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Tuesday June 13, 2017 16 ENtertainment

THREE months after the death of his father Chuck Berry who passed away March 18 at 90, Charles Berry Jr. has put into perspective the immortality of the rock and roll pioneer. “It’s much like Beethoven, much like Tchaikovsky. He’s in that cat-egory,” says Berry, 55. “Three hundred years from now, his music is gonna be right up there with all the other greats.”

But the late singer-guitarist behind classics like “Maybel-lene,” “Roll Over Beethoven,” and, of course, “Johnny B. Goode” adds another chapter

to his legendary songbook with today’s posthumous release of “Chuck,” his fi nal studio album and fi rst since 1979. The self-produced LP — which was announced on Berry’s 90th birthday last Oct. 18 — features musical support throughout from both his only son, Charles Jr. (on rhythm guitar), and his daughter Ingrid Berry-Clay (harmonica, vocals) as part of his Blueberry Hill backing band.

With Berry’s two children playing such key roles in the recording of “Chuck,” it made

the project a loving family affair. “My sister Ingrid has been on several of my dad’s albums — she’s been a band member since the early ’70s.

This was my fi rst studio appearance on anybody’s record,” says Charles Jr., who joined his father’s band in 2001 and played with him until he stopped performing in October 2014. “So it was special for us. It’s something my dad really wanted — to have his children on his record.”

As for why it took Berry 38 years to release another studio

album, his son explains, “He started working on it right after the release of ‘Rock It’ in 1979 and managed to get a pretty good amount of material built up.

But in 1989 there was a dev-astating fi re at his recording studio, so all that work was destroyed. After rebuilding his studio, he had to start from scratch around 1991. So [it was] that in combination with my dad still being a touring entertainer and having other business ventures.”

(SD-Agencies)

NOT many things could drag Woody Allen out of his beloved New York City. It’s even harder to get him out to L.A.

But an award for Diane Keaton, star of the director’s 1977 classic “Annie Hall” and several more of his fi lms, who also dated him for years in the ‘70s, managed to do it. When Allen took the stage at the Dolby Theater in Hollywood Thursday night to present Keaton with the American Film Institute’s 2017 Life Achievement Award, the audi-ence was surprised and gave him a standing ovation.

The 81-year-old acknowl-edged, “We go back a long way, Diane and I.”

They would have to, because Allen’s appearances in “La La Land” are rare.

For example, he’s only attended the Oscars once — despite his three wins and 16 more nominations between 1978 and 2014. He suited up for the fete in 2002 to pay tribute to the Big Apple in the fi rst cer-emony after 9/11.

As his biographer noted to NPR in 2012, much of the reason can likely be attributed to a famous line that his char-acter says in “Annie Hall”: “I would never want to belong to any club that would have some-one like me for a member.”

Although far from home, Allen was comfortable enough onstage to offer exactly the kind of teasing jokes you would expect from him.

“Her beauty is not conven-tional,” he said of Keaton.

(SD-Agencies)

Woody Allen appears at ‘Tribute for Diane Keaton’

KEVIN SPACEY sang, danced and mimicked Bill Clinton at a Tony Awards ceremony where the policies of President Trump’s administration were taken to task.

Best actor winner Kevin Kline summed up the mood by salut-ing the NEA (National Endow-ment for the Arts), which faces

funding cuts under the Trump regime.

U.S. talk show host Stephen Colbert also mocked Trump by suggesting his tenure as presi-dent “could close early.”

“Dear Evan Hansen” was named best musical at the New York ceremony.

The show, about a teenager

who fabricates a former friend-ship with a classmate who killed himself, also saw “Pitch Perfect” star Ben Platt named best actor in a musical.

Bette Midler received the female equivalent for her role in “Hello, Dolly!” and celebrated her second Tony win with a lengthy acceptance speech.

“Shut that crap off!” the vet-eran comedienne snapped at one point when the orchestra tried to play her off the stage.

Other awards went to Laurie Metcalf for her role in a newly written sequel to “A Doll’s House” and to “Sex and the City” star Cynthia Nixon for her supporting role in “The Little Foxes.”

Yet other big names, among them Danny DeVito, Cate Blanchett and singer Josh Groban, left New York’s Radio City Music Hall empty-handed.

Spacey opened proceedings with a musical number that climaxed with him tap dancing in top hat and tails.

He also appeared in charac-ter as “House of Cards”’ Frank Underwood, with his on-screen wife Robin Wright beside him.

Yet such comic fl ourishes went hand in hand with accep-tance speeches that refl ected the politically charged climate of the United States.

Nixon’s speech, in which she quoted directly from “The Little

Foxes” playwright Lillian Hell-man, was a case in point.

“Eighty years ago she wrote there are people who eat the earth and eat all the people on it, and other people who just stand around and watch them do it,” she told the audience.

“My love, my gratitude and my undying respect go out to all the people in 2017 who are refusing to just stand and watch them do it.”

Sunday’s ceremony took place shortly after news that Delta Air Lines and Bank of America had withdrawn fi nancial support for a New York production of “Julius Caesar.”

The contemporary staging of Shakespeare’s play features an assassinated Caesar who resembles President Trump, a depiction Delta said had “crossed the line on the stan-dards of good taste.”

Last year’s Tonys, hosted by Britain’s James Corden, were dominated by hip-hop musi-cal “Hamilton” which won 11 awards.

(SD-Agencies)

Tony Awards: Donald Trump targeted at Kevin Spacey-hosted show

Bette Midler is named best leading actress in a musical. SD-Agencies

Chuck Berry’s son talks legacy, family, and the making of his Dad’s last album

Chuck Berry