Ma Rainey's Black Bottom Review: Chadwick Boseman's Final Performance Is Also His Best

Chris Willman Music WriterTo jump, or not to jump? That is the question many Van Halen buffs will be asking themselves as they consider the prospect of the band’s original run of albums becoming available as pricey but very collectible premium vinyl boxed sets later this year.Mobile Fidelity, the standard-bearer for audiophile vinyl, will be issuing the six albums the band originally recorded with David Lee Roth as frontman in double-LP boxes that involve the lossless “one-step” process, pressed across four sides each at 45 rpm, allowing the greatest insurance that even with Michael Anthony’s bass at maximum intensity, the needle will not go ahead and j… er, skip.At $125 each from Music Direct, the only site from which they can currently be preordered, these special editions are not for the casual fan… or the modern vinyl “enthusiast” who buys LPs to display the covers without actually having a turntable hooked up. But as recent experience with MoFi vinyl releases would prove, it’s entirely possible that all 10,000 numbered copies of each could effectively sell out online, or that most retail stores that carry the brand might only get a copy or two in.

Wu Jing, the highest-grossing male actor of all time in China, will join British action star Jason Statham in Warner Bros.’s “Meg 2: The Trench,” sources close to the production have confirmed to Variety.The giant shark actioner, however, will be without Li Bingbing (“Transformers: Age of Extinction”). The Chinese actor, who played a female oceanographer, embodying both brains and beauty in Jon Turteltaub’s testosterone-fueled 2018 “The Meg,” is not returning to the franchise at this point.With Ben Wheatley in the directing chair, production on “Meg 2: The Trench” began at the end of January at the Warner-owned Leavesden Studios outside London.

Emergency equipment to help during adverse weather conditions has been made available to local community groups across North Lanarkshire.

Dominic Fike is sharing some new details about season 3 of Euphoria!

President Joe Biden is expected to announce his Supreme Court nomination.

Gemma Atkinson has shared a sweet update after suffering a health scare with her beloved dog.

Michael Madsen has been arrested.

The New York Times.“I know that most people in Russia are against this war, and I am confident that the more people would talk about their real attitude to it, the faster we can stop this horror,” said Oxxxymiron in a statement (translated by the Times).“I cannot entertain you when Russian missiles are falling on Ukraine—when residents of Kyiv are forced to hide in basements and in the metro, while people are dying.”He is one of several other Russian musicians who have voiced their protest at the war. Kasta, Shym, Vladi, Khamil, Zmey, and Noize MC have all voiced their opposition to the attack on Ukraine.A post shared by Oxxxymiron (@norimyxxxo)Ukraine has officially severed diplomatic ties with Russia and declared martial law after Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered an attack on the neighbouring nation.Since Oxxxymiron’s post last night (February 24), Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelensky has said that 137 people had been killed, with 316 more wounded.Troops from Russia crossed the Crimea border into Ukraine on Thursday after President Vladimir Putin gave the order for his invasion to begin.The actions of Putin, who has claimed that Russia does not intend to occupy Ukraine and that his country’s actions amount to a “special military operation”, have drawn widespread condemnation from across the globe.Reactions to the situation in Ukraine from prominent figures in the worlds of music, entertainment and politics have been posted on social media, with the likes of Foals’ Yannis Philippakis, Bring Me The Horizon‘s Oli Sykes, Franz Ferdinand‘s Alex Kapranos, Yungblud, London Mayor Sadiq Khan, Taika Waititi and Amanda Palmer all speaking out in support of Ukraine.

Pocketpair, the studio behind Palworld, has given staff a paid holiday today (February 25) so they can stay at home and play Elden Ring.FromSoftware’s open-world action role-playing game is out today and according to Pocketpair’s CEO Takruo Mizobe, he believes staff will be “unable to focus on work”.The company announced the “Elden Holiday” in a company wide email, which was later shared on Twitter.ポケットペアは、全社員対象者にエルデン休暇を支給します！エルデの王は金、月は出勤する必要はありません！ pic.twitter.com/HforPa0TkN— ポケットペア公式 – Craftopia/クラフトピア (@PocketpairJapan) February 22, 2022Rumour has it that the Dragon Quest series is so popular in Japan, that developer Square Enix now releases its games on Saturdays to prevent kids from skipping school and adults from calling in sick to work to play the game.And last year, Japanese tech developer Mark-On Ltd announced a ‘Monster Hunter Holiday’ for all non-executive employees to coincide with the launch of Monster Hunter Rise after CEO Masaki Hiyama received an overwhelming number of holiday requests for that day.Elden Ring launched earlier today. Steam reviews for the PC version of the game are currently “mixed” due to performance issues and missing features. Bandai Namco has since released a post about the issues in Elden Ring, stating that it is “constantly working to improve the game so that it can be played comfortably on various PC environments and platforms.” In a five-star review of the game NME wrote: “Trying to summarise all of Elden Ring‘s successes, trying to pinpoint why it feels so special, is a gargantuan task.

Inhaler have confirmed that they’re working on their second album by sharing a behind-the-scenes studio clip – watch below.The Dublin band released their debut full-length effort, ‘It Won’t Always Be Like This’, last July ahead of appearing at a string of festivals and embarking on a UK/Ireland headline tour.Having wrapped up a run of US dates in late 2021, the group revealed on social media yesterday (February 24) that they’re currently at work on new music.“Here’s a little treat from us working on new album material, alongside an instrumental we released on vinyl many moons ago,” Inhaler captioned a video, which shows them recording at Narcissus Studio in London.Shot by photographer Lewis Evans, the one-and-a-half-minute, vintage film-style montage sees the members of the band playing their respective instruments before it fades to black.

Peaky Blinders attended the premiere for the show’s sixth and final season on Thursday (February 24) at Cineworld in Birmingham.Sophie Rundle (Ada Shelby), Kate Phillips (Linda Shelby) and Natasha O’Keeffe (Lizzie Stark) were among those at the event, alongside Finn Cole (Michael Gray), Ned Dennehy (Charlie Strong) and Harry Kirton (Finn Shelby).Amber Anderson and Charlene McKenna were also in attendance, along with James Frecheville who is a newcomer for the final season.Cillian Murphy, who plays Tommy Shelby, was unable to make the premiere due to filming commitments on Christopher Nolan’s upcoming film Oppenheimer.The actor will play the lead role of J. Robert Oppenheimer in the biopic, an American physicist whose involvement in the Manhattan Project led him to be dubbed the “father of the atomic bomb”.Speaking about the role recently, Murphy said: “I’m interested in the man and what [inventing the atomic bomb] does to the individual.

Former striker Michael Owen believes Erik ten Hag would bring the structure that Manchester United are desperately in need of if he was to be appointed the club's next manager.

Aleks Zinchenko has told Pep Guardiola he is ready to play if needed despite suffering the anguish of having loved ones in Ukraine.

Ralf Rangnick has confirmed Manchester United will be without Scott McTominay and Edinson Cavani against Watford.

A woman was taken to hospital following a crash on the A6 Chorley Road.

Mark Charnock has firmly established himself as a soap legend, having played Marlon Dingle in Emmerdale since 1996. During his time in the role, Marlon has been involved in his fair share of dramas in the Dales, including three marriages. In 2004, Mark won the award for Best Dramatic Performance at the British Soap Awards after a especially moving storyline in which Marlon made the decision to switch off the life support machine for his wife Tricia.

Holly Willoughby shared her emotional struggle with the Ukraine conflict today.The This Morning presenter, 41, revealed she’s fielding questions from her children about the Russian invasion - and she can’t answer them. Alongside a powerful image of an army tank posted to Instagram, Holly wrote: “How do I explain this to my children… I was asked questions last night I didn’t have the answers for.” A fellow mum commented: “My 7 year old asked if this was world war 3 and his 5 year old sister said ‘oh no mummy, I don’t want to get sended away’(sic).” So how do you explain war in a way children will understand? Certified Grief Recovery Specialist Jill Attree exclusively tells OK! the dos and don’ts. Get exclusive celebrity stories and fabulous photoshoots straight to your inbox with OK!'s daily newsletter .

Denzel Washington is opening up about one of the more important lessons he passed on to the late Chadwick Boseman before his passing this year.

Denzel Washington is featured in the Dec. 13 edition of “CBS Sunday Morning”, in his role as producer of “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom”, bringing the acclaimed stage play to the screen in a new Netflix movie starring Viola Davis and Chadwick Boseman.

t’s a collaboration that was decades in the making.  George C. Wolfe, who has helped bring the words of everyone from Tony Kushner to Nora Ephron to life in acclaimed productions, says it was in the mid-1990s when playwright August Wilson first raised the prospect of working with him.“He said, ‘I want you to direct one of my plays,’” Wolfe recalls.

Viola Davis and the late Chadwick Boseman are both generating serious Oscar buzz for their roles in the new Netflix film “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.”

Jazz Tangcay Artisans EditorSinger, songwriter, producer, composer and EGOT winner John Legend performs an intimate rendition of “Never Break” from the new Netflix documentary, “Giving Voice.”The documentary will be released on Dec. 11 on the global streaming platform, and follows six students of varied backgrounds as they advance through the August Wilson Monologue Competition, an event that celebrates one of America’s greatest playwrights.“Giving Voice” also features interviews with oscar Winners Denzel Washington and Viola Davis, both of whom starred together in the adaptation of Wilson’s Pulitzer Prize winning “Fences.” Davis also appears in “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” which lands on Netflix on Dec.

Valerie Complex True to its title, “Giving Voice” amplifies the lives and talents of half a dozen high school students from different American cities who aim to be finalists in the national August Wilson monologue competition. Co-directors James D.

Ahead of its release, “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” director George C. Wolfe is opening up about working with Chadwick Boseman in his final role.