Latest news with #1974
Yahoo
17 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Phantom of the Paradise Stage Musical in the Works From Paul Williams, Sam Pressman (Exclusive)
Phantom of the Paradise, the cult classic 1974 Brian de Palma film that reworked Phantom of the Opera and starred songwriting icon Paul Williams as the manipulative music producer known as Swan, is being made into a stage musical by Williams and Sam Pressman, whose father, Ed Pressman, produced the original. 'I'm excited about having a chance to deliver what fans have been suggesting for years… POTP as a stage musical," Williams said in a statement to MovieMaker. "I think it's time has come!' In addition to starring in the film, which De Palma wrote and directed, Williams composed the score and wrote the songs. Pressman told MovieMaker that he and Williams have spoken to multiple potential writers for the stage musical, including American Psycho and The Shards author Bret Easton Ellis — though no commitments have been made. Pressman told MovieMaker that he, Williams and Ellis had "such an amazing dinner — Bret's such a true fan of Phantom and of Paul and it was awesome to introduce the two of them in person." Ellis has also mentioned the meeting on his podcast, though again, nothing is settled in terms of the stage musical's writer. Asked about De Palma's potential involvement in the new stage play, Pressman said there were potentially "different paths... it's just so early." De Palma has been considering a Phantom of the Paradise stage musical for decades. Pressman noted that he recently revisited a libretto, or book, that De Palma wrote for a prospective stage version of the film back in 1987. He has also talked with De Palma. "We certainly wanted Brian to feel honored," Pressman said. "I went to go see Brian last fall, to talk about the dream. Phantom was an early and significant film for him and I'd say the favorite film of my father in his career. I think the chaos and originality of the whole experience was deeply inspiring." Pressman noted that the plan is to open the stage play "not on Broadway" but "building to that stage." Pressman took over his father's company, Pressman Film, after Ed Pressman's death in 2023. Besides Phantom of the Paradise, Pressman Film's credits include Wall Street, The Crow, and Mary Harron's film adaptation of American Psycho. Sam Pressman, an actor and producer who grew up on film sets, has produced films including Harron's recent Daliland and the 2024 The Crow revamp starring Bill Skarsgård. The original Phantom of the Paradise starred William Finley as naive singer-songwriter Winslow Leach, who is tricked by Williams' Swan into sacrificing his life's work. In revenge, Winslow dons a menacing silver mask — which gives his voice a metallic rasp — and terrorizes Swan's new concert hall, The Paradise, while demanding his songs be sung Swan's new protege, a singer named Phoenix, played by soon-to-be Suspiria star Jessica Harper. Williams is one of the most successful and influential songwriters of all, a legend who has worked with everyone from Barbra Streisand to The Carpenters to Daft Punk. His best known songs include the Oscar-nominated "Rainbow Connection" from 1979's The Muppet Movie, and "Evergreen," from the 1976 Streisand version of A Star Is Born. He wrote the lyrics for the song, which won a Grammy and Oscar. At the time de Palma enlisted him for Phantom of the Paradise, he was best known for writing The Carpenters' 'We've Only Just Begun' and 'Rainy Days and Mondays,' as well as Bobby Sherman's "Cried Like a Baby" — and for clowning around on The Tonight Show With Johnny Carson. But Phantom of the Paradise let him embrace darkness: His ageless, possibly demonic Swan is like a cult leader, exerting control through musical. De Palma wrote and directed the film long before he became known for classics like Carrie, Scarface and The Untouchables. He was a largely underground filmmaker known for counterculture movies like 1968's Greetings and 1970's Hi Mom, with a then-little-known Robert De Niro, and for the well-received 1972 horror film Sisters, with Margot Kidder. He thought Phantom of the Paradise could be his commercial breakthrough. The film, released by 20th Century Fox. underwhelmed at the box office and received mixed reviews (the Los Angeles Times' Kevin Thomas called it 'delightfully outrageous,' while The New York Times' Vincent Canby said it was 'an elaborate disaster.') But like another groundbreaking mid-'70s rock musical, The Rocky Horror Picture Show, it soon found a passionate, loyal audience who appreciated its beauty and unapologetic weirdness. (It hasn't played at midnight screenings all over the world for half a century like Rocky Horror, but neither has anything else.) The passionate Phantom of the Paradise fandom includes an intensely dedicated following in Winnipeg, Manitoba, as detailed in the documentary Phantom of Winnipeg. Its biggest fan is almost certainly Ari Kahan, keeper of the The Swan Archives — the most comprehensive Phantom of the Paradise collection ever compiled. Kahan and Williams came together last year for 50th anniversary screenings of Phantom. The film's influence may be even greater than many fans realize — Kahan has said he believes The Phantom was a significant influence on Darth Vader, noting that De Palma and Star Wars creator George Lucas are friends and contemporaries. "Nobody that I know of has asked Lucas to his face, but I do know that there was a preview screening of Phantom on the Fox lot in July of 1974, so, four or five months before the film was released," Kahan told MovieMaker last year. "Lucas was at that screening and was sufficiently impressed by Paul Hirsch's editing — and I assume that based on Brian's recommendation of Hirsch, that Lucas brought him on to edit Star Wars. "I can't imagine that between the voice box and the heavy breathing and the black outfit that some of the Phantom didn't creep into Darth Vader. But I have no hard evidence and nobody that I know has ever admitted to it. Lucas has not responded to MovieMaker's request for comment. Main image: William Finley in Phantom of the Paradise. 20th Century Fox. 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Gizmodo
19 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Gizmodo
‘The Phantom of the Paradise' Might Find New Life as a Stage Play
The Phantom of the Paradise, the vastly underrated horror-tinged rock opera from the minds of Brian De Palma (Carrie) and Paul Williams (The Muppet Movie), might be getting a new musical adaptation. Movie Maker reports that Williams and Sam Pressman, whose father Ed Pressman produced the 1974 cult film, are currently developing it as a stage production. 'I'm excited about having a chance to deliver what fans have been suggesting for years… POTP as a stage musical,' Williams said in a statement to MovieMaker. 'I think its time has come!' American Psycho author Bret Easton Ellis has been approached to pen it (please, no), but he's not committed according to the report. If you've never heard of The Phantom of the Paradise, get thee to a revival theater screening or rent it online—especially if you're a Muppets fan. I know it seems weird to draw a line from 'Rainbow Connection' and 'no cheeses for us meeces' to a glam and gory '70s riff on The Phantom of the Opera, but stay with me for a moment. Not only did the De Palma and Williams musical predate Andrew Lloyd Webber's Broadway take on the Gaston Leroux novel, but it inspired so many artists we know and love today. After its release Williams went on to become the Muppetational mind behind the music of The Muppet Movie and The Muppet Christmas Carol. Meanwhile, De Palma continued to genre hop from horror to mob movies and started the Mission: Impossible franchise. The Phantom of the Paradise loosely adapts The Phantom of the Opera by way of Faust with a dash of The Picture of Dorian Gray but re-imagined into masterful musical mayhem. It follows a lowly composer named Winslow Leech who chases a deal with the devil in the form of music producer Swan, played by Williams in a tasty turn for the multi-hypenate. (He later also played the Penguin in Batman: The Animated Series.) Thanks to his association with Death Records, Leech's musical talents are ripped away and pressed just like his face into records that don't give him credit for his songs. This includes the tunes that transform Leech's crush Phoenix, the ingenue played by Jessica Harper (Suspiria), into a pop star. Vowing revenge he becomes the Phantom of the Paradise and violently haunts every artist Swan tries to give his music to, until they enter a deal that Leech's music will only go to Phoenix. And from there things get real messy and bloody, but man, the needle drops are legendary. So legendary that the film, much like its creative minds behind it, also inspired artists across mediums too. Guillermo del Toro is a vocal fan of the film and has been instrumental in making sure it stays in the horror zeitgeist. He even has one of the Phantom's helmets in his Bleak House collection, which I totally didn't imagine pulling a heist for at the LACMA when it was on display there. The film has also become a touchstone for other musicians. One that really struck me personally was finding out that My Chemical Romance was heavily inspired by the film. I didn't see it until I was an adult, which I deserve a shame circle for as a Phantom of the Opera Universal Monsters and original novel fan—but I knew MCR's The Black Parade. The no-skips album is essentially a rock opera and it made total sense to find out Gerard Way was heavily influenced by Phantom in its creation. If anything, Way should write the book for Williams' upcoming staging and star in it too. Another act that's come under Phantom's spell offers an even more fun realization: Daft Punk. Down to the helmets, aesthetic, and sound of the Phantom, that movie really gave us the greatest electronic duo to ever spin. Williams actually appeared on Random Access Memories track 'Touch,' which sounds like it was yanked from a time machine as a Phantom of the Paradise B-side. The Phantom of the Paradise was ahead of its time and the announcement of its stage musical gives me hope it will find its audience. If they modernize it, I wouldn't hate it because I see the vision. The themes are timeless even in our digital age where content creators with talent who try to build a following get ripped off by artificial influencers with clout. That can be very Leech/Phantom versus Swan-coded for sure. Williams is a stone cold legend and his music mastery is a gift that's still giving—he headlined Coachella this year with Yo Gabba Gabba! While the report mentioned De Palma has been approached about the staging, he's not an announced part of it. 'We certainly want Brian to feel honored,' Pressman said in the article. 'I went to go see Brian last fall, to talk about the dream. Phantom was an early and significant film for him and I'd say the favorite film of my father in his career. I think the chaos and originality of the whole experience was deeply inspiring.'
CBS News
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- CBS News
"You know we'll have a good time then": Harry Chapin and his impact beyond music
Harry Chapin's #1 hit "Cat's In the Cradle," from 1974, may be one of the most powerful songs ever written about fatherhood. It tells the tale of a very busy dad: My son turned ten just the other day He said, "Thanks for the ball, Dad, come on, let's play Can you teach me to throw?" I said, "Not today, I got a lot to do." he said, "That's OK." And he walked away, but his smile never dimmed, Said, "I'm gonna be like him, yeah. You know, I'm gonna be like him" And the cat's in the cradle and the silver spoon Little boy blue and the man in the moon. "When you coming home, Dad?" "I don't know when, We'll get together then. You know we'll have a good time then" To hear Harry Chapin perform "Cat's in the Cradle," click on the video embed below: So, how did Chapin's own children feel about that song? Jen Chapin said, "The one time when I get a little eeehhh is when somebody tells me, like, 'Oh, your dad, he played a three-and-a-half-hour concert, and then he signed every single poetry book, and he kissed my girlfriend, and …' And I'm like, 'That's great, but that was time we didn't have.'" Jen and her brothers, Jason and Josh, want to be clear: Harry Chapin was not the dad in the song. "He really loved kids," Jen said. "When he came home, he wasn't like, 'Oh, I'm just gonna, like, zone out.' He was, 'Yes! Projects! Trips! Family outings!'" Singer-songwriter Harry Chapin (1942-1981). Harry Chapin Family "Cat's In the Cradle" was originally a poem written by Harry's wife, Sandy, now 90, but it wasn't about him. "It was based on the relationship her first husband had with his father," said Jason. "My mother was always observing how they didn't connect on a father-son basis." Harry Chapin came from a musical family. He and two of his brothers formed a band. "We became the Chapin Brothers," said Harry's younger brother, Tom Chapin. "And we played together for ten years. And it was the only time we were ever cool!" Tom has his own successful performing career, but Harry was always the driven one. "When I was a kid, I came up with this line that the family loved: 'Two's company, Harry's a crowd!'" he laughed. Harry, he said, was outgoing, "and unafraid. He had this energy that was astonishing." But as his son Jason recalls, Harry's path to success was never a sure thing: "He was depressed a lot during college. He had failed in many things, and I think that he was really desperate to be successful at something." His first love was documentaries. In fact, he directed one, "Legendary Champions," that got an Oscar nomination. But music won out. In 1972, while he was performing as the warmup act for his brothers' band, Elektra Records signed him up. He was 30 years old. Tom Chapin says he was surprised that Harry was plucked, "but not shocked, let's put it that way. He was great. We were good. But he was great." His first hit was "Taxi," another story of broken dreams: And she said we must get together, But I knew it'd never be arranged. And she handed me twenty dollars, For a two-fifty fare, she said, "Harry, keep the change." … And she walked away in silence, It's strange, how you never know, But we'd both gotten what we'd asked for, Such a long, long time ago. Harry Chapin performs "Taxi": According to son Josh, his mother Sandy encouraged his dad to do something with his celebrity: "She asked, 'Do you wanna be on the cover of the Hit Parade or Time magazine?' And he thought about it, and he said, 'You know what? There really is an emptiness to just chasing celebrity and trying to become a bigger rock star.'" Harry decided he'd do something about hunger. He began devoting his time, money and fame to charities that addressed food insecurity. He helped convince Jimmy Carter to start a presidential commission on world hunger. "I would hate to be 75 years old, and say, 'If only I had…,' 'I wish I had…,' 'I wonder what my life meant…,'" Chapin once said. "My credo is, when in doubt, do something." And he became the king of the benefit concert. "I do about 220 concerts a year, about a hundred of which are benefits," Chapin said in 1980. "In the long run, we're not sure about a prior-life or an after-life. We're all hoping for that. But what we can do is maximize what we have in this brief flicker of time in the infinity, and try to milk that." Time for Harry Chapin was short. On July 16, 1981, he died in car crash. He was 38. "The world shook," Tom Chapin said. "The universe shook, when Harry's suddenly not there." Memorials were held, tribute concerts performed, foundations founded. But Chapin's most lasting legacies are the charities he built. In 1975 he'd cofounded WhyHunger, with a priest and radio DJ named Bill Ayres. Today, it partners with organizations in 25 countries – helping to establish a sustainable farming school in Colombia; fostering traditional farming practices in Panama; and supporting programs in the U.S., like an urban farm and co-op in Detroit. In 1980, Chapin started Long Island Cares, a food bank. "Everyone thinks of Long Island as a rich bastion of the country; it's not," said the food bank's CEO, Paule Pachter. "There are pockets of affluence here, but most Long Islanders are living paycheck-to-paycheck." On an annual basis, Long Island Cares distributes 16 million pounds of food. "That's roughly 14.5 million meals," Pachter said. Chapin's biggest hits were his story songs. Most people think of them as tragic tales, especially "Cat's in the Cradle": I've long since retired and my son's moved away. I called him up just the other day. I said, "I'd like to see you if you don't mind." He said, "I'd love to, Dad, if I could find the time. You see, my new job's a hassle, and the kid's got the flu, But it's sure nice talking to you, Dad. It's been sure nice talking to you." And as I hung up the phone, it occurred to me, He'd grown up just like me. My boy was just like me. In the song's ironic twist ending, the grown son becomes too busy for his dad. But Jason Chapin points out that there's another way to look at that turn: "Some people interpret the last verse, when the dad calls the son to say, 'Let's get together,' the son is too busy for his dad, because he's busy with his own family, being a good dad. It needs a little close reading sometimes." The surviving Chapins still feel the pain of a life cut short, but they're still active in his charities, and remain inspired by Harry's message. Tom Chapin recalled, "James, the oldest brother, said it at the funeral: 'We lost Harry. Those are big shoes to fill. But we can't fill 'em. You can't be Harry. You don't wanna be Harry. Just fill your own shoes a little fuller.' "And when in doubt, do something!" Tom added. "Don't forget that!" For more info: Story produced by Reid Orvedahl. Editor: Jason Schmidt.
Geek Tyrant
10-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Geek Tyrant
Mike Flanagan Explains His CARRIE Adaptation Isn't What You Think — GeekTyrant
Mike Flanagan has never been one to take the expected route with a Stephen King adaptation. Whether it's Gerald's Game or Doctor Sleep , he always finds a way to dig deeper underneath the horror, into the human aspect of the story. So, when it was announced that he was tackling Carrie , fans immediately wondered how he would handle this dark and twisted story. Is it another prom-night bloodbath? Another tragic telekinetic rampage? According to Flanagan… not even close. Speaking about his vision for the upcoming Carrie series, Flanagan made it clear that he's not here to rehash the familiar. 'The thing I would say is the original story is half a century old and it's wonderful. Its themes were about youth and bullying and the consequences of that. I believe that in today's modern world, the power of what it means to be a bully, the breadth of that and the impact of bullying, have changed a lot.' The world Carrie White inhabits today would look very different than the one King wrote in 1974, and for Flanagan, that shift is central. 'The central tenets are still the same, but it's about much more than Carrie White. I can't really talk about what we're doing, I can only really talk about what we're not doing. 'We're not retelling the story as it's been told, and we're not making a show about telekinesis. It's in there, but that's not what it's about.' He wen't on to explain: 'There's a version of it where Carrie White carries a tragic superhero origin story that goes horribly wrong. I feel like they've done that, too.' Instead, Flanagan wants to zoom out, expanding the lens to capture not just one girl's pain, but the ecosystem that fed it. 'We're focused way more on the destruction of a community through these very modern tools. What happens in a world where the internet has created an environment of perceived anonymity?' This version of Carrie is less about blood-soaked prom dresses and more about what happens when cruelty hides behind screens. It's about how communities fracture, not just in a moment of violence, but in the slow erosion of empathy. 'Carrie White in the locker room in every iteration is a horrifying scene,' Flanagan says. 'Carrie White in the locker room when people have phones in their hands is a whole different thing.' Flanagan thrives in exploring the horror that hits closest to home. Not ghosts. Not ghouls. But people. Systems. The very tools we use every day. Flanagan understands Stephen King's work in a way few filmmakers do. He doesn't just recreate King's stories, he engages with them, challenges them, and reinterprets them for a modern audience. Whatever this new Carrie ends up looking like, one thing's clear… it won't be what we expect, and that's exciting! Source: Variety
New York Times
10-06-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
Sly Stone's Fabulous Style
In 1974, decades before Ye, then known as Kanye West, packed Madison Square Garden for a twin album-fashion spectacular, Sly Stone, the cosmically groovy singer-songwriter who died on June 9, offered his own extravaganza of dance, funk and flash on New York's biggest stage. The occasion was a sold-out Sly & the Family Stone concert in front of more than 20,000 fans, and the centerpiece was Mr. Stone's wedding to Kathy Silva — a gold and black display of fabulosity. The bride and groom (and the whole wedding party, band included) wore coordinated Halston looks. Mr. Stone wore a gleaming cape and jumpsuit, the waist cinched with a big gold belt buckle, so he looked like a cross between a disco superhero and a sci-fi lord come lightly down to earth. Behind them, a dozen models in black dresses carried gold palm fronds. It was, The New Yorker declared, 'the biggest event this year.' It was also seven years after Mr. Stone arrived on the music scene promising 'A Whole New Thing,' and boy, had he delivered. He introduced not just a whole new sound but a whole new kind of style to the stage. Like his music, it crossed genre, race, gender and audience, offering unity in a psychedelic stew of fringe, rhinestones and lamé that was sometimes celebratory and sometimes chaotic, often outrageous, but almost always impossible to forget — whether it was on 'The Ed Sullivan Show' or the Woodstock stage. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
