The three-and-a-half minute clip shows the band tearing through a handful of hits, including ‘Welcome to the Jungle,’ ‘Sweet Child O’Mine,’ ‘Live and Let Die,’ ‘November Rain,’ ‘You Could Be Mine,’ ‘Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door’ and ‘Paradise City. The setlist for the show includes those as well as covers by Pink Floyd(‘Another Brick in the Wall, Pt. 2′), the Who (‘The Seeker’) and Neil Young (‘Don’t Let it Bring You Down’).

Release date for ‘Appetite for Democracy’ has yet to be announced, but the YouTube page for the trailer says that it will be in theaters, 3D Blu-ray, and DVD, as well as via a worldwide television broadcast. You can find out more information on the movie’s Facebook page.

Guns N’ Roses aren’t the only rock legends putting out a 3D concert movie this year. On Aug. 9, Metallicawill release ‘Through the Never,’ a film that combines performance footage with a plot about a roadie sent on an errand that winds up taking a typically Metallica-esque series of twists and turns.

Guns N’ Roses will play at Rocklahoma headlining the Friday night kickoff night on May 24, 2013.  For more information please visit http://rocklahoma.com/.

Project Backstage

Source: Ultimate Classic Rock

A veteran Moroccan actor with decades of film experience,Ouazzani was bemused to wake up one morning and find that his role in The History Channel’s popular five-part miniseries “The Bible” had become the latest way for conservative commentators in the United States to needle the president.

“One morning somebody called me and said ‘you have to look at your email’ and I was so surprised,” Ouazzani told The Associated Press in Casablanca before jetting off to the remote desert town of Erfoud, where he’s playing a police inspector in a German crime drama.

“For someone like me, a simple unknown actor, to find himself in a controversy like this — even though it’s nonsense — it makes me known around the world, so it’s something positive,” he said with a chuckle.

With gray hair pulled back in a ponytail, an expressive face and a slim Errol Flynn-style pencil mustache, Ouazzani doesn’t look a great deal like America’s 44th president — but then he doesn’t resemble a stereotypical Satan very much either.

It was only after an hour and a half of makeup and a heavy hooded robe in Morocco’s blazing desert that Ouazzani became the figure on a mountain top tempting Jesus.

It’s this new look that laid the stage for the Obama comparisons.

After the episode aired in mid-March, conservative firebrand commentator Glenn Beck tweeted to millions of his followers : “Does Satan look EXACTLY like Obama? Yes!” The cry was taken up by others and provoked a fierce response from Obama’s supporters that compelled the History Channel to announce it had “the highest respect” for Obama, and “it’s unfortunate that anyone made this false connection.”

Part of the resonance of the controversy was the sheer success of the miniseries, which had 13 million viewers for its first episode — beating out even “American Idol.” The final episode, featuring the passion of Christ, aired on Easter, March 31, and had 11.7 million viewers — competing handily with the season finale of cable favorite “The Walking Dead.”

Conservative television personalities Bill O’Reilly and Sean Hannity were still talking about it weeks later on their shows, with Hannity telling “The Bible” executive producer Roma Downey that he, too, thought the program’s Satan resembled Obama.

In a statement, Downey maintained that she and fellow producer and husband Mark Burnett “have nothing but respect and love our president, who is a fellow Christian,” adding that “false statements such as these are just designed as a foolish distraction to try and discredit the beauty of the story of the Bible.”

It’s not Ouazzani’s first tour through the pages of Christianity’s holy book. He appeared in the 2006 mini-series “Ten Commandments” and the 2000 production “In the Beginning,” as well as a string of other biblical productions in the 1990s.

Previous film productions have taken advantage of this North African country’s stark deserts and lush palm groves to recreate ancient Palestine. “I’ve seen several different Jesuses and Judases and I’ve played Satanic characters before, I played Judas.”

Still, Ouazzani found playing Satan this time quite a challenge, as he tried to convey intensity with little more than his eyes, delivering the devil’s grim temptations to Jesus in sepulchral tones.

“I have a very expressive face, when African or Moroccan people talk, we talk with our faces,” he said, describing his scenes as the prince of darkness playing opposite Portuguese actor Diogo Morgado’s Jesus. “Satan taught me how to manage my close-ups, because Satan didn’t feel anything, didn’t suffer anything.”

Ouazzani’s face lights up as he talks about the filming, displaying little real-life resemblance to his gloomy character in the movie.

Ouazzani praised the producers and the professionalism on the set, which dealt with its own set of challenges, including Morocco’s ample desert serpent population.

“Before you go to the set, there was a special person who knows about serpents and scorpions and they go through and clean everything,” said Ouazzani, describing how one of the snake wranglers even caught one in the middle of production.

“He came into the middle of the set, he looked around and then went running and took up a snake from under the sand with his hand,” he said.

Ouzzani said working on a series like “The Bible” has been particularly enjoyable because it gives him a taste of the Hollywood system — something many Moroccan actors yearn to do.

“Hollywood is the only cinema where I really feel like an actor,” he said, “the rest feels do-it-yourself.”

While dozens of American productions have been shot in Morocco, including “Gladiator,” ”Kingdom of Heaven,” ”Blackhawk Down,” ”The Bourne Ultimatum” and most recently the TV series “Game of Thrones,” they feature comparatively few Moroccan actors.

Ouazzani ascribes being cast to luck and knowing the right people — but speaking French, Spanish, Italian, English and Arabic hasn’t hurt. He credits his time as a flight attendant for the national airline, Royal Air Maroc, with putting him in daily touch with people from all over the world.

He started acting in his 20s and has appeared on the Spanish stage, played a police inspector in French movies, and will play a terrorist leader in an upcoming Spanish film about the 2011 bombing of a tourist cafe in Marrakech.

And who knows, maybe a chance comment by a conservative commentator will open the gates to Hollywood.

“Some good has come out of this,” he said, adding with a twinkle in his eye: “Before, I knew who Obama was, and now he knows me, and if he has time I’d like to invite him and his family for couscous in Morocco.”

Source: Yahoo Entertainment

“Accidental Racist” is a track from Paisley’s ninth album, “Wheelhouse,” which was released on Tuesday. The song describes a hypothetical encounter between a Confederate flag-wearing white Southern man and an urban African-American man in a coffee shop. Some critics have disparaged the song’s content and artistry.

“I wouldn’t change a thing,” Paisley, one of country music’s most popular artists, wrote on Twitter. “This is a record meant to be FAR from easy listening. But fun. Like life. Have a ball, ya’ll.”

In “Accidental Racist,” Paisley sings: “Our generation didn’t start this nation, and we’re still picking up the pieces, walking on eggshells, fighting over yesterday,” referring to post-Civil War race relations. “Caught between Southern pride and Southern blame.”

LL Cool J, 45, responds with a rap that includes lyrics such as: “Just because my pants are sagging doesn’t mean I’m up to no good. You should try to get to know me,” and “I’d love to buy you a beer, conversate and clear the air, but I see that red flag and I think you wish I wasn’t here.”

Paisley has said he wanted the song to get people talking.

Several critics have panned it for what they described as a soft, apologetic treatment of lingering racial tension in the United States.

Industry website Billboard.com called “Accidental Racist” a “flat-footed apology for hate-induced uneasiness.” The Atlantic magazine said the “assumption that there is no real difference among black people is exactly what racism is.”

“Wheelhouse” is expected to land Paisley near the top of the U.S. album charts next week.

(Reporting by Chris Michaud; Editing by Eric Kelsey and Stacey Joyce)

Source: Yahoo Entertainment

The Academy of Country Music Awards on Sunday were seen by an estimated 15.5 million people, the Nielsen company said. It is believed to be the first time the ACM awards outdrew the more established Country Music Association awards, which took place in November.

A much-anticipated musical pairing of George Strait and Garth Brooks, performing in a tribute to the late Dick Clark, was a highlight of Sunday’s show. Luke Bryan was paired with Blake Shelton of “The Voice” as co-host, then beat him for entertainer of the year in what was considered an upset.

The Los Angeles-based Academy of Country Music was formed in the 1960s in response to the Nashville-based Country Music Association, and the two have been rivals for attention in the industry. The CMA’s first televised awards show came in 1968, with the ACM following in 1972. TheCMA awards have been more popular in every year since the advent of Nielsen’s “people meter” ratings system in 1988, and presumably before that.

The CMA awards had 13.7 million viewers in November, Nielsen said. But ABC points out that it was televised only a few days after Superstorm Sandy struck the East Coast and left millions of people without power; the same awards show had 16.4 million people the year before.

The prime-time Final Four matchup between Michigan and Syracuse gave CBS another big audience on Saturday, traditionally a quiet night of TV viewing. It was seen by 17.1 million people.

Last week also had an unusual sight: two episodes of “American Idol” finishing outside of Nielsen’s 10 most popular programs. ABC’s “Dancing With the Stars” and NBC’s “The Voice” were both more popular. In fact, it was largely due to “The Voice” that NBC finished ahead of Fox among younger viewers.

ABC’s new sitcom “How to Live With Your Parents” had a strong debut with 8.4 million viewers, helped by following the popular “Modern Family” on the schedule. NBC’s “Hannibal,” a drama that the struggling network had pinned some high hopes upon, was seen by 4.4 million, Nielsen said.

CBS won the week handily in prime time, averaging 11.3 million viewers (7.0 rating, 11 share). ABC was second with a 6.7 million viewer average (4.4, 7), NBC had 5.24 million viewers (3.3, 5), Fox had 5.15 million (3.2, 5), the CW had 1.12 million (0.7, 1) and ION Television had 1.1 million (0.8, 1).

Among the Spanish-language networks, Univision led with a 3.6 million prime-time average (1.9, 3), Telemundo had 1.4 million (0.7, 1), UniMas had 520,000 (0.3, 0), Estrella had 190,000 and Azteca 100,000 (both 0.1, 0).

NBC’s “Nightly News” topped the evening newscasts with an average of 8.4 million viewers (5.6, 11). ABC’s “World News” was second with 7.4 million (5.1, 11) and the “CBS Evening News” had 6.4 million viewers (4.3, 8).

A ratings point represents 1,147,000 households, or 1 percent of the nation’s estimated 114.7 million TV homes. The share is the percentage of in-use televisions tuned to a given show.

For the week of April 1-7, the top 10 shows, their networks and viewerships: “The Big Bang Theory,” CBS, 17.24 million; NCAA Final Four: Syracuse vs Michigan, CBS, 17.1 million people; Academy of Country Music Awards,” CBS, 15.51 million. “Person of Interest,” CBS, 14.57 million; “NCAA Basketball Bridge Show,” CBS, 14.33 million; “Dancing With the Stars Results,” ABC, 13.98 million; “The Voice” (Tuesday), NBC, 13.93 million; “Dancing with the Stars,” ABC, 13.91 million; “Two and a Half Men,” CBS, 13.71 million; “The Voice” (Monday), NBC, 13.31 million.

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ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Co. CBS is owned by CBS Corp. CW is a joint venture of Warner Bros. Entertainment and CBS Corp. Fox and My Network TV are units of News Corp. NBC and Telemundo are owned by Comcast Corp. ION Television is owned by ION Media Networks. TeleFutura is a division of Univision. Azteca America is a wholly owned subsidiary of TV Azteca S.A. de C.V.

Source: Yahoo Entertainment

Times Square is crawling with entrepreneurs who dress up as pop-culture characters and try to make a few bucks posing for photos with visitors to the big city. But some of these characters are unlike anything you’ve seen on “Sesame Street” or at Disney World.

They smoke, they use foul language, and they can be aggressive. At least three of them have been arrested in the past seven months.

“He was using words that were really bad,” said Parmita Kurada of Stamford, Conn., who told police she got into a dispute this week with a man in a Cookie Monster costume who demanded $2 for posing with her 2-year-old son, Samay.

Kurada said that when she told the Cookie Monster that her husband needed to get cash, the shaggy blue creature pushed the boy and began calling her and the child obscene names.

“It was very scary for us, and I was crying. I didn’t want to provoke him, so I said, ‘We’ll give you the money, but stop yelling!’” she said.

Osvaldo Quiroz-Lopez, 33, was charged with assault, child endangerment and aggressive begging. His lawyer did not immediately return a call for comment.

Asked by a WNBC-TV reporter why he no longer likes the character he sees on “Sesame Street,” little Samay said: “Because Cookie Monster give me boo-boo.”

In the wake of the latest arrest, the bustling “Crossroads of the World” was filled Tuesday with performers, including multiple versions of Mickey and Minnie Mouse, Hello Kitty, a Transformer robot, Lady Liberty, Super Mario and Elmo.

Many of them are immigrants trying to eke out a living in what appear to be knockoff costumes.

As street performers protected by the First Amendment, they are free to roam Times Square and work for tips that average between $2 and $5 a photo as long as they don’t block traffic, sell merchandise or demand payment, police say. That’s a ticketable offense that can cost about $60.

“I don’t think they should charge, but if they’re unemployed or homeless, and this is the only way they can make money, it’s OK,” said Lauren Larcara of Oakland, N.J., who posed with a torch-carrying Statue of Liberty.

Laura Vanegas, a 45-year-old native of Ecuador, changes into her Liberty robes and applies copper-green face paint behind the Times Square military recruiting station. She said she picks up $30 to $50 on her eight-hour shift.

Steve Crass, dressed as a robot in fluorescent red and white plastic panels, said he has made as much as $280 during his six-hour stint in front of Toys R Us. He acknowledged: “Some of the characters are a little too aggressive.”

Police spokesman Paul Browne said in an email that the department has had “occasional issues with the ‘faux paws’ in Times Square, but they’re nominal.”

The case against the Super Mario charged with groping is still pending. The Elmo accused of an anti-Semitic rant pleaded guilty in September to disorderly conduct and was sentenced to two days of community service.

City Council Speaker Christine Quinn called the Cookie Monster case “just horrible” and said lawmakers have been looking into how to regulate the characters. But she noted the issue is, well, fuzzy.

“It’s very challenging legally because dressing up in a costume and walking around Times Square is, we believe, a First Amendment-protected activity,” said Quinn, a candidate to be New York’s next mayor.

Similar cases of misbehavior by costumed performers have been reported in Hollywood.

Disney did not respond to a request for comment, while the Sesame Workshop, the organization behind “Sesame Street,” said it has not authorized such uses of any its characters in any city and is looking into what actions it can take.

Anthony Elia, a New York lawyer in the intellectual-property field, said the entertainment groups probably have a case for trademark infringement, but “the challenge probably would be getting a bunch of self-employed entrepreneurial individuals to stop.”

It’s not the easiest way to make a living. On a day when temperatures pushed 80, they sweated in their outfits, coming out from under their oversized costume heads only to grab a hot dog or a smoke. When one posed for a photo, two or three others dashed over and joined in.

“Want to take a picture?” a furry red Elmo asked a tourist. Moments later, he declined to speak to a reporter, saying through his costume, “I no speak English.”

A Minnie Mouse offered a toddler in a stroller her hand and positioned herself at the handlebar. A Super Mario rushed over to join her.

“She said, ‘Can you give us money?’” said the child’s mother, Melanie Somogyi of Hamilton, Ontario. “And they grabbed the stroller!”

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AP reporters Colleen Long, Karen Matthews and Jennifer Peltz in New York contributed to this report.

Source: Yahoo Entertainment

At the start of the night there was small problems with transforming the venue from a show that was in there right before the ballot release event, to be suitable to the needs of the PB show.  With that came some confusion but was quickly worked out to ensure everyone that was remaining in the venue was there to see the show.

As people kept streaming into the venue, the PB staff honored Solus front-woman Laura Roach as she was celebrating her birthday while taking the stage for the show.  Cake was distributed throughout, some flung, most eaten.  JoJo Valdez and Jake from Green Music Brothers were on the second stage starting what would turn into a “jam stage”.  Without any mics or PA hooked up, they entertained in between each set change of the main stage, and many musicians throughout the night stepped up to play drums or guitar and just have fun.  Even Paul Chandler from Alice 102 and KC Local Artists Radio was seen playing a few songs.

While all of that was going on through the night, the main stage demanded the attention.  The performers were all playing at above par and some totally blew people away.

Chance The Arm

Chance the Arm is not your typical rock band that runs around Kansas City.  They take Celtic Rock and infuse some metal undertones and hard rock riffs to perform a completely unique amazing sound that works very well.  Add in the fiddles and other non-traditional instruments and you have a rich, full body performance that is right on key and never missing a step.  Ricky Sands from The Liars Scene was quoted saying “Where the **** did these guys come from, they are the Mumford and Sons of Celtic Rock”.  Many guests were completely blown away and rushed to try and find members of the band as they came off stage to find out more about Chance the Arm.  The performance goes without saying they were the complete surprise of the night, and kicked off the show at a level that was unexpected and at such a high bar that the night had nowhere to go but into awesomeness after them.  I truly believe if this band holds together, there is absolutely nothing that can hold them back from moving way beyond KC shows very soon.

Solus

Solus was exactly what you expect from them.  Solid, fun, energetic, and crowd controlling.  From the first note out of lead singer Laura Roach’s mouth the crowd was hers and the rest of the band on stage.  If they said jump, the crowd would do it.  If they said yell, it got real loud really fast.  Without a doubt Solus took the rains of this show and lead their set from start to finish without leaving anything behind.  They were at the best that I have ever seen them, and that is being said even with trying to be critical of them.

Unwritten Rulz

This was Unwritten Rulz first time performing a Project Backstage show, but not the first time we had seen them.  While solid numbers are not available - they had the largest crowd in the main room of the main stage I believe.  All the bands had above average numbers watching them but Unwritten Rulz had the edge.  From the first person in the front row at center stage, completely to the back of the house clear to (and past) the soundboard at the back of the room, this band dominated the crowd and kept pulling them into the show.  I was that guy clear at the back and I felt like I was as much into the show as the person up front.  It can not be explained what they do to make you feel like that, but there is a niche with them that works very well in this aspect.  The performance once again goes without saying that it was top notch and pure quality throughout.

Waiting on Forever

Waiting on Forever is a collaboration of musicians known from other bands.  Front-woman Casi McCall has always been known for strong vocals, Dana Scott is known for being an amazing drummer and just a downright cool person, and Bryant Bridges is from The Liars Scene and tore up the stage with them for quite some time.  The quality that this band is capable of is top notch and they without a doubt kept the energy at a very high level thoughout the set.  From the first time that PB reviewed them at their first show at the Voodoo at Harrahs North Kansas City to now, the progress has been nothing short of amazing.  Casi has found her home and comfort spot on the stage again and has no problem taking ownership of the crowd.

Mad Libby

Everyone is starting to know the name Mad Libby in KC because of the achievements this band has reached over the past year.  From winning California Dreaming, to playing Rocklahoma, then being asked to open for Black Stone Cherry at a monster show in the now closed Beaumont Club, and many more, they have quickly went from a small club band to stepping up the entire presence and sound and really do define what entertainment can be on the stage.  Even when this band has that “off night” not many can notice because of the straight factor of being entertainers and the performance at this show was nothing short of that.

Sober Overdose

The members and talent in this band can not be talked about enough.  Sober Overdose is easily one of those bands that is in that category of being seriously underrated.  Once again this band can throw down and entertain on top of displaying the talent that is needed with a band just to have a foundation to build on.  If given the opportunity to thrive it is believed that Sober Overdose has what it takes hidden inside of them to take their project to a whole new level.

The show overall was very well attended and the ballot was announced in between each song.  We expected a large turnout, but the energy and positive vibes continued into the ballot release this year that many are familure with through the main event awards show.

None of this could have happened without the entire staff helping and making it happen.  Carrie, Holly, Bob, Jericka, Rachel, Sean, Allen, Cory, Dylan, and many others stuck it out and busted everything they had for a smooth show.  We can not wait for the Awards Show back at Aftershock on March 23rd!

Frank Arena
Project Backstage

One such Band I recently witnessed is a band from Independence called “Shades of Gray“. They were playing at a biker bar and did a good job judging the audience and playing to the wishes of the crowd without them asking. That is the sign of a good band in general, but most cover bands are the only ones that can pull that off it seems. They did have an excellent opening band and ran the sound for that band and themselves. They also played much longer than a good local original band does…so Kudos to them.  The bar really seemed to enjoy the live music over just a Juke Box,

Anyway, here are a few other things I noticed that, bodes well for a local hole. The drink prices. They are usually half of any “Venue” and they are usually strong. The People, the bar staff is much more attentive, even when the place gets busy, and man do these places seem to get busy. And the regulars are often very friendly to newcomers. I suppose the regulars plus the fans a cover band might bring are the reason these places get so busy, especially in a place that holds 100-150 people. Everyone claps when they hear songs they liked and some even sing along. I suppose for music lovers who can only get out every so often because of a family or whatever the big venue shows seem to be the way to go, but I suggest that every so often they just stop in the local watering hole, have a few drinks, play some pool and listen to the music you grew up listening to on the radio…I dare you not to have a good time.

JD Enke
Project Backstage