ZZ Top coming to The Big E to perform on the last day of the fair
The American rock band including vocalist-guitarist Billy Gibbons, drummer Frank Beard, and Elwood Francis will be coming to the West Springfield fairgrounds to perform on Sunday, September 28th. Tickets will officially go on sale this Friday at 10:00 a.m. on The Big E website.
ZZ Top was formed in Houston, Texas in 1969 with Gibbons, Beard, and bassist-vocalist Dusty Hill. Francis joined after Hill passed away in 2021. Their first album was certified Diamond, far beyond Gold and Platinum, with sales exceeding 10 million units. They have a total of 15 studio albums and sold an estimated 50 million records.
British-American rock band Foreigner to perform this year at The Big E
The Elevation Tour begins in March with two shows in Alabama before heading to Florida. The band performs several shows across the country and then heads overseas to Australia and New Zealand.
The 109th Big E Fair will run from September 12 through September 28.
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Los Angeles Times
a few seconds ago
- Los Angeles Times
She was always meant to play Jean Seberg. Now Zoey Deutch has her own ‘Breathless'
When making a movie about the behind-the-scenes saga of one of the most transformative and influential films of all time, one might not expect it all to hinge on a haircut. And yet for the team behind 'Nouvelle Vague,' about the production of Jean-Luc Godard's radically freewheeling 1960 feature debut, 'Breathless,' it kind of did. As the film's director, Richard Linklater, puts it, 'All the roads led up to the haircut moment.' Linklater, himself a generationally influential filmmaker for movies such as 'Slacker,' 'Before Sunrise' and 'Boyhood,' first worked with actor Zoey Deutch on the 2016 baseball comedy 'Everybody Wants Some!!' It was then that he first mentioned to her the idea of playing Jean Seberg, the American star who took on the female lead in Godard's Paris-set film about a doomed low-level gangster on the run from the police. (Having premiered earlier this year at Cannes, 'Nouvelle Vague' will touch down at festivals in both Toronto and New York before coming to theaters Oct. 31, then on Netflix on Nov. 14.) Seberg's haircut in the original film, a super-short, blond pixie cut, rewrote fashion trends around the world and encapsulated a spirit of youthful, diffident insouciance. Working with colorist Tracey Cunningham and stylist Bridget Brager in Los Angeles, Deutch recreated the look. During a recent interview at Netflix's offices on Sunset Boulevard with a straight-on view of the Hollywood sign, Deutch says she had no fear about the transformation. 'It was so much harder for everybody else around me,' says Deutch, 30, her hair currently at a sleek shoulder length and dyed a rich dark brown. 'I found that people, women and men, were like, 'How do you feel? Are you OK? This is so crazy. What's it like?' It was the focal point of every discussion. It was like a cool social experiment.' For Linklater, it was worth the wait. 'You can imagine for months and months I'm in Paris, saying, 'This is Jean Seberg,' and people are seeing this dark-haired American,' recalls Linklater in a Zoom call from his home in Texas. 'I was like, 'She's the perfect Seberg, trust me.' And then in through the door comes the pixie-cutted Zoey as Seberg. And everybody was like, 'Oh, OK. That's her.'' Deutch often brings a mischievous playfulness to her performances, a knowing sense that she gets it, regardless of the genre or situation. Which fits in well with the movie-mad world of Godard and the community of French New Wave filmmakers in 'Nouvelle Vague.' 'Zoey's a good old-fashioned chameleon,' says Linklater, calling her a 'body-of-work actress' for the broad range of roles she is capable of, from the teen drama 'Before I Fall' to rom-coms like 'Set It Up' and even a legal thriller in 'Juror #2.' 'You look at her films, she can be very different and not afraid to play an a— or someone who has very strong feelings, and so there's a certain constant bravery to Zoey that I really admire.' In the intervening years since shooting 'Everybody Wants Some!!,' Linklater and Deutch have remained in-touch and he casually mentioned the Seberg project once or twice. A few years ago, on the off chance it might actually come to be, Deutch began studying the films of the French New Wave and learning to speak French. 'I thought just in case, let me be ready to be lucky,' she says, in Los Angeles for a day while on a break from shooting the upcoming 'Voicemails for Isabelle' in Vancouver. There was a television interview from August 1960 in which Seberg gives a tour of her apartment in Paris, speaking both French and English, that became a touchstone for Deutch. You can hear Seberg attempting to mask her natural Midwestern accent with a more mid-Atlantic flavor popular among performers at that time — and then also speak French on top of that. 'I was grateful that I got to play her at a moment in time when her French wasn't perfect, because that was less intimidating,' says Deutch. She adds, 'I find her to be an incredibly mysterious person. And me not speaking French and having to learn the language helped me kind of step into her a little bit a lot more, between that and the hair. There's a certain set of challenges with doing an entire movie in a language you don't speak, but a huge gift because it helped me understand her essence.' Originally from Marshalltown, Iowa, Seberg leaped to fame following an international talent search by director Otto Preminger for the leading role of his 1957 medieval epic, 'Saint Joan.' The actor was physically harmed while shooting the film's climactic burned-at-the-stake scene, then suffered terribly from the film's bad reviews. Preminger cast her again in his 1958 'Bonjour Tristesse' and again psychologically tormented her during the film's production. After 'Breathless' made her an international star, Seberg's career continued to have its ups and downs, with her radical politics leading to her being put under surveillance by the FBI. In 1979, her body would be discovered in the backseat of her car in Paris, her death ruled a suicide. 'Is the rest of her life incredibly fascinating and intense and tragic? Yes,' says Deutch. 'But Rick was really adamant on telling a story at a very specific moment in time. We're not telling anything that happens after. Godard is not a legend yet. You don't know who this guy is, what he's doing. He's not who he was later. Don't read the last page of the book when we're still on Page 1.' The teasing dynamic between Seberg and Godard (played by Guillaume Marbeck) is the core of 'Nouvelle Vague,' with Seberg often exasperated by the emerging director's unconventional ideas — and vocal about it. Deutch's impressions of Marbeck's deadpan Godardian grumble, sometimes affectionate, sometimes sarcastically biting, are a comedic highlight of the movie. Eventually the two come to appreciate each other. In preparing for the film, Deutch realized she would in essence be playing three parts: the actual Seberg, the character of Patricia in 'Breathless' and the moments when Seberg is popping through while playing Patricia. The re-creation in 'Nouvelle Vague' of one of the most famous scenes from 'Breathless,' — Jean-Paul Belmondo and Seberg sharing a flirtatious stroll down the Champs-Élysées — required Deutch to exhaustively match the onscreen movements of Seberg as Patricia while also speaking as Seberg, since the film had its dialogue recorded later, essentially playing two characters at the same time. While Seberg may have been plucked from obscurity and tossed into a literal trial-by-fire with her first two movies, Deutch was born in Los Angeles, the child of 'Back to the Future' star Lea Thompson and veteran director Howard Deutch ('Pretty in Pink'). Still, she recognized something in Seberg's struggles. 'There is a sort of collective unconscious understanding amongst anyone who's been a young actress — you get it,' says Deutch. 'No one's exempt from the experience of what it means to be a woman in Hollywood at a young age, regardless of what year it is. 'But I have immense empathy and feel deep pain for her circumstances of not having a community around her that could help her, when she was 19, navigate in these in insane waters,' adds Deutch. 'She's an incredibly strong, brave, brilliant woman. It's absolutely correct we have very different backgrounds and I feel for anybody that comes into this world and doesn't have a foundation or a support system around them.' The production of 'Nouvelle Vague' had access to voluminous information on the production of 'Breathless,' from many books and documentaries to the paperwork of the original shoot itself. The actual camera used by cinematographer Raoul Coutard to shoot 'Breathless' is the one seen onscreen capturing the action in 'Nouvelle Vague.' While the film's costume designer, Pascaline Chavanne, did deep-dive research into the origins of the clothes in the original film, some garments were provided by Chanel, including a reproduction of a cappuccino-colored striped dress that Deutch liked so much she wore it to the photo call for the film at Cannes. The production had to recreate the iconic T-shirt worn by Seberg for the Champs-Élysées scene featuring the logo for the New York Herald Tribune. It has become one of the film's most cherished images. 'There were places where we could be more fluid and interpretive, but that shirt was not one of them,' recalls Deutch, with genuine seriousness. 'We wanted the ribbing to be perfect. We did so many different variations of it with the text and the size and getting it perfect.' Deutch also reverse-engineered moments from 'Breathless' that she would drop in elsewhere in 'Nouvelle Vague,' such as skipping onto set or repeating a line with different inflections, to imply that Godard may have plucked them from the world of the film's production and inserted them into the story. She observed this was a technique Linklater had used when they were shooting 'Everybody Wants Some!!' to bring the unpredictable liveliness of the making of the movie into the movie itself. 'I basically just obsessively watched 'Breathless' and said, 'What are some weird moments that I'm confused why they're there?'' says Deutch, who sees Godard and Linklater as similar in spirit. 'They are both directors of deep and true authenticity. And I liked the idea that both of them would do something like that because they're present and they're looking.' Linklater describes making the new film as 'a kind of séance' with the dead, noting that only two people portrayed in the movie are known to still be alive. Recreating a famous moment — such as when Seberg runs her finger over her lips as Belmondo had done — was deeply meaningful to him: an invocation. 'My favorite moments are when you finish a scene — an actor does something just great — and you're the first one to know it,' says Linklater. 'You've worked on it and you recognize it and you know what they just did was fantastic. And you can't wait to edit it and put it in the movie. 'But then they say 'cut' and the real world quickly fills up that space,' he adds. 'Magic just happened but then, OK, we're moving on. Just the way life seeps back into the magic — what did it look like to everyone else there?' 'There's always that layer when you're filming a movie, it's just people don't know it's there,' says Deutch. 'No one ever watches the movie and knows that day you got into a fight with your husband or your dog died or it was raining and your mascara was smearing. No one has any context and no one really cares. Generally they see it for what it is. But you feel it and see it and remember.' She's articulating a mission statement as good as any. In combining the emotions of 'Breathless' with the story of its creation, 'Nouvelle Vague' finds a heart and meaning of its own: when people with ambition, talent and creative drive step into their own power.
Chicago Tribune
31 minutes ago
- Chicago Tribune
Today in Chicago History: The Beatles play two shows at Comiskey Park, and scarcely a note was heard
Here's a look back at what happened in the Chicago area on Aug. 20, according to the Tribune's archives. Is an important event missing from this date? Email us. Weather records (from the National Weather Service, Chicago) How George Halas' columns for the Chicago Tribune, a field goal and a charity game helped the Chicago Bears prove their legitimacy in 19351948: The National League champion Chicago Cardinals beat the College All-Stars 28-0 in front of 101,220 fans at Soldier Field. Chicago White Sox pitchers have thrown 20 no-hitters since 1902 — including 3 perfect games. Relive them all here.1957: Bob Keegan — at 37 — became the oldest player to throw a no-hitter for the Chicago White Sox. The Sox beat the Washington Senators 6-0 in the second game of a doubleheader at Comiskey Park. 1961: The international press called it 'a stunning upset.' Three American teenagers scored a Wightman Cup victory at Saddle & Cycle Club over veteran British tennis stars Ann Haydon, Cristine Truman, Angela Mortimer and Deidre Catt. Billie Jean King on today's tennis, the media and a new play at Chicago Shakespeare about her lifeThe American teens were Karen Hantze and Justina Bricka, both 18, and bouncy 17-year-old Billie Jean Moffitt, who spurred on her own game by muttering 'Come on, baby' to herself. Moffitt later played under her married name, King. The American teens had lost to the same Britons at Wimbledon earlier in the year. They said that playing the established British stars before huge crowds helped them gain experience and confidence for the Wightman matches in Chicago. 1965: After arriving quietly at Chicago's Midway Airport, the Beatles played a day-night doubleheader at Comiskey Park. More than 50,000 incessantly screaming fans drowned out the Beatles during the 3 p.m. and 8 p.m. shows. John Lennon, then 24, was not annoyed. 'They pay good prices to get in (top tickets, $5.50). Who are we to say whether or not they should scream?' A solid line of officers sat shoulder to shoulder, with their backs to the infield, to prevent teens from taking second base, where the Beatles performed on a plywood bandstand. Paul McCartney singing 'I'm Down' pumped up the volume of the screamfest. Based on that alone, Tribune reviewer Will Leonard surmised that this was 'easily the artistic success of the evening.' The take at the Comiskey gate was an estimated $150,000 to $160,000, compared with the year before at the Chicago Amphitheatre, when the Beatles had a reported $30,000 in ticket sales. After the concert the Beatles stopped at Margie's Candies in Bucktown for ice cream, recalled owner Peter Poulos Jr. 'They sat at the back booth and ordered Atomic Busters (banana splits standing up). They began singing, John was standing on the table. The place was packed. They stayed about an hour.' 1976: Polish Cardinal Karol Wojtyla led a group of bishops on a tour of the United States that included Chicago. He returned in October 1979 — then known as Pope John Paul II. 2014: The Chicago Cubs won 2-0 over the San Francisco Giants after 4½ innings and a 4-hour, 34-minute rain delay when the grounds crew mishandled the tarp. The Giants appealed the ruling, won, but lost 2-1 a day later. Subscribe to the free Vintage Chicago Tribune newsletter, join our Chicagoland history Facebook group, stay current with Today in Chicago History and follow us on Instagram for more from Chicago's past.
Miami Herald
an hour ago
- Miami Herald
This Miami filmmaker made an animated boxing drama — starring roosters
Imagine if Rocky Balboa were a Cuban fighting rooster and his dream of becoming a great boxer was forged in Little Havana. The protagonist of 'Pollo Punch,' a short film directed by Cuban-American Miami native Alec Castillo, probably didn't need to seek inspiration from Sylvester Stallone's iconic character because Cuba has produced so many great boxers of its own. But his short film combines all the elements of a 'Rocky' film with Castillo's own roots. 'Pollo Punch' is 'basically a boxing drama with roosters,' said Castillo about the short film he presented in March at the Miami Film Festival, and that later won the Best International Animated Short Film award at the Puerto Rico Film Festival. But 'Pollo Punch' is much more; it's funny, clever, tender, and quintessentially Cuban without letting that detail overshadow it. A rooster wearing a Cuban link gold chain around his neck? Well, that's a strong start. 'Pollo Punch' is also a nostalgic and loving look at the rapidly changing Miami — where your childhood haunts, like the diner you went to after school, the bowling alley and the skating rink are disappearing. 'Seeing how the city changed rapidly in recent years, I wanted to do something that reflected the people and places where I grew up,' said Castillo, who is now based in Los Angeles. 'Whether it's an older generation speaking in a specific way that starts disappearing or a street corner being demolished to build a luxury condominium tower, much of old Miami has begun to fade away with the city's transformation,' he said. 'While I can't shoot a period live-action film in the Miami of the '70s and '80s, I can definitely animate it. With animation, I can preserve those aspects of old Miami to endure in this film,' says Castillo. Castillo is proud of the team he assembled for the project. Comedian Mike Menendez is the voice of Yunián, whose name is a product of the Cuban Generation Y. Yolanda, Yunián's hen wife, is voiced by actress Jenny Lorenzo, known for her role as the Cuban abuela, which she has popularized on social media. Lorenzo, from Kendall, also lives in Los Angeles, where she develops her career as a voice actress. El Flaco, Yunián's owner, is a humble Cuban exile trying to establish himself in a new city. 'He lives on cigarettes and Vienna sausages,' Castillo points out. He's voiced by Chris García, a comedian, actor and writer known for his work in 'Minx' (HBO) and the sitcom 'Mr. Iglesias' (Netflix) with comedian Gabriel Iglesias. Chris De La Guardia was the art director for the film. 'I met Chris while taking an art history class at Miami-Dade College, and he's a brilliant artist. Once I secured funding for the film, I knew I had to have him because his visual touch is electrifying,' said Castillo. 'Being away from home for the first time, working on this film daily, and watching the Marlins lose on TV became a helpful way to feel closer to home in a new city. It was crucial for this film to be something that people could watch when they felt a bit nostalgic and wanted to remember Miami,' said Castillo. Funding the short was a challenge, Castillo acknowledged, while offering hope to young people following these paths. 'If you have the right idea, someone will want to support it.' In his case, he got support from LatinXinAnimation, the Latino Film Institute, the Netflix Spark Animation Grant, as well as local organizations like ArtesMiami, Oolite Arts, and some private donors. 'It was crucial to gather so many talented artists and pay them for their incredible work,' he said. 'Currently, Miami just doesn't have a sustainable film industry. Many major productions want to tell stories about Miami characters; however, the current tax incentives make it difficult for them to shoot those films in South Florida,' he said, acknowledging it did offer him more opportunities to study. 'Growing up and living in Miami during my college years was undoubtedly a key factor in producing a lot of work that helped me find my creative voice,' he said, offering some examples of how it benefited him. 'As an emerging filmmaker, if you're in Miami, you'll have much more access to local tools and resources than if you were in New York or Los Angeles. It'll be much easier to shoot in a Kendall restaurant than one in Pasadena,' he noted. Castillo, 27, concluded with tips for young people who want to become filmmakers 'In the beginning, I made the mistake of trying to be too ambitious too soon,' he acknowledged. 'Start small and work your way up! The smaller the failures, the faster you can achieve great things.'
