Celebrity

Cynthia Weil, Grammy Winning Lyricist, Dead At 82

Published

12 months ago

2023-06-02

NEW YORK — Grammy-winning songwriter Cynthia Weil, who co-wrote dozens of popular songs with her husband, Barry Mann, including “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feeling,” “On Broadway,” “Walking in the Rain,” and many others, has passed away at age 82.

Weil passed away on Thursday at her home in Beverly Hills, California, “surrounded by her family,” according to Weil’s daughter Dr. Jenn Mann. The couple’s sole child, Mann, chose not to give a cause of death.

Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil married in 1961 and were among the most popular music-successful duos. They were part of a unique group assembled by music moguls Don Kirshner and Al Nevins and based in Manhattan’s Brill Building district, close to Times Square. The Brill Building song factory produced many of the biggest singles of the 1960s and beyond with hit-making pairings like Carole King, Gerry Goffin, Jeff Barry, and Ellie Greenwich.

Jenn Mann remarked, “I grew up around a lot of music and two wonderful, smart, creative geniuses. “My parents were each other’s greatest musical influences. When things were wonderful, people had each other, and when things weren’t so good, people had their music, according to my mother.

On songs for the Ronettes (“Walking in the Rain”), the Crystals (“He’s Sure the Boy I Love”), and other acts, Weil and Mann worked closely with producer Phil Spector. They also wrote hits for everyone from Dolly Parton to Hanson. James Horner and his team’s song “Somewhere Out There,” created for the “An American Tail” soundtrack, won Grammy Awards in 1987 for best song and best song for a Movie or Television and received nominations for an Academy Award and a Golden Globe. They collaborated on writing the Linda Ronstadt and Aaron Neville duet “Don’t Know Much,” which peaked at number five and won the Grammy for best pop performance in 1990.

“You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feeling,” an anthem of “blue-eyed soul” composed by Spector as if scoring a tragedy and performed by the Righteous Brothers with frantic passion, is their most well-known song and a piece of history in general. In 1965, “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feeling” was the number-one song on the charts and was covered by several other musicians. No other song was played more frequently on radio and Television in the 20th century, according to Broadcast Music Inc. (BMI).

Bill Medley and Bobby Hatfield’s reactions to Weil and Mann’s debut performance of “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feeling” for the Righteous Brothers were “dead silence.”

She said to Parade Magazine 2015 that Bill had responded, “Sounds good for The Everly Brothers, not the Righteous Brothers.” “We said, ‘Oh, God.’ What should I do while the large guy is singing? Bobby then asked. Spector’s Phil said, “You can go to the bank.”

When the Beatles became popular in the middle of the 1960s, many of Weil’s contemporaries struggled, but she persisted in scoring hits, occasionally with Mann or with collaborators like Michael Masser, David Foster, and John Williams, with whom she co-wrote “For Always” for the soundtrack to Steven Spielberg’s “A.I. Artificial Intelligence.” Weil contributed to the songs “Here You Come Again,” Parton’s pop breakthrough, “If Ever You’re In My Arms Again” by Peabo Bryson, “Just Once” by James Ingram, “He’s So Shy” by the Pointer Sisters, and “Running With the Night” by Lionel Richie. She again made the top 10 in 1997 with Hanson’s “I Will Come to You.”

“When songs are successful, they’re like little stories. They have an introduction, a middle, and a conclusion. Weil, who eventually published the novel “I’m Glad I Did,” told Parade that the song “paints a picture of the human condition” and makes you feel how the person singing it is feeling.

Her abilities extended far beyond love songs. She and Mann co-wrote “Kicks,” a success for Paul Revere and the Raiders in 1966, one of rock’s earliest anti-drug songs. She also had a talent for writing lyrics full of desire and aspiration, as evidenced by the song “On Broadway” and its iconic opening line, “They say the neon lights are bright/on Broadway.” With their account of working-class angst, “We’ve Got to Get Out of This Place,” The Animals enjoyed success. The 1961 hit song “Uptown” by The Crystals dealt with race and class in a way that wasn’t frequently heard in the early days of rock.

____

He is simply one of a million males downtown.

He receives no breaks.

And he takes everything they have to offer.

Because he needs to live.

He then moves uptown, nevertheless.

Where he can proudly raise his head

He is aware that I am nearby in Uptown.

_____

Weil and Mann were introduced by King at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame ceremony in 2010.

Weil and Mann were introduced by King at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame ceremony in 2010, and they were inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1987. Mann and Weil played minor roles in the popular King musical “Beautiful,” which debuted on Broadway in 2013 and chronicled the passionate camaraderie and competition between the two married couples. “They Wrote That?” by Mann and Weil was performed for a limited time in 2004.

“Cynthia’s high level of professionalism improved all of us as songwriters. The line “Just a little lovin’ early in the mornin’ beats a cup of coffee for startin’ out the day” is one of my favorite Cynthia lyrics; King posted on her social media pages on Friday, quoting the Mann-Weil song “Just a Little Lovin’,” which has been performed by Dusty Springfield and others.

If we’re lucky, we’ll know this to be true, but she composed it — and in the following line, she made the words “morning” and “yawning” rhyme. I hope Cynthia Weil’s lyrics will live on and communicate to future generations.

Weil, a native of New York City and the daughter of Jewish immigrants from Eastern Europe was trained in dance and piano as a young girl. At Sarah Lawrence College, she concentrated on theatre, but an agent persuaded her to attempt music. At age 20, she began working for the publishing house of “Guys and Dolls” composer Frank Loesser, where she met the man who would become her husband.

Barry walked in to play Teddy Randazzo a song as she was writing it, she said to the Los Angeles Times in 2016. Teddy Randazzo was a young Italian boy singer who was the Frankie Avalon of his time. “I questioned the front desk clerk, ‘Who is this guy? Has he ever been with a girl? ‘He’s signed to a friend of mine, Don Kirshner, and if I call Donny, maybe you can go up there to show him your songs and meet Barry again,’ she suggested. So she took that action. That’s what I did as well. He had no chance at all.

SOURCE – (AP)

Celebrity

Kate Middleton, The Princess of Wales Gives Update on New Project

Published

14 hours ago

2024-05-19

Geoff Thomas

Kate Middleton gives first update on her new project: Getty Images

Kate Middleton updated her first project since her cancer diagnosis. The Princess of Wales, 42, announced her treatment in an emotional speech in March. After London abdominal surgery, the Express says she has taken time off public duty.

Kate stated in her address that pre-operative testing after surgery revealed her non-cancerous condition. For Mental Health Week, the Prince and Princess of Wales posted a short film trailer on their social media accounts.

The film emphasizes Britain’s farmers’ mental health issues and is her first project update since diagnosis.

Kate Middleton tweeted: “We’ve teamed up with Sam Stables from We Are Farming Minds and Farmer Will for a special film for #MentalHealthAwarenessWeek.

A conversation for #MentalHealthAwarenessWeek showing just how important the Duchy of Cornwall’s Mental Health Strategy is. Featuring Duchy tenant Sam Stables and Farmer Will Young.

TW: Suicide | https://t.co/YTwfDghRWq pic.twitter.com/JAOPXzG8dP

— The Prince and Princess of Wales (@KensingtonRoyal) May 17, 2024

“Spending a day together on Sam’s farm in Hereford they chatted about mental health in the farming community, finding support and the Duchy of Cornwall’s Mental Health Strategy.”

Although Kate doesn’t appear in the YouTube video, she and Prince William produced it. Before Kate’s illness, GB News reported that the project was underway. One fan thanked Kate and William for raising mental health awareness in the video comments.

Says: “Can’t even begin to say how much I love the awareness HRH The Prince and Princess of Wales brings to the issues surrounding mental health.”

Another said: “I love that you’re focusing on rural mental health! Well done.”

Prince William said Kate “doing well” – Getty Images

Prince William ” Kate Middleton is doing well”

When asked about his wife Kate Middleton during a royal engagement on Friday, Prince William replied she is “doing well.”

The Prince of Wales went to St. Mary’s Community Hospital on the Isles of Scilly in southwest England. Tracy Smith, an administrator at the hospital, offered the king a tour of the facilities. “May I ask how Princess Kate is doing?” she responded. To which William replied that Kate is “doing well.” When questioned about his children (George, Charlotte, and Louis), William remarked, “The children are very jealous that I am here…” Perhaps we can come later in the year.”

The rare news comes after the Princess of Wales, Kate Middleton revealed in a video message that she had been diagnosed with cancer following a scheduled abdominal operation. Kate stated in a video posted by Kensington Palace on March 22 that the news was a “huge shock.” She started “preventative chemotherapy” in late February, according to a Kensington Palace official.

“I am well and getting stronger every day,” Kate stated in the video message.

During the royal visit on Friday, hospital matron Lynda McHale presented Prince William with a card for his wife and father, King Charles III, who revealed his own diagnosis of an unidentified type of cancer in February and officially resumed public duties in late April.

Celebrity

Paul McCartney Song Starts Paralympics On 100-Day Countdown To Opening Ceremony In Paris

Published

21 hours ago

2024-05-19

Kiara Grace

AP News - VOR News Image

GENEVA – On Monday, the Paralympic Games begin their 100-day journey to the opening ceremony in Paris in August, with Paul McCartney assisting.

The former Beatles’ “We All Stand Together” — the theme song from an award-winning animated short he created and produced 40 years ago — will be featured in a promotional film for the International Paralympic Committee

“Sir Paul really understands what we stand for as a movement, and he was extremely generous to us,” IPC president Andrew Parsons told The Associated Press. “He was not difficult to convince, it was something that came very naturally.”

AP – VOR News Image

Paul McCartney Song Starts Paralympics On 100-Day Countdown To Opening Ceremony In Paris

On August 28, 100 days from Monday, the Summer Paralympics opening ceremony will occur along a stretch of the Champs-Élysées and Place de la Concorde. Over the next 11 days, the 4,400 athletes will compete in places such as the Eiffel Tower and Versailles Palace in front of up to 2.7 million spectators.

“We probably have the most famous avenue in the world,” Parsons stated in a recent interview. “That is very exciting. The city is really supporting Paralympic athletes and athletes with impairments.”

“With our games, we talk a lot about inclusion, and this is a fantastic representation of that. That extremely inviting attitude is a great way to start our games.

A watershed moment for the Paralympic movement occurred in London in 2012 when the host country rose to the occasion with record ticket sales and a completely new approach to broadcasting by Britain’s Channel 4.

“Still the benchmark games of our movement,” added Parsons, whose native country of Brazil staged the 2016 edition in Rio de Janeiro.

AP – VOR new Image

Paul McCartney Song Starts Paralympics On 100-Day Countdown To Opening Ceremony In Paris

Channel 4 produced the “We’re the Superhumans” musical film to promote the Rio Paralympics. The film was a landmark in terms of its high production values and inspirational imagery.

“Many broadcasters come to us in their preparations in different parts of the world and they normally ask, ‘What is Channel 4 doing?'” Parsons stated. In that vein, the IPC trailer, inspired by McCartney’s “Rupert and the Frog Song” film, follows suit.

The Paris Paralympics will record 164 broadcasters worldwide, with 549 events across 22 sports.

Beyond the field of play, the Paralympics strive to change society, particularly in the host nation—and have previously achieved this.

In France and Paris, Parsons admitted that “there is still a lot of work to be done when it comes to people’s mindsets and perceptions of people with disabilities.”

“It has progressed since they received the games in 2017, but there is still a long way to go. “And it does not end with the closing ceremony.”

Two weeks after the Paralympics end on September 8, the United Nations conducts a global gathering that Parsons hopes will spark change.

AP – VOR News Image

Paul McCartney Song Starts Paralympics On 100-Day Countdown To Opening Ceremony In Paris

The UN will assess progress toward its 17 sustainable development objectives during the Summit of the Future, which will occur on September 22 and 23.

“We do believe our movement has, in terms of persons of disability, been a little bit left behind, if you compare to other human rights movements such as gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity,” Parsons stated. “They have become increasingly prominent in the major debates at the highest level.

“We believe that these (Paris) games will be able to really remind global leaders that there is 1.2 billion persons with disabilities out there that need to be included in those conversations.”

SOURCE – (AP)

News

Diddy Won’t Be Prosecuted Over Cassie Ventura Hotel Video

Published

2 days ago

2024-05-18

Geoff Thomas

Sean “Diddy” Combs won’t be prosecuted over a 2016 video: Image Fox News

According to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office, Sean “Diddy” Combs will not face charges in connection with a 2016 video that appears to show him abusing then-girlfriend Cassie Ventura in a hotel.

“We find the images extremely disturbing and difficult to watch,” the office of Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascón posted on Instagram Friday (May 17). “If the conduct depicted occurred in 2016, unfortunately we would be unable to charge as the conduct would have occurred beyond the timeline where a crime of assault can be prosecuted.”

Combs appears to push Ventura to the ground near an elevator bank, kick her multiple times while she is on the ground, and pull her down a hallway in the footage, which CNN received on March 5, 2016.

According to the statement, law enforcement has not presented the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office with “a case related to the attack depicted in the video against Mr. Combs, but we encourage anyone who has been a victim or witness to a crime to report it to law enforcement or reach out to our office for support from our Bureau of Victims Services.”

The video’s contents resemble an assault complaint Ventura made in a now-settled lawsuit against Diddy in November, in which she also claimed one incidence of rape and another of Combs forcing her to have sex with male sex workers while he masturbated.

“The gut-wrenching video has only confirmed Mr. Combs’ disturbing and predatory behavior,” said Ventura’s attorney, Douglas Wigdor, in a statement to Billboard. “Words cannot express the courage and fortitude that Ms. Ventura has shown in coming forward to bring this to light.”

Ventura and Combs had an on-and-off romance for 11 years until splitting in 2018. In the lawsuit, she claimed she met Combs in 2005, when she was 19 and he was 37. After signing with his Bad Boy Records company, Ventura alleged that Combs “lured” her into a sexual relationship in which he “asserted complete control” over her life.

Combs has faced four further sexual misconduct complaints after Ventura filed hers late last year. The entrepreneur resigned as chairman of his digital media business Revolt in November, and he reportedly sold his interest in the company in March. Also in March, federal officials raided Combs’ houses in Los Angeles and Miami “in connection” with a federal sex trafficking probe, CNN reported.

Combs has flatly denied all allegations of sexual assault leveled against him. “Let me be absolutely clear: I did not do any of the awful things being alleged,” he declared in a statement shared on social media on December 6. “I will fight for my name, my family and for the truth.”

Sean “Diddy” Combs

Sean “Diddy” Combs is a multi-talented mogul who has made his mark in music, fashion, and business. Born in Harlem, he began his career as a talent director at Uptown Records. Combs later created his own label, Bad Boy Records, which launched the careers of musicians such as The Notorious B.I.G. and Mary J. Blige.

His debut album, “No Way Out,” achieved multi-platinum success, cementing his reputation as a rapper and producer. Diddy expanded his business interests, launching the apparel line Sean John and investing in beverage businesses such as Ciroc and DeLeon. With an estimated net worth of $900 million, he is one of hip-hop’s wealthiest individuals.

Combs is a presence in Hollywood, appearing in films and television series while also influencing music and society. His commercial savvy, paired with his musical talents, have elevated him to the status of rap icon.

Source: Billboard