On Thursday, R. Kelly rolled up to Chicago's Cook County Courthouse in a black SUV, just as he had for the previous several days — except he seemed to have more of a skip in his step. It was a noticeable change from the blank air he had been giving off all week during jury selection for his child pornography trial. Perhaps he was happy to see the small crowd of fans standing outside chanting "Free R. Kelly" and singing "I Believe I Can Fly" as he walked toward the building. Or it could be that the singer had a sense of what was about to happen: That all 12 jurors and four alternates would finally be chosen, thus ending the tedium of jury selection so that the trial could move forward next Tuesday.
May 14, 2008, 04:21 PM | by Chris Willman
Categories: Music Biz
Neil Diamond — our next American Idol? Not quite, though the veteran singer-songwriter did manage to parlay a guest-mentoring spot on the TV singing contest into the very first No. 1 album in his four-decade-plus career. Home After Dark bowed on top of the Billboard/Soundscan album rankings with 146,000 units sold, surpassing his previous chart peak, which came all the way back in 1973 when his soundtrack for the film Jonathan Livingston Seagull hit No. 2. Home After Dark is the second primarily acoustic album in a row he's made with producer Rick Rubin; their previous collaboration, 12 Songs, debuted with 93,000 copies in 2005 and made it to No. 4.
This sales frame included Mother's Day, and perhaps it was moms wanting a copy of the song "She's a Hottie," the one new track on Toby Keith's two-disc set 35 Biggest Hits, that helped him bow at No. 2 with 103,000 units. Keith wasn't the only country star debuting in the top 10 with a best-of. Dierks Bentley packed his Greatest Hits: Every Mile a Memory set with plenty of new live and studio tracks and sold 42,000 to enter at No. 9.
And what's the latest on that whole sales rivalry between Madonna and Mariah — or their most fanatical followers, at least? Find out after the jump.
May 14, 2008, 01:12 PM | by Chris Willman
Categories: Music Biz
Has Madonna taken to scalping her own tickets? Not exactly. But many music fans feared a bad precedent was being set when StubHub — a popular eBay-owned website where individuals and brokers resell sports and concert ducats — announced they'd forged a "partnership" with Madge and her promoter, Live Nation. Some assumed this meant blocks of tickets would be directed to StubHub, where they typically go for a much higher premium. Not so, says Chuck La Vallee, StubHub's head of business development for music.
"She's not going to be selling tickets on StubHub," La Vallee says. "StubHub doesn't own inventory, ever. It's an endorsement, with Madonna saying: 'Look, if the show is sold out, you can still find tickets here.'" The company won't discuss terms of their deal with the superstar, though The Wall Street Journal reported that Madge will get a flat fee as well as a percentage of the income from the tickets being resold for her tour. StubHub doesn't owe Madonna or any artist money from secondary market sales, so what's in the cash handover for them?
On Tuesday, 23 potential jurors, a pool of journalists, and R. Kelly sat in courtroom as jury selection for the singer's trial entered its third day. So far, eight jurors have been selected out of the 150 people who had filled out questionnaires last week. Also, Judge Vincent Gaughn alluded to the possibility of sequestering the jury. "It might happen," he said, when a potential juror inquired.
The singer, who wore a tan suit and stoic expression on his face,
appeared fatigued at the end of the 10-hour session. (Fortunately, a
lavender air freshener had been placed on the windowsill
behind him, combating the men's-room odor that had caused a problem on
Monday.)
Security
remains very tight (think: Homeland Security's Orange level) and
Judge Gaughn has strict rules about courtroom decorum: One journalist
was almost thrown in jail for interviewing someone in the courtroom, and no gadgetry, purses, pocketbooks, magazines, or newspapers are allowed. Just the bare necessities: pens and paper.
In case fatigue has drowned out the fact that R. Kelly still hasn’t been tried for six-year-old child pornography charges in Chicago, here’s a news flash: jury selection is underway. But finding a group of impartial jurors is proving to be no easy feat in the singer’s native Windy City, where during our first 24 hours we ran into a rental car agent who said he used to live a few doors down from Kelly, and a hotel worker who claims he went to grade school with the singer.
On Monday, Judge Vincent Gaughan and the prosecution and defense teams followed up with the first 16 of 150 jurors who had filled out a questionnaire last week. Though none seemed to know Kelly first-hand, some were aware of what’s been written about him in the papers. The line of questioning included whether they could treat the case fairly despite religious convictions, what they’ve read about the case, whether they could view the much talked-about and seen sex tape (which, it has been ruled, can be shown during the trial), and what their take is on the justice system.
Wednesday night's Jammy Awards, held at Madison Square Garden's WaMu Theater in New York City, found the four members of Phish, reunited on stage for the first time since their final concert in 2004, trading fond memories of their two decades on the road. Honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award, frontman Trey Anastasio made a surprise post-rehab-and-jail-stint appearance, sitting in with Beatles cover band the Fab Faux to handle Eric Clapton's part on "While My Guitar Gently Weeps." He then joined his Phish bandmates Mike Gordon, Page McConnell, and Jon Fishman side-stage to hear rock scribe Anthony DeCurtis' introduction. "Remember when I snapped that one day [and said], 'You try getting up at 4:00 p.m. for a photo shoot!'" Fishman recounted to a round of laughs. Ever the jokester, even this drummer-turned-farmer ("This morning as we were getting ready to leave, the post office called to say your geese, ducks, and chickens have arrived," he cracked), could not overstate the importance of the moment.
But the real emotion came from Anastasio, who has battled his share of personal problems in recent years, and now seems healthy, inspired, and motivated to get back to music (he has a new album due out this June). Holding back tears, the guitar god told a crowd of 5,000 ecstatic jam-band fans: "I want to express something that's been on my mind for the last five years. I've always wanted to have a moment to convey to some degree what all this meant to me and the guys — it was always so much bigger than the four of us. I feel like, as a musician we're servants, and musicians from the beginning of time have been there to express the mood and the musical feelings in the air for whatever's going on in that particular culture. It's the greatest joy to be able to translate that, be part of something and watch the scenery around you. That's what it felt like to be in Phish all those years.... Thank you so much for the experience." As for whether phans will see a real reunion sometime in the band's future? "Never say never," Fishman said cryptically backstage afterward.
May 7, 2008, 08:04 PM | by Chris Willman
Categories: Music Biz
About 280,000 Madonna fans got sweet on Hard Candy during its first week in stores. That hard figure is considerably softer than the 463,000 copies that Mariah Carey debuted with two weeks ago. Also, it is no match for the 351,000 that Madonna's last album, Confessions on a Dance Floor, entered with in 2005 — though it does handily beat the 241,000 that her least popular disc, American Life, bowed with in 2003.
Seven of the top 10 discs on this week's Billboard/Soundscan chart are debuting albums, although none (besides Madonna's) look like a real hit. R&B singer Lyfe Jennings comes in at No. 4, with sales of 80,000 for his third album, Lyfe Change. Nos. 5 to 7 are tightly bunched: 55,000 copies for Def Leppard's first album of original material in six years, Songs From the Sparkle Lounge; 54,000 for the Roots' Rising Down; and 53,000 for Portishead's aptly titled Third. No. 8 belongs to a newcomer, too, the self-titled album by Mudcrutch, Tom Petty's newly reunited old band; it sold 38,0000. And in at No. 10 is Tim McGraw's Greatest Hits Vol. 1 & 2, with sales of 29,000. If you're thinking that's a little low for an artist of McGraw's commercial stature, that's because this was a Wal-Mart-exclusive bundling of the country star's two already existing best-ofs.
If it worked for Miley Cyrus, it might as well work for the Jonas Brothers. Disney announced today that the teen recording group will get their own digital 3-D concert movie in early 2009. The film will follow the same formula that helped the 3-D Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert Tour earn $65.3 million at the domestic box office earlier this year. Bruce Hendricks, the director of the Hannah Montana concert flick, will helm the Jonas Brothers' feature, which promises both live performance footage and behind-the-scenes documentary material chronicling the lives of the three Jonas Brothers.
Country music star John Rich, of Big & Rich, attacked American Idol at a press conference this morning. "American Idol infuriates me as an artist," Rich said at NBC's "All American Summer" Press Day in Pasadena, where Rich was stumping for his talent competition show, Nashville Star (which is moving to NBC after five seasons on USA). "You can tell when somebody's comment was scripted. You can tell when a [competing] artist was told to wear this and sing that. That's not going to happen in [Nashville Star]." Rich, who will function as a judge and mentor on Nashville Star, as well as produce the album of the NS winner, said he was especially upset when Paula Abdul commented Tuesday night on Jason Castro's second song before the dreadlocked contestant had actually sung it. "Why don't you just walk up on stage and slap them right across the face while you're at it?" Rich said. "It's not a problem of [a judge] being tough on somebody. You've got to be tough on people and be honest with them. But you've got to respect these people. This is their entire life hanging by a thread....I'm sure [Paula] is a fine lady, but I thought that was a very, very disrespectful thing."
The “2” in E=MC2 stands for the two weeks that Mariah Carey was guaranteed at the top with her new album. It earned a second week at No. 1 on the Billboard/Soundscan chart by selling 182,000 copies, down 61% from its opening sales. Carey’s album may come back to enjoy more weeks in the top position, but next week won’t be one of them, since Madonna’s debuting Hard Candy will be a lock for that slot when we next bring you the chart news.
The week’s most surprising debut was the No. 3 entry for Flight of the Conchords, releasing their first full-length disc after finding fame on HBO. It sold a not-so-wacky 52,000. That’s only the second time the Sub Pop label out of Seattle has had a debut in the top 10 (the first was last year, when the Shins bowed at No. 2). It’s the highest ranking comedy album since Steve Martin hit No. 2 in 1978.
Ashlee Simpson may be feeling more bitter than sweet about sales for her third album. Bittersweet debuted at No. 4 with sales of 47,000. In contrast, both of her previous albums entered on top, with her freshman effort selling 398,000 in 2004 and her second one opening with 220,000 the following year. Maybe Ashlee, like sister Jessica, will soon announce that she’s rediscovered her country roots and take up shop in Nashville.
Hip-hop artist Common has made no secret of his support for Sen. Barack Obama's presidential bid. The Grammy-winning rapper has shouted out the fellow Chicagoan on at least two songs, and he's also a lifelong member of Trinity United Church of Christ, where Obama's controversial former pastor, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, preached until his retirement this year. When EW.com stopped by a Manhattan studio today to hear Common's latest album-in-progress, Invincible Summer (including an uplifting
song called "Changes," which he describes as perfect background music
for an Obama victory speech), the Chi-Town MC shared his thoughts on the recent media firestorm surrounding Wright.
"Obviously, the media has an agenda," Common said. "I don't follow what the media says. I'm a thinker for myself. And I just encourage people to be objective: When you're watching, use your inner eye and really try to watch the person and see what you think about them. Because you can never really capture a person in the media blitz."
Common added that he feels Wright is more than the sum of his sound bites. "I may not agree with people that I love, but if we understand, that what's important. I've been going to that church since I was eight years old. So what he's doing is giving people an understanding of a man's perspective that grew up in the era of racial prejudice and has since progressed. The only way we’re going to progress is not judging and not quickly becoming offended. Just because somebody believes in something different from you don't make them against you."
For more on Invincible Summer, check EW's summer music preview coverage in print next month.
Celebrity turnout was a bit light at Coachella 2008, perhaps because of a weaker-than-usual lineup and the triple-digit heat, which made the backstage scene kind of tame. Still, we still had a smattering of B-list actors and scenesters trolling the grounds, along with a couple of rock star offspring and one notable parent. Read on for a day-by-day breakdown...
Apr 24, 2008, 08:29 PM | by Shirley Halperin
Categories: Music, Music Biz
A bit of chaos — some of it comic — unfolded at last night's NME Awards (held at the El Rey Theater in Los Angeles), where few of the award winners were big on acceptance speeches. Members of MGMT, who were voted NME's Breakthrough Artist, and Vampire Weekend, who took home Best New Indie/Alternative Band, barely mumbled a 'thank you' before taking their bronzed middle finger back to their tables. But one recipient was particularly unenthused. Lemonheads frontman and founder Evan Dando, who was given the Classic Album award for his band's seminal 1992 record, It's A Shame About Ray, walked offstage and literally chucked the weighty trophy in the garbage can, telling a minder, "I don't want this." Afterwards, he performed two songs from that album solo — the title track and "My Drug Buddy" — to an audience that included celebrity attendees Kelly Osbourne, Danny Masterson, and Bijou Phillips, but then disappeared for the rest of the night and never explained his actions.
Dando's strange antics were just the tip of the iceberg, though. At one point, Osbourne spat at the show's host, Aussie comedian Jim Jeffries, who responded with, "Wow, Kelly Osbourne spitting — that's not what I read on the Internet" — which prompted attendee Sienna Miller to throw a drink at him.
But all hell broke loose once a reunited Jane's Addiction took the stage to play four of their classics, including "Been Caught Stealing" and "Jane Says." Singer Perry Farrell was clearly thrilled to be back and on his home turf. He told the crowd, "I do this in my underpants, but it's not as much fun."
Apr 24, 2008, 07:31 PM | by Shirley Halperin
Categories: Music, Music Biz
The managers of Sacramento recording studio The Hangar, where albums by many a freak-folker have been made (Devendra Banhart, Vetiver, and Bright Black Morning Light, among others), were surprised to get a call last week from Kanye West's camp looking to book some time in the hippie- and skater-friendly space. The chart-topping rapper had just finished the second date of his Glow in the Dark tour at nearby ARCO Arena, but needed to work on a track for Young Jeezy's upcoming album which, EW.com has learned, is scheduled for release in July. "We thought it was a joke at first," says studio owner John Baccigaluppi, who's also the publisher of respected indie recording magazine Tape Op. "It was certainly an unusual booking for us, but they seemed to dig the studio and all the skate ramps." West hunkered down for two overnight sessions before heading south to San Jose, San Diego, and then Los Angeles, where his Nokia Theater performance drew several famous fans, including Lindsay Lohan, Nicole Richie, and Jamie Foxx.
You didn't have to be a rocket scientist to figure that E=MC2, Mariah Carey's latest, would debut atop the Billboard/Soundscan album chart. Her "lambs" turned out in force, snapping up 463,000 copies for the best first-week sales so far in 2008 and Carey's own best weekly tally yet. Her previous disc, 2005's The Emancipation of Mimi, something of a comeback after a series of disappointing efforts, bowed with 404,000 units sold. The previous best this year had been Jack Johnson's Sleep Through the Static, which came out of the gate with 375,000 a couple of months ago.
The next-highest debut this week belonged to Lady Antebellum, a freshman country trio on Capitol Nashville, whose self-titled CD came in at No. 4 with sales of 43,000. This is the second week in a row that a relatively unknown country act has scored a surprisingly solid bow on the album chart, following James Otto's impressive debut, Sunset Man, which drops to No. 12, moving 84,000 units in just two weeks. In fact, nine of the top 50 albums are by country acts, thanks partly to the effect of April 14's CMT Awards.
Motley Crüe drummer Tommy Lee is no stranger to reality TV (remember Tommy Lee Goes to College?), but that doesn't mean he's a fan of celebreality. Following a press conference and performance to announce Motley's new album, Saints of Los Angeles, and this summer's Crüefest tour, the always-outspoken stick-man revealed he could have had Bret Michaels' VH1 gig but turned it down. "They asked me to be on the second Rock of Love and I was, like, 'Are you out of your f----- minds? F--- no!," he told EW.com. "I think it's the stupidest s--- I've ever seen." Crüe singer Vince Neil, ironically, was more forgiving of their Poison peer. "I think it's pretty funny," he said. "Trying to deal with 20 chicks in the same house? You gotta hand it to the guy."
Lee hasn't given up on television entirely, however. He and rapper Ludacris have signed on for Battleground Earth (a show premiering on Discovery's new Planet Green network) in which the two will criss-cross the country in various competitions designed to raise awareness of environmental issues. And just to show he's serious, this weekend Lee heads to San Francisco to join the Grateful Dead's Mickey Hart and Phish drummer Jon Fishman on stage at the Green Apple Music Festival, one of eight free Earth Day concerts being held around the country. He's also planning to make the ultimate sacrifice sometime in the coming weeks: "I'm gonna quit smoking," he declared. "Or I'm gonna try."
iTunes doesn’t include live individual American Idol performances or recordings in its weekly chart of the most downloaded songs, but if the online music retailer did, the Idols would likely be landing near the top. Just consider the artists they’ve covered: After David Cook name-checked Chris Cornell’s version of “Billie Jean,” sales jumped from 224 to 14,861 weekly downloads, while Jeff Buckley’s “Hallelujah,” sung by Jason Castro, shot to the top of the charts with sales of 174,553. As for video performances, after April 9’s Idol Gives Back, six clips hit the top 10, including the Idols’ opening number cover of Rihanna’s “Don’t Stop the Music,” which went all the way to No. 1, beating new videos by Madonna and Mariah Carey. Apple's iTunes store was recently named the top music retailer in the country, surpassing Wal-Mart for the first time. Could Idol be the reason why?
Apr 10, 2008, 02:45 PM | by Hollywood Insider
Categories: Music Biz
Alicia Keys is gearing up for the premiere of her new video for "Teenage Love Affair," the third single from the singer-songwriter's third studio CD, As I Am. Conceived as an homage to Spike Lee's 1988 classic School Daze -- a musical dramedy about two groups of college students who clash during Homecoming weekend -- the clip was directed by Chris Robinson and features cameos by actors Derek Luke (Lions for Lambs) and Tristan Wilds (The Wire). "It's a really creative way to talk about your first love affair," Keys says. "And it's cool to be able to honor Spike and an iconic movie by making it up-to-date and giving it new edge 20 years later." -- By Margeaux Watson
The details of May 30’s Sex and the City: The Movie have been guarded as zealously as Carrie Bradshaw might seek out a private Manolo Blahnik sale. But director Michael Patrick King is starting to spill. He tells EW that Fergie just recorded the film’s opening number. “It’s called ‘Labels & Love,’ ” he says. “It’s an entirely new song with lyrics, but it has the Sex and the City theme as the DNA — on steroids.”
According to King, the singer feared she’d be too busy with two new singles to record the tune. But when New Line (which is releasing Sex) showed her the film, she changed her mind. And since this is a film about mouthy divas, Jennifer Hudson, who plays Carrie’s assistant, will lend her pipes to the ballad “All Dressed Up in Love” — written by MC Jack Splash and Gnarls Barkley’s Cee-Lo — which plays during the end credits. “She sings it like nobody’s business,” says King. Just as we’d expect.
Add a former American Idol top three finalist to the fast-growing list of Archie devotees. Season 5's Elliott Yamin told EW.com at last night's ASCAP Pop Music Awards that he's rooting for young David Archuleta to take the crown this year. "It would be really cool to see a young kid like him win," he said. "I really love his songs, and musically, he's very talented. He plays the guitar, piano... it's nice to see [Idol] bringing out the creative sides of those kids." As for the other male contenders? "No one's really impressed me this season," Yamin maintains. "David Cook is okay, Michael Johns is alright, but it's anybody's game at this point."
As for himself, though still mourning the recent loss of his mother, Yamin was in good spirits walking the red carpet at Hollywood's Kodak theater, relishing his time out of the recording studio. The velvety-voiced singer is hard at work on his second album, which he hopes to have out by the fall, and has recruited Janet Jackson's man Jermaine Dupri to lend a hand with production. "I'm looking forward to seeing what he adds," Yamin says. Also on his wish list: D'Angelo. "I've always wanted to work with him, and I've said it in interviews lots of times. Still, we've never heard from him."
After five years on the air, does Jimmy Kimmel Live have a chance at ever nabbing the 11:35 p.m. time slot? Thursday night was a test, of sorts: In honor of its 1,000th episode, the show expanded from an hour to 90 minutes, starting at 11:35. And the overnight results are looking good. According to ABC, overall viewership was up 20 percent from the show's season average; among men 18-34, Kimmel actually tied Late Show With David Letterman.
But long before the numbers came in, Jimmy and pals were celebrating the TV milestone with a private post-show party (and lots of free Jameson Irish Whiskey) at the famed Hollywood Roosevelt hotel. Among those in attendance: Don Rickles, Adam Carolla, David Spade, Kid Rock (the evening's musical guest), Johnny Knoxville, Rebecca Romijn, Paul Reubens, Carson Daly, Andy Milonakis, Dax Shepard, and comedian Doug Benson. Sarah Silverman, who took out a full-page ad in Variety on Thursday congratulating her boyfriend while posing with Matt Damon in tennis outfits, was also on hand to help blow out the candles. She's been knee-deep in writing for the next season of the Sarah Silverman Program, she told us, which is scheduled to start shooting in two weeks. (Damon, sadly, could not make the party. He's shooting a movie in Europe.) As for Kimmel, he's riding high from residual love pouring in from all over Hollywood following the infamous Ben Affleck affair. Coming soon to his couch: ESPY host Justin Timberlake and Stone Temple Pilots, who'll take over Kimmel's outdoor stage for their first reunited TV appearance on May 1.
Apr 2, 2008, 09:34 AM | by Shirley Halperin
Categories: Music, Music Biz
It wasn't all that long ago that Velvet Revolver drummer Matt Sorum was praising Scott Weiland for taking the initiative to check himself into rehab, but little more than a month later, the band has announced that they are officially parting ways with the singer. "This band is all about its fans and its music and Scott Weiland isn't 100 percent committed to either," said Slash in an announcement made on Tuesday. "Among other things, his increasingly erratic on-stage behavior and personal problems have forced us to move on."
In a statement released to EW.com, Weiland responds by saying: "The truth of the matter is that the band had not
gotten along on multiple levels for some time.... I choose to look forward to the future and performing with a
group of friends I have known my entire life, people who have always had
my back. This also speaks to my commitment to my music and my fellow
band mates in [Stone Temple Pilots] and to the fans who I feel would much rather watch a
group of musicians who enjoy being together as opposed to a handful of
discontents who at one time used to call themselves a gang." (The entire statement available after the jump.)
So what happened?
You didn't have to pay extra-close attention to David Cook's introduction on Tuesday night to hear him credit Doxology (pictured with Cook inset), the little-known Seattle band whose arrangement of "Eleanor Rigby" partly inspired his own performance — he made sure to say it loud and clear. But with this Idol shout-out, does Doxology feel vindicated? EW.com got singer Luke McPherson on the phone after the show, interrupting the band's rehearsal for an upcoming Guitar Center opening (sorry, guys), to find out.
EW.COM: When you first reached out to Idol about this whole situation, were they responsive?
LUKE MCPHERSON: Very. Basically, we got in touch with the 19 Entertainment people and began a discussion on how we could resolve it and what measures could be taken to make sure that proper acknowledgment was given for the arrangement. We've been working through that for the past couple weeks and tonight was the resolution. But they were very supportive the whole time.
In your initial statement, you seemed kind of pissed. Was it because you heard that David did mention the band in his pre-taped interview but it ended up on the cutting room floor?
We were never able to confirm that, and if we came across as angry, that wasn't our intention. None of us were ever really upset. We were concerned because, after the press release, they did start crediting Chris Cornell, Whitesnake, and other artists on a week-by-week basis and we felt like we were left in the dark. But eventually, they came around and ultimately took care of it.
Nelly is getting ready to roll out his fifth album, tentatively titled Brass Knuckles, on June 24. We caught up with the St. Louis rapper at the Nickelodeon Kids Choice Awards this past weekend, where he filled us in on some of the record's featured guests, among them Fergie, Usher, Akon, and Ciara, who joins the three-time Grammy winner for a track called "Stepped on My Js." "It is all about the Jordans," Nelly told EW.com. "I sang about Air Force Ones and
you know what I did for grills, it's along the same lines but
this is the best of all three. It is incredible." Still, there's one musician he's dying to record with who hasn't exactly come through...yet. "I'm trying to do something with the Boss, but Bruce Springsteen has been all over the world and busy," Nelly said. "I have a great idea that would be hot. It still might happen. I'm holding out hope." (Reporting by Carrie Bell)
Now that we're down to nine finalists on American Idol, the mad frenzy to project the winner has begun. Joining in on the fun was Season 6 winner Jordin Sparks, who EW.com caught up with at Saturday's Kids Choice Awards in Los Angeles. "I hate to choose because they are all good and I don't want to discourage any of them, but based on what happened last week I think David Cook has a good chance of being the last one standing," said Sparks, while on a break from walking the orange carpet of Nickelodeon's annual awards fete. "He sang the heck out of 'Billie Jean.' I didn't even know it was 'Billie Jean' when he started the song. I think that is a good example of taking a risk and it paying off. It is really hard because they want you to take risks, and the judges ream you if you don't, but they also often come after you when you take one they didn't like." Still, Sparks continued, "A lot can change from week to week. Voters have short-term memories, so if David blows it next week he could go home and I'd have to pick a new favorite. It is so unpredictable."
Sparks will appear on Idol Gives Back on April 9, and she's scheduled to go on tour with Alicia Keys and Ne-Yo this spring. "Sometimes I can't believe this is my life," she said. "I still get butterflies when I hear my song on the radio." (Reporting by Carrie Bell)
Though Chris Cornell was acknowledged to be the source of David Cook's "Billie Jean" rearrangement on last week's American Idol, another band has come out demanding Cook (pictured) credit their cover of "Eleanor Rigby." Doxology, a rock-soul group out of Seattle (who happen to be pals with last season's runner-up Blake Lewis), claim that on March 11 Cook performed their version of the Beatles' classic — which has been available on the band's myspace page and iTunes since January 2007 — without crediting them.
In a statement issued to the press on Saturday, lead vocalist Luke McPherson contends, "When given the opportunity to speak up and reveal where the arrangement came from, David Cook did not. His silence on the issue implies that the arrangement is his own. It is not." The band is careful to note that they are fans of the show and they are not seeking royalties (which they could have earned off of iTunes sales had their name been mentioned on air). Their impetus: "We just want David Cook and American Idol to do the right thing and acknowledge these facts. It's that simple." Whether Cook was actually aware of their version is still unclear as representatives for Fox could not be reached for comment over the weekend.
Read the band's full press release after the jump.
David Cook's rousing performance of "Billie Jean" on Tuesday night's American Idol may have brought him to the front of the season 7 pack, so why are Chris Cornell fans furious? Well, it was Cornell's version of the song, included on his 2007 solo album Carry On, that Cook covered, and though Ryan Seacrest identified it as such in his introduction, the judges went on to praise Cook for his originality in rearranging the Michael Jackson classic. But here's the million dollar question: What did Cornell himself think of it? EW.com tracked him down and asked him.
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: Were you told ahead of time that an Idol contestant was doing your version of "Billie Jean"?
CHRIS CORNELL: No. I had no idea. On my flight back from touring in South Africa, I started receiving messages from my fansite moderator and management [saying] that fans were furious about some American Idol guy who covered my version of "Billie Jean." It appears the judges had no idea that it was my arrangement and were giving David Cook praise about how brilliant he was in performing the song that way. My fans are very protective and felt David should have volunteered the info [at that point]. Even though he did cover it well, and it was brave of him to try and pull it off.
Were you flattered by the performance?
Very much. It was clear to me [that] he was a big fan as he followed my arrangement down to the T, including the most subtle vocal nuances. I think he did a great job at pulling it off.
Can you tell us a bit about how this cover came to be?
It was a complete reinvention of a song that no one thought would work until they saw me play it in Stockholm acoustically. It received such an enormous reaction that it prompted me to do a studio recording. It ended up on my second solo album, Carry On.
In general, do you find anything disingenuous about Idol contestants doing covers of covers?
This song is a special case, but in general, I don't think it should be an issue to cover a cover, as long as it's clear who the creator and/or interpretor of that piece is. I think David's performance was great and I want to thank all my fans for their dedication!
Award-winning songwriter Kara DioGuardi, who's penned hits for many chart-topping female pop stars — Gwen Stefani, Avril Lavigne, Ashlee Simpson and Kelly Clarkson, among them — has joined the Warner Bros. Records A&R team, though an official staff position has yet to be firmed up. She officially joined the label's A&R team a couple months ago, according to an insider, and is reporting to Warner chairman and CEO Tom Whalley. DioGuardi's main focus is on signing pop acts, and one of her first projects is 21-year-old newcomer Tynisha Keli, whose look is the perfect blend of Lindsay Lohan, Ashley Tisdale, and Britney Spears (all singers whom DioGuardi has worked with in the past), but with pipes that seem much more promising. (Check out her YouTube channel here.)
Named BMI's 2007 Pop Songwriter of the Year, DioGuardi tried to launch her own career as an artist a year earlier, teaming with the Eurythmics' Dave Stewart for a high-concept collaboration called Platinum Weird that never quite caught on. She's also tried her hand at television, serving as a judge on the short-lived American Idol knock-off show, The One. Rumor has it DioGuardi was also on the short-list to be an expert on MTV's Rock the Cradle, another vocal competition series featuring the children of famous — and mostly forgotten — singers like Kenny Loggins, Eddie Money, and Olivia Newton John. That show is scheduled to premiere on April 3. A rep for Warner Bros. corporate could not be reached for comment.
Mar 26, 2008, 03:23 PM | by Chris Willman
Categories: Music Biz
Hot-diggity Danity! This week, P. Diddy’s Making the Band 3 girl group, Danity Kane, earned its second No. 1 album in a row, managing to capture an even bigger opening-week tally with Welcome to the Dollhouse than they did with their 2006 self-titled debut. It wasn’t a hugely higher figure, mind you: Dollhouse bowed with 236,000 copies, compared to 234,000 units for the first record's opening week. Still, 236,000 sales is the second-best bow so far this year, trailing only the 375,000 debut for Jack Johnson's Sleep Through the Static, back in February.
Hip-hop artist Flo Rida came in second among new entries on the album chart, selling 86,000 copies of Mail on Sunday to debut at No. 4. Surely, he had to be hoping for better: His “Low” single is the bestselling digital download track of all time, having sold 3.3 million units over the last four months. But apparently, the massive tune didn’t whet everyone’s appetite for a full course meal.
Gnarls Barkley’s sophomore effort, The Odd Couple, debuted at No. 18 with 31,000 sales. That may not sound very gnarly, but almost all of those sales were full-length downloads sold via Web retailers like iTunes after the label rush-released the album to combat widespread leaks. Now that it's at brick-and-mortar stores as well, the much-anticipated disc could chart at least as well again next week.
The latest American Idol alum to sign up for the franchise's summer camp extension? Season 5 finalist Paris Bennett, who will join Season 4 runner-up Bo Bice, Season 5's Ace Young and Season 3's Jon Peter Lewis as a mentor to 150 Idol hopefuls. Now in its second year, Idol Camp takes place in Running Springs, Calif., and is comprised of five two-week sessions, kicking off on June 15 and wrapping on August 23. It's open to kids between the ages of 10 and 15 and does not require an audition, but parents should take note of the camp's disclaimer:
Limited enrollment into Idol Camp DOES NOT GUARANTEE entrance into the "American Idol" television series competition, nor will it provide inside information or any other advantage in the "American Idol" audition process.
Well, if your kid's crafty, surely some information can be gleaned from our very chatty EW.com blogger, JPL, who's making his second appearance at the camp? And why is this not a reality show in its own right? The final deadline for applications is April 18th. Kids, start practicing!
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.
At a March 22 bash on the eve of his 30th birthday, Perez Hilton not only received the first double-platinum plaque for Amy Winehouse's Back to Black, an album which the blogger and tastemaker championed long before its U.S. release, but later was treated to a surprise performance by the Pussycat Dolls. The blond-haired scribe (given name: Mario Lavandeira Jr.) called the event at the Beverly Wilshire hotel his Quinceañera (an appropriate title considering the location had a strange Super Sweet Sixteen feel to it). Famous guests included Amanda Bynes, The Hills' Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt, and a Kardashian or two. But it was Pussycat Dolls' Nicole Scherzinger's saucy, R-rated dedication that really got tongues wagging. "I'm especially excited to be one of the very privileged, lucky, chosen ones to have graced the pages of perezhilton.com... with driplets coming out of my mouth," she told an already rowdy crowd, before asking, "How many of you wanna see P-Nasty get a birthday spanking?" After a single lashing, the Dolls proclaimed the birthday boy their sixth member and presented him with a bedazzled official PCD sweatshirt that read, "Don't you wish your boyfriend were hot like Perez?" The self-declared "Queen of all Media" then joined the girls to sing their hit song, "Don't Cha," proving that, when it comes to music, he feels just as comfortable on stage as he does behind the scenes. What's next? A Perez Hilton rap record?
Comedian Dave Chappelle was spotted at the Fillmore in San Francisco on Wednesday night, taking in the sold out Black Crowes concert. A longtime pal of Crowes frontman Chris Robinson, Chappelle stayed through the show, in which the band played their new album, Warpaint, in its entirety, then continued on to the Punchline comedy club to do a marathon stand-up set, the latest in a string of his own sold out Bay Area appearances, which typically start at midnight and go until six in the morning. Still, six hours remains one hour short of Dane Cook's current record, which he set in January, besting Chappelle's record-setting six-plus-hour routine from last December. “It isn’t something we went into competitively," Cook recently said. "If anybody could get up there and entertain people for more than seven hours, it would be Dave, but I think the seven hours will probably stand for some time.” Chappelle and Cook may get the chance to go head-to-head this June. New York comedy club Comic Strip Live has invited both of them to take part in a 50-hour comedy show aimed at setting a new Guinness World Record.
When it rains hip-hop albums, it pours -- sometimes. And after a relative drought, three of this week's six top-selling albums were from returning rappers. Rick Ross' second album of all-new material, Trilla, sold 199,000, topping the 187,000 units his first album bowed with. It's also one of the best opening weeks so far during this admittedly weak sales year. Less thrilling was Snoop Dogg's Ego Trippin', which debuted at No. 3; that appears to be an enviable chart position, until you realize that the 137,000-copy opening tally represents the lowest first week any of his studio albums has ever had, according to Billboard. (His last album, Tha Blue Carpet Treatment, opened with 264,000.) The third entry in this week's hip-hop trifecta, Fat Joe's The Elephant in the Room, saw a less-than-elephantine bow with a modest 46,000 units, which was still good enough to grab No. 6.
Some other albums making their first appearance on the sales chart: the NOW 27 collection, which debuted at No. 2 with 169,000, as well the NOW franchise's incursion into the nostalgia market, Now That's What I Call 80's, which bowed at No. 11 with 34,000. A live Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus album, the soundtrack to the recent 3D Best of Both Worlds movie, popped in at No. 10 with 34,000. That sounds like a fairly low number for the tween-appeal phenomenon, but for now, the Montana album is a WalMart exclusive; it won't become available through other retailers until April 15.
One dawg that fell well short of the top 10 was Randy Jackson's Music Club Volume One, a collection produced by the American Idol judge: Despite the buzz — both positive and negative — surrounding the album's first single, "Dance Like There's No Tomorrow," sung by fellow judge Paula Abdul, the disc only made it to No. 50, on sales of 13,000.
Likely leading the way on next week's chart: albums that hit the streets Tuesday by Danity Kane, Flo Rida, and Yael Naim, as well as Gnarls Barkley's so far digital-only sophomore effort.
Two weeks ago, Hollywood Insider revealed that R&B crooner Ne-Yo and Fall Out Boy frontman Patrick Stump had recorded a duet called “Finish Your Food" — which Stump said had "one of the craziest concepts for a song I've ever heard." Well, we definitely wanted to hear more about these strange bedfellows, so we caught up with Ne-Yo yesterday to find out more about the Island Def Jam labelmates' unusual tune, and his description did not disappoint.
"Imagine this," Ne-Yo told EW.com at the Def Jam office. "You live with your girlfriend. You wake up, she makes you breakfast in bed. Puts the tray down, gives you a kiss on the forehead, and she leaves for work. You eat, you eat, you eat. You notice that there’s a letter on the tray, and the letter says, 'I'm leaving you. Don't get up, I'm already gone. Finish your food.' You get up, you run downstairs, all your furniture's gone. In the kitchen there's more scrambled eggs. So you’re sitting on the floor in the kitchen, like, 'What the hell is going on?,' eating these scrambled eggs still. And then you start feeling funny. Did she poison the eggs? It leaves that question going on in your head at the end of the song."
Ne-Yo's hoping the sinister tale makes it onto his in-progress third CD, Year of the Gentleman, which he recently started recording. "I'd like the version with me and [Stump] to go on this album," he says. "But I'll be honest with you, it's been a little bit of a fight with the label. They’re like, ‘Is the world ready for Ne-Yo and Patrick Stump?’ His fanbase is this, and my fanbase is that. We're trying to figure out if the world is ready for those two [genres] to come together. I personally think that it's a great idea, but it's one of the few things that me and Def Jam tussle over."
A Def Jam rep did not reply to requests for comment. Look for Ne-Yo's record to drop some time this summer.
He may be taking a breather from touring and performing, but Justin Timberlake continues to diversify his already ridiculously long résumé. In addition to the recently announced NBC show My Problem With Women (for which Timberlake, in a collaboration with Reveille, serves as an executive producer) and upcoming movie roles in The Love Guru (due out this June) and The Open Road (currently filming), the singer is also rumored to be hosting this summer’s ESPY Awards. But his music-production skills remain in high demand: Timberlake worked in London with Madonna, co-writing and co-producing five tracks on her new album, Hard Candy (out April 29) and appearing in Madge's new video, then traveled to New York to induct her into the Rock-n-Roll Hall of Fame. He was also spotted last week in the Austin recording studio of Spoon’s Jim Eno, where he and co-producer Charlie Sexton were wrapping up sessions with noted songwriter Matt Morris, one of the first artists signed to Timberlake’s own Tennman Records (check out video of the two in the studio here). “He’s kind of like Ray LaMontagne meets Elton John meets Stevie Wonder meets Rufus Wainwright,” Timberlake told us last year. “It’s time for the birth of the hybrid artist. I’m anxious to create an artist that the press has trouble labeling.” Next up: world domination.
Mar 18, 2008, 05:09 PM | by Margeaux Watson
Categories: Music Biz
Gnarls Barkley’s new CD, The Odd Couple, is now available at various online music retailers, including iTunes, three weeks before its scheduled release, without any notice. The follow-up to the group’s Grammy-winning debut CD, 2006’s St. Elsewhere, was originally slated to drop on April 8. The curious and sudden move comes as their new single, “Run,” remains absent from Billboard’s Hot 100 chart at press time, prompting speculation that the decision to move forward the release date was an attempt to spur interest. But Danger Mouse (pictured, right, with Cee Lo) says the release date was pushed up because the album leaked. "My manager told me [the record leaked]," Danger said. "And then you don’t know how bad it is. And then people on the street start telling you that they like the new record and you’re like, 'Oh. Cool.' [Laughs] And then you start to realize that it’s out there." Julie Greenwald, president of Atlantic Records, Gnarls' label, also dismissed claims that the album was deliberately leaked to create a buzz. "[I]t wasn't premeditated and it's unfortunate, because there's a lot of hard work and effort, not just from the band, but all the people working at the label as well, to set this up and try to do a fantastic marketing roll out," Greenwald said. "Obviously, it wreaked havoc on us all and we make the best of it, but why would anyone want it only to be available illegally?"
Danger Mouse says the duo has mixed feelings about the online distribution of their music and that he'd prefer to have their records release as a digital download and physical CD on the same day. “I didn’t wanna put it on iTunes separate from the physical release," he said. "It’s just something that I guess apparently is done, and it’s the label’s job to handle that kind of stuff. In a perfect world, for me personally, I would’ve just had them all come out the same day.... I’d rather people have it in their hands and have the choice. But some people don’t mind or don’t want it their hands, they just get it online. You at least give everybody the option. But, yeah, I’d always prefer somebody to just have it in their hands.”
Check back with EW.com for more details and updates on this story.
Mar 18, 2008, 04:54 PM | by Mike Bruno
Categories: Music Biz
Fall Out Boy announced today that they hope to become the band heard 'round the world: Pete Wentz and Co. are going for a Guinness World Record as the first group to play a concert in all seven continents within a nine-month period. The rockers kicked off their trek in Johannesburg, South Africa, last summer and have since toured through Europe, Asia, Australia, and North America. They're scheduled to play in South America (Santiago, Chile) on March 23, followed by a show on King George Island in Antarctica on March 25 (as part of a global warming awareness campaign with Greenpeace), where they will be officially crowned holders of the world record. They would take their place in the Guinness Book beside Chicago rapper Rebel XD (fastest rap at 852 syllables in 42 seconds) and British singer-songwriter Katie Melua (deepest concert at 994 feet below sea level, on Statoil's Troll A gas rig, off the coast
of Bergen, Norway).
South By Southwest is drawing to a close, with only one night of debauchery left to survive here in Austin. We've seen a ton of bands (check out our PopWatch blog for daily recaps), heard a bunch of industry chatter, and done a lot of walking. Here's a sampling of some of the sights and sounds we've experienced during the festival.
Buzzing: Manchester's The Ting Tings, Memphis' Jay Reatard, Cincinnati's Bad Veins, Philly heroes Dr. Dog, newcomers Los Capesinos! and bands-of-the-moment MGMT and Vampire Weekend.
Disappointing:
• The aforementioned Vampire Weekend at the Spin party. "They came off cocky," said one audience member.
• British sensation Duffy, who played two day gigs on Friday, "Kind of eh," remarked an exec who had believed the hype.
• MGMT at the Playboy party. Railed one angry fan: "They didn't play 'Time to Pretend'—WTF?"
No shows: The Lemonheads skipped out on their afternoon set at the Fader/Levi's fort. No explanation was offered.
Cover-worthy: Israeli singer Yael Naim, whose song "New Soul" is featured in the latest Apple campaign, broke out a dark and jazzy rendition of Britney Spears' "Toxic" at the ASCAP showcase Friday night.
Production notes: The Decemberists' Chris Funk is working with fellow Portland rockers The Builders and the Butchers on their new record.
Rumor of the night: Britney Spears to make a surprise appearance at Stubbs for N.E.R.D.'s Friday night headlining gig. She didn't show.
Rumor of the year: The perennial conference gossip—will there be a secret surprise show by the Beastie Boys? Answer: nope.
Raves: Perry Farrell rocking out to X from the crowd, after introducing the band at the Spin party. "Listen to that, that's Zeppelin!" he declared to anyone within earshot.
Now here's something we didn't expect to see at South by Southwest: none other than Angelina Jolie strolling down Congress Ave. (Austin's main drag) just like any of the other 50,000 out-of-towners who have descended on the Texas capital. There she was on Wednesday, walking sans Brad Pitt, who is also in Austin filming the new Terrence Malick film, Tree of Life (co-starring Sean Penn). EW.com has learned that Pitt requested several tickets to see SXSW's hottest opening night show, R.E.M. at Stubb's Wednesday night, but was told that the band had maxed out their guest list, and while they'd happily take care of the super-star couple, they couldn't accommodate a larger entourage. As far as we could tell, Pitt and Jolie didn't show after that.
Alan Jackson's Good Time got off to a good start on the album chart, selling 119,000 to debut at No. 1. This is the fourth time an album of Jackson's topped the overall Billboard/Soundscan sales rankings, and the first time since 2002. (His last album, Like Red on a Rose, opened with a higher sales tally, but only made it to No. 4, due to tougher competition at the time.) We're sure the country star didn't mean to reference the Jimmie Walker era with that Good Time(s) title, but we'd love to hear Jackson let loose with a cry of "Dy-no-mite!" (Not gonna happen.)
How about a "Hallelujah," then? The late Jeff Buckley's "Hallelujah" enters the digital songs chart at a shocking No. 1, selling 178,000 downloads for the week, just ahead of the 175,000 that Usher's "Love in This Club" sold. We'd love to think this resurrection happened because the song's writer, Leonard Cohen, was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame this week. Alas, no. It's because American Idol heartthrob Jason Castro did a rendition of it on the juggernaut show.
Not to be outdone, Michael McDonald covered "Hallelujah" on his new long-player, which debuted on the album sales chart at No. 12 with 28,000 copies. Other notable debuts included L.A.-based Celtic-punk band Flogging Molly, in at No. 4 with 48,000 (their previous chart peak was No. 20), and the Black Crowes, bowing at No. 5 with 46,000 (their first trip to the top 10 since 1992). Among top holdovers, Jack Johnson moved back up from No. 3 to No. 2, while, in her second week out, Janet Jackson dropped from No. 1 to No. 3 with a 68% sales decrease. Now, if only she had named her album Good Time(s).
Mar 12, 2008, 04:25 PM | by Margeaux Watson
Categories: Music Biz
Apparently members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences weren’t the only ones impressed by Terrence Howard’s Oscar-nominated role as a pimp-turned-rapper in 2005’s Hustle & Flow. EW has learned exclusively that the 39-year-old Crash veteran, now starring in the Broadway revival of Tennessee Williams’ Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, has landed a record deal with Columbia Records. “The full name [of the project] is Terrence Howard Presents Me and the Band of Kings,” says a label rep, who adds that the group’s as-yet-untitled debut CD “is slated for a fall release.” Maybe it’s not so hard out here for a pimp after all.
The guest list is growing by the minute for Perez Hilton's "One Night in Austin," the celebrity-blogger's first South By Southwest bash, which closes out the festival on Saturday night and includes a curious assortment of stars. Among those who've RSVP'd: indie rock lover and culinary queen Rachael Ray, who's hosting her own event earlier in the day, legendary singer Van Morrison, country bad girl Shelby Lynne, and hip-hop star Talib Kweli. They'll be joined by several hundred sure-to-be-fatigued festival-goers and entertained by Swedish pop darling Robyn, who was previously announced to perform. The night's special surprise guest, EW.com has learned, will be Pharrell Williams' band N.E.R.D., which has a new album coming out in June. Perez, meanwhile, has yet to finalize his deal with Warner Bros. Records, which has reportedly offered him an A&R position and his own imprint.
Mar 11, 2008, 02:52 PM | by Shirley Halperin
Categories: Music Biz
The highly-anticipated Comedy Central roast of country legend Willie Nelson has been postponed indefinitely, the network confirms. Scheduling conflicts, including Nelson's upcoming European tour, have forced the network to reconsider the airdate (originally slated for April 17); a new date has yet to be determined. The roast would have preceded Nelson's 75th birthday on April 30 and coincided nicely with the release of One Hell of a Ride, a four-CD boxed set chronicling 50-plus years of recordings (due April 1). Nelson is currently in New Mexico filming Beer for My Horses, a movie starring Toby Keith that shares the name of his No. 1 country hit. Nelson plays a circus ringmaster opposite David Allen Coe. Other noteworthy cast members include rocker Ted Nugent and actress Gina Gershon.
Ashlee Simpson took to her myspace blog today to address rumors that she was drunk during a morning appearance on Washington DC radio station Hot 99.5. During the brief interview with Kane in the Morning, it seemed as if Simpson was slurring her words and giggling, some would say excessively. "It was very upsetting to hear that people saying that I was intoxicated," she writes, before explaining the circumstances of Monday night, which involved getting a new tattoo but no alcohol. Read on for Simpson's full defense...
Mar 5, 2008, 09:06 PM | by Chris Willman
Categories: Music Biz
She won the battle, but she may not necessarily be winning the war. No, this is not another story about Hillary Clinton's mixed primary news. We're talking about Janet Jackson, who's looking to regain her former chart dominance. The good news: Her new album, Discipline, entered the sales chart at No. 1, while her last two albums never got above No. 2. The bad news: It did that with a significantly lower total than any of her other Soundscan-era CDs. It sold 181,000, versus the 296,000 that her previous effort, 20 Y.O., opened with a year and a half ago. Since that stronger-starting album went on to sell fewer than 700,000 copies — her weakest total to date — the math for an all-out comeback is probably not in her favor.
Having a good week with no asterisks attached, meanwhile, is Usher. There's no news yet about a release date for his next album, but his single, "Love in This Club," just entered the digital songs chart at No. 1, with one-week sales of 198,000, without massive amounts of promotion on his part. That's good news not just for Usher and his patient fans but for anyone sick with boredom from having seen Flo Rida's "Low" command that chart week after week after week.
On last night's American Idol, dreadlocked-contestant Jason Castro nearly brought Paula Abdul to tears with his rendition of Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah." Of course, it seemed to us that he was really imitating Jeff Buckley's version, whose popularity has consistently outpaced the late singer's other songs, chief among them, his mid-90s hit, "The Last Goodbye." And sure enough, sales of Buckley's "Hallelujah" went through the roof in the overnight hours, shooting up to No. 5 on the iTunes sales chart. Despite being a popular download for use in weddings and religious functions, the song was nowhere near the top 100 iTunes chart before last night's Idol, according to an Apple spokesperson, who adds that it's one of the biggest overnight pops in the history of iTunes, unlike anything they've seen since The Sopranos resurrected Journey's "Don't Stop Believin'."
Mar 5, 2008, 03:01 AM | by Hollywood Insider
Categories: Music Biz
Led Zeppelin did it. Van Halen did it. Hell, even the Pixies did it. So what, you may be wondering, are the chances of Pavement getting back together for a reunion tour? Despite reports to the contrary, surprisingly good, actually — though it depends on how you define "tour." The band's leader, Stephen Malkmus, tells Entertainment Weekly in this week's issue, "Something small in 10 years like the Zeppelin thing sounds good to me," referring to the one-night-only London show the aging Hammers of the Gods put on in December. "Obviously, the arena would be smaller than theirs, though."
Pavement's happy-go-lucky bassist, Mark Ibold, currently busy touring with Sonic Youth in Australia, tells EW that he'd be on board, too. "Why not next month?" he jokes. "No, it needs to be carefully planned." When asked if he saw any obstacles standing in the way, Ibold replied, "Learning the songs again. I've actually dreamt that there was a reunion show and I couldn't remember the songs."
Scott Kannberg, a.k.a. guitarist "Spiral Stairs," who co-founded the band with Malkmus in 1989 and now lives in Seattle and fronts his own post-Pavement band, Preston School of Industry, comes closest to pin-pointing an exact date — perhaps tied to the 20th anniversary of the band's label, Matador Records, in 2009. "Matador is having a 20th anniversary party soon, so maybe we'll try to do something for that. [When contacted, Matador had no response.] The only hurdle might be getting everyone to drop what they're doing, but I'm sure the excitement of playing again will make it okay."
Man, why couldn't they agree this much when Pavement was still together? —Chris Nashawaty
Billy Bragg has joined a growing list of heavy hitters — Ben Harper, Tom Morello, System of a Down's Serj Tankian, and Kimya Dawson, among them — for one of South by Southwest's most anticipated bills. The Austin, Tex., music fest's Thursday night lineup will honor the documentary Body of War, about Tomas Young, a 26-year-old Iraq War veteran who was maimed less
than a week into his first tour of duty.
The story inspired many of the artists to donate tracks (mostly protest songs) for the Sire Records release, with all proceeds going to Iraq Veterans Against the War. The award-winning doc by Phil Donahue and Ellen Spiro will have its Austin premiere on March 13, preceding the concert at Stubb's BBQ. Although Eddie Vedder, who wrote the anthemic "No More" after meeting Young, is not scheduled to appear, Morello tells EW.com, "I've been trying to lure some more performers." Stay tuned for more artist announcements as we get them.
One's a smooth R&B balladeer, the other's an angsty emo wailer — and now Ne-Yo and Fall Out Boy singer Patrick Stump are making beautiful music together. Stump exclusively tells EW.com that he and his Island Def Jam labelmate recorded a Ne-Yo composition titled "Finish Your Food" during a recent studio hang session. "It's an R&B jam," says Stump of the duet. "A real good Ne-Yo signature, lyrical story-song." And what kind of story might that be? "I don't want to spoil it! It's the Cloverfield thing: You can't give too much away. But I will say that I gotta give him credit for it. It's one of the craziest concepts for a song I've ever heard, lyrically." Ne-Yo's publicist tells EW she isn't aware of any current release plans for "Finish Your Food," but Stump is keeping his fingers crossed. "Hopefully that sees the light of day," he adds. "I love the sound of our voices together."
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