Assorted ramblings from the world of entertainment:
Dave Grohl will be among the music superstars performing next week at Madison Square Garden for the Superstorm Sandy benefit, but this week the Warren native has been in the news for his work as a filmmaker.
Grohl is making his directing debut with the documentary "Sound City," which will have its premiere next month at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah. The movie tells the story of the southern California recording studio where artists such as Neil Young, Fleetwood Mac, Cheap Trick, Guns 'N' Roses, Rage Against the Machine, Nine Inch Nails and Metallica recorded some of their landmark albums. Grohl first worked there with Nirvana, which recorded "Nevermind" there, and he was inspired to make the movie after purchasing the studio's Neve 8028 recording console (built in 1972) last year.
In a statement released by his publicist, Grohl said, "As a first time director, I am humbled to be able to share my passion for songwriting and storytelling with this incredible cast of legendary musicians, as seen through the extraordinary story of America's greatest unsung recording studio, Sound City. Being included in this group of artists is a true honor, and the Sundance Film Festival is the perfect place to premiere a film about craft, integrity, and passion for art. I am over the moon!"
Also released this week was the trailer for the movie, which can be seen at www.soundcitymovie.com.
Grohl may be a novice filmmaker, but he's teaming with some documentary veterans. Editor Paul Crowder did the skating film "Dogtown & Z Boys" and the surfing doc "Riding Giants" while writer Mark Monroe worked on such acclaimed films as "The Cove" and "The Tillman Story."
Speaking of documentaries, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced this week the 15 films that are on the shortlist for consideration for a Best Documentary Feature Academy Award nomination.
Netflix streaming subscribers can catch one of the nominees right now. "The Invisible War," directed by Kirby Dick (a past Oscar nominee for "Twist of Faith"), looks at the problem of rape in the military, and it's a masterful piece of advocacy filmmaking. The stories these women (and a couple of men) share on camera are heart-wrenching, and hearing how there cases were buried, ignored and/or dismissed should infuriate anyone.
I'll be shocked if "The Invisible War" isn't one of the five nominees. It's one of the best films I've seen this year.
A couple weeks ago I printed information about a couple Ohio music festivals, Rock on the Range in Columbus and Bunbury in Cincinnati. This week, a couple of the headliners were announced for the ninth Nelsonville Music Festival, which runs May 30 through June 2 on the campus of Hocking College. Wilco will perform on June 1 and John Prine will close the festival on June 2. The full lineup won't be announced for a few weeks, but Reigning Sound, Cotton Jones, Wooden Indian Burial Ground, Nick Tolford and Company, The D-Rays and The County Pharaohs are confirmed.
Four days passes will start out at $90 when they go on sale Jan. 2, and the price will continue to increase up to $130 as the dates get closer. For more information, go to nelsonvillefest.org.
Fleetwood Mac (Mick Fleetwood, John McVie, Lindsey Buckingham, Stevie Nicks) announced a 34-city tour Tuesday that includes an April 26 show at Pittsburgh's Consol Energy Center. Tickets range from $49.50 to $149.50 and go on sale Dec. 17.
However, they are the latest band to bypass Cleveland in favor of a Columbus stop. The tour opens April 4 at Nationwide Arena in the state's capital, and that's the only Ohio date.
Andy Gray is the entertainment writer for the Tribune Chronicle. Write to him at grayareas@tribtoday.com.