115-511: Little Cloud is the sixth studio album by Australian band The Whitlams , released by Black Yak through Warner on 20 March 2006. It debuted at number four on the ARIA Albums Chart . The first disc, entitled Little Cloud , is about returning to Australia from overseas in an election year. The second disc, The Apple's Eye , is mostly thematically centred in New York City . The majority of
230-433: A Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album . From 1960 to 1969 Allen performed as a comedian in various places around Greenwich Village , including The Bitter End and Cafe Au Go Go , alongside such contemporaries as Lenny Bruce , the team of Mike Nichols and Elaine May , Joan Rivers , George Carlin , Richard Pryor , Dick Cavett , Bill Cosby and Mort Sahl (his personal favorite), as well as such other artists of
345-549: A Tony Award nomination for Best Book of a Musical . The show received six Tony nominations. In July and August 2014, Allen filmed the mystery drama Irrational Man in Newport , Rhode Island, with Joaquin Phoenix , Emma Stone, Parker Posey and Jamie Blackley . Allen said that this film, as well as the next three he had planned, had the financing and full support of Sony Pictures Classics . Jonathan Romney of Film Comment gave
460-532: A $ 16 million budget. For the BBC , Owen Gleiberman wrote, " Magic in the Moonlight is Allen's most gratifyingly airy concoction in a while, but it's also a comedy that insists, in the end, on making an overly rational case for the power of the irrational." It's really cool to work with a director who's done so much, because he knows exactly what he wants. The fact that he does one shot for an entire scene—[and] this could be
575-539: A 93% on Rotten Tomatoes . Midnight in Paris won the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay and became his highest-grossing film, making $ 151 million worldwide on a $ 17 million budget. On October 20, 2011, Allen's one-act play Honeymoon Motel opened on Broadway as part of a larger piece titled Relatively Speaking , with two other one-act plays by Ethan Coen and Elaine May . In February 2012, Allen appeared on
690-770: A TV special for NBC , Woody Allen Looks at 1967 . It featured Liza Minnelli , who acted alongside Allen in some skits; Aretha Franklin , the musical guest; and conservative writer William F. Buckley , the featured guest. In 1969, Allen hosted his first American special for CBS television, The Woody Allen Special , which included skits with Candice Bergen , a musical performance by the 5th Dimension , and an interview between Allen and Billy Graham . Allen also performed standup comedy on other series, including The Andy Williams Show and The Perry Como Show , where he interacted with other guests and occasionally sang. In 1971, he hosted one of his final Tonight Shows , with guests Bob Hope and James Coco . Hope praised Allen on
805-692: A benefit concert was held at the Metro club in Sydney to raise money for his wife and child. The event was hosted by Paul McDermott , Mikey Robins and Steve Abbott (The Sandman), and performers included Max Sharam , and The Gadflys. During the Whitlam's Canadian tour in April, supporting Blue Rodeo , they received word that Lewis was dead. "Blow Up the Pokies" had been co-written by Freedman and Greta Gertler before Lewis' death – as
920-420: A bit different [... it's] sort of happy, sensitive, not that loud... much more acoustic." The Canberra Times ' reporter, Nicole Leedham felt it was "sublime and ridiculous, the band's bluesy, country, jazzy, punky, folky pop swings from bleeding sensitivity to drunken hilarity." Oz Music Project described the album as being "very different to later recordings, with the band sounding a little bit country and
1035-409: A brief walk, and then spend the whole evening working." Allen once estimated that to prepare for a 30-minute show, he spent six months of intensive writing. He enjoyed writing, despite the work: "Nothing makes me happier than to tear open a ream of paper. And I can't wait to fill it!" Allen started writing short stories and cartoon captions for magazines such as The New Yorker ; he was inspired by
1150-625: A check for just the jokes Burrows included as samples. As a result of the jokes Allen mailed to various writers, he was invited, then age 19, to join the NBC Writer's Development Program in 1955, followed by a job on The NBC Comedy Hour in Los Angeles, then a job as a full-time writer for humorist Herb Shriner , initially earning $ 25 a week. He began writing scripts for The Ed Sullivan Show , The Tonight Show , specials for Sid Caesar post- Caesar's Hour (1954–1957), and other television shows. By
1265-604: A cosmic embarrassment." On September 30, 2016, Amazon Video debuted Allen's first television series production, Crisis in Six Scenes . The series is a comedy set during the 1960s. It focuses on the life of a suburban family after a surprise visitor creates chaos among them. It stars Allen, Elaine May , and Miley Cyrus , with the latter playing a radical hippie fugitive who sells marijuana. Allen's next film, Café Society , starred an ensemble cast, including Jesse Eisenberg , Kristen Stewart , and Blake Lively . Bruce Willis
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#17328476042031380-535: A custody trial did not find it credible. Allen was never charged or prosecuted, and has vehemently denied the allegation. Allen was born Allan Stewart Konigsberg at Mount Eden Hospital in Bronx , New York City, on November 30, 1935, to Nettie ( née Cherry; 1906–2002), a bookkeeper at her family's delicatessen, and Martin Konigsberg (1900–2001), a jewelry engraver and waiter. His grandparents were Jewish immigrants to
1495-667: A dark comedy, it follows the story of a botched suicide attempt turned messy love triangle. Allen wrote Whatever Works in the 1970s, and David's character was written for Zero Mostel , who died the year Annie Hall came out. Allen was elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2001. You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger , filmed in London, stars Antonio Banderas , Josh Brolin , Anthony Hopkins , Anupam Kher , Freida Pinto and Naomi Watts . Filming started in July 2009. It
1610-510: A dead serious demeanor that made them funnier: "I don't think my family liked me. They put a live teddy bear in my crib." And although he was described as a "classic nebbish", he did not tell the standard Jewish jokes of the period. Comedy screenwriter Larry Gelbart compared Allen's style to Elaine May 's: "He just styled himself completely after her". Cavett recalled seeing the Blue Angel audience mostly ignore Allen's monologue : "I resented
1725-481: A feature-length, two-reel comedy—something very special and eccentric and funny." In 1971, Allen wrote and directed the slapstick comedy film Bananas , in which he plays Fielding Mellish, a bumbling New Yorker who becomes involved in a revolution in a country in Latin America . The film also starred Louise Lasser as his romantic interest. In an interview with Roger Ebert , Allen said, "The big, broad laugh comedy
1840-688: A few laughs, a few well-wrought characters, and, in Act II, a beautifully written scene that leads to a moving final curtain". Allen has written several off-Broadway one-act plays, including Riverside Drive , Old Saybrook (at the Atlantic Theater Company ), and A Second Hand Memory (at the Variety Arts Theatre). Mia's a good actress who can play many different roles. She has a very good range, and can play serious to comic roles. She's also very photogenic, very beautiful on screen. She's just
1955-664: A film about his childhood in Brooklyn and the importance of the radio, co-starred Farrow in a part Allen wrote for her. Time magazine called The Purple Rose of Cairo one of the 100 best films of all time. Allen has called it one of his three best films, with Stardust Memories and Match Point . In 1989, Allen and directors Francis Ford Coppola and Martin Scorsese made New York Stories , an anthology film about New Yorkers. Vincent Canby called Allen's contribution, Oedipus Wrecks , "priceless". Allen's 1991 film Shadows and Fog
2070-641: A film almost every year, and is often identified as part of the New Hollywood wave of auteur filmmakers whose work has been influenced by European art cinema . His films include Interiors (1978), Stardust Memories (1980), Zelig (1983), Broadway Danny Rose (1984), The Purple Rose of Cairo (1985), Radio Days (1987), Husbands and Wives (1992), Bullets Over Broadway (1994), Deconstructing Harry (1997), Match Point (2005), Vicky Cristina Barcelona (2008), Midnight in Paris (2011), and Blue Jasmine (2013). In 1980, Allen began
2185-568: A free CD with various newspapers: The Sunday Telegraph (1 June), The Australian (26 July) and The Mercury . It contains material from their four live performances with the Sydney Symphony at the Sydney Opera House in the previous September. The Whitlams released a compilation album, Truth, Beauty and a Picture of You in August 2008, which peaked at No. 3. As part of it promotion
2300-426: A good realistic actress ... and no matter how strange and daring it is, she does it well. —Woody Allen (1993) A Midsummer Night's Sex Comedy (1982) was the first movie Allen made with Mia Farrow , who stepped into Diane Keaton 's role when Keaton was shooting Reds . He next directed Zelig , in which he starred as a man whose appearance transforms to match that of those around him. Radio Days ,
2415-528: A little bit rock and roll. A far cry from the lush orchestration of recent recordings." Stuart Eadie ( The Clouds , Olive Branch) became the band's first permanent drummer. During 1993 to 1994 they performed over 300 shows along the Australian east coast. At first they travelled in Freedman's Holden Kingswood station wagon before using a tour bus, which was used for the 1994 feature film, Priscilla, Queen of
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#17328476042032530-517: A lot, and it's hard to make good small films now", Allen said in a 2004 interview. "The avaricious studios couldn't care less about good films—if they get a good film they're twice as happy but money-making films are their goal. They only want these $ 100 million pictures that make $ 500 million." Allen traveled to London, where he made Match Point (2005), one of his most successful films of the decade, garnering positive reviews. Set in London, it starred Jonathan Rhys Meyers and Scarlett Johansson . It
2645-586: A mind like nobody else. He's bold. He's got a lot of strength, a lot of courage in terms of his work. And that is what it takes to do something really unique." Stardust Memories was based on 8½ , which it parodies, and Wild Strawberries . Allen's comedy A Midsummer Night's Sex Comedy was adapted from Smiles of a Summer Night . Hannah and Her Sisters , Another Woman and Crimes and Misdemeanors have elements reminiscent of Wild Strawberries . In Stardust Memories (1980), Allen's character says, "I don't want to make funny movies anymore" and
2760-738: A mixed review, writing, " To Rome with Love is just froth—a romantic sampler with some decent jokes and gorgeous Roman backdrops. It goes down easily, but I have to say it's interesting less for what it is than for how it is." Allen's next film, Blue Jasmine , debuted in July 2013. The film is set in San Francisco and New York, and stars Alec Baldwin , Cate Blanchett , Louis C.K. , Andrew Dice Clay , Sally Hawkins , and Peter Sarsgaard . It opened to critical acclaim, with Eric Kohn of IndieWire calling it "his most significant movie in years". The film earned Allen another Academy Award nomination for Best Original Screenplay , and Blanchett received
2875-785: A movie in Paris and flew across the Atlantic for about five minutes of jokes". In 1966, Allen wrote an hour-long musical comedy television special for CBS , Gene Kelly in New York City . It focused on Gene Kelly in a musical tour around Manhattan , dancing along such landmarks as Rockefeller Center , the Plaza Hotel and the Museum of Modern Art , which serve as backdrops for the show's production numbers. Guest stars included choreographer Gower Champion , British musical comedy star Tommy Steele , and singer Damita Jo DeBlanc . In 1967, Allen hosted
2990-528: A natural. —Woody Allen in July 1976 In 1977 Allen wrote, directed, and starred in the romantic comedy film Annie Hall , which became his seminal and most personal work. He played Alvy Singer, a comic evaluating his past relationship with Annie Hall, portrayed by Diane Keaton . Critic Roger Ebert praised the film, saying Allen had "developed...into a much more thoughtful and...more mature director". Vincent Canby of The New York Times praised Allen's direction, specifically citing his hiring of actors in
3105-535: A panel at the 92nd Street Y in New York City with moderators Dick Cavett and Annette Insdorf , discussing his films and career. His next film, To Rome with Love (2012), is a Rome-set comedy starring Jesse Eisenberg , Elliot Page , Alec Baldwin , Penelope Cruz , Greta Gerwig , and Judy Davis . The film is structured in four vignettes featuring dialogue in both Italian and English. It marked Allen's return to acting since his last role in Scoop . Bob Mondello gave it
3220-428: A positive review from Clive Barnes of The New York Times , who wrote, "Not only are Mr. Allen's jokes—with their follow-ups, asides, and twists—audaciously brilliant (only Neil Simon and Elaine May can equal him in this season's theater) but he has a great sense of character". The play was significant to Keaton's budding career, and she has said she was in "awe" of Allen even before auditioning for her role, which
3335-518: A professional and personal relationship with actress Mia Farrow . Over a decade-long period, they collaborated on 13 films. The couple separated after Allen began a relationship in 1991 with Mia's and Andre Previn 's 21-year-old adopted daughter Soon-Yi Previn . Allen married Previn in 1997. They have two adopted daughters. In 1992, Farrow publicly accused Allen of sexually abusing their adopted daughter, Dylan Farrow. The allegation gained substantial media attention, but two judicial investigations and
3450-430: A restaurant that had O.P.S. prices—over people's salaries." He was soon earning more than both of his parents combined. After high school, he attended New York University , studying communication and film in 1953, before dropping out after failing the course "Motion Picture Production". He briefly attended City College of New York in 1954, dropping out during his first semester. He taught himself rather than studying in
3565-419: A running gag has various people (including visiting space aliens) telling him that they appreciate his films, "especially the early, funny ones". Allen considers it one of his best films. In 1981, Allen's play The Floating Light Bulb , starring Danny Aiello and Bea Arthur , premiered on Broadway and ran for 65 performances. New York Times critic Frank Rich gave the play a mild review, writing, "there are
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3680-703: A scene with eight people and one to two takes—it gives you a level of confidence... he's very empowering. — Blake Lively , on acting in Café Society , June 2016 On March 11, 2014, Allen's musical Bullets over Broadway opened on Broadway at the St. James Theatre . It was directed and choreographed by Susan Stroman and starred Zach Braff , Nick Cordero , and Betsy Wolfe . The production received mixed reviews, with The Hollywood Reporter writing, "this frothy show does provide dazzling art direction and performances, as well as effervescent ensemble numbers." Allen received
3795-575: A single, " Met My Match ". Late that year Lewis had left to return to the Gadflys, with Mike Vidale brought in as his replacement. Their next single, " I Make Hamburgers ", was released in October 1995 and received airplay on national radio stations, including Triple J . The Whitlams' "I Make Hamburgers" was listed on the Triple J Hottest 100, 1996 on Australia Day (26 January). That same day, Stevie Plunder
3910-449: A solo album, Australian Idle , which featured his new backing band The Idle. The line-up was Heath Cullen on guitar, Zoe Hauptmann on bass guitar, Dave Hibbard on drums and Amy Vee on guitar and keyboards. The Whitlams reunited in 2013, with a performance schedule reduced to around four weeks each year. They performed an outdoor concert with West Australian artist, Jason Ayres, in March 2015 at
4025-682: A stand-up. "I'd never had the nerve to talk about it before. Then Mort Sahl came along with a whole new style of humor, opening up vistas for people like me." Allen made his professional stage debut at the Blue Angel nightclub in Manhattan in October 1960, where comedian Shelley Berman introduced him as a young television writer who would perform his own material. In his early stand-up shows, Allen did not improvise: "I put very little premium on improvisation", he told Studs Terkel . His jokes were created from life experiences, and typically presented with
4140-571: A statement about the destruction in Lewis' life due to gambling. Freedman wrote "The Curse Stops Here" to describe being the 'last one' of the original line-up and voicing his determination to survive. "The Curse Stops Here" was included as a B-side track on the single version of "Blow Up the Pokies". During the broadcast of the 2000 Sydney Olympics in September, the Whitlams' track, "Sydney 2000 Olympic Theme",
4255-424: A statement shared to the band's social media, Freedman confirmed that Hornby had retired: We would like to announce the retirement from live performance of our rock on the bass Warwick Hornby, who joined The Whitlams at the same time as Terepai in 1999. Warwick is seeking more of the quiet life on the couch with his bulging vinyl collection, [or] on the golf course with his two wood, and is looking forward to watching
4370-651: A string of slapstick comedies , such as Take the Money and Run (1969), Bananas (1971), Sleeper (1973), and Love and Death (1975), he directed Annie Hall (1977), a romantic comedy-drama featuring Allen and his frequent collaborator Diane Keaton . The film won four Academy Awards: Best Picture , Best Director and Best Original Screenplay , and Best Actress for Keaton. Allen has directed many films set in New York City , including Manhattan (1979), Hannah and Her Sisters (1986), and Crimes and Misdemeanors (1989). Allen continued to garner acclaim, making
4485-536: Is a black-and-white homage to the German expressionists and features the music of Kurt Weill . Allen then made his critically acclaimed comedy-drama Husbands and Wives (1992), which received two Oscar nominations: Best Supporting Actress for Judy Davis and Best Original Screenplay for Allen. Manhattan Murder Mystery (1993) combined suspense with dark comedy and marked the return of Diane Keaton , Alan Alda and Anjelica Huston . He returned to lighter fare such as
4600-645: Is a form that's rarely made these days and sometimes I think it's the hardest kind of movie to make...with a comedy like Bananas , if they're not laughing, you're dead, because laughs are all you have." The next year, Allen made the film Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex* (*But Were Afraid to Ask) , starring Allen, Gene Wilder , Lou Jacobi , Anthony Quayle , Tony Randall , and Burt Reynolds , which received mixed reviews. Time wrote, "the jokes are well-worn, and good, manic ideas are congealing into formulas". Allen reunited with Keaton in Sleeper (1973),
4715-432: Is an American filmmaker, actor, and comedian whose career spans more than six decades. Allen has received many accolades , including the most nominations (16) for the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay . He has won four Academy Awards , ten BAFTA Awards , two Golden Globe Awards and a Grammy Award , as well as nominations for a Emmy Award and a Tony Award . Allen was awarded an Honorary Golden Lion in 1995,
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4830-473: Is an annual awards ceremony that recognises excellence, innovation, and achievement across all genres of Australian music . The Whitlams have won three ARIA Music Awards from fourteen nominations. The Helpmann Awards is an awards show, celebrating live entertainment and performing arts in Australia, presented by industry group Live Performance Australia since 2001. Note: 2020 and 2021 were cancelled due to
4945-460: Is an honour to play with these musicians who in some cases have been playing their instruments since they were in the womb." In 2020, the band released their first new song in almost 15 years, "Ballad of Bertie Kidd". The six-minute song was written from the perspective of a would-be criminal, enlisted by Kidd for an art gallery heist in Gosford. The single was later revealed to be the lead single from
5060-466: Is less cohesive, covering a wide range of subject matter. The song style is different here, too, as Freedman allows his piano to take a back seat to guitars or brass on a number of tracks. The city of the title is Sydney, and many of these songs relate to its changing face." He described "You Gotta Love This City" as "less-than-complimentary reaction to the commercialism of the Olympic Games" and "Blow Up
5175-490: Is markedly darker than Allen's first four films with DreamWorks SKG. In Match Point Allen shifts focus from the intellectual upper class of New York to the moneyed upper class of London. The film earned more than $ 23 million domestically (more than any of his films in nearly 20 years) and over $ 62 million in international box office sales. It earned Allen his first Academy Award nomination since 1998, for Best Writing – Original Screenplay, with directing and writing nominations at
5290-602: Is something almost touristy in both them, and in his evocation of golden age Tinseltown, like his homages to Paris and Rome. Allen brings it all together in his closing moments which conjure something unexpectedly melancholy and shrewdly judged. It has entertainment and charm." In September 2016 Allen started filming the drama film Wonder Wheel , set in the 1950s in Coney Island , and starring Kate Winslet , Justin Timberlake , Juno Temple , and Jim Belushi . The film served as
5405-460: Is the trick of being a good comedy writer." In 1962 alone, he estimated that he wrote twenty thousand jokes for various comics. Allen also wrote for Candid Camera and appeared in several episodes. He wrote jokes for the Buddy Hackett sitcom Stanley and The Pat Boone Chevy Showroom, and in 1958 he co-wrote a few Sid Caesar specials with Larry Gelbart . Composer Mary Rodgers said he
5520-755: The American Film Institute 's "100 Best Movies" and fourth on the AFI list of the "100 Best Comedies". The screenplay was also named the funniest ever written by the Writers Guild of America in its list of the "101 Funniest Screenplays". In 1992, the Library of Congress selected the film for preservation in the United States National Film Registry as "culturally, historically or aesthetically significant". In 1979, Allen paid tribute at
5635-505: The 2008 Cannes Film Festival to rapturous reviews, and became a box office success. Vicky Cristina Barcelona won Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy at the Golden Globe awards. Cruz received the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress . In April 2008 he began filming Whatever Works , a film aimed more toward older audiences, starring Larry David , Patricia Clarkson , and Evan Rachel Wood . Released in 2009 and described as
5750-611: The Academy Award for Best Actress . Allen co-starred with John Turturro in Fading Gigolo , written and directed by Turturro, which premiered in September 2013. Also in 2013, Allen shot the romantic comedy Magic in the Moonlight with Emma Stone and Colin Firth in Nice, France. The film is set in the 1920s on the French Riviera . It was a modest financial success, earning $ 51 million on
5865-646: The BAFTA Fellowship in 1997, an Honorary Palme d'Or in 2002, and the Golden Globe Cecil B. DeMille Award in 2014. Two of his films have been inducted into the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress . Allen began his career writing material for television in the 1950s, alongside Mel Brooks , Carl Reiner , Larry Gelbart , and Neil Simon . He also published several books of short stories and wrote humor pieces for The New Yorker . In
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#17328476042035980-722: The COVID-19 pandemic . The Australian Entertainment Mo Awards (commonly known informally as the Mo Awards ), were annual Australian entertainment industry awards. They recognise achievements in live entertainment in Australia from 1975 to 2016. The Whitlams won one award in that time. The Triple J Hottest 100 is an annual music listener poll hosted by the publicly-funded, national Australian youth radio station, Triple J . Triple J Hottest 100 Triple J Hottest 100 of All Time General Specific Woody Allen Heywood Allen (born Allan Stewart Konigsberg ; November 30, 1935)
6095-637: The Film Society at Lincoln Center to one of his comedy idols, Bob Hope , who said of the honor: "It's great to have your past spring up in front of your eyes, especially when it's done by Woody Allen, because he's a near genius. Not a whole genius, but a near genius". With Manhattan (1979), Allen directed a comic homage to New York City , focused on the complicated relationship between middle-aged Isaac Davis (Allen) and 17-year-old Tracy ( Mariel Hemingway ), co-starring Keaton and Meryl Streep . Keaton, who has made eight movies with Allen, has said, "He just has
6210-590: The Sandringham Hotel, Newtown . Australian music critic, Ed Nimmervoll , felt that they were "a sideline band formed by two Sydney songwriters in search of a bit of extra action." In December 1992 they played a gig in Canberra supporting the Gadflys. This line-up released their debut album, Introducing the Whitlams , in August 1993 on Black Yak/ Phantom Records . The album was recorded in January and March 1993 at
6325-559: The Afternoon " (July 2003, No. 66) and their cover version of Icehouse 's " Don't Believe Anymore " (February, No. 47). Another track on the album, "I Will not Go Quietly (Duffy's Song)", had been written and performed by Freedman for the Australian TV series, Love Is a Four Letter Word , "Episode 21: Oval" (June 2001). The band's sixth studio album, Little Cloud (consisting of two CDs: Little Cloud and The Apple's Eye ),
6440-504: The Badloves ) on guitar and Terepai Richmond ( dig , Tina Arena ) on drums. The producers were Denholm and Atomica. Clayton Bolger of AllMusic described the "strong album from a promising lineup" which "only falls when the band significantly stray from their classic rock/pop sound." It provided the singles " Fall for You " (June 2002, which became their equal highest single at No. 21), " Best Work " (September, No. 35), " Royal in
6555-528: The Desert . The group recorded their second album, Undeniably the Whitlams , from April to May 1994 at the 48V Studio in Sydney, with Taylor and Freedman co-producing. The songwriting for the album was shared between Freedman and Plunder, with significant contributions by Lewis. It was released by Black Yak/Phantom in February 1995 and sold approximately 8,000 copies. Ahead of the album, in October 1994, they issued
6670-459: The First Lady of France at the time of production. The film follows a young engaged couple in Paris who see their lives transformed. It debuted at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival on May 12, 2011. Allen said he wanted to "show the city emotionally" during the press conference. "I just wanted it to be the way I saw Paris—Paris through my eyes", he said. The film was almost universally praised, receiving
6785-526: The Golden Globes, his first Globe nominations since 1987. In a 2006 interview with Premiere Magazine he said it was the best film he had ever made. Allen reached an agreement to film Vicky Cristina Barcelona in Avilés , Barcelona, and Oviedo , Spain, where shooting started on July 9, 2007. The movie featured Scarlett Johansson , Javier Bardem , Rebecca Hall and Penélope Cruz . The film premiered at
6900-467: The Harbourside Brasserie in mid-1994 and at Goosens Hall on 30 July 1995 (part of national radio station Triple J 's 'Real Appeal' broadcast), with the earlier three-piece line-up of Freedman, Lewis and Plunder. The Whitlams recorded their third album, Eternal Nightcap , with Freedman and Taylor co-producing. Freedman "chose musicians to fit each song, rather than have the same band through
7015-537: The Isaac Asimov School for Science and Literature, and then Midwood High School , from which he graduated in 1953. Unlike his comic persona, he was more interested in baseball than school and was picked first for teams. He impressed students with his talent for cards and magic tricks . At age 17, he legally changed his name to Heywood Allen and later began to call himself Woody. According to Allen, his first published joke read: "Woody Allen says he ate at
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#17328476042037130-449: The Moon (July 2002, No. 1) and Little Cloud (March 2006, No. 4). Their highest charting singles are " Blow Up the Pokies " (May 2000) and " Fall for You " (June 2002) – both reached number 21. The group's single, " No Aphrodisiac " was listed at number one on the Triple J Hottest 100, 1997 by listeners of national radio station, Triple J . In January 1996 Stevie Plunder
7245-428: The Moon , the Whitlams' fifth studio album, was released in July 2002, which debuted at No. 1. ARIA Reported that the group are "one of the great underdog success stories of recent Aussie rock history, [they] have immortalized themselves, by becoming the latest Australian act to debut at # 1." For the album the line-up were Freedman with Warwick Hornby on bass guitar (ex-Max Sharam, Paul Mac ), Jak Housden (ex-
7360-489: The Mundaring Weir Hotel To celebrate the 25th anniversary of the band, the Whitlams performed six shows with the symphony orchestras of each capital city in Australia for an Anniversary tour. Taking place in April and May 2017, the tour visited Brisbane, Melbourne, Sydney, Perth, Canberra and Adelaide. In each city, they were backed by a 50-piece orchestra using performers from each city. Tim Freedman said that "It
7475-489: The Pokies" as detailing the "infiltration of gambling machines into suburban bars and clubs." Nimmervoll described how the album "was again recorded in a number of studios, with a changed line-up, leaning on the same and new songwriting collaborations. It couldn't match the emotional charge that came with Eternal Nightcap but did enough to ensure The Whitlams' survival." Former founding member, Andy Lewis committed suicide in Sydney in February 2000. A month after Lewis' death
7590-558: The Skyhigh Studios in Newcastle ; for the recording sessions they used Louis Burdett and Nick Cecire on drums, with Rob Taylor producing. The album features a mix of original and cover songs, including tracks written by Justin Hayes a.k.a. Stanley Claret (Plunder's brother). The album comprises three studio tracks, five live takes and two songs from their first demo, including a tribute song to
7705-629: The U.S. It is the only complete standup show of Allen's on film. The same year, Allen, along with Nichols and May , Barbra Streisand, Carol Channing , Harry Belafonte , Julie Andrews , Carol Burnett , and Alfred Hitchcock , took part in Lyndon B. Johnson 's inaugural gala in Washington, D.C., on January 18, 1965. First Lady Lady Bird Johnson described Allen and the event in her published diary, A White House Diary , writing in part, "Woody Allen, that forlorn, undernourished little comedian, stopped shooting
7820-618: The U.S. from Austria and Panevėžys , Lithuania . They spoke German , Hebrew , and Yiddish . He and his younger sister, film producer Letty Aronson , were raised in Brooklyn 's Midwood neighborhood. Both their parents were born and raised on the Lower East Side of Manhattan . Allen's parents did not get along, and he had an estranged relationship with his mother. He spoke German in his early years. While attending Hebrew school for eight years, he also attended Public School 99, now
7935-529: The album include " You Sound Like Louis Burdett " (May 1997), " Melbourne " (January 1998) and " No Aphrodisiac " (February). "No Aphrodisiac" was released independently by Freedman's own label, had no film clip, no commercial radio airplay and no marketing budget however it reached the top 60 on the ARIA Singles Chart, and top 50 in New Zealand . "No Aphrodisiac" sold more than 80,000 copies and
8050-497: The album was written by singer/songwriter Tim Freedman whilst he lived for several months in New York. Disc One: Little Cloud Disc Two: The Apple's Eye Shipments figures based on certification alone. The Whitlams The Whitlams are an Australian Indie rock band formed in late 1992. The original line-up was Tim Freedman on keyboards and lead vocals, Andy Lewis on double bass and Stevie Plunder on guitar and lead vocals. Other than mainstay Freedman,
8165-438: The band after the former Prime Minister of Australia , Gough Whitlam , although Plunder had sought to call themselves, 'The Three Nice Boys'. According to Freedman "I loved the family names—the Smiths, the Reivers. I thought, the Whitlams, no-one's done that. I'll be able to steal all the goodwill that Australia holds in reserve for Gough Whitlam." Initially, without a drummer, the band developed their material acoustically at
8280-407: The band live for the first time this September at The Enmore Theatre. Look for him in the stalls. Thanks for all the good times Waz, and for all the memories from London to Montreal, and New York to Broome. In May 2023, the band announced a national tour for October that saw them focus on the early years of The Whitlams' material, between 1993 and 1997. To replicate the sound of these albums, the band
8395-429: The band's namesake, "Gough", which was written by Freedman. The lead single, "Woody", detailed Woody Allen 's break up with Mia Farrow and was followed by their second single, "Gough". Plunder described their sound to Naomi Mapstone of The Canberra Times , "There'd been lots of rap and lots of thrash and that's all very good, but we just have a different style of music and I think people appreciated hearing something
8510-501: The band's seventh album, Sancho , which was released on 28 January 2022. A further four singles were released from the album: "Man About a Dog", "(You're Making Me Feel Like I'm) 50 Again", "Cambridge Three" and "Nobody Knows I Love You". In April 2022, Freedman launched a country music off-shoot of the band, billed as The Whitlams Black Stump Band. The band is composed of Freedman, Richmond, banjo player Rod McCormack, pedal steel player Ollie Thorpe and bassist Matt Fell. Freedman began
8625-524: The classroom. He later taught at The New School and studied with writing teacher Lajos Egri . Note: For a list of Allen's films, see Woody Allen filmography . Allen began writing short jokes when he was 15, and the next year began offering them to various Broadway writers for sale. One of them, Abe Burrows , co-author of Guys and Dolls , wrote, "Wow! His stuff was dazzling." Burrows wrote Allen letters of introduction to Sid Caesar , Phil Silvers , and Peter Lind Hayes , who immediately sent Allen
8740-400: The closing night selection at the 55th New York Film Festival on October 15, 2017, and was theatrically released on December 1, 2017, as the first movie self-distributed to theaters by Amazon Studios . The film received mixed reviews, with critics praising Winslet's leading performance. Owen Gleiberman of Variety wrote, " Wonder Wheel isn't a comedy—on the contrary, it often feels like
8855-489: The day as Bob Dylan and Barbra Streisand . Comedian Milton Berle claims to have suggested to Allen to go into standup comedy and even introduced him at the Village Vanguard . Comedy historian Gerald Nachman writes, "He helped turn it into biting, brutally honest satirical commentary on the cultural and psychological tenor of the times." Allen's new manager, Jack Rollins , suggested he perform his written jokes as
8970-471: The early 1960s, he performed as a stand-up comedian in Greenwich Village , where he developed a monologue style (rather than traditional jokes) and the persona of an insecure, intellectual, fretful nebbish . During this time, he released three comedy albums, earning a Grammy Award for Best Comedy Album nomination for the self-titled Woody Allen (1964). After writing, directing, and starring in
9085-563: The evening". During this decade Allen also starred in the television film The Sunshine Boys (1995), based on the Neil Simon play of the same name , and made a sitcom "appearance" via telephone in a 1997 episode, "My Dinner with Woody", of Just Shoot Me! that paid tribute to several of his films. He provided the voice of Z in DreamWorks ' first animated film, Antz (1998), which featured many actors he had worked with; Allen's character
9200-540: The fact that the audience was too dumb to realize what they were getting." It was his subdued stage presence that eventually became one of Allen's strongest traits, Nachman argues: "The utter absence of showbiz veneer and shtick was the best shtick any comedian had ever devised. This uneasy onstage naturalness became a trademark." Allen brought innovation to the comedy monologue genre. Allen first appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson on November 1, 1963, and over nine years his guest appearances included 17 in
9315-430: The film a mixed review, praising Stone's performance but calling the film "disconcertingly impersonal—all the more so as it overtly carries certain traditional marks of his patented brand, being a light-highbrow comedy of manners, peppered with bookish in-jokes." On January 14, 2015, Amazon Studios announced a full-season order for a half-hour Amazon Prime Instant Video series that Allen would write and direct, marking
9430-412: The film such as Shelley Duvall , Paul Simon , Carol Kane , Colleen Dewhurst , and Christopher Walken . In an interview with journalist Katie Couric , Keaton did not deny that Allen wrote the part for and about her. The film won four Academy Awards , including Best Picture , Best Actress in a Leading Role for Keaton, Best Original Screenplay , and Best Director for Allen. It was ranked 35th on
9545-819: The first of four screenplays co-written by Allen and Marshall Brickman . Allen collaborated again with Keaton in the comedy Love and Death (1975), set during the Napoleonic era and a satire of Russian literature and film. At the time of its release, Vincent Canby of The New York Times called the film Allen's "grandest work". In 1976, Allen starred as cashier Howard Prince in the Hollywood blacklist comedy-drama The Front , directed by Martin Ritt and co-starring Zero Mostel . I don't like meeting heroes. There's nobody I want to meet and nobody I want to work with—I'd rather work with Diane Keaton than anyone—she's absolutely great,
9660-412: The first time he has developed a television show. Allen said of the series, "I don't know how I got into this. I have no ideas and I'm not sure where to begin. My guess is that Roy Price [the head of Amazon Studios] will regret this." At the 2015 Cannes Film Festival , Allen said of his upcoming Amazon show: "It was a catastrophic mistake. I don't know what I'm doing. I'm floundering. I expect this to be
9775-402: The group performed on TV programs including Nine's Footy Show (NRL), Seven's Sunrise and The Morning Show . The Whitlams performed with the Sydney Symphony in 2009 to celebrate the 12th anniversary of the release of their breakthrough album, Eternal Nightcap . From 2011 to 2013 the Whitlams were on hiatus. On 11 November 2011 (the anniversary of Gough Whitlam's dismissal), Freedman released
9890-483: The host's chair. He subsequently released three LP albums of live nightclub recordings: the self-titled Woody Allen (1964), Volume 2 (1965), and The Third Woody Allen Album (1968), recorded at a fund-raiser for Senator Eugene McCarthy 's presidential run. In 1965, Allen filmed a half-hour standup special in England for Granada Television , titled The Woody Allen Show in the U.K. and Woody Allen: Standup Comic in
10005-411: The line-up has changed numerous times. From 2001 to 2022, he was joined by Warwick Hornby on bass guitar, Jak Housden on guitar and Terepai Richmond on drums – forming the band's longest-lasting and best-known line-up. Four of their studio albums have reached the ARIA Albums Chart top 20: Eternal Nightcap (September 1997, No. 14), Love This City (November 1999, No. 3), Torch
10120-466: The little-liked Melinda and Melinda , Roger Ebert wrote, "I cannot escape the suspicion that if Woody had never made a previous film, if each new one was Woody's Sundance debut, it would get a better reception. His reputation is not a dead shark but an albatross, which with admirable economy Allen has arranged for the critics to carry around their own necks." "In the United States things have changed
10235-446: The most earnest kitchen-sink drama that Clifford Odets never wrote. It may or may not turn out to be an awards picture, but it's a good night out, and that's not nothing." In 2017, Allen received a standing ovation when he made a rare public appearance at the 45th Annual Life Achievement Tribute award ceremony for Diane Keaton . Before presenting her with the award he spoke about their longtime collaboration and friendship, saying, "From
10350-481: The project after discovering that "Man About a Dog" had been added to country radio. A new version of "No Aphrodisiac" by the Black Stump Band was released in July. In June 2022, the band announced a 25th anniversary tour for Eternal Nightcap . With the announcement came the band's first line-up change since 2001: the departure of bassist Warwick Hornby, who was replaced by Sancho session bassist Ian Peres. In
10465-420: The ropes and I followed his lead. He is the most disciplined person I know. He works very hard". In 1969, Allen directed, starred in, and co-wrote with Mickey Rose the mockumentary crime comedy Take the Money and Run , in which he plays the low-level thief Virgil Starkwell. The film received positive reviews; critic Vincent Canby of The New York Times wrote, "Allen has made a movie that is, in effect,
10580-477: The show, calling him "one of the finest young talents in show business and a great delight". Life magazine put Allen on the cover of its March 21, 1969, issue. Allen's first movie was the Charles K. Feldman production What's New Pussycat? (1965) Allen was disappointed with the final product, which led him to direct every film he wrote thereafter except Play It Again, Sam . Allen's first directorial effort
10695-585: The showbiz comedy involving mobsters Bullets Over Broadway (1994), which earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Director, followed by a musical, Everyone Says I Love You (1996). The singing and dancing scenes in Everyone Says I Love You are similar to musicals starring Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers . The comedy Mighty Aphrodite (1995), in which Greek drama plays a large role, won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for Mira Sorvino . Allen's 1999 jazz-based comedy-drama Sweet and Lowdown
10810-550: The songs on the album have been released as radio-only singles, with a fourth, " Beautiful as You ", released as a CD single. The album was followed up with almost non-stop touring around Australia, including performances at political and university events. Freedman released Little Cloud outside Australia under his own name. The band made the news in September 2006 when, for political reasons, Freedman refused to perform to troops in Iraq , he told Peter Holmes of The Sunday Telegraph , "I
10925-454: The time he was working for Caesar, he was earning $ 1,500 a week. He worked alongside Mel Brooks , Carl Reiner , Larry Gelbart , and Neil Simon . He also worked with Danny Simon , whom Allen credits for helping form his writing style. In 2021, Brooks said of working with Allen, "Woody was so young then. I was about 24 when I started, but Woody must have been 19, but so wise, so smart. He had this tricky little mind and he'd surprise you, which
11040-415: The tradition of New Yorker humorists S. J. Perelman , George S. Kaufman , Robert Benchley , and Max Shulman , whose material he modernized. His collections of short pieces include Getting Even , Without Feathers , Side Effects , and Mere Anarchy . In 2010 Allen released audio versions of his books in which he read 73 selections entitled, The Woody Allen Collection . He was nominated for
11155-571: The whole album." The album was recorded on an extremely limited budget of $ 18,000. In a later interview Freedman reflects "The band became a revolving door because I had no money to pay anyone. I actually made the album, Eternal Nightcap , during that most difficult period, that was a really tough year in which to keep my focus and keep my head up, but it ended in September 1997 when I put the record out and it just started selling itself." Jonathan Lewis of AllMusic described it as being " full of gentle, well-crafted, piano-driven pop songs." Singles from
11270-571: Was What's Up, Tiger Lily? (1966, co-written with Mickey Rose ). That same year, Allen wrote the play Don't Drink the Water , starring Lou Jacobi , Kay Medford , Anita Gillette , and Allen's future movie co-star Tony Roberts . In 1994 Allen directed and starred in a second version for television, with Michael J. Fox and Mayim Bialik . The next play Allen wrote for Broadway was Play It Again, Sam , which opened on February 12, 1969, starring Allen, Diane Keaton and Roberts. The play received
11385-646: Was a relative financial success, grossing over $ 17 million domestically, but Allen's next four films foundered at the box office, including Allen's most costly film, The Curse of the Jade Scorpion (with a budget of $ 26 million). Hollywood Ending , Anything Else , and Melinda and Melinda have "rotten" ratings on film-review website Rotten Tomatoes and each earned less than $ 4 million domestically. Some critics claimed that Allen's early 2000s films were subpar and expressed concern that his best years were behind him. Others were less harsh; reviewing
11500-768: Was asked, and decided not to go. ... I went to East Timor and enjoyed the experience. I understand how hard the soldiers do it. In this instance, I don't agree with the war." The Whitlams performed an orchestral tour from September to November 2007, performing shows with the Sydney Symphony , the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra , the West Australian Symphony Orchestra and The Queensland Orchestra . In mid-2008 they gave away 700,000 copies of The Whitlams & The Sydney Symphony Live in Concert , as
11615-702: Was found dead at the base of Wentworth Falls . Andy Lewis died in February 2000. Tim Freedman (ex-Penguin on Safari, Olive Branch) and Anthony Hayes a.k.a. Stevie Plunder (ex- the Plunderers , New Christs ) met at the Big Day Out Sydney concert in January 1992. While missing Nirvana performing inside the arena, the two planned to form a group. The Whitlams were formed as a pop band by September that year, with Freedman on keyboards and lead vocals, Andy Lewis on double bass (also ex-The Plunderers, The Gadflys, Olive Branch) and Plunder on guitar. Freedman named
11730-473: Was found dead at the base of Wentworth Falls ; according to Nimmervoll, he was "either the victim of suicide, or of an accidental fall after a night out." The death of Plunder was the make it or break it moment for the band. After several months Freedman reformed the Whitlams with new members; another round of line-up changes occurred later in that year. In August 1996 they issued a nine-track live EP , Stupor Ego , with material recorded from performances at
11845-401: Was gaining a reputation. When given an assignment for a show, he would leave and come back the next day with "reams of paper", according to producer Max Liebman . Similarly, after he wrote for Bob Hope , Hope called him "half a genius". Dick Cavett said: "He can go to a typewriter after breakfast and sit there until the sun sets and his head is pounding, interrupting work only for coffee and
11960-547: Was joined by double bassist Scott Owen of The Living End . In February 2024, it was announced that The Whitlams Black Stump Band had changed its name to The Whitlams Black Stump, and would release the album Kookaburra in March 2024. The APRA Awards are held in Australia and New Zealand by the Australasian Performing Right Association to recognise songwriting skills, sales and airplay performance by its members annually. The ARIA Music Awards
12075-526: Was listed at number one in the Triple J Hottest 100, 1997 . The success of the single translated into sales of over 200,000 copies of the album, with it peaking at No. 14 on the ARIA Albums Chart in February 1998. At the ARIA Music Awards of 1998 The Whitlams won Best Independent Release (for Eternal Nightcap ), Song of the Year (for "No Aphrodisiac") and Best Group . The 'Best Group' award
12190-573: Was nominated for two Academy Awards, for Sean Penn (Best Actor) and Samantha Morton (Best Supporting Actress). In contrast to these lighter movies, Allen veered into darker satire toward the end of the decade with Deconstructing Harry (1997) and Celebrity (1998). On March 8, 1995, Allen's one-act play Central Park West opened off-Broadway as a part of a larger piece titled Death Defying Acts , with two other one-act plays, one by David Mamet and one by Elaine May . Critics described Allen's contribution as "the longest and most substantial of
12305-516: Was played – it is a B-side from their 1995 single, "I Make Hamburgers". The track was reworked as "You Gotta Love This City" on Love This City . Its choice for the Sydney Olympics is an irony , as the song's protagonist commits suicide by jumping in the Harbour at the end of the song, disgusted at the city's crass pursuit of money: It dawns on him / The horror / We got the Olympic Games . Torch
12420-585: Was presented by Gough Whitlam, who announced the winners as "It's my family". At the conclusion of the ARIA Awards ceremony the Whitlams performed a cover of the Skyhooks ' " Women in Uniform ", this was subsequently released in March 1999 as a limited edition single. In mid-1999 the group signed a distribution deal with Warner Music Australasia , and toured Canada. The group's fourth studio album, Love This City ,
12535-511: Was recorded in Sydney and Memphis (a reflection of the considerably larger budget that Freedman had to work with). The three singles from the album " Thank You (For Loving Me at My Worst) " (January 2000), " Blow Up the Pokies " (May) and " Made Me Hard " (September 2001) all charted in the top 100 singles charts in Australia. "Blow Up the Pokies" was their highest charting single – it peaked at No. 21. AllMusic's Jonathan Lewis compared Love This City to their previous album, "this disc
12650-578: Was released in November 1999, which peaked at No. 3 on the ARIA Albums Chart. It was recorded with the line-up of Freedman with Ben Fink on guitar, Bill Heckenberg on drums and Cottco Lovett on bass guitar, together with a large cast of guest musicians including Marcia Hines , Jackie Orszaczky , Chris Abrahams , Garry Gary Beers and members of Machine Gun Fellatio . The album had four producers: Freedman, Taylor, Daniel Denholm and Joe Hardy and
12765-530: Was released on 19 March 2006 in Australia, which peaked at No. 4. Ian Hockley of Beyond the Pale website described the "return to basics with few overdubs and often just a voice and piano base" where the first disc "deals with John Howard's re-election and the bleak feelings that event engendered" and the second one "is more hopeful and life-affirming with bigger, more elaborate productions." Several tracks received considerable airplay, including "I Was Alive". Three of
12880-560: Was released theatrically in the U.S. on September 23, 2010, following a Cannes debut in May 2010, and a screening at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 12, 2010. Allen announced that his next film would be titled Midnight in Paris , starring Owen Wilson , Marion Cotillard , Rachel McAdams , Michael Sheen , Corey Stoll , Allison Pill , Tom Hiddleston , Adrien Brody , Kathy Bates , and Carla Bruni ,
12995-492: Was set to co-star, but was replaced by Steve Carell during filming. The film is distributed by Amazon Studios , and opened the 2016 Cannes Film Festival on May 11, 2016, the third time Allen has opened the festival. Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian gave the film a positive review, writing, "The film looks ravishing, with shots of New York which recall images in Allen's great work, Manhattan, but however wonderfully composed, there
13110-447: Was similar to his earlier roles. Small Time Crooks (2000) was Allen's first film with the DreamWorks studio and represented a change in direction: he began giving more interviews and made an attempt to return to his slapstick roots. The film is similar to the 1942 film Larceny, Inc. (from a play by S. J. Perelman). Allen never commented on whether this was deliberate or if his film was in any way inspired by it. Small Time Crooks
13225-527: Was the first time she met him. In 2013, Keaton said that she "fell in love with him right away", adding, "I wanted to be his girlfriend so I did something about it." For her performance she was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play . After co-starring alongside Allen in the subsequent film version of Play It Again, Sam , she acted in seven more of his films. including Sleeper , Love and Death , Annie Hall , Interiors , and Manhattan . Keaton said of their collaboration: "He showed me
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