Elton John opens Tribeca festival with "The Union"

Paying tribute to his piano-playing idol Leon Russell, Elton John opened the Tribeca Film Festival on Wednesday with a free outdoor performance and film premiere about the making of his album, "The Union."

The 64-year-old British singer belted out six songs, including several that appeared on the 2010 critically acclaimed album he collaborated on with fellow singer-songwriter Russell, at the opening of the 10th Tribeca Film Festival in New York that runs until May 1.

The opening night documentary, also called "The Union," by director Cameron Crowe, was shown to an audience of several thousand people in the downtown area of Manhattan where the film festival was founded in order to revive the area after the September 11 2001 attacks.

"He's got the accolades that he deserves and I am so proud of him," John told the crowd before playing two songs, including "Never Too Old (to Hold Somebody)," which he made with Russell, whose musical abilities as a composer and piano player inspired John before he became a hit-making world sensation.

The film shows John and Russell reuniting after having not spoken in 38 years and gives a behind-the-scenes glance at the writing and recording of the collaboration between John, John's lyricist Bernie Taupin and Russell for the album that was released last year and debuted at No. 3 in the Billboard 200.

It also flashes back to old footage of both musicians in the early 1970s, snippets of guest musicians on "The Union" such as Brian Wilson and various sequences of John hailing Russell, now 69, as the greatest piano player that ever influenced him and crying when Russell composes "In the Hands of Angels" off "The Union."

John told Reuters on the red carpet that the film was Crowe's idea, and his style was "uninvasive. You know, you don't notice him there after awhile, he's got a knack of kind of appearing behind plants and things like that."

Russell and Crowe, who made the fiction rock film "Almost Famous," did not attend the event. The "Jerry Maguire" and "Vanilla Sky" director also has a Pearl Jam documentary due out this year.

"The Union" is one of 15 music-themed feature films showing at Tribeca. Cinematic accounts of Kings of Leon, rocker Ozzy Osbourne and South African singer Miriam Makeba will also screen.

The opening night marked a change for the festival, one of the most prominent in the United States, after recent years in which Tribeca featured an uptown glitzy private premiere with feature fiction films like last year's "Shrek Forever After."

This year more than 5,000 films were submitted, resulting in 93 feature films, which include 41 documentaries and 52 narrative fiction films. Festival attendees will include Julia Roberts, Will Ferrell, Martin Scorsese, Orlando Bloom, Jeremy Piven and Ryan Phillippe.

2 'Idols' leap out of their comfort zones

It was an interesting week on "American Idol" as the headlines were stolen by the risk takers and the sick.

Casey Abrams and Jacob Lusk were the singers who went outside of their comfort zones when picking songs from their birth year. Abrams went with Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit” and proved what’s obvious — he’s not a grunge singer. I give him credit for trying something new, but it was screamy and pitchy, and in general not his best work. Not that he has to worry about being voted off, but he probably shouldn’t plan on moving to Seattle to get that band back together.

Lusk chose to cover Heart’s “Alone,” a popular choice ever since Carrie Underwood knocked it out of the park on the way to winning season four. Like with Abrams, Lusk’s effort was notable mainly because of its newness and because of his willingness to experiment, but don’t look for that to become his new comfort zone or anything.

Both men should be safe this week without much of a sweat. Obviously, not everyone can say the same.

In trouble

Again, it was mostly the women who put themselves in danger, starting with Haley Reinhart. Reinhart is the classic “Idol” contestant who doesn’t find her comfort zone right away and flails around trying to figure out who she is as an artist. As judge Steven Tyler pointed out after she performed “I’m Your Baby Tonight,” she’d gone from Alicia Keys to LeAnn Rimes to Whitney Houston in successive weeks, which doesn’t help a singer trying to establish her own brand.

Naima Adedapo went from being a wild-card entry into the finals to the hit of the show last week, but played it a little too safe when she opened the show with Tina Turner’s “What’s Love Got to Do With It.” She has the stage presence and the confidence of a star, but was not close to having those kind of vocals this week.

Karen Rodriguez told mentor Jimmy Iovine she didn’t want to be typecast as the girl who sang in both English and Spanish, but he seemingly convinced her to do it again on Taylor Dayne’s “Love Will Lead You Back.” The Spanish didn’t work so well there and seemed like a parlor trick instead of an artistic wrinkle, but it beat what she managed a week ago.

Among the men, Paul McDonald was clearly under the weather as he sang Elton John’s “I Guess That's Why They Call It the Blues.” He had the rueful smile of someone who knew he wasn’t getting it done but couldn’t figure out how to stop it. The swagger was there, but the effect was more Vegas lounge act than anything else.

Story: Who has what it takes to win it all on 'Idol'? Lauren Alaina was also sick, but did a lot better and recaptured some of the mojo she lost a week ago. Her personality’s a big asset for her as well, as she made fun of her contagiousness by bringing host Ryan Seacrest a mask to wear during their pre-performance interview.

Whatever works

Iovine seems determined to get Scotty McCreery to try something different, as if he has a side bet going with the judges. That’s not happening. McCreery stuck to country with Travis Tritt’s “Can I Trust You With My Heart,” and anyone who likes country music was a fan of that. And those who aren’t ... well, McCreery is hoping there are too few of you to make a difference.

James Durbin stepped perhaps a tiny bit outside his comfort zone, but only as far as Bon Jovi’s “I’ll Be There For You.” Pia Toscano also tried something a little fresher when she went up-tempo with Whitney Houston’s “Where Do Broken Hearts Go.” On this night, both performances were good enough to make them sound like stars.

And Stefano Langone earned raves for his Simply Red impression, a performance that Randy Jackson likened to the Olympics. That was appropriate, since a lot of Langone’s appeal was similar to that of a skater who takes the ice after the first five athletes crashed on their triple axels. He did well by not doing poorly on “If You Don’t Know Me By Now.” What Simon would say?

The new “Idol” judges are doing fine, apart from a reluctance to be negative. J.Lo and Tyler are definitely adding a new energy to the proceedings, and a sense of humor that was lacking in previous years. But it’s hard not to hear some of the finalists sing and predict the feedback Simon would have offered. Thia Megia, for example, would have driven him up the wall. She’s a 16-year-old who sings ballads and tries to sound like she’s 10 years older. That was always a pet peeve of the acerbic Brit, and she should be grateful he’s working on his new show instead of sticking around to compare her with Alaina. Alaina acts her age, which adds to her likability in a way that Megia hasn’t been able to match.

Rock Hall inducts Neil Diamond, Alice Cooper

Singer and songwriter Neil Diamond was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on Monday, crooning his signature mellow rock songs in a stark contrast to fellow inductee heavy metal band Alice Cooper.
Diamond and Alice Cooper were honored alongside Tom Waits, Darlene Love and Dr. John at a black tie event at New York's Wardorf Astoria hotel, with Cooper performing in a typically theatrical fake blood-spattered shirt and eye makeup while thanking the crowd with a live snake writhing around his neck.
"We have always been a hard rock band, we just wanted to decorate it a little bit differently," Cooper said after his band performed the 1972 hard rock anthem "School's Out."
He later opined the "shock rock" style the band helped originate was gone -- "I don't think you can shock an audience anymore," he said.
Musician Rob Zombie introduced the band by comparing them to "more like a murderous gang of drag queens."
Diamond performed his rousing 1969 hit "Sweet Caroline" -- famed for being inspired by former U.S. President's John F. Kennedy's daughter Caroline -- as he walked among the audience. He also sang his singles "Cherry, Cherry" and "I Am ... I Said."
Singer Paul Simon introduced Diamond by noting artists for the Hall of Fame become eligible 25 years after their first record, making Diamond's induction a long time coming.
"My question is, what took so long?" Simon said, before Diamond stepped on the stage to receive his award.
Diamond, 70, has sold more than 120 million albums worldwide, as well as writing hits for other musicians including The Monkees' "I'm a Believer." He later teamed with Barbra Streisand for the easy-listening hit "You Don't Bring Me Flowers."
His successful live concerts were marked by his landmark live 1972 album "Hot August Night," and many of his songs, including "Solitary Man," "Girl, You'll Be A Woman Soon," "Red Red Wine", "Holly Holy," and "Song Song Blue" have been covered by the likes of Johnny Cash, UB40 and Chris Isaak.
SIXTIES TEEN SPIRIT
Singer-songwriter Tom Waits, 61, whose blues and experimental rock has won over fans since the 1970s, inflected his acceptance speech with offbeat remarks such as "songs are just very interesting things to be doing with the air".
He also joked about his profile over the years: "They say I have no hits and I'm difficult to work with -- and they say it like this is a bad thing."
Rhythm and blues singer Darlene Love, 72, whose 1962 No. 1 hit "He's A Rebel" with The Crystals gained fame as one of the most definitive girl group sounds of the time, thanked convicted record producer Phil Spector, who was behind her best-known songs.
Actress and singer Bette Midler paid tribute to Love, who worked with Aretha Franklin, Elvis Presley and Dionne Warwick, by saying Love "changed my view of the world" and was "the very embodiment of teen spirit in the sixties."
The event started with the induction of New Orleans blues, funk and jazz singer songwriter Dr. John, whose real name is Malcolm Rebennack, who said music had been "a blessing" in his life. His 1972 landmark album "Gumbo" of New Orleans classics found a mainstream audience.
Songwriter and keyboardist Leon Russell received The Award For Musical Excellence and was honored by Elton John, who called him "my idol." The pair released a collaborative album last year, "The Union" after having not spoken for 38 years.
Industry executives Jac Holzman of Elektra Records and Art Rupe of Specialty Records also both received the Ahmet Ertegun Award.
The five performing artists and bands inducted at the ceremony were chosen by 600 music industry professionals. Inductees are represented in a permanent exhibit at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in Cleveland, Ohio.