Every so often, a film or documentary arrives at just the right time to soothe the feelings that the daily stress of life can create. That’s the case with Alison Ellwood’s “Laurel Canyon,” a feature-length documentary about the Los Angeles folk/rock scene of the ‘60s and ‘70s that’s currently airing in two-parts on Epix.



I’ll be honest – my expectations weren’t very high. I have seen a few other documentaries about this era, but none of them ever seemed to quite bring into focus what I’d lived as a child. I grew up on Laurel Canyon Blvd, at the foot of the canyon area on the Valley side. But I was cautiously optimistic that this film would deliver and did it ever.



Most of the other documentaries I had seen on the topic always felt incomplete and left me wanting more. This docuseries brought all the unique elements into focus and transported...

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Rubber Soul was the 6th album from The Beatles catalog. Released in December 1965, it contains fourteen songs, including two tracks withheld from the band’s album. The album was met with a highly favourable critical response and topped sales charts in the UK and the United States for several weeks. Tracks include Girland In My Life, which, according to John Lennon, was his “first real major piece of work” because it was the first time he wrote about his own life.

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It’s safe to say that with 250-300+ (more like 500) music videos to his credit, saying Jim Yukich is a great director is wildly understated. He’s accomplished a lot more as well, directing 1500+ episodes of “Chelsea Lately” over 7.5 years, over 60 episodes of ET over 6 months, plus 2 feature films. Add in his numerous awards, and he’s truly a force to be reckoned with.



We spoke for nearly two hours over a couple days, and with such an interesting, well-informed subject, it felt like 5 minutes. He was so gracious and kind, and answered every question, and then some. Rather than write my views, I am printing his vivid and very articulate responses.




What was it that inspired you to enter the music and entertainment field? 




“The Beatles changed life as we know it and were what originally interested me in music. I played in bands since 5th grade… I still play with 2 different bands.



Somehow my family had a super 8mm camera and I always liked filming all our family...

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“On Saturday, August 1, 1981, at 12:01 AM Eastern Time, MTV launched with the words “Ladies and gentlemen, rock and roll,” spoken by John Lack, and played over footage of the first Space Shuttle launch countdown of Columbia (which took place earlier that year) and of the launch of Apollo 11.” And with those words, we entered a whole new era.



It was then that we were introduced to the five people who would shape and mold that blank canvas into what became the greatest social experiment of our generation. “Veejays” J.J. Jackson, Mark Goodman, Alan Hunter, Martha Quinn and Nina Blackwood would soon become daily visitors to our respective homes, bringing us that “whole new world.”



In a follow-up to our blog with early MTV...

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After watching “Get Back” with the Beatles for 468 minutes, my first thought is I’m not entirely sure this couldn’t have been just a tad bit shorter. Not that I totally didn’t enjoy it and get fully immersed in the entire 3-part documentary, but some of it became a little redundant and tedious. Right around the 2-hour mark on each of the three parts, I started looking to see just how much longer this was going to drag on. That being said, I hated for it to end!



Because of “Let It Be,” the film patched together from the mountains of footage shot by director Michael Lindsay Hogg right after the Beatles broke...

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For the first time ever in my life, words have truly failed me. I have been trying to write this article since March 25 – the fateful day we lost Taylor Hawkins. What I wanted to express just simply would not come. But now – months later, I feel compelled to complete this – for Taylor, for his wife Alison, for his kids, and for Dave Grohl and the rest of the Foos. And always, for the fans!



Oliver Taylor Hawkins was born in Ft Worth, Texas, and moved to Laguna Beach, CA when he was only 4. Tay, as he was nicknamed, was your typical “California” boy, loving the sun, sand, and Pacific Ocean. Growing up in Orange County (the “O.C.”) gave Tay plenty of opportunity to discover who and what he wanted to be. “I was a fat, chubby, stupid kid...

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