The Malaysian Insider :: Showbiz
The Malaysian Insider :: Showbiz |
| Arcade Fire brings in Debbie Harry to close Coachella, slams VIP policy Posted: 14 Apr 2014 04:03 AM PDT Arcade Fire kicked off its set with "Reflektor", the title song from last year's album of the same name, and led into songs such as ""Flashbulb Eyes" and "Rebellion (Lies)". "We've been coming here for many years now, so it's an honour to be headlining," said the band's frontman, Win Butler (pic). But Butler took a moment on stage to criticise Coachella's VIP area, saying "people are dreaming to get in there, but it super sucks in there, so don't worry about it". The band then played its nostalgia-infused track "The Suburbs", changing part of the lyrics to sing "in a field full of freaks and my friends", eliciting cheers from the audience. The band were later joined by Blondie singer Debbie Harry, who performed her classic 1979 hit "Hearts of Glass" with Arcade Fire's frontwoman Regine Chassagne, and the band's song "Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)". Arcade Fire ended with "Wake Up," joined by the Preservation Hall Jazz Band. Coachella, which began in 1999 as a festival of indie and alternative rock, has become one of the main attractions of the summer live music season. Headliners in recent years have included Jay Z, Snoop Dogg and Madonna. It has also acquired the amenities Butler criticised. Along with celebrity attendees have come the VIP area, where guests were treated to pop-up food stalls from upscale Los Angeles restaurant such as Eveleigh, Baco Mercat and Sugarfish. Outside of the festival itself, the party circuit has burgeoned, with many coming to Palm Springs just to attend the invitation-only events. This year's parties included those hosted by retail outlet H&M, fashion magazine Harper's Bazaar and private member's club Soho House, which holds a desert edition during the festival. The third and final day of Coachella's first weekend also featured performances from British DJ Calvin Harris, singer-songwriter Lana Del Rey and rocker Beck. Harris, who has been at the forefront of electronic dance music, drew the largest crowd of the day and played his hits including "Feels So Close", "We Found Love" and "Summer." The DJ also played covers from other artists including Capital Cities, Major Lazer, Justice and The Killers, but opted not to include any special guests, who have become part of Coachella's appeal for attendees. When Harris last performed at Coachella in 2012, pop star Rihanna, who collaborated with the DJ on the dance floor anthem "We Found Love", came out during his set to perform her vocals, but neither she nor the other vocalists on Harris' tracks, including Ellie Goulding, turned up yesterday. Coachella has become known for its surprise element, delivering up moments such as rapper Snoop Dogg performing with a hologram of late rapper Tupac on stage in 2012. This year's headlining acts featured the much-anticipated reunion of Outkast on Friday, British rockers Muse on Saturday and Arcade Fire on Sunday, but all three were outdone by R&B singer Pharrell on the surprises front. Pharrell brought up a host of stars, including Gwen Stefani, Snoop Dogg and Busta Rhymes. Rapper Nas also engaged some star power for his set on late Saturday as he performed his seminal album "Illmatic" on the 20th anniversary of its release, bringing in rappers Jay Z and Puff Daddy. R&B singer Beyonce briefly popped onto stage during her sister Solange Knowles' Saturday set to dance with the music. – Reuters, April 14, 2014. |
| Glitzy Olivier Awards honours ‘Mormon’, ‘Ghosts’ Posted: 14 Apr 2014 03:52 AM PDT A staging of Stephen Sondheim's one-time flop "Merrily We Roll Along" won the award for best musical revival while an adaptation of Ibsen's "Ghosts" was another big winner at Britain's biggest night for theatre. The play "Chimerica" examining the relations between China and America won best new play award for playwright Lucy Kirkwood and best director award for Lyndsey Turner, and overall was the biggest award winner, taking away five. "To come to the West End for us was a privilege and this award is an absolute honour," Anne Garefino, co-producer of "Book of Mormon" said in accepting the evening's top award for the London theatre district production of the show by "South Park" creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker. "It's one of those things where you pinch yourself," Creel said after the awards, adding that when he was growing up in Ohio he used to walk around the kitchen dreaming of winning an award, and now he wouldn't have to do that any more. The award was presented to Garefino and co-producer Sonia Friedman by ABBA singers and creative team Bjorn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson, after which the show ended with a medley of ABBA hits. Richard Eyre, the director who mounted the revival of "Ghosts" which got rave reviews and closed three weeks ago after 170 performances, got the nod for having produced the year's best revival of a play. Lesley Manville was named best actress for her performance as Helene in "Ghosts" while Jack Lowden received the best supporting actor award for his performance as Oswald in the same production. Manville said that Eyre's adaptation of Ibsen's 1881 play had taken it in a new direction. "It was very visceral, very emotional and the audience was very engaged," Manville said. The award for best actor in a play went to Rory Kinnear who attributed his win partly to his character of Iago in Shakespeare's "Othello" being an audience favourite. "Iago has got a rapport with the audience. People love the villain," Kinnear said. The star-studded ceremony included appearances by model Kate Moss, opera singers Lesley Garrett and Joseph Calleja, actor James McAvoy and actresses Bernadette Peters, Kathleen Turner, Hayley Atwell and Judi Dench. Dench had been nominated for best actress for her role in "Peter and Alice" but it was not a great night for Hollywood personalities as she, Jude Law and Tim Hiddleston, all nominees, lost out. – Reuters, April 14, 2014. |
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