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 Posted: Fri Nov 27, 2009 8:52 pm
Who to play Super Bowl
Nov. 27, 2009, 1:29 PM EST
Watch the Super Bowl halftime show? You better, you better, you bet.
The NFL is keeping its rock 'n' roll mojo going by recruiting The Who for Super Bowl XLIV, continuing a tradition that's lately included Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Prince, the Rolling Stones, and Paul McCartney.
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Posted: Mon Dec 07, 2009 8:01 pm
"Bad Day" Named One-Hit Wonder Of The Decade
Posted Mon Dec 7, 2009 11:08am PST
by Lindsay Robertson in Stop The Presses!
Billboard has named Daniel Powter, whose song "Bad Day" topped the Billboard charts for five weeks in 2006, the one-hit wonder of the decade. The magazine defined a one-hit wonder as any act whose second song didn't reach the top 25. To be fair, it only considered the years 2000-2007, because last year's hit-makers might still have another one up their sleeves.
Anyone old enough to remember 2006 should remember the ubiquity of "Bad Day." In addition to massive radio play, it served as the song American Idol used each week for the goodbye montage that played after a contestant was voted off the show. "Bad Day" was also popular overseas: The BBC News reported that "Bad Day" was the most-played song in the U.K. between 2003 and 2008. A cover version of the song opened the movie Alvin & The Chipmunks.
Powter, a Canadian singer-songwriter who said he has battled drugs and dyslexia in the past, took two years off after "Bad Day" made him famous. He returned last year with the album Under The Radar, which failed to mimic the success of "Bad Day."
Coming in at number 2 on Billboard's one-hit wonder list is the Terror Squad for "Lean Back"; number 3 is Crazy Town with "Butterfly"; number 4 is MIMS with "This Is Why I'm Hot"; and number 5 is D4L's "Laffy Taffy."
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Posted: Mon Dec 07, 2009 8:25 pm
Weezer cancels tour after Cuomo's bus crash injury
Dec. 6, 2009, 4:10 PM EST
GLEN, N.Y. (AP) -- Weezer has cancelled the rest of its December tour dates after lead singer Rivers Cuomo suffered minor injuries when the group's tour bus crashed travelling between concerts this weekend.
The accident occured after the group's tour bus hit some ice, skidded across the New York State Thruway, struck a guide rail and slid into a ditch, police said.
Rivers Cuomo and the band's assistant, identified as Sarah Kim, were taken to a local hospital following the accident early Sunday morning in the upstate New York town of Glen, about 40 miles west of Albany. Kim also suffered minor injuries.
Cuomo's wife and 2-year-old daughter also were on the bus when it barreled off the road, but the two were unhurt. They were traveling east to Boston, where the band was scheduled to perform on Monday.
About 7:22 a.m. the vehicle struck ice and the driver lost control, police said. The vehicle mounted the median, then swerved back across the eastbound lands, rammed a guide rail on the right shoulder and crashed into a ditch alongside the roadway, police said.
Cuomo and Kim were transported by ambulance to St. Mary's Hospital in Amsterdam, N.Y.
Patrick Wilson, the band's drummer, posted an entry about the accident on his Twitter feed hours after the crash.
"It was perfect conditions for black ice," Wilson said. "Got loose going towards the meridian, driver saves it but bus goes thru guardrail into 6ft ditch."
It was not immediately clear if Wilson was also on the bus, or whether the group would perform at its scheduled concert on Monday.
The band's official blogger and agent did not immediately respond to e-mails or phone messages requesting comment on Sunday afternoon.
Formed in Los Angeles in 1992, Weezer had a handful of hits two years later with the songs "Undone — The Sweater Song," "Buddy Holly" and "Say It Ain't So." The band released its seventh studio album, "Raditude," in November.
On Monday, a posting on Weezer's official Web site noted that they had canceled the rest of their "Raditude" tour and would try to reschedule those dates.
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Posted: Sun Dec 13, 2009 3:39 pm
'N Sync's 'No Strings' decade's most popular album
AP, Dec 11, 2009 1:00 am PST
The top album of the decade came from an act that's not even around anymore — 'N Sync.Billboard magazine says the boy band led by Justin Timberlake had the decade's best-selling album with "No Strings Attached," which sold more than 10 million copies.
The most popular song of the decade was Mariah Carey's ballad "We Belong Together."
Eminem was named the top artist of the decade, while Nickelback was named top group.
For 2009, Taylor Swift had the best-selling album with "Fearless," while the Black Eyed Peas' "Boom Boom Pow" was top song.
Billboard released those chart-toppers plus others for the decade and 2009 on its Web site on Friday.
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Posted: Sun Jan 17, 2010 6:26 pm
It's The Dixie Chicks, Minus One Chick
Posted Tue Jan 12, 2010 2:36pm PST
by Wendy Geller in Viva NashVegas
So, the word on the street today is that the Dixie Chicks--the Grammy-sweeping trio lauded for their originality in both the country and bluegrass worlds--will be releasing new music this year.
There's just one catch: One of the Chicks won't be participating. And, you can probably guess which one.
Sisters Martie Maguire and Emily Robison are working on a project together sans lead singer Natalie Maines, according to CMT. The album reportedly will released on Columbia Records, which is the Chicks' label.
CMT also reports that Lloyd Maines, Natalie's father, is saying that the trio as a whole "is definitely still an entity."
This news, of course, is pretty fascinating, given the most recent history of the Dixie Chicks. We all know the tale: Natalie Maines makes disparaging remark about then-President G.W. Bush; the country world reacts negatively (to say the least). The group becomes an unwitting symbol/talkpoint in politically divided times.
Maines gives a forced apology (which she later retracted) but then the Chicks write an album about not really being sorry. Which wins Grammy after Grammy, completely knocking out that years' formidable competition ranging from Justin Timberlake to James Blunt to Rascal Flatts. Maines singsongs "ha-ha!" while accepting awards.
Moreover, the band--whether willingly or by circumstance--ended up distancing itself from the country music world, going so far as to publicly note they'd rather not be lumped in with the Reba McEntire and Toby Keith fans. (Note: Okay, we all know Toby can be a bit of a firebrand--but what did poor Reba do?!)
We all know how it went.
And so it went. Since then, the Chicks have laid fairly low, concentrating on family life (all three have young children). News of activity from the group, if only from two members, is quite big indeed.
In fact, quite bigger for the omission of Maines. Discussion has gone back and forth amongst fans and those in the thick of Nashville gossip about what exactly was Maguire and Robison's opinion of the Bush controversy (both sisters publicly stood by Maines's remarks and the resultant fallout).
Could the sisters be having a family collab just for the pure enjoyment of it? Or, is there a deeper meaning to the omission of their longtime pal and singer?
I, for one, am wondering if it's a bit of both. If, maybe, the two are preferring a lower-key re-emergence into the spotlight.
Back when Taking The Long Way came out, a Nashville buddy of mine mentioned, "It's such a great album, and a lot of us here just wish everyone would forget the bulls--t and enjoy the music." Which I think is a valid sentiment for many Chicks fans. It was a good album, with many personal facets and emotions ranging beyond the controversial obvious. (In fact, I felt "Not Ready To Make Nice" was one of the weaker songs in the tracklisting, overall.)
There will be no escaping the endless questioning about you-know-what-and-whatnot, but perhaps leaving out Maines--who has, undoubtedly, painted herself into the catalyst corner of this entire saga--is the easiest way to get back to the basics.
Then again--it could very well be Maines herself who wishes to remain out of the spotlight for a little bit longer. As the center of the storm, she's weathered the most criticism.
But, of course--I want to know what you think. Are you looking forward to the Chicks minus Maines? Or holding out for the trio's undiluted return? Let's hear your thoughts on the matter.
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Posted: Sun Jan 24, 2010 2:36 pm
Michael Jackson Wanted To Work With Lady Gaga
Posted Wed Jan 6, 2010 4:48pm PST
by Billy Johnson, Jr. in Hip-Hop Media Training
Michael Jackson loved working with other artists. He and Lionel Richie wrote and performed "We Are The World," the song that brought together dozens of artists and raised millions to fight famine in Africa.
Throughout his career, Jackson worked on separate projects with the likes of Paul McCartney, Diana Ross, and Stevie Wonder.
But there is one artist he never had a chance to work with-Lady Gaga.
Jackson wanted to invite the "Paparazzi" singer to join him on stage during his "This Is It" tour, his former choreographer Travis Payne told RafflesEntertainment.
When Payne asked Jackson if he wanted to feature other artists in the show, the late King Of Pop loved the idea.
"Sure, they can all come as long as their schedules [permit]," Payne recalled Jackson saying.
Payne suggested Janet, Whitney Houston, Diana Ross, Mariah Carey, Missy Elliott, Usher, Justin Timberlake, Celine Dion, Sting, Seal, Bono, and Tina Turner.
Jackson was pleased with the list. But when Payne asked if there was anyone else he wanted to work with, Jackson named the 2009 breakthrough artist.
"[Michael] literally told me, 'You got to get into her,'" Payne said. "'She's good.'"
Jackson's admiration for Lady Gaga got Payne interested. "I started listening to her music more and going onto YouTube and looking at her performances, and I was like, 'You're right.'"
Ironically, in November, Payne received a call from Lady Gaga.
He initially thought getting the call was strange, but thought of his conversation with Jackson.
"I told her the story," Payne said. "Of course she got moved by it."
Payne ended up directing and choreographing Lady Gaga's performance on the American Music Awards, as well as her sets on "Ellen," "The Jay Leno Show," and "X-Factor."
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Posted: Fri Mar 12, 2010 8:13 pm
Gaga is open to same-sex relationship
March 11, 2010
Lady Gaga has fueled further rumors about her sexuality by admitting she could fall in love with another woman.
The singer recently insisted she is single and too busy to settle down, despite rumous linking her to pre-fame ex-boyfriend Matthew Williams.
Gaga has admitted in the past to being attracted to both sexes, and now admits she's open to a same-sex relationship.
She tells Now magazine, "Of course (I could fall for a woman). There are no rules or limits when it comes to love."
But she admits she will always feel a strong sexual attraction to men: "I see love as separate from sex.
"And I happen to love male sexuality. Men have something I lack, but that I really value."
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Posted: Fri Mar 12, 2010 8:14 pm
Simon names who's 'So Vain'
Feb. 26, 2010, 9:54 AM EST
WENN- Carly Simon has ended nearly 40 years of speculation by finally naming the man who inspired her hit "You're So Vain" - her target was gay record label boss David Geffen.
The song, which catapulted the singer to fame in 1972, was rumored to be about one of her ex-boyfriends, who include Hollywood legend Warren Beatty and rocker Sir Mick Jagger, but she had persistently refused to name the man behind the track.
But Simon has now revealed who was so vain by giving fans a cryptic clue in an acoustic version of the song, which features on her upcoming album "Never Been Gone."
She tells Uncut magazine, "You know what, I'm just going to tell you this. The answer is on the new version of 'You're So Vain,' on my new record 'Never Been Gone.' There's a little whisper and it's the answer to the puzzle."
The singer whispers Geffen's name backwards in the track, according to Britain's The Sun newspaper.
Geffen ran Simon's Elektra Records label at the time of the song's release and instead of being about a failed relationship, the lyrics are now thought to hint at the singer's lingering resentment after Geffen allegedly put more effort into promoting rival star Joni Mitchell.
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Posted: Sun Mar 21, 2010 8:24 pm
Katy Perry To Go Blue For Smurfette Role
Posted Sun Mar 21, 2010 2:08pm PDT
by Billy Johnson, Jr. in That's Really Week
There are only a few women in music who could take on George Lopez as Grouchy Smurf and Hank Azaria as Garamel for the 2011 theatrical adaptation of the '80s classic cartoon The Smurfs. And it's Miss "Hot N Cold" singer Katy Perry who is the lucky vixen to reprise the voice of Smurfette, Entertainment Weekly reports.
Earlier this month, Variety reported that Perry was among the personalities cast for the film, but they did not attach her name to a particular character. Considering Perry's sassy attitude in her songs "I Kissed A Girl," "Ur So Gay," and "Hot N Cold," not to mention her recent appearance as a guest judge during the audition rounds of American Idol, we can expect her to deliver a fun, likeable, and no-nonsense persona for the role.
In addition to starring alongside Lopez and Azaria, the Internet Movie Database has listed other big name cast members. Quentin Tarantino (Brainy Smurf), Neil Patrick Harris (Johan), Jayma Mays, Alan Cumming, Jonathan Winters (Papa Smurf), and Kevin James (Hefty Smurf) have also been tapped for the project.
But Perry isn't the only boisterous female pop star feeling blue this week. Lady Gaga has not been cast in Smurfs, though she's rumored to play an assassin in an upcoming Tarantino film, she ran into trouble with an ex producer and love interest who filed a $30.5 million law suit against her.
Rob Fusari, who co-wrote Gaga's songs "Paparazzi" and "Beautiful, Dirty, Rich," claims that he also gave the Grammy award winning artist her stage name and that they formed a joint venture Team Love Child LLC in May 2006, AP reports.
Fusari maintains that his cut was 20 percent and that Gaga abandoned him when her career took off.
Gaga's attorney Charles Ortner dismissed Fusari's claims in a formal response, referring to Fusari as an "unlicensed employment agent," AP added. Ortner said Fusari's agreement with Gaga was "structured in such a way as to mask its true purpose-to provide to the defendants unlawful compensation for their services as unlicensed employment agents."
In an email to AP, Fusari's lawyer, Robert S. Meloni, disputed Ortner's claims. "Fusari is a PARTNER in Team Love LLC with Gag and her father (through their company Mermaid)," Meloni wrote. "Rob was no more of an ‘agent' for her than she is a Roman Catholic nun."
Since we are on the subject of women striking back, we could not ignore Jessica Simpson's response to inappropriate comments her ex John Mayer made about her in Playboy magazine in February.
When appearing on The View to promote her VH1 reality TV series The Price Of Beauty, Simpson also reacted to Mayer's comments about thier past relationship. Simpson told Barbara Walters that she thought Mayer was stupid for breaking up with her.
When Walters asked Simpson if she had spoken to Mayer since the controversy, Simpson said no. But she added that she would not consider dating Mayer again.
Though Simpson is used to being a sex symbol, she said Mayer's comments have made her self-conscious. "I'll walk into a restaurant or something, and I notice that more men are looking at me, but I feel like they're undressing me," she said. "So, it's a little bit embarrassing."
Marie Osmond had a difficult time this week as well. Still coping with the tragic death of her 18-year-old son, Michael Bryan, Osmond canceled her shows at the Flamingo Las Vegas last week, AP reports.
Osmonds' publicist Alan Nierob told AP that Osmond needed to spend more time with her family. Barely two weeks after Bryan's Feb. 26 death, Osmond resumed her show with her brother Donny. Nierob said the show will return on Tuesday.
As for this show, That's Really Week will return next weekend.
THIS WEEK'S TOP 10 NEWS STORIES
1) Fit For A King - Jackson estate in record deal worth up to $250 mil.
2) Courtyard Hound - Lady Gaga responds to $30 million law suit.
3) Feeling Blue - Katy Perry to provide voice for Smurfette in Smurfs movie.
4) Don't Be Cruel - Jimi Hendrix tops Elvis record.
5) I Wanna Rock - ABBA, Hollies, Genesis, Iggy Pop enter Rock Hall.
6) Shining Star - Big Star front man Alex Chilton dies.
7) The Show Can't Go On - Marie Osmond cancels Las Vegas shows for the week.
cool Pay Up - Judge OKs settlement in deadly Lear jet crash.
9) Nothing But Trouble - Warrant issued for Lil Wayne in Arizona case.
10) Dropping The Bomb - Jessica Simpson talks Mayer and reality TV show.
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Posted: Sun Mar 21, 2010 8:29 pm
Week Ending March 14, 2010: Hendrix Tops Elvis
Posted Wed Mar 17, 2010 1:12pm PDT
by Paul Grein in Chart Watch
The Jimi Hendrix Experience's Valleys Of Neptune enters The Billboard 200 at #4, putting the rock legend back in the top five nearly 40 years after he died at the tragically young age of 27. No other artist has cracked the top five this long after his death. Elvis Presley is in second place. His Elvis: 2nd To None debuted at #3 in October 2003, a little more than 26 years after his death.
Hendrix is the second music legend to make the top five posthumously in the past two weeks. Johnny Cash bowed at #3 two weeks ago with American VI: Ain't No Grave. But Cash died less than seven years ago. It's more remarkable for an artist who died four decades ago to make significant chart waves.
Valleys Of Neptune is, incredibly, Hendrix's 34th posthumous album to make The Billboard 200.
Hendrix was a star for just three years, from June 1967, when he played the Monterey International Pop Festival, to September 1970, when he died in London of a drug overdose. The guitar hero had four top five albums in his lifetime. This is his third top five album since his death. It follows The Cry Of Love, which hit #3 in 1971, and Crash Landing, which reached #5 in 1975.
Four of Hendrix's catalog albums re-enter The Billboard 200 this week. 1967's Are You Experienced? bows at #44, followed by 1968's Electric Ladyland at #60, the 1997 compilation First Rays Of The New Rising Sun at #63 and 1968's Axis: Bold As Love at #67.
Experienced? first cracked The Billboard 200 on Aug. 26, 1967. It was only the 10th highest new entry of the week (!), opening at an unimpressive #190. The album took 59 weeks to reach its #5 peak in October 1968. This week's debut of Valleys Of Neptune gives Hendrix a nearly 41-1/2 year span of top five albums.
Ludacris lands his fourth #1 album with Battle Of The Sexes. It follows Chicken*N*Beer, The Red Light District and Release Therapy. This is the first rap album to top the chart since Jay-Z's The Blueprint 3 nearly six months ago. It's Ludacris' seventh top five album in a row, discounting a 2005 collabo with DTP, Ludacris Presents...Disturbing Tha Peace.
Two songs from Ludacris' album are listed in the top 20 on Hot Digital Songs. Ludacris is also featured on two big hits by other artists. He's helping out on Taio Cruz's "Break Your Heart," which holds at #1 on Hot Digital Songs, and Justin Bieber's "Baby," which hold at #7. "Break Your Heart" sold 202,000 copies this week, bringing its three-week total to 506,000.
Gorillaz's Plastic Beach debuts at #2 in both the U.S. and the U.K. The album sold 112,000 copies in the U.S. More than half of those copies (62,000) were sold digitally, making this the week's #1 Digital Album. In the U.K., the album debuts behind Boyzone's Brother.
Lady Antebellum's Need You Now dips from #1 to #3 on The Billboard 200, but holds at #1 for the seventh straight week on Top Country Albums. This is the longest run at #1 for an album by a group since Eagles' Long Road Out Of Eden had seven weeks on top in 2007. Setting aside Eagles, which was a pop-rock powerhouse before it became a country favorite, this is the longest run at #1 for an album by a core country group since Dixie Chicks' Taking The Long Way had nine weeks on top in 2006-2007.
Next week, in addition to holding at #1 on Top Country Albums, Need You Now may well return to #1 on The Billboard 200. It would be the first album to have three separate runs in the top spot since Taylor Swift's Fearless. Country sells and sells and sells.
Broken Bells' Broken Bells enters The Billboard 200 at #7. This is a project by James Mercer of The Shins and Brian "Danger Mouse" Burton, best known as one-half of Gnarls Barkley. Both of those acts had top five albums. The Shins' Wincing The Night Away debuted at #2 in January 2007. Gnarls Barkley's St. Elsewhere peaked at #4 in July 2006.
Lady Gaga's The Fame dips from #7 to #8. This is its 38th week in the top 10, the longest run in the top 10 for the debut album by a female artist since Britney Spears' 1999 album ...Baby One More Time held tight for 50 weeks.
Song Scorecard: "Blame It" by Jamie Foxx featuring T-Pain tops the 2 million mark in paid downloads this week. It's Foxx's first 2 million seller as a lead artist, though he was featured on Kanye West's 2005 smash "Gold Digger," which has sold 2,793,000 copies.
"Bedrock" by Young Money featuring Lloyd also tops the 2 million mark in paid downloads. The song is listed in the top 20 on Hot Digital Songs for the 15th consecutive week. It climbed as high as #4.
Jason Mraz's "I'm Yours" tops the 5 million mark in paid downloads this week. Of the five songs that have sold 5 million digital copies, this low-key, folkie ballad is only one that isn't squarely in the pop/dance/hip-hop center of contemporary pop music. Mraz's song took 107 weeks to reach 5 million, longer than any of the other songs to have reached this mark. That's fitting in a way: The genial ballad, which Mraz has called his "happy hippie song," is in no rush. "I'm Yours" was a Grammy finalist for Song of the Year a year ago.
Shameless Plug: This week marks the 65th anniversary of Billboard's first pop album chart. To mark the occasion, I have prepared a Chart Watch Extra revealing the top three albums in just about every category you can think of. The blog stars such all-time legends as The Beatles, Frank Sinatra and Elvis Presley as well as such less obvious, but still category-leading, names as Usher, M.C. Hammer and James Horner. Check it out on Friday.
Here's the low-down on this week's top 10 albums.
1. Ludacris, Battle Of The Sexes, 137,000. This new entry is the rapper's fourth album to reach #1. Three songs from the album are listed on Hot Digital Songs, including "How Low," which dips from #13 to #14, and "My Chick Bad" (featuring Nicki Minaj), which jumps from #30 to #18.
2. Gorillaz, Plastic Beach, 112,000. This new entry is the animated band's second top 10 album in a row. 2005's Demon Days reached #6. Two songs from the album are listed on Hot Digital Songs, topped by "Stylo" (featuring Mos Def and Bobby Womack), which vaults from #188 to #81.
3. Lady Antebellum, Need You Now, 105,000. The album drops to #3 after a total of three weeks on top. Two songs from the album are listed on Hot Digital Songs. "Need You Now" dips from #5 to #6. "American Honey" jumps from #49 to #38.
4. Jimi Hendrix, Valleys Of Neptune, 95,000. This new entry is Hendrix's eighth top 10 album. The tally includes 18,000 digital sales, which shows that Hendrix's appeal is multi-generational, encompassing both old codgers who love those shiny disks and young moderns who do everything digitally.
5. Gary Allan, Get Off On The Pain, 65,000. This new entry is the country singer's fourth top five album in a row. Allan climbed as high as #3 with 2005's Tough All Over and 2007's Living Hard.
6. Sade, Soldier Of Love, 52,000. The former #1 album drops from #2 to #6 in its fifth week. "Soldier Of Love" from #151 to #188 on Hot Digital Songs.
7. Broken Bells, Broken Bells, 49,000. This new entry is the second top 10 album for both James Mercer of The Shins and Brian "Danger Mouse" Burton, best known as one-half of Gnarls Barkley. More than half of these albums (27,000) were sold digitally. "October" enters Hot Digital Songs at #148.
8. Lady Gaga, The Fame, 47,000. The album dips from #7 to #8 in its 72nd week. Six songs from the expanded edition of the album are listed on Hot Digital Songs, including "Telephone" (featuring Beyonce), which jumps from #14 to #11, and "Bad Romance," which holds at #17.
9. The Black Eyed Peas, The E.N.D., 43,000. The former #1 album dips from #8 to #9 in its 40th week. This is its 27th week in the top 10. Four songs from the album are listed on Hot Digital Songs, including "Imma Be," which dips from #3 to #5, and "I Gotta Feeling," which holds at #20.
10. Blake Shelton, Hillbilly Bone, 28,000. The EP drops from #3 to #10 in its second week. "Hillbilly Bone" (featuring Trace Adkins) dips from #66 to #72 on Hot Digital Songs.
Alice In Wonderland was #1 at the box-office for the second straight weekend. The Almost Alice soundtrack is the top-selling soundtrack for the second week, though it drops from #5 to #13 on The Billboard 200.
Four other albums drop out of the top 10 this week. Danny Gokey's My Best Days drops from #4 to #16, Lifehouse's Smoke & Mirrors plummets from #6 to #34, Raheem DeVaughn's The Love & War Masterpeace drops from #9 to #24 and Easton Corbin's Easton Corbin drops from #10 to #21.
Three Contemporary Christian albums are listed in this week's top 40. Passion's Passion Awakening debuts at #15, Chris Tomlin's See The Morning vaults from #82 to #38 and Demon Hunter's The World Is A Thorn debuts at #39. Tomlin's album, which was released in 2006, is this week's #1 Catalog Album, displacing Michael Jackson's Number Ones. See The Morning is only the third non-holiday album to top the Catalog chart since Jackson's death last June. It follows Number Ones and the Beatles' Abbey Road.
The soundtrack to Crazy Heart vaults from #30 to #18, its highest ranking to date. It's this week's #2 soundtrack. Ryan Bingham's recording of "The Weary Kind," which won an Oscar for Best Original Song, jumps from #137 to #99 on Hot Digital Songs.
Ry Cooder, who has been riding the charts since 1972, lands the highest-charting album of his career with a collaboration with the Chieftains, another act that dates back to the ‘70s. Their album, San Patricio, debuts at #38. Cooder's previous highest- charting album (either solo or with the all-star group Little Village) was Borderline, which hit #43 in 1981.
The original cast album from Andrew Lloyd Webber's new musical Love Never Dies debuts at #82. The show had its world premiere at the Adelphi Theatre in London on March 9. It's scheduled to open in New York on Nov. 11. The show continues the story of Webber's 1987 blockbuster The Phantom Of The Opera, which spawned the best-selling original cast album in Nielsen/SoundScan history. The album has sold 4,949,000 copies since May 1991, when the company began tracking sales for Billboard. Webber has been a chart presence for nearly 40 years, since the arrival of Jesus Christ Superstar (which he wrote with Tim Rice) in November 1970.
The Notorious B.I.G.'s Life After Death topped the 5 million sales mark a week ago. The album was released just two weeks after the rapper was shot to death in March 1997.
The Hit Man: Taylor Swift's "Today Was A Fairytale" from Valentine's Day is just the latest in a long line of songs that were introduced in Garry Marshall movies to reach the top 10 on the Hot 100. Others include Bette Midler's "Wind Beneath My Wings" from Beaches; Roxette's "It Must Have Been Love" and Go West's "King Of Wishful Thinking" from Pretty Woman; Marc Anthony's "You Sang To Me" from Runaway Bride; and Kelly Clarkson's "Breakaway" from The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement. And if you want to go way back, you can add Pratt & McClain's "Happy Days," from the long-running TV show that Marshall created. That's seven top 10 hits, a track record that a lot of top artists would envy.
Battle Weary: Ludacris' Battle Of The Sexes is the second album with a title starting with the word "Battle" to top the Billboard 200 in less than four months. It follows John Mayer's Battle Studies. These aren't the first albums that were ready for "Battle." Rage Against The Machine's The Battle Of Los Angeles topped the chart in 1999. Five For Fighting's The Battle For Everything cracked the top 20 in 2004.
Heads Up: Marvin Sapp's Here I Am is expected to be next week's top new entry. The gospel album is expected to sell in the range of 70,000 copies, which would probably put it in the top five. Also due: Flobots' Survival Story, the White Stripes' live set Under Great White Northern Lights, Drive-By Truckers' The Big To-Do and Dropkick Murphys' Live On Lansdowne, Boston MA.
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Posted: Sat Mar 27, 2010 5:49 pm
BACK IN 'BLACK'
Shooter Jennings peers into an apocalyptic future -- with Stephen King's help -- on his ambitious new album
By Don Kaye
Forget everything you know, or think you know, about Shooter Jennings, the renegade singer-songwriter who has straddled both the country and rock worlds, and who also happens to be the progeny of the legendary Waylon Jennings. Shooter's new album, "Black Ribbons," is unlike anything else he's ever done and quite possibly unlike anything else on the current music scene. A loose concept album that's equal parts Pink Floyd, Nine Inch Nails and Shooter's old man, it details the decline of a future America through the musings of a radio DJ who's doing his last hour on the air before government agents come to shut him down.
In a coup for Jennings, that DJ is voiced by renowned horror novelist Stephen King, who's not unfamiliar with apocalyptic scenarios himself and who also happens to be a fan of the Jennings clan's music. King's character, Will O' the Wisp, devotes his last air shift to the songs of a group called Hierophant -- a fictional outfit whose name Jennings has adopted for his own touring ensemble, just to add that extra layer of meta conceptualizing to the project. It is those tunes that form the bulk of "Black Ribbons," from the galvanizing opening track, "Wake Up!" to the wild-eyed, acid-tripping "Breaking Point" to the somber, gospel-tinged title track.
Two years ago, Shooter -- never quite comfortable in the Nashville environs of the corporate country music industry -- found himself at a crossroads in his career. Having left his record label and not sure where to go next, he and his fiancée, actress Drea de Matteo, took off from Nashville on a cross-country drive in an RV after baptizing their baby daughter. What he heard on the radio during some of those long nights of driving is what sparked the birth of "Black Ribbons," as he told us on the phone from his home in Los Angeles.
MSN Music: So "Black Ribbons" was born during a cross country drive...?
Shooter Jennings: It was a pretty crazy time. It was September of '08 and we had driven to Nashville for my daughter's christening. The economy had just collapsed and we were driving -- I think we were around Arkansas -- and everyone was talking about it and the fear out there was just full tilt. I was driving at night, so I'm listening to late-night talk radio, which I've always been a big fan of anyway, and I think it just impacted me in a certain way. Everything outside of the RV was a clusterf--- and everything inside the RV was wonderful, with my family and the people that kept me hanging on all this time.
What were some of the guys on the radio saying?
When this economic crisis happened, all these guys were on the air talking about the possibility of a global bank, a global currency, the loss of the sovereignty of the United States because of this economic meltdown, the riots going on in other countries ... so I started digging and reading about money lines, bloodlines, the people who control things. It frightened me, but it also fascinated me and it made me feel like I needed to become more educated.
Were you worried about how your fans would react to a project like this -- a dark, apocalyptic concept album utilizing a lot of different genres of music?
Of course there were moments when I would think about that. I've always had this kind of scenario where whatever I did was too rock for country, or too country for rock. They wouldn't play my videos on the air and I was basically told that unless I started doing something more along the lines of what was musically popular at the time, they were not gonna support me.
So I knew that whatever I did wasn't gonna get any play, and I just decided to do something that was really inspiring to me. Not that the other records weren't, but in this case all these frustrations and feelings were wrapped up in the inspiration for this record. It's the most honest expression of all my influences, from my love of science fiction and horror movies to my love of progressive music. There's stuff like that on all my older records, but this really pushed it to the furthest experimental and most musically exciting point that I could.
How did Stephen King get involved in the project?
When I first had the idea to do a radio personality, I actually reached out to Art Bell, but then immediately I thought it wasn't what I wanted, because I wanted an unfamiliar voice to some degree. I knew Stephen King had been a fan of mine and I'd always been a huge fan of his. I knew what his voice sounded like from interviews, but then I heard an intro he did on a Blue Oyster Cult track and thought he was perfect. I didn't want a Wolfman Jack radio DJ. It was more the brain attached to the voice that was so important.
So I thought I'd reach out to him and maybe he'd be interested in doing this. Somebody at Entertainment Weekly passed my email along to him, and he responded immediately. I remember I was in a grocery store and I thought, "Holy s---, I've got Stephen King on the line." He was so sweet, but he also said he was really busy finishing (his latest novel) "Under the Dome" and working on this musical with John Mellencamp. But he added that if I wouldn't be too discouraged, I should send him some tracks. So I sent him the record and we emailed back and forth for about three or four months.
What was his reaction to the whole thing?
He liked the record, but didn't know what to make of it. He was like, "There's no McMurtry or Waylon here." He's a big fan of harder-edged country music. So he was a little taken aback, but he liked it. I was open to him writing the whole (narration) and I definitely didn't want to push my words on this guy, but I think he was looking for a little direction so I wrote a mock-up of what I believed it should be. He took that and doctored it and made it a hundred times better.
I remember when I got the package in the mail containing his recording, I was like, "Oh my God, I can't believe I have this in my hands right now." I was like a little kid. But he was so gracious and generous and kind in every way about all of it, so it was kind of magical. We still haven't met or spoken on the phone to this day.
Do you feel good about how the album came together in the end?
I still don't have any money, I don't know how well this thing is gonna do. Drea's been floating us for quite a while because I've been touring and going broke on the road, so I don't have closure to that unsteady aspect of my life. But I felt like once I went through this, it had changed me and my perspective a lot. Having Stephen King's support and involvement was really helpful, because it really made me feel like I was doing something important. Having all the support I had really pushed me to see this idea through to the end. I'm really proud of it.
Having delved into conspiracy theories and alternate histories and forecasting the future of our society, what are your own beliefs now about where we're headed?
We're being fed certain information that benefits certain people. The media is completely connected to the banks, which are completely connected to the politicians, and we live in a time where there's really a monopoly on public perception. As far as politics go, I think one day someone will fight for the sovereignty of the United States -- I'm not saying Obama's not fighting, but I think that the string-pullers, you know, you go two generations back and it's the same people behind Bush. It's the same people going to these Bilderberg meetings; it's the same people going to these retreats in the Bohemian Grove.
You look at these crazy things and whether you subscribe to the conspiracy theory about it all, I think the reality is that we're not educated properly on what's going on. The key is staying close to friends and family; the key is small community, mom and pop style stores, mom and pop style politics. That's what built this country and I think that's what's gonna save this country one day. But I also think that at this point, the world is kind of going down the s---ter, so you've got to hold on to the people that are close to you and treat them with care and love.
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Posted: Thu Apr 01, 2010 12:06 pm
i like hip -hop and r&b and old skool music heart smile
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Posted: Sun Apr 11, 2010 5:53 pm
Erykah Badu charged with disorderly conduct for nude video
April 2, 2010, 6:43 PM EST
Erykah Badu has been officially charged with disorderly conduct by the Dallas Police Department for publicly getting naked while shooting her "Window Seat" music video. She is now subject to a fine of up to $500.
A press release issued on Friday reads:
"The City Attorney's Office and the Dallas Police Department have decided to charge the entertainer known as Erika [sic] Badu with Disorderly Conduct. After much discussion, it has been determined that this charge best fits her conduct when she disrobed in a public place without disregard to other individuals and children who were in close proximity. Disorderly Conduct is a class C misdemeanor which means Ms. Badu will be subject to a fine up to $500.00. The At-Large-Citation will be mailed to Ms. Badu in the near future. It will be up to her as to how she wants to proceed further with this case. She can contest it in a court of law or simply pay the fine.
"The delay in issuing the citation was due to the lack of witnesses, who were at the scene, who were willing to come forward and file a formal complaint with the police department. One witness did come forward yesterday, thus leading to the charges filed today."
In the video, the singer/songwriter rips off her clothes in front of complete strangers, which was filmed in public at Dealey Plaza, the tourist hotspot in Dallas where President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in 1963.
Earlier this week, "Window Seat" co-producer Coodie admitted, "I think she really wanted to get arrested and even make a bigger message. You know what I'm saying?"
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Posted: Sat Jan 29, 2011 5:53 pm
Liv Tyler on Her 'Idol' Dad: 'I am Proud of Him'
Saturday, January 22, 2011, 7:05pm (PST)
Although most of the 26.2 million people who tuned in to Wednesday's "American Idol" season premiere were focused on the would-be pop stars, at least one viewer was focused on the judges. Well, one judge, to be specific.
"I had only watched [the show] a few times but obviously I watched it the other night," Liv Tyler told Wonderwall exclusively at the Bing Bar at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival, where she was promoting her new thriller, "The Ledge," with costars Terrence Howard and Charlie Hunnam.
"I was very excited," the 33-year-old actress gushed, beaming about her father Steven Tyler's performance on the show. "I had a little party in my house with three people -- in my pajamas! I really loved it and had goose bumps for about two hours. I am proud of him and thought my dad was funny."
Tyler's debut as a judge on the hit show has been grabbing headlines for months, with the Aerosmith frontman bragging regularly to the press that he expects his role on the show will take his career "over the moon."
As for Liv, she's just glad to see her dad have the chance to crack jokes on national television. "I felt like a really proud daughter, smiling, and laughing the whole time," she told JustJared.
"The Ledge" premiered on Friday at the Eccles Center in Park City, Utah. Stay tuned to Wonderwall for more dispatches from Sundance, which continues through Jan. 30.
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Posted: Sun Jan 30, 2011 2:08 pm
Hello, folks. I don't post here very often, but I'm a bit of a music geek and I figured I'd try to facilitate some discussion.
Did anyone happen to check out the new Decemberists, Deerhoof, or Destroyer albums? Any thoughts on other music recently released or due later this year?
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