After his huge Grammy win for River: The Joni Letters, Herbie Hancock has teamed up once again with the woman who inspired his Album of the Year. Jazz and folk reunited when Hancock and Mitchell performed last week for Yahoo!'s Nissan Live Sets. (Such pop artists as Christina Aguilera, Maroon 5, and Lenny Kravitz have also delivered intimate gigs on Yahoo!'s custom-built stage on Los Angeles' Twentieth-Century Fox lot.)
During the two-and-a-half-hour show, Mitchell showcased three of her songs — "River," "Tea Leaf Prophesy," and "Hana" — while Hancock, backed by a top-notch band, brought out the funk with classics like "Chameleon" and "Watermelon Man," and resurrected his own crossover hit, "Rock It" — much to the crowd's delight (see full set list after the jump). The performance will debut on Yahoo! Music on April 1.
The glitz of the 50th annual Grammy Awards has faded, but the buzz from the stage continues to echo. Today, Nielsen SoundScan released its post-show sales tally, and several of the night's winners scored big on the retail front. Among the chart leaders: Amy Winehouse, with a whopping 368 percent bump in album sales, bringing her to-date total to 1,649,010. Also impressive were her digital sales, which spiked 196 percent to 283,303. "Rehab," as a singular download, saw a similar boost, up 234 percent to 1,175,513. Vince Gill wasn't far behind. His latest, These Days, shot up 618 percent with total sales just shy of 350,000. But outshining them both was Album of the Year winner, Herbie Hancock, whose tribute to Joni Mitchell saw a 966 percent rise in sales, totaling just over 53,000 copies, and bringing his tally to 114,390. Overall, album sales were up 16 percent from last week, which, in today's music climate, is cause for celebration, albeit tempered by 2007's double-digit overall decline. See how other Grammy-featured acts fared at retail after the jump.
In late January, Velvet Revolver frontman Scott Weiland revealed that Stone Temple Pilots, the multi-platinum grunge outfit that first put the guttural singer on the map, will reunite for a handful of gigs this summer. But with Weiland, who's battled drug addiction on and off since the late '90s, back in rehab, will the show go on? Yes, according to sources close to the band, who point to a soon-to-be announced date scheduled for mid-May in Columbus, Ohio, where STP will
headline Rock on the Range, a radio festival hosted by local hard rock
station Blitz 99.7. (Weiland's manager couldn't be reached for comment.)
As for Weiland's condition, VR drummer Matt Sorum told EW.com that Scott is "doing okay" in treatment. "He checked himself in to rehab," Sorum said on Saturday at Clive Davis's pre-Grammy party. "Scott took the initiative to get in there. Nobody forced him, and that's a good thing. You see shows on TV, like Intervention, but
until you're really ready to get clean and sober, you're going to do what you're going to do. It could have gone the other way, but he decided he needed to take care of business so he's down there
taking care of himself." Weiland entered a rehab facility immediately following VR's L.A. show at the Wiltern Theatre on Feb. 8.
You'd think Chris Daughtry would get some major flack for the comment he made to Rolling Stone last month, claiming that American Idol is in a "state of decline," but the Idol alum says his relationship with the three judges who put him through to Hollywood remains cool. "I talked to Paula, Randy and Simon," Daughtry told EW.com at Clive Davis's pre-Grammys bash on Saturday night at the Beverly Hilton, "and honestly, every one of them said to
me, 'Congratulations for sticking to your guns and having an opinion. Never apologize for that.'" Still, it's clear the brouhaha in the blogosphere has made him reconsider making such bold statements in the future. "My whole point was never anything negative toward the show," Daughtry explained. "I did two interviews that day, and you don't want to repeat yourself, but then you go back and think, Wow, I guess I should have said the same thing."
Daughtry added that he sees promise in this season's crop of contestants; he is especially jazzed about one "dude that could really do some damage." And while he didn't win American Idol or any Grammy awards Sunday night (he was up for four), the rocker remains one of the best-selling acts of the past year. "Last year, it was like [being] a freshman in high school who wants to hang out with the seniors," he said while surveying his surroundings at the party, which included a logjam of celebrities including Janet Jackson, Fergie, and Whitney Houston. "This year, we're still new to the game, but we feel like we're slowly but surely graduating to our senior year."
The Grammy Awards won't be broadcast from L.A. until Sunday night, but the partying is already underway in Hollywood. At the Avalon Thursday night the Black Eyed Peas hosted their fourth annual Peapod Foundation benefit concert, featuring performances by Fergie, Snoop Dogg, Nicole Scherzinger, John Legend, Ne-Yo and Natasha Beddingfield (the latter two backed by Randy Jackson on bass). Will.I.Am was wearing a cast on his leg -- Snoop nicknamed him "One-Legged Willie" -- but that didn't stop him from dancing all night long. A few blocks away at Boulevard3, Rihanna took the stage at the InStyle Grammy Salute to Fashion, which showcased spring lines from fashion houses such as Justin Timberlake's William Rast, Beyonce's House of Dereon and Jennifer Lopez's Sweetface. On the rock tip, video channel Fuse presented a Panic at the Disco performance at hotspot Goa. Fall Out Boy friend and fan Pete Wentz handled DJ duties and kept girlfriend Ashlee Simpson close by. Panic's four-song set included one surprising choice: a cover of The Band's "The Weight," which seemed to go over well with Grammy-nominated attendees, including Maroon 5's Adam Levine, Chris Daughtry and Mark Ronson.
Here's what's in store for the rest of Grammy weekend:
FRIDAY
• Timbaland protégés OneRepublic play the Avalon, where they'll be joined by Flo Rida, Chris Cornell and Best New Artist nominee Taylor Swift. Expect celebrity guests such as Ludacris, Snoop Dogg, Pink and Chris Brown to show for the Verizon/People Magazine-sponsored event.
• Aretha Franklin, who's up for her 18th Grammy award, will be honored as Musicares' Person of the Year. The annual gala, which includes a live auction (private painting lesson from Tony Bennett, anyone?) and a sit-down dinner, will feature performances by artists including Herbie Hancock, Faith Hill, Fantasia, Ledisi and Robin Thicke.
• Mark Ronson will hold court at the Hollywood Roosevelt hotel where he'll be celebrating his Grammy nods sans muse Amy Winehouse.
• Jermaine Dupri hosts the So So Def/Island Records pre-Grammy party at Central Hollywood Lounge. No doubt girlfriend Janet Jackson will be in the house, along with pals Nelly, Nas, Kelis and Ashanti.
• Ashlee Simpson premieres some of her new tunes, including her latest single, "Outta My Head," at Ritual Nightclub. Ashlee is expected to play a short (presumably non-lip-synched) set, her first since wrapping the I Am Me tour in 2006.
SATURDAY
It's all about Clive Davis's bash at the Beverly Hills Hotel, where A-listers come out in droves. Past years have featured unforgettable performances by Alicia Keys, Jennifer Hudson and Diana Ross. There's also the perennial rumor that Whitney Houston will perform. This year is no different. Will Whitney finally make her stage comeback? Only Clive knows for sure. Still, there are plenty of artists confirmed to attend the exclusive bash, including Foo Fighters, who are first to perform following the sit-down dinner. Also rsvp'd are Rod Stewart, Carrie Underwood, Feist, Fantasia, Lindsay Lohan, Bill Maher, Naomi Campbell and P. Diddy.
SUNDAY
• The official Grammy after-party kicks off at the LA Convention Center immediately following the Awards. While not quite on the level of, say, the Oscars' Governor's Ball, the event continues the celebration with a lavish reception catered by Wolfgang Punk. On hand to entertain several thousand Grammy guests will be Natasha Beddingfield, Cyndi Lauper and DJ Chris Cox.
• Warner Music Group hosts an invitation-only fete for nominated artists at Vibiana downtown. Josh Groban, James Blunt, Nickelback and Paramore are expected to attend the soiree, touted as a "zero landfill" waste event. So much for the fancy WBR logo napkins.
• SonyBMG throws its annual post-party at the Beverly Hills Hotel. Dozens of artists from all of the company's labels invited to attend. Beyonce, Columbia Records' pride and joy, is a regular at the bash, as are John Mayer and John Legend. Chris Brown will be there this year, too, even if he can't legally drink. And technically, Britney Spears has an open invitation. Could she show?
• Island Def Jam head LA Reid will be honored at STK, West Hollywood's brand spankin' new steakhouse and lounge. The intimate affair, co-sponsored by EW, is expected to draw many of the artists he's guided over the years, including Usher and Mariah Carey, who will toast the longtime exec.
A music executive close to the Grammys said Amy Winehouse's visa has been denied but she will still perform at this Sunday's show via satellite. Winehouse, who is up for multiple awards including album and record of the year and best new artist, will also accept her award via satellite if she wins.
A rep for Winehouse announced earlier today that her request for a U.S. visa was denied by the U.S. Embassy. "Amy has been progressing well since entering a rehabilitation clinic two weeks ago and although disappointed with the decision has accepted the ruling and will be concentrating on her recovery," her publicist said in a statement. In October, the troubled singer was arrested and fined in Norway for possession of marijuana. She says she will appeal that charge in a Norwegian court. The singer, known for her alleged drug use and erratic behavior, was also seen in a recent video circulating the Internet smoking an unknown substance from a glass pipe.
The Recording Academy released a statement today on behalf of the "music community" addressing speculation of who may or may not perform at the Grammys should the WGA decide not to sign an interim agreement for the show. The Foo Fighters, as previously reported, were the only act confirmed to play, and indeed, singer Dave Grohl says his band will be at the Feb. 10 ceremony. As for Beyoncé, her father/manager Matthew Knowles is quoted in the press release saying, "Beyoncé, as well as my other artists Solange and Trinitee 5:7, have been asked to participate and will do so. We have an incredible Beyoncé performance that will be announced soon. We wish the Grammys the best."
The full release after the jump.
The Hollywood Insider has confirmed that troubled singer Amy
Winehouse (pictured, left) plans to appear at the Grammy Awards on Feb. 10. She's nominated for six
statuettes, but there had been concern that her legal woes would
prevent the Brit from obtaining a visa to enter the U.S. That tangle
seems to have been worked out, but it's still unknown whether she'll
perform.
The Grammys have bigger issues to deal with, anyway. Putting together this year's half-centennial bash has become particularly thorny, thanks to — what else? — the writers strike. The Golden Globes were reduced to a press conference because of the strike, but the Recording Academy insists that, regardless of WGA approval, it's forging ahead with the ceremony.
Those of us suffering from Kiwi withdrawal won't have to wait much longer: New Zealand's Flight of the Conchords will release their first full-length album on April 22, 2008, Hollywood Insider has confirmed. The news caps off an exciting year for Jemaine Clement and Bret McKenzie (pictured). Just last week, the duo's EP, The Distant Future (released last summer), scored a Grammy nomination for Best Comedy Album, and in August they learned that their HBO show was picked up for a second season. But unlike their TV counterparts, the guys opted to record their proper debut in L.A. rather than Brooklyn or their homeland. Producer Mickey Petralia (Beck's Midnight Vultures) manned the boards, and Seattle's Sub Pop Records will release the finished product.
When Hollywood Insider got word that the Plain White T's drummer De'Mar Hamilton was texting furiously with Fall Out Boy's Pete Wentz mere hours after the Grammy nominations were announced (PYT's "Hey There Delilah" is up for Song of the Year and Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group; Fall Out Boy was completely shut out), we prepped for a full-on Chicago band rumble. But actually, the ruckus was more about Lindsay Lohan, who, with an army of photographers behind her, had walked into West Hollywood eatery Il Solé and sat at a table near the Plain White punk-pop fivesome.
"De'Mar was asking Pete to email her and make the introduction, rather than just walking up to her table," says a fellow diner. "They're good friends... but De'Mar chickened out." Still, this latest brush with fame topped off a week of surreal Hollywood moments for the Midwestern boys. Grammy noms aside, that same day, the T's taped their performance for Dick Clark's Rockin' New Year's Eve, sharing the bill with Fergie and Akon.
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