Free Republic

The film Queen Rock Montreal is staking its claim in the concert movie scene. With an estimated box office total of $4.1 million at global IMAX, it puts Queen and Freddie Mercury ahead of some legends of both music and the IMAX event scene. The estimated total makes this the biggest IMAX exclusive Event opening ever, surpassing similar films like Stop Making Sense, the concert film for The Talking Heads from director Jonathan Demme, as well as the iconic Beatles Get Back: The Rooftop Concert.

Suggestive 1978 hit single considered by Universal Music Group to be too raunchy Queen’s Fat Bottomed Girls has been dropped from a greatest hits compilation targeted at younger listeners. The suggestive 1978 single in praise of “dirty ladies” with fuller figures was a chart success and featured on previous selections of favourite tracks by the glam rock band. However, a new compilation of Queen hits released by Universal Music for a younger market does not feature the Fat Bottom Girls and its lyrics celebrating the beauty of a “heap big woman”. The new greatest hits album has been made available...

Among the world’s present-day religions, Zoroastrianism, founded more than 3,000 years ago, is one of the most ancient and historically influential. Yet even though its adherents maintain vibrant communities on four continents, they acknowledge their numbers are dauntingly small — perhaps 125,000 worldwide. Starting Friday, about 1,200 attendees from 16 countries will be assessing their faith’s prospects during the four-day World Zoroastrian Congress in New York City, the first one held in the United States since 2000. The agenda reflects a keen awareness of the challenges facing their religion. Prospects for growth are limited, given that Zoroastrians don’t seek to...

Freddie Mercury, perhaps one of the most eccentric, enigmatic, talented, and gifted vocalists in the 20th century, was born Farrokh Bulsara on September 5, 1946 in modern-day Tanzania. Farrokh is a popular Persian name meaning fortunate and happy. Farrokh's family followed the Zoroastrian faith, and they were the original Persians who were forced to flee from Persia to India to save their lives, culture, and religion. They left all their possessions behind and took with them their honor; their dignity; and the Avesta or Zend-avesta, the sacred book of Zoroastrianism, the teachings of the prophet Zoroaster (Zarathustra). According to his...

Bohemian Rhapsody surprised Hollywood by winning the top drama prize at the Golden Globes on Sunday night, but the film’s big honor quickly turned awkward and controversial. After cast and producers took the stage to accept the award for Best Motion Picture – Drama, producer Graham King notably didn’t mention the film’s director, Bryan Singer. Neither did star Rami Malek when he took home Best Actor in a Drama for his portrayal of Freddie Mercury. *SNIP* Singer was reportedly fired from Bohemian Rhapsody roughly two weeks before filming was completed amid reports of on-set turmoil yet retained his directing credit....

Bohemian Rhapsody is proving to be box office dynamite (with a laser beam?). Twentieth Century Fox’s foot-stomping biopic about the influential British rock band Queen is on track to sell an estimated $50 million in tickets at 4,000 theaters in the U.S. and Canada this weekend, far exceeding expectations and easily dethroning Halloween as the No. 1 film in North America. Starring Rami Malek (Mr. Robot) as Queen’s charismatic frontman, Freddie Mercury, Bohemian Rhapsody will notch the second biggest opening for a music biopic ever, behind 2015’s Straight Outta Compton ($60.2 million). Heading into the weekend, the film had been...

"One day in 1981 Bowie reunited with Queen in a recording studio in Switzerland, with the intention of doing vocals for the song “Cool Cat” . David got bored and suggested writing a new song from scratch. According to Mark Blake, author of a biography of Freddie Mercury, they began a 24 hours marathon of wine and cocaine and ended up with this musical gem. This is incredible! Back in the day when auto-tune wasn’t needed. You’d never hear this from most ‘singers’ these days."

Live Aid celebrates its official 30th anniversary today, but there’s only one star from the famous Wembley show that stands out in our minds. That’s Freddie Mercury who performed the most epic of epic sets with Queen on July 13th 1985. For a solid 25 minutes Freddie had the entire Wembley stadium on their feet, as well as 1.5 billion viewers at home, and it has gone down in history as arguably his greatest ever performance. So whether you wait until your lunch break, or stick your headphones on now, you won’t regret the time you spent watching Freddie Mercury...

Queen drummer Roger Taylor says they didn't want the movie to be "a joke." Earlier this summer, Sacha Baron Cohen left GK Film's untitled Freddie Mercury biopic over "creative differences." Now it has come to light exactly what those differences were. As it turns out, Baron Cohen actually dropped the Mercury project because the late singer's Queen bandmates didn't want the Borat star for the film.

Freddie Mercury died 20 years ago today. The Queen singer and songwriter had been secretly battling AIDS for four years, announcing that he had contracted the disease on Nov. 23, 1991, one day before he passed away of AIDS-related bronchopneumonia. He was 45. Known for his wide vocal range and unparalleled showmanship, the Zanzibar-born Mercury (nee Farrokh Bulsara) also wrote many of Queen’s biggest hits including the six-minute-long rock opus "Bohemian Rhapsody,” sports anthems "We Are the Champions" and “We Will Rock You” and throwback "Crazy Little Thing Called Love.”

LONDON (AFP) - As the guitar power in the legendary British rock band Queen, Brian May conquered most of the planet -- and now he has his sights set on mastering the universe. The star musician, who wrote hits like "We Will Rock You", "The Show Must Go On" and "Flash", has switched his plectrum for a pen and co-authored a book with two leading British astronomers, telling the story of the big bang and how the universe has evolved since. Brian May addresses the media during a photocall to launch a book entitled "Bang! The Complete History of the...

A huge beach party to honor late Queen frontman Freddie Mercury must be stopped because the Zanzibar-born rock star was gay, a Muslim leader said Thursday. Mercury, who died of AIDS in 1991, violated Islam with his flamboyant lifestyle, said Azan Khalid of Zanzibar's Association for Islamic Mobilization and Propagation. "That's why he was branded a Queen," Khalid said, adding that anything linking Mercury with Zanzibar's Muslim population would be offensive.

Senate committee sets Fannie, Freddie hearing Thu Feb 3, 2005 04:00 PM ET   WASHINGTON, Feb 3 (Reuters) - The U.S. Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee will hold a hearing on the role of mortgage funders Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac in the mortgage market on Feb. 10, the committee said on Thursday. The Senate will hear testimony from Housing and Urban Development Department Assistant Secretary John Weicher. Both the House and Senate this year will consider legislation to strengthen regulatory oversight of Fannie Mae (FNM.N: Quote, Profile, Research) and Freddie Mac (FRE.N: Quote, Profile, Research) . Fannie...

Schools will be encouraged to hold lessons exploring the achievements of gay men and women throughout history as part of the first gay history month. The project, to be held in February, will highlight the hidden history of household names who would probably today identity as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender, such as William Shakespeare, who was rumoured to be bisexual, and Florence Nightingale, who few people know was a lesbian. Other events covered during the month will include talks on the early years of gays and lesbians in British television and discussions of the history of the British LGBT...

Tehran -- Rock band Queen, fronted by outlandish gay icon Freddie Mercury, have become the first rock band to be given the official seal of approval in Iran with the release of an album of their greatest hits. Mercury, who died of AIDS in 1991, was proud of his Iranian ancestry and supposed Zoroastrian origins. Queen is one of the most popular bands in Iran, but western music is largely frowned upon in the Islamic republic, where homosexuality is considered a crime. "Authorities approved of the tunes that had a social theme, leaving out the love songs," an executive in...

AFP - Rock band Queen, fronted by outlandish gay icon Freddie Mercury, have become the first rock band to be given the official seal of approval in Iran with the release of an album of their greatest hits, a source in the company that released the album told AFP. Mercury, who died of AIDS in 1991, was proud of his Iranian ancestry and supposed Zoroastrian origins, which made Queen one of the most popular bands in Iran, but western music is largely frowned upon in the Islamic republic, where homosexuality is considered a crime. "Authorities approved of the tunes that...