celebrities today: jenny lewis american singer

Monday, February 21, 2011

jenny lewis american singer

Jennifer Diane Lewis born January 8, 1976 is an American singer-songwriter musician, and actress. She is a member and primary vocalist of the indie rock band Rilo Kiley, and has released two solo albums. She currently performs as part of the duo Jenny & Johnny with boyfriend Johnathan Rice. She was born in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Contents
* 1 Acting career
* 2 Music
o 2.1 Rilo Kiley
o 2.2 Solo career
o 2.3 Jenny and Johnny
o 2.4 Other musical projects
* 3 Filmography
* 4 Discography
o 4.1 Rilo Kiley
o 4.2 Solo
o 4.3 Jenny & Johnny
o 4.4 Other appearances
* 5 Videography
* 6 References
* 7 External links
Acting career
Lewis made her professional debut in a Jell-O commercial. She was featured in the short-lived 1986 Lucille Ball sitcom Life With Lucy, where she was cast as one of Lucy's grandchildren.She also had small roles on such TV shows as The New Twilight Zone, Baywatch, Golden Girls, Growing Pains, Just the Ten of Us, Roseanne, Mr. Belvedere, and Brooklyn Bridge.
Lewis appeared in over a dozen teen-themed movies, such as Troop Beverly Hills, and in 1989 starred in The Wizard. She was featured in the 1996 made-for-TV movie Talk to Me with Yasmine Bleeth, as well as the films Foxfire, Big Girls Don't Cry... They Get Even, and Pleasantville. She played the part of Evangeline "Eva" Saint Claire in the 1987 film version of Harriet Beecher Stowe's novel Uncle Tom's Cabin. She played Beverly D'Angelo's daughter in the 1996 made-for-tv film, Sweet Temptation. She continued acting until 1998, although the last released (Don's Plum, filmed 1995-6) was not released until 2001.
Music
Rilo Kiley
In 1998, Lewis and friends Pierre De Reeder, Blake Sennett and Dave Rock formed the band Rilo Kiley. (Rock was replaced by Jason Boesel.) In an interview with NPR's All Songs Considered, Lewis remarked that she wanted to name the group Love's Way (after her parents' lounge act in Las Vegas), but Sennett "didn't go for it."
Beginning with a country sound, Rilo Kiley gravitated toward a downbeat indie rock sound, and with its 2004 album More Adventurous found widespread success. Critics such as Pitchfork Media attributed this to the "wise" decision to emphasize Lewis's voice and presence more so than in previous albums. The song "Portions for Foxes" was a hit, and in 2005 the band was picked up by Warner Bros. (via its own imprint, Brute/Beaute Records), putting them on a major label for the first time. The band opened for Coldplay on its U.S. tour in 2005. Rilo Kiley's 2007 album Under the Blacklight was released directly by Warner Bros.
Solo career
In 2004, Conor Oberst of Bright Eyes invited Lewis to record a solo record for record label Team Love. Described by Lewis as "a kind of soul record"[citation needed], Rabbit Fur Coat (released January 24, 2006) features contributions from Oberst, M. Ward, and Maroon 5 guitarist James Valentine. Ben Gibbard of Death Cab for Cutie guests on a cover of The Traveling Wilburys' "Handle With Care." The Watson Twins provide accompaniment on the album, billed as Jenny Lewis with the Watson Twins. Lewis toured with the Watson Twins in support of the album three times in 2006 and appeared with her band on The Late Show With David Letterman, The Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson, Late Night With Conan O'Brien and Later with Jools Holland. They also appeared on a Washington, D.C.-based children's music program called Pancake Mountain, performing the song "Fernando". The album received positive reviews, with Entertainment Weekly writing, "Consider Lewis the Emmylou Harris of the Silverlake set"[citation needed] and Rolling Stone commenting that "her girlishly seductive vocals are more versatile than ever"[citation needed]. The Onion AV Club, Spin[citation needed], and NPR music critic Meredith Ochs named it among the best albums of the year.
In 2008, Lewis released a second solo album, this time without the Watson Twins, titled Acid Tongue.
Jenny and Johnny
In 2010, Jenny Lewis released the song "Scissor Runner" with her boyfriend Johnathan Rice under the moniker Jenny and Johnny. The song was made available for free download from the duo's official website, and is taken from their first studio album I'm Having Fun Now.