Posts filed under 'Music Related News'
NEW YORK (Reuters) - With five Grammies under his belt, R&B singer Usher is moving into Tony territory — making his Broadway debut in a revival of the musical “Chicago.”
The five-time Grammy winner will play the role of the devious lawyer Billy Flynn –
Richard Gere’s part in the 2002 Best Picture Oscar winner — producers Barry and Fran Weissler said on Friday.
Usher, 27, joins a list of stars who have appeared on Broadway this year that includes Julia Roberts (”Three Days of Rain”), Denzel Washington (”Julius Caesar”) and Christina Applegate (”Sweet Charity”).
Usher will be opening in the long-running revival of “Chicago” on August 22 and stay with the show until Oct 1.
“Being on Broadway allows you to connect to audiences in a whole new way that’s different from music and movies,” Usher said in a statement.
Usher, whose full name is Usher Raymond, was discovered in a talent competition at 13 and has since released five albums with his hit songs including “Confessions,” “Burn,” and “Yeah!”
He has also appeared on several television shows and films such as the thriller “The Faculty,” the high school comedy “She’s All That,” and romantic comedy “In The Mix.”
We wish you all the BEST.
Source
technorati tags:Usher, chicago, musical, broadway
July 16th, 2006
If there were an organization called the National Association for the Advancement of Multi-Ethnic Music Video Hootchies, they would surely find great investment and reward in The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift, given that it would gainfully employ so much of their membership.
Brawny, testosteronized action flicks like this are always being accused, sometimes quite unfairly, of being unthinkingly misogynistic, but the third installment of The Fast and the Furious franchise tells us forthrightly what it thinks of women when, in the first 10 minutes of its perfunctory setup, it has the putative high school girlfriend of one character offer herself up by purring, “Why don’t you race for me?” and then has our lead character’s middle-aged mother winkingly come on to a police officer who’s arrested her son. Nice. I’m sure Betty Friedan would enthusiastically approve.
Much ass-slapping and ogling of micro-skirts ensues — as much as a PG-13 rating will allow, at any rate. If both completely conforming to audience expectation (for the randy party base) and finding new ways to tweak and/or subvert it are the two sometimes at-odds goals for genre cash-dashes of this ilk, Tokyo Drift arguably “succeeds” only in the first regard: staffed by a small army of sound mixers, sound editors, rotoscope artists and digital effects compositors, it’s a movie every bit as loud and predictably dreadful as one might imagine.
The story centers on Sean Boswell (Friday Night Lights’ Lucas Black), a headstrong Texas kid whose toothy grin always seems to get him in trouble with the jock boyfriends of every girl with which he flirts. Sean’s got a jones for racing, too, but his latest escapade ranks as a third strike, which causes that aforementioned floozy of a mother of his to ship Sean off to Japan to live with his estranged father, a career military man. Now a gaijin twice over, Sean hooks up with Army brat Twinkie (Bow Wow), and discovers the world of drift racing — comprised of hairpin turns and switchbacks born both of Tokyo’s cramped urban confines and winding mountain roads.
Sean disrespects the reigning king of this scene, D.K. (Brian Tee), by, yes, chatting up his girlfriend Neela (newcomer Nathalie Kelley). D.K. is the nephew of Kamata (Sonny Chiba), an underworld crime boss, but Sean doesn’t back down, accepting a race in which he borrows a car from Han (Sung Kang), D.K.’s friend and associate. Unfamiliar with drifting, Sean loses, wrecking the car in the process. Indebted to Han, he begins accompanying him on errands, winning over his trust and establishing a rapport with him. After Sean defends Twinkie from one of D.K.’s thugs and bests the same goon in a race, D.K. becomes even more furious (though not necessarily faster), setting up a final stakes race confrontation on a steep mountain descent.
While Black has some twangy charisma, he’s given precious little with which to work. Cellular scribe Chris Morgan’s screenplay is an exercise in pure functionality; two elementary school kids sitting next to me at a screening kept themselves busy between mouthfuls of popcorn and soda by predicting the call-and-response of dialogue. Combining CGI with practical stunt work, director Justin Lin (Better Luck Tomorrow, Annapolis) brings a small measure of flash to some of the movie’s race sequences, but the spatial relationships so crucial to their understanding and emotional investment are lacking, and the gauzy nighttime setting of the penultimate showdown blunts its impact.
The film’s locale is somewhat novel, and Black — who’s all growed up and filled out from his Sling Blade days — certainly a serviceable guide. Still, I can’t think of a particularly compelling reason to see The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift, though if an eager moviegoer does they’ll surely be rewarded with ample portions of the colorfully expected. But, you ask, aren’t films like these not designed for critics? On the one hand, yes, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that they need be so distressingly clichéd in their treatment of women and other supporting characters, and completely foreseeable in every other regard
June 16th, 2006
Hip-hop star Missy Elliott is to play the lead role in a film chronicling her life, Universal Pictures has announced. The film, which is untitled and in the development phase, will be produced by actor Robert De Niro through his company Tribeca Films.
Elliott, 34, who has won four Grammy awards during her career, is best known for her hit Get Ur Freak On.
She has released six solo albums and produced for artists including Justin Timberlake and Janet Jackson.
The musician, who was born in Portland, Virginia, began her performing career with all-female singing group Sista.
She signed her first solo deal with Elektra Records on the condition that they would subsidise her own record label.
Other recording artists she has worked with include Whitney Houston and former Spice Girl Mel B.
June 16th, 2006
Rappers have long professed their love of drinking “Cristals by the bottle”, incorporating the champagne - which can sell for more than £700 - in lyrics and music videos.
But Louis Roederer, makers of the gold-labelled Cristal, have not welcomed their association with the “bling” lifestyle, provoking leading names in the rap music industry, including Jay-Z, the president of Def Jam records, to boycott the brand.
In a summer issue of The Economist, Frederic Rouzaud, the managing director of Louis Roederer, said the company viewed the affection for his company’s champagne from rappers and their fans with “curiosity and serenity”. When asked if the association with the “bling lifestyle” could be detrimental, Mr Rouzaud replied: “That’s a good question, but what can we do? We can’t forbid people from buying it. I’m sure Dom Perignon or Krug would be delighted to have their business.”
Yesterday, Jay-Z said he would pull Cristal from his chain of sports lounges - where bottles sell for £357 and £476 - and his Manhattan and Atlantic City clubs, as well as from his personal flutes, and replace it with Krug and Dom Perignon. He said: “It has come to my attention that the managing director of Cristal views the ‘hip-hop’ culture as unwelcome attention. I view his comments as racist and will no longer support any of his products through any of my various brands, including The 40/40 Club, nor in my personal life.”
However, it was not Mr Rouzaud, but the author of the article who used the phrase “unwelcome attention” that so angered the hip-hop artist. After quoting Mr Rouzaud, Gideon Rachman wrote: “Both Dom Perignon and Krug have had their share of unwelcome attention, too.”
Ron Berkowitz, Jay-Z’s agent, said his client remained offended. “They’re trying to distance themselves from the hip-hop community,” he said. “The hip-hop world certainly helped elevate the presence of Cristal. At the end of the day, isn’t the goal for any company to sell bottles?”
Cristal, which was created in 1876 for Tsar Alexander II of Russia, has been featured in hip-hop lyrics since the early 1990s. Kanye West, 50 Cent, Mos Def and Beenie Man have all referenced the brand. Jay-Z first mentioned the drink in 1996 on the song Can’t Knock the Hustle: “My motto, stack rocks like Colorado/Auto off the champagne, Cristals by the bottle.”
Boycotts by rappers have proved effective in the past. In 2003, Pepsi agreed to give £2.38m to charity after the Def Jam co-founder Russell Simmons threatened a boycott. The drinks company had cancelled an advertising campaign by one of its rappers, Ludacris, after criticism over offensive language, in favour of an advert by the Osbourne family. Simmons said they were “no less vulgar”.
Rappers’ delight
Jay-Z “In My Lifetime”
Only pop and droppin Cristal’s down my throat, take a swigga
My style, ladies intoxicated by my profile
Your rollin with a pro with, money to blow child
Kanye West “Celebration”
You know what though? You my favorite accident
So go head pop some Cristal
For my newborn child cuz now y’all
50 Cent “The Hit”
When we came through the do’
I copped a case of Cristal, and copped one bottle of Mo
Mos Def “Got”
And while you Cristal sippin’, they rubbin’ up they mittens
With heat in mint condition to start the getti-gettin’
Beenie Man “Yagga Yo” (feat So Solid Crew)
When I’m down they will blaze trees wit me
Sip the Cristal cause life is easy
June 16th, 2006
Pop princess Britney Spears, whose marriage and parenting skills are under a media microscope, tearfully admitted being “an emotional wreck” in excerpts of an interview aired on Thursday.Intermittently weeping and chewing gum throughout, Spears denied she is estranged from her husband, Kevin Federline, saying on NBC’s “Today” show that Federline is helping her weather the hormonal ups and downs of her second pregnancy.
“He helps me. He has to. I’m an emotional wreck right now,” Spears said. “Not in a bad way. Just, just, you know, I’ll start laughing hysterically and then I’ll just start crying, like just because … . It’s my hormones.
She called paparazzi images of her driving with her infant son, Sean Preston, on her lap “cheap shots” and said that as a small child, she sat in her father’s lap as he drove.
Spears said she has wept on occasion over allegations that she is a bad mother, and wished only that paparazzi would leave her alone.
“You have to realize that we’re people and that we need, we just need privacy and we need our respect,” she said. “And those are things that you have to have as a human being.”
The remarks were excerpted from an interview to be shown on NBC’s “Dateline”.
June 16th, 2006
Geri Halliwell has given birth to a baby girl at London’s Portland Hospital, according to The Sun.
The singer’s representatives haven’t officially confirmed the birth yet, but it is believed she underwent a Caesarean section in the early hours this morning at the private hospital. And she reportedly enjoyed the services of the same obstetrician that delivered Victoria Beckham’s first son Brooklyn.
Geri’s mum Anna Maria was at her side, but The Sun claims father Sacha Gervasi – a Hollywood screenwriter who split with Geri shortly after she fell pregnant – was not present.
May 15th, 2006
Britney Spears says she misses touring and can’t wait to get back to work.
It’s only been five months since she popped out son Sean Preston, but the hardworking princess of pop reckons she’s ready to make a return to music. She said: “This may sound weird, but I miss travelling. I miss the road, seeing different places and being with the dancers and having fun.
“That feeling of being on the stage, knowing it’s your best – I love that. I needed a break. I needed to be hungry again. I belong out there. I can do these things.”
And Britney says that while she’s been away there have been no serious challengers for her pop crown. “It’s a huge lull. I haven’t seen anybody out there who has had a performance where I’m like, ‘That’s awesome’. It’s been boring. Nothing’s been wow to me.”
Please come back Britney - the world needs wow.
technorati tags: Comeback, sean preston, Britney Spears
February 17th, 2006
The King’s daughter quietly marries her producer in Japan
Lisa Marie Presley, daughter of late rock & roll legend Elvis, married guitarist and music producer Michael
Lockwood on January 22nd in a traditional Japanese ceremony in Kyoto, Japan, her publicist announced Thursday.
This is the fourth marriage for Presley, 38, who has previously exchanged vows with Michael Jackson, Oscar-winning actor Nicolas Cage and songwriter Danny Keough, the father of her two children. Keough served as best man at the Kyoto ceremony, while Presley’s mother, actress Priscilla Presley, walked the bride down the aisle.
Lockwood executive-produced Presley’s second album, 2005’s Now What, which featured collaborations with Pink, ex-Sex Pistols guitarist Steve Jones and songwriter Linda Perry. Keough and Billy Corgan were among those Presley collaborated with on her 2003 debut, To Whom It May Concern. Both were Top Ten albums.
technorati tags: Lisa Marie Presley, Elvis Presley, Michael Lockwood, marriage, wedding
February 17th, 2006
Spears: “Princess Diana got killed by one of these people. They’re crossing the line.”
Pop princess Britney Spears declared during an interview yesterday that she is frustrated and angry over the paparazzi, because she can’t leave the house to take a walk with her four-month baby without being stalked by them.
Spears, 24, who was heavily criticized last week after she was photographed driving with her son Sean Preston on her lap, also declared that not even the police can protect her from the paparazzi.
“I don’t really go out with him,” Spears told a US magazine. “And it’s kind of sad because I can’t walk down the street with a stroller (pram). I’m not expecting people to pity me. I’m just telling the truth.”
“I’ve pulled over and asked the cops, ‘Could you please help me? They’ve been driving recklessly back there.’ And they say, ‘Sorry ma’am, I can’t help you. This is how it is.’”
“I mean, Princess Diana got killed by one of these people. They’re crossing the line.”
Last week, in an interview broadcast by the TV show, “Access Hollywood” Britney said: “I made a mistake and so it is what it is, I guess. Being put in the situation that I was in, it was kind of bad with the paparazzi.”
February 16th, 2006
Hip-hop MC and producer Jay Dee (also known as J Dilla), a founding member of the Detroit rap outfit Slum Village, died Friday morning of kidney failure at his home in Los Angeles, officials at his record label said Friday evening.
Born James Yancey, he was a nationally influential producer and a champion of Detroit’s urban music scene. When hip-hop was largely being dominated by the East and West coasts, he put a distinct Detroit sound on many national acts.
He celebrated his 32nd birthday Tuesday with a new album release, “Donuts.”
“Jay Dee was the man with the beats,” said Mark Hicks, who has been on the Detroit hip-hop scene since the early 1990s and is a former manager of the group D12. Hicks got the word that Jay Dee died from Detroit rapper Proof, who sent him a message via his Blackberry.
“I remember when he was selling beats back in ’95, ’96 for like 100 or 200 bucks,” Hicks said. Beats are the instrumental tracks that form the backbone of hip-hop music.
“Everybody went to him. He was selective. Even back then, you could see him being a producer in the long run just on how he made the music He took the artists and said, ‘This is how you should lyrically say this.’ He was a prodigy.” If you saw him in the studio, it was like he was the man.”
Guided by an encyclopedic ear and a jazz musician’s touch, he molded a signature style that blended hip-hop street bounce with a progressive flair. Live instruments were digitally processed into strange new tones, and vintage soul samples mixed with obscure rock records, with his own warm synthesizer lines layered on top.
“He invented the sound of Detroit hip-hop,” said Waverly Alford, the Detroit rapper known as King Gordy. “He was Detroit hip-hop.”
Jay Dee worked with artists like A Tribe Called Quest, Common, Erykah Badu, D’Angelo and Janet Jackson. Even so, he retained a distinct underground attitude.
He recorded in Detroit, Los Angeles and New York.
In a statement, Peter Adarkwah, founder of BBE Records, said he was deeply saddened to learn of his death. “Jay was one of my favorite hip-hop producers of all time. His passion for music was a rare thing amongst people in the music industry. His music and presence will be sorely missed for many years to come.”
BBE was to release Jay Dee’s “The Shining” a follow-up to 2001’s “Welcome To Detroit” in June of this year.
“It’s a hell of a loss,” said Wayne Washington, who raps under the name Wayneeack X. “He was talented with a capital T. His sound was hard, but there was feeling behind it. It had your head knocking, but it made you think too.”
Jay Dee rarely gave interviews, preferring to stay out of the spotlight. The music community knew, however, that he had health problems. Last year in an interview with the hip-hop magazine XXL, he denied reports that he had been in a coma, but said he spent two months in a hospital’s ICU “with all types of tubes.”
He told the magazine, “I went overseas for two weeks and was eating all this crazy … food. As soon as I got back, I had the flu or something, and I had to check myself into the hospital.” He said the doctors discovered that, “I had a ruptured kidney and was malnourished from not eating the right kind of food. It was real simple, but it ended with me being in the hospital.”
Always the producer, he had a friend bring him a sound system and some vinyl so he could make beats in the hospital.
Denaun Porter, a sought-after producer in his own right, has said that Jay Dee influenced him to pursue his career. Like others who would go on to become members of Detroit’s hip-hop elite, Porter was hanging out in the mid-1990s at the Hip Hop Shop. The clothing store on Detroit’s west side hosted open mic shows and became an epicenter of the city’s emerging hip-hop scene.
Porter said it wasn’t until 1996 that he got serious about making music for a living. That’s when he saw Jay Dee come to the shop in a money green Jaguar. “I never knew anybody that wasn’t a drug dealer drive a car like that,” Porter said. “I liked that life a little more.”
Jay Dee Dee’s musical production came from humble beginnings. He started humbly, making beats on a tape deck. In 1992, Amp Fiddler taught him how to work an MPC-60, an electronic drum machine commonly used in R&B and hip-hop music.
Around 1988, Jay Dee formed Slum Village with Baatin and T3, friends from Pershing High School. Even though he left the group after their first national album, (“Fantastic Vol. 2,” released in 2000), they remained friends and he even produced later tracks for Slum Village.
The group now consists of rappers Elzhi and T3. Both are out of the country, and couldn’t immediately be reached for comment.
“Slum Village, man, they were doing their thing,’’ said Terry Scott of Tonya’s Music, a mom-and-pop shop on Detroit’s east side. “He was a pretty hot producer here in Detroit, the first big thing to come out of Detroit as far as producers.
“He was very young. I met him a couple of times. He came in the shop. For a brother like that to die at a young age, that’s sad. This is a loss to Detroit.”
Brian (B.Kyle) Atkins, a longtime documentarian of the hip-hop group the Roots, reported on the Stones Throw Records Web site that a memorial service will be Tuesday in Los Angeles. A Detroit service may be scheduled later.
technorati tags: Jay Dee, J Dilla, Dead, producer, hip hop mc
February 13th, 2006
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