by Steve Marinucci
Published Oct. 17, 2008 on Abbeyrd's Beatles Page
The Beatles: All Together Now (Capitol/EMI) - : In comparison to the big holiday Beatle projects of previous years, "All Together Now" is an unusual choice. The centerpiece of the DVD, an 84-minute film about the creation of the Cirque du Soleil multimedia show now in a locked slot at the Mirage Hotel in Las Vegas, could be called a DVD of a DVD -- the release of the audio CD/DVD combination of "Love." And putting it up against previous holiday projects like the "Beatles Anthology" DVD set and the Anthology book, it seems to come up a little short in the "Things We Really Need" department.
But don't let that fool you. The film does have some underlying and very significant elements that will be of great interest to Beatle fans.
"All Together Now" goes behind the scenes and examines the genesis, creation and staging of the "Love" show. It had its roots in 2000 and was initially inspired from an idea by George Harrison and his friendship with Cirque du Soleil's Guy Laliberté. George's enthusiam led him to invite Paul and Ringo to Las Vegas to see a Cirque show, and the idea was born, though it still took until Oct., 2004 for an agreement to be signed.
But going from the idea stage to making it happen in the Beatle world isn't necessarily a trip down Penny Lane.
Neil Aspinall, to whom the film is dedicated, admits in a candid moment something that's been well known but never, to our knowledge, admitted openly -- that decisions on projects by the Beatles brain trust (Paul, Ringo, Yoko and Olivia) must be unanimous or they don't happen. And the film reveals concerns at various points by Olivia Harrison, Yoko Ono, Paul McCartney and Sir George Martin on how the project should happen. You almost feel for the pressure the Cirque performers had to be under in dealing with the concerns of the Beatles and their families.
In addition to the creative elements, the film examines the staging difficulties that the Mirage had to face and includes a look at the show from the point of view of one South African performer, Michael Moloi Tumelo, whose uncertainty, at various points, reflects that of the Beatles in the early stages.
Though most of the DVD is about the show itself, Paul, Ringo and Sir George Martin talk about working with the music. And spruced up clips from "Let It Be" are snipped in every so often as a teaser to what the eventual "Let It Be" DVD might look like.
One of the most fascinating sequences is the breakdown of the "shadows sequence," which features studio audio outtakes that weren't included on the "Love" CD/DVD. Both Paul and Ringo express their love of this segment as making the music even more real.
After various rehearsals attended by various members of the Beatles, the premiere night finally arrives and the Beatles family comes from far and wide to attend. Paul (no Heather footage at all, by the way), Olivia, Dhani, Yoko, Cynthia, Julian, Sean and Sir George are all in the house. The camera pans Paul and Ringo often during the show and Ringo's enthusiasm is especially noticable. In one emotional clip, Dhani Harrison is visibly touched when a huge image of his father is shown on the big screen.
At the end, the Beatles and the rest of the audience applaud widely. The last 15 minutes or so of the DVD concentrates on clips of the finished show. And another treat -- outtakes of "No Reply," different from what was on "Anthology 1" and including studio chatter, are heard over the credits.
Three short special features are included: "Changing the Music," a 22-minute documentary about the decision to rework the original recordings; "Music In the Theatre," a 9-minute short on creating 5.1 surround sound in the theatre; and "Making Love," a 10-minute short about the design of the show. Audio options include 5.1 surround and DTS, in addition to regular stereo.
"All Together Now" pulls back the curtain in front of the Beatles maybe a little better than even the Anthology did. While much of the Anthology documentary was composed of vintage news reels, "All Together Now" has much of a cinema verité quality to it because the bulk of it was shot as it was happening. So the actions of the Beatles and their associates are pretty much real, not scripted. It also reveals the depth of the commitment of finances and resources the Beatles, the Mirage and Cirque du Soleil put out to make this work. You have to give all concerned credit for the time, effort and uniqueness of the idea.
All together, "All Together Now" is a further vote of confidence by the Beatles to the Cirque show. It doesn't rise a whole lot past the level of the typical backstage documentary, but there are certainly enough clips of the show in the DVD to make anyone who hasn't seen it certainly tempted to make the journey to Las Vegas and enough stuff for Beatle fans to enjoy the ride it takes you on.
One more thing -- there are no clips of Larry King anywhere in sight!
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
"The Beatles Rare and Unseen"
First published on Abbeyrd's Beatles Page May 21, 2008.
If a product breathlessly hyping itself makes you wary, be prepared. You'll hear that a lot throughout "The Beatles: Rare and Unseen."
The single disc DVD starts out with promoting its exclusive unseen footage through "rare and previously unseen home movies, personal photographs, recently discovered film and true stories told first hand by the people who were really there." And on that score, it lives up to the hype.
Well, sort of.
The rare footage includes the earliest known footage of the Beatles onstage in Liverpool in 1962, a rare film of the Caird Hall, Dundee, Scotland show in October, 1964, footage taking during the making of "Help!," home movie footage from the 1964 Paris Olympia show and a rarely seen French TV interview with John Lennon.
And it's all there -- if you don't mind the fact that the interviewees are superimposed over the rare footage more often than not. Sadly, none of the rare film is seen unedited. What is there, though, is tantalizing, like dangling a carrot in front of a horse. It sure makes you wish for more of it without the unnecessary obstructions.
Some of the interviews, on the other hand, are quite good. The best are Abbey Road recording engineer Norman "Hurricane" Smith, Gerry Marsden of Gerry and the Pacemakers and former Beatles press officer Tony Barrow. Others offering comments include Ken Dodd, Sylvie Vartan, Sam Leach, Quarrymen member Colin Hanton, Phil Collins and Steve Harley of Cockney Rebel. But even the interviews have a few snags. In near succession, different interviewees recall "the original Beatles" as having different lineups. An eight-page booklet features text by Barrow and more rare photos.
Even more frustrating is the fact that the disc's special features are extended interviews with everyone on the disc -- but not the raw unedited rare footage.
Sigh.
Still, just seeing this stuff is great. And at least some of the interviews aren't the deadweight talking head interviews usually found on many of the endless line of DVDs that tell the Beatles story.
If only, though, someone had figured out that the rare footage would have been better appreciated if left the producers had left it the hell alone.
If a product breathlessly hyping itself makes you wary, be prepared. You'll hear that a lot throughout "The Beatles: Rare and Unseen."
The single disc DVD starts out with promoting its exclusive unseen footage through "rare and previously unseen home movies, personal photographs, recently discovered film and true stories told first hand by the people who were really there." And on that score, it lives up to the hype.
Well, sort of.
The rare footage includes the earliest known footage of the Beatles onstage in Liverpool in 1962, a rare film of the Caird Hall, Dundee, Scotland show in October, 1964, footage taking during the making of "Help!," home movie footage from the 1964 Paris Olympia show and a rarely seen French TV interview with John Lennon.
And it's all there -- if you don't mind the fact that the interviewees are superimposed over the rare footage more often than not. Sadly, none of the rare film is seen unedited. What is there, though, is tantalizing, like dangling a carrot in front of a horse. It sure makes you wish for more of it without the unnecessary obstructions.
Some of the interviews, on the other hand, are quite good. The best are Abbey Road recording engineer Norman "Hurricane" Smith, Gerry Marsden of Gerry and the Pacemakers and former Beatles press officer Tony Barrow. Others offering comments include Ken Dodd, Sylvie Vartan, Sam Leach, Quarrymen member Colin Hanton, Phil Collins and Steve Harley of Cockney Rebel. But even the interviews have a few snags. In near succession, different interviewees recall "the original Beatles" as having different lineups. An eight-page booklet features text by Barrow and more rare photos.
Even more frustrating is the fact that the disc's special features are extended interviews with everyone on the disc -- but not the raw unedited rare footage.
Sigh.
Still, just seeing this stuff is great. And at least some of the interviews aren't the deadweight talking head interviews usually found on many of the endless line of DVDs that tell the Beatles story.
If only, though, someone had figured out that the rare footage would have been better appreciated if left the producers had left it the hell alone.
Saturday, January 26, 2008
The best local news anchor in America is retiring
Published Jan. 17, 2008 at A Capitol Idea (or Two):
Outside of the San Francisco Bay Area, we doubt many people have heard of Dennis Richmond. But he's a Bay Area legend, and as the headline says, in our opinion, anyway, the best local news anchor in the country.
Richmond announced Wednesday he will retire in May. The Bay Area is losing a magnificent journalist who was, we repeat, the best local news anchor in the country.
Why are we trumpeting so much over a local news anchor?
It's simple. In an age where news shows are dominated by shallow personalities engaged in happy talk and cute comments, Richmond, in his 30 years as news anchor of KTVU's "The 10 O'Clock News," has delivered the who, what, when, where and why without hoopla or gimmicks. His straightforward, unbiased manner is the news the way it should be, but isn't.
In a story on KTVU's website, the station's Vice President and General Manager Tom McVay said, "As a working journalist, Dennis is the pinnacle of objectivity and fairness. When you watch him anchor, you know you're getting the real news. He has never let his feelings or opinions drift into the stories he delivers. Dennis and his style of delivery has defined KTVU for decades."
Exactly. In an age defined by news anchors who claim to be unbiased but aren't, Richmond was the real deal. Richmond delivered the news without embellishments and gave viewers the facts. Just the facts and nothing more.
It's unbelievable that there aren't more like him. Actually, it's kind of sad. There is an undercurrent of distrust of the media today, but there was nothing like that with Richmond. Delivering the news to him means telling it like it is. Period.
Those of us in the journalism profession looked up to Richmond. As a longtime viewer of Bay Area TV news, we've seen it all. The personable types, the down-to-earth anchors and the crusaders. Richmond is better than all of them.
Thanks, Dennis. We'll sadly countdown the days until your final broadcast May 21.
We feel sorry for whoever at KTVU has to pick your successor. That'll be one hell of a tough job.
Outside of the San Francisco Bay Area, we doubt many people have heard of Dennis Richmond. But he's a Bay Area legend, and as the headline says, in our opinion, anyway, the best local news anchor in the country.
Richmond announced Wednesday he will retire in May. The Bay Area is losing a magnificent journalist who was, we repeat, the best local news anchor in the country.
Why are we trumpeting so much over a local news anchor?
It's simple. In an age where news shows are dominated by shallow personalities engaged in happy talk and cute comments, Richmond, in his 30 years as news anchor of KTVU's "The 10 O'Clock News," has delivered the who, what, when, where and why without hoopla or gimmicks. His straightforward, unbiased manner is the news the way it should be, but isn't.
In a story on KTVU's website, the station's Vice President and General Manager Tom McVay said, "As a working journalist, Dennis is the pinnacle of objectivity and fairness. When you watch him anchor, you know you're getting the real news. He has never let his feelings or opinions drift into the stories he delivers. Dennis and his style of delivery has defined KTVU for decades."
Exactly. In an age defined by news anchors who claim to be unbiased but aren't, Richmond was the real deal. Richmond delivered the news without embellishments and gave viewers the facts. Just the facts and nothing more.
It's unbelievable that there aren't more like him. Actually, it's kind of sad. There is an undercurrent of distrust of the media today, but there was nothing like that with Richmond. Delivering the news to him means telling it like it is. Period.
Those of us in the journalism profession looked up to Richmond. As a longtime viewer of Bay Area TV news, we've seen it all. The personable types, the down-to-earth anchors and the crusaders. Richmond is better than all of them.
Thanks, Dennis. We'll sadly countdown the days until your final broadcast May 21.
We feel sorry for whoever at KTVU has to pick your successor. That'll be one hell of a tough job.
Sunday, January 20, 2008
Me and Dick Cavett
Posted on A Capital Idea (or Two) on Dec. 29, 2007.
I was surprised to accidentally discover tonight that Dick Cavett regularly blogs for the New York Times.
Now Dick Cavett and I go way back.
Not that we ever met or encountered each other, you understand. (Yeah, I know. You saw the title and thought, "Here's some neat little gossip." Well, sorry to disappoint you.)
I was a regular viewer of Cavett's late-night show on ABC. So I guess you could say we did meet, in a way. Late-night host Cavett was witty, charming and hip, all in one neat little box.
The great thing about "The Dick Cavett Show" was the guests. In a day when Johnny Carson was still the King of Late Night," Cavett had some incredibile guests.
On one show, he had John Lennon and Yoko Ono by themselves. On another, he hosted a bunch of rock musicians who'd just come from the Woodstock Music Festival. On another, he interviewed Bette Davis in an empty studio.
It was this repartee and knack for intimacy with his guests that made him beat Carson in substance where he couldn't beat him in ratings.
(Many of the great moments of "The Dick Cavett Show" have been released on a series of wonderful DVDs from Shout Factory. We recommend them highly.)
Cavett's writing today is much like his show was then. He's still low-key and very modest, though he loves to make remarks at his expense.
In his current column, he wanders into the subject of coming back to TV.
It does, Dick. Hell, if we had the power and the resources, we'd ask. We hope there's someone smart enough who will.
So thanks for your great show.
And we highly recommend his column. We're glad the New York Times was smart enough to give him the blog.
Maybe some bright network guy will look away from the reality show blitz that is flooding TV these days and give Dick another shot.
He deserves it. As do we.
I was surprised to accidentally discover tonight that Dick Cavett regularly blogs for the New York Times.
Now Dick Cavett and I go way back.
Not that we ever met or encountered each other, you understand. (Yeah, I know. You saw the title and thought, "Here's some neat little gossip." Well, sorry to disappoint you.)
I was a regular viewer of Cavett's late-night show on ABC. So I guess you could say we did meet, in a way. Late-night host Cavett was witty, charming and hip, all in one neat little box.
The great thing about "The Dick Cavett Show" was the guests. In a day when Johnny Carson was still the King of Late Night," Cavett had some incredibile guests.
On one show, he had John Lennon and Yoko Ono by themselves. On another, he hosted a bunch of rock musicians who'd just come from the Woodstock Music Festival. On another, he interviewed Bette Davis in an empty studio.
It was this repartee and knack for intimacy with his guests that made him beat Carson in substance where he couldn't beat him in ratings.
(Many of the great moments of "The Dick Cavett Show" have been released on a series of wonderful DVDs from Shout Factory. We recommend them highly.)
Cavett's writing today is much like his show was then. He's still low-key and very modest, though he loves to make remarks at his expense.
In his current column, he wanders into the subject of coming back to TV.
"A goodly number of you out there have written varied versions of “Why don’t you come back on TV?” I’m not sure. It does help if you’re asked."
It does, Dick. Hell, if we had the power and the resources, we'd ask. We hope there's someone smart enough who will.
So thanks for your great show.
And we highly recommend his column. We're glad the New York Times was smart enough to give him the blog.
Maybe some bright network guy will look away from the reality show blitz that is flooding TV these days and give Dick another shot.
He deserves it. As do we.
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