The Beastie Boys are putting the finishing touches on their eighth studio album. "It's a pretty weird record," rapper Adam Yauch (MCA) told EW at last weekend's Independent Spirit Awards in Santa Monica, Calif., where Wendy and Lucy, which Yauch's company distributed, was nominated. And unlike 2007's vocal-free The Mix-Up, he promises it will feature "a lot of rhyming and playing and sampling -- all combined." Beyond that, details are scarce, but Yauch hints that the venerable trio has been (no surprise here) experimenting with new sounds: "We still have a good time working together. It's fun to be able to reinvent yourself every time." They're aiming for a summer or fall release, though no date has been set; tentative titles being batted around include Tad Lock's Glasses, a reference to a former tour bus driver's distinctive eyewear. (Additional reporting by Carrie Bell)
Hit songwriter The-Dream (Rihanna's "Umbrella," Beyonce's "Single Ladies") is gearing up for the March 10 release of his own sophomore album, Love vs. Money -- but in the meantime, he's staying busy writing songs for Diddy's upcoming Last Train to Paris. The-Dream tells EW he's penned two potential cuts for Diddy's album in recent weeks. And at least one of them, titled "Change," finds the many-named mogul leaving behind his familiar rap flow for a melodic croon. "It's one of the biggest records I ever wrote," boasts The-Dream. "He sang the record gracefully. He really pulled it off, and he really surprised me. Because it's Puff, nobody expects it. [But] he's got the goods."
No date has been officially announced for Last Train to Paris, but The-Dream says Diddy is aiming for a late-spring/early-summer release. The-Dream also revealed that he's planning to team up again with previous collaborators Mariah Carey and Mary J. Blige on tunes for their respective upcoming projects.
UPDATE: Diddy's label announced Feb. 19 that Last Train to Paris will hit stores on Sept. 22. "I'm ushering in a new movement called 'train music'," Diddy said in a press release. "It's a profound love story. It's me with my shades off. It's the truth."
Widespread Internet chatter that Madonna may participate in some capacity in the Twilight sequel, New Moon, may be only partly true, a source close to the production tells EW. Summit Entertainment, the studio behind the movie series, has no plans to cast the pop star and sometime actor in New Moon. However, because Madonna's manager, Guy Oseary, is a producer on the project, there is some talk of her providing songs for the sequel. Still, no deals have been made yet, and the plans haven't progressed beyond the that'd be cool stage. (Reporting by Christine Spines)
Multiple sources have confirmed to EW that representatives of Chris Brown are on the lookout for a crisis-management expert to help the pop star rehabilitate his image in light of his Feb. 8 arrest on felony battery charges. Many news organizations have reported that Brown argued with his girlfriend, Rihanna, after a pre-Grammy party, which resulted in both singers canceling their Grammy appearances. The singer and sometime actor turned himself into police on Feb. 8 and was quickly released on $50,000 bond.
Among the experts who have been recommended to Brown's people were Alan Nierob, the veteran Hollywood publicist who advised Mel Gibson in 2006 after he spewed anti-Semitic comments at an arresting officer during a drunk-driving incident; and Howard Bragman, who repped Isaiah Washington in 2007 after Washington used an antigay slur to refer to costar T.R. Knight on the set of Grey's Anatomy. EW has confirmed that neither Nierob nor Bragman has been hired -- for now.
Meanwhile, Bragman (author of the book Where's My Fifteen Minutes?) already has a lot to say about Brown's arrest. Speaking to EW earlier this week, Bragman said Brown should prepare himself for months -- even years -- of intense scrutiny. The fallout from Brown's arrest was swift: Wrigley suspended his Doublemint gum ad from airing on TV, the Milk Mustache campaign issued a statement that it was "taking the allegations against Chris Brown very seriously" (though Brown's ad was already scheduled to end its run this week), and Sesame Street pulled a 2007 episode guest-starring Brown from all future airings. Meanwhile, Rihanna postponed a Feb. 13 concert scheduled in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
"What he is accused of doing is a bad thing -– and I'm talking about that in the court of public opinion," Bragman said. "The only thing probably worse is murder, rape, and hurting an animal. This isn't a bong hit like Michael Phelps, which everybody has done. This is serious. What he's got going for him is that he's young, talented, likable, and we forgive people. You can go home again, but it takes time. It's not something you can turn around overnight. He has to strap himself in and be ready for a long ride. It's not a comfortable ride."
We're finally starting to see some motion in the Billboard 200 album sales chart after a fairly static month of January. The Fray take the top spot in this week's chart, selling 179,000 copies of their self-titled album in its first week. That's not a huge number by any means, but it's the band's best sales week to date nonetheless, and it was enough to knock last week's champ, Bruce Springsteen's Working on a Dream, down to No. 2 with 102,000 units moved.
Coming in at No. 3 was country star Dierks Bentley's Feel That Fire, which debuted with 71,000 in sales. The once-invincible Taylor Swift, whose album Fearless recently spent eight weeks at the top of this chart, slid to No. 4 with 64,000, while Beyonce's I Am...Sasha Fierce rounded out the top five with 51,000.
Other noteworthy chart debuts included Kidz Bop 15 at No. 7 with 38,000 and The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus' Lonely Road at No. 14 with 26,000.
The fallout from Chris Brown'sarrest last night has begun. In a statement to EW.com concerning its ad campaign for Doublemint gum that incorporated Brown's song "Forever", the Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company said that it is "concerned by the serious allegations made against Chris Brown," and while they believe Brown deserves "due process," they are suspending all ads "and any related marketing [featuring Brown]...until the matter is resolved."
Brown turned himself into police custody last night in connection with an investigation into charges of a felony battery that allegedly took place in a car early Sunday morning. He was released from LAPD custody after posting $50,000 bail on Sunday night and is due in court March 5. It is being reported that the alleged victim's name is Robyn Fenty, the real name of R&B singer, and Brown's girlfriend, Rihanna.
Ever since the actor announced he was ditching his career in movies to try to make it as a rap artist, speculation has flown wildly about what, exactly, the two-time Oscar nominee might be thinking. Following his widely panned three-song debut as a rapper at a Las Vegas nightclub on Jan. 16 -- a shambling performance that concluded with the actor falling off the stage -- two competing theories emerged: Either Phoenix is perpetrating an elaborate Andy Kaufman-style hoax (with an assist from his friend and brother-in-law Casey Affleck, who's ostensibly shooting a documentary about his career transition), or he's truly lost his marbles. The truth, it seems, is closer
to the former. "He
said, 'It's a put-on. I'm going to pretend to have a meltdown and
change careers, and Casey is going to film it,'" says one source who recently worked with Phoenix.
Though Phoenix's interest in music is sincere (he earned Oscar and Grammy nominations for his turn as Johnny Cash in Walk the Line and has directed several music videos), with this supposed career reboot he is evidently trying to both lampoon pompous actors and punk the media that covers them. Whatever his motivation or ultimate endgame, don't expect him to break character anytime soon. "It's an art project for him," says a source. "He's going full out. He probably has told his reps that he's quit acting. Joaquin is very smart. This is very conscious. He has a huge degree of control."
The Black Eyed Peas haven't released a record since their 2005 smash, Monkey Business, but frontman will.i.am (birth name: William Adams) has remained nearly as ubiquitous in pop culture as lady-Pea-turned-solo-star Fergie. This year alone, there were the much-watched celebrity-stuffedObama videos he spearheaded, the score he co-wrote with legendary film composer Hans Zimmer for Madagascar 2, an Election-night appearance as a hologram(!) on CNN, and more recently, several newsy announcements the recent multiple-Grammy nominee sat down to discuss (or, in some very top-secret cases, beg off).
First order of business? A role in the upcoming X-Men Origins: Wolverine. "I’m a big fan," i.am says, "But I know I'm not allowed to say much. What I can talk about is that I’m in it and that I’m a mutant, John Wraith, and I have the power to teleport." He recently flew to London (the old-fashioned way) to work with U2 as well, but alas, on that topic his lips are even more sealed. "I can't say anything," he promises, "I swear!"
There's much more to come from the guys who brought "J--- in My Pants" to last weekend's Saturday Night Live. That raunchy jam is in fact the first single off of a full-length release from comedy troupe The Lonely Island, made up of SNL ham Andy Samberg and SNL writers Jorma Taccone and Akiva Schaffer.
Taccone tells EW that the childhood pals' debut, Incredibad (due Feb. 10 on Universal Republic), will include about 14 all-new tracks that they recorded while living together in Encino, Calif. this summer. Among them are collaborations with musicians like T-Pain, Jack Black, Bay Area rapper E-40, Strokes frontman Julian Casablancas, and smooth crooner Norah Jones. "It's almost too star-studded," Taccone laughs, adding, "it might be surprising what Norah's singing about. For both her and Julian, it's definitely not their regular content." Though the Lonely Island guys produced much of the album themselves, underground hip-hoppers DJ Nu-Mark and J-Zone also contributed beats.
The songs the Lonely Island created for popular SNL Digital Shorts, including "D--- in a Box" (featuring Justin Timberlake), "Lazy Sunday,""A Day in the Life of Natalie Portman,""Ras Trent," and "Space Olympics," are also slated to appear on Incredibad. "It'll be the first time people get to hear everything without the audience laughter over it," says Taccone. "We spend so much time getting stuff to sound good, and then it gets on the show, and we're glad that it sounds good in the [live studio] audience, but nobody has ever really heard a clean version of those songs."
Live shows supporting Incredibad are not out of the question, though the crew will have to find a way to juggle any promotion with their already time-consuming work on SNL. "This [CD] is something we've wanted to do forever," says Taccone, who also has a supporting role in next summer's Land of the Lost movie. "I would love for us to be able to tour, too. I just can't imagine when the hell we'd ever have time!"
The soundtrack for Fox Searchlight's biopic of late rapper The Notorious B.I.G. is rapidly taking shape now that first single "Brooklyn Go Hard" — a Kanye West-produced collaboration between Biggie's old friend Jay-Z and hip rocker Santogold — has leaked online.
Notorious producer Wayne Barrow tells EW that several legendary unheard demo tapes from early in Biggie's career form the heart of the soundtrack: "We kept everything as is, in its raw form. This is what got him the [recording] deal, plain and simple. His fans have been asking for it for years." Adds director George Tillman Jr.: "That's what I'm excited for. It's incredible stuff."
Barrow says the disc, due Jan. 13 on Bad Boy, will also include a handful of catalog tracks and an emotional remix of 1995's "One More Chance" featuring guest vocals from Biggie's 12-year-old son, Christopher "CJ" Wallace.
Paris Hilton may
not be dating a rocker anymore, but she still has music on her mind. The celebutante caught up with EW.com backstage at last week's American Music Awards and told us that she has
finished her second album, featuring production by Mike Green
(Paramore, the Matches), and is deciding what to do next, now that she’s
no longer at Warner Bros. Records. “I wrote all the songs,” Hilton
beamed. “It’s very dance, like Kylie Minogue.” As for who might put it out? "I'm figuring it out right now," she said. "I'm not sure which label I'm doing it with."
Sarah McLachlan and Pink's duet on the song “Angel” was one of the highlights of the 2008 American Music Awards. The pairing came together, McLachlan told EW.com at the AMAs, after the two met at Ellen Degeneres' 50th birthday party. "She told me about seeing Prince playing 'Angel' at Coachella and that she sang every word at top of her lungs. And I thought, 'Hmm...I think I know who might be able to sing it with me.' I love her voice, she's got a great rock 'n' roll grit that's really soulful as well."
Perhaps there’s a future studio pairing in
store? “If the song is right, I’m game,” McLachlan said. “I don’t know
why more people don’t ask me, because I’m a total whore in that
way — I’ll sing with anybody as long as it feels good.” Also high on her list? Coldplay's Chris Martin, whom she met backstage at the AMAs. "I really wanted to say to him, 'I'll fly anywhere, anytime,' but we ended up talking about kids and touring. He's delicious."
Songwriter-producer and R&B chart-topper Ne-Yo will soon head into
the studio with Marilyn Manson. How did this — oh, let’s just say
it — completely and utterly bizarre coupling come about? “In a few
interviews, I talked about taking pride in my diversity — being able to
work with a Mary J. Blige, then a Michael Bolton, and then a Marilyn
Manson,” Ne-Yo told EW.com on the red carpet at the American Music Awards last Sunday.
“[Manson’s] people heard about that, and were like, ‘Put your money where your mouth is,’ so
now we’re in the process of getting those sessions together.” No word yet on when a new Marilyn Manson might be released.
For Mariah Carey, having
husband Nick Cannon direct the video for her latest single, “I Stay in Love,”
made the shoot her easiest ever. “I was actually under budget and on
time, which are two rarities for me,” Carey told EW.com backstage at the American Music Awards last Sunday.
“We saw it through from conception to completion, but something about
the way Nick organized the video just worked much better."
It wasn't the first time that David Cook had been back to L.A.'s
Nokia Theatre since he won season 7 of American Idol there last spring. But
performing at the American Music Awards pre-show on Sunday still brought out the jitters. "I actually get panic attacks whenever
I'm in a five-mile radius of this place," he told EW.com following his two-song set in the courtyard, a stone's throw away from the Idol finale showdown
stage. "It's home to one of the most
nerve-wracking moments in my life." In the months since, Cook has performed at the Staples Center across the street, as part of the Idol summer tour, but Sunday's visit for the AMAs stirred up memories nonetheless. "I'm presenting, so I do have to walk on that stage. We'll see how
it goes. If I have a freak-out or something, it'll make for good TV, I
suppose."
In fact, for Cook and his fellow Idol finalist, David Archuleta, the competition continues, in a way. EW.com also bumped into the season 7 runner-up, getting his take on their current close race in record stores. (Archuleta's first week tally of 183,000 is already in and sales numbers for Cook's debut are due out on Wednesday.) Archuleta, for one, said he's content with his album's performance. "I'm
quite comfortable with second place," he quipped. "Right behind
Taylor Swift is not a bad place to be."
In the least-shocking election results since the presidential candidates carried their own states, Kenny Chesney was voted Entertainer of the Year at the 42nd annual CMA Awards (see our CMAs Best and Worst here). That's four times in the last five years he's won the top category, including the last three in a row. In past years, Chesney has tended to wax humble about the whole thing, but this year, we actually caught him acting a little cocky. “Eventually, people are gonna move on, and I know that," he told the assembled press immediately after coming off stage. "Ask [past Entertainers of the Year] Reba or George Strait. But to the other four acts that are nominated: I’m not gonna lay down, either....These aren’t given away. They aren’t free.”
Chesney did allow that, when it comes time to abdicate, there is one fellow nominee he’d most like to move over for. “I was especially excited for Sugarland,” he said. “I think they might win this one day. I hope they do.” So how did Sugarland, the lone newcomer among this year’s EOTY nominees, even sneak into contention, being a somewhat youngish and at least partly female act in a male-dominated category? “We just tried to tour with every single one of the nominees,” Kristian Bush joked, “figuring then maybe they’d include us.” Jennifer Nettles played the straight woman, adding, “I guess we figured out that if you just put on a good show, you’re more likely to be nominated. So far for us, it doesn’t seem to matter how young or how female you are. We don’t really think about it in those terms.” Ah, but we do, Jennifer, we do.
There weren't a lot of surprises this year. Cohosts Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood made a good George and Gracie-style team while also repeating their respective wins in the top male and top female categories; Rascal Flatts was top group for the sixth year running; and George Strait’s honors for best single and best album were widely expected. The only real suspense was for the new artist category, where vocal trio Lady Antebellum unexpectedly triumphed, even beating Jason Aldean, the guy whose tour they’re currently opening. Before the show, singer Hillary Scott assured me that Lady Antebellum had “fifth place racked up in both our categories,” those being vocal group as well as new artist. “We’re great friends with everybody in both categories,” said bandmate Charles Kelley (pictured with Scott). “Well, not the Eagles,” Scott corrected him.
Kelly Clarkson, the first and arguably most successful American Idolwinner, announced on her blog in late October that she has finished recording her fourth album. And while no release date or title has been set, producer Dr. Luke (real name: Lukasz Gottwald), who has worked with Avril Lavigne, Britney Spears, Katy Perry, and, most recently, Weezer, tells EW.com that a new single could be out as soon as December -- and that it will arrive without a hint of country twang, as some had speculated.
If anything, the song, by virtue of its title, "My Life Would Suck Without You," and the production team behind it, could be seen as a Part B to Clarkson's monster 2004 hit, "Since U Been Gone." As it turns out, Dr. Luke says he started developing the new song with pop maestro and "Since U Been Gone" collaborator Max Martin years ago. "After 'Since U Been Gone,' we wrote all these songs for Kelly," Dr. Luke says. "This one, which I think is the first single, we had the chorus a while ago and added the verse more recently. They were going to have it out on Nov. 20, but it just got too late. So now they're thinking Dec. 8 for a worldwide release, but I wouldn't be surprised if that ends up being early January." (A rep for Clarkson says the single has yet to be chosen.)
With a
new team in place (including manager Narvel Blackstock, Reba McEntire's husband) and the drama of My December behind her, Clarkson exuded nothing but confidence in the
studio, Dr. Luke says. "It's sick. She sings a song in two hours and kills it. You’re just, like, 'holy s---.' She has powerful lungs. She’s like the Lance Armstrong of vocal chords."
For the first time in its 36-year history, the American Music Awards (airing Nov. 23 on ABC) will televise an hour-long preshow that includes a live, two-song performance by American Idol winner David Cook along with extensive red-carpet interviews delivered by a motley crew, among them Pussycat Doll Nicole Scherzinger (who'll serve as music correspondent), Project Runway’sChristian Siriano (handling fashion coverage), Dancing With the Stars judge Carrie Ann Inaba, and The Bachelor host Chris Harrison.
From arrivals to the stage, divas will rule the ceremony, which is being held at Los Angeles' Nokia Theater (where, coincidentally, Cook delivered his winning Idol performance) and not the Shrine Auditorium, as in years past. On the bill are megastars like Mariah Carey, Beyoncé Knowles, Rihanna, Christina Aguilera, and Pink. But one big-name female artist with a new album to promote is noticeably absent from the lineup: Britney Spears will instead give a birthday performance on ABC's Good Morning America Dec. 2, the day her album Circus is released. Meanwhile, Miley Cyrus will celebrate her sweet 16 on stage at the AMAs.
When American Idol judge Randy Jackson agreed to MC the fifth annual Songs of Hope benefit gala honoring outstanding achievements in songwriting, he wasn't expecting to present the prestigious Martin Bandier Vanguard award to a former Idol auditioner who never made it past the first round. But that's exactly what transpired when Colbie Caillat accepted the prize Thursday night at the Esquire House high atop the Hollywood Hills. After Jackson complimented Caillat on writing the No. 1 hit "Bubbly," the 23-year-old Malibu native reminded him that she tried out for American Idol with that very same song — and was rejected. "No, you did not!," Jackson yelped. "I didn't refuse her, I think it was Simon Cowell." In an attempt to save face with a crowd of music business heavyweights (among them: Dave Stewart, Hans Zimmer and Will.I.Am), Jackson stuck with the kudos: "I'm telling you something, this 'Bubbly' song is huge, because we just finished auditions for season 8 and we've been hearing a lot of 'Bubbly.' Look, they're no Colbies, but what are you gonna do?"
So how does the new crop of Idol hopefuls look? Speaking to EW.com earlier in the evening, Jackson acknowledged that this year's auditions started off shaky. "But by the time we hit the third city, it was off and running," he said. "Season 8 is gonna be unbelievable. America's got a lot of talent." And with yesterday's announcement that the show will start airing a week earlier than in past seasons, will it also end sooner? Don't bet on it. "They'll probably add more weeks," joked Jackson.
After 17 months of negotiations and signoffs with Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Yoko Ono, and George Harrison’s widow, Olivia, it was announced last week that the Beatles will star in a videogame that has been authorized for a Christmas 2009 release. It’s the result of a partnership between MTV and Harmonix (the companies behind Rock Band) and the Beatles' business enterprise, Apple Corps Ltd. And, like anything involving the Fab Four, securing the deal was no small feat. But Ono tells EW exclusively that it makes perfect sense. “All of us are actually pretty hip, so we said yes,” she says. “I’m personally very excited. [The game] lets you participate in a way where you’re really [immersed in] the music. With so many young kids into the Beatles, it’s a start to a beautiful new page in [the band’s] history. Maybe they’ll start to make music and not just listen to it, and really understand what it’s about.”
A month before Britney Spears' sixth studio album, Circus, hits stores, it's now time for the big album art reveal! Spears' official site, Britney.com, has the exclusive on this one, but in case you're not refreshing the page as often as we are, here it is.
While we have yet to hear Circus in its entirety, those who have report that the album is Britney at her finest -- closer to her pop beginnings with Swedish song maestro Max Martin, but still edgy where it needs to be. If the chart-topping performance of "Womanizer" is any indication -- "It's cool!" Justin Timberlake recently told EW -- Circus could be a huge hit.
In a conference call at 10 a.m. ET this morning, the Beatles' Apple Corps. Ltd., MTV Games, and Harmonix announced a new videogame using the Fab Four's catalog. And little else.
The game, which will have music supervision by Giles Martin, son of longtime Beatles producer Sir George Martin and co-producer of the Beatles' Love project with his dad, is slated for the 2009 holidays. It will not be a Rock Band game, however; it will be a wholly new, stand-alone title. Details will unfold in the coming months.
As of 10:15 a.m., an iTunes rep officially declined comment as to whether this finally opens the gates for the Beatles' catalog to be offered on iTunes.
There has been talk of an all-Beatles videogame for months, but where it would land -- MTV Games' Rock Band franchise or Activision's Guitar Hero -- remained a mystery. Whether it will also include the band members' likenesses is still unclear, although the game will feature different eras of the band's career visually, starting with the black-and-white feel of the early '60s and moving into the mod Rubber Soul years, Yellow Submarine, and their final hippie phase. (No word yet on whether the game will introduce new instruments, but here's hoping for a plastic sitar.)
With AC/DC's Black Ice locking in the second highest sales debut of the year, there's no doubt the shift toward exclusive deals with a single major retailer is paying off for a beleagured music business. The Eagles scored platinum-plus success with their latest album, Long Road Out of Eden, through a partnership with Wal-Mart, and now the Aussie rockers are poised to do the same.
But one rock veteran isn't mourning the way things used to be. "At the end of the day, it's about marketing," Smashing Pumpkins singer Billy Corgan told EW.com at the launch party for Guitar Hero: World Tour, which, appropriately enough, kicked off at a Hollywood Best Buy. "I've heard literally 25 to 30 commercials for AC/DC; that's the most amount of energy I've heard about an AC/DC record in 20 years! Because the labels weren't gonna do that. They treat a band like AC/DC with a sort of reverant distance. Throw it out there and if it clicks, great. If not, they'd bury it. So great for AC/DC and great for Wal-Mart."
As for his own band, who kick off their 20th anniversary tour on Halloween, they remain free agents after deals with Virgin and Warner Bros. expired. But Corgan says they're starting to write a new record. "And just trying to figure out how to live in this new world."
The High School Musical 3 soundtrack had to settle for a second-place finish, but 297,000 copies was still an upper-class(man) debut. It pales, however, alongside the 615,000 the HSM2 album opened with last year, suggesting true mania for the franchise may be waning, in spite of the big box-office figures. Gospel duo Mary Mary had the next highest entry at No. 7 with 37,000 units, followed by alt-country hell-raiser Hank Williams III at No. 18 with 20K and traditional country barn-raiser Lee Ann Womack at No. 23 with 17K. Among holdovers on the Billboard/Nielsen SoundScan chart, the top 10 was rounded out by T.I., Kenny Chesney, Metallica, Kid Rock, Ne-Yo, Jennifer Hudson, and Lil Wayne. But the biggest rebounder was just outside the upper ranks: British songbird Adele jumped 35 spots to No. 11, selling 25,000, an increase of 131 percent, thanks to a well-received SNL gig.
Even though High School Musical 3 is the biggest thing on the planet right now, you should remember this name—Fame. Filming starts next month on a remake of the 1980 musical charmer, with rehearsals already in progress. “It’s not that far off from the original,” says Lauren Christy, whose production team the Matrix (Britney Spears) is composing new tunes for the movie's soundtrack. Sadly, EW.com has learned that the beloved finale, “I Sing the Body Electric,” has morphed into a three-act opus called “Hold Your Dream.” But “Out Here on My Own”—sung by star Naturi Naughton, who also plays Lil’ Kim in the Biggie Smalls biopic Notorious—is back, as is the seminal title track.
Production execs on the film (to be released in fall ’09) say “many high-profile artists” have inquired about rerecording the Oscar-winning classic, so we asked Christy, who’s not involved with that track, for her top three choices: “Christina Aguilera, Alicia Keys, or Ashley Tisdale. I’m quite a fan of Ashley’s. She’s just a real star.” (Head over to PopWatch and let us know who YOU think should redo the song.)
Hot off their three-song Saturday Night Live appearance, Coldplay will also perform at the American Music Awards on Nov. 23, EW.com has learned. They join previously announced acts the Jonas Brothers, Kanye West, Alicia Keys, Rihanna, Pussycat Dolls, Taylor Swift, and Pink. Other new additions to the lineup: Leona Lewis, who will take the AMAs stage for the first time, along with David Archuleta, Ashley Tisdale, Demi Lovato, and T-Pain, who will award trophies at this year's ceremony. Jimmy Kimmel will host the show, which ABC will broadcast live from the Nokia Theater. More announcements are expected in the coming weeks.
How do these rumors get started? Despite a report from fledgling blog celebuzz claiming that Britney Spears will be performing on Saturday Night Live sometime in November, the singer's rep and a spokesman for the NBC show deny that Spears has been booked. Spears' only TV appearances scheduled thus far is Good Morning America on Dec. 2 (which also happens to be her 27th birthday and the date her new album, Circus, hits stores) and an MTV documentary, tentatively titled "For the Record," which is slated to air on Nov. 30. As for musical guests on SNL,American Idol winner David Cook will perform on Nov. 1 and new episodes are planned for Nov. 15 and Nov. 22.
Rapper-actor-beverage-endorser50 Cent is adding a new role to his résumé: reality-show host. On 50 Cent: The Money and the Power, debuting Nov. 6 on MTV, he'll help guide 14 aspiring entrepreneurs, one of whom will ultimately win $100,000 in seed money to found a company. 50, who's also an exec producer on the show, says he's aiming for "a total different vibe" from other business-oriented competition series, like The Apprentice or I Want to Work for Diddy.
"I expect [contestants] to behave professionally," he told EW last month during a break from shooting on the show's Brooklyn set. "The things that you might be excited to see, or are traditional for reality television, would be the wrong thing for them to do on this show." He drew on his own rags-to-riches backstory when creating the format. "You come up without finances, it seems like that's the answer to all your problems — until you acquire it, and then you realize there's always new obstacles."
The rapper used the downtime from his hosting duties to work on his fourth studio album, Before I Self Destruct (due Dec. 9), in a "studio truck" parked outside the MTV soundstage. Joked 50: "I'm on location as much as [the contestants] are on location, it's just not being recorded by the cameras!"
Taryn Manning (Hustle & Flow) will star in a new Butch Walker (pictured) video, playing a sexy seductress who kidnaps the rocker. The clip will be shot later this week in California's Joshua Tree desert (Pinoneertown, to be exact, where many an old Western was filmed) to accompany "The Weight of Her," the first single off of Walker's new album, Sycamore Meadows (due out November 11). The prolific songwriter-producer, known for his power pop sensibility, most recently co-wrote two songs for P!nk's just-released album, Funhouse. According to a synopsis of the treatment, the clip calls for a gritty visual feel, like the movies Kalifornia and 21 Grams. After Walker is abducted for witnessing a robbery at a gas station, he develops feelings for his captor, "the gorgeous yet rough Katherine," and a "reverse Stockholm syndrome" takes shape in the get-away vehicle (and in under four minutes). Look for the video to premiere in the next couple of weeks.
Jennifer Hudson's family tragedy took another sad turn late Monday when Chicago police identified a body they found earlier in the day as that of her missing nephew, Julian King, CNN reports. The 7-year-old boy had been been missing since Hudson's mother and brother were found murdered at home on Friday. King's body was discovered Monday in a Chevrolet Suburban that investigators were searching for in connection with the killings.
Police had detained King's stepfather, William Balfour, 27, for questioning in the case. Balfour, the estranged husband of Jennifer Hudson's sister Julia Hudson, was subsequently transferred to prison on a parole violation charge. Charges have yet to be filed against anyone in connection with the murders. Balfour has denied involvement in the killings, but his alibi the day of the murders has been contradicted by his girlfriend.
The Oscar-winning actress and singer's mother, Darnell Donerson, 57, and brother Jason Hudson, 29, were gunned down in a home on the South Side of Chicago on Friday, according to the Chicago Police Department. Police told CNN that the bodies were discovered at about 3 p.m. Friday, when a relative found Donerson (pictured, with Hudson at the 2007 Academy Awards) shot to death on the living room floor of her home. When police arrived at the scene, they discovered Jason Hudson's dead body in a bedroom. Over the weekend, Jennifer Hudson, a former American Idol contestant, viewed her family members' bodies and announced a $100,000 reward for King's return, while other family members appealed to the public for the boy's safe return.
"Jennifer and her family appreciate the enormous amount of love, support
and prayers they have received while she and her family try to cope
with this tragedy and continue the search for Julian," her publicist said in a statement over the weekend. (Additional reporting by Mandi Bierly)
Kenny Chesney can afford some more trips to the Caribbean. His largely sailing-themed new album, Lucky Old Sun, easily debuted on top of this week’s Nielsen SoundScan chart with sales of 176,000. However, that’s less than half of the 387,000 copies that his previous disc, Just Who I Am: Poets & Pirates, sold in its first week, 13 months ago. Four of Chesney’s last five studio albums had debuted with at least 300K, so it remains to be seen whether this more modest bow is a blip for Chesney or a sign that he’s subject to the diminished expectations facing just about every other superstar. Taking a cue from Sugarland’s recent Love on the Inside project, Chesney released a deluxe version of his album a week before issuing the standard edition for a few dollars less; sales of both will be merged for next week’s tally.
The biggest surprise on this week’s chart is how well Ray LaMontagne performed: His third album, Gossip in the Grain, debuted at No. 3 with a powerful bow of 60,000 copies, far more than adult-oriented singer/songwriters can usually muster in a week. (His previous best week produced sales of just 28,000.) LaMontagne’s label pointed out that he had the No. 1 digital download album for the week, with more than half of his units — 32,000 — coming in non-physical form. Attracting a similar demographic, Lucinda Williams also did nicely, coming in at No. 9 with sales of 35,000 for A Little Honey, her hardest rocking and most high-spirited album to date. Keane came in at No. 7 with 43,000 sold of Perfect Symmetry. Chesney wasn’t the sole country newcomer on the chart: Riding on his coattails a bit, perhaps, Billy Currington’s Little Bit of Everything debuted at No. 13 with 25,000 units.
Over on SoundScan's digital songs chart, Britney Spears’ “Womanizer” and T.I.’s “Live Your Life” continued to hold down the two top spots, neck and neck with 201,000 and 198,000 downloads, respectively. Coming in a strong third was a new Taylor Swift single, “Fearless,” the title track from her forthcoming November release; it bowed with 162,000. Other new entries included T-Pain’s “Freeze” at No. 15 (60,000 downloads), 50 Cent’s “Get Up” at No. 23 (44,000), Ray LaMontagne’s “You are the Best Thing” at No. 52 (23,000), and Fall Out Boy’s “What a Catch, Donnie” at No. 53 (23,000).
With his single "Light On" just starting to impact radio, and a debut album expected to chart big when it's released next month, is it any wonder David Cook would need a venue the size of a football field for his first video? On Oct. 16, the reigning American Idol and his newly assembled band (pictured, left to right: Neal Tiemann, lead guitar; Joey Clement,
bass; Kyle Peek, drums; Cook, vocals/guitar; Andy Skib, keyboards/guitar) took to the field at L.A. Valley College to film a performance clip for "Light On." But while the stadium vibe may have felt a bit like the Beatles at Shea, surprisingly, there was no audience in sight. Rather, the overnight shoot focused on Cook, who's by now well-versed in the art of emoting for the cameras, and was purposely light on extras and volume, due to the school's proximity to residential areas.
With less than a week to go before Guitar Hero: World Tour hits stores, the rhythm game giant is preparing for a major blowout to celebrate its launch. Much like the party for Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock,World Tour will also kick off at a Los Angeles Best Buy. Last time around, Poison entertained gamers and celebrity fans on the retailer's rooftop, but with the popularity of music games reaching new heights over the past year, an upgrade was most certainly in order. So on Oct. 25, the Hollywood store will host Smashing Pumpkins, who are expected to play an hour-long set in between turns by DJ Jazzy Jeff and the official Guitar Hero band. Capping off the festivities? The first Guitar Hero: World Tour sale at midnight to one lucky party-goer.
Ten days after the Foo Fighters issued a statement
protesting the McCain/Palin campaign's use of their song "My Hero" at
rallies, Dave Grohl still has politics on his mind. At a private performance on Thursday night, it seemed
singer Dave Grohl came close to dedicating "Everlong," one of the
band's most beloved hits, to...Republicans? Could it be?
Playing for several hundred videogame enthusiasts gathered to celebrate the much anticipated launch of the post-apocalyptic Fallout 3,
the Foo frontman kicked off the evening with a disclaimer, telling the
crowd, "I don't work here, so I'm not afraid of what the f--- I'm gonna
do tonight." So after praising the open bar at the downtown Los Angeles gig several times, and a
short rant about office life (something Grohl never experienced, he
explained, barring a stint at Scotch-Guarding furniture), the band's
resident funny-man toasted gamers everywhere.
"I'm proud
of you guys," he said. "You're living the American dream. You get to
drink
free booze and play f----n' video games. Who knows, maybe someday you
can be vice president!" While readying his guitar for the song
"Everlong," Grohl segued from the V.P. reference into a near-dedication: "Speaking of that, I'm gonna dedicate
this one to all the..." And then flinched. "Never mind." Whoa. To all the...Republicans? Several people in attendance certainly wondered if that was what the singer was thisclose to doing. Tongue-in-cheek perhaps?
We should point out that there were several fully executed dedications handed out during
the Foos' nearly 90-minute set. Grohl gave one to drummer Taylor Hawkins after a momentous solo and before the song
"Skin and Bones." He also dedicated the band's 1999 hit "Stacked Actors," widely believed to be about Courtney Love, to Jane's
Addiction frontman Perry Farrell (which is interesting in and of itself).
But as the crowd exited the event, there remained a question about who "Everlong" was going out to. And why did Grohl get cold feet? After the show, he headed off the stage and straight into his Smart car so we may never know, but any and all theories are welcome...
For anyone who hoped that Britney Spears might be quietly slinking off into the pop-culture sunset — no need to stand up, you know who you are — you're going to have to wait a few years longer. Her new song, "Womanizer," is a promiscuously beloved smash, at least on Nielsen SoundScan's digital songs chart. It debuted with downloads of 285,800 — the best first week for a female artist on that chart since it began in 2003. The previous record holder was Mariah Carey's "Touch My Body," which entered the digital songs chart with just 200 fewer units back in April. "Womanizer" also hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, which aggregates digital sales with airplay.
But you know who might be having an even better week? T.I. Even though Britney displaced him from the top spot, he holds down the second and third spots on the digital songs chart ("Live Your Life" sold 226,000, followed by "Whatever You Like," which was downloaded 162,000 times). T.I. also held onto the top spot on the album sales chart, selling 177,000 copies, a second week decline of 69 percent from last week's towering 568,000-unit debut.
Other album debuts of note this week: Rise Against, in at No. 3 with 65,000 sales; Oasis, debuting at No. 5 with 53,000; Bob Dylan, one spot behind at No. 6 with 50,000 in sales for the two-CD version of his latest Bootleg Series collection; Tim McGraw, bowing at No. 9 and 44K with his Greatest Hits 3 set, which he's publicly disavowed (the label put it out without his approval); and Sarah McLachlan, in at No. 11 on sales of 40K for her (presumably authorized) hits collection.
In 1940, the Hollywood Palladium opened with an engagement by the Tommy Dorsey Band, then fronted by Frank Sinatra, before he came down with a case of Lead Singer Disease. Last night, after a year-long, $18-million renovation, the Palladium had its grand reopening with a gig by a guy with an only slightly smaller ego, Jay-Z — and he didn’t shy away from the comparisons. “The last person to open the Palladium was Frank Sinatra,” the rapper said a few songs into his show, “and I consider myself...." He paused, as if considering what to say. Humbled? Nah. “Ol’ Brown Eyes, baby!” he gleefully bellowed. (Hova even performed “Pray,” with its line “Frank Sinatra havin’ dinner with the Genovese,” though whether this song choice constituted a deliberate or incidental shout-out wasn’t clear.)
Whether you were attending as a Jay-Z fan or a Palladium veteran (or both), it was a fairly triumphant night. General admission tickets were pricey at $150, but the racially diverse crowd got its money’s worth with a set that included highly effective arrangements of the performer’s biggest hits with a bigger band — nine pieces, including a three-piece brass section (which made the case that horns are severely underutilized in hip-hop) and DJ AM, making his first public appearance since surviving that plane crash. (Previews of the show claimed Jay-Z would be bringing a 12-piece band, and some reviews reported that number, but hey, these eyes don’t lie.)
Meanwhile, the sound was actually halfway decent — a shock for any Angeleno whose seen, but not really heard, hundreds of shows at the Palladium over the years. The ceiling above the stage has been raised to allow, among other things, giant multi-directional drop-down speakers, and the walls have been coated with acoustically absorbent material, so from now on, we’ll be able to make out every F-bomb every punk-rocker drops in the place.
Nashville rockers Kings of Leon recently announced they'll headline New York's Madison Square Garden early next year, but on Wednesday night, they played their biggest U.S. show to date, performing in front of a sold-out crowd of over 7,000 at Los Angeles' Nokia Theater L.A. Live. On hand to help them celebrate the achievement was a slew of celebrity fans who stayed long past the band's 90-plus minute set. Among the famous faces jamming the backstage hallway: Drew Barrymore (who also attended the Kings' New York show, where she was famously snapped making out with Gossip Girl's Ed Westwick), Cameron Diaz, Mark Ruffalo, Liv Tyler, Strokes singer Julian Casablancas, Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins, and Reno: 911!'s Nick Swardson.
More unexpected were Zac Efron and girlfriend Vanessa Ann Hudgens, who spent most of the post-show hang adorably attached at the hip while showering endless praise onto brothers Caleb and Nathan Followill. Turns out Efron has a long history with the band: He met the Followills back when he was 14 at a family wedding he attended in Oregon, he told us, and has been a loyal follower ever since. Who knows, maybe the High School Musical star will turn up in a video the band is shooting this week for their next single, "Use Somebody." It's a performance-based clip to which friends, family, and longtime fans are strongly encouraged to attend. Efron seemed to fit the bill on all three counts.
David Cook has been pretty quiet since the American Idoltour wrapped Sept. 13, but with his debut due on Nov. 18, the season 7 champ is preparing for another nonstop ride. Mastering on his self-titled album was completed in New York earlier this week, with Cook personally overseeing the finishing touches on 12 tracks, 11 of which he wrote or cowrote. Other songwriters who made the cut: Goo Goo Dolls' Johnny Rzeznik, Our Lady Peace singer Raine Maida (who's credited on four songs), Cathy Dennis (of Britney Spears "Toxic" fame), and, of course, Chris Cornell, who wrote the single "Light On."
As of Oct. 21, fans who pre-order the full album on iTunes can download the single instantly and will also get an as-yet-undetermined exclusive bonus track. As for the Idol-winning song, "The Time of My Life," which Cook told EW.com might not make the record, it appears as a bonus track on the album's official track listing.
What's next on Cook's schedule? A video for “Light On,” directed by Wayne Isham (Bon Jovi, Britney Spears), which he'll shoot in Los Angeles on Thursday and Friday, and lots of TV appearances next month. Cook will perform “Light On” on Saturday Night Live's Nov. 1 telecast, the final full episode to air before the election (still no word on whether Cook, who was famously favored by moms nationwide, will also pop up in the show's recurring "Cougar Den" sketch). He'll also be doing TheEllen Degeneres Show, The Tonight Show With Jay Leno,Live With Regis and Kelly, and Good Morning America. It's a good thing the singer has firmed up his backing band, which, in the ultimate gesture of hometown pride, includes two members of the Tulsa outfit he used to play with, Midwest Kings.
Details about Beyoncé’s upcoming album, due in stores Nov. 18, have been hard to come by until now. But yesterday, the singer's father, Matthew Knowles, unveiled the complete tracklisting for members of the press in Hollywood, and even played a few minutes of each song and afforded details about promotional plans. First, it’s a 17-song double-album. However, if the economy has you looking to save a few bucks, you can instead buy a condensed 11-song single-CD version; both editions will go on sale the same day.
The first disc in the deluxe package is on the balladic side, while the second disc focuses on more upbeat, rhythmic material. What’s more, the two discs have separate titles. The first one is dubbed I Am… Beyoncé. Papa Knowles said the name of the second disc will remain a secret for now and revealed in connection with an upcoming promotion; he would only refer to it as “I Am dot-dot-dot.” Rumors suggest that the name of the second disc will be I Am... Sasha, the name Beyoncé has given herself in the past as an alter ego. (If you want to take a wild guess at what kind of promotion Knowles is alluding to, there’s already a contest-laden teaser website, whoissashafierce.com, that may offer some clues.)
Despite rumors of collaborations with Kanye West and Justin Timberlake, there are no guest stars on the new album. Beyoncé’s dad said this was a purposeful choice designed to spotlight the singer's growth without fellow celebs getting in the way. He did, however, allude to plans for a guest on the song "Ego" that fell through. Given the title and playful lyrics (“It’s too big/It’s too wide/It’s too strong/It won’t fit...He’s got a huge ego...I love his big ego”), one could guess this was the track designed for a West cameo, though Knowles demurred when asked what happened with the celebrated rapper.
More, including a full track list, after the jump...
As if your television set doesn't get enough of the video game Rock Band, now comes Rock Band the TV show. EW.com has learned exclusively that Rock Band 2 The Stars, a spoof of VH1's celebreality competition, will air on the network's VH1 Classic channel and online beginning Oct. 15 (it'll eventually air on VH1, though no date has been set). Professional rock stars Alice Cooper and Sebastian Bach will play hosts to 12 wannabe rockers who live in a loft together and vie to out-skill each other in challenges designed to showcase Rock Band 2's new features. Rumors of a potential Rock Band show surfaced in early September when a casting call appeared on the game's website seeking "hardcore fans of the video game ROCK BAND to form the Ultimate Rock Band." Specifically, it called for players to "be a master of at least one instrument, and preferably excel at all of them." The show will air as six mini-episodes.
Combining game-play with general rock attitude, each week the contestant with the worst overall performance will be eliminated. Once it's down to three players -- drums, guitar and bass -- those two groups will back Cooper and Bach at a final showdown taped at Los Angeles' famed Viper Room. The winning band will then get to play in between sets at the L.A. stop of the Rock Band Live tour featuring Panic at the Disco, Dashboard Confessional, Plain White T's, and The
Cab. That show happens to be tonight at the Staples Center.
Check out a sneak peek of the promo for Rock Band 2: The Stars...
To commemorate their 20th anniversary, the Smashing Pumpkins aren’t just touring this fall — they’re also coming to a movie theater near you. The 105-minute documentary If All Goes Wrong chronicles the seminal alt-rock band’s unconventional 19-concert stint in Asheville, N.C., and San Francisco as part of their 2007 reunion/reformation (with two of the original four members). The intimate film, which features interviews with head Pumpkin Billy Corgan (pictured), his cohorts, fans, journalists, and musicians like Pete Townshend, will screen in 40 cities across the country for one day only: Nov. 6. For those who prefer a couch trip, Wrong will be released Nov. 11 on DVD in a two-disc set that also contains 19 live songs (six of them new) from the San Francisco shows.
David Archuleta has signed with Azoff Management, the career-launching (and often sustaining) music powerhouse that counts The Eagles, Christina Aguilera, Neil Diamond, and, most recently, Morrissey among its clients. But that doesn't mean young Archie, last season's American Idolrunner-up, will forgo his dad's guidance from here on out. The reportedly difficult Jeff Archuleta will co-manage his son's music career along with Azoff's Jared Paul, who steers the pop ship for artists like Nick Lachey and New Kids on the Block.
19 Entertainment gets first dibs on Idol finalists for management, but the company apparently passed on Archuleta, while signing winner David Cook (a 19 representative declined to comment). Still, Archuleta remains on the 19 Recordings roster, and the company is intimately involved in overseeing his first album, which is due out Nov. 11. David Cook's debut will drop a week later.
Celebrity DJs will come together in Los Angeles next week for a special welcome-home bash honoring one of their own, DJ AM, who, along with collaborator and ex-Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker, was seriously injured in a plane crash last month that claimed the lives of four others. The event, scheduled for Oct. 14 at Hollywood's The Avalon, will feature performances by many of AM's personal friends, including Mark Ronson, Cut Chemist, Mixmaster Mike, Steve Aoki, Danny Masterson, and DJ Vice, among others. KROQ and Deckstar, in association with T-Mobile and BPM Magazine, will play host to the party and proceeds from ticket sales will benefit the memorial funds of those lost in the tragedy. Unlike most events in Hollywood, this one has a "no guest-list" policy and is open to the public. Tickets are priced at $20 and available online.
Mick Jagger and songwriter-producer Dave Stewart, better known as the other half of Eurythmics, are "collaborating," Stewart's rep confirms to EW.com. The two were spotted leaving a Los Angeles studio days after Stewart played a gig, backed by a 30-piece orchestra, at the Sunset Strip hotspot The Roxy on September 24. Details of the project have yet to be announced, but the recording sessions cap off what's already been a busy fall for Stewart. In the last month, he has made the morning talk show rounds, hosted an exhibition of his photos at New York's Morrison Hotel Gallery, and entertained celebrity fans at shows on both coasts (Jon Bon Jovi, Andy Garcia, Deepak Chopra and Gavin Rossdale were among the famous faces in the crowds).
The bill read like an evening at Glastonbury or the Coachella Music Festival: Feist, KT Tunstall, Jarvis Cocker,Martha Wainwright, Vanessa Carlton, and Robyn Hitchcock. But the venue for this all-star lineup's first (and possibly last) gig last week couldn't have been farther off indie-rock hipsters' radar: the bar at the Hotel Uummannaq in northwest Greenland, a snowy Arctic town boasting a harbor strewn with icebergs and a sky streaked with the Northern Lights.
Brought together by Cape Farewell, a UK-based organization that has hosted seven Arctic Circle sea voyages in eight years in the name of climate change awareness and research, the rockers are currently on a nine-day expedition aboard a Russian vessel. Their reward for bunking in closet-sized cabins and heeding early-morning wake-up calls? Treks to the top of snow-covered peaks, up-close views of retreating glaciers—and, of course, the opportunity to play with their acclaimed peers.
Wainwright opened the show, followed by indie darling Feist. Wearing an Inuit shawl of colored beads, the latter gamely attempted a few Greenlandic folk tunes before cutting her set short, saying she was feeling intimidated about following her fellow Canadian. Feist was nearly always on stage, however, whether adjusting the sound for whomever was at the mic or joining Wainwright on backing vocals when Cocker took center stage (see photo) to cover Velvet Underground's "Femme Fatale." (An interesting choice, considering Lou Reed's longtime partner, Laurie Anderson, also a member of the Cape Farewell expedition, was in the audience.)
Elder statesman Hitchcock, who organized the rockers' only rehearsal in the vessel's lounge hours before the show, was "the glue between us all," Carlton told the crowd. But Carlton saw the evening as more than a chance to perform alongside her contemporaries. "Music is comforting, and I hope this was a comforting night for everyone," she said. And then she boarded a craft bound for an uninhabited shore in sub-zero weather, armed with some comfort of her own: a flask of vodka.
"Feel My Heat," the Los Angeles specialty radio show hosted by actor-DJ Danny Masterson (That '70s Show) and nightlife impresario Brent Bolthouse, has been yanked off the air. The show had a Monday night slot on Indie 103.1 for five years and was among the station's most popular programs, helping break acts like MGMT, Vampire Weekend, and M.I.A. A rep for Masterson tells EW.com that the actor "resigned after creative differences ensued between he and the station's new program director" and will shop the show around to other broadcasters, including satellite. An Indie insider contends Masterson was offered a later slot (midnight to 2 a.m. instead of 7 to 10 p.m.), but turned it down. All the station's specialty programs, with the exception of lunch-time favorite Jonesy's Jukebox, are apparently being moved out of the weekly lineup or so that the station can focus more on its playlist (and hopefully boost ratings). Other "celebrity DJs" on Indie's roster include Henry Rollins and the Crystal Method.
The much-ballyhooed launch of MySpace Music is finally here. The social networking giant is announcing its partnership with all four major labels (EMI was the last holdout) along with the largest independent music distributors (The Orchard, Alternative Distribution Alliance, RED, Fontana, and Caroline).
The new service will allow fans to stream an artist’s entire catalog for free (with an option to buy, of course). But the industry isn't ready to accept the notion that there’s no monetary value to its music. “Rather than offer one way or the highway, we need to come up with new methods to drive income,” says Rio Caraeff, an exec VP at Universal, which boasts forthcoming albums by Fall Out Boy and U2. "We can’t afford to say no, we have to figure out 10 ways to say yes. That’s really the shift."
Industry observers acknowledge that the site will take time to gain
footing in this iTunes-controlled universe. Another challenge:
convincing people that MySpace can be a commercial venue. Says Eric
Garland, CEO of online media measurement outfit BigChampagne,
“It seems smart to put a retail store in the middle of all that, but we
haven't given our credit card to MySpace in the past. It's not an
ingrained behavior, so that's the challenging part." Caraeff asserts
that the success of iTunes only widens the playing field for others to
jump in. "When you know what you're looking for, iTunes is great," he
says. "But it's not where my friends are. It's not the hub of my social
life. MySpace Music is about serving everyone else who's not on iTunes.
It's apples to oranges, not apples to apples."
So will the new MySpace -- which goes live overnight, according to reports -- launch
with a bang or a whimper? By virtue of its user base, says Garland, it
will automatically become a major music retail player, right behind
Apple and Amazon. "I don't know if they're going to sell a lot of
music, but finding the answer to that question is going to be one of
the more interesting music plays for Popwatchers that we've had in a
long time," he says. "Who knows, we might be laughing in a few weeks,
like, 'Wow, that didn't take well.'"
The band credited with keeping the rock business afloat last year is back with a new album. Today, Nickelback announce that the title of the follow-up to 2005'sAll The Right Reasons will be Dark Horse. It's scheduled for release on Nov.18 and was co-produced by the band with Mutt Lange, Shania Twain's soon-to-be ex and the man responsible for Def Leppard's larger-than-life sound.
The Vancouver-based four-piece surpassed all post-Creed-era expectations by selling 7 million copies of Reasons. But will their upcoming sixth record (the final album for longtime label Roadrunner Records) break the bank? With a multi-million-dollar, three-album/three-tour LiveNation deal hanging in the wings, the pressure is most certainly on. As is the competition: American Idol winner David Cook's debut also drops on Nov. 18.
Janet Jackson has announced her departure from Island Records, the label she's recorded on since 2007. Jackson's most recent CD, Discipline, was released on Island last February and debuted at No. 1. "Now, more than 20 years after the release of her iconic album, Control, Janet will have autonomy over her career, without the restrictions of a label system," Jackson's publicist said via a statement. The singer is presently performing on the "Rock Witchu Tour," which kicked off on Sept. 10 in Vancouver and makes stops across the U.S. and Canada.
Heavy metal band Metallica, 1980s rap trio Run D.M.C., and Iggy Pop's 1970s proto-punk band the Stooges are among the nine nominees for next year's Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction. Also on the list are guitarist Jeff Beck, singer Wanda Jackson, the soul/doo-wop vocal group Little Anthony and the Imperials, the 1970s funk band War, soul/R&B singer Bobby Womack, and the disco group Chic. The top five vote-getters will be announced in January and inducted at an event held on April 4 at Cleveland's Public Hall. Tickets will be made available to the public for the first time for this year's induction ceremony.
The Broadway-bound musicalization of 9 to 5 had its official premiere in Los Angeles over the weekend, with one only one significant difference from the version seen in previews a week earlier. The new stage show ends as the 1980 movie did, by explaining what happens to the main characters in years to come. Originally, the script had the Doralee character — played by Dolly Parton in the film and Megan Hilty on stage — explaining that she and her Texan husband had gone to work for George W. Bush, until they realized that he too was “a sexist, egotistical, lying, hypocritical bigot” (a line used throughout both the screenplay and stage show to refer to a bad boss). That jibe got a huge cheer from preview audiences...and also grumbling afterward from some less appreciative attendees. “That was not, I don’t think, a right thing to do, and a lot of the fans were offended by it,” Dolly Parton told EW.com. The apolitical star wrote the score for the new musical, and not the dialogue in question, although she took some heat for it. “It was just meant to be funny. But we don’t want to offend half the people in the house, when I figure half are Republican and half are Democrat. So they took that out and use a line [borrowed from] something I use [in concert].” Now, Doralee’s new, nonpartisan fate is that she “briefly considered running for president, but realized she was too late. Bigger boobs had already beaten her to the White House.”
Parton had an unscheduled cameo on premiere night, thanks to a long technical snafu that brought the curtain down and lights up just 20 minutes into the first act. For the first 10 minutes of the time-out, Parton visited with her costars from the original movie, Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin, and Dabney Coleman. Afterward, she got up and entertained the crowd for eight minutes, as she had done during a similar breakdown on the first night of previews, leading the crowd in a sing-along of “9 to 5” and talking about the show’s origins. “Thank you for being kind and understanding,” Parton told the crowd, as ticketholders in both balconies charged to the railings to get a look at her. “I’m glad I’m a big showoff so we can pass a little bit of time.” Acknowledging that it had been 29 years since the movie was shot, Parton said, “Somebody asked, well, why didn’t you and Lily and Jane be in the play? I said it’s still called 9 to 5, not 95.” Having run out of patter, Parton suggested that she sing “I Will Always Love You” when she received word that the problem had been fixed. The crowd groaned, wanting another number. “No, no, no, let’s do that when we break down again!” she quipped.
Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama was a busy man Tuesday night, courting Hollywood power players in two soirees that earned a single-night fundraising record of $11 million. Clearly, the closeness of this race is bringing out the entertainment industry's most generous donors. The biggest haul of the evening came from a $28,500-per-plate dinner held at the Greystone Mansion in Beverly Hills. About 300 guests were in attendance, and lucky EW.com readers, we've got the guest list.
A-listers such as Leonardo DiCaprio, Jodie Foster, Tobey Maguire, Will Ferrell, Eddie Murphy, Chris Rock, and Renee Zellweger all made the list. Directors supporting their preferred candidate included Steven Spielberg (assigned to a table with his wife, Kate Capshaw, and uber-agent Ari Emanuel), Peter Berg, Christopher Guest (with his wife, Jamie Lee Curtis), James Mangold, Garry Marshall, Adam Shankman, and Robert Zemeckis. Making the invite list from the TV world: Curb Your Enthusiasm's Larry David, Office showrunner Greg Daniels, 24 star Dennis Haysbert, Sex and the City director Michael Patrick King, Heroes creator Tim Kring, Aaron Sorkin, Randy Jackson, Darren Star, and Joss Whedon. Music royalty on call included Quincy Jones, Berry Gordy, Hans Zimmer, and Herb Alpert. Of course, many of Hollywood's top executives also scored seats: the DreamWorks cabal of David Geffen, Jeffrey Katzenberg, and Stacey Snider; Fox's Tom Rothman and Jim Giannopoulos, and their boss Peter Chernin; Warner Bros.' Barry Meyer; Sony's Michael Lynton; and Universal's Ron Meyer. So while you may not be able to fork over $28K-plus for steak and potatoes with the possible future leader of the free world, now you can at least envision the crowd that handed over those hefty checks.
Who else made the list? The rundown is after the jump.
How strong was Metallica fans’ Death wish? Forceful enough that the metal quartet is the rare act able to improve on its previous sales in this otherwise sorry music retail climate. Death Magnetic, their first album in five years, debuted with 490,000 copies, the fourth best sales debut of the year so far -- trailing the first weeks of Lil Wayne, Coldplay, and the Jonas Brothers, but ahead of Mariah Carey and Usher. Moreover, Metallica achieved that total in a mere three days, since the album came out on a Friday and the sales period ends on Sunday. (Most new releases appear on Tuesdays and have an initial six-day sales window.) Metallica also unleashed their last album, 2003’s St. Anger, on an unusual release day; that one appeared in stores on a Thursday and amassed 418,000 copies in a four-day week, well short of what they were able to do this time. Obviously, the hype about this being a true return to their 1980s roots paid off with what we've previously referred to as “rock’s most notoriously irritable fan base.”
The next highest debut on the Nielsen Soundscan albums chart belonged to Jessica Simpson, making her entrance as a country singer with Do You Know, as featured in this week's issue. It scanned 65,000 units to top the country chart and placed No. 4 in the overall rankings. LL Cool J’s Exit 13 came in at No. 9 with sales of 44,000. This is his last album for the Def Jam label after a 23-year career on the imprint, and given that this number is well under half of what the veteran rapper was able to debut with a couple of years ago, maybe everyone could benefit from a fresh start. Eric Benet’s Love & Life debuted at No. 11 with 40,000, and Gym Class Heroes bowed on the chart at No. 14 with 32,000. Perhaps the most surprising entry was a posthumous splash by comedian Mitch Hedberg, whose Do You Believe in Gosh? entered at No. 18 with 27,000 units. Natalie Cole’s Still Unforgettable, a very belated sequel to her Grammy-winning 1991 standards behemoth Unforgettable With Love, sold 24,000 for a No. 19 start.
Holdovers in the top 10 included last week’s topper, Young Jeezy’s The Recession, at No. 2, followed by Kid Rock at No. 3, Slipknot, the Jonas Brothers, the Game, and Lil Wayne at Nos. 5-8, and the Mamma Mia!
soundtrack at No. 10. Taking a serious dive: New Kids on the Block,
whose reunion album debuted at No. 2 last week but sank to No. 16 this
time.
The Flaming Lips have just recorded a version of festive favorite “Silent Night.” The track is a musical extension of the band’s recently completed film, Christmas On Mars. Of course, traditionally, movie-related music is recorded in time to actually be includedin the movie. Then again, the Lips have never been the most traditional of acts. “Christmas On Mars has, in a sense, some Christmas music in it,” says frontman Wayne Coyne. “But it doesn’t really have a song that we sing per se. So we were doing a song that will be released on iTunes later in the year. I call it panic marketing: You finish and then you go, ‘Oh f---! Now I know what to do!’ ” Spookily, Coyne reveals that their version of "Silent Night" was influenced in part by the work of Pink Floyd keyboard player Richard Wright, who died on September 15, shortly after the band left the studio. "It does have some Rick Wright-ish flourishes” says Coyne. “I think we were listening to 'Great Gig In The Sky,' which is one of his big moments. There are subtle, cool shadings going on in there. We talked quite a bit about Rick Wright just over the weekend. It was sort of uncanny.” Coyne also reveals that he hopes to have another Lips album out next June. “The things we’ve been working on are like John Lennon meets Miles Davis and they discover some supercomputer from the future,” he explains. “Those are the references we keep coming back to.” Christmas On Mars will receive a limited theatrical release this fall and then be available on DVD from November 11.
What’s the deal with Kanye West and airports? Last week, the hip-hop megastar was arrested at LAX following a confrontation with a photographer. And Entourage fans will recall the episode in which West gave Vince and crew a ride to Cannes on his plane. Now comes word that the rapper is testing out new material on strangers he happens to meet in airport lounges. So says Rilo Kiley singer Jenny Lewis, who bumped into the rap megastar at an airport a couple of weeks back while she was en route to performing at the Democratic Convention. “We missed our flight and had to wait a couple of hours in the lounge,” says Lewis, whose second solo album, Acid Tongue, is scheduled for release on Sept. 23. “I noticed Kanye West was waiting for the same flight. He looked over and said, ‘Excuse me, would you mind listening to my new track?’ And so he put his headphones on my head and I listened to two of his new songs. He had no idea who I was. I guess he was doing research.”
Director Brett Ratner has been plenty vocal about wanting to develop a movie based on the game Guitar Hero. But Activision, the company that owns the franchise, isn't going for it. "I'd really like to do it, but they're not letting me," he tells EW.com. "I expressed my interest, but because it's such a success, it's like now there's no reason to make a movie about it." Ratner is a big fan of the game, incorporating it into videos he's directed for Miley Cyrus and Mariah Carey, and he envisioned a story about a small-town kid who dreams of fame and wins a Guitar Hero competition. "The game is wish-fulfilling, everyone can be a rock star." But despite the setback, Ratner is not giving up hope. "I might prevail," he says. "I usually do."
For all the pop pomp and circumstance that the 2008 MTV Video Music Awards rolled out, some of MTV's rock stars felt a bit left out. "Where were Foo Fighters and Nickelback?" says Linkin' Park's Chester Bennington. "Or even a band like Three Days Grace, who had a pretty big year? There was no Vampire Weekend or Daughtry. It was very one-sided." The singer describes Sunday's extravaganza as "raising the bar of confusion and disarray. The VMAs are consistently cluster-f---s, and this year set a new standard." Part of the problem, he says, was the that the main room had "more seat fillers in there than celebrities, and you had people who were invited sitting out in the streets. Plus, everybody was texting, no one was watching the show. I got super bummed out."
Carrying the torch for MTV's rock veterans has always been a difficult task, but never as much as this year, says Bennington. "I think the VMAs have completely lost touch with a broad scope of music. It was very bubble gum and Disney, which is why bands like Foo Fighters, and everybody else in my group weren't there. Honestly I didn't think we were going to win, because we literally felt like we were too old." But Linkin Park did nab a moonman for "Shadow of the Day" (off of the double-platinum album Minutes to Midnight) as Best Rock Video. And Bennington reveals that before his band's next album, due out next year, he'll release one of his own. "It's going to kick ass. I started working on it in 2005 when we took a seven-month break. I wanted to do something creative
in that time off and I had songs that I knew weren't Linkin Park
songs, but I thought were good. Then we started working on Minutes to Midnight and that's all I've been doing
for the last two years. Now that we're done, I've got this body of
work that is strong — very moody, very dark and melodic."
Katy Perry may have covered "Like A Virgin" at the 2008 MTV Video Music Awards, but Jordin Sparks was living it -- loudly. Attending the show for the first time, the American Idol winner went off-script after being agitated by host Russell Brand's repeated mocking of the Jonas Brothers' promise rings. "It's something I feel strongly about," she tells EW.com. "I wish I would've worded it differently -- that somebody who doesn't wear a promise ring isn't necessarily a slut -- but I can't take it back now. It was a split-second thing, and it came out kind of wrong. Still, I don't regret it." Neither do the Jonas sibs, who complimented Sparks moments after the rant. As for Brand, he and Sparks shared a laugh after the show. "I have nothing against him at all," says the singer, who insists she’s not turned off by the experience. In fact, she'd happily go back. That is, "If I get an invite."
Thursday afternoon, Heart e-mailed out a statement regarding vice-presidential candidate Sarah "Barracuda" Palin's use of their similarly monikered song at the Republican National Convention: "The Republican campaign did not ask for permission to use the song, nor would they have been granted that permission," it read. "We have asked the Republican campaign publicly not to use our music. We hope our wishes will be honored."
But after McCain finished his speech accepting the GOP's presidential nomination tonight, Palin joined him on stage, and the song was used again: Heart's "Barracuda" played as balloons fell. With that elephant in the room, Heart's Nancy Wilson felt compelled to personally respond. "I think it's completely unfair to be so misrepresented," she said in a phone call to EW.com after the speech. "I feel completely f---ed over." She and sister Ann Wilson then e-mailed the following exclusive statement:
"Sarah Palin's views and values in NO WAY represent us as American women. We ask that our song 'Barracuda' no longer be used to promote her image. The song 'Barracuda' was written in the late 70s as a scathing rant against the soulless, corporate nature of the music business, particularly for women. (The 'barracuda' represented the business.) While Heart did not and would not authorize the use of their song at the RNC, there's irony in Republican strategists' choice to make use of it there."
The Heart-McCain incident isn't the only example of music-related controversy on this year's presidential campaign trail. Click here to read Chris Willman's report about Barack Obama's eyebrow-raising use of Brooks & Dunn's "Only in America" after his nomination-acceptance address last week.
Back in July, we reported that Spacehog's Royston Langdon was in the running to fill the Velvet Revolver frontman spot vacated by Scott Weiland, but guitarist Slash tells EW.com that while he, bassist Duff McKagan, guitarist Dave Kushner, and drummer Matt Sorum "did click" with Langdon, "he's not necessarily the right guy for this particular band." Speaking prior to an appearance at the Northridge Guitar Center in Los Angeles' San Fernando Valley, where Slash was promoting a limited edition line of Gibson guitars as well as the recently released bookReckless Road: Guns N' Roses & The Making Of Appetite For Destruction (written by his childhood friend Marc Canter),the legendary guitarist spelled it out: "I think Royston's fantastic, but he's more in the Scott Weiland range, which is great for that, but what we want to do is something aggressive and very hard rock. Basically, what we originally planned to do the first time around that was sort of molded differently when Scott came into it." The informal audition process, he adds, "is still ongoing. Now that we have the choice, we're gonna make sure we get the right guy."
There’s still plenty of life left in Coldplay’s now platinum fourth album, Viva La Vida, but the band is already planning ahead. In an Aug. 30 interview with the BBC, singer Chris Martin revealed the group would release an EP called Prospects March on Dec. 26 — and another full album in December 2009. Is he for real? Well, back in April, drummer Will Champion told EW that there was “potentially another album left over” from the band’s recording sessions with producer Brian Eno. Bassist Guy Berryman added, “It’s not disposable B sides. It’s songs that didn’t quite fit this record. We’re still very keen for people to hear them.” The two releases will finish off the decade, Martin told the BBC. As for what happens after? “We’re gonna be, Whooosh! Where’ve they gone?" he said, "just like [The Usual Suspects'] Keyser Soze.”
What would an album from Blink-182's Travis Barker sound like? It wouldn't be 50 minutes of drum solos, nor would it have the punk flair of his side-projects, the Transplants or +44. If anything, Barker tells EW.com, he gravitates towards hip-hop, and has lined up some of the genre's biggest names for his solo debut. "I've got Beanie Siegel, Lil Wayne, The Game, Rick Ross, Federation, Too $hort..." That's in addition to reggae-flavored tracks Barker recorded with Damian Marley and Willie Nelson. "I’ve never produced an entire
record by myself," he says. "I’ve always been accompanied by a band, so it’s just
me building beats, being creative and having fun."
Barker is signed to Interscope Records, but says he's in no rush to complete the album. That's partly because his schedule is pretty packed these days. Barker is currently getting ready for an upcoming gig at the 2008 MTV Video Music Awards, where he will join DJ AM as the show's house band, putting a new spin on MTV classics. Going by the name TRV$AM, the two also paired up for three sold-out shows at L.A.'s Roxy this week, where Barker let a live audience experience what has already floored 17 million YouTube viewers. After the VMAs, AM will also release an album on Interscope, and there's talk of the two touring together.
While there's been a lot of talk over the last few years about the inevitable death of the album format, the videogame industry doesn't appear to be listening. On Sept. 12, Metallica will release a gameplay version of their new record, Death Magnetic, through Guitar Hero, and two days later, Rock Band 2 debuts, and with it, the promise of 500 tracks by year's end. Stocking the digital bins, EW.com has learned exclusively, will be seminal full albums by Foo Fighters (The Colour and the Shape), Red Hot Chili Peppers (Blood Sugar Sex Magik), Jane's Addiction (Nothing's Shocking), Megadeth (Peace Sells... But Who's Buying) and Stevie Ray Vaughn (Texas Flood), along with a specially-compiled No Doubt Best Of collection. All are slated to roll out in the coming months, according to MTV Games.
With the first Rock Band game selling over 3.5 million game units and 21 million songs since it first hit the market in November 2007, the appetite for downloadable content seems to be insatiable. The game began offering full album downloads earlier this year, kicking off with Judas Priest's Screaming for Vengeance and later adding the Pixies Dootlittle and the Cars' self-titled debut album. "We're surprised by how many people opted to get full albums," says Paul Degooyer, Senior Vice President at MTV Games. "But it’s a good value proposition. Talk about something that’s been lost and forgotten."
In addition to new songs and instruments, Rock Band 2 will also sport a new look. After the jump, check out an exclusive sneak peek at the game's new opening sequence.
The Jonas Brothers’ A Little Bit Longer was true to its title and held on to the top spot of the album chart for a second week. The disc's dropoff was rather severe: a 72 percent slide, from its boffo opening of 525,000 copies last week (the third-best debut of the year) to just 147,000 this week. But that was still far ahead of the second-place finisher, Kid Rock’s resurgent Rock N Roll Jesus, which sold 101,000 units to move up a spot to No. 2, its highest chart position since last October.
Staind had the week’s best debut, selling 92,000 copies of The Illusion of Progress to come in at No. 3. But progress really does seem to be an illusion for the neo-metal band, at least sales-wise: Their last studio effort debuted with twice as many copies, 185,000, as the new one. Ice Cube also saw his opening figures halved. Raw Footage debuted at No. 5 with 70,000 copies, less than half the 144,000 his previous album entered with two years ago. These disappointing numbers came in just days after the rapper-actor’s latest movie, The Longshots, had a lackluster box-office bow, suggesting a thaw of enthusiasm among both his gangsta and family-friendly constituencies.
Hip-hop duo Schwayze entered at No. 10 with 47,000 units. Coming in at No. 13 was the soundtrack for the Cheetah Girls’ latest Disney Channel movie, One World. That teleflick attracted an impressive 6.2 million viewers when it premiered earlier this month, coming in second only to the Olympics in its time slot. But only 34,000 of those fans rushed out to get the album. The only other debut in the Billboard/Soundscan top 20 belonged to The Academy Is…, whose third album entered at No. 17 with sales of 23,000.
Keep reading to learn about T.I.'s triumph on the singles chart....
LeRoi Moore, saxophonist and founding member of Dave Matthews Band, died on Tuesday from complications stemming from an ATV accident he suffered in June. He was 46. Moore crashed his ATV on June 30 on his farm near Charlottesville, VA. He had been discharged from the hospital and returned to his Los Angeles home to begin a physical rehabilitation program, but complications from the accident sent him back to the hospital on July 17. The band issued a statement on its official website, describing Moore's death as "unexpected." Béla Fleck and the Flecktones saxophonist Jeff Coffin had been sitting in for the band's summer tour.
The AP reports that Dave Matthews Band went ahead with their show on Tuesday at L.A.'s Staples Center, where Matthews dedicated the concert to Moore.
The Dave Matthews Band formed in 1991 in Charlottesville, according to their website, when vocalist-guitarist Matthews tapped Moore and drummer Carter Beauford -- both accomplished jazz musicians in the local Charlottesville music scene -- to help record to tape some songs Matthews had written. Since then, according to the RIAA, Dave Matthews Band has sold over 31 million units in the U.S., putting them in the Top 100 highest-selling music acts of all time.
Also: Share your thoughts and stories about Moore over on PopWatch.
Although some residents of L.A.'s Echo Park neighborhood may be slightly bitter about Strokes drummer Fabrizio Moretti naming his new band, Little Joy, after a popular local watering hole, EW.com got an early listen to the band's album-in-progress, and rest assured, only joyful thoughts will come to those who reserve judgment and wait. We sat down with Moretti as he entered the mixing phase to talk about his new venture — and what it means for the Strokes.
EW: Little Joy is made up of you, your girlfriend, Binky, producer Noah Georgeson, and Los Hermanos guitarist Rodrigo Amarante. How did you guys hook up? FABRIZIO MORETTI: My whole family lives in Brazil, and my brother kept sending me Rodrigo's music. One night, his band and mine were playing the same festival in Portugal and he came by to say hello. After the show, we stayed up the whole night by the side of the river in Lisbon, just chatting it up. Then Rodrigo came to work [in L.A.] with Devendra Banhart, and we started hooking up and making music. We met Binky around the same time, and we just started writing songs together. I had this bushel of songs I'd been saving for a long time, but they were just seeds. We developed them together and made them realistic ideas.
And you named this band after a bar? [Laughs] Yeah, I used to live right up the street. It's the bar where we'd go to unwind. Binky was actually the one who said we should call the band Little Joy. I was like, "I don’t know," but then I came around to it.
Do you consider this a side project? I don’t know. I have all my heart and love in it right now — this is my band. We’re hoping we’ll get the album out by November or some time in late fall.
What about the Strokes? The plan is for us to start getting our ideas together in February. I can’t wait to see those guys and work on music with them, but right now all of my focus is on this. With me and [guitarist] Nick [Valensi] living in L.A., and everyone else in New York City, I feel a bit detached from the rest of the guys, but we keep in touch. It's weird, for ten years — since 1998 — we were together all the time.
There was a rumor a while back that the Strokes might work with producer Rick Rubin on the next record. I'd love to work with Rick Rubin. He made some pretty seminal records. But it's like, before we have an idea, before there's a sketch done, we’re not going to choose the color.
Welcome to the top of the pops, Pierce Brosnan and Christine Baranski. The Mamma Mia! soundtrack finally hit No. 1 on the Billboard album chart in its fifth week, selling 130,000 copies, down just a smidge from the previous week’s 138,000. (Ironically enough, ABBA never even had a top 10 album in the U.S. in their Eurocentric heyday, much less a No. 1 LP.) Last week’s topper, Sugarland’s Love on the Inside, dropped to No. 3 with sales of 91,000, behind Miley Cyrus’ Breakout, which shifted 102,000 units and held at No. 2.
Debuting albums this week were on the modest side. At No. 7, R&B balladeer Lloyd got 55,000 fans to sign up for “Sex Education,” “Love Making 101,” “Party All Over Your Body,” and other anti-inhibition tutorials on his new album, Lessons in Love. But Lloyd is getting a lesson in diminishing returns: That number is way down from the 145,000 entry his previous CD managed just last year. At No. 10, Heidi Newfield, the former singer for country band Trick Pony, proved she may be at least a two-trick pony, as her first solo album, What Am I Waiting For, bowed with 34,000. Another Nashville act, Keith Anderson, debuted two spots behind, with his C’Mon selling nearly the same amount. Bright Eyes’ Conor Oberst had his first release under his own name enter at No. 15, with sales of 28,000. Trapt’s Only Through the Pain landed at No. 18, moving 24,000 units.
On Nielsen SoundScan’s digital songs chart, Rihanna’s “Disturbia” held at No. 1, selling 148,000, representing a 6 percent increase. M.I.A.’s “Paper Planes,” the tune heard in the Pineapple Express ads, had a more significant sales jump, up 33 percent to 136,000. The biggest debut among song downloads belonged to the Jonas Brothers’ “A Little Bit Longer,” with sales of 131,000 and a No. 3 berth — just ahead of the same siblings’ long-simmering “Burnin’ Up,” which sold 108,000 at No. 4. Of course, next week, we won’t only be discussing the Jonas Brothers in terms of singles, since their album is set to easily enjoy one of 2008’s biggest debuts.
In case you were wondering whether the girls of America were voting for the Jonas Brothers only with their hearts and not their allowances, doubt no more. The boys' third album, A Little Bit Longer, came out Tuesday, and based on projections being made from the first day of sales, it's likely to have the third biggest opening week of the year. The group's label is estimating that the album will come in with sales in the 675,000 to 725,000 range when final results are reported a week from now. Nielsen SoundScan partner Billboard magazine predicts that Longer "could surpass 600,000 and might start with as many as 725,000" in its first week.
That would give the Jonas sibs a shot at beating the second biggest opening week so far this year, which belongs to Coldplay (721,000). Lil Wayne still tops on that list, with his million-selling first week unlikely to be topped any time in the near future.
The Jonas Brothers' last album has sold just over 1.5 million so far. If Longer sells more than 700K out of the box, that means it'll do almost half the total of the previous disc in a single week. Speaking of that last album, it's selling like hotcakes—or hottie cakes. On the most recent chart, that catalog item moved up to No. 11, based purely, it would seem, on enthusiasm created by anticipation for the new release. Chances are very good that it will move into the top 10 in the week that includes debut sales for Longer. If that happens, it'll mark the first time one act has had two albums in Billboard's top ten since 'N Sync did it in early 1999.
Longer could have legs, too, if very positive reviews from some of the nation's non-tween critics are any indication. You can read EW's critical endorsement here; Rolling Stone and Blender each gave Longer four stars.
Though he’s been spotted this month getting his kicks on a road trip along the original Route 66, fans may be most intrigued by a detour Paul McCartney took to Branson, MO — home to the Yakov Smirnoff comedy show, the Oak Ridge Boys Theater, and possibly, a Beatles museum. A local source says Macca visited Louise Harrison, the sister of George Harrison and the owner of Branson's Starlite Theater, where Beatles tribute band Liverpool Legends appear regularly. No word on what the two discussed, but an obvious topic would be the Beatles museum Harrison has long planned to open in the tourist town using her own memorabilia collection. Harrison’s partners say the museum might open this fall. Branson has been trying to upgrade its kitschy image — could a blessing from an actual Beatle be the city’s ticket to ride?
Australian rock band Wolfmother announced on their website today that bassist/keyboard player Chris Ross and drummer Myles Heskett have quit the group. The statement, which cites "longstanding frictions within the group," says that Ross decided on Sunday, following the band's performance at the Splendour In The Grass Festival in Australia's Byron Bay, that he was quitting due to personal and creative differences and that Heskett also opted to leave "rather than continuing as part of a changed lineup." The statement says singer/guitarist Andrew Stockdale will now search for replacements and
continue recording under the Wolfmother name. It continues, "[The band members] simply ask all Wolfmother fans to please understand that in spite of their best efforts over a long period of time, they just could not find a harmonious way to work together and that has lead to the decisions announced today."
Wolfmother's self-titled debut has sold over 1.3 million copies worldwide and earned them a Grammy for best hard rock performance. The band has played a handful of shows throughout 2008, showcasing new material said to have been written earlier this year.
Sugarland and Miley Cyrus duked it out for the top spot on the album chart again, this time with different results. Last week’s winner, Cyrus, dropped to No. 2, selling 163,000 of her Breakout, a reasonable 56 percent decrease. Sugarland, the Georgia-based country-rock duo, moved 171,000 units of Love on the Inside, earning the top spot, with a smaller decline of 45 percent. The latter act had some help from a unique release strategy. Last week, they put out the higher-priced deluxe version of their album; this week, they had the lower-priced standard edition out as well, which appealed to more bargain-minded shoppers. (Nielsen SoundScan is counting both the deluxe and standard Sugarland CDs as one album, in this instance.)
The Mamma Mia! soundtrack held strong at third, selling an ABBA-riffic 138,000, down only 18 percent. The sole sales bump among holdovers in the top 10 belonged to Kid Rock, whose Rock N Roll Jesus really is destined to keep selling “All Summer Long” (to reference the radio hit that’s driving sales). The Kid was up 3 percent to 96,000, the latest in an unbroken series of weekly increases and the best weekly tally his resurgent project has had since it came out last October.
It may come as a revelation to secularists that Christian rockers Third Day are as popular as they are. Their 11th studio album, Revelation, has the week’s best debut figures, opening at No. 6 with 75,000. Other first-timers on the chart include Kidz Bop 14 at No. 8 with 58,000 units, and the self-titled debut album by Scars on Broadway (a side project from two System of a Down members) at No. 17 with 24,000.
Meanwhile, for the first time in what seems like a girl-on-girl eternity, Katy Perry’s “I Kissed a Girl” doesn’t sit atop the digital songs chart. Which new charttopper rubbed her the wrong way? And how many Jonas Brothers tunes are on the chart now? Find out as we continue…
David Cook has promised to make a rock record that's true to himself, and the American Idol winner has confirmed that the studio maestro tasked with helping him realize that goal is Rob Cavallo. The producer has already lent his talents to high profile projects from My Chemical Romance, Kid Rock, and, most extensively, Green Day, including their Grammy Award-winning album American Idiot, and Cook is confident that Cavallo is the right person for his upcoming release. "I think he's a great producer with the kind of sound that I want," Cook tells EW.com. "And in talking to him, he's just a good guy. Like the song selection I had on the show, Rob just fit."
The two are currently squeezing in studio time whenever the Idol summer tour allows, and Cook still plans to release the album in mid-November. As previously reported, Cook has had writing sessions with Our Lady Peace's Raine Maida and Collective Soul's Ed Roland, but there's one person who isn't involved with the album: industry vet Clive Davis, the man who executive produced several Idols' debuts, but whose role at SonyBMG, where he's currently Chief Creative Officer of SonyBMG Worldwide, has shifted. "I never heard his name brought up," Cook said.
That may free up Cook to make his own decision about whether to include his Idol finale single, "The Time of My Life," on the album. (Being forced to include a generally-sappy but familiar song on a decidedly rock debut had been a bone of contention for one previous winner, Taylor Hicks, who reportedly resisted having "Do I Make You Proud" on his album.) Cook hasn't yet made the call about the single. "It's not like there's any resistance to [the song]," he says. "My goal is to make a cohesive record, and I don't want any song to stick out like a sore thumb. But in every meeting that I've had with 19 [Management] and RCA [Records], they've been very supportive of what I want to do with my record."
We recently learned that Miley Cyrus can sell magazines. The issue of Vanity Fair that featured her controversial photo shoot was that mag’s strongest seller so far this year. Now, it’s been reaffirmed that she can sell albums, too. The 15-year-old star's Breakout bowed at No. 1 on the Nielsen SoundScan chart with an impressive 371,000 copies. That’s this year’s sixth biggest first-week tally. And it marks an improvement on the 326,000-copy opening for last year’s Hannah Montana 2/Meet Miley Cyrus, a hybrid package that was half TV soundtrack, half solo debut.
Also bettering their previous best were the country-rock duo Sugarland. Their third album, Love on the Inside, came in at a solid No. 2 with 314,000 sold, a big uptick from their previous top sales week, which had been 211,000. All 314K in sales were for a “deluxe edition” of the album, which includes five cuts not found on the standard edition. Yes, curiously, Sugarland released their deluxe package a week before the “regular” CD—apparently the first major act ever to pull such an odd maneuver. The lower-priced, budget-conscious edition came out just this Tuesday, and sales for both versions will be tabulated together on next week’s chart. (Click through to the jump for a report on the rest of this week's chart activity, including the week's No. 1 single!)
After more than a decade with Sony Music, Brit-pop phenoms Oasis have found a new home, at Burbank's Warner Bros. Records. Today, Warner Bros. will announce a North American distribution deal with Big Brother Recordings, the Noel and Liam Gallagher-owned label, and the Oct. 7 release date of Dig Out Your Soul, the band's seventh studio album. The first single, "The Shock of Lightning," written by Noel, will hit radio in mid-August.
Earlier this summer, word had spread around Los Angeles that the Gallagher brothers were in town mixing the album, which was recorded at Abbey Road studios in London. The guys, seen at various psych-rock shows around town, were said to have almost 40 songs completed. Since then, that number has been truncated, but the record still features songwriting contributions by all four band members. Says Diarmuid Quinn, Warner Bros. Records COO, "The new music kicks ass!”
While Scott Weiland treks cross-country on the Stone Temple Pilotsreunion tour, his other former band, Velvet Revolver, is hard at work finding a new singer. EW.com has learned that Royston Langdon —frontman for Spacehog (who had a 1995 hit with “In the Meantime” ) and estranged husband of Liv Tyler — is in the running for the gig after several successful jam sessions in Los Angeles. “They all got along great,” says an insider. “It was really a refreshing change for the band.” Velvet Revolver’s management couldn’t confirm that an offer had been made, and would only say that they’re still auditioning prospective singers. But an RCA source says that Langdon is “definitely in the mix.”
More than a year after her third-place departure, American Idolseason 6 alum Melinda Doolittle has finally found a record deal, EW.com has learned. Doolittle will join the roster at independent label Hi Fi Recordings, the current home to Todd Rundgren. The label also has had a hand in successful efforts by Avril Lavigne and Spacehog, among others. Hi Fi was founded in 1995 by music industry vet John Hecker and was originally a joint venture with major labels Elektra, Arista, and Virgin Records. Doolittle's debut is expected to be released this fall, but an official street date has yet to be determined.
Hip-hop supplanted hip-hop at the top of the album chart this week, as Nas’ Untitled debuted at No. 1 and pushed Lil Wayne’s Tha Carter III to second place. The typically-controversial Nas effort bowed with 187,000 copies, a comedown from the 355,000 his last disc opened with two years ago, but a better number than the rapper likely would have managed if he'd gone through with is plan to title the album N----- (the N-word), which would have kept it ouf of a lot of stores.
Other first-timers managed fairly modest bows. John Mellencamp’s Life Death Love and Freedom, a largely drumless affair produced by T-Bone Burnett, came in at No. 7 with 56,000 units. David Banner’s The Greatest Story Ever Told managed a No. 8 entry with 52,000. Taylor Swift found two berths in the Nielsen/Soundscan top 20, as Beautiful Eyes, a brand new Wal-Mart-exclusive EP/DVD combo, broke in at No. 9 with 45,000, while her 91-week-old self-titled debut album moved up two spots to No. 12. Jam band O.A.R.'s All Sides came in at No. 13 with 33,000, while The Dark Knight soundtrack rode the smash movie's capetails to No. 20 with 25,000.
You may recognize Bow Wow when he pops up on HBO's Entourage this September as a new client of Eric's (Kevin Connolly), but don't bother looking for his name in the credits. The 21-year-old rapper-actor is opting to use his real moniker, Shad Moss. "Bow Wow is an established artist, but he's just a kid," Wow says. "Shad Moss is who I am 24/7." But he's not out of the doghouse just yet: the seventh Bow Wow album, Pedigree, is due out this November. And even though it features high-profile guests like Snoop Dogg, T.I., Nelly, Lil Wayne, and Soulja Boy, Bow Wow (or is it Moss?) hints that he¹s flirting with the idea of retiring from music entirely. "One day I will stop and just be an actor. I feel it in my bones. But when I¹m on
a movie set for three months watching [BET's] 106 & Park and I don¹t see me on there, that drives me to think I can¹t leave it alone just yet."
With buzz building for his just-released single "Grow Up" (lyrics NSFW), L.A. emcee Bishop Lamont is busy putting the finishing touches on his first album for Dr. Dre's Aftermath Entertainment. If all goes as Lamont plans, The Reformation's release this November will see him follow in the lofty footsteps of Eminem and 50 Cent as the latest Aftermath signee to set the rap world on its head. "Look at what's representing hip-hop right now on the radio," the 29-year-old rapper tells EW.com. "Look at what corporate America is doing to hip-hop. It's so ignorant, it's so dumbed-down. There's no one saying, 'Okay, that's the Saturday afternoon special for little kids, but here are realistic things that are really going on in society.'"
Old-school New Yorker Lord Finesse, late Detroit legend J Dilla, and, of course, Lamont's mentor Dr. Dre are among the producers set to contribute beats for The Reformation. Other planned collaborators include Busta Rhymes — and, if Lamont has his way, Dave Matthews. (A rep for Matthews said the jam-band king's management was unaware of any plans to work with Lamont at present.) "Hip-hop can encompass anything," Lamont explains. "So let's start pressing the envelope, like when you first seen Run-DMC with Aerosmith."
It's been four long years since Eminem released his last solo album, but associates say the music megastar is getting serious about his long-anticipated return. "Em is excited," says rapper Bishop Lamont, a fellow protégé of Dr. Dre. "He's been quiet too long, and he's got a lot to get off his chest." While no release date has been announced for Eminem's next album, his label says he's currently at work in the studio. Eminem was reportedly devastated by the 2006 death of his close friend Proof in a shooting, but Lamont says he's heard "some amazing stuff" from the 35-year-old provocateur's recent recording sessions. "He went through what he had to go through, and now he's been able to take all the pain and stress and put it out in his music."
Britney Spears is attempting yet another comeback: Reps have confirmed that she is at work on the follow-up to 2007’s Blackout. A statement from Jive Records and Spears' manager Larry Rudolph says that “Britney Spears is spending her summer in the recording studio, working with a team of top-notch producers and songwriters. We’re very excited about what she’s accomplished so far.” So is Sean Garrett, who happens to be one of those producers. “We’re trying to take her stuff to the next level,” he tells EW.com. “I’m going to come up with something crazy for her.” Spears has sold 83 million albums worldwide in her career, but Blackout only went platinum in the U.S., likely due to declining CD sales and her status as last year’s most permanent tabloid fixture. But Garrett — who’s also worked with Usher, Beyoncé, and Chris Brown — welcomes the challenge. “I like to work on an artist when they count them out...and bring them back.”
Beck didn't have any major cause for a guilt trip as Modern Guilt, the last album he owes Interscope under his current contract, debuted on the Nielsen Soundscan album chart at No. 4 with 84,000 copies. But there is a certain amount of facing up to modern marketplace realities here: His previous effort, The Information, bowed with 99,000 two years ago, and Guero opened with 162,000 the year before that.
In the chart's three top spots, everything was static, with Lil Wayne's Tha Carter IIIenjoying another week at No. 1 with 125,000 sold, leading Coldplay at No. 2 and the Disney Channel's happy Camp Rock-ers in third place. Kid Rock's remarkably resurgent 2007 album Rock N Roll Jesus moved up two spots to No. 5, moving 84,000 units.
After Beck, the week's second-best debut belonged to the Mamma Mia cast album, which came in at No. 7 with 48,000, giving Meryl Streep and Pierce Brosnan a berth on the pop charts at last. Given that this soundtrack came out a week and a half before the movie's opening, the ABBA-themed set could be the rare album to do bigger numbers in its subsequent weeks in stores. The only other new entry in the top 20 was the collaboration between Willie Nelson and Wynton Marsalis, Two Men with the Blues, sneaking in at No. 20 with 22,000 copies.
This morning, as thousands of gamers descend on Los Angeles for the E3 Media & Business Summit, Harmonix and MTV Games, makers of the popular video game Rock Band, will announce the real set list for the much anticipated sequel Rock Band 2, scheduled to be released for the Xbox 360 platform this September. The game will feature 80 songs, all comprised of original master recordings, including "Shackler's Revenge," the first official track from Guns N’ Roses' (singer Axl Rose, pictured) long-awaited Chinese Democracy album, which has been 14 years in the making and rumored to be coming out this year. Bob Dylan will also be making his video game debut with "Tangled Up in Blue," while AC/DC signed an exclusive deal for use of their music, including the arena anthem, "Let There Be Rock."
Since its release in fall 2007, the Rock Band "music platform," as executives at the companies like to call it, has seen massive success, moving upwards of 2.5 million game units (priced at $169) and selling over 15 million downloaded tracks (at $1.99 a pop). In comparison, its competitor, Activision's Guitar Hero, which recently announced a full-band version of the game called Guitar Hero World Tour, has generated more than $1 billion in sales in just under three years. But in the arena of downloadable content, Rock Band aims to be the market leader, promising that by year's end, its music library will house more than 500 tracks, making it the largest catalog in game history.
See the full Rock Band 2 track list after the jump...
Ed Harcourt will provide the score for the forthcoming Donnie Darkosequel,S. Darko. The British singer-songwriter told EW.com at LA's Roxy last week, where he opened up for the Greg Dulli-Mark Lanegan fronted nü-gaze outfit, The Gutter Twins, that while he never met director Chris Fisher, he submitted three pieces of music for consideration after reading the script, and was delighted — if not a little surprised — to learn that he got the gig. The movie is slated for release in 2009, but Harcourt is already hard at work on a variety of soundscapes influenced by the music of Autechre, Aphex Twin, Phillip Glass, and Estonian composer Arvo Pärt. His goal: to make it "surreal and psychedelic, just like the movie."
Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl was handicapped by a bad sore throat on Saturday at the taping of VH1 Rock Honors: The Who. The band was slated to perform two songs on the all-star tribute; Grohl's voice held up for the first number, "Young Man Blues," but for "Bargain," Supergrass singer Gaz Coombes, who had a headlining show of his own later that same night, was brought in to handle vocal duties. Grohl's diagnosis? Too much rock. Only two days into the band's U.S. tour, long sets were already taking their toll on many a Foo member, while Grohl was under doctor's orders to rest. The band has since rescheduled two upcoming dates at Colorado's Red Rocks Ampitheater, both of which were sold out. "We're playing for two hours and 40 minutes, it's like a Bruce Springsteen show," bassist Nate Mendel told EW.com.
The last-minute scramble found Grohl looking to pals like The Pretenders' Chrissie Hynde, Metallica's James Hetfield, and Queens of the Stone Age's Josh Homme as possible replacements, but since Supergrass was opening for the Foos, Coombes was a natural, if not easy fit. Though there was a slight lyrical stumble, "Gaz did great," Grohl said after the performance and before he mingled backstage with power couples like Judd Apatow and Leslie Mann and Tenacious D's Jack Black and Kyle Gass. Also making the scene behind UCLA's Pauley Pavillion: Seattle brethren Krist Novoselic (Nirvana) and Eddie Vedder along with Sean Penn, Mila Kunis and Jeremy Piven.
VH1's Rock Honors airs on July 17. Full set list after the jump....
A half-buck doesn’t go quite as far as it used to. G-Unit, the hip-hop crew led by 50 Cent (pictured), had the top debuting album on this week’s Nielsen Soundscan chart, coming in at No. 4. But opening week sales of 102,000 for T.O.S. (Terminate on Sight) pale against the 377,000 units their previous album scored with. Of course, that last album came out way back in 2003, and this one hasn’t generated any hit singles. Maybe Fitty will go crying to recently ousted G-Unit member Young Buck, begging him to rejoin the group? (Okay, probably not.)
Among holdovers, Lil Wayne and Coldplay swapped spots at the top of the album chart, with Weezy selling 156,000 to retake No. 1, and Chris Martin and company (who’d held the top spot for three weeks prior) moving 149,000 in second place. Disney's Camp Rock soundtrack, featuring the Jonas Brothers, remained camped out at No. 3 with 116,000. John Mayer’s third live album, Where the Light Is, a CD/DVD combo package, came in at No. 5 with 75,000 sold—a better opening than either of his previous concert recordings.
G-Unit wasn’t the only act on a losing trajectory. Vanessa Hudgens’ sophomore effort bowed at No. 23 with just 22,000 copies, suggesting that the star of the just-wrapped High School Musical 3 shouldn't be so quick to disavow a fourth installment of the franchise. Los Lonely Boys found the stores an even lonelier place, with 19,000 sold and a pallid No. 26 entry.
Singer-songwriter Josh Kelley is joining wife Katherine Heigl on the small screen. Well, sort of. Kelley tells EW.com he's close to signing a production deal with E! for a reality show concept he concocted, and is also shopping two scripted pilots that he wrote. (A couple of networks have shown interest, though he's staying mum on which ones.) "Because I've been immersed in the film and TV worlds, I feel like I can take my ideas and filter them through the system," says Kelley. "I learned a lot being on the Grey's set [visiting Heigl], so it doesn't scare me as much as it used to." As for his wife's recent dig at the Grey's writers? "I stand by her," he defends. "She's a good businesswoman who knows what she wants and there's nothing wrong with being proactive in your career and not letting people make decisions for you."
On the music front, this week Kelley is releasing a new acoustic album exclusively on iTunes and is booked to play through the summer. He'll also be appearing on the new Ovation TV series Bonefish Grill's Notes From The Road (premiering Aug. 7) alongside touring artists like Jason Mraz, Ben Folds, and Matisyahu. And while Kelley may have gone indie three years ago when he parted ways with Hollywood Records (home to the Jonas Brothers), he doesn't rule out the possibility of another major label deal in his future. "I used to make 50 cents a record, now I make about six dollars," he says. "[But] that doesn't mean I don't want a major label deal, I'm just going to have to hold out until the right deal comes around."
Danity Kane stand-out Aubrey O'Day is getting ready to make her Broadway debut in Hairspray, a show she says takes on renewed significance this election year. "I think it's such an important musical right now, just because of Obama being nominated for president and the discussion on how the country feels about race," O'Day tells EW.com. "Then you have Hairspray live every day of the week addressing it very strongly."
O'Day will play Amber Von Tussle starting July 18, joining another Making the Band alumnus, former O-Towner Ashley Parker Angel. But O'Day reveals that when the role was first presented to her, she wasn't entirely jazzed about the campy production. "I always dreamed of playing Maureen in Rent, a show that really pushed the limits by dealing with AIDS and homosexuality," she says. "So I thought, 'What limits am I gonna push with Hairspray?' But the great thing about Amber, which everybody paints as the bitch, is really she's not; she
just doesn't know any better and she's scared of
change. So yeah, it's fun and campy, but also so much more than that."
On the album chart, we're in the calm after the storm, as sales for Coldplay and Lil Wayne settled down to mortal levels while the new-release schedule reverted to its normal, blockbuster-free ways. Coldplay's Viva la Vida stayed at No. 1 with 249,000 copies sold, a 66 percent drop from last week's 721,000-unit opening. The second and third spots belonged to the same acts as last week, too: Lil Wayne, whose Tha Carter III (No. 2) was down 32 percent to 209,000 in its third week, and Disney's Camp Rock soundtrack (No. 3), which sold 169,000 in week 2. That last title suffered a fall of only 10 percent, thanks to Jonas-mania being not quite as subject to diminishing returns as other musical phenomena. (More on your teen idols in a minute, kids!)
If the Jonas Brothers make you think at all about girls, girls, girls, then that's the perfect segue to mentioning that Motley Crue entered at No. 4, selling 99,000 copies of Saints of Los Angeles, the band's first album with its original lineup in more than a decade. In the No. 5 slot on the Nielsen Soundscan chart, Three 6 Mafia found out just how tough it is or isn't out there for an Academy Award-winning hip-hop crew, moving a respectable 77,000 copies of Last 2 Walk, their first album since picking up the best song Oscar two years ago. Hard rock band Shinedown's third album bowed at No. 8 with sales of 50,000, their best opening yet. Other new entries of note included Sigur Ros at No. 15 (32,000 copies) and Cute Is What We Aim For at No. 21 (23,000).
Expect an American Idolretail blitz this fall as season 7's David Cook, David Archuleta, and Kristy Lee Cook all plan to release their debut albums. Adding to the pileup, Kelly Clarkson is also hoping her fourth effort, which she's been working on in various locales, including Australia, will see a pre-Christmas bow. But one Idol alumnus currently in the studio is opting for a slower course. "I don't want to put out anything that is second rate or be accused of going through a
sophomore slump," Chris Daughtry told EW.com at the Hollywood premiere of Hancock. "So we're
taking our time on it."
What can fans expect from the followup to his four-times-platinum debut, Daughtry? "It's going to be a big huge rock album," he says. "We are working with the same
producer — Howard Benson [All American Rejects, My Chemical Romance] — same band and some of the same writers so it
feels very comfortable this time around." The band is looking at a 2009 release, Spring at the earliest, which means several more extended stays in Los Angeles, but Daughtry insists he doesn't make a habit of red carpets: "I only come out here to get my work done, [though] it is fun to go out at night to things like premieres with my wife. But we still live in North Carolina, which helps keep it real." (Additional reporting by Carrie Bell)
David Cook's already packed schedule is about to get more demanding. With the American Idol tour kicking off tonight and booked through September 22, the season 7 champ will have to juggle concert dates with studio time in order to make the deadline for an early November album release. But one band is willing, if not eager, to help: hard rockers Hinder, best known for their 2006 hit power ballad "Lips of an Angel." "I dig David Cook," says singer Austin Winkler, a native of Oklahoma, where Cook has lived for the past few years. "He shows that the world is starving for a little bit of rock-n-roll. Hopefully we can write some tunes for him."
According to Hinder, who were in the audience for this year's Idol finale and met the winner briefly that night, the admiration is mutual. "I heard he's a fan," Winkler tells EW.com. "I'm sure we'll cross paths." Meanwhile another Hinder member is holding out for a chance at some face time with a female Idol champ: Carrie Underwood. "I love her," says drummer Cody Hanson (no relation to Tulsa's Hanson brothers). "She’s my favorite of everything, and probably the hottest chick on the planet."
"Leaving Arista is a positive," Lewis tells EW.com about his recent split with the label. "The industry is eating itself and I'm not trying to eat off their plate." Yesterday, the American Idol season 6 runner-up blogged about the news, and how he became aware of it, on his MySpace page, writing: "I was just wishing they would
have put the word out to me over the last couple months, because let's
face it.... Waiting SUCKS!!!! Oh well. I guess the right
time was now. No biggy. I'm still with 19 Recordings and I got a tour
and new record on the way. Now all I need is a home for my music. Some place warm and tropical..."
Lewis is already hard at work on a follow-up to Audio Day Dream, which he's co-producing with Seattle drum 'n' bass master KJ Sawka, a longtime friend and collaborator. On his way to an all-day drum session for the album, Lewis told EW.com the new music is like "Massive Attack meets Zero 7." Meanwhile, there's actually still life in ADD: The track "How Many Words" is currently number 39 on Billboard's Hot Dance Club Play chart.
Since her 2004 American Idol win, Fantasia Barrino has weathered her fair share of music business shake-ups, surviving mergers and the recent repositioning of her mentor Clive Davis, who signed her to J Records. Though she still has her contract at J, EW.com now hears that as of today, Fantasia has been dropped from 19 Management. The reason for the split, according to sources, is that age-old saw "creative differences." However, like many other Idol contestants, Fantasia remains on the label 19 Recordings and will continue to share music sales profits with the company.
Given the poor climate for record sales, and the lackluster sales of many Idol releases, Fantasia's albums have done fairly well. Her debut, Free Yourself, sold almost 2 million copies, and the follow-up, 2006's Fantasia, went gold and garnered three Grammy nominations. She also starred in her own Lifetime TV biopic, authored a book about her rags-to-riches story, and received top billing in the Broadway production of The Color Purple. Says one executive and Fantasia defender: "She's a star and so multi-talented in every area. Sometimes you have to sever a relationship in order to move forward, but there's no doubt that Fantasia is accomplished and has proven herself. Someone will want to represent her."
A rep for 19 declined to comment, but assured EW that management deals for David Cook, Carrie Underwood, Chris Daughtry, Jordin Sparks, and Blake Lewis remain intact. 19 also represents Annie Lennox and The Spice Girls.
When it rains, it (perhaps only briefly) pours. If Lil Wayne hadn’t just last week posted the best one-week album sales figures in over three years, this week we’d be talking about Coldplay as the temporary saviors of the record business. And maybe we should anyway, since they're racking up sales in a genre that's been harder pressed for big bows. The band just sold 721,000 copies of Viva la Vida, the best one-week sales tally for any rock group since — you guessed it — Coldplay’s last album, X&Y, which opened with 737,000 in 2005. In this sales climate (and considering that the album leaked on the Web weeks in advance), selling on par with their blockbuster last effort can only be seen as a serious uptick in fan interest.
Lil Wayne’s Tha Carter III experienced the expected decline from its stunning million-plus debut, falling to second place with a 69 percent decrease in sales and a still-healthy 309,000 units. Third place belonged to the tween set, via the soundtrack to the smash Disney Channel telepic Camp Rock, which bowed with 188,000 sales. You have to wonder if it might have done even better if it had been marketed as containing new Jonas Brothers material, but the label played that down to help maintain anticipation for the new Jonas album due in August. Self-avowed girl kisser Katy Perry, also did well, coming in at No. 9 on the Nielsen Soundscan/Billboard chart with 47,000 sales of her One of the Boys album. The Offspring closely trailed at No. 10 with 46,000 units, followed by Judas Priest's Nostradamus at No. 11 with 42,000.
Rapper/actor RZA celebrated his 39th birthday two weeks early this year so that he could treat Hollywood pals like Superbad writer Evan Goldberg, actor David Krumholtz, Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist John Frusciante, and System of a Down bassist Shavo Odadjian to numerous bottles of Belvedere vodka at L.A. hot-spot Opera. Following the Wu-Tang Clan member's show at the Henry Fonda theater on Friday night, RZA headed to the club for a late-night hang, where he was greeted by this odd crew (Quentin Tarantino was also due to be in attendance, but got held up on set), along with a cake bearing the image of Bobby Digital, his alter-ego.
RZA has even more reason to celebrate this week: His new album, Digi Snacks, streets today. As for his film career, RZA follows up his turn in American Gangster with another drug-themed movie, Life Is Hot in Cracktown, which stars Brandon Routh, Lara Flynn Boyle, and Kerry Washington, who plays a trans-gender prostitute. A release date has yet to be announced.
Blake Lewis may have come in second place on season 6 of American Idol, but he won't be seeing a second release on Arista Records. A rep for the major tells EW.com that the label "will not be picking up Blake's option" for any future recorded projects. Lewis will, however, remain on Idol creator Simon Fuller's 19 Recordings roster.
The news first broke on popular Idol online destination MJ's big blog, which featured an audio interview with Lewis where he said that, as of three days ago, he was informed he'd lost his recording contract. By Idol standards, his debut album, Audio Day Dream, which has yet to go gold, did not perform as well as expected. It sold 98,000 its first week and almost 300,000 to date. Lewis contends that, despite keeping most of the control over the recordings, he didn't have proper support for the release. He's not alone. Earlier this year, EW reported that former Idol winners Taylor Hicks and Ruben Studdard had also been unceremoniously dropped from the SonyBMG family. Says Arista: "We wish [Lewis] the best of luck in his future endeavors."
Actress-singer Zooey Deschanel is about to take her music project, She & Him, on the road, and to help out with vocals she's enlisted Lavender Diamond singer Becky Stark to come along. For the two-and-a-half-week tour, which kicks off on July 23 and includes an appearance at the Newport Folk Festival on Aug. 2, Stark will handle harmonies on tunes from She & Him's debut album, Volume One, and Deschanel will join her for a Lavender Diamond favorite, the song "Garden Rose." There's also talk of matching costumes and dance moves.
The two L.A. friends have been writing together for some time, Stark tells EW.com, and recently debuted one such collaboration, titled "Teach Me How to Waken," at a show at the Vista Theater in Los Feliz. Deschanel also recorded a cover of the ABBA classic "Chiquiquita" with Lavender Diamond, which you can hear on the band's MySpace page. It's also being sold as the B-side to "Open Your Heart," a song that currently accompanies a series of JCPenny adds. Of all this good fortune, Stark says, "I feel so lucky. I am in awe of Zooey who is just a tremendous singer. I'm so happy, it feels like it's Christmas!"
After a decade away, the MTV Video Music Awards are returning to Los
Angeles. According to sources involved with the show, the 2008 ceremony
will be held on Sunday, Sept. 7, at the Paramount Pictures lot in
Hollywood. Expect executive producer Jesse
Ignjatovic to make use of many of Paramount's stages, rooftops, and
camera-ready city streets for the star-studded show, which will only
air once in its original incarnation. The official press release goes out on
Monday, with host and artist announcements to come soon after.
For the last 10 years, the VMAs have been somewhat nomadic,
taking over Miami for two years (one of which was nearly
washed out due to early Hurricane Katrina rains) and trying out Las
Vegas in 2007, when the Palms Hotel and Casino played host. There
were rumors that this time the awards would be held at the Shrine Auditorium, home to the Emmy Awards, but MTV opted for a bigger and
perhaps less predictable space.
Many music-biz types were convinced we'd never again see an album sell a million copies in a week. It hadn't happened since 50 Cent's The Massacre topped the mark in 2005. Yet Lil Wayne is proof that if you build something fans truly want, even in the depressed market of 2008, they will come. His Tha Carter III (No. 1) exceeded all projections by selling just a hair over 1 million units — particularly impressive considering that the rapper's previous best sales week was a mere 238,000.
That huge debut left Plies' Definition of Real looking like small potatoes at No. 2 with 215,000 units — a figure that usually would be more than enough to top the Nielsen Soundscan/Billboard chart. But they weren't the only new releases worth mentioning. N.E.R.D.'s long-awaited Seeing Sounds debuted at No. 7 with 80,000, followed by Alanis Morissette's Flavors of Entanglement at No. 8 with 70,000. Critical and festival favorite My Morning Jacket made a first-time appearance in the top 10 of the album chart by selling 49,000 and coming in at No. 9. Other debuts of note included country duo Montgomery Gentry at No. 20 (27,000 copies), Emmylou Harris at No. 22 (also 27,000), the first solo effort from Jakob Dylan at No. 24 (24,000), and the iCarly soundtrack at No. 28 (20,000).
With the contest behind him, American Idolwinner David Cook is now paying homage to one of his idols: Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl. On this evening's Tonight Show With Jay Leno, after performing his single, "Time of My Life," Cook will play a cover of the Foo Fighters hit "My Hero," one of the band's most beloved songs, which originally appeared on their second release, The Colour and the Shape (the album through which Cook taught himself to play guitar). The exclusive performance is part of the show's Summer Concert Series and will be available online starting at 3:30 a.m.
In a recent interview with Rolling Stone, Cook listed Grohl as one of several
rockers on his cowriting wish-list. "The thing I like about him is his music has some substance,"
Cook said. "He's also kind of realized the absurdity of being a celebrity so he doesn't take himself or any of the extra stuff too seriously. I can only hope to be like that." Cook's full-length debut is scheduled for a November release on RCA Records, the same label that distributes the Foos' albums. No word on whether there's been any official collaboration talks as of yet, but check back for updates.
In a new interview with EW, Coldplay singer Chris Martin confesses he still holds a special place in his heart for Limp Bizkit, the rap-rock band that broke big the same year Coldplay released their first album (and have gradually fallen off the radar since). "It might be unfashionable to say it at the moment, but Limp Bizkit had a lot of life in them when they were at their best," he says. "Just watch, in about 10 years people will start saying, 'You know what? They were great.'" Martin goes on to add that "Rollin'" is his favorite Bizkit song and that their version of The Who's ''Behind Blue Eyes'' is better than the original. "Call me sacrilege," he deadpans. "I'm proud to say it right here, live and on the record."
The dudes in Disturbed surely meant their new album title, Indestructible, to be a self-fulfilling prophecy. And so far, so prophetic: It's the band's third album in a row to debut at No. 1. And the new one's opening sales of 253,000 even beat the 239,000 first-week sales of the band's previous album in 2005. Maybe these lovable metal heads should change their name to…Delighted! No?
The runner-up on this week's Billboard/Soundscan chart is the NOW 28 compilation, which sold 185,000. In third place was last week's chart topper, the latest from Usher, which suffered a sales decline of 67 percent to sell 145,000 copies. Weezer's self-titled effort, powered by a lot of "Pork and Beans," came in at No. 4 with 126,000 in sales. The week's most surprisingly robust entry has to be Journey, in at No. 5 with 105,000. Their Revelation is a Wal-Mart exclusive; a bargain-basement cost of $12 for a three-disc set (two CDs and a DVD) proved too good a price point for superstore shoppers to pass up.
Ashanti's Declaration came in at No. 6 with 86,000 units. We'd have to declare that something of a comedown for a singer who was able to debut on top with a half-million copies six years ago. Jewel's transition into the country market, Perfectly Clear, bowed at No. 8 with 48,000. Other first-weekers included Opeth at No. 23, a Radiohead best-of at No. 26, and Gavin Rossdale's solo debut at No. 32.
With the Weeds opening theme set to retire upon the start of season 4 (premiering June 16 on Showtime), Lionsgate is offering fans a 10-song sampling of "Little Boxes" covers to be sold digitally beginning in early July. The first of several "dimebag" series will feature the Malvina Reynolds classic as reinterpreted by the likes of Randy Newman, Englebert Humperdinck, Billy Bob Thornton, Angelique Kidjo, and Rise Against, with additional 10-song dimebag collections scheduled for release in the coming months. Weeds' season 3 soundtrack, meanwhile, featuring tracks by Kevin Nealon, the Dresden Dolls and Ween, will see a physical release on July 8.
Pop newcomer Katy Perry has a top 5 single with “I Kissed a Girl,” but how does singer-songwriter Jill Sobule, who had a 1995 hit of the same name, feel about its success? “I don't feel precious about the title, but I've gotten tons of e-mails from annoyed fans," she tells EW.com. "Some think it’s more of a Girls Gone Wild thing than anything shocking or empowering to true gay feelings." Sobule's song pre-dates The L Word and Ellen DeGeneres' TV outing and caused a minor controversy when it was released. "Maybe I'll write a third 'I Kissed a Girl' for fun," she cracks. "It will be about how I kissed her, Ieft the dull boyfriend, got gay-married in California, and really no one gave a s---” Still, Sobule does confess: "Katy Perry's song is a kind of catchy party song, although I will admit that I do smile when a critique mentions my version in a more favorable light. Is that wrong?”
Sobule is currently in the studio with Don Was putting the finishing touches on her seventh full-length album, which she was able to finance via an unconventional fan-focused fund-raising campaign that generated over $75,000 in donations.
Perry's debut, One of the Boys, will be released on June 17. A second track from the album, "UR So Gay," is also buzzing thanks to a key endorsement by Madonna on Ryan Seacrest's KIIS-FM radio show last month. Madge called it "hilarious" and said it was her favorite song of the moment.
In between time spent on movie sets and possibly in court, Hairspray star Nikki Blonsky is also hard at work on her first album. "It's something I really want to nurture," she told EW.com on the red carpet of Bravo's A-List Awards (airing tonight), where she was escorted by Project Runway Season 3 contestant Malan Breton. "My album will probably be a mix of Stevie Nicks, Melissa Etheridge, and Sheryl Crow meets a little Linda Eder. You can expect everything from horns to electric guitars, a mix of big band with a bit of rock-n-roll." Blonsky added that she's co-writing all of the songs, a laborious process compared to acting. "Unlike a movie, it's not written for you, so I want to make sure it’s something that really comes from my heart," she said. "When I’m ready to release it, you bet I’ll be releasing it in style." -- With reporting by Lindsay Soll
Happy days are here again for the beleaguered music industry...at least for a week. It turns out that everyone who was wondering whether Mariah, Madonna, or Usher would have the biggest blockbuster sales opening of the year had their eyes on the wrong contenders: It's rapper Lil Wayne, who's set to have the most massive first week of any new album this spring, by far. And, contrary to industry wisdom, it seems the album was helped by premature leaks.
How huge will it be? Tha Carter III just came out Tuesday morning, so it's difficult to tell from less than a day's worth of sales, but an exec at Lil Wayne's label estimates the disc will sell between 850,000 and 950,000 by the end of its first week. If their numbers are correct, that would be about double the opening figure for 2008's current record-holder, Mariah Carey's E=MC2, which opened with 463,000 copies. "The accounts were bullish by 10 in the morning," reports Pat Monaco, exec VP of sales for the Universal Motown Republic Group. "The sales the first few hours were exceeding the rate that the Kanye album sold a year ago." (That one ended up selling 957,000 the first week; nothing has come close since.) "Wayne was one of these records that, because it was so highly anticipated, with the leaks and everything, it caused more people to go out at 8 in the morning to buy the CD."
It was another good news/bad news week on the album sales charts. In the good category, Usher (pictured) became just the second artist this year to top the 400,000 sales mark, moving 443,000 copies of Here I Stand to take the top spot. As opening weeks in 2008 go, that figure trails only the 463,000-unit bow that Mariah Carey enjoyed in April with her E=MC2 album. Less good is how that compares to the debut of Usher’s previous album, Confessions, which bowed with 1.1 million copies in 2004. But sales numbers like that are a thing of the past, given the current CD-sales climate.
Meanwhile, it appears that Sex and the City fans enjoy shopping as much as their big-screen heroines -- even for CDs. The movie'ssoundtracksold a surprising 99,000 and entered at No. 2 this week, making SATC the highest-charting soundtrack since Juno reached No. 1 in January. The only other debut in the Billboard/Soundscan top 20 was the No. 9 bow for Al Green’s well-reviewed Lay It Down. Green’s latest comeback was coproduced by the Roots’ Amir “?uestlove” Thompson to sound like it was recorded back in the '70s — an approach that is proving successful given that this is Rev. Al’s highest-charting album since I’m Still in Love with You reached No. 4 back in 1972.
Find out how Coldplay overtook David Cook in a coup at the top of the digital songs chart, after the jump...
Although there's still no release date set for Beck's Danger Mouse-produced album Modern Guilt, the eclectic rocker's 10th disc is inching ever closer to completion: Beck sent cover art to his label at 2 a.m. Tuesday morning. And despite rumors of a rushed or surprise drop (a la the Raconteurs or Gnarls Barkley), Beck tells EW.com that he's had the same release date for "four or five months, even before the record was done." (The first track, "Chemtrails," can be heard via MySpace.) In fact, he says, "it was supposed to come out next week... [but] I blew it. But you know, you have to live with a cover forever, and you've worked on the songs forever — why ruin the record at the last minute with the wrong cover?"
So what art turned out to be so right? "The photo's really funny," Beck says. "I was just messing around with some friends about a year ago. We were trying to get a photo for this Timebomb song I put out on the internet. My engineer, who's also a photographer, was just testing the camera and took a picture of legs. I think it's me, and somebody else who was there. And the floor. Everything else was so album cover, you know what I mean? I love throwaway covers. Seems like they did that a lot more in the '70s. There'll just be a shot, like, in the corner of the room. You know, it so obviously isn't a cover that it just makes it a great cover."
After a year that included facing a potential 30-year sentence on a gun-possession charge (he pleaded guilty and struck a deal for house arrest, community service, and then a year in jail), rapper T.I. is returning to the public eye with an MTV reality series that will chronicle his everyday life — post-ankle bracelet and pre-prison. "The show basically documents the road of redemption that I’ll be traveling the next few months," T.I. told EW.com on the gold carpet at last night's 2008 MTV Movie Awards. "I think it will be a great way for people to get to know me as a person, not just someone that you read about and see on TV. It will show that I’m someone who made a mistake, but I’m in no way going to let that define me or my future. I’m going to accept responsibility and stand up and move forward." According to reports, the show will pick up with T.I.'s recent release from house arrest and wrap upon his return to jail in early 2009. It will also follow him through the music-making process (his new album Paper Trail is due August 12) and 1000 hours of community service that he's ordered to carry out. Adds T.I.: "My main focus is to turn my negatives into positives." (With reporting by Jenny Sundel)
How did Lost's Naveen Andrews (pictured) spend his show's season finale night? On stage with Mark McGrath, Dave Navarro, and a host of rock luminaries for the final bow of Camp Freddy Mayhem -- the all-star cover band's month-long residency at Los Angeles' famed Sunset Strip club The Roxy. In its original form, the group includes frontman actor-musician Donovan Leitch, Jane's Addiction's Navarro and Chris Chaney, The Cult's Billy Morrison, and Velvet Revolver's Matt Sorum. Last night, for a cover of the Sex Pistols' "E.M.I.," Andrews (introduced as a member of the Oceanic 6) joined the group on guitar while Sugar Ray singer (and Extra host, lest we forget) McGrath handled the microphone.
But while it was one song and out for Andrews, other guest stars lingered longer, like Juliette Lewis who commanded the stage and channeled singer Exene Cervenka with a song by '80s punk band X, and guitarist Jerry Cantrell, who brought back that warm, fuzzy, early-'90s flannel feeling with "Man in the Box," a classic from his band, Alice in Chains. But the most anticipated (and not the least bit disappointing) moment of the night was the show's closer, Billy Idol. Looking fit in a tight, black T-shirt and sporting a shorter version of the David Cook ’do, he joined The Doors guitarist Robbie Krieger for a well-received spin of "L.A. Woman," then launched into his own hits, "Dancing with Myself" and "Rebel Yell," to deafening cheers. All told, he spent a total of 20 minutes at the club, arriving just in time to hit the stage and leaving under cover of a leather jacket immediately after — like a true rock Idol should.
Among the music notables on the green carpet at Los Angeles' Greek Theater the other night (to view the final stage showdown of Battleground Earth: Ludacris vs. Tommy Lee, a month-long campaign/reality show airing on the brand new Planet Green network) were San Diego rockers Switchfoot, whose hit "Dare You to Move" was one of the three final numbers that clinched David Cook's American Idol win. Singer Jon Foreman told EW.com he was "honored" by the performance, which the band watched live. "We had just taped Leno and were over at a buddy's house for a barbeque when it came on," he said. "It was kind of a surreal moment. It's a really tough song to sing and I think he did a great job." As for Cook's future prospects? "People get all up in arms about the concept of instant success, but who knows what he's gone through to get here or where he'll head," said Foreman. "Ultimately, I think it's about music winning, and making music fans out of kids who can discover these older songs. It's better than playing video games."
If you've gone to the movies much in the last year or two, you've heard a lot of 3 Doors Down, whose song "Citizen Soldier" was the soundtrack for an unavoidable pre-show Army recruitment ad. But how is the band's own fan enlistment effort going? The good news for the Mississippi-based rockers is that their newly released, self-titled fourth album is their second effort in a row to debut atop the Billboard/Soundscan chart. But, as is the case for most veteran acts, No. 1 ain't quite what it used to be, sales-wise. The new set sold 154,000 its first week, looking not quite as battle-ready as 3 Doors Down's previous disc, Seventeen Days, did when it debuted in 2005 with 231,000 units. Still, most bands these days would take up serious arms to achieve that kind of opening.
Rapper Bun B's sophomore solo album, II Trill, sold 98,000 and entered at No. 2 (bettering the No. 6 peak for his previous disc). In third place, Dancing With the Stars hoofer Julianne Hough, a two-time champion on the show, moved a surprising 67,000 copies of her country debut. Her first single is now starting to pick up traction on country radio, proving that American Idol isn't the only reality-show breeding ground for fresh music stars.
For the moment, it's David Cook's world and we just live — and download — in it. That would be the conclusion to draw, anyway, from this week's digital-songs chart, where American Idol-atry has truly reached critical mass. Cook's TV coronation anthem, "Time of My Life," debuted atop that chart with 236,000 downloads.
But his success hardly stopped there: "Big" David had a total of 14 songs bow on the digital songs chart. His second-biggest single of the week, "Dream Big," bowed at No. 6
with 111,000 sold, and he claimed a third
entry in the chart's top 10, selling 98,000 copies of his cover of U2's
"I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" (No. 9). Other Cook
entries on the digital-songs chart: his maligned-by-Simon rendition of
Collective Soul's "World I Know" (No. 14 with 80,000 sold); "I Don't
Want to Miss a Thing" (No. 21 with 60,000 sold); "Billie Jean" (No. 24
with 56,000 sold); "Always Be My Baby" (No. 29 with 47,000 sold); and
"Hello" (No. 32 with 42,000 sold). It's a good sign that, when he gets
around to completing an album, Cook should really be able to sell
records — in bulk. (Unlike some other recent Idols.)
Chris Martin, axman? No, the Coldplay frontman is not pulling a Dave Grohl and giving up his favorite instrument, but he is gearing up for some serious guitar shredding ― on a videogame console near you. “[‘Violet Hill’] is the first Coldplay song to be put on 'Guitar Hero,'” Martin bragged to EW on a recent visit to the band's London studio. And unlike much of their lulling repertoire, he cracks, “It’s not [all] about the piano s---.” The downloadable track will be part of a massive publicity rollout for Coldplay’s new album, Viva La Vida (out June 17), which includes a performance on the 2008 MTV Movie Awards (airing June 1) and free concerts in London (June 16) and New York City (June 23).
Death Cab for Cutie were the live wires on this week’s album chart, debuting on top with 144,000 units sold for their seventh full-length album, Narrow Stairs. That's a broad step up from the 90,000 that their last album, Plans, opened with in 2005. In retrospect, releasing an eight-and-a-half-minute single ('I Will Possess Your Heart') doesn't seem like such a disastrous move after all, does it?
Now cue Frank Sinatra singing, It was a very good week... Fans snapped up copies of Ol' Blue Eyes' Nothing but the Best collection as if they were commemorative stamps, boosting it all the way up to No. 2 on the Billboard/Soundscan chart with sales of 99,000. That’s the Chairman’s best chart showing since 1993, five years before his death, when his Duets album also hit No. 2.
The title of Jason Mraz’s third album — We Sing, We Dance, We Steal Things — accurately describes the cavalier feeling a lot of music fans have about illicit downloading nowadays. Nonetheless, he convinced 73,000 followers to pony up for his new disc, fairly close to the 81,000 who sprang for his last release, Mr. A-Z, in its first week in 2005.
You’ve heard of the greenhouse effect. How about the Winehouse effect? Turns out Amy isn’t the only British white-soul thrush who can translate hype across the pond into Stateside success. Duffy’s Rockferry debuted in the U.S. with a surprising 71,000 in sales.
See who pulled ahead in the battle of the divas and how Rihanna's new single fared in its second week, after the jump...
American Idolseason 2 winner Ruben Studdard is getting into the nightlife business with plans to open a restaurant/club in his hometown of Birmingham, Alabama. The as-yet-unnamed spot will serve up "Southern food with a twist," Studdard told EW.com on the season 7 finale red carpet, and host "national headlining acts" in a live performance space with a capacity of 600. "My dream is to have John Mayer play on opening night," Studdard said. The club will be located in downtown Birmingham's new entertainment district, The Forge, which is undergoing an $80 million renovation scheduled to finish in summer 2009. According to a local report, comedian Jeff Foxworthy is also in negotiations for his own venue in the area, and Studdard reveals that another Idol winner is setting up shop nearby: "Taylor Hicks is opening a bar around the corner from me, so it's gonna be big." Now all the neighborhood needs is fellow Alabama native Bo Bice to join in and Birmingham could become the country's prime Idol destination.
The season 3 finale of Weeds saw the suburban town of Agrestic decimated by wildfires. Now, series creator Jenji Kohan tells EW.com that the show's theme song "Little Boxes," the beloved Malvina Reynolds ditty that was reinterpreted by many an indie rock band, is going up in smoke, too. "We rode that pony," she says. "We sat down and looked at what our show is now, and Nancy [Botwin, played by Mary Louise Parker, pictured] has gotten out of her little box. It just seemed like a
holdover from where we started and I want to get the audience on board to a new
adventure." Instead, viewers will get "more show" when the Showtime dramedy returns on June 16. "We really simplified the beginning," says Kohan, "and I know some people are going to be upset, but we feel like it goes with where we’re going. You gotta embrace change at a certain point."
On a related note, the third installment of the Weeds soundtrack series will street on July 8 and feature tracks by the Dresden Dolls, Ween, cast-member Kevin Nealon (for a sampling of his surprisingly adept banjo skills, click here), and Randy Newman's season 3 opening version of "Little Boxes." Next on deck: a compilation of the show's instrumentals to be released via iTunes on June 10. Get ready for one hazy summer.
Is Universal’s Interscope-Geffen-A&M Records label looking to stack the fourth-quarter deck? Sources say the music industry’s market-share leader is preparing a fall slate that is likely to include new albums from marquee names like U2, Black Eyed Peas, No Doubt, Pussycat Dolls, and Keane. Also on tap: long-awaited efforts by Dr. Dre and Eminem, who is believed to have enough material to compile his fifth studio album. A label rep couldn’t specify or confirm any street dates, but if most (or all) of the albums get pre-holiday releases, Universal could end the year with full domination of both the charts and the ailing U.S. music market.
Scores of former American Idol contestants who were flown into Los Angeles for this week's big show attended a private pre-finale mixer on Monday night. Held at swanky new downtown lounge The Edison, the three-hour soirée featured a five-song set by season 5's Ace Young -- who recently made his TV acting debut on Bones and is getting ready to release a new album in July -- and saw plenty of speculation as to who might triumph in the showdown of the Davids. Bo Bice, for one, was willing to go on record: He thinks Cook's got it in the bag.
A quick scan of the room revealed some curious cliques: in one corner, brothers-in-soul-pop Chris Richardson (season 6), Justin Guarini (season 1), and Brandon Rogers (season 6) held court, Kevin Covais (season 5) — barely recognizable thanks to a new, mopish hairstyle — made the rounds, while at the bar Jon Peter Lewis (season 3) and Chris Sligh (season 6) bemoaned the "dilution" of the Idol brand, no thanks to "crappy records." The girls were out in force as well: Nadia Turner (season 4) commandeered a corner booth while Gina Glocksen (season 6) angled for a minute of quality Bo time. Absent from the festivities? This season's Top 12, who were busy rehearsing their finale numbers at the nearby Nokia Theater.
A representative for Def Jam has confirmed to EW.com that hip-hop artist Nas has made an eleventh-hour decision to change the title of his new album from N----- to simply Nas. The Queens rapper sparked a heated debate last fall when he announced the provocative title for his upcoming ninth record, but last October, Island Def Jam Music Group chair Antonio "L.A." Reid publicly denied widespread reports that label execs were uncomfortable with his decision. "We stand firmly behind and beside our artists with pride and with
pleasure," Reid told MTV News at the time. "Anything Nas wants to do, I completely stand beside him."
But in an interview with MTV News last week, Nas suggested that he was facing renewed pressure: "Everybody is trying to stop the title.... Record stores are gonna have a problem in this
day and time selling a record with that title. Who
knows what's gonna turn out and be on that title? Who knows what that
title will be?" The politically-charged Nas is due in stores July 1. For more of Nas' thoughts on his new music, check EW's summer music preview coverage in print on Friday.
UPDATE: In a statement, Nas clarified that he considers his new album untitled, adding: "It's important to me that this album gets to the fans. It’s been a long time coming. I want my fans to know that, creatively and lyrically, they can expect the same content and the same messages. It's that important. The streets have been waiting for this for a long time. The people will always know what the real title of this album is and what to call it."
When season 3 of VH1's surprise hit I Love New York premieres on Aug. 4, it will feature a new — and appropriately titled — theme song: "The World Should Revolve Around Me." The track is by Imani Coppola's new pop-soul outfit Little Jackie, which was recently signed to S-Curve Records (home to Joss Stone and Fountains of Wayne), and is one of several from the group's debut album, The Stoop, which will be integrated into the show. The song features whimsical lines like, "I bide my time with philosophical questions / Not for nothin' but what came first / The chicken nugget or the egg McMuffin." It will be available for download starting Tuesday, May 20, and a video shot by Ace Norton (Bloc Party, Death Cab For Cutie) is also in the works. If it's anything like the band's NSFW "Black Barbie" clip, which, like Pink's "Stupid Girls," mocks key players in the Perez Hilton stratosphere, expect something risqué, as is the New York way.
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.
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.
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.
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...
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."
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 Idolperformances 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?
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.
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.)
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'sAmerican 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.
Hot-diggity Danity! This week, P. Diddy’s Making the Band3 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.
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.
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).
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.
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...
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 TheSopranos resurrected Journey's "Don't Stop Believin'."
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."
John Mayer kicks off a national tour this summer and is bringing along newcomers Colbie Caillat and Brett Dennen as opening acts. Both California-bred folk-pop artists were featured performers on Mayer's Mayercraft Carrier last month, the three-day Bahamian cruise designed to give fans the most intimate Mayer experience yet (look no further than his Borat-inspired swimsuit for proof), and were hand-picked by the Grammy-winning singer-songwriter himself. If 2007's Continuum tour is any indication, concert-goers can expect the occasional sit-in among sets as well. The trek is scheduled to start in July with a full list of dates to be announced soon.
Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova, the duo who picked up an Oscar last Sunday for "Falling Slowly" from the movie Once, have signed a publishing deal with Warner/Chappell Music. Songs from the film's soundtrack, plus compositions written for Hansard's band, The Frames, and his album with Irglova, The Swell Season, will now all be administered by the publishing arm of Warner Music Group. No doubt the duo will also see a significant label deal soon, but for now, Hansard and The Frames are still under contract with Epitaph Records' sister label ANTI (home to Tom Waits). One report today incorrectly stated that "neither the duo nor the Frames have recording contracts." Says a rep for ANTI: "I don't know that anything has changed in their status with the label. The Frames remain ANTI recording artists."
N.E.R.D., the funk-rock group comprised of the Neptunes' Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo, along with friend and collaborator Shae Haley, are ready to drop a new album, their first since 2004's Fly or Die, in late June on Star Trak. Titled Seeing Sounds (in reference to a neurological phenomenon called Synesthesia, where senses cross so a tone correlates to, say, a color -- read the insanely complex dissection at wikipedia), the band drew inspiration from the idea of seeing the music. So what took so long? Williams, who recently wrapped a record with Madonna, told MTV last October that he was "just waiting for the right sounds," comparing making music to going fishing. "You fish for it every day, and either you get it or you don't," he said. "And sometimes I have to wait. What I usually do with the N.E.R.D. albums is we wait a lot." But fans won't have to wait much longer.
One of the strangest exchanges on Oscar night didn’t occur at the Kodak Theatre, but on Barbara Walters' Academy Awards special. The View doyenne told Juno’s Ellen Page that she doesn’t “get” the Moldy Peaches — even though she booked the semiretired duo to perform their unlikely hit, "Anyone Else But You," on her daytime talk show. Page, who handpicked the song for the film, didn't seem to take offense, calmly schooling Walters in the subtleties of indie rock: "It's beautiful, honest, [and] hits me on a level I can't deny."
So how does Adam Green, one-half of the anti-folk act, feel about the slight? "I'm not bitter," he says. "When it comes to Moldy Peaches music, I don't think anyone's taking Barbara's opinion too seriously. From what I understand, she really enjoys that song." And the fact that Walters sang along with Page, he adds, is a testament to the tune's unbelievable reach. "You couldn't surprise me now," marvels Green, whose fifth solo album, Sixes and Sevens, is due March 18. "If Michael Jordan turned out to be the biggest Moldy Peaches fan, I’d be, like, 'Join the f---ing club.'”
The title of Madonna's forthcoming album will be Hard Candy, EW.com has learned exclusively. The record, her last studio effort for Warner Bros., includes a track called "Candy Store." Madonna chose to stick with the sweet theme because "she loves candy," says her longtime rep Liz Rosenberg. "It's about
the juxtaposition of tough
and sweetness, or as Madonna so eloquently expressed 'I'm gonna kick your ass, but it's going to make you
feel good.'" The album, which features Justin Timberlake on multiple tracks and production by Pharrell Williams, Timbaland, and Nate "Danja" Hills, will see a U.S. release on April 29. The first single, "Four
Minutes," will be out at the end of March.
Singer-songwriter Vanessa Carlton (far left) is reteaming with Stevie Nicks for the PBS live music program Soundstage, EW.com has learned. The show will feature the singers' duet "The One," which appears on Carlton's latest album, Heroes & Thieves, and the two also take a stab at Bonnie Raitt's "Circle Dance." The airdate has yet to be determined.
Carlton has been raising eyebrows of late with a provocative new Marc Klasfeld-directed video for the song "Hands On Me," which was arranged by her ex-boyfriend, and Third Eye Blind frontman, Stephan Jenkins. The clip features Carlton lying in bed, gently touching herself in (mostly) appropriate places on camera, but hinting at some possibly less SFW touching going on outside the frame.
Joss Stone and critically acclaimed rap duo Clipse are currently “trading tracks,” say reps for the artists. The Virginia-based rappers will make an appearance on Stone’s next studio effort, while the British soul singer has already recorded a song for the duo's forthcoming album with their group the Re-Up Gang (out this June). The mutual love-fest began when Stone and Clipse collaborated on a track for Randy Jackson's soon-to-be-released compilation album, Randy Jackson's Music Club, Volume 1. What's strange is on both the press release for the record and amazon.com, the song, titled "Just Walk On By," credits Joss Stone and Memphis hip-hop outfit Three 6 Mafia. Though reps for Three 6 Mafia have yet to get back to us, Jackson assures EW.com that it was, in fact, Clipse who worked with Stone on the track, not Three Six, but that the collab version will only be released as a single. For the version featured on the album, Stone goes at it solo.
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.
How do you resurrect a forgotten rapper’s career? Why, take it to
reality TV, of course. Following the success of MTV’s Run’s House and
Snoop Dogg’s Father Hood, we hear MC Hammer is shopping a series that will
showcase the highs and lows of life after superstardom. The onetime Surreal Lifer is talking to several networks, while also preparing to launch dancejam.com, a user-generated dance video site, but has yet
to sign a deal. And he may have to get in line: Ja Rule, Master P, and
even Kevin Federline are also pitching reality programs. Says one
development exec: “It’s insane how many calls we get from rappers
wanting their own TV shows.”
After reports of recording sessions in exotic locations like Fez, Morocco and the South of France, today's news that U2 are back in Dublin and knee-deep in material for their next album was a welcome update. According to longtime collaborator Daniel Lanois, the band is trying to "deliver a masterpiece" as the follow-up to 2004's Grammy-winning album How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb. But by when? Lanois won't say, but we hear the band is "aiming for a fall release," a claim their label, Interscope, doesn't deny. Certainly, a new release by the world's reigning stadium rockers would be a big boost for holiday sales this year -- and perhaps next year as well: Lanois hinted to Billboard.com that the current recording sessions may wind up spreading out across two albums.
More details are emerging about Madonna's new album. Nate "Danja" Hills and Timbaland, who co-produced Justin Timberlake's FutureSex/LoveSounds, are co-producing some tracks on Madonna's yet-to-be titled album and Danja tells EW.com that the pop queen's next effort is "very up-tempo, upbeat and urban — it's a Virginia-based sound." Madge was joined in the studio by another influential Virginian, Pharrell Williams, but Danja emphasizes that the album's urban edge doesn't mean the 49-year-old star has lost her pop cred. "It's everything rolled into one," he says. "It'll be a classic album." As previously reported here, Timbaland and Timberlake will appear in the video for Madonna's first single, "4 Minutes to Save the World." The album is slated for an April debut. The single drops in March.
Jessica Simpson's much-publicized foray into country music is coming together. The singer's manager/father, Joe, tells EW.com that the singer is close to completing her first country album and that she is eyeing a possible unscripted CMT show, which would mark the singer's second stab at reality TV. "With Newlyweds, she let everyone into her world," says Joe. "Then she had to shut the world out. Now she can open it up again so people can see, here's a girl struggling with self-esteem and finding her way. Country music is about storytelling, after all."
As for the album, Simpson has enlisted some of Nashville's most respected names to lend a hand — and some credibility — to the project. Jessica duets with Dolly Parton on one track and is joined on another by Willie Nelson and Charley Pride. John Shanks, who's worked with Sheryl Crow and Kelly Clarkson, and Brett James, a cowriter on Carrie Underwood's single "Jesus Take the Wheel," are producing. Simpson's first single, which has yet to be selected, could be out as soon as April or May.
We hear that pop-punks Good Charlotte will be among the guests appearing on Ludacris' sixth solo album, (tentatively titled Theater of the Mind, due out in August), and the hip-hop artist reveals that he has someone in mind for another collab as well. "I'd like to work with Eminem," he told EW.com at the InStyle Grammy Salute to Fashion on Friday. "I think we could make something hot, but who knows? It hasn't happened — yet." Meanwhile, the rapper and movie star (Fred Claus, Crash) is expanding his portfolio yet again, partnering with Bay Area restaurateur Chris Yeo on Straits, an upscale Asian restaurant set to open in Atlanta this fall. Luda also just launched wemix.com, an online American Idol-style contest with a focus on beats and songwriting, which he hopes to bring to cable TV soon.
After more than a decade in the major label system, Butch Walker is boldly proclaiming his independence with a new provocatively named web site. Up until late 2007, the singer, producer, and songwriter, who's worked with some of pop's leading ladies, Avril Lavigne, Pink, and Ashlee Simpson among them, was signed to Epic Records as a solo artist. In the late '90s, Walker was on the Arista Records roster while fronting the band Marvelous 3. On Feb. 14, he plans to self-release Leavin' the Game on Luckie St., a double live album, allowing fans to download all 24 songs for free during the first week. The set, which includes covers of Bruce Springsteen's "Born to Run" and James' hit "Laid," will only be available digitally, but an accompanying DVD is scheduled to hit retail stores a few weeks later.
"Viva la freedom from cubicle music!" Walker declares in an official announcement going out tomorrow. "The record business is f---ed, but not for bands. It's the most exciting, positive time for music, as rock and roll and indie pop have gone completely back underground. And to see artists be able to release albums whenever they want, for whatever they want, and not have to fear sending in their cover art, only to have the art department airbrush off the singer's mustache (in fear of not selling to a certain demographic or f---ing statistic) is wonderful. Essentially, everything they have or haven't done in the past, I will purposely do the opposite... And probably make my first paycheck." In addition to his own music, Walker plans to release other projects, like 1969, a collaboration with guitarist Michael Guy Chislett from The Academy Is... and drummer Darren Dodd from the Let's Go Out Tonites. No doubt supplemental income will continue to come from writing hits for other artists; most recently, Walker re-teamed with Pink to start work on her next album.
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.
Hot on the heels of Paula Abdul's lip-synch-tastic Super Bowl performance, her American Idol costar Randy Jackson has confirmed that he will have a hand in producing her forthcoming full-length album. "We've been talking about it," Jackson told EW.com during a taping of his latest side-project, MTV's America's Best Dance Crew, which premieres Thursday night. "We gotta keep things rolling, you know?" No release date or label has been announced yet, but last week Paula Abdul's official website posted a message saying to expect an album in Summer 2008.
Jack Sussman, CBS’ executive vice president of specials, music, and live events, will neither confirm nor deny the possibility of a Michael Jackson appearance for a special Thriller tribute (fingers crossed!) at this year's Grammys, but he assures us he doesn't need the Gloved One to make the 50th Annual Grammy Awards telecast special.
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: So what can we expect? JACK SUSSMAN: We’ve got great stuff going on. Think about it this way... we’ve got Alicia Keys, Carrie Underwood, Prince, Rihanna, The Beatles, Miley Cyrus (pictured), John Legend, Fergie, Tina Turner, Beyonce, and Nelly Furtado... and that’s just in the first hour. And there’s going to be some great moments recognizing the historical significance of Sgt. Pepper.
When did you first start worrying that the ongoing writers strike might threaten the show?
I thought about it as soon as it happened with the Golden Globes. It never, ever deterred us from producing the show. We stayed out of it a lot; this wasn’t CBS’ fight. Ultimately, the musicians union and AFTRA were in support of this show. Those are the two major unions. This is the one night a year that the music business has to celebrate. It was like, our business is hurting way more than your business. Don’t hurt us on this one night. Once artists started coming forward -- Beyonce, the Foo Fighters –- the music academy had the foundation to build and deliver a show.
How can you pay tribute to 50 years of the Grammys in just three hours?
It will be three and a half hours. It’s not an easy task, putting 10 pounds of potato salad into a 1-pound container. We’ve got to keep the pace moving, celebrate the past, but speak toward the future. Not everything is going to be hard rocking. You can’t drive up the tempo for three and a half hours. But we’re coming up with some great magical moments that only happen on the Grammy Awards.
Rilo Kiley singer Jenny Lewis has sidelined her band obligations for a minute to work on another solo album. For the past few weeks, Lewis and a team of Los Angeles cohorts, including singer-songwriter-boyfriend Johnathan Rice, Interpol touring player "Farmer Dave" Scher, and Rilo producer Jason Larder, have been logging full days at Sound City studios in the San Fernando Valley, where Tom Petty's Damn the Torpedoes and Nirvana's Nevermind were recorded. The all-analog sessions also saw several famous friends drop by to lend a hand with guest vocals, among them Zooey Deschanel, the Black Crowes' Chris Robinson, M. Ward, and Elvis Costello, who duets with Lewis on one track. A source who's heard the record says, "It all sounds super natural, nice, and simple. Like it doesn't belong in any decade. It's just timeless."
Could the White Stripes play the White House? Bill Clinton’s second term kicked off with performances by Aretha Franklin and James Taylor, George W. Bush’s 2004 gala had Ricky Martin. We know Barack Obama’s got cool cred, but how about John McCain? Follow the ifs: If the 71-year-old Arizona senator gets the Republican nomination and if he wins the election, he could always call on his daughter, Sidney, a long-time music business executive, to round up some of her rocker friends for one hell of an inauguration party.
The third of seven McCain children, Sid, as she's known to pals, colleagues and rock scribes, most recently held the title of General Manager, V2 Records in Canada, a job she took after many years as a publicist at Capitol Records in New York (she is currently working for EMI and is based in Toronto). Over the span of her two-decade-career, she's represented dozens of hard rock, alternative and left-of-center bands, including the aforementioned Stripes, Grandaddy, Moby, Stereophonics, and Spritualized, whom she described as "an epic stoner band from the UK" in a 2006 Toronto Life profile. She’s even been known to bring her dad along to major music events, like the MTV Video Music Awards.
Swedish trio Peter Bjorn and John whistled their way to indie rock stardom when the quirky single "Young Folks," off their 2006 album Writer's Block, became an international hit. Last week, the band returned to the studio to start work on their next album -- only this time, they chose a location as far from their native Stockholm as possible: Los Angeles' San Fernando Valley. "It's a new year and a new environment," says bassist Bjorn Yttling. "Plus, we don't get calls from Sweden because of the nine-hour time difference." The disconnect, the guys say, has altered their sound and how they work together. "We're using more synths than [we did on] the last record," explains drummer John Eriksson. "The feeling is a little '80s." Adds Bjorn: "We're playing around with exchanging instruments, too." In three days, during which guitarist Peter Moren also squeezed in a Hotel Café solo show (his hangover precluded participation in this interview), the guys had already arranged nine songs, tinkering with melodies that, they say, could pass for the theme to CSI: Miami. But there's still a ways to go and plenty of time for mutation. "We don't want it out before next year," says Bjorn. Considering the success of their last effort, when the album is ready to street, the three Swedes have a lot of corporate backers to please. "We were on V2 until Universal bought it, now we're on Universal and Almost Gold/Sony/Columbia and EMI Publishing," Bjorn elaborates. "The only company we're missing is Ikea."
It's only a matter of time before another superstar artist follows Madonna's footsteps to a Live Nation deal, but it won't be U2. At least, not anytime soon. In a story published earlier today, Fox News columnist Roger Friedman reported that the band was in talks with the concert industry's biggest player and could walk away from their 28-year relationship with Universal (the band was first signed to Uni-owned Island Records in 1980; Interscope came into the picture with 2000's All That You Can't Leave Behind). But in a statement to EW.com, U2 manager Paul McGuinness says, “This is untrue. As I said in my MIDEM speech, U2 has an excellent relationship with Universal. We have recently re-licensed both masters and copyrights to them.” Which means Universal will be moving catalog, like the recently-remastered The Joshua Tree, for many years to come. But what of future studio projects? "The band re-signed last year," a label insider says. "They have a good four albums left, so they're not going anywhere."
For all the recent chatter of a full-on Led Zeppelin reunion tour, one person remains steadfastly mum about the subject: Robert Plant. When EW.com sat down with Plant and his duet partner, Alison Krauss, earlier this week, we asked him about Jimmy Page's comment that if there were to be a tour it "certainly" wouldn't happen before September. Plant just shrugged. Instead, he spoke of his plans with Krauss (their album, Raising Sand, is about to pass the 800,000 mark in the U.S.). "In September, Allison and I have to start doing the Dale & Grace tour of Louisiana," Plant said, referring to the duo who had a 1963 hit with the song "I'm Leaving it Up to You." "We just keep going."
Despite the recent drama at EMI (massive lay-offs and restructuring), which resulted in at least one marquee artist — Robbie Williams — threatening to hold his album hostage, not all of the label's major acts are considering a walk-out. Fellow international superstar Kylie Minogue tells Hollywood Insider she has no plans to seek out a deal like Madonna's LiveNation pact. "I don't like to commit myself for however many years," she says. "Rather than take a big chunk of the cake, I go slowly." But with a new album to promote (X, due out in March), Minogue does admit the label turmoil has affected her world. "It's so demoralizing for the team. At the rate we're going, I'll be the only one at the record company!"
Despite a gold-certified debut (2006's Stand Still, Look Pretty), the Wreckers are done strummin’. “It was a lot of fun,” says Michelle Branch, who launched the country duo with friend Jessica Harp in 2005. “And it was nice to not be the person all the time, but Jessica never got to do a solo record and it was gnawing at her... so for now, it's gone for good." But Branch isn’t entirely through with Music Row: She’s working with Dwight Yoakam on a song for her next album, which she hopes to have out by June.
Could the conglomerates and the WGA be days away from announcing an agreement? No one knows what's happening behind those closed doors, but the WGA certainly struck an optimistic note today by announcing that it has granted the Grammys an interim agreement for its Feb. 10 telecast. That means the Recording Academy can not only hire writers to help write the show but the musicfest can air on CBS without the threat of picketing, which could have kept some SAG card-carrying artists like Justin Timberlake from attending the show. WGA West president Patric Verrone released this statement: “Professional musicians face many of the same issues that we do concerning fair compensation for the use of their work in new media. In the interest of advancing our goal of achieving a fair contract, the WGAW Board felt that this decision should be made on behalf of our brothers and sisters in the American Federation of Musicians and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists."
The Foo Fighters canceled two shows this week when singer Dave Grohl came down with the flu. Battling a 101-degree fever, Grohl took to the band's web site to announce that tonight's concert in Fayetteville, AR, and tomorrow's at the Ford Center in Oklahoma City, will be postponed. "Laying [sic] here in my Nashville hotel room, sick as a dog, but I had to write you all something, because anyone who knows this band knows we RARELY ever cancel gigs,” Grohl wrote. “Someone's gotta be pretty thrashed in order for that to happen. Well, yours truly is down for the count. Big time. The last thing in the world I want to do is jump up on stage and give you guys some half-ass version of what a Foo's show is all about. That's just not fair. And, it would break my heart.” According to the band's rep, upcoming stops in Reno (Feb. 1) and Oakland (Feb. 2) are still on, and they fully intend to make up the canceled dates.
Justin Timberlake and Timbaland are off to London to appear in Madonna's new video for the song "4 Minutes to Save the World." The two cowrote and coproduced the track, which is the first single off her forthcoming album (the last full LP she'll release for Warner Bros.), due out this April. Queen M also recently shot the cover art for the album (believed to be titled Give It To Me) with renowned fashion photographer and frequent collaborator Steven Klein. As fans clamor for a glimpse at the superstar's latest reinvention, detailsare starting to emerge about her new look and sound. Madonna's stylist, B. (yes, she just goes by the initial), told Women's Wear Daily at Chanel's couture show on Tuesday that "Madonna's look is going to be more edgy, more fresh — no more disco." And Warner Bros. staffers who heard the record at a listening session last month describe it as "very now." Says an insider: "For the first time, [Madonna's] not chasing the next new sound. She's embracing what's happening today."
Fall Out Boy bassist Pete Wentz is uniting his fellow rockers to support Barack Obama in his 2008 presidential bid. The candidate’s unofficial spokesman returned to his hometown of Chicago on Tuesday night to host an intimate, low-dollar ($75 entry) fundraiser for the Illinois Senator at Lakeview Broadcasting Company, a Windy City bar he co-owns. Wearing a shirt that read, "Obama: Changing More Than Just His Clothes," Wentz proudly displayed his recruitment prowess by bringing along bandmate Joe Trohman as well as pals like Gym Class Heroes frontman Travis McCoy, Rise Against's Tim McIrath, Kill Hannah's Mat Devine, The Lifeline's Ryan Hope, and The Academy Is singer William Beckett. The motley crew of rockers mingled with Illinois State Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias and State Representative Sara Feigenholtz.
Clearly pumped by the event and its all-ages turnout, Wentz told Hollywood Insider afterwards, "I was overwhelmed by the
energy and spirit tonight. Barack is always talking about ‘mobilizing the American people' and this ‘Yes We Can’
attitude is contagious." After a quick trip to Russia for a one-off gig, Wentz plans to get right back on the campaign trail. "I’m certainly going to continue to lend my
voice whenever and wherever I can." But don't expect girlfriend Ashlee Simpson to join him on the crusade. As Wentz told People, "We don't get into political discussions, because politics and religion usually end up in a fight."
It was almost a year ago when talk of a Scarlett Johansson-Tom Waits tribute album started making the rounds, and today comes word that the actress will release her debut, album called Anywhere I Lay My Head (the title is inspired bya song off Waits' 1985 album Rain Dogs), on the recently revived Atco Records, an imprint of Warner's Rhino Entertainment. The album will street on May 20 and features 10 Waits songs and one original, according to the label. Collaborators include Yeah Yeah Yeahs guitarist Nick Zimmer and TV on the Radio producer David Sitek. Johannsson recorded most of the album at Dockside Studios in Maurice, Louisiana last spring, a favorite of blues legend BB King and roots rockers like Derek Trucks Band. Last May, Johansson made an appearance at Coachella, joining Jesus and Mary Chain for their song, "Just Like Honey," which was featured on the Lost in Translation soundtrack. At the time, frontman William Reed told us Scarlett was "a really good singer."
The host of CMT's new reality show, Gone Country, is going solo for 2008.
John Rich, of the genre-bending country duo Big & Rich, tells EW that he's already recorded half a solo album for Warner Bros. Records. He'll finish it in the next six weeks, and will release a single for radio in late spring or early summer. Why now? The duo is fresh from a sold-out Canadian tour to support their third album, Between Raising Hell and Amazing Grace. Doctors have ordered Rich's partner, "Big Kenny" Alphin, off the road for 2008 so the musician can do extensive physical therapy, and possibly undergo another surgery. Alphin suffered a severe neck injury in 2002 when his vehicle was hit by a drunk driver. The recent tour was successful, but it took a toll on him. "When you look over at your partner, and he can’t even hold his arm up to play a song on the guitar for more than two minutes, it’s time to take some time off," Rich says. "He has my full support, and I have his blessing. When Kenny and I go back on tour in 2009, hopefully it will just be bigger and better than it ever was."
This will be the second solo effort for Rich. He recorded 2006's Underneath the Same Moon in 1999, but it wasn't released until after he made it big... and rich. The new album, Rich says, will be more country than the duo's usual fare. "I’m a real country guy," he says. It'll be a slightly new sound for another obvious reason. "We both sing the whole time in Big & Rich, kinda like the Everly Brothers," he says. "You're gonna hear what I sound like when I'm just singing. It almost has a Roy Orbison thing to it."
Between Raising Hell and Amazing Grace featured appearances by John Legend and Wyclef Jean, and Rich is hoping for some intriguing guests for his solo album, too. "There’s one song that I want to record with Tony Bennett," he says. "That, I think, would be pretty cool."
If the Oscars' recent history of being friendly to rock musicians had you indulging in some kind of fantasy about seeing Radiohead and Pearl Jam members rubbing elbows on the Academy Awards' red carpet, you better get over it. Shortly before the nominations were announced yesterday morning, the Academy officially bumped the orchestral There Will Be Blood score, composed by Radiohead guitarist Jonny Greenwood, from contention; never mind that most Oscar watchers had assumed it would easily be among the top five vote-getters. The decision came down because director Paul Thomas Anderson also used about 15 minutes of a 2006 Greenwood composition (the BBC-commissioned "Popcorn Superhet Receiver") as well as a number of existing classical pieces — and Oscar disqualifies scores "diluted by... pre-existing music." (Some refer to this as "the Godfather rule," ever since Nino Rota's score for the gangster saga was disqualified because that composer had cannibalized some of his previous work.) But many in the film community who've praised Greenwood's work were disheartened by the ruling, whether or not the music was all-new.
Will she hit us with her best shot? Pat Benatar and her husband Neil Giraldo will perform their original tune "Every Time I Fall Back" while taping two episodes for the CBS daytime drama The Young and the Restless this Thursday, Jan. 24. Besides crooning, Benatar tries to help Karen (Nia Peeples) overcome her stage fright so she, too, can sing in front of a crowd at the nightclub owned by Neil (Kristoff St. John). Benatar's episodes will air Feb. 14 and 15.
Y&R has hosted a bevy of musical guests to boost ratings — and young demographics — over the past year, including Jewel and Simon Cowell's operatic pop vocal group Il Divo.
The board of the Writers Guild of America West has decided that the WGA will not picket the 50th Annual Grammy Awards, set for Feb. 10 in Los Angeles. The decision means that the handful of
musicians who also carry Screen Actors Guild cards will be able to attend the
ceremony without the fear of crossing picket lines.
In response, Recording Academy president/CEO Neil Portnow issued a statement saying,
"We are pleased with the decision made by the WGA today. In light of
this, we are gratified that the 50th Annual Grammy Awards will focus
solely on the great music, artists and charitable work resulting from
our show. We look forward to unveiling the exciting lineup of artists
who will give our worldwide audience one of the most memorable Grammy
shows ever." For its part, CBS, which airs the Grammys, said in statement that, "This is very welcome news. We appreciate the WGA's consideration in this matter. The Recording Academy has put tremendous effort and planning into this 50th anniversary event. It's a big night of entertainment for television audiences, and an important event for music artists and everyone in the music business."
Meanwhile, the WGA has not yet ruled on the Recording Academy's request for an interim agreement, which would allow the Grammys to hire writers to help script the show, although the festivities could go on without writers if the WGA plays hardball on that front.
After months of speculation, the 2008 Coachella line-up was finally announced Monday. Grabbing the headlining slots? Jack Johnson, Portishead, and Roger Waters, who will play Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon in its entirety. The Raconteurs, Kraftwerk, and Death Cab for Cutie grabbed warmup slots. What happened to the much-rumored My Bloody Valentine reunion? Perhaps Love & Rockets is meant to be some sort of consolation prize. We're looking into it. Still, there's plenty of Brits represented on this year's bill, including welcome returns from The Verve and Spiritualized. There's also a fair share of repeat performers, tent regulars Justice and M.I.A. among them. Full list of bands after the jump...
Former 'N Syncer JC Chasez knows a thing or two about dance moves (he rocked the "Bye Bye Bye" routine back in the boy-band day), and now he'll be joining Randy Jackson at the judging table for MTV's newest reality competition show, Randy Jackson Presents: America's Best Dance Crew. In a message sent to MySpace friends on Friday, Chasez announced his participation in the show, which starts airing Feb. 7. A few weeks ago, the Hollywood Insider spoke to Jackson about why he chose to take part in this search. "I just love the whole concept," he told us. "I love the battle, it's like back to the B-Boys and Krush Groove days, when Michael Jackson had 'Beat It.' Or the cast of High School Musical against Hair. I think it's really cool. And these kids, they pump each other up. I'm like, 'Yo, this is hot!'" Yo.
Now here's a novel concept: fan-funded recordings. Singer-songwriter Jill Sobule, who you may remember from her late '90s radio hit, "I Kissed a Girl," has been pounding away at a music career for well over a decade now, having been signed to four different labels at one point or another. But Sobule's got music in her blood and, after six CDs, she's not ready to give up. All she needs is a cool $75,000 to make her next album — and who better to fund it than her longtime fans? And who better to ask for help than Sobule's biggest cheerleader, her mom? "As you all know, my daughter is a real talent," writes Elaine on Jill's new website, jillsnextrecord.com. "She has put out six great CDs (which never leave my stereo), and has been on four labels, two of which went bankrupt; the other two were also farkakte. This time she wants to do it on her own.... So help and be a part of her new album, in exchange for some wonderful gifts and services."
Sobule outlines 11 different donation levels. For $25, you receive an advance copy of the CD. At the $50 "Pewter Level," you get the same plus a thank you; $50 more and you can be listed as a junior executive producer. For $5,000, Sobule will come and sing at your house. And for a whopping 10 grand ("Weapons-Grade Plutonium Level"), you can be on the album. "Don't worry if you can't sing," she writes. "We can fix that on our end. Also, you can always play the cowbell."
Sobule says she'll keep us updated on the tally, but judging from comments already posted on the site, she looks well on her way to booking studio time. See, who needs labels anyway?
UPDATE: As promised, Jill Sobule got back to us with an official count and she's "shocked" to report that after one day of going live, she's already collected $18,000!
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 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.
Jennifer Nettles and Kristian Bush, aka country act Sugarland, are set to follow up their double-platinum Enjoy the Ride with an unnamed album they'll begin recording Feb. 4 in their hometown of Atlanta. According to the folks at Mercury Nashville, that means we're tentatively looking at a first single come May, and the album itself sometime in September.
The CMA's 2007 Duo of the Year is effectively off the road at the moment, but they'll hit the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo March 10, and then make the enormous puddle-jump for an Australian tour through Sydney, Perth, Melbourne, etc. If you plan to catch 'em down under, send us a plane ticket and we'll join you.
Yesterday, the Recording Academy announced that it had requested an interim agreement from the WGA so that the Grammy Awards could go on as planned on CBS Feb. 10. Though the verdict on that is still out, WGA East president Michael Winship told the Hollywood Insider today that writers would picket the ceremony should the WGA deny the Recording Academy's request for an independent deal. "I haven't had a chance to talk to the West Coast, so I don't know what their position is on that yet," he said. "We will picket [the CBS broadcast] if there is not a deal. SAG would ask its members, as they did with the Golden Globes, to not cross the picket line. And I would hope the American Federation of Musicians would do the same." A WGA West spokesman has said no decision has been made yet to picket the Grammys.
After days of
speculation as to whether the show will indeed go on, we still don't have a
definitive answer, but the Grammy Awards look one step closer to finding
resolution in the face of potential picketing by the on-strike Writers Guild of
America. Neil Portnow, President/CEO of the Recording Academy, today announced that the
organization has requested an interim agreement from the WGA for the Feb. 10
telecast and that preparations "remain in full-swing." Should that agreement
happen, it would mean that high-profile actor-musicians like Justin Timberlake,
Beyonce, and Jack White would be able to attend the show without fear of
crossing picket lines.
Citing the Recording Academy's longstanding support of unions and musicians' rights, Portnow also declared a would-be coalition with AFTRA and AFM. "The Academy is pleased and gratified that AFTRA and AFM, the two unions that have long been the only ones with jurisdiction and representation of the musical talent on the show, stand alongside us in our efforts to present the 50th Annual Grammy Awards at a level that millions of music fans around the world expect and deserve," Portnow said in the statement, adding that he "remains hopeful that there will be a quick and positive response" by the WGA to "fully support the offer of the producer, Cossette Productions, to immediately execute an interim agreement under the same terms as those arrangements signed by the WGA with David Letterman's company, Worldwide Pants (airing on the same network as the Grammy telecast) as well as other companies."
Could Coldplay's Brian Eno-produced fourth album be out this spring? Some UK-based online retailers have already listed the album with a May 19 release date and the title Prospekt, and sources close to the band tell Hollywood Insider that an announcement is imminent. Frontman Chris Martin said late last year that the band was very close to finishing the record, which would clock in at 43 minutes. Our sources say that the record will see a proper physical release (as in a CD, not just digital download) via EMI.
The band is expected to make an official announcement about the new record on their website, coldplay.com, some time this week, following a major announcement from EMI. On Tuesday, the company plans to lay out a strategy involving massive cut-backs to its work force in the label's latest attempt to streamline its business. Guy Hands, whose company Terra Firma took over EMI last year, will address employees via teleconference. "Everyone is bracing themselves," says an EMI insider. "Potentially, there will be a sizable shredding of artists, especially bands that are underperforming, as well as consolidation and centralization of the creative and business sides." Likewise, adds the source, a band like Coldplay would "probably want to wait and see how things shake out before announcing their next album." A spokesperson for Capitol Music Group, the band's U.S. label, says, "The band is still in the studio. No official release date has been set."
In his relentless quest for multi-media domination, Jackass' Steve-O is now taking a stab at a rap career. "It's not a joke, but it is hilarious," says one source who's heard the tracks. "It's Steve-O doing a bunch of Whip-Its and rapping!" It's not clear whether an album's worth of material exists -- or if it would get a physical or digital release -- but we hear Steve-O did approach 50 Cent to collaborate. No luck. 50's rep insists, "they are not working together."
As for the rest of the Jackass crew, they're preparing for the February 9 rollout of jackassworld.com, which will also be accompanied by an MTV special featuring a host of guest stars. Chief among them: Willie Nelson, who premieres his new video, "You Don't Think I'm Funny Anymore," (the one with Jessica Simpson, Owen Wilson and Dan Rather racing lawn mowers) on that same sweeps day, with a special introduction by his pal and Dukes of Hazzard co-star Johnny Knoxville.
Not to perpetuate rumors already running rampant, but this likely fake/maybe real Coachella lineup that's making the rounds has us all abuzz. My Bloody Valentine headlining day 3? We wrote about a possible reunion back in August 2007. Radiohead on the second night? Makes sense to us, with In Rainbows just out this week. And David Bowie to kick off the weekend? That's been talked about for years. But we dug a little deeper and confirmed that Animal Collective is indeed booked to play the festival. Other bands like Feist, Dr. Dog, and Broken Social Scene have holes in their schedules before and after the weekend of April 25, 26, and 27. But then again, there are some head-scratchers, like Lauryn Hill, who's listed on day 3 (we'd be amazed if she knew what was on her schedule for next week, never mind three months from now), and Aphex Twin, which would be a really big deal and likely get better billing than Armin Van Buuren. Then, there are the other supposed reunions, like Soundgarden and Love and Rockets, which are nowhere to be found. Reps for Coachella promoters Goldenvoice have no comment for the time being; they'll announce the official lineup later this month.
This Saturday's R. Kelly concert at Atlantic City's Boardwalk Hall has been canceled. The reason cited by the venue is that "the promoters failed to fulfill their obligation." There is no info about rescheduling, and a rep for the venue would not elaborate on details. So far, it doesn't seem as though Kelly's child pornography trial, which begins May 9, was responsible for the cancellation. Although Cook County Judge Vincent Gaughan ordered the R&B singer to cancel his Jan. 13 performance in Virginia so as not to miss a court appearance the following day, a rep for Cook County told Hollywood Insider this morning that Gaughan has not forced Kelly to cancel any other shows.
Our best guess is they canceled because of low ticket sales. A couple of Hollywood Insider writers purchased tickets little over two weeks ago and were issued floor tickets in the 11th row. That such good seats were still available so close to the concert date does seem to indicate poor ticket sales. According to the Boardwalk Hall website, the arena holds about 12,000 seats. Hollywood Insider has reached out to Kelly's camp for comment, so stay tuned for more...
So just how long does Simon Cowell plan to be a fixture on American Idol? The surly judge addressed his future with the show on a conference call today, telling reporters he
finds the audition process to be "absolute torture," and hinting that he may
be hitting the road once his contract expires in two years.
"The public eventually are gonna get sick to death of me. Nine years is
probably enough to inflict on anyone. Can the show exist without me?
Absolutely. It would probably get better."
Cowell also spoke about Taylor Hicks, Ruben Studdard, and Katharine McPhee no longer having record deals. "It's a reflection on the unpredictability of the record business. Fortunately, we got it right more than we got it wrong.... There's no scientific way to explain what happens. It's a reality show and what happens at the end is also reality." He used the same theory to explain lackluster sales by the most recent winner and runner-up, Jordin Sparks and Blake Lewis. "Naturally, I'm disappointed that they didn't sell more copies or that neither artist has caught on fire," he said. "What you want [is] a Carrie [Underwood], Daughtry or Kelly Clarkson, where they're competing with the Mariahs. It didn't happen. Am I surprised? Not particularly.... The public decided it's not necessarily what they wanted, so we have to try to do better this year."
Another Idol label deal bites the dust. Hollywood Insider has learned that Katharine McPhee is the latest former contestant to part ways with her record company. Like season 2 winner Ruben Studdard and season 5 champ Taylor Hicks, who were signed to J and Arista Records, respectively, a rep for RCA Records confirms that McPhee is no longer on the label's roster, adding that, "Katharine is going to record her next album on her own." McPhee’s self-titled debut charted at a promising No. 2 in February 2007, but it never reached gold status. Sources close to McPhee complain the label didn’t support the album — but Idol Phatigue seems to have conquered McPheever. Still, she shouldn’t lose all hope: The singer, who is managed by Guy Oseary, makes her first feature-film appearance (opposite Anna Faris) in I Know What Boys Like later this year, and we hear she's already in talks with another label.
As for this recent spate of Idol exits (we double-checked, and deals for Clay Aiken and Fantasia are still intact), a rep for the RCA Music Group (which includes Arista, RCA, and J Records) tells Insider, “After six seasons, we are proud of the eight artists on the roster who started their careers on the show. With respect to Taylor, we have an understanding that he will come back to us to play music once he’s finished writing his new material.”
Is two-time Dancing With the Stars winner Julianne Hough (pictured) trading in her paso doble heels for cowboy boots? Though next season's Dancing lineup has yet to be announced, the 19-year-old Mormon wonder has just signed a multi-album deal with Mercury Nashville, the Universal Music Nashville label that is headed by country music veteran Luke Lewis and home to Shania Twain and Sugarland. Hough's first single is expected to drop sometime in February, with an album due out in late spring or early summer. Hough (who is managed by another music biz legend, Irving Azoff) is currently living in Nashville where she's been recording with David Malloy (Reba McEntire, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band). According to a music city insider, the two "have already cut half the record" and Hough is planning to try her hand at writing songs. Here's hoping she'll have better luck in the major label system than recent American Idol winners.
Hollywood Records has confirmed that the Jonas Brothers' second album -- which Hollywood Insider has heard is thisclose to being finished -- will be released on July 8. No word yet on a title (or whether their Oliver Twist/Panic! At the Disco-inspired New Year's look will carry over). Produced by John Fields (Rooney, Clay Aiken), who also manned the boards for the Bros.' platinum-plus self-titled debut, much of the new record was recorded on a tour bus while the band was on the road opening for Miley Cyrus for the sold out Hanna Montana "Best of Both Worlds" tour. With that trek coming to an end on Jan. 9, the boys will reconvene in a proper L.A. studio to finish up work on sophomore effort. Yesterday, the band announced that they have signed a two-year, multi-million dollar deal with LiveNation and would kick off the first leg of their upcoming "Look Me in the Eyes" tour on Jan. 31 in Tuscon, AZ.
It seems winning American Idol is no guarantee that you'll actually keep your major label deal. Just before Christmas, rumors began circulating that season 2's Ruben Studdard, who released three albums for J Records since 2003 (the latest, 2006's The Return, to modest sales), had been dropped. (Studdard continues his management contract with 19 Entertainment.) Now the Hollywood Insider hears that season 5 winner Taylor Hicks has also lost his J Records deal. "Taylor is going to record his next album on his own," said a label rep. "He is no longer on the J Records roster." Back in March 2007, we wrote about Hicks' performance on the charts and later analyzed several more Idol hits and misses. What does this mean for the latest winner, Jordin Sparks? Or, with season 7 kicking off on January 15, the franchise's star-making power?
As we embark on this fresh, new year, we thought it a good time to take stock of all the artists (or as many as we could remember — like JC Chasez, pictured) who lost their major label deals during a tumultuous 2007. Some were dropped, others had contracts expire, and many were simply caught up in consolidation and closings. Of course, several have found new homes already, but plenty of bands are free agents. What does it mean for the music business in '08? Are more casualties on the way? Besides the Radioheads and White Stripes of the world, do you see a future for any of these acts? Any noteworthy acts we left off the list?
Not all actors are doomed to meaningless music careers (ahem, Lindsay Lohan). Child star-turned-indie rocker Lukas Haas is hard at word on his debut album, and what we've heard so far is impressive. (Check out some almost-finished songs and Haas's own video blog on his myspace page). Produced by Tim Anderson (IMA Robot) and Josh Abraham, who spent a good chunk of his career working with harder acts like Staind and 30 Seconds to Mars (fronted by Jared Leto), Haas' album is due for release in mid-2008 by Pulse Recording. The album is expected to have several guest appearances, including Blake Sennet from Rilo Kiley and Jet drummer/songwriter Chris Cester, who's been logging a lot of hours at the label's Silverlake studio over the past few weeks.
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.
Multitasking producer Randy Jackson is prepping the release of a compilation album in March 2008. Randy Jackson’s Music Club Vol. 1 promises “a lot of crazy guest stars,” the American Idol judge tells us. “It’s kind of a Quincy Jones record with all sorts [of] country, pop, hip hop, R&B, and jazz songs. Different people are singing on every song. There’s a bunch of artists. It's hot!” One of the acts featured, not surprisingly, is R&B singer Van Hunt, whom Jackson manages and we reported recently parted ways with Blue Note Records. Jackson says the album will likely release in March 2008.
The "Dawg" spoke to Hollywood Insider from the set of his new MTV show, Randy Jackson Presents: America’s Best Dance Crew, a live-performance competition slated to air early next year. But don’t worry — he’s not giving up his Idol gig. In fact, he’s more pumped than ever about season 7. “The under-21 crowd is blowing me away," said Jackson. "We could have our most original top 12 ever. I was pleasantly surprised.” Jackson also dropped hints of more siblings of past contestants (can you say Shyamali Malakar?) making the audition rounds. As we reported, Fantasia's brother Ricco Barrino was one of the early cuts. "I'm not sure he had the right kind of suave," Jackson quipped.
Will.i.am may have been behind one of 2007’s biggest hits, fellow Black Eyed Pea Fergie’s triple-platinum The Dutchess, which he produced and released (via will.i.am Music Group, a division of A&M/Interscope), but Peas' ringleader saw less success with his own solo career. Songs About Girls, released Sept. 25 to lackluster sales (it charted at No. 38 with 21,000 copies sold and to date has moved 47,108 units), is now entirely M.I.A. from the charts, but Interscope hasn’t given up on it yet. The label plans to re-release the record in early 2008 with three new tracks. “We went with the wrong single and it sold nothing,” a label insider admits. “We would’ve been in better shape if we had pulled the album, because to relaunch it is harder.” Lesson learned -- and being put into practice with Interscope's recently pushed back Nicole Scherzinger album.
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.
Rain and chilly temperatures didn't keep the stars from schlepping out to the new Nokia Theater in downtown Los Angeles on Saturday (Dec. 8), where John Mayer hosted his First Annual Holiday Charity Revue. In fact, it was something of a date night. Among the celebs who attended the special evening, which benefited Toys for Tots, Inner City Arts, and the Los Angeles Mission: Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore, Fergie with her longtime beau, Las Vegas star Josh Duhamel, and a seemingly stag Penelope Cruz. On the bill: a whole lotta Mayer, starting with an acoustic set, then the Blues-heavy John Mayer Trio (who whipped out a killer cover of Hendrix's "Bold As Love"), and finally John Mayer with his entire Continuum band.
The show went for well over two hours, with most staying 'til the bitter end, including punk rockers Paramore (recently nominated for two Grammys, including Best New Artist), who had come from an earlier revue of their own, the KROQ Almost Acoustic Christmas, where they shared the Gibson Ampitheater stage with Serj Tankian, Rise Against!, Bad Religion, and headliners Linkin Park. The indie contingent took over for a second show on Monday, with a bill that boasted Feist, Spoon, Modest Mouse, Jimmy Eat World, and the Shins.
Eclectic R&B singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Van Hunt has been dropped from EMI's Blue Note Records, Hollywood Insider confirms, but the reason is unclear as neither Blue Note nor Van Hunt would comment further. The critically-acclaimed performer, signed to EMI's Capitol Records in 2001, won a Grammy in 2006 for his cover (with John Legend and Joss Stone) of Sly & the Family Stone's "Family Affair," and had been preparing to release his third album, Popular — his first for the jazz label — this coming February.
Van Hunt is managed by American Idol's Randy Jackson, and has toured or performed with some of music's biggest names, including Alicia Keys and Kanye West. It is unknown whether the label will grant him master rights to the ambitious, ultra-funky Popular so that he can move forward with a release of the Prince-like recording. Says an optimistic source, "We're hoping they do the right thing and give it back... Blue Note is pretty good about stuff like that."
Cuts at Island Def Jam are underway. Among the casualties: Sarah "Ultragrrl" Lewittin's vanity label, Stolen Transmission, and A&R execs Paul Pontius and Rob Stevenson, who were responsible for signing some of the label's most successful rock acts, including Fall Out Boy and The Killers. A dozen or so people, representing approximately 6 percent of the label's staff, were let go, including "anyone in A & R that doesn't have an urban act," said one insider. As for Geffen's future? We originally reported that staff cuts could be as dramatic at 80 percent, but we're now told that number was exaggerated. Geffen, it seems, will remain a stand-alone imprint, but much of its creative staff may be siphoned off to other areas of the Interscope empire. (Jimmy Iovine's got his work cut out for him, that's for sure.) At Columbia, layoffs may go down this Friday.
It was the email read around the world last week, when industry pundit Bob Lefsetz announced, via an anonymous tip, that Led Zeppelin would make a U.S. appearance on the stage at the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival, held each June in Manchester Tennessee. This would follow the band's much anticipated gig in London next week (December 10), when they'll reunite to pay tribute to the late Ahmet Ertegun, the legendary executive who first signed the band to Atlantic Records in 1968. But the band's official U.S. rep tells Hollywood Insider, "There is no truth to that story." And another Zep source says, "nothing has been decided beyond the London show," and that Robert Plant, Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones (with Jason Bonham on drums) are, in essence, going to feel out the performance and go from there. If any Insider readers are headed to the UK for the show, please let us know what you thought.
"Look at all you Cox-suckers out there," John C. Reilly, in full-on Dewey Cox mode, observed Monday night (Dec. 3) from the stage at L.A.'s Roxy, which unofficially changed its name to the Coxy in honor of the movie Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story, opening Dec. 21. The room was filled to capacity with mostly industry folks and press, who enthusiastically took in the almost 90 minute show, much to Reilly, er, Dewey's delight. Also in the house, Walk Hard director Jake Kasdan, producer Judd Apatow, and cast member Chris Parnell, along with famous female friends like Garbage singer Shirley Manson and actress Gina Gershon. Reilly's costar, Jenna Fischer, who plays the Priscilla Presley-inspired Darlene, could not make the L.A. show, but told Hollywood Insider on Sunday at the Movies Rock TV special that she's "thinking of flying to one of the other cities, maybe Chicago," which would be a treat for devoted Cox lovers, since legend has it Darlene actually died back in 1974.
Spanning his five-decade long career, Cox (surprisingly proficient at guitar and harmonica) and his killer band, the Hard Walkers, tore through early hits like "Guilty as Charged" and "Big Daddy," but pulled out all the stops for "the song that started it all," the movie's namesake. He encored with the epic "Beautiful Ride," which invited arm waving more befitting an arena show than a small club gig. But this intimate night with Cox was meant as a warm-up of sorts. Tomorrow, he and the crew head to Cleveland and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (via private jet, natch), then continue on with the Cox Across America tour (dates after the jump).
There's industry talk of a "Black Monday" on the horizon at several major record labels, including SonyBMG and Island DefJam, as reported
by Digital Music News. Now, we've learned, Geffen might also see the ax come down this week. According to several insiders, a significant portion of the staff may lose their jobs as part of a massive restructuring at Interscope/Geffen/A&M. The label would ostensibly be folded into market-share behemoth, Interscope — home to Gwen Stefani, Fergie, Sheryl Crow, and U2 — headed by Jimmy Iovine. It's unclear what that would mean for artists like Ashlee Simpson and Mary J. Blige, who has a new album coming out on Dec. 14. Or for label chairman Ron Fair, the mastermind behind recent successes like the
Pussycat Dolls. All, we suspect, will have a future at
Interscope. (Representatives of the label declined to comment.)
Elsewhere in the Universal Music Group, Island DefJam executive VP of
promotion Greg Thompson left the company, it was announced on Friday, sparking chatter about a wider executive exodus.
As for SonyBMG, Digital Music News reports Columbia, headed by Rick
Rubin and Steve Barnett, will bear the brunt of a cut, but our sources say Epic's future may be on the line as well. Or at least the Epic we've come to know, which has had recent successes by the likes of Sean Kingston and Good Charlotte. "It's just tumbleweeds [at the Santa Monica offices]," says an insider who works out of the
Sony building. "At 3 in the afternoon, the lights
aren't even on." Adds another: "It's the culture of an ever-shrinking business, which feels a lot of things are outsourceable." Still, a senior Epic executive contends the label has already seen its major cuts go down "when no one was looking" and adds, "in six months to a year, who knows what will happen, but for now, Epic is a lean and mean frontline label that's already a small, tight machine where the business plan functions." On the formerly-known-as BMG side, Arista artists have already been divvied between Jive
(urban acts like Usher and Pink) and RCA (pop acts including Avril
Lavigne, Christina Aguilera, and Chris Daughtry), but we hear RCA may
also see some significant changes. (Reps for Columbia and Epic declined
to comment.) At least J Records can rest easy: Clive and Co. have a
platinum seller in Alicia Keys, with Whitney Houston on the way.
Gotti's Way, the VH1 reality series in which rap mogul Irv Gotti balances the demands of fatherhood with rebuilding his record label, will return early next year for a second season, the Hollywood
Insider has learned exclusively. ''We can announce today, officially, that we're doing season 2," MTV Networks entertainment president Brian Graden tells EW's Margeaux Watson. "Production's almost immediate, because we know what's going in their lives." And that would be? Well, Graden won't divulge any details but hints that tonight's season finale, titled "Divorce Pt. 2," doesn't resolve the question of whether Gotti and his estranged wife Deb reconcile. "It is definitely explored in season 2," he offers, "I think it's fair to say that that conversation is still very much alive."
Willie Nelson brought Texas to Maui this past week, when he headlined the 7th annual Maui Music Festival on Nov. 24. His sons' band, 40 Points, Pat Simmons of the Doobie Brothers, and reggae star Marty Dread shared the stage with the country legend for what was described as "an intimate" show at the Maui Arts & Cultural Center's Castle Theater. But the real party was back at his house outside the hippie surf town of Pai'a on the island's northern coast. That's where Austin friends Owen Wilson, on the mend from his reported suicide attempt, his brother Luke Wilson, and local fixture Woody Harrelson joined Nelson for one of his infamous late-night poker games. (Owen and Woody, along with Jessica Simpson, also appear in Nelson's music video for the song "You Don't Think I'm Funny Anymore.") No word yet on who won the round of Texas Hold 'Em.
Is it American Idol time already? Dozens of Season 7 contestants have been congregating daily at the Orpheum Theater in downtown Los Angeles for Hollywood week. Among the hopefuls? Fantasia's older brother, Ricco Barrino, who auditioned in Dallas with the gospel standard "A Change Is Gonna Come." No doubt, talent runs through the Barrino blood (K-Ci and JoJo of Jodeci fame are cousins of Fantasia's), but sadly for Ricco, his time in the spotlight was brief. The 27-year-old High Point, NC, native was cut after his first call-back.
On Nov. 24, while his band’s bus was parked outside Washington D.C.'s 9:30 Club, Hawthorne Heights guitarist Casey Calvert, 26, passed away in his sleep. (The cause of death is as yet unknown.) Besides being beloved by his own band's members–frontman JT Woodruff, guitarist Micah Carli, bassist Matt Ridenour, and drummer Eron Bucciarelli describe their bandmate as "quirky and awesome" on the Hawthorne Heights website–Calvert was also popular fixture within the extended Fall Out Boy family.
"Casey was a fun guy, he was always relaxed, and had a great attitude about touring," said FOB guitarist Joe Trohman. "And he knew how to hang out. I remember that [Black Clouds and Underdogs] tour we did together in Spring 2006, and how much fun it was, and whenever the after-show hang commenced, he was always present with the lone group of us that would get together and just shoot the s--- for hours until we left whichever venue we were at that night. Definitely a really personable guy — always sweet to anyone who walked up to him and I never saw him without a smile. We'll all miss him."
As previously reported, producer Timbaland and his publicist/fiancée Monique Idlett welcomed their first child together — a girl — just before Thanksgiving. Hollywood Insider has since learned that the Timba-little one's name is Reign. The family has been holed up at home in Miami since the birth. According to People, the couple plans to tie the knot within the next year.
A few months ago, No Doubt bassist Tony Kanal told us almost an album's worth of songs had already been written for his band's long-awaited new record, their first since 2001's Rock Steady. Now we hear basic tracks are done and album art is coming together. The only thing left on the to-do list? Vocals by Gwen Stefani, who, between touring the world and being mom to 17-month-old Kingston, has yet to add her signature touch. The band's label would not comment on the album's progress or whether it would see a 2008 release.
Cobra Starship's latest release, the Patrick Stump-produced ¡Viva La Cobra! (Decaydence/Fueled by Ramen Records), came out just in time for the holiday-shopping season, but singer Gabe Saporta fears this may be the last year Christmas-gift buyers will be stuffing stockings with compact discs. What does the increasing iTuning of America mean for a band on the rise? How much weight does a Fall Out Boy affiliation carry these days when it comes to selling records? Read on for Saporta's assessment...
The Ghost of CD Past: Why This Christmas Will Be the Disc's Last By Gabe Saporta
Today is a day off on our tour with The Academy Is... and we are at some Best Western in East Bumblef---, Indiana. There's absolutely nothing to do here, so I hit up the Wal-Mart and buy me some Palak Paneer from the specialty foods aisle. And what free prize do I find in my $1.99, prepackaged, microwavable crappy Indian food? A Virgin Records CD entitled Indian Classical Maestros: An Instrumental Extravaganza! And what am I gonna do with my free CD? That's right, I'm gonna throw it in the trash along with the rest of the food packaging.
Yes ladies and gentleman, the Compact Disc is so devalued that you can't even give it away. This Christmas will be the CD's last hurrah. I mean seriously, doesn't the idea of giving a kid a CD as a gift seem kind of archaic? Maybe a couple of CDs? Three or 4? But why do that when an iPod Shuffle costs just 70 bucks? And seriously, which kid wouldn't rather have that than a couple CDs?
Akon's already had a hand in hits by Gwen Stefani and 50 Cent; now Michael Jackson has enlisted the collaborator du jour to sing, write, and produce on his next album. "It's incredible," Akon tells EW. "We're trying something he's never done before, and that's the challenge. There's not too much Michael Jackson hasn't covered. Just be ready for it." While there's no timeline yet, Akon says Jackson, who was rumored to be in talks with Starbucks' HEAR label, will self-release the album. "It's Mike, and he can. He don't really need a label to distribute."
Even with the Eagles' history-making No. 1 debut last week still fresh in industry minds, there are those who believe that charts themselves are becoming insignificant. "You're going to see a lot more people not playing the chart game," says one EMI executive. "It used to be about shipping enough so that you get your position, your numbers look good for that quarter, and then dealing with the returns later. Today, the scenarios have changed. It's more about reacting to the consumer than to what's on the charts."
Case in point: Capitol Records Group has shipped 600,000 copies (all of which were bought outright, as in no returns) of the Spice Girls' Greatest Hits to Victoria's Secret for Tuesday's release of the album. VS has more than 1,000 locations in malls throughout the U.S., but it's not a SoundScan-enabled retailer, so the Spice Girls' first-week sales won't be counted. Not that EMI minds. The record has already sold more than gold, and that's before digital sales (also starting this week) or even the album's wide physical release on Jan. 15. Still, under this system, there's no way to track whether the album actually moves or ends up in a landfill.
This may be the future of music sales, but don't big-name artists still covet that slot on the Billboard Top 10? Especially a group like the Spice Girls, who haven't released any material in seven years? "Actually, it gives more leeway for long-term plans and strategies," says the exec. "By the time the physical CD is out, they'll still be touring the U.S., and through the shopping season, the album will be everywhere." Besides, he adds, "there's a Victoria's Secret in every mall, and how many malls don't even have a record store?" Point taken.
Jay-Z has never had a new album not hit No. 1, and American Gangster didn’t put any stop to that streak. With 422,000 sold in its first week, the non-soundtrack movie tie-in CD became Jay's 10th disc to top the Billboard 200, tying him with Elvis at second place for greatest number of charttoppers. But Hov’s going to have to come out of retirement a few more times to catch up with the record-holder, the Beatles, who had 19 No. 1 albums. If you’re wondering how this number rates against other Jay-Z debuts, his last one, 2006's Kingdom Come, debuted with a heftier 688,000. Tongue-waggers will no doubt be wondering how much bigger a bow Gangster might have had if Jay hadn’t had it yanked from iTunes, claiming that he wanted music fans to only be able to buy the whole project, not individual songs.
The other big chart news this week: Country. Loads and loads of country. It was the week of the highly rated CMA Awards, and of this week’s top 20 sellers, no fewer
than eight performed on the CMAs: the Eagles,
Carrie Underwood, Taylor Swift, Reba McEntire, Sugarland, Alison
Krauss, Rascal Flatts, and Josh Turner. And the chart has a ninth
country act, Garth Brooks, who, as previously noted in Hollywood Insider, missed the chance to perform at the show. Now you could argue about whether the Eagles or Krauss/Robert Plant
projects really count as country genre albums, but the fact remains that 45 percent of this week’s general top 20
overlaps with the country album sales chart.
New Line wants to be part of the Academy Awards one way or another, and their best best may be their just-announced news that British singer/songwriter Kate Bush will have her original song titled "Lyra" tacked onto the end credits of The Golden Compass. The song is named for Lyra Belacqua, the lead character in the movie played by newcomer Dakota Blue Richards. Bush, who in 2005 released Aerial, her first album in 12 years, has been on a role of late. Her album was a commercial success, and who knows, now we may get to see her perform at the Oscars.
Finally, the announcement we've all been waiting for (albeit a day later than we predicted). The physical CD version of Radiohead's In Rainbows, in all its high-fidelity glory,will
hit U.S. stores on Jan.1, distributed by a newly formed division of
ATO Records Group called TBD Records (we're not entirely sure if that
name is still tentative). A press release issued by Red Light
Management early this morning stated that the new label was "currently
focusing on both 'Bodysnatchers' and 'Jigsaw Falling Into Place' as the
North American radio singles."
Another victim of the Broadway strike: Duran Duran's Red Carpet Massacre at the Barrymore theater. Minutes ago, the band's management, Magus Entertainment, confirmed to EW.com that the band's three remaining shows, tonight, Monday, and Tuesday, will not go on -- at the Barrymore, at least -- due to the striking Local One IATSE stagehands.
However, band insiders report that the group is actively trying to find another venue for Monday and Tuesday's shows. Tonight's performance, which was to be played before a sold-out audience of approximately 1,100 fans, has been officially canceled. Many have flown in from around the country and the world to see the
group's three-act concert, which was meant to have a 10-night run on the Great White Way, leading up to the release of their 12th studio album, Red Carpet Massacre (on sale Tuesday). —Lori Majewski
Rapper Clifford "T.I." Harris is working on a new studio album while under house arrest on pending gun charges, EW has exclusively learned.
A representative for the Grammy-winning artist, 27, says he has already completed six new tracks in a studio inside his Georgia home. T.I. hopes to release the disc, which he's calling Paper Trail, in September 2008. The album's title refers to the fact that T.I. is writing his new lyrics down — a practice he abandoned after his 2001 debut, I'm Serious. Each of his four subsequent albums, including this year's T.I. vs. T.I.P., was composed without the aid of pen or paper. "He wanted to take more time to really put something down [this time]," explains his rep.
T.I. was arrested last month in Atlanta after allegedly trying to purchase several unregistered machine guns and silencers. (A federal search of his home also allegedly turned up other firearms, which the law prohibits him from owning as a previously convicted felon.) The terms of his bail currently require him to remain inside his house at all times while awaiting trial, and strictly limit the number of guests who can visit him; this week, his attorneys withdrew their request to allow additional guests for a family meal on Thanksgiving. (Additional reporting by Margeaux Watson)
Is this a sign of our ailing music business? Art departments asleep at the wheel? I pulled out my copy of Ben Harper's new album, Lifelife, after hearing him guest host Jonesy's Jukebox on LA's Indie 103.1 yesterday (he did a great job), and I'm looking at the CD's art (a cardboard fold out) which displays a two-panel-wide photo of a studio board and has only one paragraph of text. It reads in part: The record, Lifeline, was recorded and mixed in 7 days on a 16-track analog tape machine. No computers or pro-tools were used anywhere in the process. — Ben
But lo and behold, staring straight at me from the center of the shot is a computer screen with Pro-Tools running and, I'm told, in record mode. Hmmm...
I'm going to presume the photo is not of Harper's actual session, which he notes was recorded at a studio in Paris, but still, should be easy enough to Photoshop out. What's up former Virgin Records, now Capitol Music Group?
It's been a good year for Jennifer Nettles and Kristian Bush, otherwise known as Sugarland. Their second album, Enjoy the Ride, has racked up sales of more than a million copies, and at last night's Country Music Awards they took home the Vocal Duo of the Year prize — no small feat considering veterans Brooks & Dunn have won it 14 of the last 15 years.
But with little time to relish their victory the twosome is off to Los Angeles next week to perform on the 2007 American Music Awards (Sunday, Nov. 18 on ABC) where, rumor has it, they will deliver their country version of "Irreplacable" with the R&B queen herself, Beyoncé Knowles. We asked Nettles about this potential collaboration as she made her way from Nashville's Sommet Center to Bicentennial Mall for the very happening Universal Music Group after-party. "I can't confirm or deny," she said coyly, "but I can promise you, there will be no more hair [extensions] left in LA." Beyonce's camp, meanwhile, will only say she's scheduled to make a "special appearance" at the Nokia Theater on Sunday night.
Check out Sugarland's twangy twist on Beyonce's smash hit below.
Two years after embracing her inner Daisy Duke, Jessica Simpson still wants to scratch that country itch. The singer and sometime actress — who released A Public Affair to disappointing sales last year — is assembling a team of Nashville-based producers and songwriters for her fifth studio album. “It’s the best thing for her,” says a label source close to the singer. “A country record is what she absolutely needs to be doing now.”
She’s certainly playing the part: After presenting at Nov. 5’s ACE Awards in New York City, Simpson headed south to attend the CMA Awards and is expected to “start writing and recording right away.” Another Nashville insider says that Simpson will spend up to six months in a Music City studio beginning in January. Nashville is notorious for shunning outsiders — particularly pop stars trying to go country, but “Jessica is committed to doing this,” says the label source. “She’s gone back to her Southern roots and embedded herself in the Nashville community.”
Britney Spears' Blackout was blocked out. A last-minute change in rules has yielded a win for the Eagles, whose new album was supposed to be ineligible for the Billboard/SoundScan chart. But instead it got counted…and counted…and came in at No. 1, ahead of Britney Spears by a country-rock mile. The band’s double-disc set Long Road Out of Eden, their first full studio album since 1979’s The Long Run, debuted with 711,000 copies, all of them sold at Wal-Mart or Sam’s Club stores, on those retailers’ websites, and the Eagles’ website.
Until now, albums available through only a single retailer (Wal-Mart and Sam's Club are the same company) haven’t been contenders for the chart — but don’t just blame that on Billboard and SoundScan, since big-box stores have been reluctant to voluntarily report their sales on exclusive titles in the past. At the last minute yesterday, as the chart was being compiled, everyone saw the light: The Billboard folks knew that an official win by Britney would render the chart unreliable in a lot of people’s minds, and the Wal-Mart honchos knew that publicity over the victory would drive many more customers into their stores in the coming weeks to buy up more of those 3 million non-returnable CDs the chain bought from the Eagles. (Oh, and in case you’re wondering, the Eagles had the second-biggest bow of the year, trailing only Kanye West.)
Spears made her debut at No. 2 with 290,000 copies, significantly below early projections. Some news stories are reporting that Britney had never come in below No. 1 before. That’s accurate if you’re only counting the four all-new studio albums that preceded Blackout, the last of which, 2003’s In the Zone, bowed with 609,000. However, since then she’s had two compilations, neither of which debuted on top. In 2003, her Greatest Hits bowed at No. 4 with sales of 255,000. So by that modest standard, this week’s higher entry wasn’t so bad. But clearly, her label’s execs wish she were doing something to promote the album besides shopping for chandeliers and making daily runs to Starbucks.
For almost 25 years, we've seen the Flaming Lips wow audiences with onstage spectacles that have more in common with Broadway productions than your typical indie rock show (dancing aliens and bouncing bunnies, anyone?) One thing's for sure: These guys are not what most people think of when they hear the word "Oklahoma." That doesn't mean they aren't appreciated there, though. The Lips' hometown of Oklahoma City has just renamed a downtown street Flaming Lips Alley. To help give back a little, both to the city itself and to the "weirdos around town" who've supported his band, Lips singer Wayne Coyne conceived and curated the city's Halloween parade this year, and naturally, it was a rather unorthodox affair (involving said weirdos getting wasted and marching through town with flaming torches). Looking back at it all, Coyne realizes he's about the least likely hometown hero you can find, but he is starting to embrace the role —or at least appreciate it…
Last week, I got a package addressed just to Wayne, Oklahoma City — no mention of the Flaming Lips, not my full name or even my last name, yet the UPS guy knew exactly where to deliver it. It reminded me of the first time I met William Burroughs. When he was alive, he lived five hours north of us in Lawrence, KS, and his assistant told me they'd get mail all the time that just said "William Burroughs" and didn’t need an address. They remarked how funny it was that the only other entities who would get that are Santa Claus and the IRS. And I thought, "Now that’s something to be — just 'Wayne from Oklahoma.'"
The CMA Awards telecast, airing tonight on ABC, has historically billed itself as "country's biggest night." And Garth Brooks is, by any measurable commercial standard, the biggest star country music ever had. (Just this week, the RIAA certified him as the biggest-selling solo artist of all time, ahead, finally, of Elvis.) Brooks wanted to be on the show, and the CMAs wanted him on. Plus, he just put out a new release, The Ultimate Hits, yesterday, and when a country act puts out an album the week of the CMAs, it's a given that they're counting on some TV promotion to drive sales. So why won't Brooks be on the show tonight?
The story, as confirmed by both the CMA and Brooks camps, is that Brooks wanted the awards telecast to do a live remote from a performance in Kansas City, MO, where the singer booked a week of shows to promote his new release. (Although Brooks famously considers himself in "retirement" from touring until his kids graduate from high school, he makes exceptions for special events.) But the CMAs have a new policy barring via-satellite performances from the kudocast because they can be a bit of a show-stopper, bothfor the people in the arena where the awards are being handed out, as well as for folks at home, who may not believe that the piped-in appearance is really live after all. Some CMA honchos suspect that it just never occurred to Brooks, when he booked the Kansas City dates, that they would turn down his request.
Brooks isn't sulking, though. A rep points out that he will be calling in from Kansas City to an official CMA after-show radio broadcast for a live interview.
How do you put a price tag on a song made famous by Johnny Cash more than 40 years ago but not written by him? We wondered that when reading this story on a potential Cash (as in, first wife Vivian) vs. Carter-Cash estate courtroom showdown questioning the copyright of "Ring of Fire." As the legend goes (and you may remember it from a pivotal Reese Witherspoon scene in the Oscar-winning 2005 film Walk the Line), June Carter wrote the song (with veteran Nashville tunesmith Merle Kilgore) for Johnny, about their burning, as-yet-unrequited love. But in I Walked the Line, a book written by the late Vivian Cash and released (posthumously) last month, Viv says Johnny told her he wrote "Ring of Fire" while on a fishing trip with Kilgore and longtime friend Curly Lewis and gave the credit to June because "she needed money" and he "felt bad for her." To back up her claim, Lewis has since come forward recounting the fishing boat tale.
So what would be the financial ramifications if the copyright were successfully contested in court?
Tim DeLaughter and his robed 24-member choir can count a new convert to the musical movement that is the Polyphonic Spree: actress Talia Shire (Adrian, of Rocky fame), who grooved, bounced, and chanted along to the band from the core of what can only be described as a "Come to Jesus'' pit, which had formed at Hollywood's Henry Fonda theater on Friday night. Shire was there to see her son Robert Schwartzman's band, Rooney, share the bill. (Shire, pictured with Schwartzman, also makes a cameo in their video for "When Did Your Heart Go Missing?".) But clutching a just-bought copy of the Spree's latest album, The Fragile Army, she was clearly impressed with the co-headliners. "It's like watching Hair," she told us as the Spree segued from a killer cover of Nirvana's "Lithium" to the psychedelic (and hence, Hair-like) "It's the Sun." "It's like a spectacle... they're so theatrical and visual, this should be on Broadway or, even better, an open-air stage." Ah, always the thespian. Besides, if the Flaming Lips can do it, why not this indie rock collective?
Legendary producer Phil Ramone, the man behind career-defining albums by Billy Joel and Paul Simon, is mourning New York City's dying studio business and plans to petition Mayor Michael Bloomberg to do something about it. "A lot of people are out of work here," he told us last week while promoting his new book, Making Records: The Scenes Behind The Music. "[People have said] it was the end of an era when Hit Factory closed. Two weeks ago, when Sony Studios shut down, that was not nice. It's scary. So I'm trying to come up with a reason to go sit with Mayor Bloomberg and talk about how to put the music scene back in New York. There's no encouragement to develop stuff. It's kind of a drag."
Ramone thinks the city should treat the recording industry the same way it does the film industry, by offering tax breaks and other incentives to keep sessions local. "[Bloomberg's] a business man," says Ramone with both hope and resignation. "I don't know what else to do for my hometown except get him to understand."
On the heels of Wednesday’s announcement that XL Recordings will
distribute Radiohead’s In Rainbows CD in territories outside North
America, the band also looks to be taking the indie route in the US. As
widely speculated, rumored, reported, and dissected, an announcement
that Radiohead will release their latest effort through a Red Light/ATO
Records-affiliated label is expected next week, according to sources.
Though, contrary to some reports, the album will not hit shelves until
next year. When reached by EW, a representative for Red Light/ATO had
no comment. Radiohead originally released In Rainbows on Oct. 10
without the help of any label as an exclusive download direct from
their official website and allowed fans to pay whatever price they
deemed fair.
On the road to next week's CMA Awards, there have been some sour faces on Nashville's Music Row: Country CD sales have been down about 26 percent so far this year, versus the "mere" 14 percent sales sag for the music industry at large. But here, like a superheroine, comes uncostumed crusader Carrie Underwood to put a dent in that deficit. Her second album, Carnival Ride, debuted with a robust 527,000 copies. That's not quite the best opening figure for a country album in 2007 — that honor still belongs to Rascal Flatts, whose Still Feels Good debuted last month with 547,000 — but it is the best for a female artist in any genre this year. (And she had the sixth-best bow overall, trailing only Kanye West, 50 Cent, Linkin Park, the High School Musical 2 soundtrack, and her rascally genre-mates.) Given the current trajectory of the business, the chances of her being able to sell 6 million of her sophomore effort, as she did of her 2005 bow, Some Hearts… well, let’s just say that they're "So Small," to quote her current single. But given the steadfastness of the country audience, there's little doubt that Carnival will be a top 10 mainstay through and beyond the Christmas season.
Adding to their arsenal of risqué videos — remember the naked mud wrestling in 1983's "Girls On Film?" — Duran Duran's latest, “Falling Down," stars a bevy of nearly-nude beauties, but this time they're in rehab. “We subtitled it ‘Supermodel Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest,’ only it’s not Jack Nicholson, it’s Lindsay Lohan...or someone like her," says bassist John Taylor, 47, who, along with his bandmates, plays a doctor at a facility that could be called the Betty Ford Models Clinic. The patients' lack of clothing and excessive smoking were apparently the reasons the clip's been banned by U.K. TV, according to a spokesperson for the label. "It's a storm in a teacup," Taylor says of the controversy. (And, anyway, the band had the foresight to prepare a PG-13 version too, which is now in medium rotation stateside on VH1.)
The theme of starlets and scandal extends to the cover art and title track of Red Carpet Massacre, Duran Duran's 12th studio release, which drops November 13. "It's the zeitgiest," Taylor says. "Should we put a bet on how long it's gonna be before there's a sitcom that takes place in a rehab? I would bet you there's one in development right now, because that's where the next 'Friends' is gonna come from — it's gonna be based in a rehab. Celebrities go off to rehab, they check into Promises, and nobody knows what happens there. All we know is they come out and they're back!"
"Of course, what happens in our video isn't really what goes on in rehab," adds the 12-years sober Taylor of the clip directed by Anthony Mandler (also the man behind the lens for the Killers' "All These Things That I've Done"). "I've got first-hand experiences. This is a parody."
As for the band's tradition of showcasing scantily clad babes, they explain it this way: "We're true artists," Taylor defends with a laugh. "The entire story of art, from Picasso back, is about old dudes trying to get close to young chicks. What we do is nothing new." Wild boys never lose it.
For the third time this fall, former Pussycat Doll Nicole Scherzinger's debut CD is being pushed back again, this time to 2008, confirms Interscope. Her Name is Nicole, originally slated for an Oct. 6 release, was first rescheduled for Nov. 6. Then, facing stiff chart competition from Jay-Z and Chris Brown, it was moved to Nov. 20. Scherzinger's post-Pussycat effort, which has been in the works for more than two years and features collaborations with will.i.am, Sting, Snowpatrol's Gary Lightbody, T.I., and Akon, was meant to launch Scherzinger as a solo artist on the same playing field as Interscope label-mates Gwen Stefani and Fergie. But after a lackluster response to the dance track "Whatever U Like," and with her second single, "Baby Love," nowhere near the Hot 100, insiders say Scherzinger's team is "rethinking" the roll-out while leaving an option open for more studio time.
Let us bring you back to 1999, when Britney Spears could still claim innocence, Lou Pearlman was flying high amassing a fortune off the sweat of barely legals, and Backstreet Boys (sales leaders at the time, and moving millions) and ’N Sync were sworn mortal enemies. My, how things have changed in less than a decade: An incarcerated Pearlman is facing fraud charges, and Spears seems endlessly in and out of rehab, family court, and sometimes, it would appear, an actual recording studio. As for the former boy band rivals, they have actually come together. On BSB's Unbreakable, out today, you'll find "Treat Me Right," the first ever Backstreet Boys track co-written by an 'N Syncer.
So how did this historic moment come to be? "AJ [McLean] and I had coffee," says JC Chasez. "It's funny, we never got to spend any time together. We would see each other at parties or awards shows, but everybody always put us against each other. Then one day, we were like, 'We should talk music. Let's goof off and write a tune.'" McLean and Chasez went into a Los Angeles studio to tinker, then took the unfinished song back to the boys. "The next thing you know, we're all at the studio and I'm working out the parts," he continues. "It was totally bizarre to me because I had all these preconceived notions but never knew who sang what. So I'd be going, 'Oh, you're the high guy, he's the low guy, now I get it.' So that was weird, but at the same time, great. They're amazing singers and really hard workers. I can't say enough good things about them."
Virginia rap duo the Clipse announced today that they have signed a five-year contract with Columbia Records, evidently bringing to a close years of acrimonious label drama for the group.
The Clipse — two brothers who rap under the names Malice and Pusha T — first signed with Elektra in the mid-'90s, recording an album that was never released. Things began to look up when they moved to Arista, which released 2002's gold-certified Lord Willin', spawning several hit singles. The Clipse began working on a follow-up album, Hell Hath No Fury, almost immediately, but a corporate merger forced them to switch labels yet again in 2004 — this time ending up on Jive — before they could capitalize on these successes. The album's release was postponed many times over the next two years as relations between the rappers and their new label soured, culminating in a lawsuit (later settled out of court) in which the Clipse sought to leave Jive. Fury finally came out on Jive in November 2006 to widespread critical acclaim, but the Clipse's contract with Jive ended this summer. (In an ironic twist, Jive and Columbia are both owned by the same conglomerate, Sony BMG.)
The deal represents a symbolic coup for Columbia's new co-chairman, producer Rick Rubin, who has pledged to challenge music-biz orthodoxy and focus on nurturing talented artists. And fans may not have to wait nearly as long to hear more music from the duo: Their deal includes plans for a new Clipse album next summer, a group effort with their associates the Re-Up Gang in March 2008, and eventual solo albums from each sibling.
It's not often that you see a successful band actually acknowledge the backroom dealings that go on between radio stations and record companies. You know, the whole "your band better show us the love or see your spins go bye-bye" tactic that many mainstream formats employ. Well, Matchbox Twenty claim they're being played like that, and they are mad as hell and they're not gonna take it anymore!
After having to cancel an in-studio appearance on Charlotte, NC, radio station WLNK due to illness (singer Rob Thomas suffered a violent bout of food poisoning) and then hearing the afternoon jocks rant about how the band dissed them by not showing, Thomas went on the offensive, penning an open letter to The Matt and Ramona Show, calling them out for "blackmail," disrespecting their audience, and wrongly assuming that a liner notes thank you to Matt Serletic, the band's longtime producer, and his wife Ramona was intended for them. (Snap!)
In an open letter of their own, Matt and Ramona claim that they were well aware that the thank you was intended for Serletic and say that Thomas misinterpreted their "rant," which was meant in jest. "No ill will here, even though we've been accused of blackmail (we still find his use of that word a bit humorous)," Matt and Ramona told Hollywood Insider via email. Not surprisingly, the station has decided to make the most of the "controversy" by touting a "Matchbox 20 vs. Matt & Ramona" page on its website and posting the audio clips.
Each week, Hollywood Insider will ask one music maker to share his or her opinions about whatever he or she is passionate about. Upcoming guest bloggers will include Serj Tankian, Flaming Lips' Wayne Coyne and Fall Out Boy's Joe Trohman. This Friday's contribution, by musician Taylor Hanson, is especially pressing. (BTW, Tay's brother, Isaac, is "doing fine," after having surgery earlier this month for a near-fatal form of pulmonary embolism). Consider this your weekend send-off: something to ponder as you take a short break from the biz.
Take a Walk, people. by Taylor Hanson
What is the cause of our time? What is our generation going to be remembered for? Are we destined to be defined by party-hopping celebrities and shock-value news coverage? These are some of the questions I think about and pose to those that have joined us on 1 of the 25 barefoot walks (35 before we are finished) that we have done in cities across the country trying to encourage action – focused on poverty and AIDS in Africa.
Over a cup of coffee and some other crazy juice that was probably slipped into our lattes, I brainstormed with TOMS shoes founder Blake Mycoskie about how we could help. TOMS is unique in that it donates a pair of shoes, every time you buy a pair, to a child livivng in poverty. Blake and I met in August, and three weeks later, through our shared goal of galvanizing action and the band's decision to incorporate giving into our businesses, we kicked off The Walk Tour with TOMS shoes in toe.
First, former NSyncer JC Chasez decided to part ways with Jive Records, and now, EW has learned, Kelis has been dropped from the label that's home to Britney Spears, Justin Timberlake, and R. Kelly. The R&B singer's 2003 album, Tasty, yielded the massive hit "Milkshake," and was certified gold, but Kelis' most recent effort, 2006's Kelis Was Here, had less success in the U.S.—despite plenty of guest spots, including a collaboration with her husband, Nas. Kelis was originally signed to Pharrell Williams's Star Tracks, which had a distribution deal in place with Virgin, which was later moved to Arista and, through the SonyBMG merger, she ended up with Jive. "It was a case of being in the ever-shrinking world of the record industry and finding herself on a label she wasn't signed to and without a champion," says Kelis' manager, Jeff Rabhan. "She's a different kind of artist — very image and style-driven. It's either something you get or you don't."
Kelis has been working on an indie dance record with Cee-Lo. A full-on pop effort with Guy Chambers (Robbie Williams) will be shopped around soon. "We're not opposed to another major label deal, but it would have to be non-traditional," adds Rabhan. Kelis is also in talks to host a Project Runway-like show on VH1 and is auditioning for numerous TV and film roles.
Sources say actress Evan Rachel Wood, best known for her dramatic performances on film (Thirteen, The Upside of Anger), television (Once and Again), and as Marilyn Manson's girlfriend (see her starring role in his steamy, slightly NSFW "Heart-Shaped Glasses" video), is close to signing a recording contract with Interscope Records, which happens to be Manson's label. The deal is "still in negotiations," says an insider. Look for an announcement in the coming weeks.
It seems Wood's performance in Across the Universe (pictured), during which she took on the Beatles' "Blackbird," "If I Fell," and "It Won't Be Long," impressed not only movie audiences but label execs. (Interscope also released the Across the Universe soundtrack, up 15 spots this week to No. 30 on the Billboard 200.) They're betting on the 20-year-old to break free of the crossover jinx that has plagued the likes of Lindsay Lohan (also signed to a Universal subsidiary, the now dormant Casablanca). "The general buzz is that she does have a very good voice and genuinely wants to make music," adds another source close to the situation. "You should hear her karaoke!"
Though it was Interpol's last show of their US tour (and they rocked it, in a mellow kind of way), it was my first time at old-school LA venue, the Forum, and I was psyched to see some Hollywood types also make the trek out to Inglewood, even staying for the after-show. People like...
Rilo Kiley's Jenny Lewis with her singer-songwriter boyfriend, Johnathan Rice (who, you may remember, had a bit part as Roy Orbison in Walk the Line). She posed for photos while he got the beer. Rice's latest record, Further North (Reprise), was produced by Interpol's touring keyboardist (and perennial LA scenester), "Farmer Dave" Scher.
Entourage star Adrien Grenier, chatting up a lady friend, then diving full-fisted into a basket of popcorn.
Model Helena Christensen looking fabulous at the bar, rubbing elbows with nightclub impresario Brent Bolthouse.
Three years ago, Kanye West introduced the world to John Legend. Now Legend is paying the favor forward. The multiple Grammy winner is starting his own label, Homeschool Records. His first signee is Estelle, a 27-year-old British singer/rapper whose debut album, Shine, drops in February. (Shine is a joint venture with Atlantic.) Based on tracks Legend played for EW, Estelle's sound is a quirky blend of pop, soul, and hip hop, courtesy of producers will.i.am, Mark Ronson, Wyclef Jean and Swizz Beatz. The first singles are likely to be the flirty, futuristic "Wait A Minute" and "American Boy." The latter features guest lyrics from, you guessed it, Kanye West. — Simon Vozick-Levinson
No doubt, losing Madonna to Live Nation in what's quickly become regarded as a historic deal (worth a reported $120 million), was a huge blow to Warner Bros. Records, her home for the last 25 years. However, while the financial terms were, for the most part, unmatchable, don't think the label brass is necessarily quaking in the aftershock. For one thing, they had a long time to contemplate the possibility. A source tells Hollywood Insider that negotiations went back and forth for almost six months, during which Live Nation was neither the only bidder, nor the highest. Still, Warners ''knew it was kind of leading to that," says the source. When the news finally broke internally, Warners' staffers had just commenced three days of corporate meetings in their Burbank headquarters. Surprisingly, the vibe was optimistic. "They stopped for one second, and kept going," says an insider who was present. "It was actually sort of comforting because business went on — talking about new talent, all these releases coming out, focusing on the 360 deals... It was like, yes, Madonna was, and will be for a while longer, a hugely important artist for the company, but she's not the only artist."
"I'm gonna give you hit after hit after hit," surprise performer
Kanye West declared from a stage set up in a remote corner of L.A.'s Griffith
Park as the launch party for the new T-Mobile Sidekick LX kicked into gear. And
he meant business, pounding out every smash in his arsenal, including
"Champion," "Stronger," "Good Life," and
"Can't Tell Me Nothing" off his latest album, Graduation,
while forgetting the words (twice) to older tunes like "All Falls
Down." Fulfilling his contractual obligations,
Kanye freestyled midway through the set, effortlessly rhyming "they made
me say T-Mobile" with "because I'm global." The pitch was made all the more appropriate when he came back around to the chorus, "Wait 'til I get my
money right," an opportunity he then seized to rant about the woes of the
music business. "They say hip hop's not selling, music's not selling, do
you know Graduation was the No. 1 most downloaded album before it came
out, and it still sold like crazy?" the ever-so-humble West asked
rhetorically. "Maybe, if you make really good music, you can still sell...
I showed 'em all. 50 Cent, Island Def Jam... I said, 'L.A. [Reid], we're gonna sell a million the
first week, and if I only do 800,000, then I apologize in advance.'"
After Monday night's Dancing with the Stars, Melanie Brown revealed that she's headed off to London next week to shoot a new video with her fellow Spice Girls. Though she wouldn't reveal any details, we can all breathe easy knowing Bono did not have anything to do with the song, "Headlines (Friendships Never End)." It will be the Girls' first single since 1998 when Geri Halliwell left the group.
Anticipating a blitz of promotional appearances by the Spice
Girls for their upcoming tour? Think again. We hear the gals will only do one
exclusive television performance and no other U.S. press of any kind. Which may
be a good thing considering the trek kicks off on December 7, and, according to
Melanie Brown (AKA Scary Spice, and now, a major contender on Dancing With
The Stars), rehearsals have yet to start. Well, choreographer Jaime King,
who's directed many a Madonna tour, is already hard at work, but using
stand-ins. All five Spice Girls are expected in Los Angeles in the next week or two to
practice in earnest, which means Mel B. will be pulling double-duty as she
continues to compete with her Dancing partner, Maksim Chmerkovskiy.
Hollywood Insider traveled east this week to catch Maroon 5 make their arena debut on Wednesday night. And we, along with a sold-out crowd at New York's Madison Square Garden, got a special treat: an appearance by Kanye West, who joined the band for "Heard 'Em Say," the single from West's last album, Late Registration, featuring Maroon 5 frontman Adam Levine as a guest vocalist. Was it planned? Somewhat, but certainly not practiced, Levine told EW. "Kanye was on vacation and we didn't know whether he was gonna be there at all," he said at the band's official after-party atop New York's Bowery Hotel. "We found out about it an hour and a half before the show. No rehearsal, he just showed up and we decided to wing it. And, like always, he delivered. As did we." An extended version of the song, re-christened "Nothing Lasts Forever," is one of the highlights of Maroon 5's latest CD, It Won't Be Soon Before Long, but, despite our constant pleading, don't expect to see it released as a single, like, ever. "We got others," Levine insisted (the ballad "Won't Go Home Without You," is next to go to radio).
Befitting Hollywood's "It" band, plenty of stars were on hand to cheer them on. West's Island Def Jam label-mate, Rihanna, was spotted backstage, while Zach Braff and Levine's most recent duet partner, Saturday Night Live's Andy Samberg, made the after-show scene. Unfortunately, there was no such reprise of their hilarious SNL video spoof, "Iran So Far."
When Bruce Springsteen did an extended live set on the Today show recently, the normally promotion-shy rocker quipped, "I must really want to sell some records bad to be up this early singing these songs... It's a little desperate, but it's all right." Well, desperation paid off: His new album, Magic, debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard/Soundscan chart with 335,000 copies sold. That's not as big a debut as the entry for his last album with the E Street Band, The Rising; that debuted five years ago with 525,000 units. But it is an improvement on his last "solo" album of original material, Devils & Dust, which bowed with 222,000 two years ago. It didn't hurt that he was able to pull the best reviews he’s had in years out of the hat... and with a tour just getting started (and an Album of the Year Grammy nomination and probable win in the cards), Magic should have a good shelf life.
The week's second-best bow, at No. 3, belonged to Matchbox Twenty, who released their first product as a band in five years with Exile on Mainstream. Whether their 131,000 sales tally was strong or disappointing depends on how you look at it: That's a hefty first-week total for a greatest hits album, which normally doesn't create a lot of pre-release fervor. On the other hand, this collection included six new songs, or about a half-album's worth of fresh material, so a bigger core fan base turnout might have been expected. Rob Thomas is expected to complete a second solo album before Matchbox goes back into the studio for a completely new record, so his priorities may lie somewhere other than committing to keeping what group momentum there is going.
Let's give Britney Spears a round of applause today, shall we? Not only has she finally obtained that pesky drivers license, but her new single, "Gimme More," just rocketed to No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100. Not a huge deal, right? Britney's had tons of chart-topping singles, correct? Er, not so fast: Buried in Billboard's news is the fact that "Gimme More" is actually Spears' highest-charting single since "...Baby One More Time," which was not only her very first hit but is also the only No. 1 single to her credit!
If that surprises you, check this out: "Gimme More" is only her fifth single to hit the Top 10. (Keep in mind that in the past year alone, Fergie has notched four Top 10 singles — three of which hit No. 1 — from her debut album alone.) And that list doesn't include Spears' hits "Sometimes" (No. 21), "Lucky" (No. 23), "I'm A Slave 4 U" (No. 27), "Me Against the Music" (No. 35), "Everytime" (No. 15), or the heinously titled — but well-known — ballad "I'm Not A Girl, Not Yet A Woman," which didn't even chart.
Britney Spears may not be the most talented musical artist of our time, but she's given us some memorable songs, and it just seems... odd that her singles haven't performed better, doesn't it? At least she can take solace in the fact that every one of her studio albums opened at No. 1.
Über-producer Rick Rubin may still be settling into his new, untitled gig as creative head of Columbia Records, but—not surprisingly—we hear that he's staying just as busy lining up studio projects outside of the label, too. Could The Strokes, whose last album, 2006's First Impressions of Earth, didn't make as much of an impression as their first two efforts, be his newest protégés? Nothing's certain yet, but according to a source at the band's label, their next album is expected no earlier than 2009.
Clocking in at 238 minutes, the Peter Bogdanovich-directed Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers documentary, Running Down a Dream, made its world premiere last night in Burbank to much fanfare and star-powered support from the likes of Stevie Nicks, Jackson Brown, Dixie Chicks, Cybill Shepherd, Dave Stewart, and Jeff Lynne. "It kept me interested, even though I kind of knew how it would end," deadpanned Petty, who saw the film for the first time some two weeks ago. "Someone could've done it very badly, but Mr. Bogdanovich really poured his soul into it. When you see it, it really does fly by. I'm pretty flattered."
Bogdanovich himself admitted he had a hard time cutting down 400 hours of archival footage and 100 hours of interviews from a first edit of five hours. Not that anyone was complaining. Nicks sneaked in after the start, but didn't budge from her back row seat. Neither did Dixie Chick Natalie Maines, who was seen chatting up the Fleetwood Mac singer during intermission, joking about having her sing with the Dixie Chicks. Maines and fellow Chick Emily Robison later exploded with laughter when Petty described modern-day country music as "a bad rock group with a fiddle."
So what's next for the rock legend who's been entertaining us for three decades? A new record with Mudcrutch, Petty's original band formed in 1970 which included several of the Heartbreakers. "We just gotta finish it," he said. "We're mixing now and it'll be out probably early next year. Don't worry, there's more coming." Hallelujah to that.
Well, at least Kelly Clarkson is singing on one No. 1 album this year. Her remake of her previous pop hit "Because of You" with Reba McEntire has been burning up the country radio charts, and it helped McEntire's Duets collection to debut at the top of the sales chart with 301,000 units moved last week. Additional celebrity couplings with everyone from Kenny Chesney to Justin Timberlake — and massive exposure on the Oprah and Larry King shows — didn't hurt when it came to giving Reba her best opening week since SoundScan began tracking sales in 1991. (You suppose that The WB is finally getting around to harboring regrets over canceling McEntire's decently-rated sitcom? Nah, probably not.)
So now that Reba is firmly ruling the roost, which rapper will feel compelled to retire? Predictably, both Kanye West and 50 Cent took huge hits after their huge debuts last week. West's Graduation slid 76 percent to end up with second-week sales of 226,000. 50's Curtis was down 79 percent, to 143,000. Last week's No. 3, Kenny Chesney's Just Who I Am: Poets and Pirates, was off by close to that amount (71 percent) to sell 112,000.
Less than a week after we first told you that Whitestarr is calling it quits, singer Cisco Adler has sent a lengthy e-mail out to fans. He writes, "After 7 of the craziest, most wonderful years of my life, 3 albums (1 never released), a thousand shows, and a reality t.v.show, I have decided to take a vacation from Whitestarr. We are all still best friends and almost-lovers and we dont want anybody to think that any turmoil inside the band lead to this...I just feel it is time for a break...."
Check out his full (and woefully unedited) message, after the jump ...
Mariah Carey will be back with a new album this December and a tour to follow, Island Def Jam head LA Reid told reporters at last night's VH1 Save the Music event in New York City. So what can we expect? "It’s probably the most fun record that I’ve ever had," said Carey. "And that’s tough to say after the Emancipation of Mimi, but it really is."
Canada's reigning indie rockers Arcade Fire kicked off their co-headlining US tour (with LCD Soundsystem) last night at the Hollywood Bowl. Spotted in the audience: Scarlett Johansson, Charlize Theron, KT Tunstall, and Drew Barrymore (who also caught the band at the Austin City Limits music festival last week with rumored beau Justin Long).
They had their own VH1 show (The Rock Life), groupies galore, and a just-released album with big hopes of rock & roll stardom, but all that (and widely circulated nude pictures of their singer, Cisco Adler) couldn't keep this shlock-rock band together. We hear that after seven years together, Whitestarr is calling it quits.
Sure, Kanye West's new album sold an impressive 956,000 its first week, beating 50 Cent by 250,000 units to become the biggest debut of the year. But the rapper also broke a digital sales record. Graduation moved 132,000 digital copies the week of Sept. 11, besting Maroon 5's opening week back in May (101,000 dc's). The real winner, though, is Universal, which distributed West's, Maroon 5's and 50 Cent's latest albums (not to mention Rihanna's and Timbaland's, which both saw sales bumps of more than 30 percent following the VMAs last weekend). Uni racked up a 50 percent market share just as the fourth quarter is kicking in.
In what’s perhaps the ultimate turn of phrase, Girl in a Coma singer Nina Diaz literally passed out upon seeing Morrissey in the crowd at the Viper Room on Monday night. Diaz's band was opening for The Donnas (who were celebrating their record release the next day), but her fainting spell, thankfully, did not happen onstage.
Unbeknownst to fans in the Carson, CA crowd at this Saturday's KROQ L.A. Invasion show, there was a sort of '90s superpower summit in progress during the Smashing Pumpkins set. That's when drummer Jimmy Chamberlain proposed to Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl that the two bands tour together (and he did so mid-beat, as Grohl—who was crouching behind the drum set—was "geeking out"). Grohl's response? A slightly intoxicated "Sure!" But, of course, it had yet to be officially discussed with Billy Corgan.
Our take? Unlikely. The two singers have had a somewhat tempestuous relationship over the years (you can thank Courtney Love for that). Plus, we're just thinking aloud here, but: Who would open for whom?
Speaking of the Foos, it seems their pals in Mastodon got into some trouble after their VMAs appearance, landing guitarist Brent Hinds in the hospital. An official statement from the band's management mysteriously cited "severe head injuries" with no further explanation. But we hear that Hinds got into a heated fistfight with a very well known rapper, and that his concussion was so serious, he required immediate placement in the ICU ward and a total of three days in the hospital.
So that makes one person who had a worse night than Britney Spears. Then again, Hines' recovery is nearly complete, while Spears...oh, let's try to leave her alone today.
So in one day the former pop sensation lost her kids and her manager. Fox News is reporting that temporary custody of her kids has been turned over to father-of-the-year Kevin Federline, and now, according to a source who used to work with Jeff Kwatinetz, the power broker at The Firm, the manager dropped Britney, one of his highest profile clients, because she was no longer listening to him and it was making him look bad. The only thing that trumps money in this biz is ego.
This is not the first time Kwatinetz has shocked the town by getting rid of a celeb client when the downward slide of their career had only just begun: Kwatinetz fired Michael Jackson in 2001 -- and look what a brilliant decision that was.
Multiple sources have confirmed to EW that representatives of Chris Brown are on the lookout for a crisis-management expert to help the pop star rehabilitate his image in light of 
Two people close to Joaquin Phoenix tell EW that the actor's 
The Black Eyed Peas haven't released a record since their 2005 smash, Monkey Business, but frontman will.i.am (birth name: William Adams) has remained nearly as ubiquitous in pop culture as lady-Pea-turned-solo-star Fergie. This year alone, there were the much-watched 
There's much more to come from the guys who brought 
Paris Hilton may
not be dating a rocker anymore, but she still has music on her mind. The celebutante caught up with EW.com backstage at last week's American Music Awards and told us that she has
finished her second album, featuring production by Mike Green
(Paramore, the Matches), and is deciding what to do next, now that she’s
no longer at Warner Bros. Records. “I wrote all the songs,” Hilton
beamed. “It’s very dance, like Kylie Minogue.” As for who might put it out? "I'm figuring it out right now," she said. "I'm not sure which label I'm doing it with."
For Mariah Carey, having
husband Nick Cannon direct the video for her latest single, “I Stay in Love,”
made the shoot her easiest ever. “I was actually under budget and on
time, which are two rarities for me,” Carey told EW.com backstage at the American Music Awards last Sunday.
“We saw it through from conception to completion, but something about
the way Nick organized the video just worked much better."
In the least-shocking election results since the presidential candidates carried their own states, Kenny Chesney was voted Entertainer of the Year at the 42nd annual CMA Awards (see our CMAs Best and Worst 
A month before 
In a conference call at 10 a.m. ET this morning, the Beatles' Apple Corps. Ltd., MTV Games, and Harmonix announced a new videogame using the Fab Four's catalog. And little else.
Remember when bands wanted to get their albums in as many stores as possible? Seems like a quaint, old-fashioned notion now, doesn’t it? AC/DC (pictured) just scored the second-best sales debut of 2008 by only making their Black Ice album available at one retail outlet, Wal-Mart, which discounted and promoted it all the way to an astonishing 784,000-copy debut. Their last studio album debuted with a mere 130K back in 2000, so absence 
Hot off their three-song 
Rapper-actor-
Taryn Manning (Hustle & Flow) will star in a new 
Jennifer Hudson's family tragedy took another sad turn late Monday when Chicago police identified a body they found earlier in the day as that of her missing nephew, Julian King, 
With his single "Light On" just starting to impact radio, and a 
In 1940, the Hollywood Palladium opened with an engagement by the Tommy Dorsey Band, then fronted by Frank Sinatra, before he came down with a case of Lead Singer Disease. Last night, after a year-long, $18-million renovation, the Palladium had its grand reopening with a gig by a guy with an only slightly smaller ego, 
As if your television set doesn't get enough of the video game 
To commemorate their 20th anniversary, the Smashing Pumpkins aren’t just touring this fall — they’re also coming to a movie theater near you. The 105-minute documentary If All Goes Wrong chronicles the seminal alt-rock band’s unconventional 19-concert stint in Asheville, N.C., and San Francisco as part of their 2007 reunion/reformation (with two of the original four members). The intimate film, which features interviews with head Pumpkin Billy Corgan (pictured), his cohorts, fans, journalists, and musicians like Pete Townshend, 
David Archuleta has signed with Azoff Management, the career-launching (and often sustaining) music powerhouse that counts The Eagles, Christina Aguilera, Neil Diamond, and, most recently, 
The bill read like an evening at Glastonbury or the Coachella Music Festival: Feist, KT Tunstall, 
The band credited with keeping the rock business afloat last year is back with a new album. Today, Nickelback announce that the title of the follow-up to 2005's 
Heavy metal band 
The Broadway-bound 
Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama was a busy man Tuesday night, courting Hollywood power players in two soirees that earned a single-night fundraising record of $11 million. Clearly, the closeness of this race is bringing out the entertainment industry's most generous donors. The biggest haul of the evening came from a $28,500-per-plate dinner held at the Greystone Mansion in Beverly Hills. About 300 guests were in attendance, and lucky EW.com readers, we've got the guest list. 
Katy Perry may have covered "Like A Virgin" at the 2008 MTV Video Music Awards, but Jordin Sparks was living it -- loudly. Attending the show for the first time, the American Idol winner went 
Thursday afternoon, Heart e-mailed out a statement regarding vice-presidential candidate Sarah "Barracuda" Palin's use of their similarly monikered song at the Republican National Convention: "The Republican campaign did not ask for permission to use the song, nor would they have been granted that permission," it read. "We have asked the Republican campaign publicly not to use our music. We hope our wishes will be honored."
While there's been a lot of talk over the last few years about the inevitable 
The Jonas Brothers’ A Little Bit Longer was true to its title and held on to the top spot of the album chart for a second week. The disc's dropoff was rather severe: a 72 percent slide, from its boffo opening of 525,000 copies last week (the third-best debut of the year) to just 147,000 this week. But that was still far ahead of the second-place finisher, Kid Rock’s resurgent Rock N Roll Jesus, which sold 101,000 units to move up a spot to No. 2, its highest chart position since last October.
LeRoi Moore, saxophonist and founding member of Dave Matthews Band, died on Tuesday from complications stemming from an ATV accident he suffered in June. He was 46. Moore crashed his ATV on June 30 on his farm near Charlottesville, VA. He had been discharged from the hospital and returned to his Los Angeles home to begin a physical rehabilitation program, but complications from the accident sent him back to the hospital on July 17. The band issued a statement on its 
Although some residents of L.A.'s Echo Park neighborhood may be slightly 
Welcome to the top of the pops, Pierce Brosnan and Christine Baranski. The Mamma Mia! soundtrack finally hit No. 1 on the Billboard album chart in its fifth week, selling 130,000 copies, down just a smidge from the previous week’s 138,000. (Ironically enough, ABBA never even had a top 10 album in the U.S. in their Eurocentric heyday, much less a No. 1 LP.) Last week’s topper, Sugarland’s Love on the Inside, dropped to No. 3 with sales of 91,000, behind Miley Cyrus’ Breakout, which shifted 102,000 units and held at No. 2.
Australian rock band Wolfmother announced on 
Sugarland and Miley Cyrus duked it out for the top spot on the album chart again, this time with different results. Last week’s winner, Cyrus, dropped to No. 2, selling 163,000 of her Breakout, a reasonable 56 percent decrease. Sugarland, the Georgia-based country-rock duo, moved 171,000 units of Love on the Inside, earning the top spot, with a smaller decline of 45 percent. The latter act had some help from a unique release strategy. Last week, they put out the higher-priced deluxe version of their album; this week, they had the lower-priced standard edition out as well, which appealed to more bargain-minded shoppers. (Nielsen SoundScan is counting both the deluxe and standard Sugarland CDs as one album, in this instance.)
We recently learned that Miley Cyrus can sell magazines. The issue of Vanity Fair that featured her 
It's been four long years since Eminem released his last solo album, but associates say the music megastar is getting serious about his long-anticipated return. "Em is excited," says rapper Bishop Lamont, a fellow protégé of Dr. Dre. "He's been quiet too long, and he's got a lot to get off his chest." While no release date has been announced for Eminem's next album, his label says he's currently at work in the studio. Eminem was reportedly devastated by the 2006 death of his close friend Proof in a shooting, but Lamont says he's heard "some amazing stuff" from the 35-year-old provocateur's recent recording sessions. "He went through what he had to go through, and now he's been able to take all the pain and stress and put it out in his music."
This morning, as thousands of gamers descend on Los Angeles for the E3 Media & Business Summit, Harmonix and MTV Games, makers of the popular video game 
A half-buck doesn’t go quite as far as it used to. G-Unit, the hip-hop crew led by 50 Cent (pictured), had the top debuting album on this week’s Nielsen Soundscan chart, coming in at No. 4. But opening week sales of 102,000 for T.O.S. (Terminate on Sight) pale against the 377,000 units their previous album scored with. Of course, that last album came out way back in 2003, and this one hasn’t generated any hit singles. Maybe Fitty will go crying to recently ousted G-Unit member Young Buck, begging him to rejoin the group? (Okay, probably not.)
Singer-songwriter 
Expect an 
Since her 2004 American Idol win, Fantasia Barrino has weathered her fair share of music business shake-ups, surviving mergers and the recent 
When it rains, it (perhaps only briefly) pours. If Lil Wayne hadn’t just 
Actress-singer Zooey Deschanel is about to take her music project, 
After a decade away, the MTV Video Music Awards are returning to Los
Angeles. According to sources involved with the show, the 2008 ceremony
will be held on Sunday, Sept. 7, at the Paramount Pictures lot in
Hollywood. Expect executive producer Jesse
Ignjatovic to make use of many of Paramount's stages, rooftops, and
camera-ready city streets for the star-studded show, which will only
air once in its original incarnation. The official press release goes out on
Monday, with host and artist announcements to come soon after.
Many music-biz types were convinced we'd never again see an album sell a million copies in a week. It hadn't happened since 50 Cent's The Massacre topped the mark in 2005. Yet 
With the contest behind him, 
Happy days are here again for the beleaguered music industry...at least for a week. It turns out that everyone who was wondering whether Mariah, Madonna, or Usher would have the biggest blockbuster sales opening of the year had their eyes on the wrong contenders: It's rapper Lil Wayne, who's set to have the most massive first week of any new album this spring, by far. And, contrary to industry wisdom, it seems the album was helped by premature leaks. 
It was another good news/bad news week on the album sales charts. In the good category, Usher (pictured) became just the second artist this year to top the 400,000 sales mark, moving 443,000 copies of Here I Stand to take the top spot. As opening weeks in 2008 go, that figure trails only the 463,000-unit bow that Mariah Carey enjoyed in April with her E=MC2 album. Less good is how that compares to the debut of Usher’s previous album, Confessions, which bowed with 1.1 million copies in 2004. But sales numbers like that are a thing of the past, given the current CD-sales climate.
After a year that included facing a potential 30-year sentence on a gun-possession charge (he pleaded guilty and struck a deal for house arrest, community service, and then a year in jail), rapper T.I. is returning to the public eye with an MTV reality series that will chronicle his everyday life — post-ankle bracelet and pre-prison. "The show basically documents the road of redemption that I’ll be traveling the next few months," T.I. told EW.com on the gold carpet at last night's 2008 MTV Movie Awards. "I think it will be a great way for people to get to know me as a person, not just someone that you read about and see on TV. It will show that I’m someone who made a mistake, but I’m in no way going to let that define me or my future. I’m going to accept responsibility and stand up and move forward." According to 
How did Lost's Naveen Andrews (pictured) spend his show's season finale night? On stage with Mark McGrath, Dave Navarro, and a host of rock luminaries for the final bow of Camp Freddy Mayhem -- the all-star cover band's month-long residency at Los Angeles' famed Sunset Strip club The Roxy. In its original form, the group includes frontman actor-musician Donovan Leitch, Jane's Addiction's Navarro and Chris Chaney, The Cult's Billy Morrison, and Velvet Revolver's Matt Sorum. Last night, for a cover of the Sex Pistols' "E.M.I.," Andrews (introduced as a member of the Oceanic 6) joined the group on guitar while Sugar Ray singer (and Extra host, lest we forget) McGrath handled the microphone.
The season 3 finale of Weeds saw the suburban town of Agrestic decimated by wildfires. Now, series creator Jenji Kohan tells EW.com that the show's theme song "Little Boxes," the beloved Malvina Reynolds ditty that was reinterpreted by many an 
A representative for Def Jam has confirmed to EW.com that hip-hop artist Nas has made an eleventh-hour decision to change the title of his new album from N----- to simply Nas. The Queens rapper sparked a heated debate last fall when he announced the provocative title for his upcoming ninth record, but last October, Island Def Jam Music Group chair Antonio "L.A." Reid 
On Thursday, R. Kelly rolled up to Chicago's Cook County Courthouse in a black SUV, just as he had 
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.
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. 
If it worked for Miley Cyrus, it might as well work for the 
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 (
Hip-hop artist Common has made no secret of 
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. 
It wasn't all that long ago that Velvet Revolver drummer 
You didn't have to pay extra-close attention to David Cook's introduction on Tuesday night to hear him credit 
Though 
The latest 
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 
At a March 22 bash on the eve of his 30th birthday, Perez Hilton not only 
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?"
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.)
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.
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." 
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 
John Mayer kicks off a national tour this summer and is bringing along newcomers 
Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova, the duo who picked up an Oscar last Sunday for "Falling Slowly" from the movie Once, have 
The title of Madonna's 
Singer-songwriter 
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. 
More details are emerging about Madonna's new album. Nate "Danja" Hills and Timbaland, who co-produced Justin Timberlake's FutureSex/LoveSounds, are co-producing some tracks on Madonna's yet-to-be titled album and Danja tells EW.com that the pop queen's next effort is "very up-tempo, upbeat and urban — it's a Virginia-based sound." Madge was joined in the studio by another influential Virginian, Pharrell Williams, but Danja emphasizes that the album's urban edge doesn't mean the 49-year-old star has lost her pop cred. "It's everything rolled into one," he says. "It'll be a classic album." As previously reported 
Jessica Simpson's much-publicized foray into country music is coming together. The singer's manager/father, Joe, tells EW.com that the singer is close to completing her first country album and that she is eyeing a possible unscripted CMT show, which would mark the singer's second stab at reality TV. "With Newlyweds, she let everyone into her world," says Joe. "Then she had to shut the world out. Now she can open it up again so people can see, here's a girl struggling with self-esteem and finding her way. Country music is about storytelling, after all." 
You'd think Chris Daughtry would get some major flack for the comment he made to 
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. 
A music executive close to the Grammys said Amy Winehouse's 
Hot on the heels of Paula Abdul's lip-synch-tastic Super Bowl performance, her American Idol costar Randy Jackson has confirmed that he will have a hand in producing her forthcoming full-length album. "We've been talking about it," Jackson told EW.com during a taping of his latest side-project, MTV's America's Best Dance Crew, which premieres Thursday night. "We gotta keep things rolling, you know?" No release date or label has been announced yet, but last week Paula Abdul's 
Jack Sussman, CBS’ executive vice president of specials, music, and live events, will neither confirm nor deny the possibility of a Michael Jackson appearance for a special Thriller tribute (fingers crossed!) at this year's 
Swedish trio Peter Bjorn and John whistled their way to indie rock stardom when the quirky single "Young Folks," off their 2006 album Writer's Block, became an international hit. Last week, the band returned to the studio to start work on their next album -- only this time, they chose a location as far from their native Stockholm as possible: Los Angeles' San Fernando Valley. "It's a new year and a new environment," says bassist Bjorn Yttling. "Plus, we don't get calls from Sweden because of the nine-hour time difference." The disconnect, the guys say, has altered their sound and how they work together. "We're using more synths than [we did on] the last record," explains drummer John Eriksson. "The feeling is a little '80s." Adds Bjorn: "We're playing around with exchanging instruments, too." In three days, during which guitarist Peter Moren also squeezed in a Hotel Café solo show (his hangover precluded participation in this interview), the guys had already arranged nine songs, tinkering with melodies that, they say, could pass for the theme to CSI: Miami. But there's still a ways to go and plenty of time for mutation. "We don't want it out before next year," says Bjorn. Considering the success of their last effort, when the album is ready to street, the three Swedes have a lot of corporate backers to please. "We were on V2 until Universal bought it, now we're on Universal and Almost Gold/Sony/Columbia and EMI Publishing," Bjorn elaborates. "The only company we're missing is Ikea."
It's only a matter of time before another superstar artist follows Madonna's footsteps to a 
For all the recent chatter of a full-on Led Zeppelin reunion tour, one person remains steadfastly mum about the subject: Robert Plant. When EW.com sat down with Plant and his duet partner, Alison Krauss, earlier this week, we asked him about Jimmy Page's 
The Foo Fighters canceled two shows this week when singer Dave Grohl came down with the flu. Battling a 101-degree fever, Grohl took to the 
Justin Timberlake and Timbaland are off to London to appear in Madonna's new video for the song "4 Minutes to Save the World." The two cowrote and coproduced the track, which is the first single off her forthcoming album (the last full LP she'll release for Warner Bros.), due out this April. Queen M also recently shot the cover art for the album (believed to be titled Give It To Me) with renowned fashion photographer and frequent collaborator Steven Klein. As fans clamor for a glimpse at the superstar's latest reinvention, details are starting to emerge about her new look and sound. Madonna's stylist, B. (yes, she just goes by the initial), told 
It was almost a year ago when talk of a Scarlett Johansson-Tom Waits tribute album started making the rounds, and today comes word that the actress will release her debut, album called Anywhere I Lay My Head (the title is inspired by a song off Waits' 1985 album Rain Dogs), on the recently revived Atco Records, an imprint of Warner's Rhino Entertainment. The album will street on May 20 and features 10 Waits songs and one original, according to the label. Collaborators include Yeah Yeah Yeahs guitarist Nick Zimmer and TV on the Radio producer David Sitek. Johannsson recorded most of the album at Dockside Studios in Maurice, Louisiana last spring, a favorite of blues legend BB King and roots rockers like Derek Trucks Band. Last May, Johansson made an appearance at Coachella, joining Jesus and Mary Chain for their song, "Just Like Honey," which was featured on the Lost in Translation soundtrack. At the time, frontman William Reed told us Scarlett was "a really good singer." 
The host of CMT's new reality show, Gone Country, is going solo for 2008.
Will she hit us with her best shot? Pat Benatar and her husband Neil Giraldo will perform their original tune "Every Time I Fall Back" while taping two episodes for the CBS daytime drama The Young and the Restless this Thursday, Jan. 24. Besides crooning, Benatar tries to help Karen (Nia Peeples) overcome her stage fright so she, too, can sing in front of a crowd at the nightclub owned by Neil (Kristoff St. John). Benatar's episodes will air Feb. 14 and 15. 
Former 'N Syncer JC Chasez knows a thing or two about dance moves (he rocked the "Bye Bye Bye" routine back in the boy-band day), and now he'll be joining 
The Hollywood Insider has confirmed that troubled singer Amy
Winehouse (pictured, left) plans to appear at the 
Jennifer Nettles and Kristian Bush, aka country act 
After days of
speculation as to whether the show will indeed go on, we still don't have a
definitive answer, but the Grammy Awards look one step closer to finding
resolution in the face of potential picketing by the on-strike Writers Guild of
America. Neil Portnow, President/CEO of the Recording Academy, today announced that the
organization has 
Could Coldplay's Brian Eno-produced fourth album be out this spring? Some UK-based online retailers have already listed the album with a May 19 release date and the title Prospekt, and sources close to the band tell Hollywood Insider that an announcement is imminent. Frontman Chris Martin said late last year that the band was very close to finishing the record, which would clock in at 43 minutes. Our sources say that the record will see a proper physical release (as in a CD, not just digital download) via EMI. 
Not to perpetuate rumors already running rampant, but this likely fake/maybe real Coachella lineup that's making the rounds has us all abuzz. My Bloody Valentine headlining day 3? We 
So just how long does Simon Cowell plan to be a fixture on 
Is two-time 
Hollywood Records has confirmed that the Jonas Brothers' second album -- which Hollywood Insider has heard is thisclose to being finished -- will be released on July 8. No word yet on a title (or whether their Oliver Twist/Panic! At the Disco-inspired New Year's look will carry over). Produced by John Fields (Rooney, Clay Aiken), who also manned the boards for the Bros.' platinum-plus self-titled debut, much of the new record was recorded on a tour bus while the band was on the road opening for Miley Cyrus for the sold out Hanna Montana "Best of Both Worlds" tour. With that trek coming to an end on Jan. 9, the boys will reconvene in a proper L.A. studio to finish up work on sophomore effort. Yesterday, the band announced that they have signed a two-year, multi-million dollar deal with LiveNation and would kick off the first leg of their upcoming "Look Me in the Eyes" tour on Jan. 31 in Tuscon, AZ.
It seems winning 
As we embark on this fresh, new year, we thought it a good time to take stock of all the artists (or as many as we could remember — like JC Chasez, pictured) who lost their major label deals during a tumultuous 2007. Some were dropped, others had contracts expire, and many were simply caught up in consolidation and closings. Of course, several have found new homes already, but plenty of bands are free agents. What does it mean for the music business in '08? Are more casualties on the way? Besides the Radioheads and White Stripes of the world, do you see a future for any of these acts? Any noteworthy acts we left off the list?
Not all actors are doomed to meaningless music careers (ahem, Lindsay Lohan). Child star-turned-indie rocker Lukas Haas is hard at word on his debut album, and what we've heard so far is impressive. (Check out some almost-finished songs and Haas's own video blog on his 
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 
Willie Nelson brought Texas to Maui this past week, when he headlined the 7th annual Maui Music Festival on Nov. 24. His sons' band, 40 Points, Pat Simmons of the Doobie Brothers, and reggae star Marty Dread shared the stage with the country legend for what was described as "an intimate" show at the Maui Arts & Cultural Center's Castle Theater. But the real party was back at his house outside the hippie surf town of Pai'a on the island's northern coast. That's where Austin friends Owen Wilson, on the mend from his reported suicide attempt, his brother Luke Wilson, and local fixture Woody Harrelson joined Nelson for one of his infamous late-night poker games. (Owen and Woody, along with 
Rapper Clifford "T.I." Harris is working on a new studio album while under house arrest on pending gun charges, EW has exclusively learned.
Is this a sign of our ailing music business? Art departments asleep at the wheel? I pulled out my copy of Ben Harper's new album, Lifelife, after hearing him guest host Jonesy's Jukebox on LA's Indie 103.1 yesterday (he did a great job), and I'm looking at the CD's art (a cardboard fold out) which displays a two-panel-wide photo of a studio board and has only one paragraph of text. It reads in part:
Two years after embracing her inner Daisy Duke, Jessica Simpson still wants to scratch that country itch. The singer and sometime actress — who released A Public Affair to disappointing sales last year — is assembling a team of Nashville-based producers and songwriters for her fifth studio album. “It’s the best thing for her,” says a label source close to the singer. “A country record is what she absolutely needs to be doing now.” 
For almost 25 years, we've seen the Flaming Lips wow audiences with onstage spectacles that have more in common with 
Adding to their arsenal of risqué videos — remember the naked mud wrestling in 1983's "Girls On Film?" — Duran Duran's latest, “Falling Down," stars a bevy of nearly-nude beauties, but this time they're in rehab. “We subtitled it ‘Supermodel Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest,’ only it’s not Jack Nicholson, it’s Lindsay Lohan...or someone like her," says bassist John Taylor, 47, who, along with his bandmates, plays a doctor at a facility that could be called the Betty Ford Models Clinic. The patients' lack of clothing and excessive smoking were apparently the reasons the clip's been banned by U.K. TV, according to a spokesperson for the label. "It's a storm in a teacup," Taylor says of the controversy. (And, anyway, the band had the foresight to prepare a PG-13 version too, which is now in medium rotation stateside on VH1.)
For the third time this fall, former Pussycat Doll Nicole Scherzinger's debut CD is being pushed back again, this time to 2008, confirms Interscope. Her Name is Nicole, originally slated for an Oct. 6 release, was first rescheduled for Nov. 6. Then, facing stiff chart competition from Jay-Z and Chris Brown, it was moved to Nov. 20. Scherzinger's post-Pussycat effort, which has been in the works for more than two years and features collaborations with will.i.am, Sting, Snowpatrol's Gary Lightbody, T.I., and Akon, was meant to launch Scherzinger as a solo artist on the same playing field as Interscope label-mates Gwen Stefani and Fergie. But after a lackluster response to the dance track "Whatever U Like," and with her second single, "Baby Love," nowhere near the Hot 100, insiders say Scherzinger's team is "rethinking" the roll-out while leaving an option open for more studio time. 
It's not often that you see a successful band actually acknowledge the backroom dealings that go on between radio stations and record companies. You know, the whole "your band better show us the love or see your spins go bye-bye" tactic that many mainstream formats employ. Well, Matchbox Twenty claim they're being played like that, and they are mad as hell and they're not gonna take it anymore! 
Sources say actress Evan Rachel Wood, best known for her dramatic performances on film (Thirteen, The Upside of Anger), television (Once and Again), and as Marilyn Manson's girlfriend (see her starring role in his steamy, slightly NSFW "
Well, at least Kelly Clarkson is singing on one No. 1 album this year. Her remake of her previous pop hit "Because of You" with Reba McEntire has been burning up the country radio charts, and it helped McEntire's Duets collection to debut at the top of the sales chart with 301,000 units moved last week. Additional celebrity couplings with everyone from Kenny Chesney to Justin Timberlake — and massive exposure on the Oprah and Larry King shows — didn't hurt when it came to giving Reba her best opening week since SoundScan began tracking sales in 1991. (You suppose that The WB is finally getting around to harboring regrets over canceling McEntire's decently-rated sitcom? Nah, probably not.)
