PBS to Air Sergio Mendes’ Documentary “Sergio Mendes & Friends: A Celebration”

Sergio Mendes is celebrating with friends on the small screen…

PBS will air the documentary Sergio Mendes & Friends: A Celebration, about the 80-year-old acclaimed Brazilian musician.

Sergio Mendes

The film, which will premiere as part of special programming on PBS stations this June, is derived from the feature documentary Sergio Mendes: In The Key Of Joy by filmmaker John Scheinfeld.

Mendes, who exploded onto the scene in the 1960s with his group, Brasil ’66, played a big role in popularizing Brazilian music around the world, and at the same time created his own genre by fusing Brazilian music with American pop.

The three-time Grammy winner has made 35 albums, including Timeless, produced by will.i.am. Hit singles include “Mas Que Nada”, “The Look of Love”, “Scarborough Fair”, “Night and Day”, “Never Gonna Let You Go” and his famous rendition of “Fool on the Hill”.

In 2012, his “Real in Rio” from the animated film Rio was nominated for an Academy Award as Best Original Song.

In Sergio Mendes & Friends: A Celebration, he is joined onscreen by friends and collaborators including Herb Alpert, Common, Lani Hall (lead singer of Brasil ’66), Quincy Jones, John Legend, Gracinha Mendes (Sergio’s lead singer since 1971 and his wife of 46 years), Jerry Moss, Carlos Saldhana and will.i.am.

“I am really looking forward to sharing my life and musical journey through the decades from Brasil ’66 through present day with PBS viewers across the nation,” said Mendes. “I hope viewers will have a joyful and uplifting experience.”

“Sergio’s warmth, humor and appreciation of life through all the senses made me feel a strong connection with him and I want others to feel the same way,” added director Scheinfeld. “His life is an exceptional blend of encounters, spontaneity and serendipity and makes him an irresistible subject for a film.”

The deal was negotiated by WNED PBS and the film’s distributor Brainstorm Media.

Lin-Manuel Miranda Teams with Barack Obama for Latest #Hamildrop “One Last Time (44 Remix)”

Lin-Manuel Miranda has reunited with his favorite collaborator…

The 38-year-old Puerto Rican Broadway composer, lyricist, playwright, singer and actor has released One Last Time (44 Remix), a gospel version of a song from his Tony Award-winning musical Hamilton.

Lin-Manuel Miranda & Barack Obama

He is joined halfway through by former President Barack Obama– the US’ 44th president – who delivers part of George Washington’s farewell address during a guitar and piano interlude.

“Though, in reviewing the incidents of my administration, I am unconscious of intentional error, I am nevertheless too sensible of my defects not to think it probable that I may have committed many errors,” Obama intones. He then segues into Washington’s celebration of retirement and being able to enjoy “the benign influence of good laws under a free government, the ever-favorite object of my heart.”

Miranda also posted a picture on Twitter of the former president casually hanging out in the studio.

The Obama reworking is the final drop in Miranda’s “Hamildrops” series of tracks, which feature new versions of his songs. Most have been used for charity fundraisers.

Obama and Miranda have teamed before on visits to the White House, and Miranda admits that One Last Time was inspired by Obama reading over Will.i.am’s Yes We Canwhich featured an Obama speech backed by acoustic guitar.

Fergie Releases Official Music Videos for New Singles “Enchanté” & “Like It Ain’t Nuttin'”

Fergie is giving her fans a twofer

The 42-year-old part-Mexican American singer and Black Eyed Peas member has released not one, but two new videos.

Fergie

Fergie, who released her new solo album, Double Dutchess: Seeing Double The Visual Experience on Friday, 11 years after her debut solo album, The Dutchess, has put out the official clips for “Enchanté” and “Like It Ain’t Nuttin’.”

In the video for “Like It Ain’t Nuttin’,” (produced by her BEP mate will.i.am) Fergie oscillates between a club, what appears to be a secret parking garage, an abandoned park at night, the studio, an escalator and the back of a car. All the while, she’s either rocking her natural blonde hair or a short black wig while rapping:

What ya gonna do when I step in the room?
Bet y’all ballers gonna rock to the tune
Bet y’all ballers gonna rock to the tune
Get down to the beat and rock to the tune
What ya gonna do when I step in the place?
Bet you everybody gonna rock to the bass
Bet you everybody gonna rock to the bass
I, I get money all day, baby
Like it ain’t nothin’, nothin’, nothin’, nothin’, nothin’

The video for “Enchanté” (Carine) features adorable babbling at the top from Fergie’s son Axl Jack and stars model Kendall Jenner, who starts out asleep in bed until the beat drops and she is startled awake. Throughout the video, we frenetically follow Jenner in various outfits and activities as she makes her way through a deconstructed house while lounging in a tub, playing various brass instruments and generally being fabulous. Over a slinky beat and marimbas Fergie casually sings, “Enchanted, delighted to meet you/ Excited, the people, the music/ I want you, consume it/ It’s sinful, this greeting/ A ritual, a meeting, the first time impressions/ The truest expressions” before transitioning into French.

Mendes to be Subject of Feature Documentary by John Scheinfeld

Sergio Mendes is ready to doc out…

The 76-year-old Brazilian Grammy-winning musician, will be the subject of a feature documentary to be released in 2018.

Sergio Mendes

John Scheinfeld, whose past work includes The U.S. vs. John Lennon and documentaries about Harry Nilsson and John Coltrane, is directing the film.

Meanwhile, Mendes is working on a companion album via the Concord label that will include new songs co-written with younger songwriters, and versions of the Brazilian maestro’s classics featuring intergenerational guests, with some tracks co-produced by will.i.am.

“I am attracted to stories of artists who go their own way,” Scheinfeld tells Billboard. “Who achieve success on their terms. Sergio has done that and more…For more than 50 years Sergio has been making inspired music that inspires people with its inherent joy, warmth and happiness.”

Mendes is renowned as the man who put go-go boots on Brazilian music and brought it to the world with his evergreen hit “Mas Que Nada.” With his band Brasil ’66, he recorded a string of soft samba and groovy bossa nova versions of English-language pop songs that made him a household name. Forty years later, Mendes brought “Mas Que Nada” (written and originally recorded by Jorge Ben Jor) to a new generation when he recorded it with The Black Eyed Peas for his will.i.am-produced album Timeless.

“Of course my personal musical journey is related to a very important period of Brazilian music,” Mendes said via an exuberant email from Brazil, where the film is in production.

Monday (April 3) he is rehearsing with musicians for one of the documentary’s performance sequences. “When I began my life as a musician, it was the early days of bossa nova, which was the sound that would seduce and enchant the world, making Brazilian music internationally known! And the beauty of it is that, as I work today with a young generation of brilliant musicians such as will.i.am, John Legend, India Arie, Jill Scott, Justin Timberlake, etc., they are still seduced by those beautiful melodies and rhythms, which remain as magical and relevant as ever!”

Mendes, a three-time Grammy winner, has recorded more than 35 albums. A longtime Los Angeles resident, he said that the film will reveal “hidden facets” of his life and career, taking him back to his hometown — Niterói — across the bay from Rio de Janeiro, allowing him to revisit his childhood and adolescence.

“I used to play soccer at the beach, swim in the ocean, play with marbles, etc.,” he recalls. “And later, when I grew up I would cross the bay to go to Rio by ferry to work with my first bands in the early ’60s…we will visit many places from my early years, which will bring some surprises for my newer (and even some of my older) fans.”

Like many current Mendes followers, Scheinfeld first moved to his music as a kid at home, listening to his mother’s Brasil ’66 records. He met the Brazilian legend after Concord Music Group’s Glen Barros and John Burk approached him about making the documentary, an idea prompted by the recent 50th anniversary of Brasil ’66.

“Personally, as he’s not the lead singer, nor the type of flamboyant front man we see in many a rock band, Sergio is something of a mystery,” says Scheinfeld, who reports that he and Mendes have become good friends. “Our film will dig deep to enable the audience to get to know him as a three-dimensional being. As the narrative unfolds, we will reveal that what makes him unique as a human being is what has shaped the art.”

The film will include archival footage and family photos, interviews with Mendes’ contemporaries and artists he influenced, and, of course, music from throughout his career.

“Professionally, his is a remarkable story of innovation, reinvention and impact,” Scheinfeld adds. “Not only did he create a fresh and unique sound, but he has continued to reinvent and re-imagine it from decade to decade and stayed relevant. Along the way, he has influenced subsequent generations of musicians, including some of today’s biggest stars.  Although it’s been 50 years, Sergio’s drive, curiosity and creativity has him still looking forward. How many artists can claim all this as part of their legacy?”

Alba Joins Apple’s Unscripted Technology Series “Planet of the Apps”

Jessica Alba is ready to App-ly herself to a new project…

The 35-year-old Mexican American actress, author and entrepreneur has boarded Planet of the Apps as a mentor and adviser for the unscripted series co-produced by Apple and Propagate aimed at identifying top up-and-coming app developers.

Jessica Alba

In addition, Lightspeed Venture Partners, which was the first institutional investor in Snapchat and Alba’s the Honest Company consumer-products startup, has joined the series as venture-capital partner. Lightspeed has committing $10 million to fund the development of apps selected in Planet of the Apps — which Apple is producing as a big piece of branded content to promote the App Store and developing apps for the iOS platform.

Alba, who will also serve as an executive producer, joins Gwyneth Paltrow, will.i.am and Gary Vaynerchuk, who were previously announced as mentors and advisors for the series. Paltrow and will.i.am will also executive produce the project, along with Ben Silverman and Howard T. Owens of Propagate.

“I started The Honest Company because I saw an opportunity in the market for a brand that spoke to conscious consumers and created safe and effective products for every need,” said Alba said in a statement. “As a mentor on Planet of the Apps, I’m looking forward to meeting entrepreneurs looking to address a problem with an innovative solution, and to help them realize their vision. I can’t wait to see the ideas the app developers bring to the table.”

Online applications from app developers interested in participating in Planet of the Apps will be accepted through Wednesday, September 21, with the show slated to debut in 2017.

O’Brien to Host This Weekend’s Global Citizen 2015 Earth Day Rally

Soledad O’Brien is rallying for the planet…

The 48-year-old half-Cuban American broadcast journalist is set to host the free Global Citizen 2015 Earth Day rally alongside will.i.am.

Soledad O’Brien

The all-day Earth Day rally and concert will take place on Saturday, April 18 at the National Mall from 11:00 am to 7:00 pm ET near the Washington Monument.

Usher, Mary J. Blige, Gwen Stefani, Common and Train are scheduled to perform during the event.

Earth Day organizers also are announcing plans with developers of the popular Angry Birds game to create a new in-game experience about climate change. Angry Birds has been downloaded 2.8 billion times worldwide. The game’s climate change campaign will coincide with the United Nations General Assembly in September as world leaders tackle sustainability goals.

Earth Day Network president Kathleen Rogers says the game and celebrity power will help more people focus on solving climate change.

The rally is a joint initiative with the Global Poverty Project to end extreme poverty and coincides with meetings at the World Bank and International Monetary Fund in Washington. Top officials from the World Bank and United Nations are expected to speak at the rally.

Eliminating poverty will require solving climate change, Rogers said. So advocates on both issues are collaborating to push for sustainable international development.

“Whether it’s the big migrations we expect to see or soil depletion or emptying the oceans, loss of species, loss of timberland — all these things are creating poverty at the same time that they are also creating climate change issues,” Rogers said.

While Earth Day is officially on April 22, the Saturday rally will ask participants to commit to making environmentally friendly “acts of green” this year. Organizers also are asking attendees to sign petitions for a U.N. conference on climate change planned for Paris in December.

Saldanha’s “Rio 2” Breaks Animated Film Records in Brazil

Carlos Saldanha has plenty of reason to get animated…

The 49-year-old Brazilian animated film director’s latest project Rio 2, the sequel to 2011’s beloved film Rio, has made history in Brazil.

Carlos Saldanha

The film had the biggest opening ever for an animated film in the South American country.

The Blue Sky Studios project from Saldanha, who hails from the titular town, took off with $7.3 million to edge out the prior record-holder, Madagascar 3.

The film’s voice cast includes Jesse Eisenberg, Anne Hathaway, Leslie Mann, Bruno Mars, George Lopez, will.i.am, Rodrigo Santoro, Jake T. Austin, Bebel Gilberto, Andy Garcia, Rita Moreno, Kristin Chenowith, Natalie Morales and Janelle Monáe.

Rio 2 will be released in the United States on April 11.

Mars Perfoms “Welcome Back” on “Rio 2” Soundtrack

Bruno Mars isn’t just voicing a character in Rio 2… He’s also performing a single on the animated film’s soundtrack.

The 28-year-old part-Puerto Rican singer performs the track “Welcome Back” on Rio: Music From the Motion Picture, which will be released by Atlantic Records.

Bruno MarsBruno Mars

In addition to Mars’ single, the soundtrack to the animated musical comedy will include musical numbers from Grammy winner Janelle Monáe; Barbatuques, Andy Garcia and Rita Moreno; and Carlinhos Brown and Nina De Freitas.

It will also include songs from the voice cast, including Anne Hathaway, Jamie Foxx, Kristin Chenoweth and Jesse Eisenberg

Rio: Music From the Motion Picture will be available March 25.

Rio 2

The family-friendly feature returns to Brazil ahead of this summer’s World Cup, with Hathaway, Eisenberg, Foxx and will.i.am reprising their roles as a few of Rio’s colorful feathered inhabitants.

New additions include The X Factor finalist Rachel Crow and NBC Today show news anchor and South American native Natalie Morales.

The story will follow Blu (Eisenberg), a neurotic blue macaw, and Jewel (Hathaway), his free-spirited mate, as well as their three kids. The conflict of the film arises when Jewel expresses her desire to raise the chicks in the Amazon as “real birds” rather than in their current domesticated environment.

Rio 2 hits theaters April 11.

Here’s the complete track listing:

  1. “What Is Love” by Janelle Monae
  2. “Rio Rio” by Ester Dean feat. B.O.B.
  3. “Beautiful Creatures” by Barbatuques, Andy Garcia and Rita Moreno
  4. “Welcome Back” by Bruno Mars
  5. “O Vida” by Carlinhos Brown and Nina De Freitas
  6. “It’s a Jungle Out Here” [Brazilian] by Philip Lawrence feat. Uakti
  7. “Don’t Go Away” by Anne Hathaway and Falvia Maia feat. Uakti
  8. “Batucada Familia” by Carlinhos Brown, Siedah Garrett, Jamie Foxx, Rachel Crow, Amy Heidemann, Andy Garcia and Rita Moreno
  9. “Poisonous Love” by Kristin Chenoweth and Jemaine Clement
  10. “I Will Survive” by Jemaine Clement and Kristin Chenoweth
  11. “Bola Viva” by Carlinhos Brown
  12.  “Favo De Mel” by Milton Nascimento
  13.  “It’s a Jungle Out Here” by Philip Lawrence
  14. “What is Love” by Janelle Monae, Anne Hathaway, Jessie Eisenberg, Jamie Foxx and Carlinhos Brown