Author/Actor Sam Shepard Dies at 73

LOS ANGELES - Pulitzer Prize-winning author and actor Sam Shepard, has died. He was 73.

He died at his home in Kentucky on Thursday, July 27, due to complications of ALS, or Lou Gehrig's disease, according to a statement issued by family spokesman, Chris Boneau. It had not been previously disclosed that Shepard suffered from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

Shepard was the author of 44 plays along with several books of short stories, essays, and memoirs. He received the Pulitzer Prize for Drama for his play “Buried Child” in 1979. He earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal of pilot Chuck Yeager in The Right Stuff (1983). Shepard was the recipient of the PEN/Laura Pels International Foundation for Theater Award as a master American dramatist in 2009. New York magazine described him as "the greatest American playwright of his generation."

Shepard's plays are known for their bleak, poetic, oftentimes surrealist elements, dark humor, and for characters living on the edge of American society. His style evolved over the years, from the absurdism of his early Off-Off-Broadway work to the realism of “Buried Child” and “Curse of the Starving Class” which were published in 1978.

Pop singer Janvi Anand Debuts her First Album, 'Faces of Love'

LOS ANGELES, Calif.  – Pop singer/songwriter Janvi Anand is debuting her first album “Faces of Love."

“The album is like a love child of the various relationships I have seen around me,” Anand said. “It’s inspired by all those love stories we have shared with each other and/or seen each other go through. They are stories which are as real as they can exist. I can guarantee that everyone who hears the album would at least be able to resonate with one song. We all have gone through it in some form or the other.”

To download the album or individual songs, visit https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/faces-of-love/id1212347499.  

The album features “Girl on a Train,” which tells of the organic process of a relationship from the highs and lows and even the delusional aspects of being together. For the music video for “Girl on a Train,” visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ripZVNeQK0I.

A native of India, Anand is following up on the success of her debut EP “Inside Pages,” which was released in October 2015 to much acclaim. The new album features 11 songs that include “Lose Myself in You,” “Wish You Goodnight,” “Perfectly Imperfect,” the title track “Faces of Love,” and others.

Musically inclined from early on, Anand took up the piano at age 5 and guitar at 12 with the encouragement of her family which recognized her talent even then. She would grow as a musician while attending Gargi College in New Delhi where she connected with other musicians. But a solo career was in the cards for Anand as she moved to the U.S. and studied at Musicians Institute in Los Angeles where she became a standout guitarist and songwriter.

Anand soon began booking appearances at clubs throughout Los Angeles, becoming a crowd favorite thanks to her soulful, jazzy sound. With a growing following after her successful EP release, the young artist is poised to grow her star even further with the “Faces of Love” album.

“Janvi is a tremendously talented and accomplished young singer-songwriter with her own unique, yet accessible material and cross-genre appeal,” said Carl Byron, Instructor, Musicians Institute Hollywood.

Nick McLoughlin Joins Cast of 'Dmacina'

LOS ANGELES, Calif.  – Actor Nick McLoughlin has joined the cast of the upcoming science fiction series “Dmacina” from filmmaker Alex Pucci.

“I’m extremely grateful to be a part of this amazing series, spearheaded by Mr. Alex Pucci,” McLoughlin said. “I’ve always had a fascination for science fictions complex characters that demand a lot from you and take you to a place that challenge you as an artist”

McLoughlin portrays Cameron, the founder of Dmacina, a company that builds life-like robots that are meant to serve humans to eliminate people’s propensity for aggression and violence. However Cameron’s business partner Nathan (Jeremy Sless) discovers a dark secret about the androids’; and in turn puts the partnership and the fate of the human race in the balance.

The series is the newest for Pucci who is known for such films as “Violence of the Mind,” (2013), “Indiscretion” (2013), “Frat House Massacre,” (2008) and many others. 

“After the extensive audition process, we finally found the perfect choice for the leading role of the founder in Nick,” Pucci said. “I’m excited to see what he can bring to the franchise and some preliminary filming has already proved our investment in him is an invaluable one! Here’s to ‘Dmacina.’”

McLoughlin comes to the series after completing leading roles in the drama “Comfort” directed by 2 time Academy Award Nominee, Stephane Ceretti, the award winning comedy “A Stephen Corwin Rockumentary”  (If you’re a fan of Steve Irwin, check this one out) & upcoming thriller “WTF” from director Peter Herro (“O Come All Ye Faithful”).

“I usually portray the romantic lead or comedic characters, so this is the other side of the coin where I’m going to be playing a darker character that people don’t really understand, and that’s enticing” he said. “It’s a challenging role with a lot of complexity that taps into the very nature of what makes us humans tick”. “It’s going to be artistically fulfilling, portraying someone like him after playing the ‘good’ guy all the time!”

The New Zealand native has appeared in the web series “The S(eries)” and the films “Hello I’m Famous” and “Pigeonholed.”  He would also earn accolades for his leading performance in the play “The One With Friends” A play designed to destigmatize depression through the use of art, which was staged in Los Angeles and New York before sold out crowds.