Ike Turner Gets a Grammy!

Hey, great, Ike Turner gets a Grammy:

Rock 'n' roll pioneer Ike Turner, whose musical achievements were largely overshadowed by the notoriety he received after his former wife and recording partner Tina Turner said he had abused her, won his first Grammy Award since 1972 on Sunday.

The 75-year-old R&B veteran took home the traditional blues album award for "Risin' with the Blues." He won his only other Grammy -- shared with Tina Turner -- in 1972 for their cover of "Proud Mary."

Also nominated were Tab Benoit with Louisiana's Leroux, Dion, James Hunter and Duke Robillard.

"I'm scared to death," Turner said in accepting the award, accompanied by his son, Ike Jr.

Turner helped pioneer rock 'n' roll in 1951 when his band the Rhythm Kings recorded the song "Rocket 88," a tune widely regarded as the first record in the nascent genre. (The Chess Records release was credited to the band's saxophone player Jackie Brenston "and his Delta Cats.")

As a guitarist and pianist, Turner played with the likes of B.B. King, Howlin' Wolf, Muddy Waters and Willie Dixon in the 1950s. He married Annie Mae Bullock in 1958, she changed her name to Tina, and they enjoyed such hits as "River Deep, Mountain High," "Proud Mary" and "Nutbush City Limits."

Yes, I know that he was a shit at times but go listen to some of the music again: that part was superb.

 

Technorati tags: Ike Turner, Tina Turner

Lane Garrison: Manslaughter?

Looks like Lane Garrison, star of Prison Break, could get charged with manslaughter:

US police have said that Prison Break star Lane Garrison should be charged with manslaughter and drunk driving.
The actor, who plays Tweener in the US drama, was the driver in an accident that left a teenage passenger dead and injured two others.
The Associated Press reports that police investigators have asked Los Angeles County prosecutors to charge the star, who they say was nearly twice over the legal limit.

I'd expect that whether he is charged or not that his career in TV is over: that sort of idiocy, driving while drunk, is only allowed for those truly famous.

 

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Russell Crowe as the Sherriff of Nottingham?

Now here's a little bit of revisionist history going on:

Universal Pictures has scored a bull's-eye, winning a heated bidding war for a revisionist take on the legend of Robin Hood with Russell Crowe attached to play the Sheriff of Nottingham.

The script revolves around Crowe's character's investigation of a series of murders in which Robin Hood is the suspect.

The project hails from Ethan Reiff and Cyrus Voris, creators of the series "Sleeper Cell." Imagine Entertainment is producing

Part of the strength of the script was the simple idea of doing Robin Hood by making the sheriff the good guy," Reiff said.

The bidding war came down to Universal Pictures, Warner Bros. Pictures and New Line Cinema, though Regency Enterprises, DreamWorks Pictures and Columbia Pictures were said to be involved as well. About 36 hours after the script had gone out, Universal won. And the writers -- whose "Sleeper Cell" Showtime had canceled on January 25 -- became part of one the biggest deals in some time.

Me, I'd put this down to the American idea that the lawman is always the good guy. It's us, the Brits, through bitter historical experience, who remember that that is not always so.

 

Technorati tags: russell crowe, robin hood, sheriff of nottingham