A Taste:

Miley Cyrus, The Four Tops, Aretha Franklin, The Postal Service

Kristen Bell is a classy girl.

By glancing at the Astro Boy star’s playlist, a cornucopia of MoTown favorites, it’s easy to recognize that she’s got really good taste in music. However, there is a dark side to her iPod—a VERY dark side.

“I will turn up some Miley Cyrus if it’s on in the car,” she laughs with a stunning smile. “I’m not ashamed of that either; I’m really not [Laughs].”

Cranking a little Miley Cyrus is nothing to be ashamed of. In fact, little miss Montana even encouraged Eli Roth to go apeshit for Inglourious Basterds. Even though Bell’s Astro Boy character, Cora, doesn’t bash in Nazi brains with a baseball bat, she’s still a touch cookie.

Bell continues, “I like that Cora is a little bit mysterious. She acts like a tough girl, but she has all of these young maternal instincts to keep this group of runaways together. She’s kind of like their Peter Pan!”

Bell’s a big part of Astro Boy’s modern fairy tale. In order to get into the mood to voice act, she spent a lot of time listening to some of her favorite artists—even beyond Motown and Miley.

Kristen Bell shared her playlist with ARTISTdirect.com editor and Dolor author Rick Florino for this exclusive feature. Check out what she’s spinning below and in the video, and don’t miss Astro Boy in theaters everywhere this Friday October 23.

Kristen Bell’s Playlist:

1. Clarence Carter

2. The Spinners

3. The Four Tops

4. Frankie Valli

5. Aretha Franklin

I grew up in MoTown, so I listen to a lot of Clarence Carter, The Spinners, The Four Tops, Frankie Valle or Aretha Franklin.

6. The Postal Service

I really like the Postal Service!

7. Miley Cyrus

She’s got a lot of power over us. She’s got to be respected [Laughs].

8. Jason Mraz

Most of the music I listen to is older, but I also like Jason Mraz and a lot of the easy Jack Johnson beats and coffee house music.

9. Jamiroquai

The Postal Service is good to cruise outer space to because they’ve got that intergalactic beat mixed in. However, I’m going to go High School for you—Jamiroquai. Go with the original Jamiroquia CD because that will rock you!

—Rick Florino
10.20.09

Check out Rick Florino’s new novel Dolor available now for FREE here…

A Taste:

Frank Sinatra, Tom Waits, Aretha Franklin

Music pumps through Ron Perlman’s veins, and it often influences his intense performance style.

“Music has always been a really big part of my life,” says the Mutant Chronicles star in between drags of fresh cigar. “My dad was a musician. My brother was a musician. There was music constantly playing in my house when I was a kid. If I had been a little more disciplined and a little less self-indulgent, I could’ve gone into music too. I wouldn’t practice an instrument with that kind of dedication though. I had to find a way to express myself that required no training, no practice and no real investment of time and energy [Laughs]. That happened to be acting.”

It was a good choice since Perlman’s heroes are some of the most memorable to grace the screen in recent memory. His Hellboy remains an iconic badass, and his stint on Beauty and the Beast still brandishes a heroic edge. Ron’s latest knight in shining armor, Mutant Chronicles‘ Brother Samuel, is equally meaningful for him.

He continues, “Brother Samuel is somebody who one can aspire to be like, and I really love the character. I find that one of the reasons why I’ll say, ‘Yeah, I can do this part,’ is because I’ll hear music in the writing. I did in this case. Every great writer has a phenomenal, well-honed sense of rhythm. Writers understand things in musical terms. I basically listen to music that’s going to relax me and make me go to neutral [while we’re filming]. That’s where I want to be.”

At Fangoria’s Weekend of Horrors, Ron shared his playlist with us for this exclusive feature. It’s quite expansive to say the least!

Check out what he’s spinning below and be sure to see Mutant Chronicles next Friday!

Ron Perlman’s Playlist:

1. Rachmanov

“If I’m all wound up and need to calm down, I’m going to throw in Rachmanov.”

2. Andrea Bocelli

“If I want to get into a grand genial frame of mind, I might listen to Andrea Bocelli. I’m not suggesting that I’m into classical music at all though [Laughs].”

3. Frank Sinatra

“My go-to guys are Frank Sinatra, Tom Waits, Stevie Wonder and Aretha Franklin.

4. Tom Waits

“There are a lot of people that I listen to, and all of it influences me to a degree. At the end of the day, as an actor, you’ve got to make your character real. It can’t be like a performance. The only things you have to go by are your own instinct and your own wiring. The trick is to bring what you know and what you have inside of you to this abstract place and find where it lives naturally. That’s basically what I try to do. I won’t take a part unless I think I know how to play it, because who wants to stink up a movie? That’s it for me.”

5. Stevie Wonder

6. Aretha Franklin

“The style of music depends on what mood I’m in, but I’m always listening to something.”

7. Les Miserable — Soundtrack

“I must say I’ve been listening to Les Miserables a lot since that lady sang that song on Britain’s Got Talent [Laughs]. My taste is very diverse. I love music!”

Check out photos of Ron below from Fangoria 2009 and for more of Ron click here.

Words & Photos: Rick Florino
04.19.09

Ron Perlman | by Rick Florino

Ron Perlman | by Rick Florino

Ron Perlman | by Rick Florino