JENNY LEWIS

'Jenny Lewis' (born January 8, 1976, in Las Vegas, Nevada) is an American singer, musician, and actress.
Lewis is a current member and lead singer of the alternative rock band Rilo Kiley, and has also released a solo album. She is also a former child actress.

Contents

Acting career

Music

Rilo Kiley

Other musical projects

Musical influences

Media attention

Filmography

Discography

Rilo Kiley

Solo

Videography

See also

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 ''Baywatch'', ''Golden Girls'', ''Growing Pains'', ''Roseanne'', ''Mr. Belvedere'', and ''Brooklyn Bridge''.
Lewis went on to appear in over a dozen movies, mostly teen-themed movies like ''Troop Beverly Hills'', in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
She was featured in the 1996 made-for-TV movie ''Talk to Me'' with Yasmine Bleeth, as well as the films ''Foxfire'', ''The Wizard'', and ''Pleasantville''. She continued acting until 2001.

Music

Rilo Kiley

In 1998, she and friends Pierre De Reeder, Blake Sennett and Dave Rock formed the band Rilo Kiley. (Rock was later 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."[1]
Beginning with a country sound, Rilo Kiley gravitated toward a downbeat indie rock sound, and with their 2004 album ''More Adventurous'' found widespread success. Critics such as Pitchfork Media attributed this to the "wise" decision to front Lewis on most of the songs (on earlier albums, Sennett contributed about half the vocals). The song "Portions for Foxes" was a hit, and in 2005 the band was picked up by Warner Bros. (via their own imprint, Brute/Beaute Records), putting them on a major label for the first time. They opened for Coldplay on their U.S. tour in 2005. Rilo Kiley's 2007 album, ''Under the Blacklight'' is being released directly by major label Warner Bros..

Other musical projects

In 2002, Lewis was asked to contribute some vocals for The Postal Service, whose album ''Give Up'' was an international success. Lewis performed in the video for the hit "We Will Become Silhouettes", and toured with the band in 2003. Lewis also contributed vocals to several tracks on the 2004 Cursive album ''The Ugly Organ''.
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," ''Rabbit Fur Coat'', released in January 2006, features contributions from Oberst, M. Ward, and Maroon 5 guitarist James Valentine. Ben Gibbard of Death Cab for Cutie, and Lewis's bandmate in The Postal Service, 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''. The album was met with very positive
reviews from music critics, with ''Entertainment Weekly'' writing, "Consider Lewis the Emmylou Harris of the Silverlake set" and ''Rolling Stone'' commenting that "her girlishly seductive vocals are more versatile than ever." The Onion AV Club, ''Spin'', and NPR music critic Meredith Ochs named it among the best albums of the year.[2][3]
In 2005, Lewis contributed to the UNICEF benefit song, "Do They Know It's Hallowe'en?" along with Sennett and Jimmy Tamborello.

Musical influences

In the April 2006 issue of ''Spin'', Lewis lists the "Music That Changed My Life" in a full page article, noting predominantly late 1980s and early 1990s hip hop music as important influences on her musical development. Albums such as N.W.A.'s ''Straight Outta Compton'', De La Soul's ''3 Feet High and Rising'' and Beastie Boys' ''Paul's Boutique'' are listed in the article, as well music by Too $hort, Jungle Brothers, Black Sheep, Souls of Mischief and Freestyle Fellowship. In the same article, she is quoted as saying "I'm an Eazy-E girl" showing her adoration for the deceased hip hop producer and former member of the group N.W.A.. She remembers an encounter with Freestyle Fellowship member Aceyalone, "I actually saw them in the early '90s at a Hollywood Club. I went by myself, and Aceyalone picked me out and freestyled about me. Maybe it was part of his shtick - to dis the enthusiastic but lonely white girl. I must've looked like such a poser."
In several interviews, Lewis has also credited influences such as Loretta Lynn, Dolly Parton, and Laura Nyro, particularly her album Gonna Take a Miracle. Lewis has been spotted at concerts by some of these performers as well as indie singer-songwriter Leslie Feist.

Media attention

★ Noted for her quirky clothing and red hair, Lewis has become a fashion icon in the alternative rock music world.

★ Lewis was given an "Esky" for Best Temperature Raiser in ''Esquire'''s 2006 Esky Music Awards in the April issue.

★ Lewis is a playable character in the online flash game, Emogame 2. (She was included in the game without her consent.)

★ Actress Anne Hathaway is a big fan of Lewis's music. Hathaway was quoted in ''People Magazine'' as calling Lewis' solo album "beautiful, funny, and very subversive"[4].

★ Drew Barrymore is also a big fan. Barrymore featured a Jenny Lewis song in her iTunes Celebrity Playlist, saying that ''Rabbit Fur Coat'' was "just my favorite album of 2006." Barrymore says it inspired her to write a song, which she plans to present to Lewis.[5]

★ In July 2007, she was named #4 on a list of "Women Who Rock Right Now."[6].

Filmography

★ ''Don's Plum'' (2001)

★ ''Pleasantville'' (1998)

★ ''Little Boy Blue'' (1997)

★ ''Talk to Me'' (1996/I) (TV)

★ ''Foxfire'' (1996)

★ ''Sweet Temptation'' (1996) (TV)

★ ''Runaway Daughters'' (1994) (TV)

★ ''Big Girls Don't Cry... They Get Even'' (1992)

★ ''Daddy'' (1991) (TV)

★ ''Runaway Father'' (1991) (TV)

★ ''Brooklyn Bridge'' (1991) TV Series

★ '' (1991) (TV)

★ '' (1990) (TV)

★ ''The Wizard'' (1989)

★ ''Shannon's Deal'' (1989) (TV)

★ ''Troop Beverly Hills'' (1989)

★ ''Friendship in Vienna, A'' (1988) (TV)

★ ''Baby M'' (1988) (TV)

★ ''My Father, My Son'' (1988) (TV)

★ ''Who Gets the Friends?'' (1988) (TV)

★ ''Trading Hearts'' (1987)

★ ''Uncle Tom's Cabin'' (1987) (TV)

★ ''Life with Lucy'' (1986) TV Series

★ ''Convicted'' (1986) (TV)

Discography

Rilo Kiley

Main articles: Rilo Kiley discography


★ '''Take-Offs and Landings''' (2001)

★ '''The Execution of All Things''' (2002)

★ '''More Adventurous''' (2004)

★ '''Under the Blacklight''' (2007)

Solo

Main articles: Jenny Lewis discography


★ '''Rabbit Fur Coat''' (2006) (with The Watson Twins)

Videography

★ "Rise Up with Fists!!'' (2006)

★ The Postal Service - ''We Will Become Silhouettes'' (2005, directed by Jared Hess)

See also

★ The Watson Twins

External links

★ Jenny Lewis' Official Website

★ Rilo Kiley's Official Website

★ Jenny Lewis with the Watson Twins' Official MySpace

★ RiloKiley.Net (Unofficial site)

★ Jenny Lewis Fan Site

★

★ Jenny Lewis at Tv.com