NEWS
Robert De Niro has wished Billy Joel his “love and full support” on the opening night of the Tribeca Film Festival while reciting snippets of his songs.
The ‘Piano Man’ singer was due to appear at the premiere of his two-part documentary Billy Joel: And So It Goes, screened on Tribeca’s opening night yesterday (June 4). However, amid his recent diagnosis of brain disorder normal pressure hydrocephalus (NPH), Joel was absent from the premiere.
Now, Tribeca co-founders Robert De Niro and Jane Rosenthal have spoken about the legendary musician in their opening remarks. Throughout their speech, they recited lines from hits like ‘Movin’ Out’, ‘Only the Good Die Young’, ‘New York State of Mind’ and ‘You May Be Right’, with De Niro then calling Joel “the poet laureate of New York”.
“Billy wanted to be with us tonight, but as you may have heard, he’s dealing with a health issue and had to postpone his performances – including this one tonight,” Rosenthal added. “We know you’ll join us in wishing him a speedy recovery.”
De Niro continued, saying of the documentary: “He’s our piano man, a wonderful, beautiful part of the heart of our city. Tonight, you get to see the man behind the music and behind the legend. You’re in for a real treat.”
Billy Joel: And So It Goes was screened at the Beacon Theatre in New York City, and was directed by Susan Lacy and Jessica Levin.
The documentary will air on HBO this summer, and is set to explore Joel’s life and music, “exploring the love, loss and personal struggles that fuel his songwriting”. The documentary will also feature access to never-before-seen performances, home movies, and personal photographs, along with one-on-one interviews.
Lacy told the audience at the premiere that Joel “will be back” soon, adding: “He said ‘getting old sucks, but it’s still preferable to getting cremated.’”
Meanwhile, Robert De Niro has said the world has to “stand up” to “bully” Donald Trump while accepting an honorary Palme d’Or at Cannes Film Festival. He told The Guardian: “We have to stop what’s going on, it’s insane. We can’t have apathy and silence. You have to speak up and risk being harassed.”
During the festival, he also called for people to act “without violence, but with great passion and determination”, urging film fans and the audience to organise, protest, vote, and “show our strength”.
In other news, Billy Joel has insisted that “I’m not dying”.
Lewis Capaldi reportedly picked up the bill for an entire pub packed with England supporters following their dramatic World Cup win against Mexico.
The singer songwriter was spotted enjoying the match with Rita Ora at the Marlborough pub in Mayfair as the Three Lions secured a thrilling 3 to 2 victory.
Even though his home nation, Scotland, endured a disappointing tournament and were knocked out during the group stage, Capaldi still joined in the celebrations after the final whistle by treating the England fans in the pub to a round of drinks.
“Lewis bought every single person in the Marlborough a drink,” one customer told The Sun. “The bar staff were told to put every drink ordered on his tab. By the end of the night it came to almost £2,000.”
The pubgoer continued, saying it was “such a generous surprise and a genuinely lovely thing to do, especially from a Scotland fan… Lewis was an absolute legend. Not only did he buy everyone a drink, but he was also so kind to every person who came over to say hello.”
Ora also posted several videos from the lively celebrations, writing: “NOTHING beats a London pub game EVER… It’s coming home!!! The fact I woke up with my hair clips in and my hair has not moved says. Watch it till the end… trust me.”
Throughout the celebrations, Capaldi and Ora sang each other's songs before joining the rest of the crowd in celebrating England's victory by chanting, “Football’s coming home, it’s coming home…”
The celebrations come just before Capaldi headlines BST Hyde Park this weekend. The Scottish singer songwriter is set to perform at the London concert series on both Saturday, July 11, and Sunday, July 12.
Those huge outdoor performances are part of his UK and Ireland headline tour this summer, and any remaining tickets can be found here.
Capaldi recently revealed that one of the BST Hyde Park concerts will also be streamed live worldwide on YouTube.
The performance will be the biggest headline show of his career so far. Fans across the globe will be able to watch for free on YouTube without a paywall. The broadcast will feature 26 cameras capturing every moment, along with aerial footage filmed by drones.
Joining him on the July 11 BST Hyde Park lineup are The Vaccines, Absolutely, Nieve Ella, Tyler Ballgame, Kerr Mercer, NECKBREAKERS, Benjamin Steer, Luz, Sebastian Croft, and Luke La Volpe.
Meanwhile, England will face Norway in the World Cup quarter finals on the same evening as Capaldi's opening BST Hyde Park performance.
