wnyc.org / 93.9fm / am 820

Soundcheck

Tuesday, November 09, 2004
  • Fanny Ardant in Callas Forever</em> - Regent / Here! Films - Franco Zeffirelli
    Fanny Ardant in Callas Forever (Regent / Here! Films - Franco Zeffirelli)

    Music at the Multiplex

    The musician biopic is a time-honored Hollywood genre that adheres to certain formulas: a heart-warming love story, triumphs over personal or creative odds, and a dash of music education. But two recent films offer a break from the formula. Gene Santoro, music critic for New York Daily News and The Nation, gives us the low-down on the Ray Charles film biography "Ray," which stars Jamie Foxx as the late, great Genius of Soul. We then turn our attention to "Callas Forever," fictionalized look at the final days in the life of opera diva Maria Callas, played by Fanny Ardant, which opens in theaters this Friday. Music writer and Callas expert Marion Lignana Rosenberg joins us with a review. Also: what is it about concerts and encores? Joan Anderman writes in the Boston Globe: “There's something terribly manipulative about encores these days. Tacked on at the end of virtually every show, no matter how poorly attended, modestly performed, or tepidly received, the default encore implies a relationship between performer and audience that often doesn't exist.” She joins us as we take listener calls on the topic.

Best Live Performances of 2008

Soundcheck

We revisit memorable in-studio performances from Toumani Diabaté, Cat Power, Regina Spektor, and others.

The Year in Music and Branding

Soundcheck

Pop music and advertising go together like peanut butter and jelly. Grey Group music director Josh Rabinowitz shares his picks for the best song picks and ad campaigns of 2008.

Critics Week

Soundcheck

Music writers look back at the year's best pop, rock, hip hop, classical, jazz, Latin and world albums. Plus: the worst music of the year and the best online music. Read our critics' lists here. And don't forget to cast your vote in our best-albums poll.

Noteworthy New York

Soundcheck

We have invited musicians and artists to help us select their favorite cultural destination in the neighborhood where they live. From parks and coffee shops to bowling alleys and museums, the options are as diverse as our group of contributors.