Picking up the MB clues

Comment

Comment by sylvie boisvert on March 7, 2017 at 12:23am

Hi everyone, Sylvia just posted this:

"Interview Michael has done with Jonesy & Amanda on WSFM 101.7 in Sydney, Australia today to promote CD.   To hear Michael go to approx. 36 mins. in programme."

https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/t..."

I haven't tried the link, but hope you enjoy. That's the news for now, thanks for reading, sincerely, Sylvie :D

Comment by sylvie boisvert on February 24, 2017 at 5:04pm

Hi everyone, Katia sent me an article she found on Twitter, but since her link didn’t work, I googled the contents and found a decent article. Here’s Katia’s message:

-----

See How American Singer Michael Bolton Saved Mr. Ibu’s Life - SEE MORE>>https://goo.gl/Xi7pNb (https://t.co/9Z82Ymimeo) #JohnOkafor (https://twitter.com/hashtag/JohnOkafor?src=hash) #Mr (https://twitter.com/hashtag/Mr?src=hash).Ibu

John Okafor aka Mr. Ibu was the next celebrity to visit the ongoing Big Brother Nigeria reality show to share some time with the housemates.

And what a quality time it turned out to be as the comic actor made some astonishing revelations about his life which has inspired all of us.

Mr. Ibu revealed during the popular ‘Diary session’ of the program how he had wanted to end his life but rescinded his decision after listening to Michael Bolton’s When I Am Back On My Feet Again from a neighbour’s house he identified as Francis.

He said what lots unfavourable circumstances forced him to come up with the suicide idea as the final solution to his problem only for God to turn his life around.

We are grateful Mr. Ibu is still alive to inspire and make us laugh.

-----

Now here is a January article that describes his situation in detail:

http://punchng.com/mother-saved-committing-suicide-mr-ibu/

A great story in which Michael’s song had a key role and that has a happy ending. That song will always be the gift that keeps on giving. Thanks Katia for sharing. That's the good news for now, thanks for reading, sincerely, Sylvie :D

Comment by sylvie boisvert on February 21, 2017 at 3:23am

Hi everyone, here's an article Sylvia shared earlier today. It's a review of "Songs of cinema":

Michael Bolton – Songs of Cinema (Album Review)

February 20, 2017

Michael Bolton – Songs of Cinema (Album Review)

aLfie vera mella

Michael Bolton is among the most prolific of the league of American Pop/Rock/R&B singer-songwriters whom include Christopher Cross and Richard Marx. Starting his professional singing career in 1975, Bolton has recorded and released more than twenty studio albums, from 1975’s Michael Bolotin (his real name) to this year’s Songs of Cinema.

Released on February 10, 2017, via Frontiers Records, Bolton’s twenty-third studio album is a collection of his renditions of old songs featured in iconic films. It opens with his new version of “When a Man Loves a Woman,” which he first recorded in 1991 for his album Time, Love & Tenderness. It is followed by the Ben E. King classic “Stand by Me,” whose carefree, bluesy vibe Bolton has transformed into a danceable Pop tune complete with the customary claps. The ensuing 1950s Gospel-infused, jazzy Ray Charles and Renald Richard composition “I Got a Woman” is treated with Bolton’s similarly raspy vocal styling, but expressed in an upbeat, horn-adorned Southern Blues/Rockabilly manner.

Maybe regarded as the highlight of the album, “I Will Always Love You” is given a fresh, rustic breath of life, considering that it has become high-profile, courtesy of the unforgettable, dynamic vocal performance of the late sky-high-soaring songbird Whitney Houston in the song’s Billboard-topping 1992 version. Significantly though, the song’s writer and singer Dolly Parton reclaims the accolades by recording it in duet with Bolton for this album, taking her hit back to its Country/Folk roots, where it originally was.

Then the mood rocks and rolls for a bit as Bolton lets loose his necktie in “Old Time Rock and Roll,” which some may deem as risky business for the melodramatic Bolton, but he wings it nonetheless with flying colors; after all, one must not forget Bolton’s past excursion to Pop Rock in the 1970s as the frontman of the band Blackjack. The Rock ’n’ Roll energy seeps into an updating of another Billboard chart-topping song, “I Heard It through the Grapevine,” which finds the adorable singer in his sunny crooner’s suit and prancy predisposition. Considering that it was recorded also by Marvin Gaye in 1968, Bolton’s offering still shines through in comparison with the former’s slick, groovy, and funky version of it.

The upbeat and infectious “Cupid,” originally written and released in 1961 by Sam Cooke, sounds well in place in the context of the album, staying true to the lovely warmth and sentiments of the original. “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” stands out for its unconventionally choppy rhythm and permeating string orchestration. The penultimate piano-led ballad “As Time Goes By” goes Broadway, even made more classy and beautiful by the jazzy saxophone-piano interplay. Then Bolton finally lowers down the curtain of Songs of Cinema with the short, orchestrated ballad version of “Jack Sparrow” that he recorded with the American Comedy troupe The Lonely Island.

Many cynical and critical listeners question the legitimacy of covering old classics, dismissing this as musical blasphemy; however, there is validity and, in fact, usefulness in it. The new lease of life that contemporary artists give to songs that were often forgotten or ignored in the past actually makes them relevant again; and, in some cases, even catapults the songs from obscurity to popularity, which is never a shame. but instead a treatment that the songs and their respective songwriters deserve.

Good examples of such are Natalie Imbruglia’s popularizing of Ednaswap’s “Torn;” Sinéad O’Connor’s spine-tingling performance of Prince’s “Nothing Compares 2 U;”  and Toydolls’ Punk take on the 1956 Novelty song “Nellie the Elephant.” Or, if the songs being covered were already famous to begin with, then the new renditions may be seen simply as the covering artists’ display of homage to their influences, or to songs that touched their heartstrings, which should never be derogated.

All in all, music is music, whatever the interpretation. To a consummate music enthusiast, there is no such thing as bad music. Songs of Cinema is good music. It is not only a proof that old songs could be rehashed to make them young again, but it also shows that Bolton could still belt his vocal cords out and cast a soft and jovial spell on music lovers who prefer easy listening ballads and middle-of-the-road Rock stompers. CrypticRock gives Songs of Cinema 4 out of 5 stars.

http://crypticrock.com/michael-bolton-songs-cinema-album-review/

 That's the news for now, thanks for reading, sincerely, Sylvie :D

Comment by sylvie boisvert on February 16, 2017 at 1:37am

Hi everyone, here is a video filmed apparently by Vanity Fair, of our Michael singing coffee orders as an undercover barista, in a Los Angeles coffee shop earlier this year:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5x0p_WVtgjY

Thanks to Sylvia and Katia who put me on the trail to find it on YouTube, since it was shared on Twitter, enjoy! That’s the news for now, thanks for reading, sincerely, Sylvie :D

Comment by sylvie boisvert on February 15, 2017 at 3:30pm

Hi all, relating to my last post about Prizeo, Sylvia just reminded me it's for a limited time only: the Prizeo site says there are 41 days left. That's it for now, thanks for reading, sincerely, Sylvie :D

Comment by sylvie boisvert on February 15, 2017 at 3:12pm

Hi everyone, well here we go with Michael’s latest fundraising endeavour. He did a Facebook Live stream last night to announce he was teaming with Prizeo and here’s the link to their site:

https://www.prizeo.com/prizes/michael-bolton/a-big-sexy-song-dedica...

From what I understand, you can win a “big, sexy song deddication and a meet up with Michael!   Here’s the text on the Prizeo site:

“Hi everyone,

Can I interest you in a big, sexy song dedication at one of my concerts this year? If you win, I’ll fly you to the concert, we’ll meet up for a photo together backstage, and during the show, I’ll dedicate a song to you. Yes. A song just for you.

How do you win? It’s simple. All it takes is a $10 donation to Michael Bolton Charities, assisting children and women who are at risk through education.

But if you want to donate more, we’ll give you extra entries to win. Every $10 is 100 entries! And we have some rewards for donating too — my new t-shirt or even a personal video with a special serenade.

Thank you for supporting the missions of the incredible charities being funded through Michael Bolton Charities!

—Michael”

So that’s pretty cool, aside from the fact that “Regrettably, they can not accept entries from my country, due to sweepstakes laws”. X( Incidentally, the video to the announcement and the following sound check from Hawaii might still be available on Michael’s Facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/MBsings/videos/10155788196343154/

That’s the news for now, thanks for reading, sincerely, Sylvie

Comment by sylvie boisvert on February 14, 2017 at 5:03pm

Hi again everyone, well since I don’t see it, I’m not sure if I’ve given you the right Japanese link yesterday, but according to Sylvia who just pre-ordered it, here is the right link to pre-order the upcoming Japanese release of “Songs of cinema” on Amazon in Japan:

https://www.amazon.co.jp/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_rsis_1_14?__mk_ja_JP=%E3%82...

That’s the news for now, thanks for reading, sincerely, Sylvie :D

Comment by sylvie boisvert on February 14, 2017 at 4:36pm

Hi everyone, here comes the new batch of MB news for today and yes, I'm still catching up. Here's an article from News Australia Sylvia shared:

Michael Bolton Big, Sexy Valentine’s Day Special on Netflix: Unexpectedly hilarious

 

 

Michael Bolton is your unexpected treat today

February 14, 20176:08pm

AS ADULTS in the real world, we can all agree that Valentine’s Day is an inane celebration that only the most brainwashed and sappy takes seriously.

But this year, there’s actually something special about today.

It’s true. February 14, 2017 will go down as the day you watched Michael Bolton’s Big, Sexy Valentine’s Day Special in all its raucous, smutty glory.

Whether you’re a lover or a hater, this is one holiday special you can get behind because it is uproariously funny at times and just bloody weird at other times.

And you will be amazed at how adept the iconic 80s/90s crooner is at taking the piss out of himself. You may be familiar with the more irreverent side of Bolton if you’ve ever come across comedy trio The Lonely Island’s “Jack Sparrow” song where Bolton dresses up as the Pirates of the Caribbean character, as well as Forrest Gump, Tony Montana from Scarface and Erin Brockovich. But where that was three-minute song, this is an hour-long special that takes it to the next level with an array of super shiny dinner jackets, butt plug jokes and virtual reality sexcapades with the self-described “undisputed King of Valentine’s Day”. Michael Bolton's Big Sexy Valentine's Day Special is definitely worth your time.Source:Supplied

It’s also crammed with cameos from the likes of Sarah Silverman, Andy Samberg, Fred Armisen, Michael Sheen, Bob Saget, Brooke Shields, Maya Rudolph, Chris Parnell, Adam Scott, Janeane Garofalo, Randall Park and Will Forte. Written and directed by Akiva Schaffer (The Lonely Island, Saturday Night Live) and Scott Aukerman (Comedy Bang! Bang!, Between Two Ferns), the special manages to balance cheesiness with cheekiness. Not every sketch works but for the most part, it’s an uproariously good time.  And Bolton is clearly comfortable with his comic persona. But what about his older fans? Ones who may not be as comfortable with this version of Bolton? “I think this is really going to push some buttons,” Bolton tells news.com.au. “So far I’ve already been getting a tremendous response to it. But there are always a few people in everything who don’t always get it musically or comically.” Schaffer points out that Bolton had stuck his toes into the smutty water five years earlier with the original “Jack Sparrow” song and that his fans “kept going to the concerts”. Schaffer says he and Aukerman pitched the special to Bolton as “similar to ‘Jack Sparrow’, which was written in our imagination as a character of who we wanted Michael Bolton to be, without ever having met him then. We talked about that experience and said ‘Why don’t we take who that character was and just give his own special? A very big, sexy special.’”

Michael Bolton with “Michael Fulton”.Source:Supplied

Bolton says: “I learnt so much from doing ‘Jack Sparrow’ and the success we had with what we did. I learnt to take direction. And even if I didn’t quite get how funny it was going to be, those are some of the funniest bits and with Scott coming up with ideas on the spot. It just gave me more to work with. Things that might not have worked on the page turned out to be really funny.” The earlier experience on “Jack Sparrow” also established how far Bolton was willing to go. “We had a lot of [‘I can’t do this’] on ‘Jack Sparrow’ because we were giving him really dirty versions that were filthy,” Schaffer says. “And it took us a while to figure out where the edges were so that we can take him right there. On this, we didn’t have very much [push back].” Aukerman says Bolton was willing to do almost anything that was put in front of him and that he really embraced the crazy and weird. “Yeah, I embraced the crazy and weird,” Bolton adds. “And I want to do a lot more.” Big, Sexy Valentine’s Day Special 2.0?

“We’ve been talking about hitting first all the other holidays,” Schaffer says. “Arbor Day is a big one for us.” “Leap Day,” Aukerman says.

Michael Bolton’s Valentine’s Day Big, Sexy Valentine’s Day Special is streaming now on Netflix.

http://www.news.com.au/entertainment/tv/tv-shows/michael-bolton-is-...

 One step at a time, I'm getting there. That's the news for now mates, thanks for reading, sincerely, Sylvie :D

Comment by sylvie boisvert on February 14, 2017 at 6:16am

Here's one more article Sylvia shared:

Michael Bolton, Scott Aukerman & Akiva Schaffer Talk Valentine's Day Plans & Learn About Hygge: Gothamist

Michael Bolton, Scott Aukerman & Akiva Schaffer Talk Valentine's Day Plans & Learn About Hygge

by Ben Yakas in Arts & Entertainment on Feb 13, 2017 12:50 pm

The law firm of Aukerman, Bolton, Schaffer (Ben Yakas/Gothamist)

Over seven years ago, The Lonely Island—Andy Samberg, Akiva Schaffer, and Jorma Taccone—were working on their sophomore album Turtleneck and Chain when they got the idea for the song, "Jack Sparrow," an ode to the universal appeal of the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise. After Schaffer suggested they get Michael Bolton to sing the hook, "We decided, in that moment, that we wouldn’t rest until we got him to do it."

The song blew up, and the group started a working relationship with Bolton (who showed up in their excellent and underrated 2016 film Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping) that has now led to Michael Bolton's Big, Sexy Valentine's Day Special, which is available to watch on Netflix now. The surreal and hilarious show is the rare holiday special that is as fun for the audience as it is for the people who made it—and that illustrious list includes the likes of Sarah Silverman, Fred Armisen, Maya Rudolph, Casey Wilson, Chris Parnell, Eric Andre, Michael Sheen and Randall Park.

We sat down with Bolton and co-director/writers Schaffer and Scott Aukerman to talk about the genesis for the project and their real plans for Valentine's Day. Along the way, Bolton performed his impeccable Scarface impression and Gothamist got to introduce all three to the Danish concept of Hygge (even if we didn't quite explain it correctly).

-Did you guys grow up listening to Michael's music?

Scott Aukerman: Yeah, I mean...

Akiva Schaffer: They were such smash hits that there was no avoiding them.

Scott Aukerman: It was the first sound that I heard when I came out of what I like to call the womb. I'm always calling it that, to my mother. And she's quite frankly very annoyed by it, and wishes I'd stop referring to it as her womb.

Akiva Schaffer: But you're not gonna anytime soon.

Scott Aukerman: I don't listen to what she has to say.

Akiva Schaffer: You're a grown ass man. If you want to talk about your mother's internal organs, you could do it all you want.

Scott Aukerman: The damn guts!

Is this what it's always like?

Michael Bolton: Pretty much. Then they're directing me to say things.

Akiva Schaffer: Like, 'You say it! Now you say the words. Now you say it on camera!'

Michael Bolton: Was 'womb' strong enough? Did I pronounce the W? 'No Michael, now we have to do the whole thing again.' But what you see is what we do. This is the process, these are the geniuses, and I'm like the—

Akiva Schaffer: The puppet, the meat puppet.

Well you're the muse, aren't you?

Akiva Schaffer: That's what I said earlier. I agree.

-How did you guys all meet, and how did the special come together initially?

Michael Bolton: It started with "Jack Sparrow."

Akiva Schaffer: We [The Lonely Island] wrote that never having met him. But we just were like, that would be the funniest. His voice would sound so amazing on it, and it'd sound so earnest and sincere and huge, and it's epic. We didn't know if he'd say yes or not, and it took about a year of us going back and forth to figure out the lyrics. He said yes right away.

Michael Bolton: I really wanted to work with them. I love their work.

-Oh so you already were familiar with their stuff?

Michael Bolton: Yeah, from SNL.

Akiva Schaffer: He said yes right away, but then there were about seven months of us going back and forth on lyrics because there was some really dirty stuff.

Michael Bolton: There were things I thought were funny, but I knew that a lot of my fans would find disgusting to begin with. We could use other adjectives.

Akiva Schaffer: I think any human would have found them disgusting, it's just whether or not you like disgusting stuff. They were undeniably disgusting.

Scott Aukerman: I have a question. I've heard this story several times over the past couple days, and the question I always want to ask is: was "Jack Sparrow" part of it at that point, or was the joke—was the game of the scene—just that it was Michael saying dirty stuff?

Akiva Schaffer: No the "Jack Sparrow" stuff was always as is. All the debate is in the final chorus. Constantly, it's always that our guys are being like, "c'mon get on track, get on track," we're doing our fake "In Da Club" tough guy raps, very generic like, "C'mon get into the club"-style rapping. And finally he, in the original, agrees in a way like, "Oh you want me to be gangster, alright here's something gangster." So he's getting on board and doing our style but taking it way too far.

Scott Aukerman: So then you guys go, "Hey, rein it back."

Akiva Schaffer: Like Jesus, be careful what you ask for kind-of-situation. And then that slowly, gratefully—it's much better now—became this cinephile-type thing. Mostly because he kept doing a Scarface impression. He just kept doing it.

Michael Bolton (does perfect Scarface impression): You need a bad guy like me.

Scott Aukerman: In the print of this, put in parenthesis, "does perfect Scarface impression."

-Of course, I have to. I have to report the truth accurately as it comes. This is all that I'm responsible for.

Scott Aukerman: If it doesn't say that, Fake News. Hashtag Fake News. But yeah, then smash cut to Akiva asking me if I wanted to do this, and I said yes. Which is the greatest epilogue to that story that you just told.

Akiva Schaffer: It couldn't have ended any other way.

-How long ago was this?

Akiva Schaffer: This project we did fast. Because of the Valentine's Day connection, as soon as we kind of zeroed in on it, we were like, oh if we were going to do it, we would actually need to start a writer's room like next Monday. So even when we called to pitch it to Netflix, we were like, "if you do want to do this, you have to decide this week." So that in the next week we can actually get to work.

Scott Aukerman: To their credit, they immediately said yes and got a deal going. And we shot it. We started talking about it in September and we shot it in November and Akiva and I have been working like non-stop to get it done.

Akiva Schaffer: Like December, January, and now it's now. So it was just straight through.

Michael Bolton: It was the fastest I've ever seen a project this size come together.

Akiva Schaffer: And it was definitely the fastest for Netflix too. They were happy to adjust their expectations of deliverables and stuff like that.

Michael Bolton: They've been a complete freakin' pleasure to work with, in every aspect. For me, I mean these guys are a lot closer to that.

Akiva Schaffer: No, I agree. It's been one of the most smooth and easy processes, like we could just worry about creative stuff.

-Like Rob Thomas-smooth?

Akiva Schaffer: Yeah, I would say Rob Thomas.

Scott Aukerman: If I had to to equate it to any kind of...

Akiva Schaffer: But not Rob Thomas alone smooth.

Scott Aukerman: I would say Carlos Santana featuring Rob Thomas smooth.

Akiva Schaffer: Yes, that's how I would do it. Not to tell you how to do your job. But that's more what was I thinking.

-So there was no material in this project that you had to double check, that you were too nervous about?

Michael Bolton: No, I don't think so this time around. I think "Jack Sparrow" prepared me and also prepared my audience, my fans, because after Saturday Night Live aired...it was perfectly acceptable.

Akiva Schaffer: It's also very late at night.

Michael Bolton: After everybody got used to it, we saw three or four generations embracing it, I think they were ready to go to the next level. I wasn't quite ready for Sarah Silverman, which is perfect for my acting—sitting there and being kind of grossed out.

Akiva Schaffer: There's very little acting involved. For most of it, we would just put the camera in front of Michael and have comedians do disgusting things and just watch his reaction, and go, 'Oh we got it!'

Michael Bolton: We did. She definitely was the most...pushy.

Scott Aukerman: Also Eric Andre, I think. You can see a point where Michael starts to laugh at something Eric Andre did. I mean Eric basically came and had a structure, but improvised for half an hour just doing crazy stuff. I think we got to see a little bit, you can kind of see Michael break a little bit and smile. It was an interesting process. It was very much: let comedians come in and be funny in the way that they're funny and, you know, Michael is the glue holding it altogether.

Michael Bolton: There you go again with the glue.

-So you didn't know necessarily what to expect from the other comedians and guests?

Michael Bolton: Not from everybody. And there was a little bit of improvising.

Akiva Schaffer: We did a table read that had about 80% of the show as a whole at that reading. But people show up, and you always want to riff and stuff.

Michael Bolton: I'm just sitting there knowing I was gonna have a man's head around my waist area, singing into my private parts.

Akiva Schaffer: That's Eric Andre.

-But to your credit, you were game for it?

Michael Bolton: Oh yeah!

Akiva Schaffer: More than that, he loved it. He was like, 'More please. Can everyone do that?'

Scott Aukerman: He said, 'Daddy, may I call you daddy, may I have more?'

Akiva Schaffer: He just kept thanking us. 'Thank you for today, guys. Thank you so much, today was a dream come true.'

Scott Aukerman: I got a thank you card and a fresh booq (Note: their slang for 'bouquet') from Michael, just saying, 'Thank you for putting Eric Andre so close to my testicles.'

Michael Bolton: Honestly, I learned to trust, I really did. I learned the first time around to trust. And having them barking stuff out at me suddenly was phenomenal for "Jack Sparrow," and Scott yelling things over music, and whatever else was written, just suddenly coming up with an idea while we were still filming, and you just go into it. And a lot of that just turned out to be great. Very spontaneous, funny stuff.

-In your everyday life do you ever sing to yourself about your normal activities—mowing the lawn, walking the dog, anything like that?

Michael Bolton: What is mow? Mowing the dog? Very violent. No, I do not sing.

Scott Aukerman: Do you ever go (sings with Bolton-esque aplomb), 'I'm going to get the mail now, I'm Michael Bolton.'

Michael Bolton: I've not done that.

Akiva Schaffer: Weird, I would do that all the time.

-This could open up a new creative space for you.

Michael Bolton: And you could also find me some good help for self-exploration.

-I want to run through a few quick questions before we're done. What's the most romantic song that's not already a Bolton classic?

Scott Aukerman: There's a song that I love, "How Am I Supposed to Live Without You," that I think is amazing.

Akiva Schaffer: That's like a deep album cut?

Scott Aukerman: Oh wait, you do sing that. It's hard to think of a song that's great that Michael hasn't sung.

Michael Bolton: Oh, I see what you just did. I get where you're trying to go. Wow. You know it's funny cause, I know we're kidding around of course, but I'm dead serious that "Nessun Dorma," a Puccini masterpiece, is life or death.

Akiva Schaffer: But you have sung that, he's saying a song that you haven't. I think one of his favorites is called "Pregnant Pussy." It's by UGK. That's a very romantic song, it's about how making love—

Scott Aukerman: UGK, of course, did the rap in "Big Pimpin'."

Akiva Schaffer: Yeah, sorry, you should say, Academy Award winning rap group UGK have a song called "Pregnant Pussy." And I think it kinda says what we've all been trying to say this whole time. It's very nice. I'm not making it up—you can go look it up. Put a link right in the article for people to go listen to "Pregnant Pussy." It's about, I mean I don't want to misquote...

-We can embed, don't worry.

Scott Aukerman: We don't wanna spoil it, but it's right there in the title.

Akiva Schaffer: Let's just say, the pussy's hotter, it's got an extra kick, it's like sweet potato pie wrapped around your dick. And that's just one of the reasons to make love to a woman who's pregnant.

Michael Bolton: And I'm so surprised they didn't yell out that lyric for me to repeat...

Akiva Schaffer: Well, I can't plagiarize it. That's UGK, either Bun B or Pimp C doing their thing. So yeah, I encourage people to look up that song.

Michael Bolton: Serious enough answer for you?

-Yeah that's definitely serious enough.

Scott Aukerman: These are the rapid fire questions right?

-What are you guys doing for the real Valentine's Day?

Akiva Schaffer: Oh, real Valentine's Day. I have my honest answer, which is that I've planned nothing, and that my wife is going to be pretty stoked, probably, by whatever last minute reservation I can get—if I can find a babysitter. So, it might just be at home. But I wanna hit up Trader Joe's, pick up a classy booq of flowers, and whatever's left on Valentine's Day around 6:30 p.m. at the Trader's Joe. Or maybe the Chevron station near my house.

Scott Aukerman: I'm gonna have what I call 'sex.'

Michael Bolton: I gotta move [away from Scott]. Every time he says, 'what he calls sex' is...

Scott Aukerman: It's not what other people call sex.

Michael Bolton: It's a solo act, for sure.

-It is a form of sex.

Michael Bolton: Sex with someone he loves.

-Maybe the truest form of sex.

Scott Aukerman: That's right, exactly!

Akiva Schaffer: That's what I always say: now THIS is the truest form.

Michael Bolton: Let us know if this is going too deep for you.

-This is just on the level I want to be. And what are you going to do for Valentine's Day?

Michael Bolton: I am not certain. Because I have a concert in Hawaii.

-So you're going to perform, make other people's lives better—

Michael Bolton: At night I'm gonna be on stage for about 3 hours, or about 2 hours and change. And then a meet & greet.

Scott Aukerman: By the way, he spells it m-e-a-t.

Akiva Schaffer: They greet the meat, you know what I mean.

Scott Aukerman: Nice to meat you.

Michael Bolton: Nothing's sacred with these guys.

Akiva Schaffer: This is gonna be quiet a luau.

Michael Bolton: Thankfully for me, there's nothing sacred.

Akiva Schaffer: He'll probably smoke a little bit of the pakalolo.

Scott Aukerman: Maui wowie.

Akiva Schaffer: Just watch the waves crashing and see what happens.

Scott Aukerman: So if you're in Hawaii on Valentine's Day, and you just like go out there into the surf, Michael may be out there just raging, talking to the moon.

Michael Bolton: Or whale hunting

Scott Aukerman: Whale tail hunting.

-Is Valentine's Day your favorite holiday?

Scott Aukerman: Say yes Michael, you're going to ruin this for us!

Michael Bolton: Well, this year for sure.

Akiva Schaffer: Otherwise what, Hitler's birthday?

-Are you guys familiar with Hygge?

Scott Aukerman: Of course.

Michael Bolton: Is it like sideways yoga?

-It's the Danish art of appreciating the ordinary.

Scott Aukerman: Yes, of course. I'm glad that you said it, for your reader, who obviously...-Yes, that's right, singular reader.

Michael Bolton: How do you pronounce it?

-It's HUE-gah. It's spelled H-Y-G-G-E.

Scott Aukerman: Of course it is. Where are the umlauts my dear boy?

-I don't know if there even is one.

Akiva Schaffer: It's the Danish art of appreciating the ordinary, of looking at like, oh look at this brick, it's beautiful. Like that?

-It's because things are so depressing in terms of the weather much of the time, they've come up with this whole artistic—

Scott Aukerman: Like, way to trick their minds into thinking that they have good lives?

-Yes, kinda.

Akiva Schaffer: You're talking like Copenhagen?

Michael Bolton: Have you spent anytime there?

Akiva Schaffer: It's beautiful, and it's one of the happiest places, every time they do those happiness tests, it comes up as like the happiest place on Earth.

-I think this is one of the big reasons why.

Scott Aukerman: Because of Hygge!

Akiva Schaffer: What's the name—Tivoli Gardens. You can find me there twice a year, like clockwork. You know what it is?

-What is it?

Akiva Schaffer: It's based on Hans Christian Anderson's Copenhagen. Disneyland was based off it. It's an amusement park with a lot of weird old Danish animatronics. I don't know what year it was built but it's still of that time. So like, "It's a Small World After All," just picture that but even older than that, and just that. And there's games you can do that are more carnival style, where like you walk up and for a dollar they give you three baseballs and all it is a kitchen with tons of ceramic plates and vases and stuff, and you can't win. The game is just throw balls and break stuff. And that's the prize. There's nothing better to break or worse to break. There's no prize. You just want to break stuff. They're on to something with that.

Scott Aukerman: That's not bad. Hey can I ask you a question—why'd you bring up Hygge? [Entire room, including several publicists I was not even aware up to this point were in the room, start laughing]

-That's a good question. It's partially because my editor said I should, because I guess she thought you guys might be familiar with it. And also we're just trying to understand it better, because it's blown up, there was a New Yorker piece on it recently.

Akiva Schaffer: Is it like, they might make a piece of art out of like that telephone. Just take that phone and put it into a case and be like, "Appreciate that this thing was made."

-I feel like that could be an extrapolation of what it is. My understanding of it is that it's appreciating the mundane and the ordinary around you, so that you can find the beauty amidst a lot of chaos. I think in the face of Trump and a lot of things going on—

Scott Aukerman: WHOA. Hey, fuck you man.

Akiva Schaffer: You're talking to three Trumpers here.

Scott Aukerman: Get the fuck outta here.

-Well my other question I was going to ask was if Trump had asked you to play the inauguration, what you would have said.

Michael Bolton: I was busy.

-What if he moved it so that it was on your schedule?

[We are interrupted by a publicist telling us we have to wrap it up because we've gone nearly 10 minutes over schedule]

Michael Bolton: Oh shucks, I didn't get to answer that question. Just, as long nobody grabs our possums, we're fine.

Akiva Schaffer: I feel like I already practice Hygge.

Michael Bolton: I think it's a really great, really great concept.

Akiva Schaffer: It doesn't just have to be physical concepts, it could be like appreciating a bus ride.

Michael Bolton: That was as deep as we've gone today, in my opinion.

Scott Aukerman: I think your wife practices Hygge.

-Well I'm happy to have brought it into your life.

Contact the author of this article or email tips@gothamist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

http://gothamist.com/2017/02/13/interview_michael_bolton_scott_auke...

 Guess they're going all out for publicity on this special! That's it for now, thanks for reading, sincerely, Sylvie :D

Comment by sylvie boisvert on February 14, 2017 at 5:36am

Hi again everyone, here's another article Sylvia shared:

Why you should spend your Valentine's Day with Michael Bolton, The Lonely Island and Comedy Bang Bang#M18NvsQmIOq7

Mashable.com

By Proma Khosla2017-02-13 17:46:23 UTC

In Michael Bolton's Big, Sexy Valentine's Day Special, our hero has a mission on a cold winter day: To get people so in the mood that they can’t resist having sex and bringing more babies into the world by Christmas.

"I just think romantic comedies are so silly because it's like, why should we care if two people kiss?" says Comedy Bang Bang's Scott Aukerman, who co-directed the special with The Lonely Island's Akiva Schaffer.

"Yeah but I watch," Schaffer replies. "I'm always just disappointed because I want penetration at the end or else I don't even understand what's happening."

"I knew he wouldn't stay on kissing very long," Bolton chimes in. "He went straight to the penetration."

SEE ALSO: The Lonely Island's 'Popstar' is just as ridiculous as you'd expect — and wildly entertaining

Mashable sat down with the trio behind Bolton's Valentine's Day special, and though we veer from questions about the Valentine’s Day special, why you should watch it is clear — because like its creators it is exceedingly, exhaustingly funny.

-What's your favorite thing to do on Valentine’s Day?

 Schaffer: Bone.

Aukerman: Zone. The Bone Zone.

Bolton: Um…clone.

 Aukerman: I think you've got to make your partner feel sexy. That's why I wake up my wife at four in the morning and I say, "Get into some high heels and lingerie, honey! Make me feel sexy!" So I order her to do that.

Schaffer: ...That's kind of a gift to her, though. Cause then she feels so sexy and she's like, "Thank you for doing this for me."

Bolton: I walk in and I see my wife and I say, "You're perfect just the way you are." And then I realize: I'm not married, this is somebody else's house, and I run home.

-Most memorable Valentine's Day?

 Bolton: Coming up. This is probably not going to sound romantic to you, but I have a show in Hawaii and I'm really looking forward to being in Hawaii. But at this moment I don't have a significant other to have a romantic Valentine's Day with, so I'm kind of depressed and I'm going to start crying right now. What should I cry like?

Aukerman: Cry like a little baby.

Bolton: Oh no — a baby, I can't do that.

Schaffer: You can cry like a little boy. On set, [Aukerman] had to give the direction of "Cry like a little boy" a few times, genuinely.

 Bolton: ...Can you use any of this?

Schaffer: There's nothing wrong with anything we've said, so far, that I can see.

Aukerman: I stand by it, one hundred percent.

Schaffer: And it was said in earnest.

Aukerman: In Ernest Goes to Jail.

[They launch into references and reverence of the Ernest movies.]

Image: brandon hickman/netflix

-What should people do to get in the mood this Valentine's Day?

 Bolton: Whatever you do, watch the special. Everything else you do has to be built around that.

Aukerman: First thing in the morning, watch the special.

Schaffer: But that's gonna get them real horny.

Aukerman: Yeah, you're going to have an erection for the next four to six hours.

Bolton: No matter who you're around.

Schaffer: Or if you're even a woman.

Aukerman: That's the weird part: When women watch the special, they're going to grow penises.

 Was that problematic on set?

Aukerman: Yeah it was. I have a policy on my sets where everyone is wearing a cup, but the women weren't. So we also have dodgeball games during lunch, and we found that a lot of women got dodgeballs in the crotches and they were going "OH, MY BALLS!"

Schaffer: Where are you from again? Mashable? Is this the kind of thing Mashable readers will like?

Aukerman: Oh this isn't The Old Gray Lady?

Oh man, I want to keep pulling at this thread.

Schaffer: Yeah well, it will unravel all the way at some point.

-Favorite romantic comedy?

 Aukerman: Is 12 Years a Slave —

Schaffer: No.

Bolton: No. Stop him now.

Schaffer: Guys. When Harry Met Sally is the best romantic comedy.

Aukerman: When Harry Met Sally. Because it answers the question "Can a man and a woman be friends?"

Schaffer: I also enjoy Notting Hill a lot.

Aukerman: And that answers the question "Can a man and a woman be friends?"

Schaffer: Is Jerry Maguire a romantic comedy? Well then, that's top of the list.

-Describe the special in three words.

 Aukerman: Engorged.

Schaffer: Satisfying.

Bolton: Penetration.

Schaffer: Oh no.

Hey, that ended up being a full phrase!

Schaffer: I know. It's regrettable.

Michael Bolton's Big, Sexy Valentine's Day Special is now streaming on Netflix.

BONUS: Lonely Island performed the perfect mashup of Will Smith's hits in honor of his MTV Generation Award

http://mashable.com/2017/02/13/michael-bolton-netflix-special/#M18N...

 That's it for now, thanks for reading, sincerely, Sylvie :D

• ‹ Previous
• 1
• …
• 8
• 9
• 10
• 11
• 12
• …
• 40
• Next ›
• Page