Latest news with #CaptainFantastic
UPI
6 days ago
- Health
- UPI
'The Boys' star Erin Moriarty shares Graves' disease diagnosis
June 15 (UPI) -- The Boys star Erin Moriarty has announced on Instagram she is suffering from Graves' disease. "Autoimmune disease manifests differently in everybody/every body. Your experience will be different from mine," Moriarty, 30, posted this weekend. "My experience will be different from yours. Perhaps greatly, perhaps minutely. One thing I can say: if I hadn't chalked it all up to stress and fatigue, I would've caught this sooner. A month ago, I was diagnosed with Graves' disease," she explained. "Within 24 hours of beginning treatment, I felt the light coming back on. It's been increasing in strength ever since. If yours is dimming, even slightly, go get checked. Don't 'suck it up' and transcend suffering; you deserve to be comfy. [Expletive]'s hard enough as is." The actress' other credits include Blood Father, Jessica Jones, True Detective and Captain Fantastic. 'Blood Father' photocall at the 69th Cannes Film Festival
Yahoo
06-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
50 Years Ago, Elton John Became First Artist to Enter Billboard 200 at No. 1 – Just How ‘Fantastic' Was the Feat?
Fifty years ago, in the Billboard issue dated June 7, 1975, Elton John did something no one had ever done before: He entered the Billboard 200 at No. 1. He achieved the feat with his ninth studio album, Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy. The album dislodged Earth, Wind & Fire's That's the Way of the World, which had spent the three previous weeks at No. 1. It was potent enough to hold Wings' Venus and Mars – the band's follow-up to its classic album Band on the Run – to the No. 2 spot for four consecutive weeks before Wings finally moved up to No. 1 for one week. More from Billboard Elton John's 'Yellow Brick Road' Journey in Billboard's Back Pages: From 'Silly' Upstart to Undeniable Icon Queens of the Stone Age Couldn't 'Over-Rehearse' for Paris Catacombs Concert Film: 'You Go Down There & All the Plans Are Off' Billboard & Global Venture Partners Launch Billboard Africa In the nearly two decades between the introduction of the Billboard 200 in March 1956 and Captain Fantastic's history-making accomplishment, the highest any album had entered the Billboard 200 was No. 2. Van Cliburn's Tchaikovsky: Piano Concerto No. 1 debuted in the runner-up spot in the issue dated Aug. 4, 1958 (which, coincidentally, was the same week the Hot 100 debuted, with Ricky Nelson's 'Poor Little Fool' as the inaugural leader). How was a classical album able to get off to such a fast start? Cliburn had achieved global fame when he won the inaugural International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow in 1958 near the height of the Cold War. A cover story in TIME (May 19, 1958) proclaimed him 'The Texan Who Conquered Russia.' His album topped the Billboard 200 for seven weeks, won a Grammy for best classical performance – instrumentalist and received an album of the year nod. Since the Cliburn album was a little far afield, let's go deeper. The highest that a contemporary pop or rock album had debuted prior to Captain Fantastic was No. 3. That was the debut position for The Beatles' Hey Jude (March 21, 1970) and a pair of Led Zeppelin albums: Led Zeppelin III (Oct. 24, 1970) and Physical Graffiti (March 15, 1975). Three more contemporary pop or rock albums had debuted in the top five prior to Captain Fantastic: the Woodstock soundtrack (No. 4, June 6, 1970), George Harrison's All Things Must Pass (No. 5, Dec. 19, 1970) and Elton's previous studio album Caribou (No. 5, July 6, 1974). Captain Fantastic was Elton's sixth No. 1 album in less than three years. His 1972 album Honky Chateau reached No. 1 in its fifth chart week. A pair of 1973 albums – Don't Shoot Me I'm Only the Piano Player and Goodbye Yellow Brick Road – both reached No. 1 in their fourth weeks. A pair of 1974 albums – Caribou and Greatest Hits – both reached the top spot in their second weeks. Elton was steadily getting hotter year-by-year, as you can see. Captain Fantastic's debut at No. 1 received considerable media attention and contributed to Elton's status as the Greatest Pop Star of the Year – years before Billboard officially recognized such a thing. In calendar year 1975, Elton had three No. 1 albums on the Billboard 200 (one a carryover from 1974) and three No. 1 singles on the Billboard Hot 100 (plus an uncredited, but prominent, featured role on a fourth – Neil Sedaka's 'Bad Blood'); had a cameo as The Pinball Wizard in the hit movie adaptation of The Who's Tommy; made the cover of TIME (the inevitable cover line: 'Rock's Captain Fantastic'); and became the first artist since The Beatles to play a concert (two, actually) at Dodger Stadium. Since Elton's through-the-roof 1975, we've seen such artists as the Bee Gees (1978), Michael Jackson (1983-84) and Taylor Swift (2023-24) experience this same 'how-much-hotter-can-they-get' phenomenon. Captain Fantastic was a loosely autobiographical concept album about the struggles that John (Captain Fantastic) and his longtime lyricist Bernie Taupin (the Brown Dirt Cowboy) experienced in the early years of their careers in London from 1967 to 1969, leading up to John's eventual breakthrough in 1970. Captain Fantastic spent its first six weeks at No. 1 before yielding the top spot to Wings' Venus and Mars and then Eagles' One of These Nights (which had five weeks on top). In late August, Captain Fantastic returned for a seventh week at No. 1. Only two other John albums ever logged seven or more weeks at No. 1: Goodbye Yellow Brick Road (eight weeks on top in 1973) and Greatest Hits (10 weeks on top in 1974-75). Captain Fantastic received two Grammy nominations: album of the year (John's third in that category, following Elton John and Caribou) and best pop vocal performance, male. He lost both awards to Paul Simon for Still Crazy After All These Years. (Fun Fact: Simon had also won album of the year, in tandem with Art Garfunkel, for Bridge Over Troubled Water five years earlier, when the Elton John album was nominated.) Gus Dudgeon, who produced John's album, received a Grammy nod for producer of the year, non-classical. (He lost to Arif Mardin.) Just one single was released from Captain Fantastic: 'Someone Saved My Life Tonight.' Despite its length and somber tone, the song reached No. 4 on the Hot 100, a reflection of Elton's popularity at the time. Clocking in at 6:45, 'Someone Saved' was the longest song to crack the top five on the Hot 100 since The Temptations' symphonic soul smash 'Papa Was a Rollin' Stone' (6:53), a No. 1 hit in December 1972. Of course, even though just one single was released from Captain Fantastic, Elton was blanketing pop radio at the time. The week Captain Fantastic debuted, John's previous single, the marvelous, disco-accented 'Philadelphia Freedom,' rebounded to No. 10 on the Hot 100, having reached No. 1 in April. And though it was never released as a single, John's rendition of 'Pinball Wizard' from the Tommy soundtrack was played on many pop radio stations with the frequency of a hit single. The Billboard staff included three songs from Captain Fantastic on its 2022 list of the 75 Best Elton John Songs, timed to coincide with the star's 75th birthday. 'Tower of Babel' ranked No. 73, 'Curtains' was No. 29, and 'Someone Saved' was way up at No. 3, with Billboard's Melinda Newman saying of the latter song, 'The song has more drama than a made-for-Lifetime movie, including allusions to John's first suicide attempt in 1968. With a heavy, slow, and instantly unforgettable piano-pounding melody that matches the theatrical storytelling … 'Someone' is like slowly walking through molasses in the best possible way, Sugar Bear.' In November 1975, just five months after Captain Fantastic became the first album to debut at No. 1, Elton's follow-up album, Rock of the Westies, became the second. Unlike Captain Fantastic, Rock was led by a highly commercial single, the zesty funk-reggae smash 'Island Girl,' which topped the Hot 100 for three weeks. In October 1976, Stevie Wonder's Songs in the Key of Life became the third album to debut at No. 1. No other albums debuted in the top spot for a little more than a decade, until Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band's Live/1975-85 achieved the feat in November 1986. The following year, Whitney Houston and Michael Jackson started on top with their hit-laden albums Whitney and Bad, respectively. In May 1991, Billboard began compiling the Billboard 200 based on actual units sold. As a result, No. 1 debuts became much more common. Between June and December 1991, seven albums entered the chart at No. 1 – slightly more than the six albums that had achieved the feat over the previous 16 years. (Since December 2014, the chart has ranked titles by equivalent album units, incorporating streaming and sales, with albums continuing to regularly soar in at No. 1.) In 2006, John recorded a sequel of sorts to Captain Fantastic. That album, The Captain & the Kid, reached No. 18 on the Billboard 200. Two songs from Captain Fantastic were featured on the 2018 tribute album, Revamp: Reimagining the Songs of Elton John & Bernie Taupin. Mumford and Sons covered 'Someone Saved My Life Tonight.' Coldplay took on 'We All Fall in Love Sometimes.' That album reached No. 13 on the Billboard 200. Best of Billboard Chart Rewind: In 1989, New Kids on the Block Were 'Hangin' Tough' at No. 1 Four Decades of 'Madonna': A Look Back at the Queen of Pop's Debut Album on the Charts Chart Rewind: In 1990, Madonna Was in 'Vogue' Atop the Hot 100
Eater
28-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Eater
Inside Echo, Las Vegas's New Retro-Chic Listening Lounge
Natalie Young finally built the kind of space she used to daydream about: a lounge with warm light spilling over leather couches, the crackle of vinyl in the background, and and low-lit drinks designed for lingering. In March, she wrapped the 12-year run of her beloved brunch spot Eat, a cornerstone of the Fremont East dining scene, to focus fully on Echo Taste and Sound, a lounge built around a vintage analog sound system, with bites carried over from Eat, and bar talent from the storied Downtown Cocktail Room. After visiting ESP, a listening bar in Denver, Colorado, Young got the idea to open a vinyl-centric lounge of her own. 'I love music,' she says. 'I love music more than food.' But after the headache of ongoing road construction in front of Eat, which impeded foot traffic, and the increasing cost of goods, Young planned to just go out with a bang and pivot to something with a lighter lift. 'I wanted to just serve hot tea and maybe a bar and some really simple pastries and small bites — and play records,' she says. But then her business partner, Tom McAllister, shared that a space opened up in the new Colorado building on Main Street — and it had a full kitchen. The result is Echo, a retro-cool space framed by warm wood slats and acoustic paneling. Tactile pieces by local artists add texture to the walls, houseplants catch the afternoon sun that peeks between burnt orange curtains. A cozy, living room-style seating area with chairs salvaged from Downtown Cocktail Room, which is often referred to as DCR, faces Young's personal turntable setup. Also carried over from DCR is the talent. Before closing the downtown bar last year, owner Michael Cornthwaite introduced Young to his longtime general manager, Jackie Loran. 'She's now my general manager and running the bar program at Echo,' Young says. As a sober owner, Young made it a priority to develop an inclusive beverage menu from the start. Echo's menu features zero-proof takes on classic cocktails like an espresso martini and more experimental mocktails like one with sparkling citrus and ube. The team of DCR bartenders at Echo also whip up signature drinks like the Glory Days with popcorn-washed bourbon, sherry, and chocolate bitters and the Little Red Rooster with tequila, vanilla sandalwood syrup, and grapefruit soda. The menu at Echo is tight, with light bites meant for sharing. Visitors can expect crisp chips with a trio of dips, marinated chicken skewers, a mix of delicately fried tempura mushrooms, and toasted focaccia topped with garlicky roasted tomato spread. The beloved shrimp and grits from Eat have found a new home at Echo. As for fan favorites like the thick-cut grilled cheese and deep-fried deviled eggs, Young says they might return when the weather cools. For Young, vinyl isn't just about sound — it demands attention and commitment, like smoking a cigar, she says. It's a love that began in her childhood, sprawled on the shag carpet, playing Elton John's Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy over and over and over. Now she fills Echo with jazz, funk, and world music, deftly flipping from Nina Simone to Casey Chapman to Miles Davis and John Coltrane. The main room at Echo features high-fidelity McIntosh gear chosen specifically for full-album playback. Young imported her vintage analog speaker system from home, and a DJ booth glows with the neon green lights of a state-of-the-art suite of McIntosh turntables and amplifiers. In the back, a 12-seat VIP listening room is being acoustically treated and outfitted with a rotating lineup of elite equipment — including vintage McIntosh 75 tube amps and La Scala speakers — for those who want a more intimate, audiophile-caliber experience. In the future, the space will host multi-course dinners paired with guided listening sessions that highlight the character of each setup. Young says fellow vinyl heads often peruse the Moondog Records display, thumbing through the collection of records for sale before walking out with four or five new finds. While Main Street tends to skew younger, especially with the adjacent Swan Dive drawing a late-night crowd, she appreciates that Echo attracts an older audience. 'I kind of built something for high-age people, you know, like 40-plus,' she says. Whether seated at the bar beneath artwork that used to adorn the walls at DCR, cozied up into a booth to nosh on Mexican shrimp cocktail, or lazing in the living room setup to watch a DJ — or sometimes Young, herself — man the turntables, Young says that Echo is the place to begin or end the night, to have a conversation, and to listen to the music. Sign up for our newsletter.
Perth Now
01-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Perth Now
Sir Elton John launches new Specsavers collection
Sir Elton John is launching a new glasses collection with Specsavers. The 'Rocket Man' legend has teamed up with the company on the new Elton John Eyewear range, with 12 optical frames and two limited edition sunglasses inspired by key moments in his life and career. Sir Elton said in a statement: "Glasses have always been a big part of who I am. For me, style is all about confidence and expressing who you truly are. "That's exactly what this collection is about, its helping people feel fantastic in frames that celebrate their individuality. "Specsavers and I share the belief that everyone should have access to eyewear that makes them feel like the best version of themselves. "I can't wait for people to find a pair they love and make them their own." The 78-year-old musician's husband David Furnish attended a launch night for the collection this week. The items - which will be available in store and online from Wednesday (07.05.25) - are inspired by classic tracks like 'Tiny Dancer', 'Goodbye Yellow Brick Road' and 'Crocodile Rock'. In a press release, Specsavers said: "Each pair features key signature details, such as the iconic 'E' mark symbolising Elton's personal stamp of approval, and the star — a nod to his illustrious career. "Whether it's oversized frames that capture a fearless spirit like 'Captain Fantastic', the classic twist of 'Ballad', timeless sophistication of 'Scholar', or the subtle sparkle of 'Diamond Dust', every frame is crafted with Elton's unmistakable aesthetic in mind." Bianca Swan, Specsavers Style Editor, added: "Elton John's impact on music, fashion, and self-expression is undeniable, and this collection captures that magic. "Each frame tells a story, offering a balance of everyday versatility with individuality and style at the core of the collection. "Whether you want a subtle nod to Elton's iconic look or a bold show-stopping piece, there's something for everyone in this collection.'
Los Angeles Times
29-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
Bleecker Street CEO and indie film champion Andrew Karpen dies at 59
Andrew Karpen, chief executive and founder of independent film distribution company Bleecker Street Media, died Monday of glioblastoma, a rare and aggressive form of brain cancer. He was 59. Karpen founded the New York City-based Bleecker Street in 2014 with backing from 5-hour Energy founder Manoj Bhargava. In its first few years, Bleecker Street released such films as 2015's 'Trumbo,' starring Bryan Cranston and Helen Mirren, and the Viggo Mortensen-led 'Captain Fantastic' in 2016. Since its founding, Bleecker Street has released more than 75 films, including the 2017 Steven Soderbergh comedy 'Logan Lucky,' 2024's Oscar-nominated 'Golda,' comedy-drama 'Hard Truths' and, most recently, 'The Wedding Banquet,' a remake of the 1993 Ang Lee romantic comedy starring Bowen Yang, Lily Gladstone and Kelly Marie Tran. 'Our industry has lost a giant,' Kent Sanderson, Bleecker Street president and Karpen's longtime friend, said in a statement. 'Andrew taught us all so much, foremost of which is the value of kindness, honesty, and family above all else. His leadership and courage will inspire all of us at Bleecker Street for the rest of our lives, and we are dedicated to continuing his passion for and legacy of championing cinema.' Karpen began his career at Miramax before moving to Oxygen Media as its senior vice president of finance and planning. He then spent more than a decade at Focus Features, the specialty film arm of NBCUniversal, starting as its chief operating officer responsible for finance, strategic planning and operations before rising to president and then co-chief executive. He left Focus Features in 2013, after Universal Pictures named a new head of the specialty imprint and relocated its headquarters from New York to the studio lot in California. Universal said at the time that the company asked Karpen to remain with the studio but that he opted to stay in New York with his family. He is survived by his wife, Pam; sons Josh and Zack; daughter Sloan; and Josh's wife, Kristen, who is expecting their first child.
