diverse lineups that continue to span across eras and genres. The event has featured Tanya Tucker ('Delta Dawn') and Village People ('YMCA') in 2024, Taboo from the Black Eyed Peas in 2013 and Don McLean ('American Pie') in 2007. Getting Village People proved fruitful, as Rakoczy worked through the same agent to get Sugarhill Gang. After sorting through availabilities, receiving the final OK was thrilling, he said, but not unexpected. Rakoczy landed on Sister Sledge once he decided to follow an '80s theme. Booking them required some more discussion, with him negotiating accommodation for a growing number of bands. 'What gets the attention, what brings people to the park, what gets them excited is giving them something different,' said Rakoczy. 'If we want to grow, we have to expand and we have to include more people in the festival.' Despite the famous performances featured at the festival, it remains free, and Rakozcy said thanks is owed to the sponsors. The festival takes about $600,000 to run, about 10 per cent of which Rakoczy said goes to wages. More than half goes to setting up the stage and paying for performers. Tim Hortons, the presenting sponsor, and Second Shop are 90 per cent of the sponsorship money, he said. 'If you were to sum it up, it's money, timing and reputation of the festival,' said Rakoczy. Rakoczy's first concert was at Festival of Friends in 1979. He then brought his child to the festival in 1993. He hopes attendees can continue to show the same loyalty to the festival to keep it going. 'I think the key to that is to stick to our roots, while still expanding,' said Rakoczy. Even before the weekend, Rakoczy is thinking about next year's Festival of Friends, which will be its 50th anniversary. He said it will be the biggest Hamilton has seen. 'This is what gets me excited about the festival is like the next thing, what's next year? Can we do bigger, can we do more?' For the full lineup, timings and more information, go to . Weekend planner: Festival of Friends, Lucky Lion Night Market, Cardinals game this weekend Rock artist Kurt Tweedle plays Cat and Fiddle ( 174 John St. S. ) on Saturday Aug. 2 from 7 p.m. to 1 a.m. The event celebrates Tweedle's birthday, featuring a 'hot sauce challenge,' and other artists, such as Dean Fulton, Carl De Souza and Marlon Nicolle. Entry is pay what you can. An all-Canadian band of musicians perform a special concert to honour American singer-songerwriter and pianist Ray Charles. Shawn and Ed Brewing Co. ( 65 Hatt St. ) hosts the show on Friday Aug. 1 at 8 p.m., doors open at 6 p.m. Regular seats are $25, plus tax and a service fee, and guaranteed seats with backs are $27.50, plus tax and a service fee. Go to for more. Grab seats to Folk and Feelings before the 80 available tickets are gone. Juno Award-winner Frank Fiction hosts the live and intimate acoustic concert at the Crown and Press Gallery and Cafe ( 303 Ottawa St. N. ) on Thursday, Aug. 7 at 7:30 p.m. Fiction is also the co-founder of the gallery and café. Singer Eric Brandon plays the event after touring with country star Owen Riegling. Tickets are $20 in advance or $25 at the door. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. Go to for tickets. Hamilton Public Library hosts another Noon Hour Concert on Friday Aug. 1 at its central branch ( 55 York Blvd. ). From noon to 1 p.m., singer and queer activist Lyla Miklos and pianist Juanita Maldonado share music, stories and images to honour Two Spirit and LGBTQIA-plus communities. Visit for more. Jazz Up Your Night at Synonym Shop ( 328 James St. N. ) returns Friday. One set plays from 7 to 8:15 p.m., followed by another from 8:45 to 10 p.m. The free event starts right after Happy Hour on tap beer, from 4 to 6 p.m. Lulu Lamontagne shares the stage with Sunshine Express, Hamilton-based The Checkerboards, and band Megasmegma on Wednesday Aug. 6. at Mills Hardware ( 95 King St. E. ) Advance tickets are $15, plus tax and fees. Doors open at 7:30 p.m. Mattmac and City Builders perform at the venue on Thursday, Aug. 7, at 8 p.m. Doors open at 7 p.m. Advance tickets are $20, plus tax and fees. Go to for tickets. Start off August at Slye Fox ( 4057 New St. ) with John Restas on Friday Aug. 1 and Paul Mallard on Saturday Aug. 2 , both at 8:30 p.m. Brad Hailz returns to the Burlington venue on Thursday, Aug. 7 at 6 p.m. All the performances are free to watch. Cheyenne Bholla is a reporter at The Hamilton Spectator. cbholla@
The Guardian
a day ago
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
From Zooey Deschanel to Captain Kirk doing Dylan: the best songs by actors, ranked!
It perhaps stretches the definition of 'actor': Parker starred in a soap opera, but was better known as pornographic actor Wade Nichols. However, Like an Eagle is incredible, a soaring, euphoric mid-tempo disco epic produced by his then-partner, Jacques Morali – and infinitely cooler than Morali's biggest successes with Village People – so let's bend the rules. Captain Kirk's debut album raises questions: are its hysterical recitations of pop hits and Shakespeare soliloquies meant to be funny or a wildly misguided attempt at out-there art? They sound nuts either way. Later albums, where Shatner is audibly in on the joke, are somehow less fun; they're certainly less disturbing. Produced by TV on the Radio's Dave Sitek, Johansson's debut album was heavy on Tom Waits covers and featured a cameo from David Bowie. It received a mixed response. As this self-penned song proves, it's pretty good, its dark, foggy atmospherics suggesting a love of This Mortal Coil. If you want evidence of where Willow Smith's eclectic musical taste came from, her mother Jada's penchant for nu-metal seems a good place to start. Bleed All Over Me is great: the guitars rage, former Fishbone drummer Philip Fisher adds a swing, and Jada Pinkett Smith's vocals are really powerful. The queen of the nouvelle vague sang in Godard's Une Femme Est une Femme but recorded only intermittently: in her 70s, she worked with Giant Sand's Howe Gelb. The pick of her oeuvre is the raw, gleeful garage rock of Roller Girl, the first – but not last – credit for songwriter Serge Gainsbourg in this list. Some of Zooey Deschanel's indie-rock collaborations with M Ward as She & Him are a little too sugary for their own good. But the lead single from their second album, Volume Two, hits the mark: a melding of smooth 70s soft rock and jazzy pre-rock'n'roll pop that's as warm and lovely as its title suggests. The star of Yellowjackets released a debut EP of experimental pop last year. This, her follow-up, was her intriguing contribution to the soundtrack of the horror film Heretic, a hazy cover of the Bob Dylan classic set to the melody – and the mood – of Mazzy Star's Fade Into You. It fits with the film, but works perfectly in its own right. The Blow Up star's debut album, David Hemmings Happens, is impressively star-studded: he is backed by various members of the Byrds and legendary LA session players the Wrecking Crew for a collection of improvised jazzy psychedelia and baroque folk-rock. Its real classic is this otherwise unreleased song by former Byrd Gene Clark: a world-weary minor masterpiece. Why They Don't Know was not a hit for its composer, Kirsty MacColl, is an enduring mystery: apparently written when she was 16, it's a dizzyingly perfect pop song. It finally made the UK and US Top 10 thanks to Ullman's brief sojourn as a pop singer, helping to kickstart her wildly successful career in the US. There was far more to Jane Birkin's singing career than the heavy-breathing scandal of Je T'aime … Moi Non Plus: her 70s albums are particularly fine examples of leftfield francophone pop. From her solo debut album, Di Doo Dah, Encore Lui is understated, fabulously orchestrated and supremely cool. Margaret Qualley certainly isn't the only US actor to pursue a parallel career in acoustic alt-rock, but In the Sun She Lies – produced by her husband, Jack Antonoff, for a new Ethan Coen film called Honey Don't! – is impressively, naggingly odd: swathed in spooky echo, backed by the sound of gusting winds and abstract guitar noise, occasionally dying away entirely. Samantha Morton's collaborative album with producer and XL Recordings boss Richard Russell, Daffodils & Dirt, was a leftfield delight: its moody brand of trip-hop revivalism is perfectly encapsulated by the darkly seductive, distinctly nocturnal pop of Let's Walk in the Night, the jazzy sax provided by Alabaster DePlume. Matt Berry is an astonishingly prolific musician, turning out everything from proggy folk to ambient synth instrumentals to country rock. Take My Hand is particularly fantastic: melodic, soft-focus psychedelia with a hint of Elton John's Song for Guy in its DNA, it's also the theme to Toast of London. Foxx's singing career has yielded deeply variable results: you need a strong stomach to cope with him in priapic loverman mode, and his biggest success involved impersonating Ray Charles on Kanye West's Gold Digger. I Don't Need It, though, is great: tough, Timbaland-produced 21st-century funk. Ryan Gosling and Zach Shields' solitary album as Dead Man's Bones is a curious thing: ghost-themed gothic alt-rock featuring a children's choir on every track. But it contained one unequivocal triumph: Pa Pa Power is creepy and compelling, and was subsequently covered by Cat Power to striking effect. Patsy Kensit had been an actor since childhood, but a parallel career as a pop star stubbornly refused to take off. Her band Eighth Wonder couldn't get a hit until Pet Shop Boys gave them the haunting Europop-influenced I'm Not Scared. Success proved fleeting, but at least they left behind one fabulous single. Brigitte Bardot may have been an icon of French cinema, but she was no great shakes as a singer. It scarcely mattered once a lovestruck Serge Gainsbourg started turning out extraordinary songs for her. Bonnie and Clyde makes a virtue of her limited range: her voice sounds like the epitome of cool hauteur. Feverish, cinematic and eerie, Johnny Remember Me is one of the masterpieces of pre-Beatles British pop, showcasing the late Joe Meek's genius as a producer. It was helped to No 1 by John Leyton's role in the TV series Harpers West One when a performance of the song was somehow worked into the plot. Harris's late 60s collaborations with songwriter Jimmy Webb are extraordinary: lavish, lush, adventurous examples of post-Sgt Pepper experimental pop. The episodic MacArthur Park is more than seven minutes long, mystifying but utterly gripping and furthermore, a huge hit. Harris may not be the greatest singer, but he's a captivating presence here. Most actors' singing careers are an adjunct to their main gig: they might produce hits, but they seldom produce anything that garners a response like This Is America. A lot of attention was understandably directed at the choreographed violence of its extraordinary video, but the track doesn't need visual accompaniment to strike home: trap beats and sweet choral vocals, a performance by Glover that switches from austere rapping to gentle singing, cameos from rappers including 21 Savage and Quavo, lyrics that explore systemic racism and gun violence. Not for nothing did it win song of the year at the Grammys.
Eyewitness News
2 days ago
- Business
- Eyewitness News
Trump 2.0 has no qualms about making money on the side
BALMEDIE - Donald Trump has abandoned any qualms he had in his first term about making money on the side while serving as president, as he unabashedly promotes his business interests. In the latest instance of him blending diplomacy, pageant and the profit motive, Trump on Tuesday inaugurated another golf course bearing his name in the town of Balmedie as he concluded a five-day visit to Scotland. The ceremony, which featured bagpipes, fireworks and a Trump campaign song -- the Village People's "YMCA" -- was broadcast live on the White House YouTube channel. Trump had led UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer on a tour of the course on Monday. And Trump on Tuesday welcomed Scotland's leader, First Minister John Swinney, who has ruffled feathers by granting subsidies to hold a golf tournament at the Trump property. 'DEEPLY TROUBLING' "All of this looks like foreign governments paying, or paying tribute to, Donald Trump's businesses in apparent attempts to curry favor with him and receive better treatment from him on key policy issues including trade deals," said Noah Bookbinder, head of an NGO called Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW). Bookbinder called it "deeply troubling" that US diplomacy could be guided by the financial interests of the Trump family. A White House official denied there was anything awry in Trump's golf diplomacy stay in Scotland, saying the president's assets are in a trust managed by his children and there is no conflict of interest. The 79-year-old president teed off Tuedsay to play the new golf course with his son Eric, who led the project. "We wanted this to be the greatest 36 holes anywhere on Earth. And there's no question that that's been achieved," said the younger Trump. A journalist then asked Trump if blurring the line between his official duty as president and trying to make money amounted to a conflict of interest. "I haven't heard that," Trump said, immediately changing the subject to his golf game. "Did you get to see my drive in the first hole? ... Pretty long, pretty long," Trump said. Eric and Donald Trump Jr, who was also here for the course inauguration, are both executive vice presidents of the Trump Organization, a holding company that features a wide range of Trump properties and other assets. During his stay in Scotland, Trump also received European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen at another opulent Trump golf resort in the southwestern town of Turnberry. CRYPTOCURRENCIES The Trump family has more than a dozen ritzy golf resorts scattered around the world that can host receptions or tournaments, and the president has expressed hopes that the British Open will be played at their property in Turnberry one day. Trump's sons are involved in a range of other businesses, encouraged openly by their father from the White House. The president in particular has gotten involved in a number of cryptocurrency endeavors that have inflated his wealth as his government actively promotes the burgeoning sector of the economy. Trump was roundly criticized for hosting a private dinner in April for the top 25 holders of $TRUMP, a crypto product associated with him and called a meme coin. He has promoted this product on his social media platform Truth Social, which is part of the company Trump Media. Trump also uses the platform for official government announcements on anything from tariffs to ties with Russia. WORLD LIBERTY FINANCIAL Trump's wife Melania is also involved in moneymaking endeavors, including a new documentary series produced by Amazon. The president and Steve Witkoff, his envoy for Russia and the Middle East, are linked through their families to a cryptocurrency company called World Liberty Financial. The company -- which lists Trump as "co-founder emeritus" on its website -- came under virulent criticism over a recent transaction with a company in Abu Dhabi, in the United Arab Emirates. During a spring tour of the Middle East, Trump agreed to a request from UAE authorities to be able to buy cutting-edge US electronics. While on the same trip, Trump agreed to accept a Boeing jetliner as a gift from Qatar to the United States, dismissing howls of protest from the Democrats over a gesture which they called a blatant conflict of interest. During Trump's first term in office from 2017-2021, the Trump Organization declared a moratorium on investments with private companies in other countries. This time around there is no such abstention.
Int'l Business Times
3 days ago
- Business
- Int'l Business Times
Trump Opens Scottish Golf Course And Vows 'Peaceful World'
Donald Trump officially opened his new golf course in Scotland on Tuesday, ending a five-day trip during which the US president signed a major trade deal with the EU and gave Russia less than two weeks to end the Ukraine war. To the sound of bagpipes, secret agents and golfers criss-crossed the sprawling complex on the Aberdeenshire coast, waiting for the president to tee off. "We started with a beautiful piece of land, but we made it much more beautiful, and the area has ... really, really welcomed us," Trump said before cutting a red ribbon. "We'll play it very quickly, and then I go back to (Washington) DC and we put out fires all over the world," he added. "We have a world that's got some conflict, but we've ironed out a lot of it. We're gonna have a great and peaceful world." Trump's campaign song, the Village People's "YMCA", blared out after the ribbon cutting, as fireworks exploded in the background. The president then teed off with son Eric, who led the project. "This will be a tremendously successful place and a place where people can come and enjoy life," the US leader said, highlighting how his trip has again blurred the lines between his presidency and his business interests. "We wanted this to be the greatest 36 holes anywhere on Earth. And there's no question that that's been achieved," said Eric Trump. "This was his Mona Lisa," he said of his father's crafting of the course. "Sculpting the dunes, sculpting the land, that was always his painting," he added. Trump also held talks with Scotland's leader First Minister John Swinney discussing tariffs on Scottish whisky as well as the situation in Gaza. Then later Tuesday, Trump departed Scotland heading back to the United States. His new course in Scotland features the world's largest natural bunker, dunes and greens overlooking the sea, with a "focus on environmental sensitivity", said a press release. Visible out to sea were the offshore wind turbines that Trump unsuccessfully tried to block. The president again spoke out against wind power as he hosted European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen on Sunday and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Monday. It was one of the many issues Trump addressed during free-wheeling press conferences at his other golf complex in Turnberry, western Scotland where he played golf on Saturday and Sunday and juggled diplomacy. With Von der Leyen, he announced a trade agreement in which the EU resigned itself to 15 percent tariffs on goods entering the United States, a deal heavily criticised across the continent. At a press conference Monday with Starmer, Trump promised more aid for Gaza and gave Russian President Vladimir Putin a "10 or 12 day" ultimatum to cease hostilities in Ukraine. "I really felt it was going to end. But every time I think it's going to end he kills people," Trump said of the Russian leader. "I'm not so interested in talking (to him) anymore," he added. Trump also criticised London mayor Sadiq Khan at the press conference and waded back into UK politics on Tuesday when he took to his Truth Social platform to urge the government to cut taxes and incentivise oil drilling in the North Sea, denouncing wind turbines as "ugly monsters". "Incentivize the drillers, FAST. A VAST FORTUNE TO BE MADE for the UK, and far lower energy costs for the people," he wrote. A wind turbine is seen in the sea behind the Trump International Golf Links course in Balmedie, Aberdeenshire AFP US President Donald Trump cuts the ribbon on the first tee to officially open the Trump International Golf Links course in Balmedie, Aberdeenshire AFP Trump boards Air Force One at RAF Lossiemouth, north-east Scotland, heading back to the United States AFP
