The Jeff Buckley International Newsletter
The Only Official Fan Club & Newsletter
(Authorized & guided by the family of Jeff Buckley)
*All rights reserved* Vol. 13:10 04/29/11
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IN THIS ISSUE:
DIRECTOR JAKE SCOTT
– JOINS UNTITLED JEFF BUCKLEY FILM
ARTISTS INSPIRED BY JEFF BUCKLEY
– ROBERT PLANT
– QTV: INTERVIEW
SPIN MAGAZINE: Sneak Peek
-10 Rock Musicals To Watch Out For
-Jeff Buckley- “The Last Goodbye”
SPOTLIGHT ARTIST:
– “Jeff Buckley: Amazing Grace”
– Author Gary Bernard
– TUGG & OLLIE
JEFF BUCKLEY – SCENE & HEARD
– James Franco
– BBC 1 Radio
– Robert Pattinson
– Chris Cornell
– NJ Underground
– Chicago Wrap
MARY’S MAILBAG (With Love from MG)
– Have a question for Mary ?
– Let us know !
CONNECT WITH US ONLINE
– Twitter, You Tube, FB & MySpace
– The Official Jeff Buckley Forum
Let Us Know! Help Us Grow!
– We’re Looking for References!
– JBIN Rules – Tell a Friend!
– Addresses & Contacts
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DIRECTOR JAKE SCOTT JOINS UNTITLED JEFF BUCKLEY FILM
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LOS ANGELES (April 8, 2011) — Director Jake Scott (Welcome to the Rileys) has come aboard to direct the Untitled Jeff Buckley biopic, the true story about the beloved rising star musician who lost his life in 1997 at age 30. Scott will direct from a script written by Ryan Jaffe. The project is being produced by Michelle Sy and Orian Williams. Buckley’s mother Mary Guibert, is the executive producer on the film and has given Scott her blessing on the project.
“I could not be more thrilled that Jake has accepted our invitation to bring Jeff’s life to the big screen,” said Guibert. “His creative vision for Jeff’s story is inspired, innovative, and insightful.”
“Ryan Jaffe’s remarkably told script reconnected me to one of music’s purest souls. It is a heartfelt journey into a young artist’s search for absolute truth in his work, love, devotion and longing,” said Scott. “It is a great honour to be directing this amazing story. As a film, I believe it will reach far beyond Jeff’s loyal fans to move a whole new generation of devotees.”
The filmmakers are targeting this fall to begin principal photography and have started to cast the Buckley role. Billy Hopkins is joining the production as casting director.
Scott most recently directed the critically acclaimed 2010 Sundance hit, Welcome to the Rileys, starring Kristen Stewart, James Gandolfini and Melissa Leo, which was released by Apparition and Sony Pictures. An award-winning commercials and music video director, Scott has worked with U2, R.E.M., Radiohead, Smashing Pumpkins, The Cranberries, Cypress Hill, Tori Amos, and numerous other major artists.
The script by screenwriter Ryan Jaffe (story by, The Rocker starring Rainn Wilson), is based on Jaffe’s deep examination and research into Buckley’s life, which included scores of interviews and unlimited access to the Jeff Buckley Estate archives, which include Jeff’s personal journals, drawings and letters. The production team also optioned the book “Dream Brother: The Lives and Music of Jeff and Tim Buckley” by David Browne, for research purposes. David Browne also serves as a consultant on the film.
The film chronicles the life of Jeff Buckley, one of the most critically acclaimed musical artists of his time, who died tragically at age 30 in a drowning accident in Memphis, Tennessee’s Wolf River. Buckley’s only studio release during his lifetime was the widely acclaimed album Grace, which includes his legendary interpretation of Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah,” and is acknowledged by critics as a modern classic. His momentous posthumous album, Sketches for My Sweetheart the Drunk, garnered a Grammy nomination for Best Male Rock Vocal for the song “Everybody Here Wants You.” Captivated by the world of music, Buckley lived and breathed it until the last moments of his life. He had said, “I was captured by music at a really early age…It was my mother, it was my father, it was my plaything, my toy. The best thing in my life.”
Producer Orian Williams last produced the Weinstein Company biopic Control, about Joy Division singer Ian Curtis.
Jake Scott is represented by UTA, and Ryan Jaffe by WME. The Jeff Buckley Estate is represented by Conrad Rippy of Levine Plotkin & Menin.
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ARTISTS INSPIRED BY JEFF BUCKLEY
ROBERT PLANT
QTV: INTERVIEW
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Robert Plant was interviewed for Canada’s QTV and talked about Jeff Buckley. At the 29:00 mark in the interview, Robert begins talking about his influences and mentiones Jeff. Catch the interview on QTV’s You Tube Channel. Thanks Chris Rubeo !
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SPIN MAGAZINE: SNEAK PEEK:
10 ROCK MUSICALS TO WATCH OUT FOR
JEFF BUCKLEY – “THE LAST GOODBYE”
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SPIN Magazine online features a SPIN List of 10 Rock Musicals To Watch Out For and includes “The Last Goodbye” , a rock musical that fuses the text of Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet with classic Buckley cuts like “Lover, You Should’ve Come Over,” “Grace,” and his cover of Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah.” “The characters in Romeo & Juliet are going to extreme places emotionally, and the rawness of Jeff’s songs makes that even more intense,” says the show’s writer-director Michael Kimmel.
Check out SPIN online to read more !
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SPOTLIGHT ARTIST:
“Jeff Buckley: Amazing Grace”
Author Gary Bernard’s
TUGG & OLLIE
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Poet and painter Gary Bernard, wrote a book of poems and accompanying oil paintings inspired by singer Jeff Buckley. The book was featured in the documentary “Jeff Buckley: Amazing Grace” and was praised by Jeff’s mom, Mary Guibert. In 2009 Bernard illustrated the story “Pemba Sherpa,” a book that won the Junior Library Guild Selection award.
Bernard has written a new children’s book, “Ollie and Tugg.” His mother painted frequently when he was young, and he finished his first oil painting when he was 10 years old. His interest grew from there, shaped by a disinterest in his regular academic classrooms. He eventually made his way to the Rhode Island School of Design for illustration. where he worked with renowned professors and artists such as Chris Van Allsburg, who wrote and illustrated “The Polar Express,” “Jumanji” and other children’s books.
He is now trying to compile his work from his time abroad into an illustrated travel log.
Says Bernard: “Being part of the Amazing Grace project was and still is a thrill for me. Since it is mentioned, I hope that Jeff is smiling and raising a Guinness wherever he is.” Read the full interview at Mt. Airy Patch
Learn more about Gary Bernard at www.gbernard.com
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SCENE & HEARD
JEFF BUCKLEY NEWS
FROM AROUND THE WORLD !
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Edith Bowman of BBC Radio 1 recently interviewed actor James Franco, who talked about Jeff Buckley and his feelings about portraying Jeff in a film. The actor also talked about meeting Jeff’s mom, Mary Guibert. Listen at BBC Radio 1 Facebook Page
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Actor Robert Pattinson also reveals he has met with Jeff’s mom. The actor talked about the film in an interview with the Phillippine Daily Inquirer. . “I met his mom who’s really great,” he said of Mary Guibert, executive producer of the film. … I love Jeff’s music. He was amazing.” He is modest about his own musical abilities. “I don’t really think I can sing like Jeff,” Robert said. “He was unique. Also, I can’t play guitar like him either. It would involve quite a lot of work. If someone just imitates Jeff’s voice, it wouldn’t be right. It’s always about the script. You have no idea how it’s going to represent someone.” Full interview here
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Jeff was mentioned in The NJ Underground, in a review of Chris Cornell’s April 16th appearance at The Wellmont Theatre. … ” Chris was emotionally accompanied during his set by a red, old fashioned dial telephone which was given to him as a gift from Jeff Buckley’s mom because he, “Just likes to have it around” Read more at
The NJ Underground
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13th Annual Jeff Buckley Tribute in Uncommon Ground Chicago, IL, with Proceeds going to the Old Town School of Folk Music Scholarship Fund took place on November 16th & 17th 2010. Leslie Harris Spencer has provided a complete rundown of the events. Read all the details online here
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