Image licensed under Creative Commons, courtesy of flickr user kazuma jp.

This piece originally aired as part of the BRU Brief. The Brief airs weekly on 95.5 FM, recapping the week’s top local, national, and international stories, and taking a closer look at the issues of the day in Southern New England. Tune in on Monday nights at 11:00, or stream live at news.wbru.com.

Max: Max and Goose here with your state of television.  Sitcoms are going strong this year on all the big stations, because who doesn’t have time for 30 min of nice clean, family fun.

Goose: Did you hear?  Jim and Pam just tied the knot on the Office – sorry if I gave that one away, but NBC did advertise it constantly for the last two weeks. Can’t wait to see the fallout on that one.

Max: And 30 Rock is back, still number one in my book. CBS’s Two and a Half Men is going strong as the Number one sitcom, although the hilarious Big Bang Theory is starting to creep up in the ratings.

Goose: My personal favorite on CBS is How I Met Your Mother – worth it just for Neil Patrick Harris. On ABC, the new sitcom Modern Family is making a splash as one of the best new shows on TV. Featuring Ed O’Neill from Married with Children fame and a hilarious ensemble cast, this is a show that you’ll be hearing about.

Max: In the reality world, Glee, if nothing else, brings great 3 minute videos of song and dance. Survivor is back for what must be it’s 50th season, but really, who watches that anymore?

Goose: And of course who can forget Dancing with the stars, as hard as we all may try. This guilty pleasure has become more dangerous this year, with a bunch of contestants dropping out from injury. Tom Delay, former House Majority Leader – yeah I don’t know why he’s on the show either – had to drop out due to a stress fracture in his foot. Tough life.

Max: Dramas are lagging a bit this year, but the one new show that seems to have some promise is FlashForward, a scifi where the entire population blacked out for two minutes and saw into their futures. It seems every other drama is a Law and Order, NCIS or CSI. Thank god Grey’s Anatomy and Desperate Housewives are still on. Ugh. If you need me I’ll be waiting for 24 and Lost to start up again.

Goose: Thanks Max, we’ll wake you up when they premiere.  For WBRU, I’m Goose.

The BRU Brief airs weekly on 95.5 FM, recapping the week’s top local, national, and international stories, and taking a closer look at the issues of the day in Southern New England. Tune in on Monday nights at 11:00, or stream live at news.wbru.com.

Megan is currently working to get her Center for Sexual Pleasure and Health opened in Pawtucket, RI. Zoning and… political? issues are delaying the opening, so show your support, send us a word, comment, talk to your friends about sex education.

And for your enjoyment, if you’re 18 or over, head over to OhMegan.com and listen to our new podcast! You can also subscribe to Tearin’ It Off on iTunes!

Image from besidethequeue.files.wordpress.com.

But did you know the magazine was recently on the brink of extinction?

Last week, BRU News caught up with Publisher/co-founder Nick Purdy, who explained the unique approach his team took to keeping Paste in publication:

“[With] the economic conditions and everything, advertising’s been one of the things that’s been hurt. And our magazine, is like everyone else, it’s kind of taken a beating.

But we saw a way for the future, and we went to our readers, who had told us, ‘If you ever get in trouble, come to us.’

And so we did. And we weren’t sure if we were going to be able to keep publishing, but we went to our readers, and we went to the artists we cover, and asked for help.

And the artists donated like 150 unreleased songs for us to give to anyone who would send us some money to help get us through the lean times. And over 10,000 of our readers have sent us over $260,000, and really gotten us into a good position for the future. It’s been amazing.”

Want to learn more about Paste, and what their campaign suggests for the future of the entertainment magazine?

Find out here, as BRU News goes On the Record with Nick Purdy:

For more information, visit www.pastemagazine.com, or to contribute, visit www.pastemagazine.com/savepaste.

Image from rockprophecies.com.

In this week’s E-News Spotlight, Maggie Lange previews the documentary, which comes to the Rhode Island International Film Festival on August 8th.

The E-News Spotlight was originally included in BRU’s weekly news magazine, the Brief. The BRU Brief airs weekly on 95.5 FM, recapping the week’s top local, national, and international stories, and taking a closer look at the issues of the day in Southern New England. Tune in on Monday nights at 11:00, or stream live at news.wbru.com.

***
E-NEWS SPOTLIGHT: ROCK PROPHECIES
Maggie Lange

Rock gods have a very specific quality – an intensity, a drive, a genius.

This quality is something that can’t necessarily be defined or understood – only documented.

And that’s what famed rock photographer Robert Knight does with his life.

Robert Knight was there are the beginning – he photographed Jimi Hendrix when he was an opener, when Robert was 17 he toured with Led Zeppelin, he photographed Aerosmith, Slash, and the Stones in their prime.

But “Rock Prophecies,” the film documenting Robert Knight’s career, does not focus on the past.

“To me, it was really important that there was a modern day tale.”

That was John Chester, the films director and executive producer.

“Rock Prophecies” will premiere this Saturday at the Rhode Island Film Festival at the Columbus Theater.

The crux of this movie is about Knight’s dedication to music – a story about an artist that fights for success and fame.

“It’s really clicking with anyone who’s ever wanted something out of life and been curious about clues that indicate to you where you should go and what you should do. This is really their film.”

As their photographer, Knight also managed to make friends with his subjects – who came out in full force for this film.

In “Rock Prophecies,” Santana talks about forgetting to play the guitar, Slash reveals himself as a quiet, demure and down-to-earth guy.

Knight prides himself on discovering rock legends.

When Chester proposed making this rockumentary to Knight, this is what he asked him:

“We sort of challenged him and said over the next two years can you find us some legends. And we were kinda joking and he did.”

Instead, Knight rose to the challenge.

As Robert Knight documents these stars he also catalogues what makes them a genius.

“We asked to him to explain to us what was it that you found in the guys that you found and he said why don’t I just take you to them and well ask them. So he took us to meet Jeff Beck, Slash, Z Z Top, Santana and they were all saying such similar things about following this thread of these seemingly insignificant obsessions. And it’s funny the common trait about them all including Robert Knight himself is that they were a bit OCD about it and that led to the manifestation of these giant careers in the guitar world – and in Robert’s case he was obsessed with them.”

Even though Knight’s most iconic photographs are in the classic rock vein, the film focuses on the present, on current-day stars – just like Knight.

“Robert Knight is not content with the past. It is about this guy that sees himself as a teenager and does not stop. His thing is about finding the next great act. So yeah, he shot Hendrix in the early days, yeah he shot the very first photos of Led Zeppelin in the United States and followed them for a year – but that doesn’t matter to him. What matters to him is finding the next great guitar player or the next great musical act. And for us that was very exciting we are very fortunate to make a film about a guys whose mission it is to never stop.”

If you’re interested in a great soundtrack and rock legends that spans from Hendix to Panic at the Disco, check our “Rock Prophecies” this Saturday at the Columbus Theater. Chester and Robert Knight will be there after the film to take questions, and maybe let you snap their picture.

Photo courtesy London's official website.

E-news reporter Mirage’s recently interviewed American Idol star LaToya London, who plays the character Nettie in the hit musical The Color Purple. Click here to listen to the interview and find out how the star describes her experience on tour. Alternatively, you can play the interview in the Flash player below:

The Color Purple, produced by Oprah Winfrey, tells the inspiring tale of Celie and her sister Nettie, as they struggle to survive in a society full of racial oppression, domestic violence and spiritual crisis. The musical score includes jazz, ragtime, gospel and blues. The National Tour, the only current production of the show, is coming to the Providence Performing Arts Center for the first time on May 26th. Tickets can be found online at ppacri.org or by phone at 401-421-ARTS.

Disclaimer: “Tearin’ It Off” is intended for 18+ audiences only.