Times Square Gossip

**** THE GLORIOUS CORNER Story By: G. H. HARDING **** Jane Fonda SQUIRE PASSES --- We’ve lost so many music greats this year, but over the weekend we lost a true, true music giant; bassist-extraordinaire Chris Squrie, co- founder of Yes, at 67 from a rare form of leukemia. Current Yes keyboardist Geoff Downes first tweeted the news, "Utterly devastated beyond words to have to report the sad news of the passing of my dear friend, bandmate and inspiration Chris Squire." Yes confirmed Squire's death on their official Facebook page. "It's with the heaviest of hearts and unbearable sadness that we must inform you of the passing of our dear friend and Yes co-founder, Chris Squire. Chris peacefully passed away last night in Phoenix Arizona, in the arms of his loving wife Scotty,” wrote the band. "For the entirety of Yes' existence, Chris was the band's linchpin and, in so many ways, the glue that held it toge...

**** THE GLORIOUS CORNER Story By: G. H. HARDING **** Micky Dolenz MAGIC MICKY --- We’ve been sworn to secrecy, but we were at a super-secret rehearsal last night for Micky Dolenz’s upcoming three-play at 54 Below on July 7, 10, and 11. The show is called A Little Bit Broadway, A Little Bit Rock ‘n’ Roll, which is a nice riff on Mr. Dolenz’s Broadway experiences (Aida; Grease; Pippin’; and Hairspray) then meshed seamlessly with his rock ’n roll music we all know so well. Working with a different band than usual—fronted by the astounding Michael Moritz (Matilda; Beautiful)—the show is an amazing revelation from a gentleman with one of the best voices in rock ’n roll ever. Micky’s stories, with which he explains and introduces each song, are hilarious and informative. Suffice to say that if you were a fan of Dolenz before, then this show is a must-see. I will exclusively add that’s there a song from the way-ahead-of-its-time 1968 Monkees feature f...

**** THE GLORIOUS CORNER Story By:: G. H. HARDING **** Hugh Dancy HANNIBAL SILENCED? --- Word came down Monday night that NBC has canceled Hannibal, Bryan Fuller’s juicer-than-you-can-believe take on the whole Hannibal Lecter/Thomas Harris mystique. NBC said that the ratings weren’t rising enough, which I can understand. What I can’t understand, though, is would NBC would cancel such a brilliant show. Everything about this series was top-notch, from the brilliant acting of Mads Mikkelsen and Hugh Dancy; the inspired camera and cinematographer work; and especially the writing. From the moment this news of cancellation was announced, there has been immediate interest from other broadcast platforms (including the increasingly ubiquitous Amazon, which has the rights to the first two series. Believe me, I wondered what kind of storyline would actually make its way to NBC network TV based around a series like this. Since its debut, though, it has prove...

**** THE GLORIOUS CORNER Story By: G. H. HARDING **** Matthew McConaughey TRUE DETECTIVE --- Last night was the start of the much-anticipated second season of HBO‘s True Detective. I loved and was constantly fascinated by Season One. The music, the visuals, the story, and the absolutely brilliant acting of Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson made for some remarkable small-screen entertainment. One columnist posited that Season One was such a success, and so quickly, that rumors started up almost immediately about whether Season Two could compete. Well, it did—and it didn’t. The first episode of any series can be tough. Introducing the main characters (here, four), and weaving in the right cohesive narrative isn't always easy and doesn’t always happen quick. Here we had Colin Farrell, Vince Vaughn, Rachel McAdams, and Taylor Kitsch. It took time–almost the whole episode—but in the last five minutes, which featured a sit-down betw...

**** THE GLORIOUS CORNER Story By:: G. H. HARDING **** James Taylor TAYLOR RETURNS --- Forty-five years after debuting on the Billboard 200 chart, James Taylor is set for his first No. 1 album. Industry prognosticators suggest the singer/songwriter’s new studio effort, Before This World (his first in thirteen years), could sell around 75,000 units in the week ending June 21. The album is his first studio set since 2002’s October Road. The new Billboard 200’s Top 10 will be revealed on Wednesday, June 24. Taylor has previously logged eleven Top 10 albums, including seven Top Five efforts. His highest charting set to date has been 1971’s Mud Slide Slim and the Blue Horizon (Taylor’s third album), which then spent a month stalled in the No. 2 slot behind Carole King‘s break-out second solo album, Tapestry. (Taylor and King would later collaborate for the 2010 set Live at the Troubadour, which reached No. 4 in the album charts.) We saw Taylor...

**** THE GLORIOUS CORNER Story By: G. H. HARDING **** Florence and The Machine FLORENCE RULES --- The new (and third) studio album from the UK band Florence and the Machine--How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful—is just sensational. For new artists, it’s usually their second album—often called the “sophomore jinx,” is the hardest one to get through. However, lead singer Florence Welch and her band had another hit record with their second LP, the brilliant Ceremonials. This new one, however, is just as blindingly great as the first two—perhaps more so. The first single, “Ship to Wreck,” is just a great, great song that has been well-received everywhere. When they performed on a recent SNL episode—followed by a performance over at ABC’s Good Morning America last week—Welch unleashed her passion and nearly brought the house down with her energy. The second track (and current single) “What Kind of Man” solidly follows up the album opener in a captivating way. R...

**** THE GLORIOUS CORNER Story By: G. H. HARDING **** Rachel McAdams TRUER --- In True Detective’s first season, music director T Bone Burnett helped elevate the show’s intense drama with a rather scintillating mix of haunting, original “roots-rock” tunes and classic tracks by acts like Captain Beefheart. Burnett is back at the helm for the much-anticipated second season, which has relocated from the Louisiana bayou to the wilds of Los Angeles and stars Colin Farrell, Vince Vaughn, Taylor Kitsch, and Rachel McAdams. The show’s creator, Nic Pizzolatto, has been tight-lipped about the new season. But we do know that there’s a new director (make that directors) on board this time around. Cary Fukunaga, who directed all the episodes in the first season, will be an executive producer this time out. This second season will have multiple directors. Justin Linn, who directed the Fast & Furious movies, has directed the first two episodes of the eight-episode...

**** THE GLORIOUS CORNER Story By: G. H. HARDING **** Anna Wintour WINTOUR FOR HIRE --- I'm amazed at all the ink that Vogue’s Anna Wintour has generated due to her “spit-and-polish” tweaking of Sunday’s televised Tony Awards fete. Seems the powers that be at the American Theatre Wing called on Ms. Wintour (who is said to have been famously immortalized in the 2006 film The Devil Wears Prada as “Miranda Priestly” played to perfection by the great Meryl Streep) to ensure some real-life visual drama at the event. That seemed to include making the red carpet look redder than ever before and to have some real-life models, like Kendall Jenner, in attendance. Now, I’m not saying a little tweak here and there wasn't necessary at the hallowed Tony event (which, more often than not these days, looks like some sort of class reunion) . . . but super-models was a surprise. Several of the attendees said that they got a direct call from Wintour, asking if...