Be the first to comment What do Taylor Swift, Darius Rucker (ex-Hootie and the Blowfish), ZZ Top and Chris Daughtry have in common?
They were all in the spotlight at the Country Music Association’s 2009 CMA country music awards ceremony on Wednesday.
The 43rd edition of the awards ceremony was filled with firsts, including the first time that a black performer has ever Continue reading »
Over the weekend, Brooklyn musicians were left in disbelief by news of the death of one of the scene’s most well-regarded members, Gerhardt “Jerry” Fuchs.
The New York Times reports, and postings by friends and bandmates confirm, that the 34-year-old drummer fell to his death on Sunday while attempting to Continue reading »
KimTuesday’s episode of Dancing with the Stars is set to feature an hour-long tribute to dance/pop icon Michael Jackson.
(WATCH: American Idol Michael Jackson Tribute Videos by Adam Lambert, Kris Allen)
The show will reportedly “fuse classic ballroom and Latin styles” of dance in recognition of various eras of Jackson’s career, according to an AP report.
Hopefully, the show won’t reenact the “Thriller” video with ballroom dancing zombies…On second thought, that might be a fittingly strange tribute to the late pop star.
While Jackson was alive, American Idol dedicated a night of performances to his songs. Although that show hasn’t started its new season yet, it seems likely that there will be another Jackson tribute in the works when it resumes.
Will the MJ news ever end?
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Simon Cowell isn’t going to be happy when he hears about this.
Singer Leona Lewis, the chart-topping singer Cowell helped rocket to stardom after she took home the top prize on X Factor (the British inspiration for American Idol) was reportedly punched by Continue reading »
Rick Springfield is set to bare his butt in an upcoming episode of the cable TV Show “Californication,” according to an Associated Press report.
“It’s not full-frontal, but it’s pretty much full on,” the 60-year-old musician-actor was quoted as saying. “As long as it’s for the part, I’m cool with it. And it’s funny. It’s not done to be particularly sexy.”
Springfield will appear as Continue reading »
American Idol judge Simon Cowell celebrated his 50th birthday in London over the weekend with 400 of his closest friends, according to a report on Popeater.com
According to the report, Cowell had the most resplendent birthday bash imaginable, with a price tag of $1.5 million. In attendance were A-List guests like Kate Moss, Kevin Spacey, and Lord Andrew Lloyd-Webber, not to mention Idol co-stars Randy Jackson and Continue reading »
chrisMove over Whitney Houston and Celine Dion, there’s a new class of divas in town.
Jennifer Hudson, Miley Cyrus and Kelly Clarkson were among the new inductees at the “VH1 Divas” concert last week, according to an Associated Press report.
Paula Abdul hosted and opened the show, but she got the most attention for lambasting her “American Idol” replacement, Ellen DeGeneres, by prancing around onstage in a signature suit, tennis shoes and a short blonde wig.
According to the AP, Hudson may have had the night’s biggest diva moment - a duet with Stevie Wonder, who she called her “childhood hero.” Cyndi Lauper, Liza Minnelli, Sheryl Crow, Leona Lewis, Adele, Jordin Sparks and India.Arie also performed.
The event was recorded live at the Brooklyn Academy of Music in New York.
Four of the world’s largest record labels are suing the producer of The Ellen DeGeneres Show for using songs with out permission on the popular day time talk show, according to a Reuters report.
DeGeneres, who has just been named American Idol’s fourth judge, opens her shows singing and dancing to tunes selected by her on-stage DJ. The lawsuit, filed in Nashville, said The Ellen DeGeneres Show has used more than 1,000 songs without permission and seeks an unspecified amount of damages.
While DeGeneres herself is not named in the suit, her production company, A Very Good Production is. The labels said that when they asked why licenses were not obtained for use of the songs, representatives for the show said they “did not roll that way.”
“As sophisticated consumers of music, defendants knew fully well that, regardless of the way they rolled, under the Copyright Act … they needed a license to use the sound recordings lawfully,” the lawsuit stated.
The lawsuit was filed by Warner Music Group, Sony Music Entertainment, Universal Music Group and EMI Group.
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ShiahJay-Z’s September 11 album The Blueprint 3 leaked online last week, a week ahead of its September 8 official release date, according to a report on Rollingstone.com.
The hip hop artist was made aware of the leak at a press conference for his 9/11 Madison Square Garden benefit concert which will be broadcast live on Fuse TV starting at 9 p.m. “I may be the most bootlegged artist in history,” Jay-Z responded at the Answer the Call conference. “It’s a preview. I’m excited for people to hear the album. I’m very proud of the work I’ve done, so enjoy it.”
Prior to this, a handful of tracks were dropped from the album, including the initial singles “D.O.A.” and “Run This Town,” which were both produced by Timbaland.
According to Rolling Stone, one reason why Jay may be taking the news so well is that with fans able to hear the album before its due date, he’s been getting some early positive reviews. “My pager is actually ringing right now, so people are probably calling me and telling me they pretty much like it,” Jay-Z said.
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ABOVE: Jerry Lee Lewis’s live TV debut. (Music starts around 2:15 in the clip.)
On this day in 1957, a wild, piano-burning, 21-year-old rock’n'roll pianist named Jerry Lee Lewis made his television debut on The Steve Allen Show. Lewis went on to have one of the most exciting, and controversial, careers in rock’n'roll history, and although he has experimented with country music and gospel, he always seems to return to his rockin’ roots.
52 years later, at age 73, Lewis is still on tour around the world.
2009 Jerry Lee Lewis Tour Dates: Continue reading »
