by tyler | Jun 6, 2023 | CNN, entertainment
Brazilian singer Astrud Gilberto, who in her 20s recorded “The Girl from Ipanema” and became an international star, has died, according to social media posts from her granddaughter and on behalf of her son.
No cause of death was immediately available. She was reportedly 83.
“I’m here to bring you the sad news that my grandmother became a star today and is next to my grandfather João Gilberto. Astrud was the true girl who took bossa nova from Ipanema to the world,” Gilberto’s granddaughter Sofia said on her Instagram page, in a statement that CNN translated from Portuguese.
Paul Ricci, a guitarist who previously worked with Gilberto, posted a message on his Facebook page on Tuesday from Gilberto’s son Marcelo, who also played the bass alongside his mother in the early eighties.
“I just got word from her son Marcelo that we have lost Astrud Gilberto. He asked for this to be posted. She was an important part of ALL that is Brazilian music in the world and she changed many lives with her energy. RIP from the “chief” as she called me,” Ricci’s statement read.
According to her official website, Gilberto grew up in Rio de Janeiro and immigrated to the United States in the early 1960s.
In 1963, she was invited to participate by her then-husband João Gilberto in the recording of an album by him and Stan Getz. The short recording of a verse in English, unrehearsed and something of a surprise for Gilberto, launched her to international superstardom, with the album going on to win four Grammys.
“The Girl from Ipanema” would go on to be covered countless times by music greats, from Eartha Kitt and Frank Sinatra to Cher and Amy Winehouse.
Gilberto released at least 16 original albums dating back to her debut in 1964, which was titled “Getz Au Go Go.” Gilberto went on to record a song on the soundtrack for the 1965 film “The Deadly Affair,” the music of which was arranged by Quincy Jones.
Throughout the 1970s, Gilberto became known for her songwriting, releasing the 1972 album “Astrud Gilberto Now” and “That Girl From Ipanema” in 1977, the latter of which included a duet with famed jazz musician Chet Baker on the track titled “Far Away.”
The 1980s and ’90s proved to be a prolific period for the artist, who formed a sextet with various musicians – including her son Marcelo on Bass – and toured the world. She later released the critically lauded album “Astrud Gilberto Plus the James Last Orchestra” in 1987.
When Gilberto partnered with English singer-songwriter George Michael, one of the bestselling musicians of all time, Gilberto again gained international notoriety. Their duet “Desafinado” was released in 1996, and Gilberto became known for exposing the bossa nova genre to a pop music-loving, mainstream audience.
Gilberto released her last album “Jungle” in 2002, and went on to be inducted into the International Latin Music Hall of Fame the same year. In 2008, the Latin Recording Academy awarded her with a Lifetime Achievement award.
“I love and will love Astrud forever and she was the face and voice of bossa nova in most parts of the planet,” Gilberto’s granddaughter Sofia said in her statement on Tuesday, adding that Astrud “will forever be in our hearts.”
by tyler | Jun 2, 2023 | CNN, entertainment
Brad Pitt is not backing down from his legal fight against his ex-wife Angelina Jolie over a French winery they once owned together..
In new legal documents filed Thursday by Pitt’s attorneys and obtained by CNN, the actor calls Jolie’s sale of her stake of Château Miraval in 2021 “vindictive” after an “adverse custody ruling.”
“Her decision to terminate negotiations with Pitt was intentional and pretextual,” the documents state. “As will be demonstrated at trial, Jolie’s actions were unlawful, severely and intentionally damaging Pitt and unjustly enriching herself.”
CNN has reached out to Jolie’s representative for comment.
Jolie filed for divorce from Pitt in 2016. They were declared legally single in 2019, but a shared custody arrangement of their minor children is not yet finalized.
Jolie sold her stake in Miraval in October 2021 to Tenute del Mondo, a subsidiary of Stoli Group, controlled by Russian oligarch Yuri Shefler.
Pitt first filed his lawsuit over the sale in 2022, calling it “unlawful” because, he claims, the two had agreed when they purchased Château Miraval that neither would sell without the other’s consent.
Jolie filed a countersuit, claiming that there was never any such agreement and that she sold her portion of the winery in an effort to have “financial independence” from Pitt and to “have some form of peace and closure to this deeply painful and traumatic chapter of her and their children’s lives.”
The former couple purchased the country estate and winery in the south of France in 2008.
by tyler | Jun 2, 2023 | CNN, entertainment
LeBron James continues paving the way for his post-basketball media career, this time by producing a superstar origin story adapted from his book, “Shooting Stars,” about how his hoops heroism came with an assist from a close-knit group of friends. Basically “It takes a village to raise an all-star,” it’s a familiar B-level sports story about the strains of success buoyed only slightly by its talented young cast.
LeBron and his buddies are introduced at age 10 in 1996 in Akron, Ohio, playing basketball under the watchful eye of one of the boys’ dads, Dru Joyce II (“The Wire’s” Wood Harris), and fantasizing about what life will be like when they make it to “the league.”
Having dubbed themselves the Fab Four after Michigan’s freshman class that went to the NCAA championship, the film quickly jumps ahead four years, to the group making the controversial decision to jointly attend St. Vincent – a predominantly White Catholic high school – so that they can continue playing together.
That stretch turns out to be the most interesting in the movie, as the freshmen labor to earn the respect of their new coach (Dermot Mulroney), a cranky former college head man who admits he hates being back in high school, but, “If I gotta be here, I’m gonna win.”
Winning requires playing the younger kids, despite the skepticism of the upperclassmen, their parents, and the break with tradition that involves not honoring seniority.
Directed by Chris Robinson, the story is adapted from the book by James and “Friday Night Lights” author Buzz Bissinger, and previously served as the basis for the documentary “More Than a Game.”
Seeking to meet the dramatic demands of a movie, “Shooting Stars” finds its conflict in the growing recognition of James (played by Mookie Cook, a 6’7”-inch forward slated to attend the University of Oregon) as a for-the-ages talent, attracting the kind of attention that can swell a teenager’s head.
LeBron’s budding ego doesn’t go unnoticed by buddies/teammates Lil Dru (Caleb McLaughlin), Sian (Khalil Everage) and Willie (Avery S. Wills, Jr.), or for that matter, James’ girlfriend Savannah (Katlyn Nichol), who winces when he says they don’t need to take the SAT test given the professional stardom that awaits him, pompously telling her, “You won the lotto.”
Dru, in some respects, serves as the movie’s “Hoop Dreams” heart, an undersized guard and lights-out shooter whose love for the game is practically unmatched, but who lacks the physical gifts LeBron and others enjoy.
Where “Shooting Stars” merely glances the rim, ultimately, is the basketball sequences themselves, which rely too much on slow motion and don’t conjure much excitement. There’s also a too-episodic format in dividing the movie by each year of high school, creating restlessness to get to the inevitable crawl spelling out where everyone except LeBron (presumably you’ve heard of him) ended up.
James’ Lakers were recently ousted from the NBA playoffs, prompting the now-38-year-old star and all-time scoring leader to hint about the prospect of retirement, a decision that all elite athletes face sooner or (in his case) much, much later.
Heading directly to streaming via Peacock, “Shooting Stars” provides an earnest reminder that James didn’t spring from the ground a fully formed basketball phenom, but was rather shaped in part by the coaches, teammates, friends and mother that helped guide him.
The message certainly scores, even during those periods when the movie doesn’t.
“Shooting Stars” premieres June 2 on Peacock.
by tyler | Jun 2, 2023 | CNN, entertainment
Robert De Niro sounds excited for his friend and former co-star Al Pacino to be joining him in the senior dad’s club.
De Niro, who is 79, welcomed a daughter named Gia in April with girlfriend Tiffany Chen.
During a press junket Wednesday for his Tribeca Film Festival, De Niro was asked about the news that Pacino, 83, is set to become a father again with Noor Alfallah, who is 29.
“What a guy,” People reported De Niro as saying. “Go Al, God bless him.”
But it appears De Niro may have misunderstood the question as the next day during an appearance on “Today,” the actor seemed to have believed Baby Pacino had already arrived.
“Listen, Al Pacino just had a baby, I was told yesterday morning,” De Niro said. “He’s a few years older than me. God bless him. Very happy for him,”
There is no indication that the baby has been born.
De Niro and Pacino have starred in several projects together over the years, including “The Godfather II,” “Heat” and “The Irishman.”
by tyler | Jun 2, 2023 | CNN, entertainment
Sam Smith and Madonna have teamed up for a new single.
The two announced their upcoming collaboration, titled “Vulgar,” on social media, adding a picture of corsets and their initials, “S&M.” “VULGAR…………. new song out Friday June 9th @samsmith,” Madonna captioned it.
In May, Smith had teased that there would be a collaboration with the “Like a Prayer” singer, teasing a song the duo made at a concert, but then Smith was forced to abruptly end the show due to vocal issues.
Smith has previously covered Madonna’s 1994 single, “Human Nature” on tour.
Madonna also introduced Kim Petras and Smith for their performance of “Unholy” at the 2023 Grammys.
Madonna is also preparing for her upcoming “Celebration Tour,” which will kick off in Vancouver in July.
“Vulgar” will be released on June 9.
by tyler | Jun 2, 2023 | CNN, entertainment
Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar are pushing back on a new docuseries being billed as “exposing the truth beneath the wholesome Americana surface of reality tv’s favorite mega-family.”
“Shiny Happy People: Duggar Family Secrets,” which debuted Friday on Prime Video, delves into both the lives and the beliefs of the stars of the former TLC series “19 Kids and Counting.” (CNN and TLC are both part of Warner Bros. Discovery.)
The matriarch and patriarch of the Duggar family posted a note on their website stating, “The recent ‘documentary’ that talks about our family is sad because in it we see the media and those with ill intentions hurting people we love.”
“Like other families, ours too has experienced the joys and heartbreaks of life, just in a very public format,” the note reads. “This ‘documentary’ paints so much and so many in a derogatory and sensationalized way because sadly that’s the direction of entertainment these days.”
As part of a religious organization called The Institute in Basic Life Principles, the family adhered to strict teachings, including prohibiting the use of birth control, family supervised courtship before marriage and modest dress for women and girls.
CNN has reached out to The Institute for comment.
The show was canceled in 2015 when allegations surfaced that eldest son, Josh Duggar, had molested several of his family members as a teen.
While he was never charged in relation to those allegations, Duggar was found guilty in 2021 of receipt of child pornography and possession of child pornography and later sentenced to more than 12 years in prison.
His family also starred, without him, in the series “Counting On,” which was canceled in 2021.
Some of the family members have shared their individual stories.
Daughter Jinger Duggar Vuolo recently published her memoir, “Becoming Free Indeed: My Story of Disentangling Faith from Fear.” Another daughter, Jill Duggar, appears with her husband Derick Dillard in the docuseries.
“We have always believed that the best chance to repair damaged relationships, or to reconcile differences, is through love in a private setting,” Jim and Michelle Duggar write in their note.
“We love every member of our family and will continue to do all we can to have a good relationship with each one,” the note concludes. “Through both the triumphs and the trials we have clung to our faith all the more and discovered that through the love and grace of Jesus, we find strength, comfort, and purpose.”
