Photo: KoolShooters

Is Ryan Gosling good at piano?

Ryan Gosling plays piano — no finger doubles Gosling spent four months learning how to play the piano every day to get to a level that would make his jazz musician character Sebastian convincing.

cbc.ca - 5 things to know about La La Land from Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone

What are some appropriate songs for school 2021?

The Big List of School-Appropriate Songs To Keep Everyone Pumped Up and Motivated Better When I'm Dancin' by Meghan Trainor. OK OK by HOKO. Three...

Last updated Jun 23, 2021

What key is 7 sharps?

C♯ major (seven sharps) is usually written as D♭ major (five flats) and C♭ major is usually written as B major.

Last updated Jul 1, 2021

Join almost HALF A MILLION Happy Students Worldwide

Promotion

The magic behind the musical La La Land, starring a singing and dancing Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling, might appear effortless, but didn't come easily. These behind-the-scenes stories from the stars of the film as well its director, Damien Chazelle, and musician John Legend in his first feature role will make you see why critics and audiences are singing its praises.

Gosling's true audition story made it into script

As an aspiring actor (and barista) trying to make it in Hollywood, Stone's character Mia goes through multiple auditions in the film, including one where the casting director takes a phone call midway through her tearful performance. Turns out, that actually happened to Gosling, who's from Ontario, early in his career. "He told the story to Damien [Chazelle] and Damien put it in the movie," Emma Stone, who previously starred alongside the Canadian in Crazy, Stupid, Love and Gangster Squad, told CBC News in Los Angeles. "But it's not just specific to me," Gosling, seated next to her, replied. "I think you're the only person that's ever happened to, in all fairness," Stone joked. Emma Stone teases Ryan Gosling about an audition Duration 0:46 The stars of La La Land say one of the Canadian actor's actual auditions made it into the script

2 days of closed freeway, 6 minutes of joy

Chazelle said the cast and crew had two days to film the sweeping opening number after the city allowed a freeway ramp in Los Angeles to be shut down for one weekend. In the six-minute scene, cars are bumper-to-bumper before a sunny song-and-dance begins to juxtapose the beauty of Los Angeles with the inherent disappointments it presents for artists. "It was tough," Chazelle said during an interview in Los Angeles with CBC News. "We filled it front to back with cars and dancers — a hundred dancers." In the film's opening scene, dozens of dancers break out into song for a major number that was shot on an L.A. freeway ramp. (Dale Robinette/Lionsgate)

Is classical music good for math?

Classical music and Math Classical music has since been proven to help improve our spatial-temporal skills which are the same skills we use in...

Last updated Sep 8, 2022

What is the best blues tuning?

Both the blues and folk genres have leaned on open G tuning to deliver a rich, soulful sound. Classic rock (and even modern rock with classic rock...

Last updated Jan 23, 2018

Promotion

He said the biggest variables in getting the bright and exuberant scene right and done quickly had little to do with the performance itself, which had been rehearsed numerous times in advance. The larger battle was with the heat, wind, cloud cover, and unpredictable complications, including a truck door integral to the shot that became jammed. "All these little or big things seem to go wrong. That was the challenge, was kind of sustaining it within that real environment that's a little bit chaotic." La La Land director Damien Chazelle on shutting down an L.A. freeway Duration 0:45 Chazelle tells CBC's Zulekha Nathoo what it took to coordinate a sweeping opening scene in minimal time

Ryan Gosling plays piano — no finger doubles

Gosling spent four months learning how to play the piano every day to get to a level that would make his jazz musician character Sebastian convincing. Have you played before? Cuz you can't be this good right away. - John Legend on Ryan Gosling's piano skills The film was shot with many long takes, so if you think there was room for CG manipulation or a pianist look-alike, think again. "There's no hand replacements," said Chazelle, who also directed Whiplash. "There's no piano double at all in any shot of the movie." Director Damien Chazelle (standing) says Ryan Gosling spent four months practicing piano every day to prepare for his role as a talented jazz musician. (Dale Robinette/Lionsgate)

Even Legend did a double take.

"I was like, 'Have you played before?'" Legend joked. "Cuz you can't be this good right away." John Legend and Damien Chazelle tell CBC's Zulekha Nathoo about Ryan Gosling's piano skills Duration 0:58 Legend, who has his first feature film role in La La Land, describes his awe at Gosling's quick learning; Chazelle explains how much preparation went into the production

John Legend takes on acting ... and the guitar

What is a good IQ?

The number actually represents how your results compare to those of other people your age. A score of 116 or more is considered above average. A...

Last updated Sep 4, 2019

What key is capo 5?

C Major How To Use A Capo On The Guitar - Best Uses Of A Guitar Capo. Key Capo Position Perceived Key F Major 5th Fret C Major 8th Fret A Major Gb...

Last updated Jul 11, 2019

Promotion

Legend might have learned to play piano at age four, but had to take up the guitar to play Keith, a musical frenemy who invites Sebastian to play in his successful band. Keith's progressive approach clashes with Sebastian's traditional view of jazz. "There's also plenty of artists that believe it's important to them to be influenced by those artists from before but to make something new," he told CBC News in Los Angeles. "That was the option I was presenting as my character." The Love Me Now singer had a guitar coach and also had to sharpen his acting skills to hold his own opposite his talented co-stars. John Legend plays a musician trying to convince Gosling's character to join his band. It's Legend's first feature film role. (Dale Robinette/Lionsgate)

Expect a La La Land tour on your next L.A. visit

OK, this is just speculation, but the film showcases the dichotomy of Hollywood's warmth, beauty, coldness and despair by using a ton of real-life locations including the famous Griffith Observatory, Hermosa beach and downtown L.A. Even Angelenos might see their city in an entirely different light. "It is definitely a movie that was made by people who definitely didn't grow up surrounded by all this," said Stone. The set locations for La La Land, which include L.A.'s Hermosa Beach, Griffith Observatory and downtown areas, are a potential tour guide's dream. (Dale Robinette/Summit Entertainment/Associated Press) And with the success this film is racking up, that in itself, is a tourism map waiting to happen.

Watch more from the interviews with Stone, Gosling, Legend and Chazelle below.

cbc.ca - 5 things to know about La La Land from Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone

What helps sound healing?

Sound healers use instruments, such as Tibetan bowls, crystal bowls, glasses, gongs and even tuning forks, that vibrate at specific frequencies...

Last updated Aug 4, 2022

Should you practice guitar every day?

It is important to practice the guitar regularly in order to improve your skills. One of the most common guitar practice tips is that you should...

Last updated May 16, 2019

Promotion

Is there an app that identifies musical notes?

NoteDetector iPhone App Developed by SwampTechApps Enables Musicians Singers and Songwriters to Identify and Record Music Notes. If you're a...

Last updated Jan 19, 2019

Promotion

Are major keys sad?

The answer is A RESOUNDING YES. One could even say a major key can sound more depressing than a minor key. Mar 2, 2022

Last updated Jan 6, 2022