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| December 8, 2006 |
| Grammy nominations in top categories |
Record of the Year: "Be Without You," Mary J. Blige; "You're Beautiful," James Blunt; "Not Ready to Make Nice," Dixie Chicks; "Crazy," Gnarls Barkley; "Put Your Records On," Corinne Bailey Rae.
Album of the Year: "Taking the Long Way," Dixie Chicks; "St. Elsewhere," Gnarls Barkley; "Continuum," John Mayer; "Stadium Arcadium," Red Hot Chili Peppers; "FutureSex/LoveSounds," Justin Timberlake.
Song of the Year: "Be Without You," Johnta Austin, Mary J. Blige, Bryan-Michael Cox and Jason Perry (Mary J. Blige); "Jesus, Take the Wheel," Brett James, Hillary Lindsey and Gordie Sampson (Carrie Underwood); "Not Ready to Make Nice," Martie Maguire, Natalie Maines, Emily Robison and Dan Wilson (Dixie Chicks); "Put Your Records On," John Beck, Steve Chrisanthou and Corinne Bailey Rae (Corinne Bailey Rae); "You're Beautiful," James Blunt, Amanda Ghost and Sacha Skarbek (James Blunt).
New Artist: James Blunt; Chris Brown; Imogen Heap; Corinne Bailey Rae; Carrie Underwood.
Pop Vocal Album: "Back to Basics," Christina Aguilera; "Back to Bedlam," James Blunt; "The River in Reverse," Elvis Costello and Allen Toussaint; "Continuum," John Mayer; "FutureSex/LoveSounds," Justin Timberlake.
Rock Album: "Try," John Mayer Trio; "Highway Companion," Tom Petty; "Broken Boy Soldiers," The Raconteurs; "Stadium Arcadium," Red Hot Chili Peppers; "Living With War," Neil Young.
R&B Album: "The Breakthrough," Mary J. Blige; "Unpredictable," Jamie Foxx; "Testimony: Vol. 1, Life and Relationship," India.Arie; "3121," Prince; "Coming Home," Lionel Richie.
Rap Album: "Lupe Fiasco's Food and Liquor," Lupe Fiasco; "Release Therapy," Ludacris; "In My Mind," Pharrell; "Game Theory," the Roots; "King," T.I.
Country Album: "Taking the Long Way," Dixie Chicks; "Like Red on a Rose," Alan Jackson; "The Road to Here," Little Big Town; "You Don't Know Me: The Songs of Cindy Walker," Willie Nelson; "Your Man," Josh Turner.
Latin Pop Album: "Adentro," Arjona; "Lo Que Trajo El Barco," Obie Bermodez; "Individual," Fulano; "Trozos De Mi Alma 2," Marco Antonio Solis; "Limon Y Sal," Julieta Venegas.
Contemporary Jazz Album: "The Hidden Land," Bela Fleck and the Flecktones; "People People Music Music," Groove Collective; "Rewind That," Christian Scott; "Sexotica," Sex Mob; "Who Let the Cats Out?," Mike Stern.
Classical Album: "Beethoven: Symphonies Nos. 1-9," Bernard Haitink, conductor, James Mallinson producer (London Symphony Orchestra); "Lieberson: Rilke Songs, the Six Realms, Horn Concerto," David Starobin, producer (the Odense Symphony Orchestra); "Mahler: Symphony No. 7," Michael Tilson Thomas, conductor, Andreas Neubronner, producer (San Francisco Symphony; "Martha Argerich and Friends: Live From the Lugano Festival 2005," Martha Argerich and Friends, Ulrich Ruscher, producer; "Mozart: La Clemenza Di Tito," Rene Jacobs, conductor, Marie-Claude Chappuis, Bernarda Fink, Sergio Foresti, Sunhai Im, Mark Padmore and Alexandrina Pendatchanska, Martin Sauer, producer (Freiburger Barockorchester |
posted by viraks @ 11:25:00 PM  |
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| Diana Krall : Twins for Elvis Costello & Diana Krall |
Elvis Costello and wife Diana Krall are the parents of twin boys.
The new arrivals — named Dexter Henry Lorcan and Frank Harlan James — were born on Wednesday, according to a statement from the couple. "We are ecstatic!" the statement continued, going on to add that "mother and sons are doing splendidly."
The births came on the couple's third wedding anniversary. The statement provided no other details on the twins.
Costello, 52, is a Rock and Roll Hall of Famer known for songs like "Veronica," "Pump It Up" and "Alison." He most recently collaborated with Allen Toussaint on the album "The River in Reverse." The 42-year-old Krall, a jazz singer, released her latest album, "From This Moment On," in September.
The couple live in New York. This is Costello's third marriage, and Krall's first. |
| posted by viraks @ 10:18:00 PM |
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| Madonna's fur coat sparks outrage |
Animal rights campaigners have reacted angrily to Madonna's decision to wear a fur coat made from the skins of chinchillas.
The pop icon was pictured earlier this week with her husband Guy Ritchie leaving a restaurant in London in the coat.
The $70,000 fur apparently uses the skin of 40 chinchillas, prompting outrage from groups such as People For The Ethical Treatment Of Animals (PETA).
They've called on Madonna to show a similar level of empathy to animals as she recently displayed to African children.
A spokeswoman for PETA said: "We encourage anyone who wears fur to watch videos of these animals being electrocuted, caught in traps, and skinned alive. Thousands of people, including Paris Hilton, have said that the videos changed their minds about wearing fur.
"Chinchillas are shy, intelligent animals who can live for up to 15 years in the wild. Yet on fur farms, these animals are violently killed while fully conscious."
The spokeswoman added: "We hope that Madonna's recent acts of kindness in Africa move her to extend her compassion to animals." |
| posted by viraks @ 10:07:00 PM |
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| Beyonce B' day 06 |
Beyonce recorded her sophomore solo album immediately following the filming of the movie DreamGirls. The angst-filled lyrics reflect what Beyonce wished her character Deena could have said to her husband in the film based on the 1980s musical.
Beyoncé Knowles is one of the many impressive artists of the new millennium, but an individual in her own right. She's praised for her wildly inventive presentations in music and film, and respected for her down-to-earth persona. With her grace, beauty, charm, and gift for entertaining, Knowles has become a star and an American icon.
Born in Houston in the fall of 1981, Beyoncé Giselle Knowles started performing at age seven. From dance classes to singing in the church choir, Knowles was a natural. She and cousin Kelly Rowland met Latavia Roberson during this time, and the trio formed a group with Letoya Luckett. Mathew Knowles, Beyoncé's father and Rowland's legal guardian, signed on to be the girls' manager. This situation would ultimately lead to the formation of one of the greatest female R&B groups of all time -- Destiny's Child.
Destiny's Child made its debut 1990 and within ten years, the vocal act had experienced personal and political highs and lows that fueled the group's desire to make it big. Destiny's Child sold 33 million albums worldwide by 2002 and earned a slew of Grammys and additional music awards. "Jumpin' Jumpin'," "Bills, Bills, Bills," "Say My Name," and "Survivor" were smash hits, and the group appeared unstoppable. |
| posted by viraks @ 8:02:00 AM |
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| A Tribute To A legend 1940-1980 |
December 8, 2006 marks the 26th anniversary of legendary Beatle John Lennon's tragic death--a day of infamy in the annals of pop music, certainly, and a day worth looking back at the singer and paying tribute to his enormous contribution not just to music, but to popular culture in general. Join Yahoo! Music as we focus on the unforgettable work that has made Lennon one of the 20th century's most unforgettable and inspiring figures...starting with these rare and infamous appearances by John and his wife Yoko Ono on the '70s TV hit The Dick Cavett Show. |
| posted by viraks @ 7:39:00 AM |
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| December 5, 2006 |
| Britney : tops most-searched list |
 Oops, she did it again. For the fifth time in the last six years, Britney Spears topped Yahoo Inc. (Nasdaq:YHOO - news)'s most popular search term list for 2006.
Spears shares the top five with fellow blonde celebrities Shakira at No. 3 followed by Jessica Simpson and then Paris Hilton, who dethroned Spears in 2004. World Wrestling Entertainment sneaked in at No. 2.
Female stars Beyonce Knowles, Pamela Anderson and Lindsay Lohan helped to fill out the top ten.
"We consistently see female celebrities in the top ten, but WWE at second shows there are lot of underground fans out there, one of their guilty pleasures," said Heather Moylan of Yahoo Buzz.
The most searched news story in 2006 was alligator wrestler Steve Irwin's death followed by the death of Anna Nicole Smith's son. Geopolitical stories rounded out the top five with the conflict in Iraq, the Israel-Lebanon conflict and the U.S. elections.
President George Bush was the most searched politician this year, while Vice President Dick Cheney came in at No. 5, buoyed by his hunting accident in February. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger ranked second with the Clintons following behind — Bill at No. 3 and Hillary at No. 4. |
| posted by viraks @ 9:30:00 AM |
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| December 4, 2006 |
| Paris Hilton : quits Billboard awards over jokes |
 Paris Hilton won't joke about her peeps. The hotel heiress canceled an appearance at next week's Billboard Music Awards because she didn't like the jokes written for her, according to a spokesman.
"It is my understanding that some satirical references ridiculed some of her peers," her spokesman, Elliot Mintz, said in a statement. "Paris did not want to say anything that could appear hurtful or embarassing about people she knows."
Mintz said Hilton received a script Friday that contained material she found "objectionable." Representatives for Hilton and the awards show could not come to an agreement about the script's content so she decided to scrap the appearance, he said.
A call to Billboard was not returned early Saturday.
The Billboard Awards will be handed out Monday at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. The show is scheduled to air live on Fox. |
| posted by viraks @ 9:18:00 AM |
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| Wyclef Jean : Wyclef Jean wants 'to build a new Haiti' |
 Wyclef Jean called on his Haitian countrymen to reject violence and work for a stable future during a free concert aimed at promoting development in the impoverished nation.
"It's time to build a new Haiti," the Grammy-winning artist told more than 20,000 cheering fans Friday night at the waterfront pier of this resort town. It was his first concert in Haiti in eight years.
The concert capped off a weeklong film and culture festival organized by Jean's Yele Haiti charity, which promotes music and the arts as a way to reduce poverty, create jobs and improve Haiti's image.
Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere and most of its 8 million people live on less than $2 per day. The Caribbean country is struggling to recover from a bloody 2004 revolt that toppled former president Jean-Bertrand Aristide.
Jean, a Haitian citizen who lives in the United States, condemned the ongoing street violence that has followed the revolt, especially a wave of kidnappings for ransom that have plagued the capital, Port-au-Prince.
"If we don't stop kidnappings, the country can't develop," Jean said.
Jean was born in Haiti but left for the United States with his family at age 9. He later achieved world fame through his hip-hop band, The Fugees. |
| posted by viraks @ 9:11:00 AM |
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| Dolly Parton : Stars honored at John F. Kennedy Center |
 The five stars come from very different backgrounds and parts of the world — from Hollywood to Motown, Britain to India — but now share a notable achievement.
They all received recognition on Sunday at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts for a lifetime of achievement in the performing arts.
Movie director Steven Spielberg, singers Dolly Parton and Smokey Robinson, composer Andrew Lloyd Webber and conductor Zubin Mehta were recognized as members of the 29th annual class of Kennedy Center honorees.
At an evening gala at the Kennedy Center, fellow entertainers and artists celebrated the careers of the five honorees.
During the ceremony, singer Aretha Franklin spoke about Robinson's contributions to music.
"This beautiful, kind, kind man wrote and sang poetically and unselfconsciously about love ... redefining popular music in the '60s, using the connective power of song to break down the barriers of black and white," she said.
Mehta was described by violinist Itzhak Perlman as "what we call in Yiddish a mensch" — someone who is worthy and full of good deeds. The Israel Philharmonic Orchestra performed, accompanied by violinist Pinchas Zuckerman.
Composer Webber heard a tribute from Sarah Brightman, a singer who was married to Webber for several years, remains a friend and has performed in several of Webber's productions among her many stage performances.
"At this very moment somewhere in the world, the curtain is going up on an Andrew Lloyd Webber show," she said.
Earlier in the evening, the performers dropped by the White House for a private reception with President Bush and first lady Laura Bush.
"This is absolutely fantastic," said Robinson, a Motown recording legend, as he arrived at the White House. "I'm so honored and so flattered to get this because it not only deals with your craft; they attach what impact you have on humanity to this."
Others who strolled the East Wing colonnade for the reception included singer-actress Jessica Simpson, singers Vince Gill and Kenny Rogers and movie producer George Lucas. Rep. Patrick Kennedy (news, bio, voting record), the Rhode Island Democrat, walked in with actress Fran Drescher.
Simpson later had an uncomfortable moment singing "Nine to Five" as part of the tribute to Parton, finishing the song abruptly with the words "so nervous" and quickly exiting, to no applause. She was in tears when she and the other singers in the tribute came back out.
Country singer Reba McEntire told the audience Parton changed Nashville.
"Once upon a time, a woman in Nashville was told what song to sing, in what clothes," she said. "Because of Dolly we've been writing, producing and singing our own music for some time now."
Spielberg got a tribute from actor Tom Hanks, who starred in the World War II movie "Saving Private Ryan." Hanks brought five veterans of the war and one Holocaust survivor on stage to honor Spielberg for his film remembrances of those events.
Parton, 60, a country singer who has performed for more than four decades, is a Grammy-winner who also has appeared in movies such as "Nine to Five," "The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas" and "Steel Magnolias." And there is her Dollywood theme park in Pigeon Forge, Tenn.
Spielberg, 58, has won two Academy Awards for best director, for "Schindler's List" and "Saving Private Ryan." Among his other film are "E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial," "Jaws," "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" and the Indiana Jones series.
Robinson, 66, is best known for classics such as "The Tracks Of My Tears," "Tears Of A Clown" and "I Second That Emotion." He is in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
London-born Webber, 58, is responsible for the music for "Cats," "The Phantom of the Opera," "Jesus Christ Superstar" and "Evita." He has won seven Tony Awards and three Grammy Awards.
Indian-born Mehta, 70, was music director of the New York Philharmonic from 1978 to 1991 and has led the Montreal Symphony Orchestra and the Los Angeles Philharmonic. |
| posted by viraks @ 9:02:00 AM |
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| December 3, 2006 |
| Chasing Amy: Evanescence Caps Killers |
Evanescence is the Little Rock band with a big rock debut.
Despite a revamped lineup, the Amy Lee-led band still knows how to make an entrance as its sophomore album, The Open Door, shut on the Killers and topped the album charts.
The Arkansas-bred band's major-label debut, Fallen, sold nearly 14 million copies worldwide and became one of only eight albums ever to spend a full year in the Top 50 of the Billboard 200. Still, The Open Door, which features guitarist Terry Balsamo taking over for band cofounder Ben Moody, is the band's first chart-topper, selling 447,000 copies for the week ended Sunday, per Nielsen SoundScan numbers, outselling the Killers' sophomore release, Sam's Town.
With the new single, "Call Me When You're Sober," performing strongly on radio, The Open Door also went number one in Australia, Germany, Greece, Japan and Switzerland and Top 5 in over a dozen other countries. The disc opened at number two in the U.K., behind the Killers.
Powered by "When We Were Young," the first Killers track to top the Alternative/Modern Rock chart, Sam's Town finished second in U.S. sales with 315,000 copies. The follow-up to the 5 million-selling debut Hot Fuss was shepherded by legendary producers Flood and Alan Moulder and recorded at the Palms Hotel & Casino, making the Killers the first group to cut an album at the Sin City resort's new recording studio.
With Evanescence and the Killers debuting atop the album chart, and five newcomers in the Top 10, last week's 1-2 punch took a slide. Ludacris' Release Therapy fell five spots to number six, while Janet Jackson's 20 Y.O. dropped seven spots to nine.
George Strait's It Just Comes Natural opened at number three on 232,000 copies sold. The country music legend debuted at number one last year with Somewhere Down in Texas. Meanwhile, Beck's The Information moved nearly 100,000 copies to debut at number seven, while Monica opened at eight, selling 93,000 copies of Makings of Me.
The remaining Top 10 albums, all holdovers, included Tony Bennett's Duets: An American Classic at four, Justin Timberlake's FutureSex/LoveSounds at five and Hinder's Extreme Behavior in the 10 spot.
Just outside the Top 10, Aussie rockers Jet landed at 16, selling 51,000 copies of Shine On. The new disc is dedicated to the recently deceased father of band members Nic and Chris Cester.
Chris Young, the 21-year-old winner of USA's Nashville Star competition, sold 36,000 of his self-titled bow to open at 22, just a few copies more of the posthumous Ray Charles release, Ray Sings Basie Swings. Gospel star Fred Hammond opened at 29 with Free to Worship moving 31,000.
Finally, the Decemberists' major label debut, The Crane Wife, sold 26,000 to open at 35, marking the Portland band's best sales week and chart debut.
Other albums cracking the Billboard 200 included Wow Hits 2007 at 39, Robin Thicke's The Evolution of Robin Thicke at 45, SPM (South Park Mexican)'s When Devils Strike at 46, Big Boi cohort Sleepy Brown's Mr. Brown at 53, Skillet's Comatose at 55, Smokie Norful's Life Changing at 56, From Kumbia Kings to Kumbia All-Starz at 68, Pillar's The Reckoning at 70 and Pepper's No Shame at 96.
Meanwhile, Bruce Springsteen's We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions reentered the charts at 111 thanks to the release of the American Land Edition, which features bonus songs and videos. Likewise, with Walk the Line hitting HBO, the soundtrack reentered the charts at 123 and The Legend of Johnny Cash collection climbed 14 spots to 72 in its 50th week on the charts. |
| posted by viraks @ 9:26:00 AM |
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| Slipknot Vocalist Taylor Never Considered Leaving For Stone Sour |
Slipknot vocalist Corey Taylor is set to release an album with his other band, Stone Sour, on Tuesday (August 27). The self-titled Roadrunner debut is more melodic and isn't as heavy as Slipknot, but he hopes fans will love it just the same.
Stone Sour actually predates Slipknot. Taylor formed the band in 1992. When news of Taylor's interest in music other than Slipknot surfaced, rumors were rampant that the vocalist had soured on his bread-and-butter band, but Taylor tells LAUNCH that the talk is nothing more than rumors.
"No there was no truth to that at all, man. At the end of the Iowa tour. I was just really, again, really burned out with not only just the complete brutality of Slipknot, but I just needed to do something new. It was weird. I needed to go back to go forward. I was never going to leave Slipknot. It was just about me being able to do this so I could come back and do Slipknot with the same kind of energy that I had on the first two albums, you know?"
Taylor added, "This project was already really in place, but when I got off the Iowa cycle that's when it really started getting serious. That's when a lot of our really good newer sh-t came out. Because we were like, 'You know what? No conditions, no walls, no holds barred. We're gonna write what we write, and if people like it, they like it.'"
Stone Sour just released its single "Bother" to Active Rock radio. Taylor is currently playing festival dates with Slipknot, but does plan on taking Stone Sour on the road later this year. |
| posted by viraks @ 9:20:00 AM |
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| U2's Bono urges Japan to boost Africa aid |
Rock star and anti-poverty activist Bono urged Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Wednesday to keep his nation's pledge to boost aid to Africa and other parts of the developing world.
"Some countries make promises and they don't keep them. Japan, we trust to fulfill their promise," Bono, in Japan on his band U2's Vertigo 2006 tour, told reporters after meeting with Abe.
The rock star said he won a pledge from Abe to continue Japan's efforts to help the developing world, despite budgetary constraints in Tokyo.
In return, Bono presented the Japanese politician with a pair of his trademark Giorgio Armani sunglasses, which are sold to raise funds for his anti-AIDS campaign.
Abe tried them on and Bono declared his look as "very cool."
"I've always seen George Bush looking at my sunglasses like this but George Bush never put them on," Bono said. "The last pope, John Paul, he put them on and Prime Minister Abe. Very cool!"
Japan vowed before and during the 2005 G-8 summit in Scotland to spend billions of dollars more in aid on Africa and on development assistance overall, contributing to a doubling of wealthy nations' aid to Africa to $50 billion by 2010.
Bono praised Japanese government aid for lifting many Asian countries from poverty and said "there is a lot we can learn from Japan in applying to the rest of the developing world." |
| posted by viraks @ 9:17:00 AM |
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| Incubus Biography |
Incubus rose to become one of the most popular alt-metal bands of the new millennium, setting themselves apart from a crowded field with a somewhat less-negative outlook and tireless touring. Formed in 1991 in the San Fernando Valley suburb of Calabasas, CA, group members Brandon Boyd (vocals, percussion), Mike Einziger (guitar), Alex Katunich (aka Dirk Lance; bass), and José Pasillas (drums) were all tenth grade classmates when they got together. Their early funk-metal sound was heavily influenced by the Red Hot Chili Peppers, but broadened over the next few years to incorporate thrash, rap-metal, post-grunge rock, and grinding alt-metal à la Korn or the Deftones. By the time the group graduated from high school, they had already been playing all-ages shows around southern California on a regular basis. In 1995, Incubus added hip-hop turntablist DJ Lyfe (aka Gavin Koppel) to their lineup and recorded the independently released album Fungus Amongus. That, coupled with their strong local following, helped the band get a deal with Epic subsidiary Immortal.
Incubus' first major-label release was the six-song EP Enjoy Incubus, which was released in early 1997 and consisted of previous demos that were revamped in the studio. Later in the year, their first full-length album, S.C.I.E.N.C.E., was released. Incubus hit the road with a vengeance, opening for bands like Korn, Primus, 311, Sublime, and Unwritten Law. By the summer of 1998, the band had amassed enough of a following to land a slot on that year's Ozzfest tour. They also wound up the year as part of Korn's inaugural Family Values tour, by which time DJ Lyfe had departed and been replaced by DJ Kilmore (first name Chris). With their momentum and exposure slowly building, Incubus returned to the studio and delivered their follow-up album, Make Yourself, in late 1999. The group went right back out on the road, and their stint on the 2000 Ozzfest helped crystallize the new audience that the single "Pardon Me" was pulling in. Although Make Yourself barely broke the Top 50 on the album charts, it was a steady seller that eventually pushed past the double-platinum mark. The second single, "Stellar," was a smaller-sized hit on rock radio, but the album's biggest song didn't hit the airwaves until 2001; "Drive" was a left-field success that became their first Top Ten hit on the pop charts. Incubus expanded their audience by playing Moby's Area: One package tour that summer, and with "Drive" still fresh in the public's mind, released their next album, Morning View, in the fall of 2001. It entered the charts at number two, confirming that Incubus had diligently worked themselves into stardom. "Wish You Were Here," "Nice to Know You," and "Warning" were all popular on rock radio, and the band naturally toured heavily in support -- this time as a headliner. In early 2003, Incubus became embroiled in a contract dispute with Sony and filed a lawsuit to have their deal terminated under California labor laws. In April, the band announced the departure of bassist Dirk Lance. Within days, fellow Incubus guitarist Mike Eiziger called upon his Time-Lapse Consortium mate, Ben Kenney to be Lance's permanent replacement. The group remained a part of the Sony empire, however, and released A Crow Left of the Murder on Epic/Immortal in 2004. ~ Steve Huey, All Music Guide |
| posted by viraks @ 8:52:00 AM |
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