Aurelia Butler

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    David Johansen, Who Fronted the New York Dolls and More, Dies at 75

    David Johansen, the singer and songwriter who was at the vanguard of glam rock and punk as the frontman of the New York Dolls, died yesterday at his home on Staten Island. He was 75.His death was confirmed by his stepdaughter, Leah Hennessey.Mr. Johansen revealed last month that he was suffering from Stage 4 cancer, a brain tumor and a broken back. He announced a fund-raising campaign through the Sweet Relief Musicians Fund to assist with his medical bills, saying, “I’ve never been one to ask for help, but this is an emergency.”Mr. Johansen was prolific in multiple genres, from blues to calypso, and achieved his greatest commercial success in the late 1980s and early ’90s with his pompadoured lounge-lizard alter ego, Buster Poindexter. But his 1970s heyday with the New York Dolls, a band of lipstick-smeared men in love with trashy riffs and tough women, had the most cultural impact, inspiring numerous punk, heavy metal and alternative musicians.One of those musicians was the singer-songwriter Morrissey of the Smiths, who first witnessed the band as a 13-year-old living in Manchester, England. It was 1973, and the BBC was broadcasting a Dolls show. As the young Morrissey watched the Dolls flail through “Jet Boy,” he had what he called his “first real emotional experience,” according to Nina Antonia’s 1998 book, “The New York Dolls: Too Much Too Soon.” Morrissey soon became the president of the band’s British fan club.The New York Dolls were notorious for transgressive behavior; they were especially notorious for cross-dressing. “Before going onstage, the Dolls pass around a Max Factor lipstick the way some bands pass around a joint,” Ed McCormack wrote in Rolling Stone in 1972.“We used to wear some really outrageous clothes,” Mr. Johansen said in the prologue to the 1987 music video for Buster Poindexter’s hit song “Hot Hot Hot.” “These heavy mental bands in L.A. don’t have the market cornered on wearing their mothers’ clothes.”We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

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    David Johansen: 15 Essential Songs

    He was the frontman of the New York Dolls, an adventurous solo performer and the lounge act Buster Poindexter. Listen to highlights from his eclectic catalog.It’s a paradox that Staten Island, New York City’s most conservative borough, produced David Johansen, one of its most outrageous frontmen. Johansen led the New York Dolls, five bright-eyed boys who dressed flamboyantly and dreamed of sounding like the Shirelles crossed with a midtown traffic jam. He died on Friday, at age 75.The Dolls’ self-titled first album, released in 1973, peaked at No. 116 on the Billboard album chart. Dismal, but they never got any higher. The title of their second album, “Too Much Too Soon,” told the story: The Dolls’ ecstatic form of rock ’n’ roll is credited as a chief influence on punk rock, but at the time, they were dismissed as talentless charlatans in drag. Mick Taylor of the Rolling Stones supposedly called them “the worst high school band I ever saw,” and even if their A&R man Paul Nelson made up this quote, it summarizes a widely held opinion.Overwhelmed by rejection, the Dolls disbanded, and Johansen started a solo career that was distinguished by his bonhomie and panache. He took stylistic diversions that included disco, Latin music, folk and vaudeville, and in the late ’80s, he began acting in movies, including “Scrooged” and “Car 54, Where Are You?” He also performed as Buster Poindexter, a lounge singer whose taste in oldies was more cruise ship than Café Carlyle. Regardless of style or medium, his work retained a sense of humor, a love of individualism and a distaste for conformism.Johansen seemed to know every good song ever written, a breadth he displayed on Mansion of Fun, the weekly SiriusXM satellite radio show he began hosting in 2004. He didn’t distinguish between low and high art, or between kitsch and classics. In May 2019, he tweeted a reminder to tune in to Mansion of Fun, and added, “a passion for music is in itself an avowal. We know more about a stranger who yields himself up to it than about someone who is deaf to music and whom we see every day.”He yielded himself up to a passion for music as much as anyone who’s ever lived. Here are 15 of his best songs.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

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    A New Age of Iranian Cinema Is on Display at the Oscars

    “The Seed of the Sacred Fig,” an Oscar-nominated movie filmed in secret in Iran, highlights the Iranian film world’s groundbreaking new work, inspired by the women-led protests in 2022.A wife, wearing a nightgown and her hair uncovered, lies down next to her husband in bed. An older man and woman, drunk on red wine, dance wildly and discuss the complexities of sex and nudity at their age. A distressed young woman navigates the sexual advances of a male employer in a job interview.These scenes may seem to be simply ordinary life snippets on the big screen. But their existence — in three Iranian films released over the last few years — is nothing short of extraordinary, representing a new era of filmmaking in Iran’s storied cinema.These movies, and the trend they represent, have gained recognition and accolades internationally. One of them, “The Seed of the Sacred Fig,” written and directed by Mohammad Rasoulof, will compete for best international feature film at the Academy Awards on Sunday.Mr. Rasoulof, 52, is among a number of prominent Iranian directors and artists who are flouting government censorship rules enforced for nearly five decades since the 1979 Islamic revolution. These rules ban depictions of women without a hijab, the consumption of alcohol, and men and women touching and dancing; they also prevent films from tackling taboo subjects like sex.In a collective act of civil disobedience and inspired by the 2022 women-led uprising in Iran and many women’s continued defiance of restrictive social laws, Iranian filmmakers say they have decided to finally make art that imitates real life in their country.Director Mohammad Rasoulof’s movie “The Seed of the Sacred Fig” is up for an Oscar in the international movie category on Sunday.Kristy Sparow/EPA, via ShutterstockWe are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

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    How to Watch the Oscars 2025: Date, Time and Streaming

    Conan O’Brien will host the annual awards, which will be available to watch live on a streaming service for the first time.It seems like a lifetime ago that Sean Baker’s screwball comedy “Anora” first emerged as the favorite in the best picture race (no one was yet even thinking about holding space for “Wicked”).But we’re now right back where we started in the fall with both math and our Projectionist columnist, Kyle Buchanan, predicting that “Anora” will emerge triumphant. It’s by no means a sure thing — last weekend’s big Screen Actors Guild Awards winner, the papal thriller “Conclave,” could play spoiler.In the acting races, Demi Moore appears to be the one to beat after notching another win at the SAGs (though Buchanan says not to count out Fernanda Torres, who delivers a tour de force performance in the quiet Brazilian drama “I’m Still Here”).But could Adrien Brody, who plays a Jewish architect who survives the Holocaust in “The Brutalist,” be in for an upset from the 29-year-old Timothée Chalamet, who has embarked on a decidedly unconventional — and very online — Oscar campaign for his lead role in the Bob Dylan biopic “A Complete Unknown”?Here’s everything you need to know.What time does the show start and where can I watch?This year’s show is again one for the early birds: The ceremony is set to begin at 7 p.m. Eastern, 4 p.m. Pacific, at the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles.On TV, ABC is the official broadcaster. Online, you can watch the show live on the ABC app, which is free to download, or at abc.com, though you’ll need to sign in using the credentials from your cable provider. There are also a number of live TV streaming services that offer access to ABC, including Hulu + Live TV, YouTube TV, AT&T TV and FuboTV, which all require subscriptions.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

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    Best Picture Oscar Nominees: Behind the Scenes of ‘Anora,’ ‘Conclave’ and More

    In these videos, directors walked us through pivotal scenes from their 2025 Academy Award-nominated films.Sometimes all it takes is one scene. One scene to understand where a movie may take you. One scene to connect with its characters. One scene to give a sense of its style.In this collection of sequences from the 10 movies nominated for best picture at the 2025 Academy Awards (airing Sunday, March 2), you will hear director commentary that illuminates each nominee. A few scenes play out largely in one shot, others build out their world from a song. But each one required an intensive combination of craft and planning to pull off. Watch those narrated scenes below.Sean Baker on ‘Anora’The writer, director and editor Sean Baker narrates a sequence from his comedy featuring Mikey Madison and Mark Eydelshteyn.NeonBrady Corbet on ‘The Brutalist’The director Brady Corbet narrates a sequence from his film, starring Adrien Brody. The movie is nominated for 10 Academy Awards.Lol Crawley/A24James Mangold on ‘A Complete Unknown’James Mangold narrates a sequence from his film, starring Timothée Chalamet.Macall Polay/Searchlight PicturesEdward Berger on ‘Conclave’The director Edward Berger narrates a sequence from his film, featuring Ralph Fiennes.Philippe Antonello/Focus FeaturesDenis Villeneuve on ‘Dune: Part Two’The director Denis Villeneuve narrates a battle sequence from his film, featuring Austin Butler.Niko Tavernise/Warner Bros. PicturesJacques Audiard on ‘Emilia Pérez’The director Jacques Audiard narrates a sequence featuring the song “El Mal” from his film, with Zoe Saldaña and Karla Sofía Gascón.Shanna Besson/NetflixWalter Salles on ‘I’m Still Here’The director Walter Salles narrates a scene from his film, which has an Oscar nomination for best picture.Alile Onawale/Sony Pictures ClassicsRaMell Ross on ‘Nickel Boys’The director RaMell Ross narrates a sequence from his film, which has been nominated for best picture.Orion PicturesCoralie Fargeat on ‘The Substance’The writer and director Coralie Fargeat narrates a sequence from her film starring Demi Moore.MubiJon M. Chu on ‘Wicked’The director Jon M. Chu narrates a scene in “Wicked” that features the song “Popular,” with Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo.Universal Pictures More

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    The Best Movies and TV Shows Coming to Disney+, Amazon, Max, Apple TV+ and More in March

    “Anora” and “Happy Face” arrive, and “‘Dark Winds,” “The Wheel of Time,” “The Righteous Gemstones” and more return.Every month, streaming services add movies and TV shows to their libraries. Here are our picks for some of March’s most promising new titles. (Note: Streaming services occasionally change schedules without giving notice. For more recommendations on what to stream, sign up for our Watching newsletter here.)New to Amazon Prime Video‘The Wheel of Time’ Season 3Starts streaming: March 13Season 1 of this handsome-looking fantasy series introduced the major characters and concepts from the first book of the novelist Robert Jordan’s hefty “The Wheel of Time” saga. Season 2 adapted parts of the second and third books, moving pieces into place for the grand apocalyptic battle prophesied at the start of the story. In Season 3, adapting “The Shadow Rising,” the heroes are tested by a journey into a desert wasteland. Rosamund Pike returns as the mystic Moiraine, who is helping a group of young people escape the shadowy forces pursuing them, leading them on a journey across a magical realm in danger of falling into ruin — just as it did thousands of years ago. Josha Stradowski plays Rand al’Thor, who could be his land’s last best hope to stand up against The Dark One, or the one to usher in a new age of chaos.Also arriving:March 6“For the Win: NWSL”“Picture This”March 11“Iliza Shlesinger: A Different Animal”March 27“Bosch: Legacy” Season 3“Holland”Zahn McClarnon in “Dark Winds.”Michael Moriatis/AMCNew to AMC+‘Dark Winds’ Season 3Starts streaming: March 9The novelist Tony Hillerman’s “Leaphorn and Chee” series provides the inspiration for this combination neo-western and neo-noir. Zahn McClarnon plays Joe Leaphorn, a lieutenant in the Navajo Tribal Police, who looks after his own people while holding a healthy suspicion of outsiders. Kiowa Gordon plays Jim Chee, Joe’s deputy, who used to work undercover for the F.B.I., gaining intelligence on Indigenous political groups. “Dark Winds” combines complex mystery plots with an insider’s take on Navajo culture. Season 3 finds Joe and Jim investigating a mysterious disappearance in their jurisdiction while their colleague Bernadette Manuelito (Jessica Matten) begins a new job with the Border Patrol. Guest stars include Jenna Elfman and Bruce Greenwood, in a story that will leave Joe questioning his life’s purpose.Also arriving:March 3“Recipes for Love and Murder” Season 2March 7“Starve Acre”March 10“The Gone” Season 2March 18“Wicked City” Seasons 1 and 2We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

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    Meet the New Owner of the Bathtub Used by Jacob Elordi in “Saltburn”

    Anyone who has watched “Saltburn” probably remembers the scene, and some who have not seen the dark coming-of-age thriller about two Oxford students may remember it, too: The part when middle-class Oliver (Barry Keoghan), while visiting the country estate of his wealthy friend Felix (Jacob Elordi), surreptitiously watches him take a bath and then slurps up the leftover water as it streams down the drain.After the film’s release in late 2023, the scene spread widely online — and became the inspiration for candles, cocktails, bath bombs and thousands of discussion threads.And the bathtub featured in it? It’s now on display in Massillon, Ohio, at the home of Kyle Harvey, 36, who bought the tub for $4,375 in an online auction last September. Mr. Harvey, who owns a local car dealership with some relatives, drove 18 hours round-trip to get it, he said.“It’s a piece of history,” said Mr. Harvey, adding that he won the prop after a bidding war. “That bathtub had TikTok going for days.”The fiberglass bathtub is in a room adjoining Mr. Harvey’s at-home movie theater. Other “Saltburn” memorabilia he bought in the auction are also on display there, including a framed photo of Mr. Elordi and Mr. Keoghan and ensembles that the actors wore in the film, which earned awards for both is costume and production design.The tub, center, came complete with stains around its drain. Mr. Harvey bought it at auction, along with costumes from the film.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

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    Geoffrey Rush Lives for the Roar of the Crowd

    “If you sit at home, you are not sharing your own private experience of what the general pulse of the world is,” said the actor, who stars in the horror film “The Rule of Jenny Pen.”Geoffrey Rush has rarely met a physical task he didn’t want to attempt, be it sword fighting for “Pirates of the Caribbean” or playing the piano for his Oscar-winning role in “Shine.”The new horror movie “The Rule of Jenny Pen,” starring Rush as a supercilious former judge living in a nursing home, required yet another unfamiliar skill set: He had to use a motorized wheelchair.“I got very good at getting up to speed, but in narrow corridors, it was not the same story,” Rush, 73, said of the feature directed by James Ashcroft and also starring John Lithgow as a psychopathic fellow resident. A lot of the final day’s goof reel “was punctuated by me running into staircases or James leaping over furniture because I went, ‘It’s just not responding.’”In a video call from his native Australia, Rush discussed his cultural essentials, many of them — to his surprise — from his childhood and early professional life. These are edited excerpts from the conversation.The TreniersThey were the first band to use the words “rock” and “roll” in lyrics, way back in the late ’40s and early ’50s, when they were a blues band hovering between swing and boogie-woogie. Their energy was definitely sexy and audacious. They beat Bill Haley by about a half decade. My mum was a great jiver during my childhood, and she loved Little Richard. She used to dive onto the dance floor.Silent Film ClownsBob Monkhouse, who was an English comedian, had a show that I used to watch every Saturday night called “Mad Movies.” I got introduced to silent film and not necessarily the big guns. He looked at a lot of the minor characters, and I became obsessed by that.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More