All We Are Saying
A film review by Eric Meyerson - Copyright © 2007 filmcritic.com
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Here's an intriguing and potentially electrifying documentary
concept: Rosanna Arquette gets the lowdown on life in the music biz
by chatting with A-list rock stars, including Sting, Steven Tyler,
Gwen Stefani, Tom Petty, Yoko Ono, Stevie Nicks, Thom Yorke, Elton
John, Mr. and Mrs. Sonic Youth, and a dozen others from the '60s
through the '90s. This is gonna be great, right?

Sadly, producer, director, and "experiencer" Arquette did exactly
one thing well: the title. All We Are Saying is appropriately a
dull, bloated gab marathon. And since she didn't clear the featured
artists' music for the movie, it's all talk, no song, not even a few
bars from a stage performance. Imagine The Aristocrats without the
joke, stretched out over 105 minutes.

While All We Are Saying lacks sparks, its access is abundant,
trending heavily towards '70s and '80s rock but also sampling
contemporary top-40 and a little hip-hop. The artists get down and
dirty about the familiar topics of recording and touring, and the
less familiar ones about paying the bills, capturing their muses,
and raising their kids on the tour bus.

Unfortunately, Arquette's documentary skills can't keep up with her
ability to get backstage, and her disappointing interviews often
raise more questions than they answer. For example, the FM-era
rockers whine relentlessly about how it used to be "all about the
music, man" until MTV ruined everything. And what does Gwen Stefani,
who owes her prosperity to the visual orientation of the system,
think of this development? Arquette never asks; instead we get
Stefani's banal story about getting locked out of her mansion for a
few hours.

Also, every artist expresses unanimous disgust and dissatisfaction
with the economic model of the industry, which finds it more
profitable to churn through new acts than to develop careers. But
the only suit who appears in the industry's defense isn't asked
about it. Instead Jimmy Iovine jabbers about what a genius he was to
hook up with Suge Knight's Death Row records and popularize West
Coast gangsta.

To Arquette's credit, she mostly keeps herself out of the picture,
only occasionally appearing to point a camcorder at someone. But if
you're not as starstruck as she is, you might wonder what exactly
you got out of your hour and 45 minutes. For all the TV-bashing in
All We Are Saying, VH-1 could have made a significantly more
informative, engaging, and tighter version of this movie.
http://www.filmcritic.com/misc/emporium.nsf/2a460f93626cd4678625624c0
07f2b46/032466816fe4b9258825727400030a69?OpenDocument
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Nicks preps best-of and spring tour with Isaak
Reuters | Wednesday, 31 January 2007

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AdvertisementLOS ANGELES: Stevie Nicks is eying a March 27 release
for The Very Best of Stevie Nicks. Two months later, the singer-
songwriter is expected begin a tour with Chris Isaak.


Very Best, Nicks' second greatest hits package for Reprise, will
include live versions of Edge of Seventeen, Landslide and Rhiannon
as well as her 2005 collaboration with dance act Deep Dish on
Dreams.

The collection will be packaged with a DVD that includes live
performances and a commentary from Nicks about her songs, according
to her spokesperson. An earlier retrospective, TimeSpace, reached
No. 30 on the Billboard 200 in 1991.

Nicks will be in action on Sunday with a performance as part of CBS'
Super Bowl pre-game show. She will play Florida shows on February 6
in Hollywood and February 9 in Tampa, and visit Las Vegas' Caesar's
Palace for a stand on March 20-21 and 23-24.

Dates have not been announced for the Nicks/Isaak tour, which is
expected to start in May.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/3946100a4500.html
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Stevie Nicks is reportedly eyeing a March 27 release for The Very
Best of Stevie Nicks, her second greatest hits package for Reprise
Records. The collection will include live versions of "Edge of
Seventeen," "Landslide" and "Rhiannon" as well as her 2005
collaboration with Deep Dish on "Dreams," according to
Billboard.com. The package also will come with a DVD that includes
live performances and commentary from Nicks about her songs.
Meanwhile, look for the singer to be part of the Super Bowl pre-game
show on Sunday, February 4.
http://www.fmqb.com/article.asp?id=342247
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