WONDERCON 2012 Cosplay Extravanganza!

Lloyd Kaufman of Troma Films, Toxie, and Megan of Troma.

Actress Cherie Ditcham, left, at the Keenspot booth.

Sad Spider-Man.

Producer Aimee Schoof and Paige at the Keenspot booth.

Blair Brown, John Noble, and Joshua Jackson of FRINGE.

Peter Parker and vintage Gwen Stacy!

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CHRIS BOTTI: 300 Days A Year With My Fans

Chris Botti, above.

by Olga Khvorostetska, Editor-in-chief, UM Air Magazine, Ukraine

There are many talented musicians in the world, but only a few can facet their talent like a diamond, achieve the highest level of performance skill, which the fans will admire. The world-renowned trumpeter Chris Botti is one such person. He told us about the characteristics of his style, tremendous self-discipline and incredible love for the public.

Chris, have you ever thought that the performance of famous trumpeter Miles Davis that you saw when you were a twelve-year-old boy would be the first step on the way to the brilliant career of a famous trumpeter?

Chris Botti: Yes, I knew right then that I wanted to be a jazz trumpeter. But, I really believe that there is a common thread for anyone who has 'made it', that when you’re not making it, you don’t tell yourself “you’re not making it” but view every single little victory as a monumental accomplishment. For instance, early on if I was able to pay my rent that month, I felt like I won an Academy Award. So, I think you focus on putting one foot in front of the other and you don’t get too bogged down with not being a big solo artist at that point in your life.

At his time, the above-mentioned Davis, in contrast to many other jazz musicians, was not constrained to just one jazz style. He was even compared to Picasso – so multifaceted his talent was. And now you, as a musician and instrumentalist, have chosen to work at the cross-borders of genres. Have you taken on the tradition?

I can't say that I've 'taken on the tradition’; I guess that's for the critics to decide. Certainly, Miles Davis was a huge influence in my life, especially Miles in the '60s. I’ve always loved sophisticated pop music like Sting, Peter Gabriel, Paul Simon or Stevie Wonder and the combination of performing jazz instrumentally with influences of sophisticated pop music has always been at the cornerstone of my music. Now, in addition to classical music, it has been the mix that works for me and I think the combination is good for the audience as well.

Your love for music goes back to your childhood. As far as we know, at first you were playing the piano, like your mother, but then you decided to set your mind on the tube. Did it ever happen to you at times that you wanted to abandon that idea and carelessly hang out with other children?

No, I was very focused on the trumpet. I just basically forgot about everything else. At a certain point, you're committed to something to an extent that you would do anything. I was really committed to practicing music, very, very ambitious and dedicated as a young person to my trumpet, and so it was many hours a day that I practiced. There's a great quote from Joni Mitchell that said «Being a musician is 1 percent God-given talent and the other 99 percent insanity».' It's really sort of a joke, I suppose, but it's really true in a lot of ways. You have to be blinded by your own dedication, and that's a real important part of it.

Assia Ahhatt and Chris Botti.

You play in your band, with other well-known musicians’ bands, chamber ensembles, large symphony orchestras. Which do you like most?

Being on tour and playing for my fans. That’s what I really want to do. I’ve seen a lot of artists become successful and then they go “goodbye audience, I don’t want to tour anymore!” I just think it’s a shame. To really connect with our fans we’re on the road 300 days a year and people say ‘how do you have a life?’ I don’t, but I wouldn’t change anything, it’s just really amazing!

They say you have learned patience and love for the routine from Sting. Is this true?

Yes, what Sting does and the way he conducts his life; I try in many ways to emulate how he runs his world. It’s based on being on the road a lot, the dedication you get from music, performing the music, landing in a city and getting straight to yoga, maintaining the practice, all those sorts of things that I have picked up from him have helped me enormously in my career.

You create an incredible friendly atmosphere at the beginning of your concerts, your "Ave Maria" is amazing, and you are trying to give happiness and joy to the public. Does the public give it back to you?

Absolutely! Every time I step on stage. I also try to meet fans after my shows when my schedule permits. It’s not lost on me at all that we have fans that buy tickets, take a night off and come to the show. It means so much. I want nothing more than to continue touring with my amazing band and playing for fans around the world!

--

To his concerts in Ukraine, which will be held in Kiev and Kharkov on 3 and 4 April, 2012, Chris Botti invited Ukrainian violinist Assia Ahhatt as a special guest. They last played together in the world’s most famous jazz club Blue Note in New York on 19 December, 2011. Assia Ahhatt has left her mark in history as the first Ukrainian musician to play at this prestigious night club. www.assiaahhatt.com

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Eye on Filmmaker Brendan Gabriel Murphy

Filmmaker Brendan Gabriel Murphy

By Terry Keefe

Very occasionally, we here at The Interview run across an up-and-coming talent that deserves inclusion amongst the more established names we generally tackle. Filmmaker Brendan Gabriel Murphy has got youth on his side, along with an eye which has produced some very striking, and unique, imagery in the two short films that we had a chance to see (Swerve and Perceptio). It's the rare short that makes you want to see what the director could do with a feature, but Murphy fits that bill.

He's also got an interesting on-screen collaborator in actor Shiloh Fernandez, who made his film debut in Murphy's 2005 short, Wasted. Fernandez is one of this year's true rising acting stars, having just landed a lead in the reboot of the Evil Dead franchise. Murphy is currently developing a feature entitled Obscura, which will star Fernandez as well.

"It's so exciting to see Shiloh's career take off like this, since we've known each other from when we were both starting," says Murphy of his frequent creative partner. "He's the real deal. He takes his work very, very seriously, and puts a tremendous amount of preparation into his roles."

Shiloh Fernandez in SWERVE, above.

Both Swerve and Perceptio work with fractured narratives, while Perceptio is the more surreal of the two. (Without giving too much away, both revolve around car crashes.) Swerve stars Fernandez and another talent on the ascent, Juno Temple (The Dark Knight Rises, Atonement), and is a highly stylish mixture of a morality tale and a heist-gone-wrong story, with some shades of True Romance thrown in. (Here is a trailer for Swerve.) The film was shot by Murphy's brother, Kieran.

Fernandez in SWERVE, above.

Fernandez and Juno Temple, above, in SWERVE.

Perceptio comes equipped with the clever, and chilling, tagline "There once lived a girl who died." The film, which is a hallucinogenic trip into a netherworld of sorts, proves worthy of that evocative line. The nameless young lady in the lead (played by the gorgeous Hannah Landberg) finds herself stretched in a dozen directions by creepy hands of a variety of sorts, including the talons of Death himself. The production quality is quite high, and of particular note is the image of a stark white tree (seen in the still below). Click here for a short clip from Perceptio that is hosted on IMDB.

PERCEPTIO, above.

Murphy studied film at Long Island's Hofstra University, which he credits with instilling him with his hands-on, DIY filmmaking philosophy.

The upcoming feature Obscura will be produced by Jeff Beard and Michael Lynch. Beard also produced director Paul Todisco's 2007 noteworthy feature One Day Like Rain, which was extremely daring both visually and narratively. As of this writing, Murphy is currently gearing up to direct a segment in the anthology feature Girl Without a Planet.

More information on Murphy can be found on his website. Definitely one to watch.

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