Entertainment, Relationships & Life After 50

Throwback: 'Le Freak'

Chic hardly would've lived up to its name if the funk band had said what was really on its mind in "Le Freak," the disco staple that reached No. 1 for the first time on this week in 1978.

The song's signature call-out—"Ahhh, freak out!"—was originally written as "Ahhh, fuck off," a far from chic retort aimed at Studio 54. Guitarist Nile Rodgers and bassist Bernard Edwards claim they were denied admission to the legendary nightclub on New Year's Eve 1977, even though they had been invited by Grace Jones and their Top 10 hit "Dance Dance Dance (Yowsah, Yowsah, Yowsah)" was a dance-floor fave.

In the recording studio, however, the duo quickly realized the insult dampened the fun factor and changed it to a head-scratching "Freak off!" before finally coming up with the call to action that continues to resound with giddy dancers.

"Le Freak," which Rodgers also describes an "homage" to the 1961 hit "Peppermint Twist," went on to become the first single to reach No. 1 three separate times.

One week after it was knocked from the top spot by Barbara Streisand's duet with Neil Diamond, "You Don't Bring Me Flowers," "Le Freak" regained the crown for two weeks before getting overtaken by the Bee Gees' "Too Much Heaven." But then the song proved its success was definitely not a freak, coming back two weeks later to recapture No. 1 for a record third time and an additional three weeks.

It remains the most successful single in the history of Atlantic Records, selling more than 13 million copies worldwide. Freak out!

by Kevin Haynes | Sunday, December 9th, 2018

Reboot at 30,000 Feet

"The Twilight Zone" reboot is set to up the ante on one of the most memorable episodes of Rod Serling's classic sci-fi series, escalating the original "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet" to "Nightmare at 30,000 Feet."

Adam Scott of NBC's "The Good Place" and "Parks and Recreation" will take on the role made famous by William Shatner in the 1963 episode about a plane passenger who spots a gremlin wreaking havoc on the wing.

John Lithgow reprised the part in 1983's "Twilight Zone: The Movie."

The new "Twilight Zone" will premiere next year on CBS All Access. The revamp is being helmed and narrated by comedian Jordan Peele, the director and Oscar-winning screenwriter of last year's buzzworthy horror film "Get Out."

Photo: CBS via Getty Images

by Kevin Haynes | Tuesday, December 4th, 2018

Fresh Harvest

Neil Young reaches back to the Spirit of '76 on a new live album, "Songs for Judy," a collection of 22 solo performances recorded nationwide at the tail end of America's Bicentennial in 1976.

Just released on CD and digital platforms, the album will be available in a two-LP vinyl version December 14.

"Songs for Judy" features signature Young compositions like "After the Gold Rush," "Sugar Mountain" and "Love Is a Rose."

There's also one previously unreleased song, "No One Seems to Know," and a crop of tunes from the classic 1972 album "Harvest," including the title track, "A Man Needs a Maid," "The Needle and the Damage Done" and Young's only No. 1 single, "Heart of Gold."

The new album's first single, "Campaigner," came out today, in plenty of time for Election Day. The acoustic ballad is often remembered for Young's sly assertion, "Even Richard Nixon has got soul." (The studio version premiered on 1977's career retrospective, "Decade.")

"Songs for Judy" was culled from cassette tapes recorded by Joel Bernstein, a rock photographer who doubled as Young's guitar technician during his '76 tour with Crazy Horse. Young would open each show with an hour-long solo set.

Bernstein picked the standout performances with help from writer and future director Cameron Crowe ("Almost Famous"), who accompanied Young on the '76 tour while on assignment for Rolling Stone.

"I knew that there would be magic," Bernstein tells Crowe in a conversation posted on Neil Young Archives.

"Listening to it today is a little like discovering postcards from home," says Crowe, describing the "reckless and beautiful" acoustic performances on "Songs for Judy" as "sparkling, sometimes stony, often surprising and always heartfelt."

"It was a precious time in Neil Young's journey," he adds. "'Rust Never Sleeps' was just around the corner…It's Bicentennial year in America, Neil Young and Crazy Horse are in your town and out walks Neil with his acoustic. Press play."

Photo by Gems/Redferns

by Kevin Haynes | Tuesday, December 4th, 2018

Proud Mary

Well over four decades after Vanessa Redgrave and Glenda Jackson squared off in a 1971 version of the drama, two of Hollywood's hottest young actresses are stepping back in history in "Mary Queen of Scots," a new film about the 16th century royal showdown between England's Queen Elizabeth I and her ambitious cousin, Mary Stuart.

Irish-American Saoirse Ronan, 24, stars as Stuart, the widowed teenage Queen of France who decides to claim her rightful throne as Queen of Scotland.

Australia's Margot Robbie, 28, is almost unrecognizable as flame-haired Elizabeth, whose power struggle with her cousin has dire consequences.

The two young stars were friendly rivals earlier this year at the Academy Awards, where both were in the running for Best Actress. Ronan earned the third Oscar nomination of her short career for her performance in the coming-of-age hit "Lady Bird," while Robbie was nominated for her portrayal of the controversial Olympic figure skater Tonya Harding in "I, Tonya."

"Mary Queen of Scots," directed by British theater artisan Josie Rourke, opens in theaters December 7.

Photo: Focus Features

by Kevin Haynes | Monday, December 3rd, 2018

Remember This House

Some lucky new homeowner is about to start living like a queen.

Just weeks after a For Sale sign first appeared in front of the longtime home of Queen of Soul Aretha Franklin in suburban Detroit, the late singer's house has been sold for a reported $300,000. That's less than 40 percent of the $800,000 asking price.

The Colonial-style brick house in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, was custom built in a gated community in 1990. Overlooking two ponds, it measures more than 4,100 square feet and features five bedrooms, 6.5 baths, a two-story great room with a fireplace, and a three-car garage. A community swimming pool and tennis courts are nearby.

Franklin lived in Bloomfield Hills for decades before moving to a riverside apartment in downtown Detroit in 2017. She died there August 16 while receiving hospice care for advanced pancreatic cancer. The gospel and soul legend known for hits like "Respect," "Chain of Fools" and "Spanish Harlem" was 76.

Photo: Getty Images

by Kevin Haynes | Sunday, December 2nd, 2018

Throwback: 'Something'

Something in the way "Something" moved the music world attracted love like no other George Harrison composition.

John Lennon said the romantic ballad, which topped the Billboard Hot 100 on November 29, 1969, was the best song on the Beatles' new "Abbey Road" album. Paul McCartney praised "Something" as "George's greatest track."

It was the only Harrison tune ever released as a Beatles single, albeit double-sided, sharing No. 1 with Lennon's "Come Together," the opening track on "Abbey Road."

The guitarist was 25 when he started writing a love song for his wife, Pattie Boyd, while the Beatles were finishing up their self-titled white album in 1968. But Harrison was quick to acknowledge his original spark of inspiration: "Something in the Way She Moves," the 1968 James Taylor song that provided the opening line of "Something."

Second only to "Yesterday" as the most covered Beatles song, "Something" has been recorded by more than 150 singers ranging from Joe Cocker, Ray Charles and Eric Clapton to Elvis Presley, Tony Bennett and Frank Sinatra, who called it "the greatest love song ever written."

George Martin, the Beatles longtime, legendary producer, regarded the song as Harrison's magnum opus. "I first recognized that he really had a great talent when he did 'Here Comes the Sun,'" Martin said. "But when he brought in 'Something,' it was something else…a tremendous work."

Photo by Central Press/Hulton Archive/Getty Images

by Kevin Haynes | Wednesday, November 28th, 2018

So What? So Let's Dance!

Fore! Organizers are teeing up a summer festival in honor of "Caddyshack," the classic 1980 comedy about the misfit golfers, caddies and gopher who wreak havoc on fictional Bushwood Country Club.

Details are sketchy, but the first-ever Caddyshack Fest is being planned for a golf course in Louisville, Kentucky. Events are expected to include golf cart races, costume contests and a dance party.

"It's going to be just a blast," says organizer Will Russell, who launched a Caddyshack Fest page on Facebook over the weekend.

"Caddyshack" starred Chevy Chase, Rodney Dangerfield, Ted Knight and Bill Murray as a dim-witted groundskeeper.

Russell is hoping that Murray will attend this summer's festivities, but admits it's "a long shot."

In 2002, Russell co-founded Lebowski Fest, an annual homage to 1998's "The Big Lebowski." The upcoming edition will be held December 7-9 at Lucky Strike bowling center and lounge in midtown Manhattan.

The Coen Brothers' cult comedy starred Jeff Bridges, John Goodman and Steve Buscemi as bowling buddies whose game is upended by the theft of a rug that "really tied the room together."

A portion of the proceeds from Caddyshack Fest will be donated to the Everything Will Be OK Project, a nonprofit organization that promotes mental health.

Photo by Orion Pictures/Getty Images

by Kevin Haynes | Wednesday, November 28th, 2018

Throwback: David Cassidy

"I think," David Cassidy sang 48 years ago," "I love you."

Therefore, he was.

The reigning teen idol's young fans in 1970 didn't just think they loved him too, they knew it from the bottom of their bubble-gum hearts.

"I Think I Love You" was released as a single the month before "The Partridge Family" made its debut on ABC in September 1970 and topped the charts for three weeks, starting a few days before Thanksgiving and eventually outselling the Beatles' "Let It Be."

The song, which was played only twice during the show's first season, proved to be the fictional band's only No. 1 hit, though they did notch four more Top 20 singles, including "Doesn't Somebody Want to Be Wanted" and "I Woke Up In Love This Morning."

by Kevin Haynes | Sunday, November 18th, 2018

Throwback: Rod Stewart

Rod Stewart's corny but confident ode to seduction, "Tonight's the Night (Gonna Be Alright)," sealed the deal 42 years ago when it went all the way to No. 1 on this day in 1976.

But the salacious single didn't stop there. It proved its remarkable staying power by riding the top of the charts for eight weeks before cooling off a week after ringing in the new year.

The sweet melody, orchestral strings and flirtatious guitar licks helped sugarcoat the not-so-subtle lyrics, which initially got the song banned in the United Kingdom. The buildup to deflowering "my virgin child" even includes a few lines that might make a gangsta rapper blush.

"Don't deny your man's desire," Stewart sings. "You'd be a fool to stop this tide/Spread your wings and let me come inside."

Like most wild nights, the fun began innocently enough when Stewart was visiting Dan Peek of America, who was working on a song called "Today's the Day." "Rod said that he liked it," remembers the writer of the 1974 Top 10 hit "Lonely People," "and that it gave him an idea for a song."

Did it ever. Stewart even got then-girlfriend Britt Ekland to join the fun, convincing her to coo her satisfaction in French near the song's climax. "I remember I got her drunk," Stewart told an interviewer, "pissed as a fart to sing that old French bollocks on the end, because she didn't want to do it."

The sweet talk of "Tonight's the Night," apparently, didn't extend to real life.

by Kevin Haynes | Monday, November 12th, 2018

'The Odd Couple': Day One

On this day in TV history, Felix Unger was asked to remove himself from his place of residence. That request came from his wife.

Thank God.

If Gloria Unger didn't give her fussbudget husband the boot on November 13—the year was never specified—Felix wouldn't have shown up unannounced at the door of his friend, Oscar Madison, whose wife several years earlier had thrown him out, requesting that he never return.

And we never would have met "The Odd Couple," which aired on ABC from 1970-75.

That memorable opening sequence from the first two seasons, accompanied by Neal Hefti's jaunty theme music, was inserted at the insistence of nervous network executives. They didn't want audiences to wonder if Felix was living with a sloppy sportswriter for perhaps another reason. Hence, the kicker: "Can two divorced men share an apartment without driving each other crazy?"

The answer, of course, was yes—and, fabulously, no. There was nothing odd about the natural give-and-take between Tony Randall and Jack Klugman, who both won Emmy Awards for their performances.

Unfortunately, it's been years since the reruns were a TV staple (though they're available to CBS All Access subscribers). Even worse, CBS Home Entertainment botched the DVD collection by editing out entire music sequences so they wouldn't have to pay royalties. But the hilarity of "The Odd Couple" can be summed up in just two words from the episode where the two friends were partners on "Password."

Oscar (rumbling angrily through each syllable): Aristophenes!

Felix (beaming): Ridiculous!

Ding! Ding! Ding!

Photo: ABC

by Kevin Haynes | Monday, November 12th, 2018

Here's the Story...

Who says you can't go home again?

"The Brady Bunch" kids returned to the house where they grew up in the 1970s to take one last look around before the old homestead gets overhauled on HGTV's upcoming series "A Very Brady Renovation."

Barry Williams, Christopher Knight and Mike Lookinland—who played Brady boys Greg, Peter and Bobby in ABC's classic sitcom—toured the North Hollywood ranch with Maureen McCormick, Eve Plumb and Susan Olsen, who portrayed blond sisters Marcia, Jan and Cindy.

HGTV bought the house this summer and plans to conduct "a show-stopping transformation by adding 2,000 square feet to its original footprint—all without compromising its instantly recognizable street view."

"From the unforgettable signature wood-paneled living room with floating staircase," the cable network said in a statement, "to the orange and green kitchen and the kids' Jack-and-Jill bathroom, 'The Brady Bunch' house will forever hold a special place in television history and American pop culture."

The cast's visit and home's transformation will be showcased when "A Very Brady Renovation" debuts in September.

Photo: ABC via Getty Images

by Kevin Haynes | Friday, November 9th, 2018

You Got Lucky

A fresh collection of Tom Petty's greatest hits will be free fallin' everywhere in the coming weeks.

"The Best of Everything," available November 16, features 38 songs on two CDs or 4 LPs, including the previously unreleased autobiographical track "For Real."

Click here to check out pre-order options.

There's also an alternate version of the new set's title track, featuring a verse that was not used on the original rendition on 1985's "Southern Accents" album.

"The Best of Everything" focuses primarily on Petty's hits with the Heartbreakers, including hit singles from the late 1970s and early '80s like "Don't Do Me Like That," "You Got Lucky" and "The Waiting."

The career retrospective also showcases four songs that Petty recorded with his early band, Mudcrutch, and eight solo tracks, including "Free Fallin'," "You Don't Know How It Feels" and "Wildflowers."

News of the upcoming album comes three days after the first anniversary of Petty's death. The Rock and Roll Hall of Famer was 66 when he died of an accidental overdose of prescription drugs on October 2, 2017.

Photo by Jeff Daly/Invision/AP/REX/Shutterstock

by Kevin Haynes | Thursday, November 8th, 2018

Springsteen Awakening

The stage is set to bring home "Springsteen on Broadway."

The soundtrack of Bruce Springsteen's Tony Award-winning solo show in New York will be released as 2-CD and 4-LP sets on December 14.

That's the eve of his final performance at the Walter Kerr Theatre, which coincides with the Netflix premiere of the concert film "Springsteen on Broadway." The Netflix special was filmed in front of an invitation-only audience July 17-18.

The soundtrack features 16 songs that Springsteen performs on piano and acoustic guitar as he recounts tales of his life and career, culled from his 2016 memoir "Born to Run."

The set list kicks off with two autobiographical tales of youth, "Growin' Up" and "My Hometown," and later moves on to signature hits like "Born in the U.S.A.," "Dancing in the Dark" and, of course, "Born to Run." Springsteen is also accompanied by wife Patti Scialfa on two songs from 1987's "Tunnel of Love" album, "Tougher Than the Rest" and "Brilliant Disguise."

"Springsteen on Broadway" opened to rave reviews in October 2017 and has sold out every performance, five nights a week. The Boss has extended the run twice and hinted that he may take the show to other cities next year.

by Kevin Haynes | Wednesday, November 7th, 2018

Holy Collectibles, Batman!

You can never get your childhood back, but now you can at least own a piece of it.

An upcoming auction features more than 400 props, costumes and other memorabilia from classic 1960s TV shows like "Batman," "Star Trek," "I Dream of Jeannie" and "The Munsters."

The TV Treasures sale will be held December 1 at Prop Store in Valencia, California. Online bidding has already begun.

The authentic artifacts, owned by longtime collector James Comisar, range from autographed photos of Alfred Hitchcock and Rod Serling ("The Twilight Zone") to the transparent acrylic Bat Shield wielded by Adam West and Burt Ward in "Batman."

But you might need a shield of your own to absorb the shock of the bat-shaped prop's estimated selling price: $400,000 to $600,000, with a starting bid of $200,000.

Other "Batman" highlights include Robin's red vest ($8,000 to $10,000) and the question mark-emblazoned green suit and vest worn by the Riddler (Frank Gorshin) in the series' first episode. Its pre-auction estimate: $100,000 to $150,000.

Among the dozens of "Star Trek" pieces up for sale are Grecian chitons and gold belts worn by Captain Kirk (William Shatner) and Mr. Spock (Leonard Nimoy) and a Klingon Disruptor gun, which is expected to fetch $30,000 to $50,000.

"For 30 years I have rescued and restored TV's treasures," Comisar says in a video teaser on the Prop Store website. "Now I want to share them with collectors who don't just see cultural history but an old friend."

You can also bid on the stop-motion puppet of Goliath, the faithful talking dog in "Davey and Goliath," a green evening gown worn by Barbara Eden on "I Dream of Jeannie," and the door knocker from the dilapidated mansion at 1313 Mockingbird Lane, home of "The Munsters."

In addition, there's a range of ephemera from classic shows like "Lost in Space," "Mork & Mindy," and "Wonder Woman" and more recent hits, including "Breaking Bad," "Dexter" and "The Sopranos."

You can even snap up the, um, Fartman outfit worn by shock jock Howard Stern at the 1992 MTV Music Awards—but first you might want to take cover behind the Bat Shield.

Photo by Silver Screen Collection/Hulton Archive/Getty Images

by Kevin Haynes | Monday, November 5th, 2018

Throwback: The Monkees

Of all the things the Monkees were and weren't, nobody ever thought of them as protest singers. But it turns out their very first single, "Last Train to Clarksville"—which occupied the No. 1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 this week in 1966—was a subtle jab at the Vietnam War.

Songwriters Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart claim the jangly tune is about a serviceman anxious to see his girl one more time before heading off to war. "Cause I'm leaving in the morning and I must see you again," he tells her, later adding, "And I don't know if I'm ever coming home."

The song's structure was heavily inspired by the Beatles, from the opening guitar riff reminiscent of "Paperback Writer," which hit No. 1 four months earlier, to the "Oh no no no" response to the "Yeah yeah yeah" of "She Loves You."

One other interesting fact about the song that launched the Monkees to fame and often opened their concerts: "Last Train to Clarksville" features only one member of the band, Micky Dolenz, who sang the lead vocal. Studio musicians handled everything else.

Photo by: NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images

by Kevin Haynes | Sunday, November 4th, 2018

Alex Trebek Re-ups

Alex Trebek is no longer in jeopardy of retiring anytime soon.

The 78-year-old "Jeopardy!" host has extended his contract for two additional years, through 2022. Over the summer he hinted there was a 50-50 chance that he would step down at the end of the 2019-2020 season.

Trebek has hosted the syndicated game show since its revival in 1984.

News of his contract extension was announced in conjunction with word that Pat Sajak and Vanna White will continue to preside over "Wheel of Fortune" through the show's 40th anniversary season in 2022.

Both shows are syndicated by Sony Pictures TV as a powerful one-two ratings attraction, with most stations airing new episodes five days a week in the afternoon or early evening.

Photo by Kris Connor/Getty Images

by Kevin Haynes | Wednesday, October 31st, 2018

Neil Young Revisits 'Ohio'

Neil Young has released a new video for his anti-war anthem "Ohio," protesting modern gun laws by linking the National Guard's execution of four college students at Kent State in 1970 to the ever-growing number of school shootings nationwide.

The video, created by Young and new wife Daryl Hannah, depicts a solo performance of the song made famous by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. As Young rocks out on electric guitar, a video and audio montage intersperses news accounts and photos of the Kent State shootings with recent clips of school tragedies and student protests in favor of stricter gun laws.

"With no real laws protecting us from guns, and with politicians supporting the NRA because the NRA supports them, we are not well represented," Young, 72, says in a statement on his website. "Today's students are brave, demanding change in violent times. We stand with them. They are us. We are them."

Young wrote "Ohio" in the aftermath of the tragedy at Kent State, where National Guard troops shot and killed four students during a campus protest of the Vietnam War on May 4, 1970.

Distinguished by its scorching electric guitars and headline refrain—"Four dead in Ohio"—the protest song was released as a single in June 1970, backed with Stephen Stills's "Find the Cost of Freedom." It peaked at No. 14 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Nearly 50 years later, Young believes "Ohio" continues to decry gun violence against students. "This has been going for far too long," Young says. "My wife Daryl and I put this video together for you to reflect on. Support the students. Support our children. They want protection. Not more guns. Give us common sense gun laws that protect our people, in schools, in places of worship, in the workplace and on the streets. VOTE."

Photo by Scott Legato/Getty Images

by Kevin Haynes | Wednesday, October 31st, 2018

Our Hero Always

Looks like Willie Nelson is always on the mind of Grammy Award voters.

The 85-year-old country legend will be honored by the Recording Academy's Producers & Engineers Wing on February 6, 2019, in Los Angeles, part of the weeklong festivities leading up to the 61st annual Grammy Awards on February 10.

Nelson's ninth overall Grammy is being bestowed in recognition of his "artistic achievements and creative genius," the P&E Wing said in a statement. "We are thrilled to pay homage to Willie Nelson, an undeniable icon with an incomparable—and uncompromising—body of work."

Since his 1962 debut album, "…And Then I Wrote," Nelson has released 68 studio albums, including last month's tribute to Frank Sinatra, "My Way." He performed a track from that LP, "Fly Me to the Moon"—followed by a more timely song, "Vote 'Em Out"—last night on Jimmy Kimmel Live!"

A recipient of the Grammy's Lifetime Achievement Award in 2000, Nelson's most recent win came in 2016, when "Summertime: Willie Nelson Sings Gershwin" was named Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album.

Photo by Jacquelyn Martin/AP/REX/Shutterstock

by Kevin Haynes | Wednesday, October 31st, 2018

Goodbye Kiss

The time has come for a long Kiss goodbye.

The rock and makeup legends will embark early next year on the first leg of a farewell tour that will eventually extend into 2020.

"This will be the ultimate celebration for those who've seen us and a last chance for those who haven't," the band said in a statement on its official website. "KISS Army, we're saying goodbye on our final tour with our biggest show yet and we'll go out the same we came in…Unapologetic and Unstoppable."

Kiss' End of the Road World Tour will cover North America on the first stretch of its last road show, starting January 31 at the Rogers Arena in Vancouver. The 44-date swing through the United States and Canada will wrap up April 13 at BJCC Arena in Birmingham, Alabama.

The Rock and Roll Hall of Famers will then head to Europe for 21 concerts, from May 27 in Leipzig, Germany, to July 16 in Glasgow, Scotland.

The next leg of Kiss' final trek will be announced down the road.

VIP ticket packages for the North American dates will be available starting Tuesday at 10 a.m. local time. The Kiss Army presale begins Wednesday at 10 a.m.

The general public will get a chance to buy tickets Friday at 10 a.m.

Famous for its face paint and penchant for leather, Kiss was founded in New York City in 1973 and released its self-titled debut album one year later. Its Top 10 hits in the 1970s include "Beth," "Hard Luck Woman, "I Was Made for Lovin' You" and their signature song, 1975's "Rock and Roll All Nite."

Photo by Willi Schneider/REX/Shutterstock

by Kevin Haynes | Monday, October 29th, 2018

Vinyl Rewind

Picture this: A 30th anniversary edition of the Traveling Wilburys' debut album will be reissued this week on old-school vinyl as a limited-edition picture disc.

"Traveling Wiburys Vol. 1," available November 2, depicts a photo of the all-legend supergroup on Side B: Bob Dylan, George Harrison, Jeff Lynne, Roy Orbison, and Tom Petty.

The band's logo is displayed on the A side.

The 1988 album, released 30 years ago this month, kicked off with Harrison's "Handle with Care" and included "Tweeter and the Monkey Man," a Dylan jab at Bruce Springsteen's often-wordy narratives.

"Traveling Wilburys Vol. 1" earned the all-star quintet the 1990 Grammy Award for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals and was nominated for Album of the Year.

Orbison died of a heart two months after the album's release. The four surviving members regrouped two years later for a deceptively titled sequeL, "Traveling Wilburys Vol. 3."

Photo: Wilbury Records

by Kevin Haynes | Monday, October 29th, 2018