A few quick thoughts on tonight's Roadies coming up just as soon as I really like jazz... In my initial review of this show, I alluded to the dire nature of last week's episode, "The Bryce Newman Letter." Noel Murray and Mo Ryan did an excellent job of pointing out the many things that went awry with that one, and if a show with a creator I respected even slightly less than Cameron Crowe put out an hour like that, I'd be a cloud of dust with motion lines getting the hell away from it. Instead, I decided to give Roadies one more shot to see if "Bryce Newman" was an aberration, and was rewarded with easily the best episode of this young series in "The City Whose Name Must Not Be Spoken." Neither Crowe nor Winnie Holzman do cruel all that well, which is one of the many reasons "Bryce Newman" went so sour.
- 7/18/2016
- by Alan Sepinwall
- Hitfix
Almost Famous auteur Cameron Crowe this Sunday invited you to go on tour with the Roadies for the Staton-House Band. Will you stick around for upcoming dates?
In quick (and shamelessly Showtime-y) fashion, Roadies first introduces us to tour manager Bill (played by Luke Wilson) as he unwittingly beds a bigwig promoter’s (very) young daughter — which is par for the course for the divorcé, production manager Shelli (Carla Gugino) later points out. The premiere revolves around the Staton-House Band’s tour stop in New Orleans, where we next meet Kelly Ann (Imogen Poots), an electrician on the cusp of...
In quick (and shamelessly Showtime-y) fashion, Roadies first introduces us to tour manager Bill (played by Luke Wilson) as he unwittingly beds a bigwig promoter’s (very) young daughter — which is par for the course for the divorcé, production manager Shelli (Carla Gugino) later points out. The premiere revolves around the Staton-House Band’s tour stop in New Orleans, where we next meet Kelly Ann (Imogen Poots), an electrician on the cusp of...
- 6/27/2016
- TVLine.com
Three episodes were provided prior to broadcast.
Cameron Crowe’s Almost Famous is one of the recently down-on-his-luck director’s finest films, a beautiful and touching tribute to the passion and power of rock ‘n’ roll. Its characters hum with urgency and life; its screenplay is a rawly funny, exuberantly upbeat exploration of idols and idealism, and the ways in which we can find hope in a world often intent on suffocating it. The same subject matter, especially that regarding the relationships between people whose admiration for music and lyrics has been channeled into a fully immersive profession, is on display in Crowe’s new Showtime series, Roadies, even if the show (in its early episodes) never comes close to matching the sheer potency and emotion of something as fully formed as Almost Famous.
Instead, the long-in-the-works project unfurls as an overly saccharine, if well-meaning peek behind the curtain of a music tour,...
Cameron Crowe’s Almost Famous is one of the recently down-on-his-luck director’s finest films, a beautiful and touching tribute to the passion and power of rock ‘n’ roll. Its characters hum with urgency and life; its screenplay is a rawly funny, exuberantly upbeat exploration of idols and idealism, and the ways in which we can find hope in a world often intent on suffocating it. The same subject matter, especially that regarding the relationships between people whose admiration for music and lyrics has been channeled into a fully immersive profession, is on display in Crowe’s new Showtime series, Roadies, even if the show (in its early episodes) never comes close to matching the sheer potency and emotion of something as fully formed as Almost Famous.
Instead, the long-in-the-works project unfurls as an overly saccharine, if well-meaning peek behind the curtain of a music tour,...
- 6/26/2016
- by Isaac Feldberg
- We Got This Covered
In one of the many famous lines of dialogue Cameron Crowe has written, Dorothy Boyd says of Jerry Maguire, "I love him for the man he wants to be, and I love him for the man that he almost is." Dorothy is a dreamer, like most of Crowe's heroes and heroines — and, at this stage of his career, like many of his fans. We love Crowe for the storyteller he's trying to be, and almost is, even though we'd have to go all the way back to 2000's Almost Famous for a scripted project where Crowe actually lived up to his full potential as writer and director. With the likes of Elizabethtown and We Bought a Zoo, Crowe fans would look for even the faintest signs of the man who had given us Jeff Spicoli, Lloyd Dobler, Rod Tidwell, Penny Lane, and so many more, and hope for better the next time out.
- 6/22/2016
- by Alan Sepinwall
- Hitfix
Meet the men and women who work behind the scenes to make big concerts happen. Showtime's new series Roadies comes from the mind of Cameron Crowe, the former Rolling Stone reporter and writer-director of the modern-movie classics Say Anything…, Jerry Maguire and Almost Famous. His light touch and decades of insider experience make this the rare showbiz saga that's more quirky and heartfelt than shocking and grim. The first episode airs this Sunday, June 26th (and is also currently available on YouTube for free, in an tamer TV-14 version), but...
- 6/21/2016
- Rollingstone.com
Cameron Crowe is a writer defined by his early success. “Fast Times at Ridgemont High,” “Say Anything,” “Almost Famous” and “Jerry Maguire” are all landmark films that, no matter what comes next for the man behind them, will remain indisputable classics for the rest of time. Yes, even after unmitigated disasters like “Vanilla Sky” and “Aloha,” Crowe’s early films remain untarnished.
So it’s almost too fitting that the music journalist-turned-filmmaker kicks off the next phase of his career — a television show he’s created, directed and co-written — by using a legendary rock band, past it’s prime but looking to recapture the magic, as an allegorical device for, well, everything; just as it’s fitting that “Roadies” exemplifies the best of Crowe’s earnest exuberances, as well as the potholes he should now know how to avoid.
Even with both in the mix, the new Showtime drama is mostly a fun ride.
So it’s almost too fitting that the music journalist-turned-filmmaker kicks off the next phase of his career — a television show he’s created, directed and co-written — by using a legendary rock band, past it’s prime but looking to recapture the magic, as an allegorical device for, well, everything; just as it’s fitting that “Roadies” exemplifies the best of Crowe’s earnest exuberances, as well as the potholes he should now know how to avoid.
Even with both in the mix, the new Showtime drama is mostly a fun ride.
- 6/17/2016
- by Ben Travers
- Indiewire
For the past 27 years, director Cameron Crowe has specialized in making films about earnest, “uncool” people who live and die by their passions. From “Say Anything…” to “Almost Famous,” Crowe’s films focus on that feeling of intense love, for people, for places, and especially for music. His upcoming Showtime TV series “Roadies” continues with that theme by focusing on a makeshift family of roadies for the fictional rock group the Staten-House Band. Starring Luke Wilson as Bill the tour manager and Carla Gugino as Shelli the production manager, “Roadies” follows the road crew as their lives are about to change with the arrival of a financial advisor who wants to overhaul their latest tour. The pilot was just released online ahead of its June 26th premiere date for those who are just itching to see what Crowe’s next project looks like. Below, IndieWIRE has the five best Cameron Crowe-isms from the very first episode of “Roadies.”
Read More: The 20 Greatest Musical Moments In The Films Of Cameron Crowe
1. Music As Organizing Life Principle
Cameron Crowe began his career writing for Rolling Stone magazine as a rock journalist; his first cover story was on The Allman Brothers Band tour in which he not only interviewed the band, but the entire road crew as well. This period of his life served as inspiration for “Almost Famous,” Crowe’s love letter to rock ‘n’ roll, but it has also clearly inspired “Roadies,” as the series affectionately documents the people whose lives revolve around making sure musicians have everything they need to perform their magic. Bill and Shelli desperately try to maintain order in an industry that feeds off of disorder, dealing with annoying, violent childen, crazy stalkers, and even the occasional firearm. But they, and the rest of the large ensemble cast, do it because of the music.
2. Fandom, or How To Maintain Love In The Face of All Obstacles
One of the major subplots in the pilot involves Kelly Ann (Imogen Poots), a young roadie who’s leaving the tour to go to film school in New York on a half-scholarship. She says she can “no longer hear the music anymore,” and she thinks the longer she stays on the tour, her love for not just the Staten-House Band, but music in general will slowly fade away. Crowe’s work often features a protagonist who’s love is frequently tested by numerous obstacles, and “Roadies” is no different as Kelly Ann’s determination to leave heightens when she sees the road crew threatened by management. But eventually, that resolve slowly crumbles as she realizes the family she’s leaving behind.
3. Heart-On-Your-Sleeve, Inspirational Montages
Though montages are frequently used as cheap emotional gimmickry, the best one’s still always stand out. Luckily, the “Roadies” pilot has many montages, so if one reads as bland, there’s another one along the way that could reach its potential. There’s a montage of the indie folk band The Head and The Heart doing a soundcheck, another of the road crew hard at work for their next gig, and finally the cheesiest, but most effective montages of all features a character running towards what has been in their heart all along.
4. Honesty and Authenticity Above All Else
When the financial advisor Reg Whitehead (Rafe Spall) comes on the tour, he immediately fires a beloved old roadie (Ron White) for being under federal investigation for reselling items left in storage units by victims of Hurricane Katrina. Next, he gathers the crew to talk about branding, market potential, and keeping costs to a minimum. Naturally, this prompts a negative response from the crew who know exactly what it takes to keep everything afloat, but it inspires a tirade from Kelly Ann who smells that Reg isn’t even a music fan (he calls Mumford and Sons “The Mumford Sons”). She preaches authentic feeling that a band’s music can inspire as the only brand worth following. “You either love what you do or get the fuck out,” she says.
5. A Romance At The Center
Crowe loves romance about as much as he loves classic rock, so naturally there will be a romance at the center of “Roadies.” Though details are scant in the pilot, Bill and Shelli were once in a relationship that’s now long since over. Shelli is currently married to a production manager on the Taylor Swift tour, and Bill sleeps with twenty-somethings to numb the end of his relationship. But there are still sparks between them and all the bickering can’t conceal their true feelings. One can reasonably predict that they will be in each other’s arms soon enough.
Read More: Cameron Crowe Apologizes For Casting Emma Stone As Allison Ng In ‘Aloha’
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Related stories'Roadies': Watch The First Episode Of Cameron Crowe's New Drama For Free Now'Homeland' Pushed to January: Executive Producer Explains Why That's NecessaryDaniel Craig Starring, Executive-Producing in Jonathan Franzen's 'Purity' for Showtime...
Read More: The 20 Greatest Musical Moments In The Films Of Cameron Crowe
1. Music As Organizing Life Principle
Cameron Crowe began his career writing for Rolling Stone magazine as a rock journalist; his first cover story was on The Allman Brothers Band tour in which he not only interviewed the band, but the entire road crew as well. This period of his life served as inspiration for “Almost Famous,” Crowe’s love letter to rock ‘n’ roll, but it has also clearly inspired “Roadies,” as the series affectionately documents the people whose lives revolve around making sure musicians have everything they need to perform their magic. Bill and Shelli desperately try to maintain order in an industry that feeds off of disorder, dealing with annoying, violent childen, crazy stalkers, and even the occasional firearm. But they, and the rest of the large ensemble cast, do it because of the music.
2. Fandom, or How To Maintain Love In The Face of All Obstacles
One of the major subplots in the pilot involves Kelly Ann (Imogen Poots), a young roadie who’s leaving the tour to go to film school in New York on a half-scholarship. She says she can “no longer hear the music anymore,” and she thinks the longer she stays on the tour, her love for not just the Staten-House Band, but music in general will slowly fade away. Crowe’s work often features a protagonist who’s love is frequently tested by numerous obstacles, and “Roadies” is no different as Kelly Ann’s determination to leave heightens when she sees the road crew threatened by management. But eventually, that resolve slowly crumbles as she realizes the family she’s leaving behind.
3. Heart-On-Your-Sleeve, Inspirational Montages
Though montages are frequently used as cheap emotional gimmickry, the best one’s still always stand out. Luckily, the “Roadies” pilot has many montages, so if one reads as bland, there’s another one along the way that could reach its potential. There’s a montage of the indie folk band The Head and The Heart doing a soundcheck, another of the road crew hard at work for their next gig, and finally the cheesiest, but most effective montages of all features a character running towards what has been in their heart all along.
4. Honesty and Authenticity Above All Else
When the financial advisor Reg Whitehead (Rafe Spall) comes on the tour, he immediately fires a beloved old roadie (Ron White) for being under federal investigation for reselling items left in storage units by victims of Hurricane Katrina. Next, he gathers the crew to talk about branding, market potential, and keeping costs to a minimum. Naturally, this prompts a negative response from the crew who know exactly what it takes to keep everything afloat, but it inspires a tirade from Kelly Ann who smells that Reg isn’t even a music fan (he calls Mumford and Sons “The Mumford Sons”). She preaches authentic feeling that a band’s music can inspire as the only brand worth following. “You either love what you do or get the fuck out,” she says.
5. A Romance At The Center
Crowe loves romance about as much as he loves classic rock, so naturally there will be a romance at the center of “Roadies.” Though details are scant in the pilot, Bill and Shelli were once in a relationship that’s now long since over. Shelli is currently married to a production manager on the Taylor Swift tour, and Bill sleeps with twenty-somethings to numb the end of his relationship. But there are still sparks between them and all the bickering can’t conceal their true feelings. One can reasonably predict that they will be in each other’s arms soon enough.
Read More: Cameron Crowe Apologizes For Casting Emma Stone As Allison Ng In ‘Aloha’
Stay on top of the latest breaking film and TV news! Sign up for our Email Newsletters here.
Related stories'Roadies': Watch The First Episode Of Cameron Crowe's New Drama For Free Now'Homeland' Pushed to January: Executive Producer Explains Why That's NecessaryDaniel Craig Starring, Executive-Producing in Jonathan Franzen's 'Purity' for Showtime...
- 6/14/2016
- by Vikram Murthi
- Indiewire
There had been some recent concern that Cameron Crowe’s spate of poor luck (with bad reactions and box office figures to Aloha) was continuing on his planned series for Showtime, Roadies, as rumours drifted that it might not make it to air. Crowe himself had good news to share today, however, announcing that it’s been picked up for 10 episodes and posting a brief, first-look teaser. Roadies, which charts similar territory to Crowe’s Almost Famous, follows the day-to-day dramas of a successful rock tour. He’s wrote and directed the pilot, which finds Luke Wilson as road-weary, sleep-deprived tour manager Bill, the best in the business, overseeing mega stadium band The Staton–House. Imogen Poots is Kelly Ann, a first-tier tech genius with second-tier people skills, Keisha Castle-Hughes is the band’s outspoken sound mixer Donna, while Rafe Spall will be a successful British financial adviser sent to...
- 10/14/2015
- EmpireOnline
Most of the cast for Cameron Crowe and Winnie Holzman’s new Us cable comedy Roadies has already been assembled. But there are one or two key roles still to be filled, with Mad Men’s Christina Hendricks signing on.Roadies, which charts similar territory to Crowe’s Almost Famous, follows the day-to-day dramas of a successful rock tour. He’s writing and directing the pilot, which finds Luke Wilson as road-weary, sleep-deprived tour manager Bill, the best in the business. Imogen Poots will be Kelly Ann, a first-tier tech genius with second-tier people skills, Keisha Castle-Hughes is the band’s outspoken sound mixer Donna, while Rafe Spall will be a successful British financial adviser sent to oversee the band’s budget despite knowing nothing about the music. And there’s also Peter Cambor, as a guitar tech with questionable personal hygiene but amazing charm.Hendricks has scored the role of Shelli,...
- 12/15/2014
- EmpireOnline
At least two of the leads had already been rumoured as in talks, but now we have the full, official main line-up for Cameron Crowe’s new TV rock comedy Roadies. Luke Wilson, Imogen Poots, Rafe Spall, Keisha Castle-Hughes and Peter Cambor will star in the pilot for Us cable channel Showtime.Roadies, which sounds like an even more comedic take on the experiences he drew on for 2000’s Almost Famous, follows the day-to-day dramas of a rock tour. He’s writing and directing the pilot, which finds Wilson as road-weary, sleep-deprived tour manager Bill, the best in the business. Poots will be Kelly Ann, a first-tier tech genius with second-tier people skills, Castle-Hughes is the band’s outspoken sound mixer Donna, while Spall will be a successful British financial adviser sent to oversee the band’s budget despite knowing nothing about the music. Cambor, meanwhile, will be a guitar...
- 12/8/2014
- EmpireOnline
Despite being Hollywood's box-office champ at one time, Mickey Rooney was not living like an A-lister when he died at age 93 on Sunday. New court documents reveal he left behind an estate valued at $18,000, and what little he had left he didn't give to his estranged wife or children. In his will, Rooney "disinherited" his eighth and final wife Jan, whom he wed in 1978, and children Michael, Mickey Jr., Teddy, Jonelle, Jimmy, Kimmy, Kerry and Kelly Ann. He left everything to his stepson Mark. Related: Mickey Rooney Poses with Old Friends in One of His Last PhotosThe papers filed Tuesday...
- 4/9/2014
- by Mary Green
- PEOPLE.com
It's a sad night for Hollywood, as legendary actor Mickey Rooney reportedly passed away at the age of 93 on Sunday (April 6).
According to TMZ, the Academy Award-winning performer died, but there are still no details on the cause of death.
Rooney was born Joe Yule Jr. on September 23, 1920 in Brooklyn and started acting at the ripe age of 17 months old.
Mickey received numerous awards for his work including a Juvenile Academy Award, an Honorary Academy Award, two Golden Globes and an Emmy Award.
He is survived by his wife Jan and their children Michael, Tim Rooney, Mickey Jr., Teddy, Jonelle, Kimmy Sue, Kerry, Kelly Ann and Jimmy Rooney.
According to TMZ, the Academy Award-winning performer died, but there are still no details on the cause of death.
Rooney was born Joe Yule Jr. on September 23, 1920 in Brooklyn and started acting at the ripe age of 17 months old.
Mickey received numerous awards for his work including a Juvenile Academy Award, an Honorary Academy Award, two Golden Globes and an Emmy Award.
He is survived by his wife Jan and their children Michael, Tim Rooney, Mickey Jr., Teddy, Jonelle, Kimmy Sue, Kerry, Kelly Ann and Jimmy Rooney.
- 4/7/2014
- GossipCenter
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