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THE GLORIOUS CORNER
Story By: G. H. HARDING
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| Queen With Adam Lambert |
QUEEN LAMBERT --- Last week fans in Brussels were gearing up to see Queen + Adam Lambert, but as the show was approaching, the organizers suddenly came out with an announcement that they had to cancel the event due to unforeseen circumstances.
According to our insider in Brussels, the problem specifically was that Lambert was suffering from a severe case of bronchitis, preventing him from giving any performance.
The singer’s condition was apparently caused by the last concert he performed with Queen in Frankfurt, Germany, where the singer reportedly really did give a lot of himself to the public – but it was apparently a bit too much, as his throat suffered severely from the whole ordeal and he had to cancel his plans for concerts in the near future.
Reports reveal that his condition was actually so bad; he had to receive medical attention shortly after the concert was over, and he was on a slow but steady road to recovery. The singer was quick to apologize for letting down his fans on Twitter, where he said that doctors had ordered him to stay in bed, and he couldn’t really argue with that until he actually got better.
It’s clear that people really do want to see a lot more of Queen + Adam Lambert, as the concert in Brussels was already sold out and it was widely discussed in online communities of music fans.
So far, it seems that the group’s tour will only be affected in Brussels, and the rest of their European-tour will proceed as planned.
Lambert has been playing with Queen for several years now, starting in 2009 when they performed “We Are the Champions” together on the stage of American Idol, and then performed together in Belfast for the MTV European Music Awards.
The performance that Lambert has been delivering alongside Queen has been the subject of much praise, and not just from fans and critics – Brian May himself has stated that Queen are very fortunate to have come across the singer, as they are a perfect match and he adds a lot to their performance.
On a related note, whatever happened to that planned big-screen bio-pic on Freddie Mercury and Queen? Brian May said that actor Ben Whishaw (Paddington) had the part of Freddie Mercury in the bag for the much talked about film of his life.
Said Whishaw, “Actually, I don’t know what’s happening, it seems to be on the back-burner, it was going, then there were problems getting the script working.”
May said as late as last November: “We’ve been talking to Ben and we’re very keen and last time we spoke he was very keen. Casting Freddie is hard. It’s a lot of things we need, but we need to get his essence.”
Sacha Baron Cohen had earlier been touted for the role.
SNOW WHITE & ALIEN BACK --- Jessica Chastain (A Most Violent Year) has joined the cast of The Huntsman opposite Chris Hemsworth and Charlize Theron, who reprise their roles from the first installment of the Snow White redux.
Chastain is currently filming The Martian for Ridley Scott opposite Matt Damon, Kristen Wiig and Kate Mara. She also has Guillermo del Toro’s horror pic Crimson Peak in the pipelines.
Emily Blunt, rumored for weeks to join the cast, has closed her deal to star in the film as well. Also returning from the first film will be Nick Frost (Cuban Fury), who has now agreed to terms to reprise his role as a dwarf Nion.
On a related note re Ridley Scott, director Neil Blomkamp (District 9, Chappie) has signed onto to helm the much heralded Alien-reboot.
Hard to believe that first Alien movie came out in 1979. I just watched it again recently and, though dated, you cannot beat the suspense … and, great acting.
Sigourney Weaver is in the director’s Chappie movie and he says that her presence was a very definitive motivation is re-booting the franchise:
“It did have to do with having Sigourney on Chappie. It’s just something that I've always wanted to one day be a part of. Those first two [Alien] films are probably my favorite films ever made. I didn't know if it would ever happen. I just always wanted to participate in it if I was able to.
Over the years, I came up with a story for a film in that universe that I wanted to make. And then when I talked to her about her experience making those films and what she thought about Ripley and everything else, it informed and changed the film I wanted to make into something different.
It just sort of stuck with me. A year later, when post-production was winding down on Chappie, I started fleshing out the idea for a film that would contain Sigourney. I just worked on it when I could. Before I knew it, I had this really awesome film with a lot of artwork and a lot of backstory. And then I didn’t know whether I was going to make it or not. So I just kind of sat on it for a while … and, then it happened.” Can't wait for this one.
CLOSING NOTES --- Going to see Focus tonight with Will Smith and Margot Robbie. Written and directed by Glenn Ficarra and John Requa, curious to see this one. Details Friday ...
Great interview in Boca Magazine with David Letterman-bassist Will Lee. With about 50 shows left, Lee reflects on his time there and his future.
Check it out here:
That live Hall & Oates album we trumped a few columns back "Daryl Hall & John Oates: Recorded Live In Dublin) is out next week and is sensational.
SIGHTINGS: PR-Pasha David Salidor at French-bistro Les Halles; WOR's Tom Cuddy on West Broadway; and, theater-impresario William Schill at Stan's in Florida.
