"Law & Order: Criminal Intent" Comes to an End

One of the most popular and my personal favorite of the entire "Law & Order" television franchise, "Criminal Intent" comes to a close this Sunday night after a 10 year run; 7 years on NBC and 3 years on the USA network. Starring the incredible Vincent D'Onofrio as the complex Detective Robert "Bobby" Goren and his partner, Detective Alexandra Eames, portrayed by the equally talented Kathryn Erbe, "Law & Order: Criminal Intent" chronicled the exploits of the NYPD's "Major Case Squad". Goren's skill as a brilliant criminal profiler, coupled with the snarky wit of Eames and a bevy of great guest stars helped make the show one of the best police dramas ever written for television.

Fans of the show fell in love with Goren's idiosyncracies; the way he would bend his body and lean over suspects to interrogate them; his now legendary, long running battle with serial killer Nicole Wallace, played by Olivia D'Abo; his affection for his mom, wonderfully played by Rita Moreno and the discovery that serial killer William Brady, portrayed by actor Roy Scheider in one of his final performances. D'Onofrio and Erbe's performances throughout these personal story-lines took the series into territories not usually seen on the original Law & Order' or in the other spin-offs like. "Special Victims Unit", "LA", "Trial By Jury" and even "Law & Order: UK". Criminal Intent's popularity would also spawn an international version of the series in France, known as "Criminal Investigations", ('Paris enquêtes criminelles").

Goren's relationship with Eames is also one of the best on television, well written and handled with care. Their affection for one another is evident, and the way the writers of the show have forged their friendship through the fire of their cases is remarkable. Considered to be the "Dr. Watson to Goren's Sherlock Holmes", Eames has had a few story arcs as well; solving the murder of her husband, a policeman killed years earlier in the line of duty; living in the footsteps of her retired policeman father; almost shooting Goren while he was secretly undercover and being kidnapped by one of Goren's long-time friends. That Eames was able to escape using her ingenuity rather than be rescued only strengthened the respect for her character in a world dominated by men, Eames is tough, yet sensitive and Erbe has portrayed her magnificently.

One of the hallmarks of this, the 10th and final season, has been Goren's weekly, mandatory sessions with police psychiatrist, Dr. Paula Gyson, played by actress Julia Ormond. Her questioning and probing of Goren; his relationship with Eames, his family and his struggles with his psychological demons has made for some riveting television. Both D'Onofrio and Erbe enjoyed the writing shift during the middle of the series to explore the personal aspects of their respective characters. Expect some revelations and resolution during this Sunday's series finale.

Beginning with the 5th season, (and to give D'Onofrio and Erbe a break from their busy schedules), the show also revolved around several other detectives, most notably Chris Noth as feisty Detective Mike Logan from the original Law & Order series and later Jeff Goldblum as Detective Zachary Nichols; the only other male detectives besides Goren to co-star in the series. Other actresses would also sub for Eames; Annabella Sciorra as Detective Carolyn Barek, Julianne Nicholson as Detective Megan Wheeler, Alicia Witt as Detective Nola Falacci and Saffron Burrows as Detective Serena Stevens. Samantha Buck appeared in a few episodes as Detective G. Lynn Bishop as Eames' temporary replacement while Erbe was on maternity leave during the 3rd season.

Goren's psychological issues have drawn both admiration (for his brilliance) and trepidation from his superiors. For the first 5 seasons, Goren and Eames had to answer to Captain Deakins, aptly played by Jamey Sheridan and the Assistant District Attorney Ron Carver, portrayed by Courtney B. Vance. Despite the tension, this quartet worked well together through thick and thin. After the departure of Sheridan and Carver, Criminal Intent moved away from the Law & Order courtroom, focusing more on the detectives within the Major Case squad. With that in mind, the 6th season saw the addition of Eric Bogosian as Captain Danny Ross and a new triad of tension was born. Bogosian would remain with the show until he was killed off in the 2-part season 9 opener "Loyalty", which paved the way for his ex-partner Zach Nichols, (Goldblum) to team up with Goren and Eames to solve his murder. D'Onofrio and Erbe would leave the show for the rest of the season, leaving Goldblum and his new partner (Burrows) to carry the Major Case workload under the auspices of their newest Captain, Zoe Callas, played by Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio. This season, Jay O. Sanders, (who actually played a murderer in the 2nd season opener), came on board as Captain Joseph Hannah, a sympathetic and long-time friend of Goren's from their Police Academy days.

The list of guest stars on Criminal Intent are as impressive as the performances they gave. From veteran actors like the aforementioned D'Abo, Moreno and Scheider, to John Glover, Griffith Dunne, Linda Lavin, Michael Nouri, Judd Hirsch, Rip Torn, Liza Minelli, Whoopi Goldberg, Lynn Redgrave, Michael York, David Keith, Michael Biehn and Brooke Shields to name a just few, or up-and-comers like Elisabeth Moss from the series "Madmen" and even Patti Smith. F. Murray Abraham would also take a turn as as Jeff Goldblum's psychiatrist father, Tony Goldwyn would appear as Goren's brother Frank and Leslie Hendrix would reprise her role from the previous Law & Order series as Medical Examiner Elisabeth Rodgers. She is one of only 5 actors to appear in all of the Law & Order series and spin-offs.

As much as fans enjoyed the eclectic Goldblum, ratings went down and the series seemed doomed until USA announced the return of D'Onofrio and Erbe for one more run. It hasn't been disappointing. Will Goren be able to convince the NYPD of his sanity and his ability to continue? What will happen to Eames? Like Mulder and Scully of the X Files, Criminal Intent shares some of the elements of the tension between Goren and Eames, however, don't expect an X Files-type ending, (I don't see Goren and Eames rowing off to a desert island together). Nevertheless, the writing and stories have been great.

Law & Order is well known for "stories ripped from today's headlines" and wrapping up series neatly, with the door left open for a little ambiguity or perhaps a reunion film in the future. In the series finale of the original Law & Order, fans were left seeing the cast celebrating with Lt. Anita Van Buren, (played by S. Epatha Merkerson), who learned her cancer was in remission. It was a happy moment for fans of the show, especially those who have followed the series from the beginning. I'm hoping for the best for Goren and Eames, especially after all the grisly murders, pathological criminals, serial killers, embezzlers, and even network changes; no two characters in the Law & Order franchise are more deserving of a happier ending. Law & Order: Criminal Intent concludes Sunday night at 6:00 pm and 9:00 pm on USA.

"Doink-doink!"

Peter Gabriel's "New Blood Orchestra" Comes to the Greek

Peter Gabriel has earned a worldwide reputation for his innovative work as a musician, writer and video maker. When at school he co-founded the group Genesis, which he left in 1975. His albums, live performance and videos since then have won him a succession of awards. Tonight, the legendary Gabriel kicks off a new tour at the Greek in Berkeley with his critically acclaimed "New Blood Orchestra and wrapping up on June 29 at the Marcus Amphitheatre in Milwaukee. Following the tour, Gabriel plans to release an album with his New Blood Orchestra, conducted by Ben Foster, featuring his repertoire remixed. Gabriel did a similar thing like this last year, but with all cover tunes.

Peter co-founded the group Genesis in 1966 at school; he would go on to make 7 albums with them. He left in 1975, but returned to music a year later, and has subsequently made 11 solo albums. His film soundtrack works include Birdy (1984); The Last Temptation of Christ (1989); Rabbit Proof Fence (2002). Although Genesis would go on to enjoy huge commercial success without him, (with drummer Phil Collins taking over on vocals). Gabriel would soon receive much deserved accolades for his solo work.

In 1980 he collected a group of people together to found WOMAD (World of Music, Arts and Dance). In a series of international festivals, starting in 1982, WOMAD has brought together traditional and modern music, arts and dance from every corner of the globe. In 1993 WOMAD joined Gabriel's group of companies, based next to Real World Studios.

Gabriel has released eleven solo albums and in 1986, his album 'So' won him his first Grammy. The videos from this project confirmed him as a leader in video production and included 'Sledgehammer', which has won the most music video awards ever, including number one position in 'Rolling Stones' top 100 videos of all time and the MTV most played video of all time.

Shortly afterwards he established Real World Studios in Wiltshire, designed as an ideal environment for performance. It also became the base for Real World Records, a label which is dedicated to recording and promoting a wide range of different artists from all over the world.

In addition, Gabriel has been involved in a wide spectrum of human rights and environmental issues. His song 'Biko' was the first pop song which talked about the effects of apartheid, and in 1988 and 1990 he was involved in the Nelson Mandela concerts at Wembley. In 1988 he worked with Amnesty International to set up the Human Rights Now! tour, and toured many countries with Sting, Bruce Springsteen, Tracey Chapman and Youssou N'Dour. Following this, Gabriel co-founded WITNESS (www.witness.org), which was launched in 1992 in conjunction with the Reebok Human Rights Foundation and The Lawyers Committee for Human Rights in the USA.

The organisation arms human rights activists from around the world with hand held video cameras, computers and communication technology so they can document and put an end to human rights abuses. To date, WITNESS has supplied hundreds of cameras to over fifty countries, provided video testimony to human rights commissions and international peace-keeping agencies and had its work shown on television stations around the world. WITNESS also broadcasts monthly "Rights Alerts" - powerful video calls to action - on www.witness.org, which receives over 1.3 million hits each month. In 1989 Gabriel visited the USSR to help launch Greenpeace there, and also contributed to the 'One World, One Voice' album, a collaborative album, which featured artists from all over the world. Gabriel was asked by Alan Parker in 1984 to write the score for the film 'Birdy', which won the Grand Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival.

In 1989 he composed the sound track for Martin Scorsese's epic film 'The Last Temptation of Christ' which was the basis for one of his most experimental and innovative albums, 'Passion'. This album, which involved an extraordinary selection of musicians and singers, tried to integrate many very different styles of music. It was the inspiration behind the BBC's specialist radio programme, 'Mixing It'.

For the release of his tenth album, 'US', in 1992 he commissioned eleven artists to interpret the individual songs on his album. The individual works of art were featured at the British Contemporary Art exhibition in 1993 and also in a special exhibition in Japan. 'US' earned him four Grammy nominations and two MTV Awards in the US and a BRIT and Q Award in the UK. The fourth single, 'Kiss That Frog', was the starting point for the creation of the world's first motion video ride, entitled 'The Mindblender'. Developed in association with Mega in the US, 'The Mindblender' toured the USA and proved to be a popular mix of ride-motion, film and music.

April 1993 was the start of the "Secret World Tour". Produced by Gabriel and pioneering Canadian director/designer, Robert Le Page, the show blended Le Page's visionary style of theatre with personal songs focused on relationships. It was seen by over a million fans in five continents and toured for eighteen months. In November 1993 the show was filmed and recorded in Modena, Italy by Francois Girard, and in August 1994 "Peter Gabriel Secret World Live", the double live album and video, was released.

In 1993 Gabriel set up Real World Multimedia and brought together a team of experts dedicated to developing, producing and publishing innovative CD-ROMs and pushing new technology to its limits. RWMM launched a series of multimedia titles, which went on to win many awards across the world, including the coveted Milia d'Or, two BAFTAS, the 1994 BIMA Award, the Sparky from the Interactive Media Festival and four awards at the Digital Media Awards. Among these titles were 'Ceremony of Innocence' and Gabriel's CD-ROMs 'XPLORA', 'EVE'. In 1996 Radio Real World became the official web site focusing on Real World and Gabriel.

At the end of 1997 Gabriel was invited by Mark Fisher to help create a show for the central space of the London Millennium Dome. 1998 was spent brainstorming ideas on the narrative and visual concept. In 1999, whilst continuing to be involved with the show's development, Gabriel composed the music. The show was opened on January 1st 2000. An album of this music, entitled OVO, was released on Real World/Virgin Records on June 5th. In 2000, Gabriel co-founded and became board member of OD2 (On Demand Distribution), which is now the leading European platform provider for the distribution of on line music. This business was acquired in 2004 by Loudeye of Seattle, Washington.

In 2002 Gabriel completed the soundtrack to Philip Noyce's film 'Rabbit Proof Fence', entitled 'Long Walk Home', and released his studio album 'UP' on 23rd September 2002. Following the release of 'UP', Gabriel worked on his 'Growing Up' tour, again collaborating with the theatrical director Robert Lepage. The tour took him to the USA and through Europe, finishing in June 2003. In November 2003 a DVD of the 'Growing UP' tour was released, and also a compilation album 'Hit'.

From April to July 2004, Gabriel took his show, this time called 'Still Growing Up', on the road again around Europe. Later in 2004 the DVD 'Play' was released, a collection of 25 of Gabriel's videos, including new versions and extras, the music remixed in 5:1 by Daniel Lanois and Richard Chappell.

On July 2nd 2005 Peter Gabriel, WOMAD and the Eden project put together 'Africa Calling' as part of the Live 8 concerts. This featured performances from leading African and World Music artists at the Eden Project in Cornwall. It was one of ten concerts held around the world under the Live 8 banner in support of the campaign to Make Poverty History. The DVD of this concert is to be released on Monday 3rd October in the UK and 1st November in the USA.

On October 31st in the UK the DVD of 'Still Growing Up Live' was released. This two disc set featured both a full length concert - filmed and edited by Hamish Hamillton - and a feature length documentary filmed by Anna Gabriel, who followed her father on tour gaining unique access.

Peter Gabriel's "New Blood Orchestra"
Ftiday, June 10th @ 8:00 pm
Greek Theatre, U.C. Berkeley Campus, Gayley Rd

The Druid Sisters Tea Party's "MoonJuju"

The gypsy-flavored, trance-fueled group known as the Druid Sisters Tea Party, return with their third album, "MoonJuju". Land of the Blind's vocalist Cyoakha Grace and former Jain/SF Mime Troupe drummer Claudia Paige continue to be the Sisters' mainstays, along with Kathy Buys on violin and Jan Martinelli on bass. I'll confess, I ran into Paige in Hawaii last December, when she gave me a sneak preview of the album. Pleasantly motoring around the island, I happily found "MoonJuju" to be another seamless blend of Paige's crisp, world beat polyrhythms, Grace's beautifully crafted vocals and LOTB's Krystov, ably lending his didgeridoo-driven ambiance.

Following on the heels of "Gypsy Love Caravan", "MoonJuju brings together a magical weave of tribal jungle drums, big fat funk bass grooves, touches of traditional Irish fiddle tunes overlaid with sweet cello, dreamy trance vocals, Aussie Didgeridoo & African guitar, all spirited songs from the redwood belt you cannot help but fall in love with. From ballads to full out dance songs, this newest collaboration from the Sisters sparkles with incredible energy and performances taking the listeners on a tribal psychedelic journey of dance.

"MoonJuju" features 7 new cuts, opening with the vampy "Electricity" and the sultry and driven "Eliza". Many tunes were also inspired by the Scottish group, Shooglenifty. One example has Paige, Martinelli and Buys springing forth on the rollicking instrumental, "African Moon Suite". "Everyone Loves You" is an interesting Celtic-flavored favorite that perhaps best illustrates the Sisters in their element. Grace's Kate Bush meets Grace Slick vocals are beautiful on this song; Martinelli and Paige are tight as Buys adds some ferocious fiddling.

The Sisters come back to earth on the balladic "Dripping Green Moss" featuring the beautiful cello of Myra Joy. Paige' and Krystov are in a particularly nice tribal groove on the instrumental percussion/didgeridoo piece, "Ancestors Calling", one of my personal favorites. The syncopated final cut, "Midnight Pony Ride" rounds out the Sisters album. A tight jam featuring a whirling dervish of unison between Marinelli and Buys; Grace's airy, effected vocals and Paige's crisply punctuation.

The Sister's "MoonJuju" is indeed "an organic world dance band that pulls its flavors from around the world. Frenzied, irresistible, rhythmic tribal funk, Celtic jigs, psychedelic fiddle, dreamy trance vocals, and hypnotic didjeridu with deep bass, it's a magical woodsy dance hall, and you are guaranteed a crazy jig – or a bone-shaking stomp! You won't find a harder rocking "all-girl" band anywhere."

The Orange Peels' "Aether Tide"

As many of you gentle readers know, I've been a long time fan of singer songwriter Allen Clapp and bassist Jill Pries' pop-driven, outfit from Sunnyvale, "The Orange Peels". Their anthemic hits, "Back in San Francisco", co-penned by former guitarist Larry Winther of the Mummies, and "Jane Lane" are among my favorites. The Peels have seen a few changes over the years and with departure of Winther, Bob Vickers and "Ocean Blue's" Oed Ronnie, songwriter, guitarist/drummer John Moremen moved to over to lead guitar full time and added the talented Gabriel Coan on drums. Like the previous album "20/20", Clapp and Pries have continued to steer the Peels toward their pop-rock side. Moremen, better known as a guitarist and having had the benefit of drumming behind the various Peels line-ups for some time, has been free put his indelible stamp on their sound. Their newest single, "Aether Tide" on the MintyFresh label, is a unique continuation of the earlier Peels efforts.

"We've been working on our fifth album at Mystery Lawn studio," according to Clapp, "Creating new sounds with old technology and vice-versa. Aether Tide is the first result. Recorded in an afternoon with stereo ribbon microphones, tube tape machines-as-guitar-amps, a 1930s Altec speaker cabinet and various synths and mellotrons, the song comes at you from a different space-time. You figure it out. Lyrically exploring the resurgence and rebirth of Aether Theory vs. 20th Century quantum physics, it's a near cosmic marriage of music and lyrics propelled by ambient drums and interweaving guitar melodies..."

In today's world of indie and artist driven labels, technology and the internet continue to be a lightening fast method for artists to release singles almost instantly; stay in touch with loyal fans with inter-active social media tools, videos, downloads and digital distribution networks capable of reaching all over the globe. That hasn't been lost on the Peels, which is a delight to their avid followers. For a glimpse of the new Orange Peels single "Aether Tide", check out their video on YouTube.

Bela Fleck and the Flecktones' "Rocket Science"

The Flecktones have re-emerged with a new album, on a new label, (eOne records) and announcing that for "the first time since 1991, pianist/ harmonica player Howard Levy has returned to the fold alongside bassist Victor Wooten, percussionist/Drumitarist Roy “Futureman” Wooten and banjoist bandleader Fleck to create some of the most forward-thinking music of their long, storied career. While all manners of genres come into play – from classical and jazz to bluegrass and African music to electric blues and Eastern European folk dances – the result is an impossible to pigeonhole sound all their own, a meeting of musical minds that remains, as ever, utterly indescribable. Simply put, it is The Flecktones, the music made only when these four individuals come together."

Longtime followers of Fleck recall that he took up the banjo at an early age, growing up in Manhattan of all places, eventually migrating to Nashville. Once there, he aligned himself with the now legendary "New Grass Revival", with Mark O'Connor and Edgar Meyer. Desiring to combine bluegrass with jazz, rock, and world music, Fleck began seeking other like minded folks to give life to those ideas. Not long after that, he teamed with virtuoso harmonica player Howard Levy, one of the world's greatest electric bassists Victor Lemonte Wooten, and his eccentric brother, percussionist Roy "Futureman" Wooten. "Futureman", had apparently taken a $10,000 "Synthaxe" guitar synthesizer, cannibalized it, and turned it into an electronic "drumitar", half guitar, half drum machine.

The result was spectacular, as they created a sound unlike anything heard before them. After years of touring the globe, and several successful albums, a road weary Levy left the group and was eventually replaced by saxophonist Jeff Coffin. Since then, the Flecktones have performed with an incredible array of musicians; Phish, Dave Matthews, Chick Corea, Branford Marsalis, a Tuvan throat singer named Ondar, Indian tabla master Zakir Hussain, reed master Paul McCandless, steel drummer Andy Narell, Jean-Luc Ponty, Chick Corea, Stanley Clarke others.

With the departure of Jeff Coffin to the Dave Mathews Band, The Flecktones regrouped with the return of Levy and produced one of best albums in years. I particularly enjoyed the delightfully complex "Life in Eleven" and the grooving, vintage-Flecktone sounding "Gravity Lane". Over the years the members of the Flecktones have enjoyed the benefits of recording and touring with many of the greats.I could clearly hear the influence that virtuosos Corea and Clarke had on both Fleck and Victor Wooten. Wooten spent time on the road with Corea and later with Clarke and bassist Marcus Miller in SVT. Fleck's tour with Clark and Ponty was amazing, as was his duets with Corea. Fleck's composition "Storm Warning" was written for the Ponty-Clarke-Fleck group, "Trio".

While all manner of genres come into play from classical and jazz to bluegrass and African music to electric blues and Eastern European folk dances the result is an impossible to pigeonhole sound all their own, a meeting of musical minds that remains, as ever, utterly indescribable. Simply put, it is The Flecktones, the music made only when these four individuals come together. "I didn t want to just get together to play the old music", Fleck says. "That s not what the Flecktones are about. Everybody s full of life and ideas and creativity. I was intrigued by what we could do that we had never done before."

It was also great to hear Howard Levy back together with the Flecktones. The warmth of his harmonica playing and his uncanny ability to play it simultaneously with piano is simply amazing. Levy also contributed some new compositions to the album; The aforementioned, 11/8 piece "Life in Eleven", "Joyful Spring" and the intriguing "Sweet Pomegranates".

Futureman's continues his foray into the world of innovative acoustic and electronic percussion with a solo piece entitled "The Secret Drawer". There is quite a bit more acoustic drumming from Wooten on this album, and his library of deftly played samples never seems to end. One of the best parts of the Flecktones has been having the Wooten brothers for a rhythm section, a tandem Fleck himself has called "dangerous".

Spinner's Tad Hendrickson upon reviewing this album wrote, "Originally, the Flecktones' studio albums were made up of stuff that had been worked over on tour, but this time around the band had to write, rehearse and record without playing it live. "Although nothing replaces refining a song on tour in front of an audience, the old hands have a pretty good handle on the material and it came together fairly quickly", according to Fleck, meaning that "there is a freshness to the material that might not have happened otherwise."

"Although on par with the three classics with Levy, 'Rocket Science' has a more collaborative approach than the band's initial releases. Fleck had distinct ideas and objectives for the band in the early days, which meant that the band wasn't always open to what Levy brought in, writes Henrickson. "Whereas the earlier version of the band was more about a focused sound, this time around the band is looking to broaden its approach and try new things..."

Rocket Science is indeed a snapshot of the musical journeys taken by the four original Flecktones, a melding of those experiences in songs and culminating in a sound that is undeniably theirs. The wonderful chemistry that existed among that quartet back in '89 is still evident today, making Rocket Science perhaps the Flecktones best effort to date.

Kenneth Branagh's "Thor"

Well, it's time to head back to the theater gentle readers. For the comic book fans, there are a ton of superhero films due out this summer, Marvel rolls out "Captain America", "X-Men: First Class" and DC brings the classic 1960's Hal Jordan in "Green Lantern". Readers of my previous columns know that I have a love-hate relationship with these hi-or-miss films. "Spiderman", "Iron Man" and the previous "X-Men" films have stayed with the spirit of the original comics and characters. We won't dwell on the ones not in their league, we know who they are. Today, we turn our attention to one of Marvel's best known and loved heroes, the mighty Thor. It didn't hurt having Kenneth Branagh directing Anthony Hopkins as "Odin", Natalie Portman as "Jane Foster" and the newcomer Chris Hemsworth in the title role as "Thor/Dr. Donald Blake".

Branagh successfully weaved the classic comic book struggle between Odin (Thor's father), Thor and his half brother Loki, into a Shakesperean-like tale, as well as combining Thor's love for a mortal woman with contemporary themes. For me and perhaps many others, more familiar with the original tales, one of the biggest challenges is how to make these tales from the 60s and 70s work today. Given what he had to work with, Branagh does a fine job.

In the original story from 1962's "Journey Into Mystery", Dr. Donald Blake stumbles across the enchanted staff/uru hammer, in a cave. Like the film, Odin decides his son needs to be taught humility and consequently places Thor (without memories of Asgard), into the body and memories of an existing, partially disabled human medical student, Donald Blake.This differs from the film, as Thor appears on Earth, stripped of his powers.

After becoming a doctor and on holiday in Norway, Blake witnesses the arrival of an alien scouting party.and flees into a cave. The aliens ultimately pursue him and miraculously, Blake discovers Thor's disguised hammer Mjolnir, and striking it against a rock, transforms into the thunder god, the mighty Thor.

Defeating the aliens, Thor, (like Superman/Clark Kent), shares a double life with his alter ego; treating the ill in a private practice with nurse - and eventual love - Jane Foster and defending humanity from evil. Thor's presence on Earth almost immediately attracts the attention of his half-brother and arch-foe Loki who returns repeatedly to Earth in a bid to destroy Thor.

Tom Hiddleston made for a good Loki, cunning and nearly sympathetic half-brother of Thor. Branagh must have loved recreating the dynamics within the Asgardian royal family; Loki's quest for a father's love; jealousy of Thor, you name it, the Norwegians had it. Rene Russo played Thor's mother, "Frigga". You rarely saw her in the comics; most of the attention was on Odin, whom Anthony Hopkins played brilliantly.

Unlike the comic book version, Natalie Portman's Jane Foster is not a nurse in the film, but a scientist. Here is a rare example of where updating a character makes sense in a more contemporary setting. Like the comics, Branagh has also included Thor's allies, Jamie Alexander as the "Lady Sif" and the "Warriors Three". Joshua Dallas as "Fandral", Tadnobu Asano as "Hogun" and Ray Stevenson, ("Rome". "Punisher War Zone", "Book of Eli") as the brave and comedic "Volstagg". Thor's best friend, "Balder the Brave" was not in film. Perhaps Branagh knew Balder was slated for an early entrance to Valhalla, according to legend and Norse mythology.

Hemsworth was actually pretty good as Thor. He played Thor with all the bravado, hubris and eventual humility one comes to expect from our Norse hero. I hope to see him in battle helmet a little more often in the subsequent Avengers film. I also enjoyed seeing Idris Elba, as Heimdall, guardian of Asgard's "Rainbow Bridge". Branagh sought out Elba for the role and took some flack for casting a black in the role of a Norse Warrior. Elba called the debate "ridiculous". Personally, I couldn't help thinking about Jimi Hendrix's album, "Rainbow Bridge"...

By now, I'm guessing we've all become accustomed to the amazing 3D and CGI special effects and monster, theater-shaking audio. The battles, explosions and cinematic carnage of the digital Asgard was no exception. The plot? Well, a dash of Marvel's original tale, spiced with Branagh's love of royal theater, and keeping in mind this is all part of the big "Avengers 2012" roll out next year, you have a film that tries to stand on it's own. Difficult task and Branagh makes the best of it.

Thor passes my litmus test of comic book film adaptations. The jury is still out on the upcoming "X-Men: First Class" and "Captain America" movies. While both take place during the era in which the comics were first written,( the 60's and 40's, a novel approach not tried before in any of the previous Marvel films), one radically changes the original plot, while the other accurately reflects the spirit of the original. 50% chance I'm going to hate one of them. But I digress...

Branagh, Hopkins, Portman, Marvel and Thor. "Nuff said, pilgrims.

Composer John Barry, 1933-2011

Composer John Barry was perhaps best known for composing 11 James Bond soundtracks and was hugely influential on the musical style of the 007 series, along with the general feeling of the films. I'll never forget seeing Shirley Bassey of "Goldfinger" fame, belt out that theme at New York's Carnegie Hall, as well as "Moonraker" and "Diamonds are Forever". Barry's music was so influential to me personally, that I actually recorded two of my favorites, "Walkabout" and "Zulu".

In a career spanning almost 50 years, Barry received numerous awards for his work, including five Academy Awards; two for Born Free, and one each for The Lion in Winter (for which he also won a BAFTA Award), Out of Africa and Dances with Wolves (for which he also won a Grammy Award) and Somewhere in Time (1980) (Golden Globe Award nomination for Best Original Score - Motion Picture). Barry passed away in January, but his musical legacy will live on forever. To me, Barry was the greatest film composer of all time.

Barry was born John Barry Prendergast, in York, England in 1933, the son of a musically talented mother and a charismatic Irish father. His father, Jack Xavier Prendergast, from Cork, was a projectionist during the silent movie era who ended up owning a chain of movie theaters across northern England. Often, while watching a film, Barry would note with pen and paper, what worked or what did not. His childhood background in movies clearly influenced his music interests.

Although originally a classical pianist, Barry also learned the trumpet and grew interested in composing and arranging music. During his National Service in Cyprus, he began performing as a musician. After taking a correspondence course (with jazz composer Bill Russo) and working as an arranger for the Jack Parnell and Ted Heath's Orchestra[, he formed his own band in 1957, The John Barry Seven, with whom he had some hit records, including "Hit and Miss", the theme tune he composed for the BBC's Juke Box Jury programme, a cover of the Ventures' "Walk Don't Run", and a cover of the theme for the United Artists Western The Magnificent Seven.

Barry was employed by the EMI record company from 1959 until 1962 arranging or-chestral accompaniment for the company's recording artists. From 1962, Barry trans-ferred to Ember Records where he produced albums as well as arranging them. These achievements caught the attention of the producers of a new film called Dr. No who were dissatisfied with a theme for James Bond given to them by Monty Norman. Barry was hired and the result was one of the most famous signature tunes in film history, the "James Bond Theme". When the producers of the Bond series engaged Lionel Bart to score the next James Bond film From Russia with Love, they discovered that Bart could neither read nor write music. Though Bart wrote a title song for the film, the producers remembered Barry's arrangement of the James Bond Theme and his composing and arranging for several films with Adam Faith. Lionel Bart also recommended Barry to producer Stanley Baker for his film Zulu.

This was the turning point for Barry, and he went on to become one of the most cele-brated film composers, winning five Academy Awards and four Grammy Awards, with scores for, among others, The Lion in Winter, Midnight Cowboy, Born Free, and Some-where in Time. Barry was often cited as having had a distinct style which concentrated on lush strings and extensive use of brass. However he was also an innovator, being one of the first to employ synthesizers in a film score (On Her Majesty's Secret Service), and to make wide use of pop artists and songs in Midnight Cowboy. Because Barry provided not just the main title theme but the complete soundtrack score, his music often enhanced the critical reception of a film, notably in Midnight Cowboy, King Kong, Out of Africa, and Dances with Wolves.

One of Barry's best known compositions is the theme for the 1971 TV series The Per-suaders, in which Tony Curtis and Roger Moore were paired as rich playboys solving crimes. The theme went on to be a hit single in some European countries and has been re-released on collections of 1970s disco hits. The instrumental recording also features Moog synthesizers.

Barry's work also began to be sampled in the 1990s by artists such as Dr. Dre and Wu-Tang Clan, with his "James Bond Theme" being sampled by performers as diverse as Bonobo, Gang Starr and Junior Reid. Fatboy Slim used the opening guitars from "Beat Girl (Main Title)" for "Rockafeller Skank" from his 1998 album, You've Come A Long Way, Baby. The Sneaker Pimps also sampled "Golden Girl" on their 1996 single "6 Un-derground". Additionally, "You Only Live Twice" was heavily sampled on "Millennium" from Robbie Williams' second album, I've Been Expecting You. (I did much the same on the aforementioned Walkabout and Zulu films).

After the success of Dr. No, Barry scored eleven of the next 14 James Bond films (but with Monty Norman continually credited as the composer of the "James Bond Theme"). In his tenure with the film series, Barry's music, variously brassy and moody, appealed to film aficionados. For From Russia With Love he composed "007", an alternative James Bond signature theme, which is featured in four other Bond films (Thunderball, You Only Live Twice, Diamonds Are Forever, Moonraker). The theme "Stalking", for the teaser sequence of From Russia With Love, was covered by colleague Marvin Hamlisch for The Spy Who Loved Me (1977). (The music and lyrics for From Russia With Love's title song were written by Lionel Bart, whose musical theatre credits included Oliver!). Barry also (indirectly) contributed to the soundtrack of the 1967 spoof version of Casino Royale: his Born Free theme appears briefly in the opening sequence.

In Goldfinger, he perfected the "Bond sound", a heady mixture of brass, jazz and sen-suous melodies. There is even an element of Barry's jazz roots in the big-band track "Into Miami", which follows the title credits and accompanies the film's iconic image of the camera lens zooming toward the Fontainebleau Hotel in Miami Beach.

As Barry matured, the Bond scores concentrated more on lush melodies, as in Moon-raker and Octopussy. Barry's score for A View to a Kill was traditional, but his collabora-tion with Duran Duran for the title song was contemporary and one of the most successful Bond themes to date, reaching number one in the United States and number two in the UK Singles Chart. Both A View to a Kill and the Living Daylights theme by a-ha blended the pop music style of the artists with Barry's orchestration. In 2006, a-ha's Pal Waaktaar complimented Barry's contributions "I loved the stuff he added to the track, I mean it gave it this really cool string arrangement. That's when for me it started to sound like a Bond thing". Barry's last score for the Bond series was 1987's The Living Daylights, Dalton's first film in the series with Barry making a cameo appearance as a composer in the film. Barry was intended to score Licence to Kill but was recovering from throat surgery at the time and it was considered unsafe to fly him to London to complete the score. The score was completed by Michael Kamen. Arnold also went on to score the subsequent Bond films: The World Is Not Enough, Die Another Day, Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace.

David Arnold, a British composer, saw the result of two years' work in 1997 with the re-lease of Shaken and Stirred: The David Arnold James Bond Project, an album of new versions of the themes from various James Bond films. Arnold thanks Barry in the sleeve notes, referring to him as "the Guvnor". Almost all of the tracks were John Barry compositions, and the revision of his work met with his approval – he contacted Barbara Broccoli, producer of the then upcoming Tomorrow Never Dies, to recommend Arnold as the film's composer.

Sole compositional credit for the "James Bond Theme" is attributed to Monty Norman, who was contracted as composer for Dr. No. Some 30 years later, in 2001, the disputed authorship of the theme was examined legally in the High Court in London after Norman sued The Sunday Times for publishing an article in 1997 in which Barry was named as the true composer; Barry testified for the defense. In court, Barry testified that he had been handed a musical manuscript of a work by Norman (meant to become the theme) and that he was to arrange it musically, and that he composed additional music and arranged the "James Bond Theme". The court was also told that Norman received sole credit because of his prior contract with the producers. Barry said that a deal was struck whereby he would receive a flat fee of £250 and Norman would receive the songwriting credit. arry said that he had accepted the deal with United Artists Head of Music Noel Rogers because it would help his career. Despite these claims the jury ruled unanimously in favour of Norman. On September 7th, 2006, Barry publicly defended his authorship of the theme on the Steve Wright show on BBC Radio 2.

On June 20th, 2011, The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra will perform a tribute to the late composer to celebrate his life and work. Many of his colleagues from the James Bond franchise will be in attendance, including, Dame Shirley Bassey and Sir George Martin. The event is sponsored by The Royal College of Music through a grant by the Broccoli Foundation. John Barry left behind a musical legacy that will never be surpassed or even rivaled and a look at his list of films staggers the mind. From the brassy textures and orchestra hits, the tension filled, cold war sounds of a hammer dulcimer to the poignant trills of flutes set against an African desert, John Barry's music will leave a mark that will indeed live on and endure the test of time. His talent was truly timeless.