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Amy Winehouse doesn't take no for an answer. When producers of the upcoming James Bond flick 'Quantum Of Solace' passed over her theme song last month in favor of the Jack White/Alicia Keys collaboration 'Another Way to Die,' the embattled singer decided to go it alone and release her unwanted song after all.

Winehouse reportedly intends to "prove that [film executives] made a "big mistake" by dismissing her then-unfinished Bond theme contender. She's even thinking of releasing the Mark Ronson-produced tune the same week as the new White/Keys single. "I guess they are going for clean-cut and boring," Winehouse reportedly told Britain's New Magazine. "When I do release mine -- and I am tempted to do it on the same day -- this would be the bigger hit."

"I do think they could have waited a bit," a confident Winehouse said, pointing to her head. "If they want a worldwide hit, I have them all up here."

Continue reading Amy Winehouse Plans to Release Rejected Bond Song

Best known for his role as the tightly wound Dwight Schrute on TV's 'The Office,' Rainn Wilson has become something of a cultural icon. (How many Schrute Bucks do you have?) And while he's held several smaller roles on both the big and small screen, including last year's runaway indie hit 'Juno' and HBO's cult series 'Six Feet Under,' he makes his starring debut as an overspandexed has-been drummer from the '80s in 'The Rocker.' Wilson took time out to catch up with Spinner and talk about his real-life role as a music enthusiast and his own rock-star tendencies.

"There were a lot of perks," he told us of his recent promotional tour, which had him making appearances at music festivals this past spring, including Sasquatch. "I got to interview the Who. I was terrible. But it was a dream come true," he admits, calling Pete Townshend an "icon" and maintaining that behind Bob Dylan, "there's no other person I wound rather meet." But he isn't just about the veterans. During our talk, he drops names like Cold War Kids, the National, Fleet Foxes, the Raconteurs, Kings of Leon and Wilco. "I love Wilco," he gushes. "I just think they will be remembered like the Byrds were, as just a great American rock band. But ask him for his favorite of all time, he's quick to answer "Radiohead."

Continue reading Rainn Wilson Talks 'Rocker' Moments, Dwight's Favorite Bands



Sorry, Amy Winehouse. No Bond for you. While the embattled Brit was rumored to be penning the new James Bond theme, R&B songstress Alicia Keys and White Stripes/Raconteurs brainchild Jack White will team for the honor for the upcoming 'Quantum of Solace.' Titled 'Another Way To Die,' the song was written and produced by White, who also plays drums and counts the soulful pipes of the eleven-time Grammy winner Keys.

The film's soundtrack -- which upholds a 45-year tradition of themes for the movie franchise -- will be released October 28. Other Bond theme veterans include Paul McCartney and Wings ('Live and Let Die'), Carly Simon ('Nobody Does It Better'), Duran Duran ('A View to a Kill'), Madonna ('Die Another Day') and, most recently, Chris Cornell, who sang 'You Know My Name' for 2006's 'Casino Royale.'

Previous reports suggested vocalists like Leona Lewis, Duffy, Annie Lennox and the recently hospitalized Winehouse were all in the running for the title. The film is slated to debut in theaters on November 7.
Daft Punk have just unveiled their first full-length motion picture, 'Electroma.' If you weren't able to catch it at film festival screenings, perhaps you viewed the five-minute excerpt Spinner premiered last week. The movie marks a new direction for the French electronic duo, who have adapted their artistic vision to a journey beyond sound. Removing both themselves and their music from the film, the pair craft an expedition through a silent cinematic world populated by lost robots on a quest to become human.

"From the beginning of Daft Punk and the way we decided to make music, we've always wanted to experiment with different art forms -- the idea of natural progression and the growth of an aesthetic that we have been trying to develop both musically and visually," Daft Punk's Thomas Bangalter tells Spinner. "So we like the idea of expanding it and making it a gradual expansion both in content and also in ways of expressing ourselves."

Continue reading Daft Punk Open a New Chapter With Debut Feature Film 'Electroma'

Rare footage of the Beatles -- shot on grainy, color, 8 mm film -- has been uncovered. Shot during the Fab Four's 1967 visit to Plymouth, during the making of the 'Magical Mystery Tour,' the film finds John, Paul, George and Ringo on their infamous yellow tour bus and walking the British coastline.

It is believed the footage was captured by vacationers. It will surface as part of a new documentary on the legendary Liverpudlians, which will reportedly be called 'Mystery Tour Memories.'

"They were quite happy to relax and talk to people; the days of 'Beatlemania' were long gone," David Lambert, a film producer for Arthouse Pictures, tells music magazine Uncut. "I think it was George who said 'As long as people don't want to scream at us and pull our hair out and take our clothes off, we are quite happy to sit and talk to them."

A trailer of the film can be seen here.
Neil Young's feature-length documentary of his 2006 reunion with Crosby, Stills & Nash, 'CSNY: Déjà Vu,' is as politically charged a film as you would expect from this reconvened foursome, who have never shied away from their anti-authoritarian stance of the '60s and '70s. The aptly named 'Freedom of Speech' tour not only provided the rich harmonies and strong songs of the reunited CSNY but gave the members a platform for their anti-war and anti-Bush views to to an audience that was sometimes receptive and sometimes demonstrably not.

The film currently has been making the festival rounds, but while you wait for it to come to your town, Spinner presents an exclusive preview here.

Continue reading Neil Young Films a Controversial CSNY Documetary

Grant Gee Returns With 'Joy Division'

From the director of 'Meeting People Is Easy,' 1998's film tracking Radiohead's 'OK Computer' tour, comes another rock documentary -- this time with the focus on a British band of a decidedly more tragic history: Joy Division.

Released on DVD yesterday, critically acclaimed director Grant Gee's 'Joy Division' is a beautifully rendered, meticulous study of not only of the band and its ill-fated frontman Ian Curtis, but also of his bandmates -- Peter Hook, Bernard Sumner, Stephen Morris -- who all act as scathingly insightful, at times very moving, talking heads in the film.

Gee himself said at the film's premiere back in February of this year that he was "surprised at how candid and forthcoming" each of the former members of Manchester's most beloved band were. "It was as if they were remembering the story for the first time" he said -- an extraordinary quality for a film that covers a a heavy topic already addressed in several other films, including 2002's '24 Hour Party People,' not to mention Anton Corbijn's 'Control,' released shortly before Gee's in 2007.

Continue reading Grant Gee Returns With 'Joy Division'

In the film 'Kurt Cobain About a Son,' recently released on DVD, the late Nirvana legend uniquely recounts his soon-to-be-shortened life in his own words. Filmmaker AJ Schnack, whose previous work includes a documentary on They Might Be Giants, dissected more than 25 hours of previously unheard audio interviews to piece together what Rolling Stone calls "the movie that's moving audiences to tears."

Set solely against the beautiful images of Seattle and other Washington cities, the film allows Cobain to deliver firsthand the piercing details of his life, music and time. Death Cab for Cutie frontman Ben Gibbard and Nirvana producer Steve Fisk provide the haunting score for the critically acclaimed documentary.

In the poignant clip below, the musician candidly discusses his surprisingly uncomfortable relationship with ex-Nirvana bassist Krist Novoselic. "I don't really show my sense of humor when I'm around [Krist]," Cobain says. "I don't think I've ever really made him laugh out loud ... There's some weird barrier between us."

Sneak a Peek at Scorsese's Rolling Stones Film

After receiving rave reviews at this year's Berlin Film Festival, Martin Scorsese's Rolling Stones documentary, 'Shine a Light,' will be get a proper theater release on April 4.

Following the legendary rockers' recent two-night residency at New York City's Beacon Theater, Scorsese also offers historical and never-before-seen footage of the band during its many, many years together.

See exclusive photos from the shoot on Cinematical.

Having tackled the Band and Bob Dylan in 'The Last Waltz,' and 'No Direction Home,' 'Shine' marks the Academy Award-winning director's third music film. But he's not stopping there. Next up? Bob Marley.

Stars Come Out for 'Once'

It's a long way from the streets of Dublin to the Oscars. But what took U2 more than 20 years to make it to Hollywood's biggest night, Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova -- the musical duo of 'Once' -- did in less than a year, scoring a Best Original Song nomination for 'Falling Slowly' (also Spinner's Number One song of 2007). The unlikely Oscar nominees, who will be performing the tune during this Sunday's telecast, gave industry folk -- including celebrities like Salma Hayek, Sophia Bush, Adrian Grenier and Oliver Stone, among others -- a preview of their magic with a four-song set at Global Green's annual pre-Oscar party in L.A. on Wednesday night.

Hansard -- a member of the Frames -- and Irgolva broke out the award-garnering tune, as well as spot-on rendition of 'When Your Mind's Made Up' and a cover of the Pixies' 'Cactus.'

Hansard's fellow Irishman Damien Rice performed a pair of acoustic tracks, including his hit 'Blower's Daughter,' while Michelle Branch and Spearhead's Michael Franti also took to the stage for brief sets.

Courtney Love Eyes Johansson, Gosling for 'Heaven'



Last year, Courtney Love announced that she would move forward with plans to turn Charles R. Cross' Kurt Cobain biography, 'Heavier Than Heaven,' into a feature film. And it seems plans are moving along nicely ... and very much according to her plan.

With Universal Studios behind the project and Love, who was nominated for Best Actress at the 1996 Golden Globes for her role in 'The People vs. Larry Flynt,' playing the part of executive producer, the film is in good structural shape, but its principal players have yet to be decided. Until now.

While rumors that Kirsten Dunst and Ewan McGregor were up for the challenge of playing the modern day Sid and Nancy, it seems that Love has had a change of heart . The Mirror reports that Love reached out to Scarlett Johansson and Ryan Gosling to fill the roles in this film, which she calls a "labor of love." "She is putting her heart and soul into making [the movie] an accurate, credible glimpse of her life with Kurt," a source told the Mirror.

Continue reading Courtney Love Eyes Johansson, Gosling for 'Heaven'

Actress Zooey Deschanel has been dabbling in music since 2001, performing in a jazz cabaret with fellow actress Samantha Shelton, taking on singing roles in movies like 2003's 'Elf' and 2004's 'Winter Passing' -- not to mention that she was chosen to play the legendary Janis Joplin in the biopic 'The Gospel According to Janis.'

What's more, the silver-screen beauty contributed vocals to fellow multi-talent and former boyfriend Jason Schwartzman for his new band, Coconut Records, on their 2007 debut, 'Nittiiming,' and Deschanel announced in December that she had her own album on the way. With the producing help of folk singer M. Ward, she's finished her debut, planned for release later this year.

Deschanel met Ward on the set of the upcoming Martin Hynes-directed, Sundance-approved film, 'The Go Getter,' in which the pair cover Richard and Linda Thompson's 'When I Get to the Border.' "I was amazed by the quality," Ward said of Deschanel's songs, which she played for him at his request. He told the AV Club, "I just had an incredible time working with her. She's an amazing talent, and a genius vocalist ... I'm looking forward to people hearing this record."

In celebration of actors who rock, check out our gallery of more than 50 movie stars who've made the jump, after the, well, jump.

Continue reading M. Ward & Zooey Deschanel Make Beautiful Music Together

While practically every motion picture has a soundtrack, the songs in most films are often nothing more than background music to be compiled into an album that hopes to create additional revenue for the production. However, there are exceptions where the movie's identity is greatly shaped by the music chosen for it. The positive word of mouth for 'Juno' couldn't be stronger, and it's largely due to the music delivered by Kimya Dawson, who is known for her work as one-half of the Moldy Peaches.

Composer Mateo Messina based the film's score on Dawson's music, which helps tell the story of Juno, the witty and hilarious Minnesota girl who is dealing with pregnancy at age 16. The score often reflects Juno's bittersweet character and serve as a metaphor in the film. The soundtrack is pieced together with artists including Belle & Sebastian, the Velvet Underground, Cat Power among others. As integral as Dawson's songs were integral to 'Juno,' the songstress gives a more intimate side to the creation of each one.

Continue reading Kimya Dawson Reflects on the Music Behind 'Juno'

What's says "Happy Holidays" better than a barber-turned-serial-killer who slits his victims' throats with a straight razor and guzzles their blood? Absolutely nothing.

To that end, we bring you an exclusive look at the highly-anticipated, Tim Burton-directed film 'Sweeney Todd,' including interviews with music composer Steven Sondheim, music producer Mike Higham and actors Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter.

In the clip, we find out why Carter thinks her Academy Award-winning castmate is "very sexy" and why Depp calls 'Sweeney Todd' "nothing short of a masterpiece." Oh, and you get to see Sacha Baron Cohen ('Borat') in some awesomely tight blue leggings.

More on 'Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street'

Continue reading Behind the Scenes of Tim Burton's 'Sweeney Todd'

Elliott Smith Film May Get Released in '08

Elliott Smith's publicist has confirmed the existence of an unreleased short film, wherein the late folk singer plays a ... Rastafarian basketball player?

In addition, according to Wholphin, a DVD site covering rare and unseen short films, the film was directed by Paul Thomas Anderson ('Boogie NIghts,' 'Magnolia,' 'Punch-Drunk Love,'). But beyond the project's visionary, little else is known, including its title. However, reports point to a mid-2008 release.

In 1997, Smith was nominated for an Oscar for his folk tune 'Miss Misery,' featured on the soundtrack of the Academy Award-winning film 'Good Will Hunting.'

Anderson's latest film, 'There Will Be Blood,' which was scored by Radiohead guitarist Johnny Greenwood, is set for release on December 27.

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