Entertainment

Peter Nero, A Grammy-Winning Pianist Of The Philly Pops, Dies At 89

Published

1 year ago

2023-07-10

Kiara Grace

THE PHILADELPHIA TIMES — Peter Nero, a Grammy-winning pianist who interpreted pop tunes in classical and jazz styles and conducted the Philadelphia Pops for over three decades, has died. Nero was 89 years old.

According to his daughter, Beverly Nero, Nero died Thursday at Home Care Assisted Living Facility in Eustis, Fla., according to The Philadelphia Inquirer. Private services will be provided.

Nero infused classical, swing, Broadway, blues, and jazz themes into his versions of popular songs ranging from Cole Porter and George Gershwin to the Beatles and Bob Dylan. He frequently referred to his sound as “undefinable” and was not offended when others referred to it as “middle of the road.” (He previously told a newspaper that he was “middle of the road and doing great business.”)

Nero founded the Philly Pops orchestra in 1979, the year Arthur Fiedler died, after being recruited by Philadelphia concert promoter Moe September. Fiedler is credited with practically establishing the modern pops orchestra in Boston, and Nero sought to compete in popularity.

“I’d like to beat the pants off them,” Nero declared.

Nero’s orchestra was less well-known than Boston’s, but it often sold out in Philadelphia, which was undoubtedly aided by Nero’s vibrant playing style and pleasant stage persona.

In his career as both performer and conductor, Nero frequently returned to Broadway tunes, Hollywood themes, and Gershwin, the subject of the Philly Pops’ first concert. He also delved into Motown’s back catalog and further afield to bands like Procol Harum and an album devoted to disco and ’70s love songs.

“I find it impossible to use a lot of the new material that’s coming out,” he lamented to The Washington Post in 1975. My repertoire includes some rock tunes… but many rock bands sell a sound rather than music. When you take the tune apart, there’s nothing to work with.”

He headed the Philadelphia Pops until 2013 when the orchestra said it could no longer afford him.

Peter Nero, a Grammy-winning pianist who interpreted pop tunes in classical and jazz styles and conducted the Philadelphia Pops for over three decades, has died.

According to Nero, he battled early in his career — under the alias Bernie Nerow — in New York and Las Vegas. However, he found his stride in his late twenties while playing on New York’s club circuit.

Stan Greeson, who regarded him as a potential star, signed him to RCA and had him change his name to Peter Nero. Over a decade, a constant stream of early 1960s club gigs led to frequent radio and TV appearances and two dozen RCA LPs.

Nero won Grammy Awards for best new artist in 1961 and best performance by an Orchestra or Instrumentalist in 1962 for his album “The Colourful Peter Nero.”

“Hail the Conquering Nero,” a 1963 album, peaked at No. 5 on the Billboard pop album list. It featured covers of “My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean” and “Mack the Knife.”

He also peaked with a cover of “Theme from ‘The Summer of ’42,'” by Michel Legrand for the 1971 film. Nero’s rendition peaked at No. 21 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Nero also wrote the score for Jane Fonda’s 1963 film “Sunday in New York” and appeared in it.

Nero was born Bernard Nierow in 1934 and raised in Brooklyn. He began taking piano lessons at the age of seven, and by the age of eleven, he was believed to be able to play Haydn’s Piano Concerto in D Major from memory. He later received a Juilliard scholarship, won various talent contests, and graduated from Brooklyn College.

Nero loathed having a set list when he was the headliner and would choose songs on the spot. The Philly Pops adopted the concept of blending styles and genres.

“My programmes for the Philly Pops may open with ‘Die Meistersinger,’ then ‘Chariots of Fire,’ then Enesco’s Rumanian Rhapsodies,’ then a television theme,” Nero told The New York Times in 1982. “I keep going back and forth, and the audience has bought it from the beginning.”

SOURCE – (AP)

Entertainment

Gladiator II Rakes in $87 Million in Weekend Debut

Published

6 days ago

2024-11-18

Geoff Brown

Despite not playing in theaters in the United States, Canada, and China until this coming Friday, Gladiator II earned $87 million over the weekend, which is the best foreign opening for a Ridley Scott film to date.

Last week, the picture premiered in 63 countries, including the UK, and grossed $11.4 million from 722 theatres. Particularly impressive was its performance in France, where it raised $10.3 million from 729 outlets.

But this one is a little weaker compared to February’s smash hit sequel, Dune: Part Two, which grossed $97 million worldwide in its opening weekend. At the same time, Deadpool & Wolverine made $233 million for Disney, while Inside Out 2 for Pixar grossed $140 million.

The Fall Guy, an action comedy starring Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt, earned $36.7 million in its opening weekend worldwide, while Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga earned $30 million.

Last Monday, King Charles III attended a screening of Gladiator II in London, capping off a weeks-long worldwide press tour for the film’s cast and production. A Mexican biscuit brand, Rome’s public transportation system, and a German bank VR are just a few multinational brands it has teamed up with to boost its visibility.

In Australia, dessert merchant Oliver Brown offered a special edition of pistachio-heavy puds and drinks dubbed the Emperor’s Collection. The Gladiator II salted caramel latte is available at French Coffee Shop, a business in Paris.

After poor statistics for Venom: The Last Dance and The Rock’s comedy Red One, which premiered worldwide last week, fans hope that Scott’s delayed sequel can lift the global box office for the last month and a half of the year.

Some are predicting a Barbenheimer-style struggle for the top spot in the US box office when Gladiator II and the highly anticipated musical Wicked premiere on the same day, even though double-bill events are unlikely to be very popular.

Gladiator Star Russell Crowe Honored in Rome

Gladiator Star Russell Crowe Honored in Rome

Entertainment

Blizzard’s Remastered Versions Of Warcraft 1 And 2 Are Now Available On PCs.

Published

2 weeks ago

2024-11-13

Salman Ahmad

Image credit: Blizzard Entertainment

(VOR News) – It has been said by Blizzard that it does not intend to remake Warcraft 1 and 2 since the company believes that these games are “just not that fun any longer.”

When the corporation first made this declaration, it has been almost exactly eight years since it was delivered.

However, the firm has only recently made the news that it will be doing precisely that, and as part of the celebrations for Warcraft’s 30th anniversary, both of the remastered versions are now available to play. The celebrations did not start until today.

The public first played Warcraft in 1994.

This game played a significant role in Blizzard’s rise to the top of the competition. In the year that followed, Warcraft 2 was hastily created in order to suit the requirements of the burgeoning fanbase that the first Warcraft had established.

Additionally, the company has just disclosed that they will be remastering the games, and these remasters will contain a variety of additions to the traditional real-time strategic action that is included in the games.

The initial stage of these enhancements to the development process consists of a new collection of hand-drawn pictures that may be toggled on and off in real time. The artistic style of the originals has been said to be completely captured by these photos, according to the assertions made.

Specifically, Blizzard has implemented “modern controls” for Warcraft 1, which include the option to move with a right click, the ability to pick bounding boxes, and a faster progression rate.

These features are all present in the Warcraft game.

The alterations that have been made include these, however they are not the only ones. It is important to note that these changes have been introduced in addition to the user interface and user experience enhancements that have been implemented throughout both games.

Tool tips, health bars, mission decision screens, and increased unit selection are some of the enhancements that have been introduced in this version of the game. As an additional feature, the multiplayer mode that was included in the first version of Warcraft 2 is still included in the remastered version of the game.

As an additional point of interest, each and every one of the legacy custom maps is entirely compatible with the new edition and may be played in the same capacity.

Despite the fact that there is currently no information regarding whether or not Warcraft 1 Remastered and Warcraft 2 Remastered will eventually be made available on other markets, both of these remastered versions of the game are currently available for purchase on Battle.net for personal computers at prices of $9.99 and $14.99, respectively.

Both of these versions of the game are remastered versions of the original game. A Battle Chest bundle is also available for purchase, and it can be purchased for the price of $39.99. All of the titles that have been remastered are included in this bundle, in addition to Blizzard’s Warcraft 3: Reforged, which has been met with a considerable deal of criticism.

Blizzard has been making continual efforts to improve the game ever since it was first made available to the public in the year 2020.

This is despite the fact that the game was met with poor reviews practically immediately after it was released. An entirely new upgrade, version 2.0, is currently being made available to all gamers without delay.

One of the numerous enhancements to the quality of life that are included in this is “much, much more,” in addition to a wide range of options for personalizing the hockey experience within the game and a new ladder.

In addition to the high-definition versions of all of the older Warcraft assets, these upgrades also include new environments and lighting, a redesigned user interface, and a variety of other enhancements.

SOURCE: EG

Entertainment

Yellowstone Season 5 Part 2 Returns Without Kevin Costner

Published

2 weeks ago

2024-11-11

Geoff Brown

Yellowstone is finally returning for the second half of its fifth season without Kevin Costner

Yellowstone will finally return for the second half of its fifth season. We have a lot to speak about, such as recalling what is going on in this program, Kevin Costner’s departure, and whether or not season 5, part 2, will truly end Yellowstone.

Season 5 Part 1 ended on a cliffhanger—we could be in for a full-fledged Dutton family civil war—and we’ve been waiting for nearly two years.

A quick recap: nothing changes from how this program usually goes, except it’s a little more intense. Beth Dutton (Kelly Reilly) despised Jamie Dutton. Jamie Dutton (Wes Bentley) despised Beth Dutton.

That has always been the case since childhood trauma, but now things have escalated. Their father, John Dutton (Kevin Costner), is now Montana’s Governor, and Jamie, who should be his top legal thinker, is played by a group of local businessmen known as Market Equities.

Anyway, Jamie and Beth are attempting to kill each other, and John appears to be leaning toward Beth’s side.

Given Kevin Costner’s public exit from the program, part 2 of season 5 will be especially noteworthy. Long story short, he departed to make his Horizon films and never returned.

So, how will Yellowstone pick up the tale without John? That much is unknown, which adds to the season’s appeal!

Of course, our other characters continue to do what they do. Rip (Cole Hauser) is doing his Rip thing. Kayce (Luke Grimes) oversees the ranch. His wife, Monica (Kelsey Asbille), is still grieving the loss of their unborn son.

But we do have some high stakes to pick up—and they will begin on Sunday, November 10th, whether Kevin Costner appears on screen or not.

Another twist: While we believed season 5 would conclude the Yellowstone story, part 2 is in the works.

There have also been suggestions that Yellowstone could return for a sixth season, starring Cole Hauser and Kelly Reilly as Rip and Beth. Hmm, certainly!

Yellowstone’s fifth season, part 2, will air each episode of the truncated half-season on Sunday nights at 8:00 PM EST.

The episodes will then be shown on linear TV, Hulu with Live TV, or the Paramount Network website and app for those with a cable subscription. The premiere will also re-air on CBS at 10:00 p.m. EST.

Yellowstone season 5, part 2, will consist of six episodes, the first of which is currently accessible to watch and stream. That implies the series might end with five more episodes of Western family drama.