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Hindustan Times
06-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Hindustan Times
Brec Bassinger on joining Final Destination: ‘I've never lived in a world without it'
When Final Destination first hit theaters in March 2000, actor Brec Bassinger was still an infant—barely ten months old. Now, 25 years later, she's stepping into the iconic horror franchise as the lead in Final Destination: Bloodlines. For Brec, it's more than just a role—it's a surreal moment of stepping into a cinematic legacy that's existed her entire life. Brec Bassinger in a still from Final Destination 'I literally don't know life without Final Destination. It's been around forever, so getting cast in it felt completely unreal,' she says, reflecting on what it means to join the long-running series. Her connection to the franchise runs deeper than being a lifelong fan. Years before Bloodlines, Brec worked with co-director Adam Stein on a pilot. Even more fittingly, she starred opposite Ali Larter—one of the original Final Destination leads—in the thriller The Man in the White Van. During that shoot, Brec remembers peppering Ali with questions about filming horror, especially the scary stuff. 'I was so curious about what it was like behind the scenes,' she shares. In the new film, Brec plays Iris, a young woman on a date in 1969 when things quickly spiral into a classic Final Destination-style disaster. Before chaos erupts, there's a joyful moment: Iris and her date Paul are dancing to Shout by The Isley Brothers at the Skyview Tower, caught up in the energy of the night. The filming of that sequence turned out to be one of Brec's most cherished memories from the shoot. 'We were dancing for two days straight,' she recalls, smiling. 'Those were honestly some of the most fun moments on set. You can't help but feel good when you're jumping around like that,' she adds. But the upbeat mood didn't last long. As the scene turns dark, Brec says she now associates the song with sheer panic. 'I'd downloaded Shout before filming so I could learn the moves. But now, when it plays, I have to skip it. It takes me right back to that moment—the screaming, the chaos, the blood. It's burned into my brain,' she says.
Forbes
06-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
NYT ‘Connections' Hints And Answers For Monday, April 7
Here's some help with today's Quordle, including hints and the answers. Looking for Sunday's NYT Connections hints, clues and answers instead? You can find them here: Hey folks, welcome to the start of a new week! I hope you had a fantastic weekend. It's Monday, which can mean only one thing: we kickstart the week with a fun, upbeat song to hopefully get you moving. Fingers crossed it puts a smile on your face too. This time around, we're going with a few versions of the same song, 'Shout.' It's a fantastic record, and you can't really go wrong with these takes on them. First up is the original version by The Isley Brothers. It's masterful: Second, we'll go with one that was also very popular. Lulu's take on the song was a bit hit in the U.K. in both the '60s and the '80s: FEATURED | Frase ByForbes™ Unscramble The Anagram To Reveal The Phrase Pinpoint By Linkedin Guess The Category Queens By Linkedin Crown Each Region Crossclimb By Linkedin Unlock A Trivia Ladder In terms of rock artists covering the track, Bruce Springsteen is arguably the most famous practitioner. But I didn't have enough time today to hunt for a great version of his cover on YouTube. So, let's go with this one by Green Day that mashes up 'Shout' with the band's own 'King For A Day.' Great fun: Before we begin, I've set up a discussion group for NYT Connections and this column on Discord. We have a great little community over there and we chat about more than NYT games. Everyone who has joined has been lovely. It's a fun hangout spot. It's also the best way to give me any feedback about the column, especially on the rare(!) occasions that I mess something up since I don't look at the comments or Twitter much. Today's NYT Connections hints and answers for Monday, April 7, are coming right up. Connections is a free, popular New York Times daily word game. You get a new puzzle at midnight every day. You can play on the NYT website or Games app. You're presented with a grid of 16 words. Your task is to arrange them into four groups of four by figuring out the links between them. The groups could be things like items you can click, names for research study participants or words preceded by a body part. There's only one solution for each puzzle, and you'll need to be careful when it comes to words that might fit into more than one category. You can shuffle the words to perhaps help you see links between them. Each group is color coded. The yellow group is usually the easiest to figure out, blue and green fall in the middle, and the purple group is usually the most difficult one. The purple group often involves wordplay. Select four words you think go together and press Submit. If you make a guess and you're incorrect, you'll lose a life. If you're close to having a correct group, you might see a message telling you that you're one word away from getting it right, but you'll still need to figure out which one to swap. If you make four mistakes, it's game over. Let's make sure that doesn't happen with the help of some hints, and, if you're really struggling, today's Connections answers. As with Wordle and other similar games, it's easy to share results with your friends on social media and group chats. If you have an NYT All Access or Games subscription, you can access the publication's Connections archive. This includes every previous game of Connections, so you can go back and play any of those that you have missed. Aside from the first 60 games or so, you should be able to find my hints via Google if you need them! Just click here and add the date of the game for which you need clues or the answers to the search query. Scroll slowly! Just after the hints for each of today's Connections groups, I'll reveal what the groups are without immediately telling you which words go into them. Today's 16 words are... And the hints for today's Connections groups are: Need some extra help? Be warned: we're starting to get into spoiler territory. Today's Connections groups are... Spoiler alert! Don't scroll any further down the page until you're ready to find out today's Connections answers. This is your final warning! Today's Connections answers are... A close one, but I eked out my 41st win in a row. Here's how I fared: 🟨🟦🟦🟨 🟨🟨🟨🟪 🟦🟦🟦🟦 🟩🟪🟩🟩 🟩🟩🟩🟩 🟪🟪🟪🟪 🟨🟨🟨🟨 Since this was puzzle 666, I think the NYT missed a trick by not making this a grid themed after the number of the beast. Anyway, my opening salvo of POUND, NAIL, HAMMER and THUMP was useless. I wasn't even one away from a group there. A second guess of POUND, PULSE, BEAT and BALL was closer, in terms of things you might do while cooking ('ball' meaning to roll up some dough). Zooming out a bit, HANGER and LEVEL caught my eye in terms of things you'd need to place something on a wall. They went with NAIL and HAMMER for the blues. What I thought were a group of landforms with HILLS, CRATER, RIDGE and GORGE were up next, but I was one away from a group again. Uh oh, I was down to my last life at that point. Swapping out HILLS for CAPE made sense — replacing a plural with a singular. That got me the greens. The grid then pulled the purples together in a neat little shape, so I spotted them. It feels like a bit of a cheat to have a group of landforms and then also a reference to footHILLS in another group. Can't say I'm a fan of that. Anyway, that left the yellows for the win. That's all there is to it for today's Connections clues and answers. Be sure to check my blog tomorrow for hints and the solution for Tuesday's game if you need them. P.S. Since today was puzzle number 666, I feel obligated to recommend 'The Number of the Beast' by Iron Maiden. I can't say Maiden are one of my absolute favourite bands by any stretch, but they have some cracking songs. This is one of them. And hey, if the intro songs didn't get you moving around a bit, maybe this one will at least get you head banging: Have a great day! Stay hydrated! Call someone you love! If you're so inclined, please follow my blog for more coverage of NYT Connections and other word games and even some video game news, insights and analysis. It helps me out a lot! Sharing this column with other people who play Connections would be appreciated too Also, follow me on Bluesky! It's fun there.
USA Today
25-02-2025
- Entertainment
- USA Today
Chris Jasper, who helped The Isley Brothers turn funk, dead at 73
Hear this story Chris Jasper, a celebrated singer-songwriter who helped steer The Isley Brothers during some of their most successful years, died Sunday, People Magazine and the Independent report. He was 73. His death follows a 2024 cancer diagnosis, a post to his Facebook page, apparently written by his family, revealed. The type of cancer was not specified. "He will be deeply missed and his legacy will live on as an inspiration for generations," it read. USA TODAY has reached out to reps for Jasper for comment. A classically trained musician and composter, Jasper helped write, produce and arrange much of The Isley Brothers' music from 1973 to 1983. Joining brothers Ernie and Marvin Isley, he helped usher in a new era for the group, transforming it from a more classic vocal trio to a six-man R&B, funk powerhouse. Need a break? Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle. Jasper's pen and influence were behind classics like "For the Love of You," "Between the Sheets," and "Fight the Power." Their 1970-80s sound, a novel mashup of slow-grooving R&B and upbeat electronica, helped secure The Isley Brothers a spot in the pantheon of musical innovators. In 1984, when the sextuplet disbanded, he took two of the Isley brothers with him to form Isley-Jasper-Isley, a soul-funk group that found success in 1985 with peace and love-infused track "Caravan of Love." Jasper broke out on his own in 1987, launching a solo career that would include the release of nearly two dozen R&B albums under Gold City Records, a label he founded. His music has continued to be sampled by a new generation of R&B and rap stars, appearing in tracks from Queen Latifah, Tupac, Biggie and Aaliyah. Rudolph Isley, founding memberof The Isley Brothers and 'Shout' songwriter, dies at 84 An illustrious and decades-spanning career landed Jasper, as part of The Isley Brothers, in both the Songwriters and Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2022 and 1992, respectively. In 2014, he received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, again, as part of the group. "Beyond his musical achievements, Chris was a dedicated and loving husband and father," the Facebook post said. "He is survived by his wife of 42 years, Margie Jasper, a New York-based attorney and author, and his three sons Michael, Nicholas, and Christopher."
The Independent
25-02-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
Chris Jasper, Isley Brothers star behind ‘Between the Sheets' and ‘Caravan of Love', dies aged 73
Chris Jasper, the writer and producer who helped shape some of The Isley Brothers' biggest hits, has died aged 73. The news was confirmed by his son, Michael Jasper, who said he died following a diagnosis with cancer in December last year. Jasper joined The Isley Brothers in 1973 and was credited with helping the trio 'transform' into a six-member funk and R&B group. 'His songwriting talent and expertise on keyboards and synthesisers became the cornerstone of the group's signature sound,' his family said in a statement to Jasper's Facebook page. Born on 30 December 1951 in Cincinnati, Ohio, Jasper trained in classical music and composition at the Juilliard School of Music in New York City. After graduating, he joined his brother-in-law, Rudolph Isley, along with O'Kelly Isley Jr and Ronald Isley, and their younger brothers Ernie and Marvin, to turn the former trio into a complete band. Together, they created some of the group's biggest albums including Between the Sheets and The Heat is On, along with singles such as 'Fight the Power' and 'For the Love of You'. The band splintered in 1984 and Jesper formed Isley-Jasper-Isley with Ernie and Marvin, achieving international acclaim with further hits such as 1985's 'Caravan of Love'. An acapella cover of the song by British indie band The Housemartins topped the UK singles chart in 1986. 'I had been looking at the world scene quite a bit,' Jasper said in one interview. 'I wasn't pleased with what I was seeing.' The lyrics, which carried a message of hope, were written around a tune he'd found himself humming for a month. When he began writing down his thoughts on a blank notepad, he realised he'd finished the song after 20 minutes: 'Are you ready for the time of your life?/ It's time to stand up and fight... The place where mankind was born/ Is so neglected and torn.' Jasper took on lead vocal duties for the song as well as keyboard, recording with the band at a studio in East Orange, New Jersey, as the first track to their second album. It languished on America's R&B charts for six months until The Housemartins picked it up and helped bring it to international recognition. Jasper later recorded as a solo artist and founded Gold City Record, signing other artists including R&B singer Liz Hogue. He continued to release music well into his sixties, including a 2019 covers album, For the Love of You, featuring The Isley Brothers' hits and interpretations of 'God is Love' by Marvin Gaye and Sam Cooke's 'Nothing Can Change This Love'. His work was also popular among hip-hop artists such as Tupac Shakur, Jay-Z and Snoop Dogg, all of whom sampled his work. Arguably one of the most recognisable instances was when The Notorious BIG used 'Between the Sheets' on his 1994 jam 'Big Poppa'. Jasper is survived by his wife of 42 years, Margie Jasper, a New York-based attorney and author, and his three sons Michael, Nicholas, and Christopher, his family said. 'He will be deeply missed and his legacy will live on as an inspiration for generations.'
BBC News
06-02-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Lamar never dreamt of half-time show call
Kendrick Lamar says he never dreamt he'd ever get the call to perform at the NFL Super Bowl half-time how. On Sunday the rapper will become the first solo Hip-Hop act to perform during American football's showpiece event. Fresh from winning five Grammy awards last weekend, the musician says he wants to use the platform to remind people that his genre of music should garner the same respect as any other genre of music. The 37-year-old says he doesn't always feel rap music gets the respect it deserves and promised to remind people of its origins – with the MC battle a pivotal part. The last year has seen Lamar involved in a musical back-and-forth with Canadian artist Drake. He also said deciding what songs from his 20 year career to squeeze into a 13 minute performance was tough. He's says "storytelling" will be the theme of his performance. Lamar says he deals with nerves before a performance by running and doing push-ups as well as listening to The Isley Brothers.
