B.B. King, Bill Withers, Celia Cruz, James Brown, Johnny Pacheco, Miriam Makeba, The Spinners: Soul Power unleashed in Toronto
If you watched When We Were Kings, the 1996 documentary centered around Muhammad Ali and George Foreman's famous 1974 bout in Zaire, you might have left thinking "Wait, wasn't there a big concert, too?" You were not alone; Jeffrey Levy-Hinte, who was an editor on the film, felt a huge sense of loss in the way the musical element of that event was under-utilized. Fortunately for us all, he did something about it.    Soul Power, which recently premiered at the Toronto Film Festival, does i

Michael Jackson - Jackson To Be Buried In James Brown Casket
Michael Jackson will be laid to rest in the same make of solid bronze casket as James Brown. Batesville Casket Company bosses have received an order for a $25,000 (

Album: Bobby 'Blue' Bland, The Best of Bobby 'Blue' Bland (Universal Island)
Any prospective purchasers of James Morrison's album are urged to direct their attentions instead to this splendid compilation of 27 gems from Bobby "Blue" Bland, one of the giants of blues and soul. Instead of sending a boy out to do a man's job, why not get the top man himself? A contemporary of Ray Charles and James Brown, Bland was one of the top blues singers of the Fifties, captured at his best on early-Sixties albums such as Here's the Man! and the mighty Two St

Michael Jackson To Be Buried In James Brown Casket?
Michael Jackson will be laid to rest in the same make of solid bronze casket as James Brown. Batesville Casket Company bosses have received an order for a $25,000 (

Michael Jackson's $25,000 Custom Casket
A $25,000, solid bronze, 14-karat gold plated, custom casket has been ordered for Michael Jackson . The casket -- ordered last night from Batesville Casket Company -- is called a Promethean and will feature a flame blue velvet interior and a hand-polished, mirror finish. This is the same casket used to bury James Brown ... and is extremely rare. See Also

Spike Lee → Wesley Snipes to Play James Brown in Biopic
In an interview in King Magazine, Spike Lee says he’s selected Wesley Snipes to play the Godfather of Soul in his upcoming James Brown biopic. JB was working with Spike on the project before he passed in 2006; since then it’s been under the warmer at Paramount Pictures. Wesley’s got that bid to complete, so Spike Lee has plenty of time to get the script and business with the suits right. Once he’s out this will be Wesley’s first chance to revive his career. Spike Lee believe

Quincy Jones on Michael Jackson: 'We made history together'
Like the world, last week I was devastated by the news that Michael Jackson had suddenly left the room. This blessed artist commanded the stage with the grace of an antelope, shattered recording industry records and broke down cultural boundaries around the world, yet remained the gentlest of souls. Michael Jackson was a different kind of entertainer. A man-child in many ways, he was beyond professional and dedicated. Evoking Fred Astaire, Sammy Davis Jr. and James Brown all at once, he'd...

Film: Directing to an ’80s Playlist
IN the previous movie he directed, the 2007 hit teenage sex comedy “Superbad,” Greg Mottola telegraphed his intentions before even a single line of dialogue had been uttered. With a title taken from a James Brown song and a soundtrack that leaned heavily on funk hits from the 1970s, the contrast with the movie’s three main characters, suburban white boys as nerdy and insecure as they were randy, could hardly have been more pronounced.

Is Warren Sapp ready for "Dancing With the Stars"? "Inside the NFL on Showtime" could supply answers
Apopka's Warren Sapp will be busy with analysis on Wednesday's debut of "Inside the NFL on Showtime." Sapp will even have a debate with Deacon Jones. But there could be a preview for "Dancing With the Stars" fans: Sapp's partner, Kym Johnson, will be on "Inside the NFL" as well. (They are pictured.) "Dancing" starts its new season Sept. 22 on ABC. Remember when Johnson danced with Joey Fatone? NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell will be another guest on "Insid

Godfather of Soul plays peacemaker in '60s concert set
What a marvelous journey awaits in "I Got the Feelin': James Brown in the '60s." If you've never understood the appeal of this soul man, this is a very good place to start. More than just a set of rare concert footage, the discs reveal a side of Brown many of us perhaps never heard about. Take, for example, the first and second discs, titled "The Night James Brown Saved Boston" (an eye-opening documentary on the chain of events) and "James Brown Live at the Boston Garden, April 5, 1968," respective

James Brown's 'Soul Power' Lives On in New Film
Filed under: News, Exclusive, MoviesSpinner.com: Producer Jeffrey Levy-Hinte, while editing the Oscar-winning film 'When We Were Kings,' took note of the hundreds of hours of footage not being used. It's that footage -- which documents the musical concert that was also a part of the 1974 'Rumble in... Read more

Kutiman-Thru-you - 01 - Mother of All Funk Chords
Thank you all so much for your amazing responses to Thru-You ,this is truly overwhelming.http://thru-you.com you can also check out the original links here.c...

iW NEWS | Celluloid Dreams Gets "Soul"
Celluloid Dreams has snapped up all international rights Jeffrey Levy-Hinte's documentary "Soul Power." Submarine Entertainment is repping the film and negotiated the deal with Celluloid at the Toronto International Film Festival. The film documents the 12-hour, three-night long concert held in Kinshasa, Zaire in 1974 that featured BB King and James Brown, among others. "We are delighted to represent this crowd pleasing document of an extraordinary moment in musical history," said Celluloid Dreams' Hengam

Snipes 'would kill in Brown role'
Director Spike Lee wants Wesley Snipes to play the lead in his James Brown biopic.

superfreaky bellydancer - mashup!
good morning! oh i seriously could sleep all day - i'm totally drained from last night's Janet Jackson extravaganza but i have to deal with today - thankfully we're inching towards the weekend when i can finally catch up on some sleep! anyways here's the latest mashup selection from DJ paul v. - i'll let him explain a little bit about it below! popbytes over & out for now...xoxo † FROM DJ PAUL V.This week, let's drop a partystarter mashup. When you need something going on with some rap/hip-hop

Chester French want to be James Brown, Zeppelin
NEW YORK – There are a lot of things you can become after graduating Harvard — a doctor, lawyer or entrepreneur — but a rock star? Not likely. But D.A. Wallach and Max Drummey, recent grads who make up the pop duo Chester French , are taking an unconventional route with their Ivy League education . Instead of working a 9-to-5 or continuing their studies, they're busy promoting their debut CD, "Love the...

Oscars 2010: Eddie Murphy as Richard Pryor in Bill Condon's biopic
The first time Eddie Murphy worked with writer-director Bill Condon he earned a nomination for best supporting actor at the Oscars . That was for playing a fictionalized version of singer James Brown in " Dreamgirls " back in 2006 (he lost to Alan Arkin , "Little Miss Sunshine"). Now the two are reuniting to make a movie about Murphy's longtime idol

Celebrities Love Their Hairdresser…
James Brown isn’t just any old hairdresser, he’s pretty much hairdresser, and friend, to every ruddy celebrity in London. So it was no surprise to us to last night when his birthday party ended up being one of the most star filled bashes we’ve seen in a long time. Kate Moss, Rhys Ifans, Jason Donavan, Jack Osbourne, Kimberley Stewart and a sheepish Kelly Osbourne (to name but a few) all headed to the Volstead club in Mayfair for the shindig. Apparently Kate Moss took to the microphone for her best fri

When Hearing "Hallelujah" is No Time to Rejoice
There's no shortage of songs that get overused on the big and small screen, and whether the result of unimaginative hacks or some ill-conceived notion of what audiences want (uninformed hacks), it's always baffling. Staples like "The Way You Look Tonight," "Let's Get It On" and James Brown's "I Got You (I Feel Good)" should never be heard in a film again. Then there are songs that have been so overused they should never be heard again, period. Bad to begin with, mindless garbage like "Takin'...

NEW DJ FORMAT 12"-STEALIN’ JAMES..OUT NOW
stealin' James is my modern day tribute to the music of James Brown & family. it is very much inspired by the heavily James Brown sampled classic cut-ups of the late 80's (payback mix,lesson 2,feelin' James etc..) but also the way in which some of the great hip hop records of the 80's & early 90's sampled James Brown's music. it is only available on 12" vinyl (T D Records) but please have a listen here on myspace and add to your pages if you like.

Al Sharpton -- Pray for Jacko
TMZ just received the following statement from Al Sharpton : " A friend of Michael's for the last 35 years, I call on people around the world to pray for him and his family in the hour. I have known Michael since we were both teens, worked with him, marched for him, hosted him at our House of Justice headquarters in New York, and we joined together to eulogize our mutual idol, James Brown. I have known him at his high moments and his low moments and I know he would want us to pray for his...

BET Awards to pay tribute to Jackson
In 2003, the BET Awards had a priceless moment when Michael Jackson surprised his idol, James Brown, by showing up on stage where the duo thrilled the audience with an electrifying performance. Michael Jackson performed with James Brown at the BET Awards in 2003. This year's show is dedicated to Jackson. Now, both the King of Pop and the Godfather of Soul are gone. Sunday night's 9th Annual BET Awards is sure to be filled with tributes to Jackson, whose videos and performances were a staple for...

New on DVD: Sept. 16, 2008
Speed Racer (Widescreen Edition). Emile Hirsch plays Speed Racer, the younger brother of deceased racing legend Rex (Scott Porter), and son of car designer Pops (John Goodman). A candy-colored thrill ride. [Gecko Review] [Official Site] Made of Honor. Patrick Dempsey plays Tom, a serial dater with a girlfriend in every zip code of New York. Michelle Monaghan is Hannah, Tom’s BFF since college. He decides she’s the one…after she gets engaged to Kevin McKidd. [Gecko Review] [Official Site]

Jenn Brown Joins 'INSIDE THE NFL' as Special Correspondent
Reporting From Hollywood, Brown Debuts Wednesday, Sept. 17, at 9 p.m. ET/PT on SHOWTIME NEW YORK, Sept. 16 /PRNewswire/ -- Jenn Brown, the multi-talented television personality and event reporter, will join the INSIDE THE NFL announce team as a special correspondent. The announcement was made today by CBS Sports and INSIDE THE NFL producer Pete Radovich. (Logo: xhttp://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20060131/SHOWTIMELOGO ) Brown will make her INSIDE THE NFL d

Unauthorized Biography of James Brown (1st of 12)
Toronto rapper Shaun Boothe is taking a page outta Nas' book when he left off with the "Unauthorized Biography of Rakim." Shaun is doing a 12-part bio series, which will consist of 12 video bios of 12 icons in 12 months. Here's the first one: James Brown. "); //-->