I went to the Governors Ball this past weekend, and found my prince. Actually, I found a few of them. Jack White. Julian Casablancas. Chancelor Bennett, aka Chance the Rapper. Andre 3000. James Blake. Through their respective sets, I found joy, and release, and delight, and solace – and just good ol’ fun. It was my second time going to Governors Ball – an event that has had its fair share of mishaps when it comes to 3-day festivals. This year’s was filled with enough highlights for organizers to re-claim some of the points they lost with their disorganized response to last year’s mud-bath. The first night’s big attraction for me…
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Entertainment Express: The Tony Awards, Governors Ball, Maya Angelou, Fault in Our Stars
Hello from JFK – off to LA to interview the director of the new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie. * Hugh Jackman played fabulous host for the Tony Awards – as Bryan Cranston and Neill Patrick Harris, his fellow do-it-all pals, picked up top honours. Cranston’s All the Way scored best play, while A Gentleman’s Guide to Love & Murder and A Raisin in the Sun got best musical and best revival, respectively. * Jack White, The Strokes, Skrillex and Vampire Weekend made this past weekend’s Governors Ball a
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OutKast, Jack White, Damon Albarn and Vampire Weekend go to the Ball
Memories from last year, of trudging through knee-deep mud and dealing with torrential downpours – together with the lack of planning by organizers who weren’t prepared for a summer storm – were enough to say ‘never again!’ to Governors Ball. But, when the line-up for this year held on it the promise of an OutKast reunion in NY that distaste began to subside somewhat. Okay, a lot. It’s as if the organizers knew they needed to come back with one helluva punch, so they made sure they not only got one of the most anticipated reunions in hip hop, but also Damon Albarn – Blur frontman, Gorillaz puppet-master and Afro-music enthusiast – to showcase his first solo…
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Oscars 2014: Inside Chef Wolfgang Puck’s Kitchen
This year, just like previous years, Austrian chef Wolfgang Puck has been working with his team of 350 people, making Oscar-shaped food – from statue-shaped salmon bites to his famous little 24-gold-covered chocolate Oscars. His other specialities are there too, like his famous little chicken pot pies and macaroni with truffles. But this Sunday there will be something different at the Governors Ball, where his food will be served, as it has been for the past 20 years. This year, Puck has made a giant cake – no, let me re-phrase that – a giant chocolate cake made from Marjolaine (a popular pastry in France) and hazelnut sponge cake, coffee cream and chocolate…
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Entertainment Express: Governors Ball, The Tony Awards, Black Sabbath, Game of Thrones, Nelson Mandela
* Insanely muddy, terribly messy, and more akin to the UK’s Glastonbury, but in the end, Kanye West, Bloc Party and Foals helped turn NYC’s Governors Ball into, well, a ball. Torrential rain on Friday meant that Kings of Leon‘s headlining slot had to be cancelled. But the Brothers (and Cousin) Followill shifted their trip to London to make it up on Saturday. Expectant father and self-appointed deity, Kanye played a smattering of his hits and songs from his forthcoming album Yeezus, and delivered a short rant against radio and selling millions of albums. It wouldn’t be a Kanye show without one, now would it? * Kinky Boots stepped all over the competition…
