inremembrance
The 27 Club: Where Winehouse joins Hendrix, Joplin and Cobain

Omair Quadri
Globe and Mail

The 27 Club, also known as the Forever 27 Club or Club 27, is the name for a group of musicians who died at the age of 27. The death of British singer Amy Winehouse on July 23, 2011, makes her the latest member of the club. Here are some of the more influential rock stars who are part of the group.

Brian Jones

Lewis Brian Hopkins Jones was an English musician and one of the founding members of The Rolling Stones. Jones left the The Rolling Stones in 1969 after developing a serious substance abuse problem and as his role in the band diminished. Jones was found dead in his swimming pool on July 3, 1969.

Jimi Hendrix

James Marshall “Jimi” Hendrix, an American guitarist and singer-songwriter, is considered to be the greatest electric guitarist in music history. Rolling Stone magazine ranked Hendrix No.1 on its list of the 100 greatest guitarists of all time. Hendrix died in London on September 18, 1970. An autopsy revealed he asphyxiated on his vomit after combining sleeping pills with wine.

Jim Morrison

James Douglas Morrison died on July 3, 1971. The official cause of death was listed as heart failure, but no autopsy was performed. He was found in the bathtub of his Paris apartment. Morrison was the lead singer and songwriter of the rock band The Doors. He is considered to be one of the most iconic figures in Rock and Roll history.

Kurt Cobain

Kurt Donald Cobain was the lead singer and guitarist of the American grunge band Nirvana. Cobain and Nirvana gained widespread success with their 1991 album Nevermind and the single “Smells Like Teen Spirit”. Cobain was hailed as “the spokesman of Generation X.” Nirvana has sold over 50 million albums worldwide since their debut. Cobain was found dead in his Seattle home on April 18, 1994, the victim of a self-inflicted shotgun wound to the head.

Amy Winehouse

The British singer-songwriter gained widespread popularity with her hit single ‘Rehab’ and the album Back to Black, which won her five Grammy awards. Winehouse is also widely credited for the rise in popularity of soul music. The soul diva also gained infamy with her erratic behaviour and her ongoing battle with drug and alcohol abuse. On July 23, 2011, she was found dead in her London home.

ANODE
The tragic deaths of some of the greatest musicians

Buddy Holly September 7, 1936 - February 3, 1959 (aged 22)

Charles Hardin Holley (September 7, 1936 – February 3, 1959) known professionally as Buddy Holly, was an American singer-songwriter and a pioneer of rock and roll. Following a performance at the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake, Iowa, on February 2, 1959, Holly chartered a small airplane to take him to the next stop on the tour. He, Valens, Richardson and the pilot were killed en route to Moorhead, Minnesota, when their plane crashed soon after taking off from nearby Mason City in the early morning hours of February 3. Bandmate Waylon Jennings had given up his seat on the plane, causing Holly to jokingly tell Jennings, “I hope your ol’ bus freezes up!” Jennings shot back facetiously, “Well, I hope your ol’ plane crashes!” It was a statement that would haunt Jennings for decades. Holly’s funeral was held on February 7, 1959, at the Tabernacle Baptist Church in Lubbock.

John Lennon 9 October 1940 – 8 December 1980 (age 40)

John Winston Ono Lennon, MBE was an English musician and singer-songwriter who rose to worldwide fame as one of the founding members of The Beatles, one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. At around 10:50 pm on 8 December 1980, as Lennon and Ono returned to their New York apartment in The Dakota, Mark David Chapman shot Lennon in the back four times at the entrance to the building. Lennon was taken to the emergency room of nearby Roosevelt Hospital and was pronounced dead on arrival at 11:07 pm. Earlier that evening, Lennon had autographed a copy of Double Fantasy for Chapman.

Ono issued a statement the next day, saying “There is no funeral for John,” ending it with the words, “John loved and prayed for the human race. Please pray the same for him.” His body was cremated at Ferncliff Cemetery in Hartsdale, New York. Ono scattered his ashes in New York’s Central Park, where the Strawberry Fields memorial was later created. Chapman pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and was sentenced to 20 years to life; as of 2011, he remains in prison, having been denied parole six times.

Elvis Presley January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977 (age 42)

Elvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the “King of Rock and Roll” or simply “the King”. Presley was scheduled to fly out of Memphis on the evening of August 16, 1977, to begin another tour. That afternoon, Alden discovered him unresponsive on his bathroom floor. Attempts to revive him failed, and death was officially pronounced at 3:30 pm at Baptist Memorial Hospital.

Presley’s funeral was held at Graceland, on Thursday, August 18. Outside the gates, a car plowed into a group of fans, killing two women and critically injuring a third. Approximately 80,000 people lined the processional route to Forest Hill Cemetery, where Presley was buried next to his mother. Within a few days, ‘Way Down’ topped the country and UK pop charts. Following an attempt to steal the singer’s body in late August, the remains of both Elvis Presley and his mother were reburied in Graceland’s Meditation Garden on October 2.

Michael Jackson August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009 (age 50)

Michael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, dancer, singer-songwriter, musician, and philanthropist. Referred to as the King of Pop, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records. His contribution to music, dance, and fashion, along with a much-publicized personal life, made him a global figure in popular culture for over four decades. On June 25, 2009, Jackson died while in his bed at his rented mansion at 100 North Carolwood Drive in the Holmby Hills district of Los Angeles. Attempts at resuscitating him by Conrad Murray, his personal physician, were unsuccessful. Los Angeles Fire Department paramedics received a 911 call at 12:22 (PDT, 19:22 UTC), arriving three minutes later at Jackson’s location. He was reportedly not breathing and CPR was performed. Resuscitation efforts continued en route to the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, and for an hour after arriving there at 1:13 (20:13 UTC). He was pronounced dead at 2:26 local time (21:26 UTC). Jackson’s death triggered a global outpouring of grief. Jackson’s memorial was held on July 7, 2009, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, preceded by a private family service at Forest Lawn Memorial Park’s Hall of Liberty.

StarBytes
“Republicans hate the beginning of the movie, Democrats hate the end.”
George Clooney on The Ides of March

Set for a Fall ’11 release, with its North American premier at the Toronto Film Festival, George Clooney’s The Ides of March is set during Ohio’s Democratic presidential primary, and Gosling’s aide gets involved in a political scandal that could undermine his boss’ chances for the White House. The film has been directed and co-written by, and stars Clooney.

“We were in preproduction on this,” Clooney says of the film’s background. “We were really getting close to starting up. But I remember sitting in a restaurant with (co-writer) Grant (Heslov) when Obama won, and we both realized we couldn’t make this movie right now. Everyone was so hopeful and happy. Now, the cynicism has come back around, so it’s time.”

The movie is based on Beau Willimon’s play Farragut North. It follows a young, Howard Dean-esque staffer’s struggle with a political scandal upon entering the realm of politics. The staffer, played by Ryan Gosling, is press secretary to a morally dubious presidential candidate played by George Clooney.

“It’s really about a character who drank the Kool-Aid,” Heslov said.

The Ides of March does not push one party’s agenda though, although Clooney admits to enjoying being labeled a liberal. “We’re not trying to be polarizing,” he says. “Republicans hate the beginning of the movie, Democrats hate the end. So, we’re good.”

“Of course, I’m keen to do a film with Ranbir.”
Deepika Padukone is eloquently mature

If this was a couple months back, we’d be more excited and stuff, but all we can muster at this point is a tiny flicker of interest. Ranbir and Deepika have both moved on miles since they broke up and have bitched it out on TV and in statements and we’re done with that. So when Deepika says she’s ready to work with Ranbir again, we’re all meh.

“As far as I know, Ayaan is still writing the script,” says Deepika of her project with Ayaan Mukherjee and Ranbir. “Of course, I’m keen to do a film with Ranbir. And he’s just as keen to work with me. I know that as a pair, people liked us together. But we haven’t got a suitable script after Bachna Ae Haseeno. We’d love to work together again.”

Deepika is so over all the Ranbir stuff, that she doesn’t understand why current beau Siddhartha Mallya would even object to the idea. “Why?” she asks. “My decisions are totally mine.”

While Deepika had bummed out a zillion girls in love with Ranbir circa 2007 by stating she would be his wife in another five years or so, we don’t really hear her saying anything as such anymore. “I’ve reached a stage where I don’t need to talk about my personal life. Whether someone is there or is not there, whether something is happening or not; though people want to know, they don’t need to know,” she says. 

The other dude she is keen on working with is Saif, which comes as no surprise as they work well together, much to the irritation of Saif’s partner Kareena. Kareena makes a point of hanging around sets when Deepika is the heroine of the film, but Deepika doesn’t give it second thought. “That’s her personal issue,” says Deepika. “She comes to spend time with Saif. I don’t think it’s our concern.”

This Just In

The most famous sister in the world Pippa Middleton is finally getting a one-hour TV special aimed to please those crazies who are totally nuts about Pippa, Crazy About Pippa. Airing on August 9 on TLC, it’s not the talk show some might have hoped for, but according to the press release, it will answer the question: Who is Pippa Middleton?

The Pippa Lovefest will focus on the Brit’s rise to fame and we predict we’ll see in-depth discussions of the following pressing topics: her famous tush, her Sarah Burton-designed Royal Wedding dress, her tabloid-friendly love life and her possible connection (or lack thereof) to Prince Harry.

Why, you may ask, does the Duchess of Cambridge’s little sis deserve her own documentary? Well, her Facebook fan pages have been “liked” over 185,000 times, the “Pippa Middleton A** Appreciation Society” has received over 237,000 “likes,” according to the press release, and she was apparently offered $5 million to star in an adult film. If that’s not TV-special worthy, we don’t know what is. And hey, it can’t be worse than that royal wedding made-for-TV movie.

“Imagine being in the company of living legends like Mr Bachchan (Amitabh Bachchan), Sachin (Tendulkar) and Shah Rukh (Khan), just the thought gives me gooseflesh,” gushes Kareena as she speaks of the unveiling of her wax figure at Madame Tussauds in October. Meanwhile speculations about which character she will be dressed as are rife. Manish Malhotra, most frequent designer for Kareena’s films says it’s between Chameli (2003), Asoka (2001), Jab We Met (2007) and Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham (2001). “Whatever they decide, I know Kareena will floor everyone,” says Manish.

Jen Aniston is on board with Prince William letting his hair go without a fight. “I think he should just let whatever’s happening happen. Don’t you?” Aniston said on Britain’s Capital FM radio to Lisa Snowdon. “Well, now if we see him with a hair transplant, we’re going to be like, ‘Oh, he had a hair transplant.” Jen might even find the bald look sexy. “I think there’s nothing wrong with it, like Ed Harris, come on. Gorgeous.”