Seth MacFarlane Among Performers for "Sinatra 100" Grammy Concert

Juanes, Seth MacFarlane and Trisha Yearwood Added to Stellar Lineup for "Sinatra 100 — An All-Star GRAMMY® Concert"

Music Stars Salute Frank Sinatra With Tribute Celebration Presented At Wynn Las Vegas; Broadcast On CBS, Dec. 6, 2015

SANTA MONICA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Two-time GRAMMY winner Juanes, GRAMMY nominee Seth MacFarlane and three-time GRAMMY winner Trisha Yearwood have been added to the list of performers for "Sinatra 100 — An All-Star GRAMMY Concert." They join previously announced performers Tony Bennett, Garth Brooks, Zac Brown, Harry Connick Jr., Celine Dion, Alicia Keys, Lady Gaga, John Legend, Adam Levine, Carrie Underwood, and Usher. The primetime special, presented by The Recording Academy®, AEG Ehrlich Ventures and CBS, honors the remarkable legacy of the legendary nine-time GRAMMY winner Frank Sinatra by celebrating the late icon's 100th birthday with a spectacular lineup of entertainers performing songs made famous by the Chairman of the Board. The live concert taping will be held Wednesday, Dec. 2, 2015, at Wynn Las Vegas Encore Theater. The special will be broadcast in HDTV and 5.1 surround sound on the CBS Television Network on Sunday, Dec. 6, 2015 from 9–11 p.m. ET/PT.

    “Sinatra 100 — An All-Star GRAMMY Concert”

"This show is an amazing journey through Frank Sinatra's music, cast with some of today's greatest artists," said three-time GRAMMY winner Don Was, music director for the concert. "In paying homage to Mr. Sinatra's music and treating his legacy with the utmost respect, most of the artists will sing arrangements as originally crafted for Mr. Sinatra by giants Don Costa, Gordon Jenkins, Quincy Jones, and Nelson Riddle. It's going to be an incredible show!"

Among Sinatra's nine GRAMMY wins are three for Album Of The Year for Come Dance With Me (1959), September Of My Years (1965) and A Man And His Music (1966). Additional recognition from The Recording Academy includes a Lifetime Achievement Award, GRAMMY Legend Award, and 13 recordings inducted into the GRAMMY Hall Of Fame®.

"Sinatra 100 — An All-Star GRAMMY Concert" continues the tradition of previous Emmy Award®-winning TV specials presented by The Recording Academy, AEG Ehrlich Ventures and CBS: "Stevie Wonder: Songs In The Key Of Life — An All-Star GRAMMY Salute" and "The Beatles: The Night That Changed America — A GRAMMY Salute."

In close partnership with the Sinatra family, "Sinatra 100 — An All-Star GRAMMY Concert" is produced by AEG Ehrlich Ventures, LLC. Ken Ehrlich is the executive producer, Lou Horvitz is director, and David Wild and Ehrlich are writers.

In celebrating Sinatra's centennial, The Recording Academy explores his historical ties to the city of Las Vegas in this special feature (http://www.grammy.com/news/sin-atra-city-the-story-of-frank-sinatra-and-las-vegas) and offers an interactive infographic detailing his top songs covered by other artists.


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About The Recording Academy
Established in 1957, The Recording Academy is an organization of musicians, songwriters, producers, engineers, and recording professionals dedicated to improving the cultural condition and quality of life for music and its makers. Internationally known for the GRAMMY Awards® — the preeminent peer-recognized award for musical excellence and the most credible brand in music — The Recording Academy is responsible for groundbreaking professional development, cultural enrichment, advocacy, education, and human services programs. The Academy continues to focus on its mission of recognizing musical excellence, advocating for the well-being of music makers and ensuring music remains an indelible part of our culture. For more information about The Academy, please visit www.grammy.com.

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Review: "The Manchurian Candidate" Eternally Fantastic, Chilling

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 16 (of 2003) by Leroy Douresseaux

The Manchurian Candidate (1962) – B&W
Running time:  126 minutes (2 hours, 6 minutes)
DIRECTOR:  John Frankenheimer
WRITER:  George Axelrod (based upon the novel by Richard Condon)
PRODUCERS:  George Axelrod and John Frankenheimer
CINEMATOGRAPHER:  Lionel Lindon (D.o.P.)
EDITOR:  Ferris Webster
COMPOSER:  David Amram
Academy Award nominee

DRAMA/THRILLER with elements of war

Starring:  Frank Sinatra, Laurence Harvey, Janet Leigh, Angela Lansbury, Henry Silva, James Gregory, Leslie Parrish, John McGiver, and Khigh Dhiegh

The subject of this movie review is The Manchurian Candidate, a 1962 suspense thriller and drama film from producer-director John Frankenheimer and producer-writer George Axelrod.  The movie is based on the book, The Manchurian Candidate, a political thriller from author Richard Condon that was first published in 1959.  The movie focuses on a former Korean War prisoner of war (POW) who believes that Communists brainwashed a fellow prisoner into becoming a political assassin.

Some film critics and a larger movie audience rediscovered The Manchurian Candidate in the late 1980’s and early 90’s, and since then, so much about the film’s themes and both its political and social relevance have been beaten into the ground.  As far as its quality as a film goes, it is a fine example of the beauty of black and white film and a excellent example of how film can deal with issues of memory and identity in so many novel and inventive ways.  I do want to make it clear that I recommend this film because of its wonderful cast and because it is a fantastic suspense thriller that has an intriguing mystery story.

Major Bennett Marco (Frank Sinatra) comes to believe that Raymond Shaw (Laurence Harvey), a member of his former platoon during the Korean Conflict who won the Congressional Medal of Honor, has been brainwashed by enemies of the United States.  Shaw is the stepson of the red-baiting, media-manipulator, Senator John Iselin (James Gregory), and the son of the too-ambitious-for-husband Mrs. Iselin (Angela Landsbury).  Because of the political confusion around Shaw, Bennett is unable to figure out exactly who the operators are, but he has ideas that he must play across a chessboard of shifting landscapes to discover who controls Shaw.

Directed by John Frankenheimer from a screenplay by George Axelrod, The Manchurian Candidate may, in certain political climates, seem quite relevant, but the power of its images will always remain strong.  From the opening scene of Shaw rousting his men out of a Korean brothel to the taunt cat and mouse games of psychological manipulation, the film is a haunting dream in which everything is what it seems and is even more than we might imagine.

I’ve always been fascinated by the scenes of the American soldiers being brainwashed and observed by a cabal of communists.  In one sense, the soldiers realize that they are in a large room where military type personnel are observing them, but another part of their minds registers that they are all guests at a flower club social.  In fact, while the white soldiers believe that the club members are mostly old white ladies, the lone black soldier sees the same club’s membership as haughty, well-dressed black women.

For most of the film, the only character that the audience can rely on is Shaw; we know he’s been brainwashed, and later we discover that the communists trained him to be an assassin.  The identities and motives of the other characters shift and are blurry.  Sinatra’s Bennett goes from a haunted veteran with memory problems in one half of the film to spy smasher in the next, but it’s a fine performance.  He makes us trust Bennett because we eventually have to lean on him, as he becomes the only stable element in the film.

The Manchurian Candidate is blessed with fine performances.  Although Shaw is a bit stiff throughout, he sells the film’s early brainwashing scenes, and he again becomes a strong presence at the end of the film.  Angela Landsbury gives one of the great supporting performances ever, and she does it in a quiet, subtle manner.  Her character might seem bold and obvious, but when I think about, I realize what a crafty snake she was and how she hid her serpentine ways.  In fact, there is a scene where Shaw first meets his future wife (Leslie Parrish) in which something happens that is virtually a metaphor for what Mrs. Iselin is and what her goals are.

Frankenheimer created what many consider to be a masterpiece, and it is indeed very good, as well as being visually, a gorgeous film.  I’ve always loved the dreamlike quality of black and white films.  Without the aid of color, a good director, like Frankenheimer, had to be accurate and quite efficient in shooting his film.  It was important that what was on the screen be able to move the story forward without the benefit of color as an identifying element.

When I think of how The Manchurian Candidate’s relevance resonates with audiences even to the present day, I also think of how this wonderful fantasy reveals so much about the mystery behind the face of a person.  I think of how people are often less than what I think they are, and how often they are more than what they seem.  The Manchurian Candidate is like a strange dream told in color, but we are only able to see it in black and white.  It reveals a truism about life:  reality is everything it seems, more or less.

9 of 10
A+

NOTES:
1963 Academy Awards, USA:  2 nominations: “Best Actress in a Supporting Role” (Angela Lansbury) and “Best Film Editing” (Ferris Webster)

1963 Golden Globes, USA:  1 win: “Best Supporting Actress” (Angela Lansbury); 1 nomination: “Best Motion Picture Director” (John Frankenheimer)

1963 BAFTA Awards:  1 nomination: “Best Film from any Source” (USA)

1994 National Film Preservation Board, USA:  National Film Registry

Updated:  Sunday, November 10, 2013

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