Finding the humanity is finding the truth in someone, it’s finding the commonalities that we all share. Martin Luther King Jr. and preached the word of God in fiery sermons but loved his Saturday nights as much as his Sunday mornings, as he so cavalierly puts it. Zagajewski’s poem "Try to Praise the Mutilated World," was written well before the 9/11 attacks, but took on new and historic meaning because of them. She was a legend in her own time, and now her story is set to be told in both a feature film—the forthcoming Respect, starring Jennifer Hudson as Franklin—and an anthology series. AVC: The series follows Aretha Franklin’s lifelong work as an activist, and how conscious she was of messaging in her music. And while the show does address Aretha’s feud with her younger sister Emma (Patrice Covington), a talented singer who couldn’t escape Aretha’s shadow, they patch things up in a hurried, forced fashion. So there’s a connection, and that’s something that I feel we lack a lot of, which is learning from others—and not only from your own communities, your own culture. "Genius: Aretha," a new limited series on NatGeo, gives the late Aretha Franklin a lot of R-E-S-P-E-C-T, with Cynthia Erivo playing a woman she first heard at the age of 9. To learn more or opt-out, read our Cookie Policy. Will that change at the trade deadline this week? Whether it was culture, community, gender, or any of those dimensions, it represents inclusivity and that’s one of the really beautiful ways we can define her and highlight her as a genius because of her exceptional capabilities with which she lived her life and used her gifts to be able to affect others. I think there’s education that we can all use to improve ourselves by taking the time to really learn from someone and listen and hear other stories. He was a leading figure in Poland’s New Wave, or Generation ’68, and a University of Chicago faculty member. AH: It was early on, I think—well before anything started. National Geographic’s Genius, which explored the lives of Albert Einstein and Pablo Picasso in seasons one and two, is now devoting its third installment to the brilliance and passion of Aretha Franklin. Pop culture obsessives writing for the pop culture obsessed. And it should have meaning behind it. We’re looking at the heart of an icon. The recording sessions, the TV guest appearances and the concert numbers are something to behold. For me, I look to make sure that I don’t waste the opportunity to affect something within the storytelling, because I feel the opportunities that we have in storytelling should serve a purpose. A a showcase for one of the great stars of our time playing one of the greatest stars of all time, it’s a hit. So there is somewhat of a consistency, I think, in just the basics in terms of the things that are necessary, but what I need and the tools that I need to really execute its visual treatment and language, they all differ. The third season of the National Geographic anthology series Genius begins with Aretha Franklin in the studio. Follow here for live updates. The justices agreed to hear an appeal filed by the Trump administration, which carried out executions of 13 federal inmates in its final six months in office. Just as Aretha Franklin was a master at covering works by everyone from Frank Sinatra to the Beatles to the Rolling Stones to Hank Williams, Erivo puts her own magnificent vocal spin on covering Aretha. The A.V. Through March 24, 20 marquees, including that of Chicago’s Aragon Ballroom (below), will display the message: “All Hail The Queen #GeniusAF 3.21.21.”. At least, my philosophy is that most things happen at the time that they should. It’s a great performance in a good series. Showrunner Suzan-Lori Parks, who wrote much of the series, executive produces Genius: Aretha with veteran TV director (and 2010s MVP) Anthony Hemingway. Clarence’s philandering drove her mother out of the house, and he was so busy having his own good time on the road that he didn’t look after Aretha, who had her first child at 12 and another a few years later. SLP shares this story all the time, that Cynthia was who she envisioned to perform the role of Aretha—she was the only one. Yet for far too long, she wasn’t really asked about her craft. Backlash surrounding her casting as another all-American icon, Aretha Franklin, in the National Geographic series Genius: Aretha (premiering March 21st), was … So for me, humanizing somebody only allows us to have an opportunity or the ability to see ourselves in that person. Aretha Franklin remains one of the most iconic singers of all time, and now a new National Geographic series is set to take a closer look at her life and legacy. While the series occasionally lags due to an overabundance of flashback scenes and glosses over some of the more mercurial aspects of the Queen of Soul’s personality, there’s no denying Erivo’s beautifully layered performance, whether she’s quietly but firmly asserting herself in the white male-dominated world of popular music in the mid-20th century, becoming an influential voice for social change and racial justice or killing it in recording sessions and especially onstage. I have never seen and heard a TV production capture an artist’s sound or use music more movingly than 'Genius: Aretha.' The stars and creator of 'Genius: Aretha' open up about Aretha Franklin's musical legacy, COVID delays, and more. And as [Cynthia] is displaying that through her brilliant performances, she was the best person and the right one to do it. However, all are not pleased with 'Genius: Aretha'. 1 seed ousted from the tournament. I think that’s the learning that’s necessary in the discovery of life and just the human experience. As with any work, one goes through the experience wanting it to serve a purpose. And through that, we’re learning a beautiful human story. We follow the stories and update you as they develop. At the 2020 Television Critics Association winter press tour (which now seems like a lifetime ago), The A.V. The Bulls have been employing a point-guard-by-committee for the last month. As an extended biopic, “Aretha” is serviceable and fairly thorough. They just remind me of just the level of detail and accuracy that’s needed in the work to achieve your vision. The awe-inspiring life of Aretha Franklin, prominent activist, multi-hyphenate artist, and yes, the Queen Of Soul, has always been ripe for a cinematic or small-screen retelling. We use cookies and other tracking technologies to improve your browsing experience on our site, show personalized content and targeted ads, analyze site traffic, and understand where our audiences come from. The music alone would make … As these stories are all different and the lives are different, their stories are different, they necessitate and really require its own special look, tone, and feel. Now, she knocks it out of the park as the legendary and larger-than-life Aretha Franklin in the eight-part dramatic series “Genius: Aretha,” dropping Sunday on Nat Geo with double-stacked episodes over four consecutive nights (with episodes available the next day on Hulu). It’s really like we’re being gifted with seeing a little bit of ourselves in her story. AH: I don’t think you can ignore it. Aretha Franklin's son Kecalf Franklin says the family does not support the project. And then once I know it, I’m able to figure out how I can use myself and pour myself into it to be able to then share it with viewers at large. ... TV See All TV . The first definitive and authorized scripted series about Franklin, Genius: Aretha is an eight-episode series that covers everything from the singer’s trip to Muscle Shoals, Alabama, in 1967 to record her first album with Atlantic Records to her unforgettable performance at the 1998 Grammy’s. And so I think again, when I approach almost all of my projects, it’s just trying to find first that connection within myself. Tony, Emmy, and Grammy Award-winning and Oscar-nominated Erivo will be joined by the likes of … So they all are different and each one requires me to really start over and to tap into it’s own psychology. Has that been part of your experience? Simpson. Nat Geo announced a couple weeks into the coronavirus production shutdown that the premiere date for its “Genius: Aretha” series would be delayed … The period-piece saga soars when we’re in the vibrant and tumultuous 1960s, complete with the colorful attire and revolutionary music of the times, as Aretha ascends to soul/pop stardom under the guidance of music producer Jerry Wexler (a slightly miscast David Cross), who can sometimes be smothering as he controls the business side of things but is ultimately a sympathetic figure who supports Aretha when she demands (a deserved) producer credit and when she uses her voice not only to sing to the heavens but also to protest injustice in the streets. AH: I think the life experiences and opportunities that I’ve had with many projects sharpened my sensitivity toward approaching real human stories. Please also read our Privacy Notice and Terms of Use, which became effective December 20, 2019. AVC: The terms “humanizing” or “humanization” come up a lot in discussions about TV and film lately, either to allow a window into the lives of people unlike ourselves, or to help us better understand people who became icons. It’s not an imitation so much as it’s an inspired interpretation of Franklin’s unique, angelic, soaring, spine-tingling, soulful vocal style. The rising star plays all the layers of the R&B queen in a flawed but fulfilling miniseries premiering Sunday on the National Geographic Channel. It’s without borders or boundaries and lacks judgment. Sign up for the Nicholas Pappas was last seen March 16 in the 5500 block of South Throop Street. Spoilers are ahead. Not only could she take command of her mostly male back-up band, but her brilliant ear allowed her to … It’s that the series isn’t as captivating and electric when Erivo is missing from the picture. Have you ever felt that way about how journalists or the public receive your work, that they want you to be aware of the impact of your work sometimes before you’ve even put it out into the world? Music, Film, TV and Political News Coverage. Club: It’s taken a while for any biographical film about Aretha Franklin to make it out into the world, and in the next year or so, we’ll have both the Nat Geo series and the Liesl Tommy-directed Respect. It’s giving us our focus. And within that, we are basically, through the lens of Genius, telling Aretha’s story. In that half decade, the Tony-, Grammy- and Emmy award-winning and Oscar-nominated actress has dazzled on Broadway in “The Color Purple,” delivered brilliant work in the HBO miniseries “The Outsider” and lit up the big screen in films such as “Bad Times at the El Royale,” “Widows” and “Harriet.”. Illinois is the first No. Editor’s Note: National Geographic’s “Genius: Aretha” series has partnered with Live Nation for a nationwide marquee takeover to honor Aretha Franklin. Did you try to frame each episode as a chapter from her life, or was the plan to do something more expansive? Curiously, the series spends relatively little time exploring Aretha’s battles with alcoholism and weight (there’s no “Raging Bull” type of transformation here, as Erivo remains slim throughout the series), her penchant for canceling shows for myriad reasons and her sometimes-strange performance choices, like when she would sing encores offstage as baffled audience members filed out, thinking they were hearing a recording. National Geographic’s Genius, which explored the lives of Albert Einstein and Pablo Picasso in seasons one and two, is now devoting its third installment to the brilliance and passion of Aretha Franklin.The series, which premieres March 21, stars Widows and Harriet ’s Cynthia Erivo as the “Lady Soul” singer, in a decades-spanning story. How do those productions inform your work on Genius? With the Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Suzan Lori-Parks as the show-runner, the third installment of the “Genius” series (the first two were about Albert Einstein and Pablo Picasso) follows the classic showbiz biopic formula, alternating scenes from the star’s childhood with seminal moments under the bright lights. Erivo is so mesmerizing in the scenes set from the mid-1960s through the late 1970s that it’s something of a letdown when we return yet again to the flashback sequences detailing her troubled upbringing and miraculous rise. She knew she had something and she took that and shared it. 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