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Appearing for a panel at Deadline’s Sound & Screen Television live-music event, Jeff Russo described how he adapts to Fargo showrunner Noah Hawley’s requests.

Noting several times that he adjusted the show’s music per Hawley’s ideas, Russo also addressed a cover of Britney Spears’ “Toxic” in the season. The revamped version accompanies Jon Hamm’s character Roy Tillman as he walks from a car to a barn where his men are holding Dot (Juno Temple).

“I get these phone calls from Noah,” Russo said. “It’s really funny. We have a great working relationship. He will call me and he’ll be like, ‘Okay, Toxic.’ I’m just quiet. ‘Uh, okay.’ Then he said, ‘No no no, hear me out. The walk.’ And I knew exactly what he’s talking about with the walk.”

Lisa Hannigan, a frequent Russo collaborator, sang the lyrics for “Toxic.”

“We called our friend Lisa Hannigan,...

Last week, Carnegie Hall resonated with the spirit and songs of Sinéad O'Connor and Shane MacGowan as an expanded lineup of luminaries took to the stage for a historic tribute concert.

Amanda Palmer and Billy Bragg Perform at tribute to Sinead O'Connor and Shane MacGowan

Credit/Copyright: Al Pereira

This profound celebration, organized by City Winery, not only honored the indelible legacies of these iconic musicians but also supported the crucial mission of Pen America with a donation of $65,000 to help them in their mission of advocating for freedom of speech worldwide.

The event, Sinéad & Shane at Carnegie Hall, saw an unprecedented gathering of talent, with performances that spanned the emotional spectrum, from heart-wrenching ballads to uplifting anthems. The night was not just a tribute but a powerful reminder of O’Connor and MacGowan’s profound impact on music and cultural dialogue. The event opened with comments from Roisin Waters...

From “Friday Night Lights” and “Parenthood” showrunner Jason Katims comes another dynamic story adapted from Ann Napolitano’s best-selling novel. “Dear Edward” follows Edward Adler (Colin O’Brien), the lone survivor of a tragic plane crash, as he adjusts to living with his aunt Lacy (Taylor Schilling) and uncle John (Carter Hudson) after losing his parents and brother in the accident.

The show also splits between narratives of other friends and family members connected to the crash through lost loved ones. Dee Dee (Connie Britton) lost her husband Charles, who had a secret life in Los Angeles that she did not know about. Linda (Amy Forsyth) lost her husband Gary, and she is pregnant with his child. Adrianna (Anna Uzele) lost her grandmother, a prominent New York congresswoman and her boss. Kojo (Idris Debrand) comes to New York from Ghana to care for his niece Becks (Khloe Bruno) because his sister...

Big Red Machine stopped by The Late Show to showcase their new song “New Auburn.”

In the performance, Aaron Dessner takes on the piano part and is joined by Fleet Foxes’ Robin Pecknold, Anais Mitchell, the Westerlies, and the National’s Scott Devendorf, as well as drummer Jt Bates and keyboardist Nick Lloyd. The intimate song sees Mitchell sharing vocals with Pecknold, who stands in for band member Justin Vernon.

“New Auburn” is the closing track on Big Red Machine’s the upcoming collaboration-heavy LP How Long Do You Think It’s Gonna Last?...

Big Red Machine, the duo of the National’s Aaron Dessner and Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon, have shared the opening track “Phoenix” from the upcoming collaboration-heavy LP How Long Do You Think It’s Gonna Last?

The latest single features singer Anaïs Mitchell and Fleet Foxes’ Robin Pecknold, who co-wrote and co-produced the song. Named after the Arizona city, “Phoenix” marks the first collaboration between Pecknold and Big Red Machine.

“’Phoenix’ was one of the last songs we wrote for this record,” Dessner said in a statement. “I was...

Big Red Machine — the collaborative project of the National’s Aaron Dessner and Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon — have dropped a new single, “Renegade,” featuring vocals from Taylor Swift.

Swift and Aaron Dessner recorded “Renegade” in Los Angeles at the Kitty Committee studio in March 2021. The song was created by Swift and Dessner the same week they took home the Grammy for Album of the Year for folklore. Vernon recorded additional vocals at his studio, April Base.

The song will appear on the band’s upcoming album, How Long Do...

Big Red Machine — the collaborative project of the National’s Aaron Dessner and Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon — have released a new song, “Latter Days,” from their upcoming album, How Long Do You Think It’s Gonna Last?, out August 27th via Jagjaguwar/37d03d.

“Latter Days” is a plaintive piano ballad filled with atmospheric and textural touches, with lead vocals provided by singer-songwriter Anaïs Mitchell. On the chorus, Mitchell’s voice melds with Vernon’s falsetto as they sing together, “I recall it all forever/How it found us...

The more emotion-driven a TV series or movie, the more important the soundtrack. And boy is Normal People, the Hulu adaptation of Sally Rooney’s wildly popular novel of the same name, driven by the emotion of its characters and world.

Normal People follows Marianne and Connell’s complicated relationship as they move from being teenagers at a small town in western Ireland into young adulthood at Dublin’s Trinity College, and showrunner Ed Guiney, directors Lenny Abrahamson and Hettie Macdonald, music supervisors Juliet Martin and Maggie Phillips, and editor Nathan Nugent have done an impressive job crafting the music landscape for this world.

“We were trying all sorts of tracks ourselves,” said Abrahamson, who mentioned Martin, Phillips, Nugent, and himself as the chief collaborators in the process. “So, as well as the work that Stephen Rennicks, the composer, was doing, it was just, again, a very organic kind of collaboration.

The National appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live‘s Brooklyn week to perform their recent song “Where Is Her Head.” Performing in the Brooklyn Academy of Music, the band gave an energized performance of the lush, layered song, which comes off their new album I Am Easy to Find. In the clip, frontman Matt Berninger shares the impassioned vocals with three female singers, bringing the song to a rollicking finish.

The National released I Am Easy to Find, their eighth album, in May. The album includes collaborations with Gail Ann Dorsey,...

For six years now, Cartoon Network’s “Steven Universe” has been pumping out story after graceful story about the power of love, friendship, cooperation, self-acceptance and trust. Creator Rebecca Sugar, who previously worked on the network’s equally surreal “Adventure Time,” has created and honed an animated galaxy unlike any other, overflowing with distinct characters and complex mythology that sets it apart. So while the show might have started as the simple adventures of a boy and his alien guardians (aka “The Crystal Gems”) navigating what it means to live on Earth, “Steven Universe” has since served up some of TV’s most thoughtful meditations on what it means to be a good and compassionate person — or alien, or half-human/half-alien, or whatever it is that makes your individual atoms so special.

Now, the series is releasing its most ambitious chapter (and biggest reward for diehard fans) yet in the...

Shamus Kelley Sep 9, 2019

We've got everything you need to know about the Steven Universe movie soundtrack, including where to listen to it!

Steven Universe: The Movie was big! We've all had the chance to see the movie and the music (and story) was incredible. Want to know where to listen to it? We've got you covered.

Steven Universe: The Movie Soundtrack Tracks

The entire Steven Universe movie tracklist includes instrumentals and vocal tracks. You can listen to all of these on various music streaming platforms including Spotify, but they are also available for purchase on Amazon. We've also got links to all the vocal songs from the film below so you can listen to them in one go!

The Tale of Steven

An introduction from the Diamonds that has a real classic Disney sounding vibe to it.

Video of The Tale of Steven

Listen to "The Tale of Steven" on...

Chance the Rapper, Estelle, Patti LuPone, Uzo Aduba, Gallant, and Aimee Mann are among the bold-faced names contributing music to Steven Universe The Movie, a musical version of the Cartoon Network series returning this fall.

The music-filled adventure for Steven and his friends will mark his first television movie. Steven thinks his time defending the Earth is over, but when a new threat comes to Beach City, Steven faces his biggest challenge yet.

Steven Universe The Movie is executive produced by Cartoon Network Studios and Rebecca Sugar. Chance The Rapper co-executive produces with Kat Morris, Joe Johnston, Alonso Ramirez Ramos and Ian Jones-Quartey.

The full list of musical collaborators and performances, with original songs by Rebecca Sugar in collaboration with:

Chance The Rapper

Estelle

Gallant

Aimee Mann

aivi & surasshu

Jeff Liu

James Fauntleroy

Macie Stewart

Mike Krol

Jeff Ball

Grant Henry

Julian “Zorsy” Sanchez

Performances by

Estelle (as Garnet)

Patti...

The National pulled out all the stop during an appearance on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert. The band performed “Rylan,” a track off their recent album I Am Easy To Find, and brought in a slew of backing musicians, including two backup singers, to augment the song.

In the clip, The National give a dynamic energy to the moody indie rock number, which gets a cinematic boost from a four-piece string section and a bluesy vibe from a horn player. The performance marks the first time the band has performed “Rylan” on TV.

For Benjamin Wallfisch (“Shazam!”), scoring Nat Geo’s “Hostile Planet” was like working on a thriller, and for Oscar winner Steven Price (“Gravity”), scoring Netflix’s “Our Planet” demanded a similar musical sense of urgency. That’s because both nature docuseries don’t shy away from the crisis of climate change on the planet’s conservation and the survival of many animal species.

“I felt very fortunate to have been approached to collaborate on a series that addresses the issue of climate change in a way that’s so powerful, visceral, and moving,” Wallfisch said. ” It’s an opportunity we have to take for the sake of our children and their children, and it was a true honor for me to be involved in a project where that message is loud and clear, and put into the context of both incredible filmmaking and also an underlying feeling of hope for the future.

The National took the stage at The Late Show to perform “You Had Your Soul With You,” a track off the band’s upcoming eighth album I Am Easy to Find. The group played the shimmery indie rock number in front of video screens illuminated with the album artwork and lyrics from the song. In the clip, the band is accompanied by a group of string musicians and two backup singers (Gail Ann Dorsey lends her vocals to the recorded version).

I Am Easy To Find is out May 17th...

The National’s new short film I Am Easy to Find, a companion piece to their upcoming eighth album of the same name, is now available to stream online. Mike Mills (20th Century Women, Beginners) directed the artful, 24-minute project, which stars Alicia Vikander (The Danish Girl, Ex-Machina) and features new music from the band.

The film was recently screened during five shows in Paris, New York, London, Toronto and Los Angeles that featured Q&As with Mills and the National; the New York event, hosted by musician Julien Baker,...

Ahead of their eighth album I Am Easy To Find, The National have released a new track “Light Years.” The delicate, emotional song goes heavy on the piano as frontman Matt Berninger croons with a palpable ache.

The band also revealed a video for the track, which pulls scenes from their upcoming short film I Am Easy To Find, directed by Mike Mills. The film, which will also be released alongside the album, stars Academy Award-winner Alicia Vikander and is a visual companion to the new music.

This month, the...

The National have announced a new album, I Am Easy to Find, which is available for preorder and will be released on May 17th via 4Ad. The band has also unveiled the LP’s first single, “You Had Your Soul With You.” A stuttering, bright melody and beat serves as an intro to the opening track of the LP, which features longtime David Bowie collaborator Gail Ann Dorsey’s vocals. “I had only one thing to do/And I couldn’t do it yet,” Matt Berninger and Dorsey sing. “I...

Every week, IndieWire asks a select handful of film critics two questions and publishes the results on Monday.

Thanksgiving is upon us! For this week’s question, we asked our panel of film critics which movie families they would most want to hang out with for the holiday.

Carlos Aguilar (@Carlos_Film) The Wrap, MovieMaker Magazine, Remezcla



Spending time with selkies (magical beings from Celtic mythology that shift between human and seal form) could be a fun twist on any holiday in need of rebranding. But since underwater festivities are probably complicated and wet, it helps when the hosts are a mixed group of selkies and humans. It’ll definitely be more manageable if one can stay dry.

With “Song of the Sea,” his sophomore animated feature based on Irish folklore, director Tomm Moore gave us the perfect family for such an unconventional celebration – granted it wouldn’t be Thanksgiving...

People is the name of an artist collective and web platform, co-founded by Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon and The National’s Aaron Dessner, that grew out of the 2016 Michelberger Music series in Berlin. The idea, as explained on the site, is “to establish an independent and nurturing space in which to make work (generally around music) that is collaborative, spontaneous and expressive in nature and where all unnecessary distractions or obstacles that get in the way are removed.” It is as much “about the process of making work,” we’re told,...

Alec Bojalad Aug 29, 2019

Steven Universe will be getting his own movie and we know when it's coming out.

It's Steven's universe and we're all just living in it.

After the climatic end to Steven Universe Season 5, we learned that we will be getting a Steven Universe Movie and we've got all the news about it! If you want to know what we thought of the movie, head on over to our spoiler-free review here.

Steven Universe: The Movie Trailer

In a delightful throwback of sorts, Toonami cut together their own trailer for the Steven Universe movie that features a ton of new shots and a snippet of a musical number!

Video of Toonami's Steven Universe the Movie Trailer | Steven Universe | Cartoon Network

We've even got a sneak peak clip from the movie to!

Video of First Look | Steven Universe | Cartoon Network

We've also got the first official Steven Universe: The Movie trailer below as well!

Title: Song Of The Sea Director: Tomm Moore Genre: Animation Voices: Brendan Gleeson, Fionnula Flanagan, Lisa Hannigan, Pat Shortt. Nominated for an Academy Award for Best Animated Feature at the 87th Academy Awards in 2015, ‘Song Of The Sea’ is the latest gem produced by the Irish production company Cartoon Saloon. The story is set in the Emerald Isle (famous for its stories about fairies and Celtic creatures), during the 1980s. Ben is a ten year old who lives with his little sister Saoirse and father Conor in a lighthouse, on an island off the Irish coast. Bronach, their selkie mother, returned to the sea six years previously, leaving Ben [ Read More ]

The post Song Of The Sea Movie Review appeared first on Shockya.com.

A review of tonight's "Fargo" — which FX just renewed for a third season — coming up just as soon as you see why they called me the Breakfast King of Loyola... "This family? Deserves the ground." -Simone "Did you do this? No, you did it!!" is perhaps the series' most overtly Coen-y episode by far, with nods at various points to "The Big Lebowski" (Hank offers to cut off his toe, Mike Miligan says "Sometimes, there's a man," and we hear a version of "I Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In)" twice), "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" ("O Death" plays), "Miller's Crossing" (Bear not only takes Simone out to the barren woods to kill her, but we hear "Danny Boy" as he prepares to do it), and even "Fargo" itself (Hank's wife died in Brainerd). For the most part, I've enjoyed these tips of the trooper's...

Fast-paced modernity acts like deceptive facade that tricks us into thinking we've become something very different from what we've always been. But below the multiple layers of unimportant burdens, pretended indifference, and overflowing cynicism, lies an unalterable human core that rejoices and suffers like it’s done since its genesis. A person navigating the turbulent waters of life today is indeed pondering on the same questions that another did centuries ago. Pain and pleasure, births and deaths, tears and laughter, passion and despair, they all continue to trap us all in their ambivalent choreography that forced us to question if there is meaning to the madness or if the absurdity of the human condition is just an indecipherable codex.

Enlightened thinkers have incessantly taken it upon themselves to interpret our common fears and urges to arrive at somewhat logical conclusions about our puzzling purpose and put these into comprehensible words. Academic and formal the philosopher appeals to rational mind, while the poet delicately arranges his thoughts and aims for the impetuous tenderness of our visceral side. Like preachers of a higher faith that exist about authoritarian religions, poets share their knowledge in ways unrestricted by physicality. Their words travel in the wind and pierce hearts with darts made out of profound realizations. Such sacred gift was granted by the universe to Kahlil Gibran, the Lebanese-American poem who would pen The Prophet, one of the most spiritual books ever written unbound by any denomination.

Containing ethereal poems delving into specific facets of our mortal condition, Gibran’s volumes are not quintessential material for a film adaptation. His writing seemed elusive to traditional representations limited by a rigid narrative structure. Conscious of this seemingly obstructive aspect, determined producer Salma Hayek recognized that a much more fluid and unrestrictive medium was required to portray Gibran’s teachings not with literal imagery, but with dreamlike works of moving art that could evoke the essence of each verse. Ambitiously, Hayek set out to expand the accessibility of this book, one that her grandfather of Lebanese origin treasured deeply and which she had grown to appreciate herself, thought an animation project of tremendous magnitude.

Aspiring to effectively turn this lifelong wish into a soulful visual feast, Hayek enlisted nine of the world’s most passionate animators to fabricate magic with color and to take part in an exuberant celebration of creativity. Eight of them would craft individual segments interpreting a specific poem without any parameter other than Gibran’s intricate phrases, while another director was charged with the demanding task of wrapping these delightful fragments in a frame narrative that could cohesively unify them. The product of this phenomenal amalgamation is Roger Allers’ “Kahlil Gibran’s The Prophet,” a cinematic out-of-body experience that deconstructs our existential yearnings and translates them into mesmerizing animated wisdom.

Honed during the Disney Renaissance, Allers’ stylistic principles still carry a familiar aesthetic that resembles iconic films from said period. Although better known for directing one the most beloved animated tales of all time, “The Lion King,” his resourceful hand touched several other projects including “The Little Mermaid” and “Beauty and the Beast,” as both a writer and a storyboard artist. That myriad of storytelling abilities is reflected in his approach to this unorthodox venture. While the character design employed in his enveloping storyline will immediately and instinctively remind viewers of the filmmaker’s Disney origins, he manages to tailor he manages to tailor such distinct appearance for this singular undertaking. It’s classically elegant and precisely suitable for the plot-driven portion of the film.

Centered on Mustafa (Liam Neeson), a poet and painter living as a prisoner of the Ottoman Empire for what they considered subversive ideas, Allers’ screenplay channels Gibran’s thin fictional account and develops it further so that it blossoms into a full-length fable that relays its own moral, while serving as vehicle for the abstract enclaves to be presented seamlessly. Besides spearheading the entire operation, in this section of the film Hayek also voices Kamila, a hardworking widow paid by the regime to tend to Mustafa and who is out of option when it comes to dealing with her rebellious, yet silent, young daughter, Almitra (Quvenzhané Wallis). It’s only when the girl meets the unassuming wise man that her quiet frustration begins to dissipate.A receptive vessel, Almitra is fascinated by Mustafa’ss tranquil demeanor and fascination by his convictions even if she can’t fully grasp their significance.

Neeson’s virile tone gives the protagonist a regal air without sounding intimidating. His voice emanates tranquility coated with strength, like a fatherly figure at peace with his every step. Alfred Molina appears as the comically villainous Sergeant in charge of escorting Mustafa through the village, but who often gives in to his human impulses on their way to the harbor. Meanwhile John Krasinski plays Halim, a young official romantically pursuing Kamila, and veteran thespian Frank Langella is heard briefly as Pasha, the evil ruler who holds the poet’s fate in his hands. As the events that lead to Mustafa’s final trial unfold each of the stylistically eclectic short sequences finds the right moment to be unveiled.

First comes Michal Socha’s “On Freedom,“ in which an anthropomorphic birdcage prevents its feathered captives from flying into the sunset. Ridding themselves of their shackles holds the promise of fulfillment, but that desire is in fact “the strongest of these chains.” Clever in its use of symbolism and graceful in its execution, Socha’s rendition of Gibran’s piece is sharp and poignant. Then, with kaleidoscopic vividness, Nina Paley uses multiple motifs evocative of both Indian and Greek iconography in “On Children,” to depict the cyclical nature of life and the perennial bond between parents and their descendants. Though this connection is irreproachable, progenitors shouldn't attempt to command the life they’ve brought into the world because it’s not their possession, but a link in a greater continuum. Like bows launching arrows into an uncertain abyss, mothers and fathers must come to terms with letting go. Singer/songwriter Damien Rice rearranges the author’s lines into heartfelt lyrics for a melancholic song that builds up to a captivating finale.

Seductively, Joann Sfar's “On Marriage” shows two lovers dancing tango under the moonlight. Ancient ruins become the battleground for a sensual clash where impeccable choreography is a more of a strategic maneuver than just coordinated movement. Subtly wrestling each other to set the boundaries of their union, husband and wife know their paths advance parallel, yet independently. Similarly exquisite is the manner in which Academy Award-winner Joan Gratz delivers “On Work,” via a painstaking technique known as claypainting. Blending colors with inconspicuous ability, the seasoned artist travels through the numerous notions on the worthiness of labor, whether physical or creative. Exceptionally delicate in nature, her work thoroughly explains why “he who seizes the rainbow to lay it on a cloth” is not nobler than “he who makes sandals for our feet.”

Bill Plympton's scratchy and utterly handcrafted frames in "On Eating and Drinking" flow with the uncompromising animator's expected candidness.These elemental joys are held sacred by Gibran as “an act of worship,” and while the cartoonist is respectful of this canon, humor is always a vital quality of his deliberately nonchalant drawings. A man bites an apple and as we follow its journey through the human body we witness nourishment and sustainability by means of Plympton's style. Now, the most unquestionably breathtaking piece of this magnificent puzzle, and perhaps the most beautiful piece of filmmaking to be projected on screens this year, is Tomm Moore’s “On Love.” Its alluring rhythm and detailed Art Nouveau designs flood each frame with spellbinding imagery that speaks of the thorny splendor that falling for another being entails. Elating and devastating at once, “love crowns you” with its intoxicating glory, but just as strongly it can “crucify you” with merciless fury. Moore’s unmistakable enchantment illustrates an ancestral couple ascending from the depths of darkness into the light of redemption propelled by the dazzlingly magic of “love’s ecstasy.”

Silhouetted animals racing for survival personify human ambitions in Mohammed Harib's “On Good and Evil.” Given the broadness of the poem’s subject matter the animator could have taken much more literal routes to relay its lesson, but his metaphorical approach successfully encapsulates Gibran’s stance on benevolence and wickedness. In hi eyes any wrong doings perpetrated have a purpose within the landscape of our collective destiny. All that is evil was once kindness, because, according to the poet, “good tortured by its own hunger and thirst.” Finally, our unavoidable fate is treated with compassion rather than morbid tropes by Gaëtan Brizzi and Paul Brizzi in their transcendent visualization of "On Death." Our soul, comes to life in the form of an incorporeal character who dances swiftly celestial radiance. Sorrow is replaced with the hope that the end is just a transition into an “unencumbered” state. Drinking from the “river of silence” allows our inner divinity to truly sing without restrains. A peaceful rebirth only comes from letting go of carnal necessities, and that’s something both Gibran and Mustafa are convince of.

Musically, “Kahlil Gibran’s The Prophet,” was embellished by composer Gabriel Yared’s grand score, which mixes epic sentiments with soothing melodies decorating almost every second of it. Accentuating Tomm Moore’s lovely bit, Irish singers Lisa Hannigan and Oscar-winner Glen Hansard fashion a stirring tune out the scribe’s contemplation on amorous frenzy. Lastly, in addition to providing a song for Paley’s segment, Damien Rice wrote another moving ballad titled “Hypnosis” to play during the final credits. Perfectly reflective of the experiential attributes of the film it caps, Rice’s stanzas put an empowering final touch as it asks us to seek strength from our personal truth.

In this tapestry of lyrical mirages, the eternal endurance of art prevails as testament of the immortality bestowed only on those whose brilliance surpasses time and space. Harnessing wide-ranging techniques, the artists behind “Kahil Gibran’s The Prophet” gifted us one of the most mesmerizing films of the year and a milestone in the history of animation, which brought together the genius of many to spread words of compassion and serenity. Solidarity amongst mankind and the acceptance of our flaws as virtues hidden by unnecessary vanity and greed, are the first steps towards the reconciliation between what we think we are now and what we've always been. Gibran’s message is as relevant as ever today, so let us fill ourselves with the majesty of his wisdom, and become vindicated disciples willing to live beyond merely existing.

"Kahlil Gibran's The Prophet" is now playing in L.A. and NYC and will open in other cities across the country in the upcoming weeks.

An enchanting trailer has been released for 2D animation Song of the Sea.

The film comes from the makers of 2009's Oscar-nominated The Secret of Kells, this time telling the Celtic myth of the selkie.

A young girl called Saoirse discovers an amazing inheritance - she can transform herself into a seal.

But with the world of spirit creatures under threat, she must embark on a fantastical journey with her big brother in order to save the day.

The film features the voices of Brendan Gleeson, Fionnula Flanagan, David Rawle and Lisa Hannigan.

Song of the Sea is coming to UK cinemas on July 10. A Us release date is yet to be announced.

Salma Hayek can breathe easy now. Her passion project "Kahlil Gibran's The Prophet" is finally coming to the big screen. Directed by Roger Allers ("The Lion King"), "The Prophet" is a collaborative animated tale featuring individual "chapters" from animation legends such as Tomm Moore ("The Secret of Kells" "Song of the Sea"), Joan Gratz (Academy Award winner for "Mona Lisa Descending a Staircase"),  Bill Plympton ("Guard Dog and Your Face"), Paul and Gaetan Brizzi ("Fantasia 2000") and Mohammed Harib ("Freej"), among others.  It's based on Gilbran's 1923 book and features a voice cast including Hayek, Liam Neeson,  Quvenzhané Wallis, John Krasinski, Frank Langella and Alfred Molina.  The film's score is by Oscar winner Gabriel Yared ("The English Patient") and it also includes additional music from  Damien Rice, Glenn Hansard ("Once") and Lisa Hannigan.  So, yes, that's a lot of pedigree talent in the mix. "The Prophet" debuted to positive reviews at the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival,...

Chicago – Just in time for its potential win of the “Best Animated Feature” Oscar this Sunday, the Irish animated film “Song of the Sea” opens this weekend at Chicago’s Music Box Theater. A grab-bag myth come to storytelling life, this film is vitalized by its gorgeous animation as much as the heart within its narrative.

An accomplishment that would make the likes of Hayao Miyazaki proud, “Song of the Sea” is a gift to fans of animation.

Rating: 4.0/5.0

This animated treasure from the “Secret of Kells” director Tomm Moore is an original story, but based on the Irish folklore of Selkies, creatures that live as seals in the sea, but humans on land. Moore angles his Selkie tale to focus on themes of humans dealing with burrowed grief. In “Song of the Sea,” a father (Conor, voiced by Brendan Gleeson) cares for his children, his pre-teen Ben (David Rawle...

Produced by the Ireland-based animation studio, Cartoon Saloon, and distributed by Gkids, "Song of the Sea" is an animated Oscar contender for its exquisite hand-drawn beauty and stirring story about the last Seal-child trapped between two worlds. It debuted in Toronto. Ben and his enchanted little sister Saoirse (a Selkie) are hurled into a fading world of ancient legend and magic as they attempt to return to their home by the sea. The film takes inspiration from the mythological Selkies of Irish folklore, who live as seals in the sea but become humans on land. "Song of the Sea" features the voices of Brendan Gleeson, Fionnula Flanagan, David Rawle, Lisa Hannigan, Pat Shortt, and Jon Kenny. The score is composed by Bruno Coulais and Irish band Kíla, who previously collaborated on "The Secret of Kells." "I had heard plenty of Selkie stories growing up and had seen the 'Secret of...

Song of the Sea is a film as light as the wind, and as swift. As airy as the Gaelic song which rides above its plot like a mystical zephyr visiting from another world, it’s a unique fairy tale even among the many supernaturally inclined animated features that have entranced us this year. The Boxtrolls is more aggressively outrageous, The Tale of Princess Kaguya more overtly theosophical. Tomm Moore’s Irish rhapsody of shape-shifting and age-old lore is special because of both its narrative restraint and its visual ambition, an occasionally overwhelming object of color and light with a deceptively modest plot. The film begins with a beautiful family and a sudden tragedy. Moore presents the young Ben (David Rawle), his father (Brendan Gleeson) and his mother (Lisa Hannigan) as the only family in the world. As they await the arrival of their second child, their idyllic lives are painted by Moore with the sort of...

Tomm Moore's touching Song of the Sea is not anime, but it shares elements with some of the best anime films of recent years, particularly Mamoru Hosoda's Wolf Children. Then again, certain kinds of legends pop up in every culture. In this iteration, young Saoirse (Lucy O'Connell) was born on the night her mother, Broanch (Lisa Hannigan), disappeared into the waves surrounding their lighthouse home. After their father, Conor (Brendan Gleeson), sends the seemingly mute Saoirse and her brother Ben (David Rawle) away for getting too close to the mystery — Saoirse is half-Selkie, a woman who's human on land but a seal in the ocean — the brother and sister must travel back to the ocean to save Saoirse's life and possibly all of humanity, discoverin...

A charming new trailer has been released for director Tomm Moore's upcoming animated Irish Folklore film Song of the Sea. This is the same director who created the wonderful animated movie The Secret of Kells.

Song of the Sea is based on a number of Irish folklore tales, and the magical story centers on two siblings named Ben and Saoirse. "They belong to the mythological race of Selkies who live as humans on land and as seals in the sea. Together they embark on an adventure to free fairy creatures trapped in the modern world."

The movie features the voices of Brendan Gleeson, Fionnula Flanagan, David Rawle, Lisa Hannigan, Pat Shortt, Jon Kenny, Lucy O’Connell, Liam Hourican, and Kevin Swierszsz.

If you haven't watched The Secret of Kells yet, it's available on Instant Netflix. If you enjoyed that movie, then I'm sure that you're going to enjoy this one as well.

The product of a miraculously unique brand of animated alchemy, Tomm Moore’s follow-up to the Academy Award-nominated “The Secret of Kells,” is an even more stunning work of art. As if wrapped in a blanket made of gorgeous magical dreams, watching “Song of the Sea” is a spellbinding experience that captures fantasy in its purest form. Cartoon Saloon has once again reinterpreted Irish folktales and crafted a world so unimaginably alluring is hard not to surrender to its charm.

Sporting a superhero cape and a spunky attitude, Ben (voiced by David Rawle) is a 10-year-old boy who lives in an island with his younger sister Saoirse, his father Conor (Brendan Gleeson), a lighthouse keeper, and his adorable dog Cú, a joyful and loyal furball. Living in what seems to be the 80s, Ben’s most prized possessions include goofy 3-D glasses and a rock-and-roll-ready Walkman - fun items for a kid his age. But amongst these, a peculiar seashell given to him by Bronagh (Lisa Hannigan), his mother, before passing away, holds a special place in his memory. The singular keepsake doesn’t only connect him to her, but also to the many stories of magical creatures and enchanted worlds he grew up listening to. His role as a big brother is not something he enjoys. Little Saoirse, who has never uttered a word but is their father’s only source of happiness, easily frustrates Ben.

One night as if in a trance, Saoirse is escorted into the ocean by a group of smiling seals wearing a shiny mystical coat that belonged to her mother. It is then that her remarkable power is revealed. She is a beautiful white Selkie - a mythological being that lives as a human on ground and as a seal underwater – and has a mission to accomplish. But after this incident, the kids pompous Granny (Fionnula Flanagan), who lives in the city, beliefs the seaside life is too dangerous and takes them back with her to the urban sprawl. Their father is still so paralyzed with grief after losing his beloved wife that he agrees with her plan.

Unsatisfied with their new situation, the siblings attempt to trek back to the island. Along the way they are confronted with an array of whimsical friends and enemies realizing that those mythical stories their mom used to recite are actually tangible. Musical fairies in distress, an eccentric Wiseman whose every hair holds a memory, and an owl-like witch who stores her emotions, and those of everyone else in this magical realm, in tight-sealed enchanted jars. Indeed a clever metaphor for bottling emotions that turn hearts into stone. Only Saoirse’s yet non-existent voice can save them and restore order both in the real world and the ancestral kingdom.

Resembling rustic watercolor paintings enhanced with movement, there is an artisanal quality to every frame. From the sea, to the city, to the forest and the fantastical underworld, the amount of details employed in every creature and space is breathtaking. Nothing is overlooked. So meticulous is their approach that even transmission towers have a distinct design. Unattainable by solely using computer animation, the film’s visual aesthetic feels simultaneously handcrafted and otherworldly. Filled with a classical warmth, “Song of the Sea” should remind everyone why animation, when done as flawlessly as it is here, is such a incredible medium. Color, form, and fluid motion delivered in an unforgettable style that's at the service of a similarly compelling story.

An ethereal atmosphere imbues the film thanks to the evocative score by Bruno Coulais. His music builds a bridge between the two worlds and adds a wonderfully enigmatic tone. By the same token, the glowing lighting work of the animators is worthy of enormous praise. Their manufactured cinematography is vivid and subtle all at once. It makes the sea shimmer with uncanny intensity and the lovely characters sparkle with life. Written by William Collins, the narrative itself packs heartfelt themes weaved into the mythological components. Adults have been consumed with pain and have protected themselves with solid armatures only breakable with the hopeful innocence of children. Reconnecting with ones roots and appreciating the value of selfless courage, figure prominently as themes in the film.

With only two animated features under his belt, it's clear that a few years from now –sooner rather than later – we will be talking about Tomm Moore with the same reverence and adoration as we do now about Miyazaki. Here is a new master animator on his way to becoming legendary on his own right. Moore has taken us on a journey into Irish folklore that truly isn’t quite like anything seen before. Old tales of honor, valor, and family values adapted for the screen with the transfixing power of its dreamlike drawings. Watching “Song of the Sea” it's easy to assert that this is one of the most blissfully beautiful animated films ever made. It is a gem beaming with awe-inspiring, heartwarming magic.

"Song of the Sea" had its World Premier on Saturday September 6th at Tiff. Gkids will release the film theatrically on December 19th in NYC and Toronto.

Tomm Moore follows up his Oscar-nominated "The Secret of Kells" with an even more ambitious Irish folk tale, "Song of the Sea," which plays Toronto on Saturday. Produced by the Ireland-based animation studio, Cartoon Saloon, and distributed by Gkids, "Song of the Sea" (opening December 19th) looks to be a sure Oscar contender for its exquisite hand-drawn beauty and stirring story about the last Seal-child trapped between two worlds. Ben and his enchanted little sister Saoirse (a Selkie) are hurled into a fading world of ancient legend and magic as they attempt to return to their home by the sea. The film takes inspiration from the mythological Selkies of Irish folklore, who live as seals in the sea but become humans on land. "Song of the Sea" features the voices of Brendan Gleeson, Fionnula Flanagan, David Rawle, Lisa Hannigan, Pat Shortt, and Jon Kenny. The score is composed by Bruno Coulais and Irish band Kíla,...

A delightful trailer has been released for director Tomm Moore's new film Song of the Sea. This is the same director who brought us the fantastic animated film The Secret of Kells. His newest film looks absolutely wonderful.

Song of the Sea pulls from several aspects of Irish folklore, more specifically the Selkies, who are seals in the sea, but shed their skin to become human on land. The story focuses on siblings Ben and Saoirse (who is the last Seal-child) who embark on a great adventure. The movie stars the voices of Brendan Gleeson, Fionnula Flanagan, David Rawle, Lisa Hannigan, Pat Shortt, Jon Kenny, Lucy O’Connell, Liam Hourican, and Kevin Swierszsz.

Cartoon Saloon is likely to release the movie sometime in 2015, and I'll be looking forward to it. If you haven't seen The Secret of Kells yet, you should check it out. It's currently on Netflix.

You’ve never heard a score quite like this. Director Alfonso Cuaron’s Gravity is nothing akin to a sci-fi fantasy world, but rather depicts the stark realities of being marooned in the harshest environment known to mankind. It is a real game changer. Audiences will be given the illusion of being in space in ways that are both totally convincing and utterly visceral.

The film opened at #1, had a record setting $55 million opening weekend in the U.S. and is set for a November debut in the United Kingdom. Gravity premiered to critical acclaim at the Venice Film Festival with screenings also held at the Telluride Film Festival and the Toronto International Film Festival. The film will play this week among the highly anticipated Galas at the BFI London Film Festival.

Before it’s release, I spoke with the film’s composer Steven Price from England. The Gravity original...

Feature scheduled for delivery in the second half of 2014.

Award-winning Irish director Tomm Moore unveiled extensive footage from his upcoming feature Song of the Sea at a Work in Progress session of the Annecy Animation Film Festival on Friday (June 14).

Like Moore’s previous film - Oscar-nominated The Secret of Kells - the picture takes inspiration from Irish folklore, centring on the legend of the Selkies, mythological creatures that are part seal, part human.

The storyline revolves around brother and sister Ben and Saoirse, who are forced to leave their coastal home to live with their grandmother in the city following their mother’s mysterious disappearance.

When they decide to runaway and return home by sea, the voyage takes an unexpected turn - leading them into a fantastical marine world - where it becomes clear there is more to Ben’s silent sister Saoirse than meets the eye.

The $7.5m (€5.6m) film is a five-way co-production between...

Oscar-winning Irish folk musician Glen Hansard on Monday evening returned to Chicago's Millennium Park -- where he last played a show in support of Low two years ago.

Amid the foggy evening at the park's Jay Pritzker Pavilion stage, Hansard -- who leads The Frames and is one half of The Swell Season -- played songs off both last year's debut solo record "Rhythm and Repose" and was also joined on stage by Lisa Hannigan, a former member of fellow Irishman Damien Rice's band.

Hansard is a regular performer in Chicago, most recently at the Hideout Block Party last fall, and previously told HuffPost he sees the Windy City as "a city where people are quietly getting on with their work. I have always found it hugely inspiring."

Photographer (and friend of HuffPost) Joshua Mellin was on hand at Hansard's Millennium Park show and shared some of his shots...

London, Jan. 1: Irish singer Sinead O'Connor is single again after she split with her boyfriend David on Christmas Eve.

The 46-year-old singer called it quits with the 40-year-old anthropologist, whom she was keen to keep out of the limelight, the Sun reported.

A source said that she broke with David on Christmas Eve after only a few months together.

She was later spotted on Grafton Street charity busking with a host of Irish stars including Bono, Glen Hansard, Lisa Hannigan, Dec an O'Rourke and Liam O Maonla, the paper reported.

O'Connor first opened up to the Irish Sun about her new relationship last month.

And.

'The Secret of Kells,’ director Tomm Moore is set to begin production on his second feature film ‘Song Of The Sea’ which begins on January.

Irish acting talent such as Brendan Gleeson, Fionnula Flanagan, Pat Shortt, Jon Kenny and David Rawle, and singer Lisa Hannigan, have all done voice over work on the animation.

The story of the last Seal Child's journey home. After their mother's disappearance, Ben and Saoirse are sent to live with Granny in the city. When they resolve to return to their home by the sea, their journey becomes a race against time as they are drawn into a world Ben knows only from his mother's folktales. But this is no bedtime story; these fairy folk have been in our world far too long. It soon becomes clear to Ben that Saoirse is the key to their survival.

Moore is currently sharing developments of the...

It's been a little while coming but Tomm Moore's The Song Of The Sea - the latest from the director of Oscar nominated animated feature The Secret Of Kells - is up and running. The voice tracks have been laid down by the likes of Brendan Gleeson, Fionnula Flanagan, Pat Shortt, Jon Kenny, David Rawle, and Lisa Hannigan and principal production on the actual animation begins in January.Moore, in my estimation, is an outright genius and The Secret Of Kells an utterly fabulous bit of work. For a taste of what is coming check out the test reel below....

Amy Adams doesn’t have the market cornered on Leap Day proposals — or self-embarrassment, for that matter. In my quest to make the most of the extra time the calendar elves have given me this year (suck it, Tracy Jordan and your $50,000 gift certificate to Benihana!), I’m looking to that great source of lore and historical accuracy: Wikipedia.

According to the site’s Leap Day page, not only do I have the right to propose to a man today, but if he says no, he has to buy me a dress or a dozen pairs of gloves — or hand over cold,...

ABC Family

Big plot points to remember: Ali bribed someone at a phone company to try to find out who was sending her blocked messages. Maya and Emily quarrel. A. tries to out Aria and Ezra to Byron, but fails because Aria cancels her dinner date with Ezra to attend Holden’s martial arts competition. Holden also has a heart condition. Caleb’s laptop is impounded for having private school information on it, but Hanna and Spencer hack in and erase the incriminating file.

Seems like the major labels will continue to mine the nostalgia angle with the hope that they can squeeze a few more ducats from aging music fans everywhere. Fine by me, if the music merits the "super-deluxe-never-before-heard-or-seen" treatment. And since I've been sucked into that black hole with the Dead, Stones, Rush, Hendrix, Jesus & Mary Chain, et al., I've missed some amazing music and culture this past year. No excuses now as I cram a full year's worth of culture down my gullet before Christmas. You can check out more of my favorite culture from 2011 in these Spring, Summer, and Fall articles.

Mia Doi Todd: Cosmic Ocean Ship (City Zen) - I was struck by her otherworldly vocals after copping her major label debut in 2002. Her ninth effort picks up where her critically acclaimed 2008 self-released effort Gea left off. And it's quite apparent that her time on the road opening...

The Decemberists, Bon Iver, The Civil Wars, The Low Anthem, Pistol Annies and Carolina Chocolate Drops all join The Chieftains on the legendary Irish outfit’s “Voice of Ages,” out Feb. 21. Co-produced by T Bone Burnett, the set also features Punch Brothers, Imelda May, Lisa Hannigan and Paolo Nutini mixing it up on a collection, as well as writing some of the material: The Civil Wars write a song specifically for the project. The Chieftains will kick off a tour in conjunction with the release on Feb. 17 in Santa Barbara, which will culminate in their annual St. Patrick’s Day show...

Irish singer-songwriter, Lisa Hannigan's ditty "Safe Travels (Don't Die)" is already one of the most endearing songs released this Fall. "Please cross at the lights and / don't start fires or fights and /

dabble in heights on caffeine," Hannigan quietly frets. "Like you always say, safe travels / don't die, don't die / safe travels, don't die."

Prepare yourself now for the most adorable video of this holiday traveling season. Director's Clíona O'Flaherty and Chris Judge's magnificent video features a dapper traveler with a decidedly precarious and vulnerable looking head, whose journey is accompanied by the cutest worrywart anxieties ever set to music.

"I was so stunned when I first saw this video," Hannigan told us. "Chris and Cliona, whose respective work I've always been a fan of, mentioned that they were interested in making music videos and having seen their work on 'The Lonely Beast,' I thought that 'Safe Travels,...

Getty Ziggy Marley, son of late reggae musician Bob Marley performs during the 45th Montreux Jazz Festival on July 8, 2011 in Montreux.

Thousands of hopeful and ambitious musicians are now in New York City to participate in the annual showcase known as the Cmj Music Marathon, which begins tomorrow.

For fans and performers, Cmj is a grueling endurance contest. More than 1,300 acts are in this year’s lineup – and many will perform multiple sets at some of nearly 75 venues strewn through the boroughs,...

In the single-shot video for Lisa Hannigan’s “Knots,” the Irish singer-songwriter is bombarded by paint at all angles in the world’s easiest target practice. She’s a good sport, but she is solid, keeping her place. In “Passenger,” her new album for Ato, she’s everywhere. The title itself refers to “what you take with you – love, heartbreak, friendships and all the problems – that you take across hundreds of miles and over a year. It’s all your passenger, moving on, moving along, meeting new people,” she told me in our recent interview. And move it does. If you blinked, you...

Irish singer Lisa Hannigan got her start as a backup singer in Damien Rice’s band, her fabulously breathy vocals brightening up most of Rice’s recent work. In 2009, she ventured out on her own and recorded her first record Sea Sew to much critical acclaim. The whirlwind tour that followed inspired Hannigan’s upcoming album Passenger—which will be released on Sept. 20. “Many of [the songs] were written while I was away from home or on the road, and the feeling of transience and nostalgia that this constant traveling evoked seemed to seep into every song, ” Hannigan says in a...

As promised, here are Parts I and II of an interview conducted by the webmaster of No Fact Zone, Db Ferguson, with the star of the Comedy Central show ‘The Colbert Report’, Stephen Colbert. The first part of the interview was conducted on Tuesday, May 17th, and the second part on Thursday, May 19th.

(Photo Credit – Mark Malkoff, backstage at the Colbert Report, October 20, 2008)

Part I (5/17/2011)

Db: You spoke with Terry Gross a while ago about being an altar boy at midnight mass, and “that guy” has said he that was an altar boy for 11 years, and I’m just curious if you, the real Stephen, were actually an altar boy for that long?

Sc: Yes I was. I started as an altar boy in 2nd grade, I was 7 years old. And I was pretty steadily an altar boy until my sophomore year. I think my junior and senior year...

Dave Matthews Band will host four Dave Matthews Band Caravans this year. The first of the four three-day, multi-artist festivals will take place June 24-26 at Bader Field in Atlantic City. The line-up for the first Caravan includes David Gray, Ray Lamontagne, The Flaming Lips, O.A.R., Damian Marley, Bassnectar, Dr. Dog, Amos Lee, Thievery Corporation, Michael Franti and Spearhead, Warren Haynes Band, Grace Potter and the Nocturnals, Guster, Lotus, Rebelution, Fitz and the Tantrums, Carolina Chocolate Drops, Lisa Hannigan, Punch Brothers, From Good Homes, Delta Spirit, Big Gigantic, Alberta Cross, Mariachi El Bronx, TR3, Vusi Mahlasela, The Budos Band and Bobby...