Alexa Ray Joel Alexa Ray Joel Finds Her “Wall of Sound” Moment – and Her Own Voice, Fearlessly by Ron Sklar Alexa Ray Joel is back in rehearsal – back in the room, back in the band setup, back in the thick of sound. After years of performing in the intimate, candlelit world of Café Carlyle with a small musical configuration, she’s returned to a full-band experience, preparing for shows in the year ahead. “I just started rehearsing with a band again after quite some time,” she

Mark McGrath, Kevin Griffin and Emerson Hart of Ezra Ray Hart Emerson Hart of Ezra Ray Hart Rocking the 90s and the Holidays by Jay S. Jacobs If you were going to a lab to cobble together a 90s alt-rock supergroup, it would be hard to come out with a stronger lineup than Ezra Ray Hart. The band is made up of the lead singers of three different hitmaking bands from that decade. As you might guess from the new band’s name, it features Sugar Ray leader Mark McGrath, Better Than

Candace Bushnell Candace Bushnell Tells True Tales of Sex, Success, and Sex and the City  at Her Upcoming One-Person Show This Friday by Brad Balfour When scribe Candace Bushnell created Carrie Bradshaw as her alter-ego while writing her “Sex and the City” column, she didn’t want her parents to know that she’d just been to a sex club. She had often appeared on TV, starting back in 1996, when she had her own reality show,  Sex, Lies and Video Clips  on VH1, where – sure enough

John Davidson From Prime-Time to Club Sandwich – The Reinvention of a Variety Icon By Ronald Sklar For decades, John Davidson was all that and a jar of Miracle Whip – a Broadway lead, a smiling television host, and one of Johnny Carson’s most trusted guest substitutes. Today, at 84, he has reinvented his career far from Hollywood, performing in a charming converted barn in rural New Hampshire. His self-created venue, the aptly named Club Sandwich, is everything Davidson has

Jay McCarrol and Matt Johnson at the Philadelphia Film Festival showing of "Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie." Matt Johnson and Jay McCarrol Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie the Interview By Jay S. Jacobs It’s a tale as old as time. Two guys start a band. They are enthusiastic about the project and sure that stardom lurks ahead. They even set a goal of their ideal venue – the storied Toronto rock club The Rivoli.   Unfortunately, they are a little naïve in the ways of

Fabien Frankel, Emilia Jones and Tom Pelphrey at the Philadelphia Film Festival screening of the season finale of "Task." Tom Pelphrey, Emilia Jones, Fabien Frankel and Brad Inglesby Taken to Task By Jay S. Jacobs So how does a TV show come together? “It always starts with characters,” Brad Inglesby explained to me on the red carpet at the Philadelphia Film Festival, where the season finale of his acclaimed TV series Task was going to be screened a few hours before its HBO d

Ian Kimble and Ruby Modine at the Philadelphia Film Festival Premiere of "Dead Giveaway." Ruby Modine & Ian Kimble It’s Just a Dead Giveaway by Jay S. Jacobs Don’t you hate it when this happens? You’re out on a Friday night. You hit a few bars, and maybe a party. You have a bit too much to drink. Or maybe a lot too much to drink. Or maybe you literally recreate Marion Ravenwood’s shots-drinking contest scene in Raiders of the Lost Ark.  You wake up the next morning, still ful

Delilah Napier and Lucy Powers Lucy Powers & Delilah Napier   Riding the Floating Carousel By Jay S. Jacobs It all started with some bad dates. Lucy Powers and Delilah Napier, long-time friends and collaborators who have made the indie films Voyeur, “The Compound” and “ Victor vs. the Metaverse” together, found the inspiration for their latest feature film when they both went on the same bad date with the same guy, just a week apart. They weren’t alone. All of their friends w

[L-R] Bill Condon, Jennifer Lopez and Tonatiuh attend the KISS OF THE SPIDER WOMAN New York premiere. Credit: Jason Crowley/BFA Jennifer Lopez, Diego Luna, Tonatiuh & Bill Condon Dancing With the Spider Woman By Jay S. Jacobs When Hollywood is adapting a hit Broadway musical (or making an original), chances are the first name on their speed dial is Bill Condon. Condon wrote and/or directed such popular movie musicals as Chicago, DreamGirls , the live-action version of Beauty

Tim Daly in Dust to Malibu Tim Daly Dust in the Wind By Ronald Sklar "It's essentially a family story — specifically about a father,"...

Somebody Feed Phil. Phil Rosenthal in episode 801 of Somebody Feed Phil. Credit: Courtesy of Netflix / © 2025 Netflix, Inc. Phil...

Tricia Helfer Tricia Helfer Primitive Cool By Jay S. Jacobs We’ve been following Tricia Helfer for years now. The popular...

Josh Brolin at New York Comic-Con Josh Brolin Goes from Angry Man To Hero In Weapons – Making Such a Turn is a Skill He's Demonstrated in...

Stephen Kramer Glickman at the recent Philadelphia Big Time Rush show. Stephen Kramer Glickman Unplugged By Kayla Marra and Emma Fox...

Serena Dykman, writer and director of "Babka," and her dog. Serena Dykman Serves Us Some Babka by Jay S. Jacobs “You can't beat a Babka,”...

Beatrice Minger Beatrice Minger Swiss Filmmaker Grapples with the Legacy of Irish Designer Eileen Gray by Brad Balfour Irish designer...

George Lucas Star Wars Creator George Lucas Debuts at San Diego Comic-Con to Announce His Museum and Raises Questions of “What’s it All...

Sun Room Sun Room Ritual of Chaos By Emma Fox   If you’re looking for the perfect soundtrack to your summer, Sun Room delivers just that....

Frankie Grande Frankie Grande Checking out of Hotel Rock Bottom by Kayla Marra The man, the myth, the icon, and older brother to Ariana...

New York, New York - March 28, 2019. Portrait of Beth Lane photographed in Manhattan. CREDIT: Chad Batka Filmmaker Beth Lane Celebrates...

Drew Seeley, Johnny and Tony Oller and Malcolm Kelley of MKTO at World Café Live in Philadelphia for the Hold On Til Dawn benefit concert...

Rima Te Wiata at the New York Press Day for "We Were Dangerous." Rima Te Wiata In We Were Dangerous, Māori Actress is a Commanding...

John Cafferty John Cafferty Classic Rocker Returns with a New Album after 37 Years – Sound of Waves by Brad Balfour For many bands having...

HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA - APRIL 16: (L-R) Daniella Pineda, J.K. Simmons, director/executive producer Gavin O’Connor, producer Ben Affleck,...

Larry Kirwan Larry Kirwan Rocker-turned-Writer Debuts His Latest Novel, Rockin’ the Bronx  and Spurs ’80s Recollections by Brad Balfour...

LONDON, ENGLAND – APRIL 14: (L-R) Jack O’Connell, Omar Benson Miller, Wunmi Mosaku, Michael B. Jordan, Hailee Steinfeld, Jayme Lawson,...

Matt Dillon at the New York screening of Being Maria Matt Dillon In the French Film Being Maria , Veteran Actor Brings the Legendary...

Zachary Fink and Alyssa Fedele - directors of "Any Problem is No Problem" Alyssa Fedele and Zachary Fink Looking At the People Behind the...

Daisy Ridley at the New York screening of CLEANER Daisy Ridley of Star Wars Fame is the Heroine in a Brand-New Action Thriller Cleaner by...

Kieran Culkin Kieran Culkin Through Jesse Eisenberg’s Uncanny Lens, A Real Pain Brings Holocaust Remembrance Day into Focus and Gives...

Rob Kazinsky as Zeph and Director Olatunde Osunsanmi, in Star Trek: Section 31 , streaming on Paramount+, 2025. Photo Credit: Jan...

Vietnam: The War That Changed America David Glover and Caroline Marsden Changing What We Know About Vietnam By Jay S. Jacobs   All of...

Denis Villeneuve Denis Villeneuve, Co-writer, Producer, Director of Dune: Part Two  Waxes Eloquently About His Sprawling Creation by Brad...

Leigh Whannell Leigh Whannell Wolf Man  Writer/Director Creates His Own Take to This Classic Horror Character by Brad Balfour Many years...

Hold On Til Dawn Benefit Concert MKTO Back Together For a Good Cause By Emma Fox   The dynamic pop and hip-hop duo MKTO got their start...

Quinn Lemley Quinn Lemley Actress/Singer Guides Your Way Through Art and APAP by Brad Balfour Actress, singer, speaker, producer,...

Catching Up with Emblem3 By Emma Fox   Philadelphia’s Kung Fu Necktie buzzed with excitement and anticipation as fans gathered for...

Charlie Hall Merges Football and the Holidays with the Philly Specials By Jay S. Jacobs Charlie Hall had his share of adventures long...

Andrew Boszhardt Debuting at Big Apple Film Festival, Breed of Greed  Spotlights actress Gina Gershon in this Haunting Thriller by Brad...

Romeo Delight Van Halen Tribute Band’s Buddy Blanchard Tells The Tale of Living Up to Such a Legacy by Brad Balfour When I found out...

Bill Plympton Master Animator Keeps The Tradition of 2D Art Alive Through Provocative Animated Features Such as Slide by Brad Balfour  ...

Bill Nicoletti Reminding the World of the Philly Sound By Jay S. Jacobs Bill Nicoletti grew up steeped in the sound of Philadelphia. His...

Mark Bryan 30 Years in and Still Trying to Find a Tune by George Seth Wagner Celebrating the 30th anniversary of the Grammy-winning and...

Javicia Leslie Living On High Potential by Jay S. Jacobs It seems that in the last five or six years, Javicia Leslie keeps popping up all...

James Madio, Ruby Wolf, Keir Gilchrist and Robert Kolodny Requiem for The Featherweight by Jay S. Jacobs   There are certain people who...

Josh Rennie-Hynes Aussie Rocker Transitions to a Musical Life in Nashville by Brad Balfour   Australia is one peculiar place, a land full...

Valley Watering the Seeds of Sound By Emma Fox   Since forming in 2016, Toronto-based alternative/pop trio Valley has made quite the...

Michael Connelly and Alison Ellwood Return to Wonderland by Jay S. Jacobs   Hollywood was a pretty wild place in the early 1980s; a...