News

Fantasy vied with reality on Sunday as the American Film Institute named the year’s 10 best films, listing epics like “The Last Samurai” and the final installment of “The Lord of the Rings” alongside slice-of-life movies “American Splendor” and “In America.” The 10 films to win the AFI Awards 2003, listed in alphabetical order, were “American Splendor,” “Finding Nemo,” “The Human Stain,” “In America,” “The Last Samurai,” “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King,” “Lost in Translation,” “Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World,” “Monster” and “Mystic River.” The American Film Institute names the year’s 10 top films and television shows without giving rating preferences.
Be sure to read Glide Magazine’s exclusive with American Splendor star Harey Pekar here.
Source Yahoo.com.

Two Americans have won the go-ahead to become the next tourists in space, and two more spots for a Russian rocket trip to the international space station are now on the market, the U.S. firm selling the spots said.
Two thrill-seeking civilians, whose names are still being withheld, have agreed to shell out $20 million each for separate eight- to 10-day trips into orbit.
These two space tourists won’t be the first — U.S. millionaire Dennis Tito and South African technology entrepreneur Mark Shuttleworth forked over about the same amount to be launched into space in 2001 and 2002.
Two more seats are up for sale, locking up all the spots available on Russian Soyuz rockets through 2007, according to Space Adventures, a private U.S. firm running the trips with the Russian Aviation and Space Agency.
When the upcoming launches were announced in June, about a dozen people had undergone medical tests for the two available flights and paid certain fees.
The successful candidates were picked largely because they pitched unique mission objectives, Space Adventures President and Chief Executive Eric Anderson said Tuesday.
One of the two is a 38-year-old male Manhattan real estate developer. No details about the other were available.
One of the space tourists will launch in the third quarter of 2004, and the other sometime in 2005. Space Adventures expected their names to be revealed sometime in January.
Most of the $20 million per-ticket cost goes to building the Soyuz rockets, which are not reusable. But the cash also helps boost Russia’s space program.
Russia’s Soyuz craft is currently the only working link to the International Space Station, after the February crash of the Columbia space shuttle grounded NASA’s shuttle fleet.
Source CNN.com.

The ongoing songwriting credit battle between Yoko Ono and Paul McCartney was recently rekindled when Ono once again left the former Beatles’ name off the song “Give Peace a Chance.”
First released by the Plastic Ono Band in 1969, “Give Peace a Chance” appears on the new DVD Lennon Legend, and, as per the arrangement the songwriting duo reached forty years ago, it was previously credited to both men, despite Lennon being its sole author.
The credits to “Give Peace a Chance” have been in contention for decades. On the 1975 Lennon compilation Shaved Fish, the song was credited to Lennon/McCartney, but when the original Legend CD was released in 1997, McCartney’s name was dropped, as it was on the 1998 John Lennon Anthology box set.
Source rollingstone.com.

Before the year comes to a close, The Gordon Stone Trio, now featuring Brian O’Connell (Uncle Sammy), has scheduled a few dates in the northeast. This Friday, December 19th, the trio will be at the River Street Jazz Cafe in Wilkes-Barre, PA, followed by a Saturday night show at The Brass Lantern, in Reading, PA on the 20th. On Dec 26th, they hit the Berkshire Blues Cafe in Lee, MA.
The band is also tentatively slated to open for Strangefolk at Harper’s Ferry in Boston, MA on the 29th or 30th.
For additional dates and more information, see gordonstone.com/schedule.php.

Galactic will launch its third annual Freezestyle tour Jan. 15 in Ft. Lauderdale. The trek will include two hometown shows at New Orleans’ Tipitina’s during Mardi Gras, as well as the band’s first dates in Japan. Opening acts have not yet been announced for the run.
Prior to the tour, Galactic is slated to appear Jan. 6-9 on the Jam Cruise and Jan. 10-13 on Jam Cruise II. Keller Williams, Les Claypool’s Frog Brigade, Particle, the Dirty Dozen Brass Band and Michael Franti & Spearhead are among the other acts slated to participate. For more information on the sailings, visit the Jam Cruise Web site.
The band will wrap 2003 with Dec. 26-27 shows at New Orleans’ Tipitina’s Uptown.
Here are Galactic’s tour dates:
Dec. 26-27: New Orleans (Tipitina’s Uptown)Jan. 6-9: Jam CruiseJan. 10-13: Jam Cruise IIJan. 15: Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. (Culture Room)Jan. 16: Tampa, Fla. (Masquerade)Jan. 17: Orlando, Fla. (House of Blues)Jan. 18: Jacksonville, Fla. (Freebird Caf

There are some Super Furry Animals on the loose next year. The Welsh power pop group is set to add more stamps in their passport books as they take on Europe, North America and U.K. theatres.
The SFAs are taking just a brief rest for the Christmas/New Year holidays before launching their tour January 21 in Madrid. It wraps April 8 in London. There’s no word yet on support acts.
They’ve got a new-ish LP/CD/DVD out since the summer. The Phantom Power disc is yet another notch on the group’s ever-expanding discography list and showcases the group’s taste for eclectic sounds.
The band has been experimenting with different DVD formats to accompany their new albums. Starting with 2001’s Rings Round The World and continuing with Phantom Power, Super Furry Animals have helped design visual “wallpaper” for their music.
Source Pollstar.com.

The White Stripes have confirmed a New Year

Three decade long, rock and rollers, NRBQ will be the subject of a tribute album, “The Q People,” to be released March 9 on the Boston based Spirithouse Records. Artists on the album include Bonnie Raitt, R.E.M. guitarist Mike Mills, Los Lobos, Widespread Panic, J Mascis, and Steve Earle.
The cast of Nickelodeon cartoon series “SpongeBob SquarePants” also weighs in with the song “Little Floater

Neil Young, continuing a tour in support of his new rock opera “Greendale,” will be playing two nights at New York City’s Radio City Music Hall on March 17 and 18. Many of the dates for the winter tour have been announced, including shows in Vancouver, Portland, Los Angeles, Albuquerque, Colorado Springs, Milwaukee, Rosemont, and Amherst, MA.
Source Pollstar.com.

Rolling Stones lead singer Mick Jagger, once a scourge of the British establishment, received its ultimate accolade today when he was knighted by heir to the throne Prince Charles in a ceremony at Buckingham Palace.
“It was all rather wonderfully formal,” the 60-year-old rock n’roll icon said after the ceremony in which Charles tapped him lightly on each shoulder with a sword.
Asked if he believed that he deserved the top British establishment accolade, the grinning Jagger replied: “Yeah.”
The man who has fronted the legendary rock group for the past four decades, rejected suggestions that he had sold out to the establishment against which he had railed for so long. “I don’t really think the establishment as we knew it exists any more,” he said with a slight toss of the head.
But showing at least a residue of rebellion, Jagger shunned the traditional top hat and tails, opting for a long black leather coat, purple scarf and sports shoes. He took along his 92-year-old father Joe and two of his daughters to share the occasion.
The award puts Jagger on a ceremonial par with pop knights Sir Elton John and Sir Paul McCartney.
Source Billboard.com.