Siciliano bach piano

Photo: Richard McCaffrey/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images Last night, when I heard my roommate say “Robin Williams,” following the words “did you hear about,” my brain summoned the same image of Robin Williams it always does whenever I hear his name: Robin performing stand-up, yet, for some reason, he’s in the audience, up in the balcony, straddling the ledge, fiercely alive. The iconography of the moment, mixed with my nostalgia for the time when I first saw that image, resulted in me not actually remembering where it was from. I Googled around and couldn’t find the image or the clip, but I saw that five of his stand-up specials are currently on YouTube in their entirety. I watched them all. So should you. My search for the memory didn’t last long. There, in the first few minutes of his 1978 HBO special Off the Wall (titled “Live at the Roxy 1978” on YouTube), Williams heads out into the audience, and then — just like that — pops himself up onto the balcony’s railing. It’s pretty fucking awesome, deserving of its placement in my memory. And then you realize this was his first televised solo showcase, a place where, to this day, stand-ups usually trot out their best, most polished stuff. Not Robin. He essentially spends the first nine minutes of the hour performing amid the audience, at one point even stopping planned material before he starts it just so he can go play in the crowd some more. My favorite parts of his specials are his intros, where he just riffs on the space he’s in. You see him look around, take in the venue and the crowd, and then quickly filter it all into a hilarious joke about what he’s looking at, so we can see the moment through his eyes. If you watch the five specials below in chronological order, you’ll notice the material getting tighter and more focused as he gets older — with 1986’s polished yet still spontaneous Live at the Met probably being his best hour — but no matter what, he never loses this sense of wonder and … [Read more...] about I Streamed 5 Robin Williams Stand-up Specials on YouTube, and So Should You

March 22, 2021 - 12:14 GMT Gemma Strong Jennifer Aniston shares intimate glimpse inside her weekend as she shares 'Sunday Funday' photo Jennifer Aniston spent the weekend with the sweetest companions – her three dogs, Clyde, Sophie and Lord Chesterfield! The Morning Show star took to Instagram to share a new, personal snapshot showing her pups sat together out on the lawn. "Sunday Funday," she captioned the photo, along with a paw prints emoji and a red love heart. MORE: Jennifer Aniston's home has to be seen to be believed Prior to that, Jennifer had shared individual photos of her beloved pets as she made the most of the sunny weekend weather in California. Loading the player... WATCH: Jennifer Aniston demonstrates her morning routine at home Dog-lover Jennifer often shares pictures of Clyde, a Schnauzer mix, Sophie, a white pitbull and rescue puppy, Lord Chesterfield, who she welcomed to the family in October. MORE: Jennifer Aniston embraces natural beauty in stunning throwback selfie inside living room READ: Lisa Kudrow reveals son Julian's sweet bond with Jennifer Aniston in rare interview Her latest images were likely taken in the sprawling grounds of her Beverly Hills property, which boasts a huge terrace with panoramic views, an outdoor swimming pool and a huge Koi pond. Jennifer shared a sweet snapshot of her three beloved dogs Just recently, the actress shared a glimpse inside her impressive drawing room as she welcomed Jason Bateman and his family to her home to watch the Golden Globes. MORE: Courteney Cox has the sweetest nickname for BFF Jennifer Aniston Snapshots shared on Instagram Stories gave fans a glimpse inside the opulent room, which features two large bookcases completely covering the wall, and laden with novels, photographs and flowers. The central table, meanwhile, boasted two floral displays, including one huge arrangement … [Read more...] about Jennifer Aniston shares intimate glimpse inside her ‘Sunday Funday’

Photo: Pix/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images When Christopher Plummer died on February 5, the world mourned him. Those who worked with him paid tribute to his warmth, his talent, and his Renaissance flexibility — director Des McAnuff (who was to direct him in a King Lear film after the pandemic abated) remembered him sketching little masterpieces in rehearsal; co-star Chris Evans recalled his piano improvisations on set. And for critics, the 91-year-old was a fallen redwood. Matt Zoller Seitz wrote movingly about Plummer’s capacity for reinvention and collaboration onscreen, and Jesse Green recalled his forceful, graceful work onstage. But there was yet another string to Plummer’s bow: world-class dish. Although his gossipy 2008 autobiography In Spite of Myself ends in a rather quiet cul-de-sac, the rip-roaring center of the book details every variety of mayhem a gorgeous actor could get up to in the 20th century. In obituaries and reminiscences, writers tend to focus on Plummer’s swingin’ ’60s life — we remember him as Captain Von Trapp, so we like to contrast Georg’s martinet bearing with his louche real life, like falling down an elevator shaft while sauced. But Plummer’s autobiography emphasizes the way he also felt out of joint with his time. He saw everything through the lens of theater: he worshipped the actors of a generation before, and he was proudest and most passionate about his work on stage. So while we can collect his top ten movie performances , the greater, un-capturable part of his work vanished when the curtain went down. Lucky for us, he wrote about it. On Twitter, the New Yorker writer Rachel Syme shared a few snippets from the memoir, including the slyest swipes at Laurence Olivier. But having read the 656-page book this week, I can assure you, the whole thing is highlights. An erotic education The Bermuda interlude Penthouse Forum letter — in a production of The Petrified Forest, he makes out with a … [Read more...] about Please, Everyone, Read Christopher Plummer’s Autobiography

March 23, 2021 - 20:54 GMT Matthew Moore Amanda Seyfried has wowed her fans as she displayed her talents in a new hobby she picked up Over lockdown many of us picked up new hobbies, whether it was baking banana bread or learning a new language, but Amanda Seyfried found a new way to spend her time. MORE: Amanda Seyfried's new family photo has fans falling in love The Mamma Mia! star began crocheting last year, making herself a quarantine blanket - and she's decided to do it again. Showing off some of the individual squares from the impressive original, the actress wrote: "A year ago I started my quarantine blanket and I missed it so I'm starting another." Loading the player... WATCH: Amanda Seyfried's husband adorably entertains their baby son The previous day, she had also shared another impressive example of her work, as she posted a crocheted tomato. Fans were wowed with how good Amanda was at crocheting, as one wrote: "That's beautiful," and another added: "Beautifully created." One fan shared Amanda's enthusiasm for crocheting, as they said: "I'm crocheting again too! Daisy granny square rainbow pillow cover." Another wrote: "I'm also making a quarantine blanket at the moment. But I knit it. I'm bad at crocheting." Amanda wowed fans with her crocheting skills A different fan doubted their own ability as they praised the star. "Looking good, I couldn't do anything like that and I wouldn't have the patience to, lol," they wrote. Many other fans were just left speechless at Amanda's skills, as they left strings of heart and applause emojis. MORE: The Golden Globes gowns that left us in awe: from Amanda Seyfried to Kate Hudson MORE: Amanda Seyfried and Kaley Cuoco were nearly twins at the Critic Choice Awards In September, Amanda gave birth to her baby son, Thomas. He is the second child that the actress shares with husband Thomas Sadoski. And the … [Read more...] about Amanda Seyfried wows fans with surprise new hobby

February 25, 2021 - 17:47 GMT Matthew Moore Amanda Seyfried has shared a rare photograph of herself all cuddled up with her baby son Amanda Seyfried has shared a very intimate photograph of herself with her newborn baby son. MORE: Amanda Seyfried's rare photo with baby son reveals disturbing image emerging in background The Mamma Mia! actress welcomed son Thomas into the world back in September. He is Amanda's second child with husband Thomas Sadoski . In the intimate snap, which was posted on the star's Instagram Stories, Thomas could be seen snuggling into Amanda's chest , as she held the little tot. Loading the player... Watch: Amanda Seyfried's husband adorably keeps their son entertained Although Amanda didn't add a caption, the sweet picture spoke volumes. The Mean Girls star is usually very secretive about her children , but she does allow fans to catch glimpses of them on occasion. In one recent sweet post, the actress looked like she was trying to get her adorable children to follow in her performing footsteps . Thomas was all cuddled up with Amanda The doting mother posted a picture of her Instagram Stories showing Thomas' tiny hands playing the piano inside the family's living room in LA, and captioned it: "Starting early." But while the star delights fans with these heartwarming posts, it's unlikely that she'll be showing off her children's faces anytime soon – a practice many celebrities follow including Katie Holmes , Katy Perry and Tyra Banks . MORE: Amanda Seyfried delights celebrity friends with photo of first ever magazine cover MORE: Amanda Seyfried's daughter featured in rare photo Opening up about her daughter's privacy during an interview with Entertainment Tonight in June, Amanda said: "I don't share her face or anything [online]; I'll let her choose when she wants to do that later on in life. " … [Read more...] about Amanda Seyfried shares rare intimate photo cuddling her baby son

Justice is a smooth (sometimes too smooth) album about the work love requires, and the most mature thing in Bieber’s catalogue. Photo: Youtube This time a year ago, Justin Bieber was preparing to take his then-latest album on the road for a three-month string of stadium shows, covering venues along the east and west coasts, the South, the Midwest, and big cities in Quebec and Ontario. Changes , a collection of R&B love letters conveniently released on Valentine’s Day, was a commercial success led by its almost chart-topping single, “Yummy. ” Still, there was much to prove. The tour for 2015’s Purpose , which crisscrossed continents from between winter of 2016 and the summer of 2017, ended two months early when the singer abruptly canceled 14 dates. A statement from his longtime manager Scooter Braun said, without getting into specifics, that Bieber’s “soul and well-being” needed to come first for an indefinite amount of time. “I want my career to be sustainable,” the singer explained in a note he posted to Instagram later that summer, “but I also want my mind, heart, and soul to be sustainable.” This was alarming; the team doesn’t take time off lightly. Since his earliest chart successes, Justin Bieber has always been either in go mode or off putting out fires in his personal life. His My World tour, memorialized in the 2011 concert film Justin Bieber: Never Say Never , ate up most of 2010 and 2011. “Boyfriend,” the lead single for 2012’s Believe , was released shortly after his 2011 holiday album Under the Mistletoe . The Believe tour ran from fall 2012 to winter 2013, when the Justin Bieber’s Believe concert film and the “compilation” album Journals dropped. A DUI arrest in early 2014 initiated a year of turmoil as disconcerting run-ins and revelations tarnished the singer’s image to the extent that the Day-Glo dance party Purpose , released in 2015, seemed to acknowledge in songs like “Sorry,” “Mark My … [Read more...] about Justin Bieber’s New Album Is Mostly Peace, No Justice (Phew)