Entertainment

Rock Legend David Crosby Dead at Age 81

David Crosby, the brash rock musician who evolved from a baby-faced harmony singer with the Byrds to a mustachioed hippie superstar and an ongoing troubadour in Crosby, Stills, Nash & (sometimes) Young, died Thursday at the age of 81, according to several media outlets.

According to the New York Times, the musician died Wednesday night, citing a text message from Crosby’s sister-in-law. Several media outlets, citing anonymous sources, reported Crosby’s death; The Associated Press could not reach Crosby’s representatives or his widow.

Crosby received a liver transplant in 1994 after decades of drug use, and he lived through diabetes, hepatitis C, and heart surgery in his 70s.

While he only wrote a few well-known songs, Crosby was at the forefront of the cultural revolution of the 1960s and 1970s, whether triumphing on stage with Stephen Stills, Graham Nash and Neil Young at Woodstock, testifying on behalf of a hirsute generation in his anthem “Almost Cut My Hair,” or mourning the assassination of Robert F. Kennedy in “Long Time Gone.”

He was a founding member and focal point of the Los Angeles rock music community, which produced artists such as the Eagles and Jackson Browne. He inspired Dennis Hopper’s long-haired stoner in “Easy Rider,” a twinkly-eyed hippie patriarch. He was an unrepentant loudmouth who engaged in personal warfare and admitted that many musicians he worked with no longer spoke to him.

“Crosby was a colorful and unpredictable character who wore a Mandrake the Magician cape, didn’t get along with too many people, and had a beautiful voice — and architect of harmony,” Bob Dylan wrote in his memoir, “Chronicles: Volume One,” published in 2004.

david crosby

David Crosby’s drug use

Crosby’s drug use left him bloated, bankrupt, and estranged. He overcame his addiction during a year in prison in Texas on drug and weapons charges in 1985 and 1986. The conviction was eventually reversed.

“I’ve always said that I picked up the guitar as a shortcut to sex, and after my first joint, I was convinced that if everyone smoked dope, the war would end,” Crosby said in his 1988 autobiography, “Long Time Gone,” co-written with Carl Gottlieb. “I was correct on the sex. When it came to drugs, I was completely wrong.”

He lived years longer than expected and experienced a creative renaissance in his 70s, releasing several solo albums while collaborating with others, including his son James Raymond, who became a favorite songwriting partner.

“Most guys my age would have done a covers record or duets on old material,” he told Rolling Stone shortly before the release of “Croz” in 2013. “This isn’t going to be a big hit. It’ll most likely sell nineteen copies. I don’t think kids will like it, but I’m not going to make it for them. I’m doing it for myself. “I have some things I need to get off my chest.”

Crosby was featured in Cameron Crowe’s documentary “David Crosby: Remember My Name” in 2019.

While his solo career flourished, his seemingly lifelong bond with Nash frayed, Crosby was enraged by Nash’s 2013 memoir “Wild Tales” (which he called “whiny and dishonest”), and their relationship devolved into an ugly public feud, with Nash and Crosby agreeing on one thing: Crosby, Stills, and Nash were done.

david crosby

Crosby’s rise in the music world

Crosby did express interest in a Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young protest tour following Donald Trump’s election as President of the United States, but his former bandmates did not respond.

Crosby rose to prominence in the mid-1960s as a member of the seminal folk-rock band The Byrds, whose hits included “Turn! Turn! Turn!” and “Mr. Tambourine Man.” At the time, he was clean-cut and baby-faced, and he contributed harmonies that were an important part of the band’s innovative blend of The Beatles and Dylan. Crosby was one of the first American celebrities to become close to The Beatles and was instrumental in introducing George Harrison to Eastern music.

Crosby left The Byrds and formed a new band due to strained relationships with his bandmates. Crosby, Stills, and Nash’s first meeting is legendary: Stills and Crosby were working on the ballad “You Don’t Have to Cry” at Joni Mitchell’s house in 1968 (Stills would argue they were at Mama Cass’) when Nash suggested they start over. Nash’s high harmony added a magical layer to Stills’ rough bottom and Crosby’s mellow middle, forming a supergroup.

Their self-titled debut album was an instant success, helping to redefine commercial music. The songs were longer and more personal than their previous releases, but they were easily relatable to an audience embracing a more open lifestyle.

Their vibrant harmonies and themes of peace and love became synonymous with the late 1960s and early 1970s. Their cover of Joni Mitchell’s “Woodstock” served as the theme for a documentary about the 1969 rock concert at which the group made only its second live appearance. Crosby had produced Mitchell’s first album, “Song to a Seagull,” in 1968 and had been her boyfriend at the time (as was Nash).

david crosby

Harmony and rhythm guitar

Crosby, now sporting the drooping, bushy mustache that would define him for the rest of his life, provided harmony and rhythm guitar, and his songs reflected his volatile personality. They ranged from “Guinevere’s” misty-eyed romanticism to “Deja Vu’s” spirituality to “Almost Cut My Hair’s” operatic paranoia.

Some criticized the group for being soft-headed and self-indulgent.

“If you’re into living-room rock, fireplace harmonies, and a hint of good old social consciousness, this is your band,” said Rolling Stone, who never missed an opportunity to write about the band.

But CSN, as they were soon known, won a Grammy for best new artist and became a global touring act and brand name decades later.

The first album was a lighthearted, upbeat recording, but the mood darkened during the second, “Deja Vu.” Neil Young joined the band, having feuded with Stills while both were in Buffalo Springfield and continuing to do so.

Everyone in the band was in turmoil: Nash and Mitchell had split up, as had Stills and singer Judy Collins. Meanwhile, Crosby was so devastated by the death of his girlfriend, Christine Hinton, in a car accident that he would sob on the studio floor.

david crosby

Solo artists, duos, trios

The album featured a rougher, less unified sound, was released in 1970 and was another commercial success. Within two years, the quartet had disbanded, destined to reunite and splinter for the rest of their lives.

They worked as solo artists, duos, trios, and, on rare occasions, all four simultaneously. They performed in stadiums and clubs. They were present at the Berlin Wall as the Cold War ended in 1989 and in New York for the Occupy Wall Street protests in 2011.

Crosby has toured frequently in recent years and has answered questions on Twitter with affection and exasperation, whether commenting on rock star peers or assessing the quality of a fan’s marijuana joint. He loved sailing, and aside from hard drugs, his greatest regret was selling his 74-foot boat due to financial difficulties. Among the songs completed on the boat was the classic “Wooden Ships,” co-written with Stills and Paul Kantner of Jefferson Airplane.

Crosby was born David Van Cortlandt Crosby in Los Angeles on August 14, 1941. Floyd Crosby, the Oscar-winning cinematographer behind “High Noon,” was his father. His mother, Aliph, and brother, Floyd Jr., later relocated to Santa Barbara.

Crosby grew up listening to classical, folk, and jazz music. Crosby stated in his autobiography that as a child, he used to harmonize while his mother sang, his father played mandolin, and his brother played guitar.

“I wasn’t into it when rock ‘n’ roll came in during that era, and the Age of Elvis possessed America,” he recalled.

david crosby

The Beatles inspired Crosby.

His brother taught him to play the guitar, and he began performing in Santa Barbara clubs while still in his teens. In 1960, he moved to Los Angeles to study acting but dropped out and became a folk singer, touring the country before joining The Byrds. Like many other folk performers, Crosby was inspired by the Beatles’ 1964 film “A Hard Day’s Night” and decided to pursue a career as a rock star.

In 1987, Crosby married his longtime girlfriend, Jan Dance. Django, the couple’s son, was born in 1995. Crosby and Debbie Donovan had a daughter, Donovan. Crosby was reunited with Raymond, who had been placed for adoption in 1961, shortly after undergoing the liver transplant. Raymond, Crosby, and Jeff Pevar later formed a band called CPR.

“I regretted losing him many times,” Crosby said of Raymond in 1998 to the Associated Press. “I was too immature and irresponsible to parent anyone.”

Melissa Etheridge revealed in 2000 that Crosby was the father of her two children with then-partner Julie Cypher. Etheridge told Rolling Stone that Cypher carried the children Crosby fathered through artificial insemination. Beckett, one of the sons, died in 2020.

David Crosby did not assist in raising the children but stated, “If, you know, in time, at a distance, they’re proud of who their genetic father is, that’s great.”

Source: AP

Entertainment

Reports of a Split Contract Point to Taylor Swift and Her Fiancé Travis Kelce’s Matching.

(VOR News) – One of the ways that Taylor Swift showed her support for her boyfriend was by going to a football game that Travis Kelce was playing in while wearing a magnificent plaid suit that matched the outfit that he was wearing.

When this was done, it was done with the aim of making it happen, despite the fact that there were rumors going around about a split contract between the two of them.

The guy, who was 34 years old at the time, made a stunning entrance at Arrowhead Stadium while wearing a magnificent gray and black Taylor Swift checkered suit that was designed by Vivienne Westwood, who was also the designer of the costume.

She donned Taylor Swift clothing to show her support for Travis and the Chiefs.

Furthermore, they had arrived at the stadium earlier that day wearing Taylor Swift’s plaid shirt and jeans that were extremely similar to Kelce’s, which served as the basis for their synchronized costumes. This foundation was the foundation for their coordinated costumes. When Kelce arrived at the stadium, he was still wearing the same shirt and jeans that he had worn earlier.

Furthermore, Taylor greeted the occasion with a good attitude by matching her dress with a magnificent purse in the shape of a heart that she held on her wrist. This was yet another way that she showed her appreciation for the event. This item was a component of her ensemble.

It was stated by the Daily Mail that she made her return with this appearance, despite the fact that she had been absent from the two Chiefs games that came before it owing to her obligations to the Eras Tour. The fact that she had not been present for either of those games did not prevent her from accomplishing this.

“Now you all can shut the heck up about that bulls**t ‘breakup contract,'” a fan wrote on X in connection to this matter to express their opinion on the matter. “Now you can stop talking about anything.” “Now y’all can stop the hell up about that…”

It was a different fan who was the one who broke the news at this time period.

The statement reads, “BREAKING: Travis Kelce has reached a long-term extension with Taylor Swift.”

Following an extensive amount of deliberation and debate, the two parties have reached consensus on a deal that will be in place for the subsequent three years.

Providing that Travis continues to be advantageous for Taylor Swift’s company, the rules of the agreement indicate that Taylor Swift has the authority to renew the deal in the event that Travis continues to be useful. In the event that Travis is the one who is accountable for doing the dishes, there is a possibility that he may be awarded a bonus of some kind.

Swift and Kelce’s followers were able to let out a sigh of relief when it was discovered that a “contract” that had been reported to have been leaked and disclosed the exact date of Swift and Kelce’s separation was found to be nothing more than a fabrication.

This information was obtained from the source. It had been anticipated that the “contract” would have been made available.

In addition, it is worth noting that when the publication that stated that the couple had made the decision to end their relationship a month ago began to circulate on the internet, representatives for Travis were obligated to reject the charges.

SOURCE: GN

Entertainment

‘Joker 2’ Tops the International Box Office with $81.1 Million.

(VOR News) – It is projected that “Joker: Folie à Deux” made its debut this weekend with an estimated total of $81.1 million.

This would make it the most successful film at the box office around the world and the most profitable film overall from a financial standpoint. The picture, which is a sequel to the 2019 blockbuster smash “Joker,” only made $40 million in the United States of America, which is a pitiful amount of money.

The film is a sequel to the 2019 mega hit. In the year 2019, the trailer for the movie was made available. The cinematic adaptation of the peculiar comic book has generated an astonishing sum of $121.1 million in revenue all over the world. This is a result of the film’s success.

Considering that the production of “Joker: Folie à Deux” took place at an incredible cost of two hundred million dollars, Warner Bros., the corporation that provided the finance for the picture, is currently confronted with a dilemma as a result of this fact.

The second “Joker” cost $65 million, compared to $75 million for the original.

This is a substantial difference in terms of the budget. The movie has been given a terrible “D” CinemaScore since the majority of the reviews that have been published about the film have been unfavorable, and audiences appear to agree with the reviewers. As a result of this, the movie has been given a terrible “D” CinemaScore.

Lady Gaga, who is responsible for putting her own distinctive twist on Harley Quinn, a favorite character from the comics, is responsible for a significant portion of the additional expense.

Phillips, Joaquin Phoenix, who reprises his role as the unstable comedian Arthur Fleck, and Lady Gaga are all responsible for a significant portion of the increased budget. There is a large portion of the additional costs that are linked with the production of the picture that may be attributed to these payments.

There were a total of 25,788 theaters and 76 markets outside of the United States that showed the movie. In order to act as screening locations, these locations were selected.

The fact that “Joker: Folie à Deux” made $8 million in the United Kingdom, $6.9 million in Germany, $5.6 million in Italy, $5.5 million in Mexico, and $5 million in France is a fascinating piece of information to take into consideration. Furthermore, the film made $5 million in France.

Only a few examples of what has been accomplished are presented here, but they are representative of the many different results that have been obtained. One week after the film will be released in Japan on the same day, it will make its debut in China on October 16th. This will be one week after the film is released in Japan.

Japan will also release the Joker movie to the public on that same day.

After grossing $335 million in the United States, the first “Joker” film grossed $743 million in other nations across the world. This is despite the fact that the film was only released in the United States.

In addition to generating a large amount of revenue, the movie was a smash hit that was incredibly well received by audiences. The film “Deadpool & Wolverine” broke the record for the highest-grossing R-rated film when it grossed $1.32 billion worldwide.

This achievement was accomplished by the film. The film was successful in accomplishing this specific goal. During a particular period of time, the film was the one that achieved the distinction of being the highest-grossing R-rated film movie.

Before “Joker 2” caused a breach between audiences and critics, Phillips announced that he had ended his career as a director of films based on comic books. At the end of the day, “Joker 2” was not successful. By the time this took place, the film had not yet been responsible for causing the rift.

“It was fun to play in this sort of sandbox for two movies, but I think we’ve said what we wanted to say in this world,” he said in an interview with Variety in the month of August. “It was a lot of fun.” “It was a lot of fun.” “It was a lot of fun.”

SOURCE: VN

Entertainment

Reviews of Silent Hill 2 Provide a Higher-Than-Expected Metacritical Score.

(VOR News) – The Bloober Team and Konami-produced remake of the horror game Silent Hill 2 is scheduled to launch the following week, but reviews have already started to surface, giving players a sneak peek at the updated version of the game before it is made available to the public.

It would be an understatement to say that Bloober Team was under a great deal of pressure to get the game right, especially considering that the survival-horror genre’s enthusiasts regard Silent Hill almost as highly as Resident Evil.

Considering the Metacritic score that the game has received thus far, Silent Hill 2 players shouldn’t have any worries when the game launches on November 8

. This is due to the score, which shows that the game has only ever earned favorable reviews up to this point. Fans of the Bloober Team and Silent Hill will be happy to hear this news.

Silent Hill 2 currently has an 87 Metacritic rating.

In 50 reviews, the PlayStation 5 version received a score of 87, meaning that it also received an 87 on that platform. This is based on the fact that the score was given to the PlayStation 5 version. The Silent Hill 2 personal computer version received an overall rating of 88 out of 5, placing it somewhat higher than the PlayStation 5 version.

There isn’t an Xbox version of Silent Hill 2 that can be regarded as existing because it wasn’t part of the Xbox Series X|S. There isn’t any information available at this time on whether or not it will ever be made accessible on that specific platform.

A considerable portion of Silent Hill fans had not in the slightest expected that Silent Hill 2 would achieve five flawless scores of one hundred before these reviews were published. It is extremely unlikely that they expected anything at all. Actually, the great majority of reviews are favorable.

They also call it a welcome return to form for the Silent Hill brand, complimenting the Bloober Team for their appreciation for the first Silent Hill 2. Furthermore, they believe it to be the ideal starting point for beginners who have never really experienced Silent Hill before.

Due of this, Silent Hill 2 has few Metacritic reviews, both positive and negative.

No bad reviews have been posted. Some people think that the remake may have retained some of the most annoying and constrictive elements of the original Silent Hill 2 by staying too close to the original. These individuals believe that there might have been some issues brought on by the remake.

Thankfully for those of us who are now playing Silent Hill 2, those reviews are the exception rather than the rule, with the vast majority of positive reviews making up the small amount of negative reviews.

It is true that some people became skeptical about the remake because the Bloober Team was in charge of it. Furthermore, in the perspective of both its own series and the genre at large, Silent Hill 2 has been held in the highest regard ever since it was first made accessible to the general public.

Games like Layers of Fear, The Medium, and the Blair Witch game were all made by the Bloober Team; nevertheless, no matter which game was reviewed, none of these titles received particularly high review scores. With the release of Silent Hill 2, it’s possible that the public’s perception of the Bloober Team may undergo a significant shift.

Additionally, we are now writing our own review of Silent Hill 2.

Although it has taken longer than expected because we acquired our review copy after the game was already in progress.

However, even though more reviews are being received, it is highly doubtful that these would significantly lower Silent Hill 2’s Metacritic score. despite the fact that more reviews are coming in. Players of Silent Hill 2 should have a lot to look forward to in the upcoming week as a result of this.

SOURCE: CB