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2 hours ago
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‘Boy George & Culture Club' Review: An Affectionate Look at the '80s Band and Its Flamboyant Frontman That Entertains but Treads Too Carefully
Earlier this month, The Hollywood Reporter published a sharp piece of cultural analysis titled 'Are Music and Other Celebrity Films Killing the Documentary?' Nonfiction filmmakers and programmers interviewed for the feature weighed in on the influence of the major streamers, shifting away from formal invention and probing investigation toward authorized, artist-friendly docs that function primarily as marketing, brand management and fan service. Alison Ellwood's Boy George & Culture Club is a solid example of this anodyne trend. It's candid but seldom reveals much that's fresh, as infectious as one of the Brit new wave band's earworm hits but about as weighty, too. Still, anyone with fond memories of Culture Club's heyday will likely be hooked from the moment the harmonica enters in the opening bars of 'Church of the Poison Mind,' still one of the catchiest bops of the 1980s, heard here in a concert performance that showcases the powerhouse backup vocals of Helen Terry. More from The Hollywood Reporter 'Outer Banks' Actor Jonathan Daviss to Star as Snoop Dogg in Universal Biopic Sony Music Publishing Acquires Hipgnosis Songs Group Finneas Says He Was Tear-Gassed at Los Angeles ICE Protest That song is a welcome reminder that while the band fronted with iconoclastic style by Boy George might have emerged out of the New Romantic scene, their musical influences ran from blue-eyed soul to reggae, Motown, calypso and even a dash of country on 'Karma Chameleon.' But although all four bandmates weigh in extensively in separate present-day interviews, the doc is disappointingly short on insight into how the music came together. As the film would have it, George wrote the lyrics — often displayed in candy-colored '80s-style graphics that mimic Culture Club album covers — while the tunes just sort of materialized once the musicians got together in the studio. There is of course something to be said for that kind of magical alchemy in a pop band. The name Culture Club itself is a reference to their unusually diverse makeup — a gay Irish lead vocalist; a Black Jamaican Brit bassist (Mikey Craig); a blond Englishman guitarist (Roy Hay); and a Jewish drummer from a punk background (Jon Moss). Perhaps one reason the four members are interviewed separately is that although they 'took some time' rather than officially breaking up in 1986 (and continued to tour on and off for three decades while also pursuing their own projects), the extent to which George's big personality and transgressive look overshadowed both his bandmates and the music itself — even his own vocal talent — seems to remain a mostly unaddressed sore point. Footage of the music video shoot for 'Karma Chameleon' on a Mississippi riverboat, with Mikey, Roy and Jon standing around looking uncomfortable in 19th century Southern gent finery, speaks volumes about the divide. Later, over a bonkers video for a rare ballad, 'Mistake No. 3,' which George describes as 'the pinnacle of our excess,' Hay observes: 'We were just like George's little dress-up things.' But it's hard to consider George insensitive when he looks back at it all through such a humorous lens. 'Yeah, I guess the other three felt like they'd been dragged into a gay circus,' he says with a chuckle. There's plenty of humor also in individual thoughts on their biggest but frothiest hit. 'I think we lost a lot of credibility with 'Karma Chameleon',' says Roy. 'But it's the thing we're remembered for.' Adds George: 'They say it was the nail in our cool coffin. But we were never cool! That song went to No. 1 and stayed there for weeks. Tortured everyone.' George acknowledges his dominant role but pretty much laughs off any frustration the other members might have felt. He comes across as a likeable, frequently very funny narcissist with a diva streak and an unapologetic sharp edge when challenged. That's not to say his soulful voice and attention-grabbing look were not the crucial ingredients in the band's 1982 breakthrough with the reggae-inflected single 'Do You Really Want To Hurt Me.' And nor do any of George's bandmates deny that he was their chief fame-driver. It's fun to learn how young working-class George O'Dowd transformed into fabulous Boy George, a fixture at clubs like Billy's and The Blitz, going from a punky blond dye-job at 16 or 17 to full drag within six months. The rise of David Bowie and Marc Bolan was formative, and he talks about the discovery of makeup as a liberation, taking inspiration from Siouxsie Sioux, Poly Styrene of X-Ray Spex and Ari Up from the Slits for the cascading dreadlocks. With his wide-brimmed hats, dramatic makeup and Technicolor muumuus, George couldn't help but become the focal point, and while the press mostly danced around the topic of his sexuality at first, he was dismissive of attempts to identify a political viewpoint in his androgynous persona. In one archival interview from the early days, he says they weren't trying to say anything with their music or fashion. In some ways, that's also reflective of Ellwood's doc, which touches on LGBTQ representation, homophobia and hypocrisy but does so with too little context or overarching perspective to be illuminating. It seems bizarre, for instance, that a film purporting to deal with these subjects in the first half of the '80s shows no curiosity about how the AIDS crisis might have fed into negative reactions. The band had reached its zenith, with Beatlemania-size crowds greeting them in Australia and Canada, and significant success cracking the American market. But the U.S. is where anti-gay sentiment gathered steam following George's 1984 Grammy Awards acceptance speech when Culture Club won for best new artist: 'Thank you, America. You've got taste, style and you know a good drag queen when you see one.' It seems inconceivable 40 years later (or would, if not for America's rabid neo-conservatism) that George referring to himself as a drag queen could spark scandalized pearl-clutching. But he says he was more amused than appalled when the family values mob started staging anti-LGBTQ protests outside concert venues. Moss provides a droll take on it when he recounts chatting with a Kansas fan who parroted one of the most widely used and offensive homophobic slogans, 'God Hates Fags.' When Moss asked the same person, 'Are you coming to the show?' they said, 'Oh yeah, we love Boy George.' In a Carson appearance, George points up the irony of being considered controversial in a country that had Liberace. The movie's most intimate thread concerns the relationship of George and Jon. George says it was 'love at first sight,' while Moss, who had never been romantically involved with a man, confesses to being 'absolutely smitten,' simultaneously confused and excited. Craig recounts his misgivings about their relationship potentially destabilizing the band. But by the time he voiced his concerns, Moss said it was too late since they had already slept together. 'We were the John and Yoko of the band for a while,' comments George about the resentment of the other two members. But while public displays of affection were the norm between them at the start, that stopped as soon as they had their first hit. Concerns grew that the 'secret' of their relationship being exposed could have a ruinous effect on the band. But the doc is inconclusive about the degree to which homophobia drove the backlash or factored in negative reviews of Culture Club's rushed third album, Waking Up With the House on Fire. (I was living in London during those years and have to admit I had always assumed George's sexuality and his relationship with Jon — an important gay dreamboat at the time — were common knowledge.) There are poignant moments in which Moss looks back on the relationship ('It was really proper love') and shares the painful process of getting out of it for his self-preservation, while George conveys a more equivocal view, albeit with sadness. One of the major contributing factors to its end appears to have been George's drug addiction, graduating from weed to heroin in a matter of weeks. The doc is frank about that dark period and George's erratic behavior as he began hanging out and getting wasted with fellow genderqueer '80s Brit-pop star Marilyn. George's drug use became tabloid fodder, with Rupert Murdoch's The Sun predicting he'd be dead before the year was over. Craig and Hay felt hurt at the time when they were excluded while George and Jon (as well as Marilyn) were invited to participate in the all-star recording of Bob Geldof's No. 1 Band Aid single, 'Do They Know It's Christmas?' And all three other members express regret about George's indecision costing the group a spot in the lineup for the historic marathon Live Aid concert at London's Wembley Stadium. George sought treatment after multiple friends died of overdoses — including one in the Culture Club singer's Hampstead mansion — and has been clean now for more than a decade. Is he contrite about the role his drug addiction played in the band's devolution? Maybe a little, though in his outsize blue velvet bowler and Liz Taylor Cleopatra eye makeup, he mostly comes across as a charming rascal, with not much use for guilt. That made him a great pop star though probably a difficult boyfriend and not the most egalitarian of band members. Ellwood gives Culture Club and its colorful frontman an affectionate salute that should please fans, even if, unlike the director's more forthright 2020 Showtime doc, The Go-Gos, she generally chooses diplomacy over a deep dive. Best of The Hollywood Reporter 13 of Tom Cruise's Most Jaw-Dropping Stunts Hollywood Stars Who Are One Award Away From an EGOT 'The Goonies' Cast, Then and Now
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2 hours ago
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Sly Stone, Funk-Rock Pioneer, Dies at 82
Sly Stone, who took audiences higher during memorable performances at Woodstock and the Fillmore West, but whose career was plagued by drug problems and periodic disappearances, has died. He was 82. Stone died after a 'prolonged battle with COPD and other underlying health issues,' his family said Monday. More from The Hollywood Reporter Frederick Forsyth, Author of 'The Day of the Jackal,' Dies at 86 Taylor Swift's 'Reputation' Album Surges Back to Top Five on Charts Following Masters Purchase 'Outer Banks' Actor Jonathan Daviss to Star as Snoop Dogg in Universal Biopic 'It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of our beloved dad, Sly Stone of Sly and the Family Stone,' they wrote in a statement. 'Sly passed away peacefully, surrounded by his three children, his closest friend, and his extended family. While we mourn his absence, we take solace in knowing that his extraordinary musical legacy will continue to resonate and inspire for generations to come.' Sly and the Family Stone burst onto the scene in 1968 with the cathartic 'Dance to the Music' and followed with a string of crossover smash hits that defined their hometown San Francisco's 'Summer of Love,' including 'Stand!,' 'Hot Fun in the Summertime,' 'Runnin' Away,' 'If You Want Me to Stay' and 'Time for Livin'.' The band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1993 and inspired everyone from Herbie Hancock to George Clinton's P-Funk, Michael Jackson, Curtis Mayfield, Bob Marley, The Isley Brothers, Prince, Public Enemy, Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Black Eyed Peas, The Roots, OutKast and Kendrick Lamar. Stone's life was the subject of significant discussion this year thanks to Questlove's documentary Sly Lives, which was released to significant acclaim earlier this year. 'Sly was a monumental figure, a groundbreaking innovator, and a true pioneer who redefined the landscape of pop, funk, and rock music,' Sly's family said. 'His iconic songs have left an indelible mark on the world, and his influence remains undeniable. In a testament to his enduring creative spirit, Sly recently completed the screenplay for his life story, a project we are eager to share with the world in due course, which follows a memoir published in 2024.' Born on March 15, 1943, in Denton, Texas, Sylvester Stewart came from a family of devout Christians who took their beliefs with them when they moved to Vallejo, California, a suburb northwest of San Francisco. Reared on church music, he was 8 when he and three of his siblings recorded a gospel single as The Stewart Four. A musical prodigy who picked up the name 'Sly' in grade school, Stone was adept at keyboards, guitar, bass and drums by 11, and he went on to perform in several high school bands, one of which, The Viscaynes, boasted a then unheard-of mixed lineup and released a few singles. After attending Vallejo Junior College, Stone got a job as a fast-talking DJ at San Francisco R&B station KSOL, where his eclectic taste stoked his popularity, working the new British bands like The Beatles, The Animals and The Stones into the station's soul format. By the time he brought his show to crosstown KDIA, he had already been producing records for the local label, Autumn Records, thanks to DJ Tom Donahue, who recommended him. The company was the home for such Bay Area bands as The Beau Brummels, The Charlatans, The Great Society and The Mojo Men. In 1964, Stone produced Bobby Freeman's Top-5 pop hit, 'C'mon and Swim.' After leading a band called Sly and the Stoners, featuring trumpet player Cynthia Robinson, Stone brought in his brother Freddie on guitar, sister Rose on keyboards, Gregg Errico on drums, Jerry Martini on sax and Larry Graham on bass to complete Sly and the Family Stone. They drew the interest of Epic Records, where they signed and released their debut album, A Whole New Thing at the end of 1967's Summer of Love. Despite critical acclaim, A Whole New Thing failed to resonate with audiences. However, the subsequent release of a new single, 'Dance to the Music,' from the album of the same name, vaulted into the top-10 on both the pop and R&B charts. 'Everyday People' (and its B-side, 'Sing a Simple Song'), released in late 1968 and followed by the album Stand! In May of 1969, marked the crossover emergence of the band, going to No. 1 on both the pop and R&B charts, followed by the title track and its B-side, 'I Want To Take You Higher.' The album climbed to No. 3 R&B and No. 13 pop, the band's first certified platinum seller, with iconic non-singles such as 'Sex Machine.' There's a Riot Goin' On is arguably Stone's masterpiece, both critically and commercially — it went to the top of both the Pop and R&B album charts within a few weeks of its release in November 1971. The transformative masterpiece of race and song — a template for the later work of Kanye West and Kendrick Lamar, among others — the album was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1999. That turned out to be Sly's last hurrah. In June 1973, the band released a new single, 'If You Want Me to Stay.' (The departures of Graham and Errico during this period hastened the band's demise.) Continuing with Epic, Sly recorded High on You in 1975 and Heard Ya Missed Me, Well I'm Back a year later. In June 1983, Stone was arrested in Fort Myers, Florida, and charged with cocaine possession. He toured with Bobby Womack, recorded with Jesse Johnson and released several songs from soundtracks, including 'Eek-a-Boo Static Automatic' for Soul Man (1986) and 'I'm the Burglar' for Burglar (1987). Stone sightings were sporadic after that, though he did appear for his Rock Hall induction and at the 2006 Grammys, where he briefly and bizarrely participated in a multi-artist tribute to the band featuring John Legend, Fantasia, Adam Levine, Ciara, Steve Tyler and Joe Perry. He abruptly waved goodbye midway through 'I Want to Take You Higher,' disappearing into the night. Sly Stone is survived by a son, Sylvester Jr. (from first wife Kathy Silva), and two daughters, Sylvette (whose mom is Robinson) and Novena Carmel. 'We extend our deepest gratitude for the outpouring of love and prayers during this difficult time. We wish peace and harmony to all who were touched by Sly's life and his iconic music,' his family said. 'Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your unwavering support.' Best of The Hollywood Reporter Most Anticipated Concert Tours of 2025: Beyoncé, Billie Eilish, Kendrick Lamar & SZA, Sabrina Carpenter and More Hollywood's Most Notable Deaths of 2025 Hollywood's Highest-Profile Harris Endorsements: Taylor Swift, George Clooney, Bruce Springsteen and More
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2 hours ago
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Taylor Swift's 'Reputation' Album Surges Back to Top Five on Charts Following Masters Purchase
Taylor Swift's Reputation has jumped back into the top-five on Billboard's 200 albums chart, over a week after the superstar announced that she had finally gained ownership of the album and the rest of her catalog from her old Big Machine record deal. According to Billboard, consumption on Reputation rose 221 percent, with the album earning 42,000 album equivalent units this past week. She sold 15,000 albums, and the album also had about 34.75 million streams. More from The Hollywood Reporter 'Outer Banks' Actor Jonathan Daviss to Star as Snoop Dogg in Universal Biopic 'Boy George & Culture Club' Review: An Affectionate Look at the '80s Band and Its Flamboyant Frontman That Entertains but Treads Too Carefully Sony Music Publishing Acquires Hipgnosis Songs Group Reputation wasn't the only one of Swift's old records seeing a bump after she dropped the news of the acquisition: As The Hollywood Reporter reported last week, Spotify streams for Speak Now rose 430 percent the day after the sale, while Taylor Swift streams jumped 220 percent. Fearless streams went up 160 percent, Red climbed 150 percent and 1989 jumped 110 percent. Reputation, which came out in 2017, was the final album Swift recorded with Big Machine before she entered a new deal with Universal Music Group and Republic records. Swifties had previously been anxiously awaiting Reputation (Taylor's Version), though when Swift announced the deal on May 30th, she confirmed that she hadn't even record a quarter of the record yet. 'The Reputation album was so specific to that time in my life, and I kept hitting a stopping point when I tried to remake it,' Swift said. Beyond Reputation, Swift has also yet to release a re-recorded version of her debut album. 'Those 2 albums can still have their moments to re-emerge when the time is right, if that would be something you guys would be excited about,' Swift wrote. 'But if it happens, it won't be from a place of sadness and longing for what I wish I could have. It will just be a celebration now.' Elsewhere on the chart this week, Morgan Wallen spent a third consecutive week at Number One for I'm The Problem, Seventeen's Happy Burstday debuted at Number 2 with 48,000 units, SZA's SOS came in third and Miley Cyrus's Something Beautiful debuted at Number 4 with 44,000 equivalent album units. Best of The Hollywood Reporter Most Anticipated Concert Tours of 2025: Beyoncé, Billie Eilish, Kendrick Lamar & SZA, Sabrina Carpenter and More Hollywood's Most Notable Deaths of 2025 Hollywood's Highest-Profile Harris Endorsements: Taylor Swift, George Clooney, Bruce Springsteen and More
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4 hours ago
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Diddy's Ex Passed Out After Reading Cassie's Lawsuit Describing 'Freak-Off' Orgies
The most recent ex-girlfriend of Sean 'Diddy' Combs testified further at his sex trafficking and racketeering trial in New York on Monday, detailing the deterioration of their relationship over the last few years, fainting from shock upon reading Cassie Ventura's civil lawsuit against him and a savage beating at his hands months before the fallen mogul's September arrest. As prosecutors near the end of their witness list and get ready to rest their case, the victim, using the pseudonym Jane Doe to protect her anonymity, shared her experiences with the defendant over the back half of their three-year relationship. Last week, she told the court that about 90 percent of their time together revolved around 'freak-offs' or what she referred to as 'hotel nights,' which were drug-fueled orgies where she was allegedly coerced and blackmailed into having marathon sex sessions orchestrated and filmed by Combs as he looked on. More from The Hollywood Reporter Sly Stone, Funk-Rock Pioneer, Dies at 82 Taylor Swift's 'Reputation' Album Surges Back to Top Five on Charts Following Masters Purchase 'Outer Banks' Actor Jonathan Daviss to Star as Snoop Dogg in Universal Biopic This came after the defense team made a second motion for a mistrial, citing what they called 'prosecutorial misconduct.' In a letter to the judge overseeing the case, Combs' attorneys wrote that federal prosecutors knew that testimony from Ventura's friend Bryana Bongolan, who told the court last week that she was dangled by Combs over Ventura's balcony in 2016, was false but allowed her to testify before the jury anyway. Judge Arun Subramanian has said he will respond to the letter on Tuesday. From the witness stand on Monday, Jane testified further to the court of the alleged coercion to participate in hotel nights she claims to have experienced from Combs, who paid for her apartment and still does today; she said her housing felt contingent on keeping Combs happy, which she has said was always her goal in their ultimately orgy-centered relationship. '[It was] like the home was being used as leverage,' she said, and added that she felt 'guilt-trippy things' about living in a home paid for by Combs. Jane told the court that this 'made me feel like I had to perform' sex for housing. She expressed this to him in a text that described her feeling 'disgusted' with herself. On two separate occasions, she told the court, a hotel night involved a man dressed as a cowboy while wearing high-heeled shoes and another involved three men, which led to her vomiting. Combs went to check on her afterward but quickly ushered her back to the 'party,' she said. Jane also alleged that Combs blackmailed her with sex tapes he made of her and male sex workers at the hotel nights, telling her that he would release them in December 2023 and show them to her baby's father. This was amid a series of fights the couple had, she told the court, as their relationship was deteriorating as she began to show more agency and tell the wealthy business leader that she did not want to have sex with other men for his pleasure. Her mental health deteriorated during this time, she said, as she began to recognize the alleged gaslighting tactics Combs used on her; at a point, she began to have suicidal ideation, she said. Jane also described a time she vomited during a session involving three men and shared her thoughts after viewing footage of her at a hotel night. 'I saw me being high. I was following a pattern, the pattern that I thought he wanted to see,' she testified. 'It was like a show over and over again.' A man named Cabral, who appeared with her in a sex video, asked for $10,000 for the footage, which Combs had shot on the sex worker's phone. It was eventually sold to an undisclosed publishing company, she said. The turning point for Jane seems to have been when she read Ventura's 2023 legal filing against Combs, which was famously settled out of court the following day. Three pages of that complaint struck her sharply, she said. Jane also told the court that upon reading the suit, she fainted. 'I feel like I'm reading about my own sexual trauma,' she said. Combs asked for her emotional and spiritual support in a taped phone call from the time that was played in court. 'I just needed to tell you I need your friendship; you know you ain't gotta worry about anything else, baby, please pray for me,' the mogul told her. 'I will be praying for you; I need your friendship.' Jane finally described on Monday a harrowing story, mentioned in the prosecution's opening statement, of being physically attacked by Combs amid an argument they'd had after he was photographed with a woman 25 years younger than him. Jane said she referred to him as a 'pedophile' and slammed his head into a marble kitchen counter. This allegedly enraged Combs, who stalked her around the apartment, kicking in four doors as she tried to flee from his attacks. Describing the terror she felt on that day in June 2024, Jane said she escaped the home and lingered in the neighborhood for hours, waiting for Combs to leave. Jane Doe's testimony will resume when court is back in session on Tuesday. Best of The Hollywood Reporter Most Anticipated Concert Tours of 2025: Beyoncé, Billie Eilish, Kendrick Lamar & SZA, Sabrina Carpenter and More Hollywood's Most Notable Deaths of 2025 Hollywood's Highest-Profile Harris Endorsements: Taylor Swift, George Clooney, Bruce Springsteen and More
Yahoo
17-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
'Everyone deserves a Pete!' Elsie Hewitt gushes over Pete Davidson
Elsie Hewitt says Pete Davidson is 'the best person I've ever met'. The 29-year-old model and the 31-year-old 'Saturday Night Live' star went public with their romance just two months ago and Elsie admitted she is head over heels. She told PEOPLE: 'He is so incredible. Honestly, best person I've ever met, and I'm so grateful ...' The couple recently attended the Endometriosis Foundation of America's 13th Annual Blossom Ball in New York City together, making their red carpet debut as a couple, and Elsie shared how Pete supports her when she is dealing with her own endometriosis. She said: 'It was just really important to both of us to come here and support the foundation and keep helping, spreading the word and educating people. 'Pete sets me up with a little heating pad, and it's very sweet, and I just eat whatever. I'm like, I will allow myself to eat whatever I want and just snuggle up and watch a movie. 'Everyone deserves a Pete!' While the pair have only been together for a few months, it was recently revealed that they are already living together. An insider told PEOPLE: 'Pete and Elsie have been living together in New York for the past few months. They're splitting their time between Pete's house in upstate New York and a brownstone they recently started renting in Brooklyn. "They're so happy together and doing great.' Pete's most recent relationship before Elsie was with 'Outer Banks' actress Madelyn Cline eight months ago. And, Hewitt was most recently linked to actor Jason Sudeikis. She also previously dated Ryan Phillippe.
