Kurt Russell talks Paul Walker, ‘Fast & Furious’ role
Calling his late castmate Paul Walker “a terrific guy,” Kurt Russell says he’s not sure what will happen with his role in the latest “Fast & Furious” movie.
Russell joined the seventh film in the franchise and plays a father figure to Vin Diesel’s character Dominic Toretto. The 62-year-old actor said he had one day left of filming when Walker died in a car crash outside Los Angeles last November.
“They’re having to rewrite, they’re having to do whatever they’re having to do to deal with the situation. Listen, it’s catastrophic. It’s the worst thing that could happen to a movie, but it’s not as bad as what happened to Paul,” Russell said in an interview at the Sundance Film Festival, where he’s promoting a documentary about his father’s minor-league baseball team, “The Battered Bastards of Baseball.” “So everything is in perspective. He was a terrific guy. And life is full of curveballs.”
The latest film in the fast-car franchise, directed by James Wan, is now set for release in April 2015.
Pussy Riot to attend Amnesty event
Pussy Riot may no longer be a formal band, but the activists will still make a high-profile appearance at a Brooklyn music venue next month.
Nadezhda Tolokonnikova and Maria Alyokhina will appear alongside the Flaming Lips, Imagine Dragons, Ms. Lauryn Hill and many others for Amnesty International’s Bringing Human Rights Home event at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center on Feb. 5.
“We are happy to support Amnesty International’s work on behalf of human rights and political prisoners,” Tolokonnikova and Alyokhina said in a statement. “We, more than anyone, understand how important Amnesty’s work is in connecting activists to prisoners.”
The two were recently released from prison after serving 21 months for their “punk prayer” protest against Russian President Vladimir Putin at Moscow’s Cathedral of Christ the Savior church in 2012. Pussy Riot members have criticized the timing of their release as a cynical gesture in the run-up to the Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, which Tolokonnikova has called “Putin’s pet project.”
Marsalis, McFerrin to play jazz festival
Wynton Marsalis, Bobby McFerrin and Dr. John are among dozens of artists set to perform at a Rhode Island festival that’s showcased a who’s who of jazz stars since 1954.
The Newport Jazz Festival is celebrating its 60th anniversary. Festival creator George Wein announced this year’s lineup on Tuesday.
The festival runs Aug. 1-3 and will include performances from Trombone Shorty, David Sanborn and Gregory Porter. It’ll get started at Fort Adams State Park with up-and-coming jazz artists.
The birthday bunch
Former Sen. Birch Bayh, D-Ind., is 86. Actress Piper Laurie is 82. Actor John Hurt is 74. Singer Steve Perry is 65. Actress Linda Blair is 55. Actress Diane Lane is 49. Actor-rapper DJ Jazzy Jeff is 49. Pop singer Willa Ford is 33. Actress-singer Phoebe Strole (TV: “Glee”) is 31. Actress Sami Gayle (TV: “Blue Bloods”) is 18.