Last night, Metallica‘s James Hetfield and Kirk Hammett kicked off game five of the NBA Finals with a metal version of the “Star-Spangled Banner.” Members of the U.S. armed forces held a large American flag while the guitars wailed prior to the start of the game between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Golden State Warriors.
While my favorite version of the national anthem played before a basketball game remains a legendary performance by Marvin Gaye, this Metallica version was still pretty cool. Check it out.
The legendary Lou Reed passed away today at the age of 71. His catalog of music with Velvet Underground and by himself and others like Metallica includes a number of classics, such as “Sweet Jane” and “Walk on the Wild Side.” One of my favorite Lou Reed songs is “Dirty Boulevard,” which appeared on his 1989 album New York.
In the following clip, he performs “Dirty Boulevard” on saxophonist David Sanborn’s short-lived NBC TV series, Night Music, in 1989.
While you were too absorbed wondering whether or not Kim Kardashian’s wedding was a sham and in pondering the prospects of Herman Cain in light of the sexual harassment allegations, here are some of the pop culture stories you might have missed this week. Check out the links below.
Movies
"An army without leaders is like a foot without a big toe." -- Stripes
John Goodman and Justin Timberlake are in cast of upcoming Coen Brothers film about the 1960s folk scene, Inside Llewyn Davis.
Albert Brooks turned down roles in Dead Poets Society, Big, Pretty Woman, and Boogie Nights. Regarding the latter, he was up for the Burt Reynolds role, not the Mark Wahlberg role.
The new James Bond film, featuring Javier Bardem as the villain, will be called “Skyfall.” I wonder if Bardem will flip a coin. I also wonder why the New York Daily News story at the link still has Bardem’s name misspelled in the headline a day after posting the story.
James Franco plans to communicate with Tennessee Williams via Ouija Board.
