Posts filed under 'Rock'
NEW YORK — “What would Axl do?” read the T-shirt on one of the Guns N’ Roses fans outside the Hammerstein Ballroom on Friday. They were lined up around the block waiting to get into the 3,300-capacity theater where Guns N’ Roses was scheduled to play its first show since a 2002 concert a couple of blocks away at Madison Square Garden.
As it turned out, Axl Rose wouldn’t do much, at least not in the way the T-shirt suggested — nothing to add to the list of no-shows, walkouts and confrontations with audience members that has made the band’s saga a trail of mayhem as well as music. The only musician to go into the audience Friday was guitarist Robin Finck, who did a little stage-diving and crowd-surfing near the end of the night.
The last time the L.A. band opened a tour, in Vancouver, Canada, Rose was late, the show was canceled and the fans rioted. That 2002 tour came to a premature end later on when Rose did the same thing in Philadelphia.
That history — as well as a newspaper report that Rose had missed a rehearsal — might have been lingering in people’s minds Friday as they came to witness the awakening of what they hoped was a slumbering giant. The four Hammerstein concerts (shows were also scheduled for Sunday, today and Wednesday) are a warm-up for a European tour, which will be followed, Rose recently announced, by the release of the band’s first album of new material since 1991, the infamously, interminably in-progress “Chinese Democracy.”
Showing good taste and high spirits, the crowd booed the opener, the Welsh band Bullet for My Valentine, off the stage, then waited for an hour until Guns N’ Roses came on at 11 p.m., complete with its lead singer.
Rose, wearing jeans, a black leather shirt and sunglasses, his hair in cornrows and tied in a ponytail, got a hero’s welcome as he led the band through its traditional opener, “Welcome to the Jungle.” His frame looked a little heftier at age 44 than in his street-waif heyday 20 years ago, but he kicked and scampered around with spirited energy, and his raspy voice had its old barbed-wire edge.
That was the start of a solid, smooth-running 2 1/2-hour set that was dominated by vintage fan favorites, with no tirades, no impulsive departures from the book, unless you count a guest appearance by Skid Row’s Sebastian Bach, singing with Rose on “My Michelle.” There was also a lot less of the tension that fueled the band’s performances in the late ’80s and early ’90s, largely because this is a different Guns N’ Roses, with the original lineup — most significantly, Rose’s colorful, guitar-wielding foil Slash — gone and new players in place since the late ’90s.
One teaser for Friday’s show was the unveiling of a new guitarist as replacement for the recently departed Buckethead. He turned out to be Ron Thal, from a New York outfit called, oddly enough, Bumblefoot, and who at one point played a guitar shaped and painted as a foot.
With its three guitarists, Guns N’ Roses’ 2006 edition is a hard-rock fan’s dream, churning out the Stones-cum-Aerosmith-influenced songs with requisite power. On Friday, they re-created the structures of such old standbys as “Sweet Child O’ Mine,” “Patience,” “Paradise City,” “Mr. Brownstone,” et al.
But at heart, it’s very different from the band Rose once fronted — one of the most popular, polarizing, powerful, controversial and fascinatingly self-sabotaging entities in rock. This is the curse of rock’s bad boys (and girls). If you find enough stability to show up and do a good show, you’ve lost your edge. If you keep too much of your edge, you’re going to find your audience dwindling to a morbid few waiting for your final mistake.
And two decades have created a distance from those early songs, which were immediate, close-to-the-bone expressions of rage and frustration from a troubled and eloquent kid. On Friday, they were all audience sing-alongs, enjoyable as celebrations of a community of fans and band but no longer scary, compelling pieces. The one that retained its essence best was the encore, “Paradise City,” because its message of longing for refuge carries a more universal reach.
The trick for Rose is to summon those songs’ original spirit while removing himself from the character who created them. The problem is that he hasn’t given us a new Axl to put the old material in a new context or, more important, to sing something new.
If “Chinese Democracy” really is coming soon, this would have been a perfect time to showcase it, but the few new songs came and went without much impact amid the nostalgia. The energetic title song, with its more contemporary sound, was a promising indication.
While this return was long awaited by some, Rose and company have been long forgotten by many. You can’t stay away forever if you want to keep your audience engaged plus attract new listeners. The intensity of Guns N’ Roses’ initial music and lifestyle might have earned Rose a temporary pass, but if he doesn’t show up soon, he’ll find he has the jungle all to himself.
May 15th, 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
ROCK star Pete Doherty escaped a jail term on Wednesday despite pleading guilty to possession of crack cocaine and heroin.
The troubled Babyshambles frontman was instead issued with a 12-month drug rehabilitation community order at Ealing Magistrates’ Court and told he must have drug tests every month.
But if he breaks the conditions of the order he could still find himself in jail.
Doherty, 26, had previously pleaded guilty to six counts of possessing Class A drugs, including morphine, as well as posession of cannabis.
Defence counsel Sean Curran said Doherty had an “entrenched drug addiction”.
“The easy option would be a custodial sentence but that would leave him vulnerable and open to drug use,” he told the court.
Doherty, standing in the dock wearing a dark jacket and cream-coloured shirt, was back in court for sentencing following his arrest in Ealing, on November 30, last year, and his subsequent arrests in east London for drugs possession on December 4, 2005, and January 26, 2006.
Mr Curran said Doherty wanted to “repay the fans’ loyalty and support” following his series of arrests during the last three months.
He said: “Pete Doherty has asked me to point out another reason he is in the public eye is that people derive enjoyment and are entertained by him.
“These people are his fans and he is happiest when he’s playing his guitar to others. He wants to repay their loyalty and support by coming through this at the other end as a successful and talented musician.”
Mr Curran argued that a custodial sentence should be deferred for Doherty to show the court that he was willing to rehabilitate himself. “If he comes back to court then there would really be no other option,” said Mr Curran.
Around 20 fans crowded into the public gallery to watch their hero face the charges.
Also in court were the remaining Babyshambles members, Doherty’s entertainments’ lawyer and members of Doherty’s family.
Cheers erupted in the courtroom as the magistrate declined to send the enigmatic singer to prison.
Speaking to Doherty directly, magistrate Ann McLaughlin said: “For all the offences before us today we are making a community order for a period of 12 months.
“You will submit to a treatment with a view to ending your dependency on drugs, and provide samples each month to see if you have drugs in your body.”
She added: “You will be brought back to court if you break any of the requirements. The court can increase the order or revoke the sentence which could involve being sent to prison.”
Sister Amy Jo said it was “a great result”.
Babyshambles have had to cancel three sell-out concerts in the past two weeks while Doherty has been remanded in Pentonville prison.
As he left court through a back door, he smiled and saluted to fans before being bundled into the back of a black Landrover.
Doherty, who was granted legal aid, was also ordered to pay costs of £129.
He is due to appear at Thames Magistrates’ Court on March 8 to review the order.
February 9th, 2006
Winners at Wednesday’s 48th Annual Grammy Awards:
Album of the Year: “How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb,” U2.
Record of the Year: “Boulevard of Broken Dreams,” Green Day.
New Artist: John Legend
Male R&B Vocal Performance: “Ordinary People,” John Legend.
Pop Vocal Album: “Breakaway,” Kelly Clarkson.
Rap/Sung Collaboration: “Numb/Encore,” Jay-Z featuring Linkin Park.
Song of the Year: “Sometimes You Can’t Make It on Your Own,” U2.
Female Pop Vocal Performance: “Since U Been Gone,” Kelly Clarkson.
Country Album: “Lonely Runs Both Ways,” Alison Krauss and Union Station.
Rap Album: “Late Registration,” Kanye West.
Rock Album: “How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb,” U2.
Rap Solo Performance: “Gold Digger,” Kanye West.
Rap Performance by a Duo or Group: “Don’t Phunk With My Heart,” The Black Eyed Peas.
Rap Song: “Diamonds From Sierra Leone,” D. Harris and Kanye West.
Solo Rock Vocal Performance: “Devils & Dust,” Bruce Springsteen.
Rock Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocal: “Sometimes You Can’t Make It on Your Own,” U2.
Hard Rock Performance: “B.Y.O.B.,” System of a Down.
Metal Performance: “Before I Forget,” Slipknot.
Rock Instrumental Performance: “69 Freedom Special,” Les Paul and Friends.
Rock Song: “City of Blinding Lights, U2, (U2).
Alternative Music Album: “Get Behind Me Satan,” The White Stripes.
Female R&B Vocal Performance: “We Belong Together,” Mariah Carey.
R&B Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocals: “So Amazing,” Beyonce and Stevie Wonder.
Traditional R&B Vocal Performance: “A House Is Not a Home,” Aretha Franklin.
Urban/Alternative Performance: “Welcome to Jamrock,” Damian Marley.
R&B Song: “We Belong Together,” J. Austin, M. Carey, J. Dupri & M. Seal, (D. Bristol, K. Edmonds, S. Johnson, P. Moten, S. Sully & B. Womack, (Mariah Carey).
R&B Album: “Get Lifted,” John Legend.
Contemporary R&B Album: “The Emancipation of Mimi,” Mariah Carey.
Male Pop Vocal Performance: “From the Bottom of My Heart,” Stevie Wonder.
Pop Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocal: “This Love,” Maroon 5.
Pop Collaboration With Vocals: “Feel Good Inc.,” Gorillaz Featuring De La Soul.
Pop Instrumental Performance: “Caravan,” Les Paul.
Pop Instrumental Album: “At This Time,” Burt Bacharach.
Traditional Pop Vocal Album: “The Art of Romance,” Tony Bennett.
Female Country Vocal Performance: “The Connection,” Emmylou Harris.
Male Country Vocal Performance: “You’ll Think of Me,” Keith Urban.
Country Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocal: “Restless,” Alison Krauss and Union Station.
Country Collaboration With Vocals: “Like We Never Loved at All,” Faith Hill and Tim McGraw.
Country Instrumental Performance: “Unionhouse Branch,” Alison Krauss and Union Station.
Country Song: “Bless the Broken Road,” Bobby Boyd, Jeff Hanna and Marcus Hummon, (Rascal Flatts).
Latin Pop Album: “Escucha,” Laura Pausini.
Latin Rock/Alternative Album: “Fijacion Oral Vol. 1,” Shakira.
Traditional Tropical Latin Album: “Bebo De Cuba,” Bebo Valdes.
Salsa/Merengue Album: “Son Del Alma,” Willy Chirino.
Mexican/Mexican-American Album: “Mexico En La Piel,” Luis Miguel.
Tejano Album: “Chicanisimo,” Little Joe Y La Familia.
Engineered Album, Classical: “Mendelssohn: The Complete String Quartets,” Da-Hong Seetoo, engineer (Emerson String Quartet).
Producer of the Year, Classical: Tim Handley.
Classical Album: “Bolcom: Songs of Innocence and of Experience,” Leonard Slatkin, conductor (Christine Brewer and Joan Morris, University of Michigan School of Music Symphony Orchestra).
Orchestral Performance: “Shostakovich: Symphony No. 13,” Mariss Jansons, conductor (Sergei Aleksashkin, Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra and Chorus).
Opera Recording: “Verdi: Falstaff,” Sir Colin Davis, conductor (London Symphony Chorus, London Symphony Orchestra).
Choral Performance: “Bolcom: Songs of Innocence and of Experience,” Leonard Slatkin, conductor (Christine Brewer, Measha Brueggergosman, Ilana Davidson, Nmon Ford, Linda Hohenfeld, Joan Morris, Carmen Pelton, Marietta Simpson and Thomas Young, Michigan State University Children’s Choir, University of Michigan Chamber Choir, University of Michigan Orpheus Singers, University of Michigan University Choir and University Musical Society Choral Union, University of Michigan School of Music Symphony Orchestra).
Instrumental Soloist(s) Performance (with Orchestra): “Beethoven: Piano Cons. Nos. 2 & 3,” Claudio Abbado, conductor; Martha Argerich (Mahler Chamber Orchestra).
Instrumental Soloist Performance (without Orchestra): “Scriabin, Medtner, Stravinsky,” Evgeny Kissin.
Chamber Music Performance: “Mendelssohn: The Complete String Quartets,” Emerson String Quartet.
Small Ensemble Performance: “Boulez: Le Marteau Sans Maitre, Derive 1 & 2,” Pierre Boulez, conductor, Hilary Summers, Ensemble Intercontemporain.
Classical Vocal Performance: “Bach: Cantatas,” Thomas Quasthoff (Rainer Kussmaul, Members of the RIAS Chamber Choir, Berlin Baroque Soloists).
Classical Contemporary Composition: “Bolcom: Songs of Innocence and of Experience,” William Bolcom (Leonard Slatkin).
Classical Crossover Album: “4 plus Four,” Turtle Island String Quartet and Ying Quartet.
Compilation Soundtrack Album for Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media: “Ray,” Ray Charles.
Score Soundtrack Album for Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media: “Ray,” Craig Armstrong, composer.
Song Written for Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media: “Believe,” Glen Ballard and Alan Silvestri, songwriters, from “The Polar Express.”
Instrumental Composition: “Into the Light,” Billy Childs, composer.
Instrumental Arrangement: “The Incredits,” Gordon Goodwin, arranger (Various Artists).
Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s): “What Are You Doing for the Rest of Your Life?” Billy Childs, Gil Goldstein and Heitor Pereira, arrangers (Chris Botti and Sting).
Traditional Blues Album: “80,” B.B. King and Friends.
Traditional Folk Album: “Fiddler’s Green,” Tim O’Brien.
Contemporary Folk Album: “Fair & Square,” John Prine.
Native American Music Album: “Sacred Ground A Tribute to Mother Earth,” Various Artists.
Hawaiian Music Album: “Masters of Hawaiian Slack Key Guitar Vol. 1,” Various Artists.
Reggae Album: “Welcome to Jamrock,” Damian Marley.
Traditional World Music Album: “In the Heart of the Moon,” Ali Farka Toure and Toumani Diabate.
Contemporary World Music Album: “Eletracustico,” Gilberto Gil.
Polka Album: “Shake, Rattle and Polka!” Jimmy Sturr and His Orchestra.
Musical Album for Children: “Songs From the Neighborhood The Music of Mister Rogers,” Various Artists.
Spoken Word Album for Children: “Marlo Thomas & Friends: Thanks & Giving All Year Long,” Various Artists.
Spoken Word Album: “Dreams From My Father,” Sen. Barack Obama.
Comedy Album: “Never Scared,” Chris Rock.
Musical Show Album: “Monty Python’s Spamalot.”
Gospel Performance: “Pray,” CeCe Winans.
Rock Gospel Song: “Be Blessed,” Yolanda Adams, James Harris III, Terry Lewis and James Q. Wright, (Yolanda Adams).
Rock Gospel Album: “Until My Heart Caves In,” Audio Adrenaline.
Pop/Contemporary Gospel Album: “Lifesong,” Casting Crowns.
Southern, Country, or Bluegrass Album: “Rock of Ages … Hymns & Faith,” Amy Grant.
Contemporary Soul Gospel Album: “Purified,” CeCe Winans.
Gospel Choir or Gospel Chorus: “One Voice,” Gladys Knight, choir director.
New Age Album: “Silver Solstice,” Paul Winter Consort.
Jazz Vocal Album: “Good Night, and Good Luck,” Dianne Reeves.
Jazz Instrumental Solo: “Why Was I Born?” Sonny Rollins.
Jazz Instrumental Album, Individual or Group: “Beyond the Sound Barrier,” Wayne Shorter Quartet.
Contemporary Jazz Album: “The Way Up,” Pat Metheny Group.
Large Jazz Ensemble Album: “Overtime,” Dave Holland Big Band.
Latin Jazz Album: “Listen Here!” Eddie Palmieri.
Traditional Soul Gospel Album: “Psalms, Hymns & Spiritual Songs,” Donnie McClurkin.
Dance Recording: “Galvanize,” The Chemical Brothers featuring Q-Tip.
Electronic/Dance Album: “Push the Button,” The Chemical Brothers.
Bluegrass Album: “The Company We Keep,” The Del McCoury Band.
Contemporary Blues Album: “Cost of Living,” Delbert McClinton.
Producer of the Year, Non-Classical: Steve Lillywhite.
Short Form Music Video: “Control,” Missy Elliott Featuring Ciara and Fat Man Scoop.
Best Long Form Music Video: “No Direction Home” (Bob Dylan).
Recording Package: “The Forgotten Arm,” Aimee Mann and Gail Marowitz, art directors (Aimee Mann).
Boxed or Special Limited Edition Package: “The Legend,” Ian Cuttler, art director (Johnny Cash).
Album Notes: “The Complete Library of Congress Recordings by Alan Lomax,” John Szwed, album notes writer (Jelly Roll Morton).
Historical Album: “The Complete Library of Congress Recordings by Alan Lomax,” Jeffrey Greenberg and Anna Lomax Wood, compilation producers (Jelly Roll Morton).
Engineered Album, Non-Classical: “Back Home,” Alan Douglas and Mick Guzauski, engineers (Eric Clapton).
Remixed Recording, Non-Classical: “Superfly (Louie Vega EOL Mix),” Louie Vega, remixer (Curtis Mayfield).
Surround Sound Album: “Brothers in Arms 20th Anniversary Edition,” Chuck Ainlay, Bob Ludwig, Mark Knopfler (Dire Straits).
technorati tags: Awards, Grammys, 48th annual, winners, music awards
February 9th, 2006
Album of the Year
Mariah Carey - The Emancipation of Mimi
Paul McCartney - Chaos and Creation in the Backyard
Gwen Stefani - Love, Angel, Music, Baby
U2 - How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb
Kanye West - Late Registration
Record of the Year
Mariah Carey - “We Belong Together”
Gorillaz - “Feel Good Inc.”
Green Day - “Boulevard of Broken Dreams”
Gwen Stefani - “Hollaback Girl”
Kanye West - “Gold Digger”
Song of the Year
Rascal Flatts - “Bless the Broken Road”
Bobby Boyd, Jeff Hanna & Marcus Hummon, songwriters
Bruce Springsteen - “Devils & Dust”
Bruce Springsteen, songwriter
John Legend - “Ordinary People”
W. Adams & J. Stephens, songwriters
U2 - “Sometimes You Can’t Make It on Your Own”
U2, songwriters
Mariah Carey - “We Belong Together”
J. Austin, M. Carey, J. Dupri & M. Seal, songwriters
Best New Artist
Ciara
Fall Out Boy
Keane
John Legend
Sugarland
Best Female Pop Vocal Performance
Mariah Carey - “It’s Like That”
Kelly Clarkson - “Since U Been Gone”
Sheryl Crow - “Good Is Good”
Bonnie Raitt - “I Will Not Be Broken”
Gwen Stefani - “Hollaback Girl”
Best Male Pop Vocal Performance
Jack Johnson - “Sitting, Waiting, Wishing”
Paul McCartney - “Fine Line”
Seal - “Walk on By”
Rob Thomas - “Lonely No More”
Stevie Wonder - “From the Bottom of My Heart”
Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocal
Black Eyed Peas - “Don’t Lie”
The Killers - “Mr. Brightside”
Los Lonely Boys - “More Than Love”
Maroon 5 - “This Love”
The White Stripes - “My Doorbell”
Best Pop Collaboration With Vocals
Black Eyed Peas & Jack Johnson - “Gone Going”
Foo Fighters Featuring Norah Jones - “Virginia Moon”
Gorillaz Featuring De La Soul - “Feel Good Inc.”
Herbie Hancock Featuring Christina Aguilera - “A Song for You”
Stevie Wonder Featuring India.Arie - “A Time to Love”
Best Pop Vocal Album
Fiona Apple - Extraordinary Machine
Kelly Clarkson - Breakaway
Sheryl Crow - Wildflower
Paul McCartney - Chaos and Creation in the Backyard
Gwen Stefani - Love, Angel, Music, Baby
Best Dance Recording
The Chemical Brothers Featuring Q-Tip - “Galvanize”
Deep Dish - “Say Hello”
LCD Soundsystem - “Daft Punk Is Playing at My House”
Fatboy Slim & Lateef - “Wonderful Night”
Kylie Minogue - “I Believe in You”
New Order - “Guilt Is a Useless Emotion”
Best Electronic/Dance Album
The Chemical Brothers - Push the Button
Daft Punk - Human After All
Fatboy Slim - Palookaville
Kraftwerk - Minimum-Maximum
LCD Soundsystem - LCD Soundsystem
Best Solo Rock Vocal Performance
Eric Clapton - “Revolution”
Robert Plant - “Shine It All Around”
Bruce Springsteen - “Devils & Dust”
Rob Thomas - “This Is How a Heart Breaks”
Neil Young - “The Painter”
Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocal
Coldplay - “Speed of Sound”
Foo Fighters - “Best of You”
Franz Ferdinand - “Do You Want To”
The Killers - “All These Things That I’ve Done”
U2 - “Sometimes You Can’t Make It on Your Own”
Best Hard Rock Performance
Audioslave - “Doesn’t Remind Me”
Nine Inch Nails - “The Hand That Feeds”
Robert Plant - “Tin Pan Valley”
Queens of the Stone Age - “Little Sister”
System of a Down - “B.Y.O.B.”
Best Metal Performance
Ministry - “The Great Satan”
Mudvayne - “Determined”
Rammstein - “Mein Teil”
Shadows Fall - “What Drives the Weak”
Slipknot - “Before I Forget”
Best Rock Song
Foo Fighters - “Best of You”
Weezer - “Beverly Hills”
U2 - “City of Blinding Lights”
Bruce Springsteen - “Devils & Dust”
Coldplay - “Speed of Sound”
Best Rock Album
Coldplay - X&Y
Foo Fighters - In Your Honor
The Rolling Stones - A Bigger Bang
U2 - How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb
Neil Young - Prairie Wind
Best Alternative Music Album
The Arcade Fire - Funeral
Beck - Guero
Death Cab for Cutie - Plans
Franz Ferdinand - You Could Have It So Much Better
The White Stripes - Get Behind Me Satan
Best Female R&B Vocal Performance
Amerie - “1 Thing”
Beyoncé - “Wishing on a Star”
Mariah Carey - “We Belong Together”
Fantasia - “Free Yourself”
Alicia Keys - “Unbreakable”
Best Male R&B Vocal Performance
Jamie Foxx - “Creepin’ “
John Legend - “Ordinary People”
Mario - “Let Me Love You”
Usher - “Superstar”
Stevie Wonder - “So What the Fuss”
Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocals
Beyoncé & Stevie Wonder - “So Amazing”
Destiny’s Child - “Cater 2 U”
Alicia Keys Featuring Jermaine Paul - “If This World Were Mine”
John Legend Featuring Lauryn Hill - “So High”
Stevie Wonder Featuring Aisha Morris - “How Will I Know”
Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance
Mariah Carey - “Mine Again”
Fantasia - “Summertime”
Aretha Franklin - “A House Is Not a Home”
Alicia Keys - “If I Was Your Woman”
John Legend - “Stay With You”
Best Urban/Alternative Performance
Floetry - “SupaStar”
Gorillaz - “Dirty Harry”
Van Hunt - “Dust”
Damian Marley - “Welcome to Jamrock”
Mos Def - “Ghetto Rock”
Best R&B Song
Destiny’s Child - “Cater 2 U”
Rodney Jerkins, Beyoncé Knowles, Ricky Lewis, Kelly Rowland, Robert Waller & Michelle Williams, songwriters
Fantasia - “Free Yourself”
Craig Brockman, Missy Elliott & Nisan Stewart, songwriters
John Legend - “Ordinary People”
W. Adams & J. Stephens, songwriters
Alicia Keys - “Unbreakable”
Garry Glenn, Alicia Keys, Harold Lily & Kanye West, songwriters
Mariah Carey - “We Belong Together”
J. Austin, M. Carey, J. Dupri & M. Seal
Best R&B Album
Earth, Wind & Fire - Illumination
Fantasia - Free Yourself
Alicia Keys - Unplugged
John Legend - Get Lifted
Stevie Wonder - A Time to Love
Best Contemporary R&B Album
Amerie - Touch
Mariah Carey - The Emancipation of Mimi
Destiny’s Child - Destiny Fulfilled
Mario - Turning Point
Omarion - O
Best Rap Solo Performance
Common - “Testify”
Eminem - “Mockingbird”
50 Cent - “Disco Inferno”
Ludacris - “Number One Spot”
T.I. - “U Don’t Know Me”
Kanye West - “Gold Digger”
Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group
Black Eyed Peas - “Don’t Phunk With My Heart”
Common Featuring the Last Poets - “The Corner”
Eminem Featuring Dr. Dre and 50 Cent - “Encore”
The Game Featuring 50 Cent - “Hate It or Love It”
Ying Yang Twins - “Wait (The Whisper Song)”
Best Rap/Sung Collaboration
Ciara Featuring Missy Elliott - “1, 2 Step”
Common Featuring Kanye West & John Legend - “They Say”
Destiny’s Child Featuring T.I. and Lil Wayne - “Soldier”
Jay-Z Featuring Linkin Park - “Numb/Encore”
Gwen Stefani Featuring Eve - “Rich Girl”
Best Rap Song
50 Cent - “Candy Shop”
Kanye West - “Diamonds From Sierra Leone”
Black Eyed Peas - “Don’t Phunk With My Heart “
The Game Featuring 50 Cent - “Hate It or Love It”
Missy Elliott Featuring Ciara and Fat Man Scoop - “Lose Control”
Best Rap Album
Common - Be
Missy Elliott - The Cookbook
Eminem - Encore
50 Cent - The Massacre
Kanye West - Late Registration
Best Song Written for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media
Josh Groban - “Believe” (from “The Polar Express”)
Glen Ballard & Alan Silvestri, songwriters
The Arcade Fire - “Cold Wind” (from “Six Feet Under: Volume 2 - Everything Ends”)
The Arcade Fire, songwriters
Wyclef Jean - “Million Voices” (from “Hotel Rwanda”)
Jerry Duplessis, Andrea Guerra & Wyclef Jean, songwriters
Tom Petty - “Square One” (from “Elizabethtown”)
Tom Petty, songwriter
Danny Elfman - “Wonka’s Welcome Song” (from “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory”)
John August & Danny Elfman, songwriters
Best Compilation Soundtrack Album for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media
“Beyond the Sea” (Kevin Spacey)
“Napoleon Dynamite” (Various Artists)
“No Direction Home: The Soundtrack - Bootleg Series, Vol. 7″ (Bob Dylan)
“Ray” (Ray Charles)
“Six Feet Under: Volume 2 - Everything Ends” (Various Artists)
Best Score Soundtrack Album for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media
“The Aviator” (Howard Shore, composer)
“The Incredibles” (Michael Giacchino, composer)
“Million Dollar Baby” (Clint Eastwood, composer)
“Ray” (Craig Armstrong, composer)
“Star Wars Episode III - Revenge of the Sith” (John Williams, composer)
Producer of the Year, Non-Classical
Danger Mouse
Demon Days (Gorillaz)
Nigel Godrich
Chaos and Creation in the Backyard - Paul McCartney
Jimmy Jam, Terry Lewis
“Be Blessed” (Yolanda Adams)
“Dance With My Father” (Celine Dion)
“Harajuku Girls” (Gwen Stefani)
“Never Too Much” (Mary J. Blige)
“Nobody Cares” (Deborah Cox)
“Pure Gold” (Earth, Wind & Fire)
“These Boots Are Made for Walkin’ ” (Jessica Simpson)
Steve Lillywhite
How To Dismantle an Atomic Bomb (U2)
Mr. A-Z (Jason Mraz)
The Neptunes
“Already Platinum” (Slim Thug Featuring Pharrell)
“Hollaback Girl” (Gwen Stefani)
“Let’s Get Blown” (Snoop Dogg)
“On & On” (Missy Elliott)
“Say Somethin’ ” (Mariah Carey Featuring Snoop Dogg)
“Touch” (Omarion)
Best Short Form Music Video
Missy Elliott Featuring Ciara and Fat Man Scoop - “Lose Control”
Gorillaz Featuring De La Soul - “Feel Good Inc.”
Jamiroquai - “Feels Just Like It Should”
Martina McBride - “God’s Will”
Sarah McLachlan - “World on Fire”
February 7th, 2006
As soon as Ashlee Simpson seems to have recovered from one embarrassing incident, another pops up — the SNL lip-syncing episode was followed by the Orange Bowl booing, and more recently, video of some McDonald’s misbehavior hit the Internet just a month before her collapse onstage in Japan. But as she sings on her I Am Me track “L.O.V.E.,” she can get through anything with a little help from her friends — if only friends weren’t so hard to find in the first place.
“I don’t think I’m hard to get to know when I meet someone,” the singer told Seventeen in an interview that appears in the magazine’s March issue (she’s on the cover). “But it’s different to trust somebody, to be like, ‘OK, I’m going through this. Can you help me?’ Or to, like, actually lean on somebody. Because people will go sell your story or make up something about you and say, ‘Blah blah blah,’ which gets back to so-and-so.”
Even other celebs — who should understand her situation — aren’t that trustworthy, Simpson said. “I think it’s always in my mind to stay away from the Hollywood scene. Luckily, I have my sister. She’s like, ‘Don’t go near that person.’ “
Too bad Jessica wasn’t around to warn Ashlee not to get near the guy holding up his cell phone in line at a Toronto-area McDonald’s. The younger Simpson explained her counter-crawling behavior — which was caught on his phone’s video camera and spread on the Internet in November — as the result of her being “a little tipsy.”
“I was being a little, you know, silly and crazy that day,” Ashlee told the mag. “I was laughing and joking around, and the guy behind me in line was like, ‘Uh, you’re gross’ — but he didn’t know who I was until I turned around. … So then he was like, ‘Can I have my picture with you?’ And I was like, ‘Dude, you called me gross!’ ” (In the clip, Simpson tells him she won’t take a picture with him because he won’t kiss her feet).
Simpson said she wasn’t aware that the camera was rolling the whole time, and she regrets the way it makes her look (”They definitely [edited] stuff together”). But she thinks her McDonald’s moment has only made her stronger, because it forced her to deal with public expectations yet again. “I feel it was a moment of growing up,” she said. “Most people do that in college — mine has to be done in front of the world.”
The following month, Ashlee had another embarrassing moment when she cut short a MTV Japan concert after complaining about losing her voice, only to collapse afterward . Growing pains on top of exhaustion? “I had been on tour, going going going, and not giving myself a breath. And it came down on me,” she told MTV Europe on Monday. “Now I’m feeling fresh and good and well,” she said. “I’m going to actually take some time off when I go home, go write in my studio and relax.”
After her collapse, Simpson flew home, where her mother took care of her for a bit. And then she went to Hawaii for a 10-day vacation with her new boyfriend, bandmate Braxton Olita. “We’ve been really close for a while now, since he’s been in the band a few months,” she told MTV Europe.
While they’re happy, she doesn’t want to rush it — especially because she has those lingering trust issues. “It’s scary for me to actually have a boyfriend,” she told Seventeen. “You give your heart up and it might be broken.” Still, she’s trying to enjoy it, just not at a tabloid-ready pace”
“A lot of people are like, ‘We just met, we’re engaged!’ That kind of thing, which is weird,” she told Seventeen. “You do what you gotta do, but for me, I think marriage is a hard thing to get through.”
“I just got a new home,” Simpson told MTV Europe, “but I’m not moving in with him!”
technorati tags: Simpson, Ashlee, Ashlee Smpson, Boyfriend, Tipsy
February 5th, 2006
The 48th annual Grammy Awards will open with a bang, as international superstar Madonna will be paired with “virtual band” Gorillaz. The group will be present via 3D color animation in what the Recording Academy is calling a first for network television. It is unknown what songs will make up the collaboration.
Madonna is a five-time Grammy winner, but not nominated for any honors this year. Gorillaz’s “Feel Good Inc.” featuring De La Soul is vying for record of the year, best pop collaboration with vocals and best short form music video, and the group’s “Dirty Harry” featuring Bootie Brown is up for best urban/alternative performance.
As previously reported, pairings of U2 and Mary J. Blige, Faith Hill and Keith Urban, Christina Aguilera and Herbie Hancock and Jamie Foxx with Kanye West and Mariah Carey with Hezekiah Walker & Love Fellowship Choir are also planned for the ceremony. Bruce Springsteen, Coldplay and Sugarland will also perform separately, while a tribute to legendary R&B act Sly & the Family Stone will feature Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler and Joe Perry, the Black Eyed Peas’ will.i.am, Joss Stone, John Legend, Maroon 5, Robert Randolph and Devin Lima.
Newly announced presenters Michael Bublé, Common, Queen Latifah, Ludacris and actor Matt Dillon have also signed on for the event.
Carey, Legend and West share the lead with eight nominations heading into the Feb. 8 ceremony at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. The event will be broadcast live on CBS.
technorati tags: Madonna, Gorillaz, Grammys
February 2nd, 2006
Singer Boy George is innocent and will fight the drug possession charges he faces in New York, which could result in 15 years in prison if he is convicted, his lawyer said today (Feb. 1). George appeared in Manhattan Criminal Court to answer charges stemming from an October incident when police, responding to his call to report a burglary, found 13 bags of cocaine in his apartment.
The case was adjourned until March 8 after the singer’s lawyer, Lou Freeman, asked for more time to prepare his case. No plea was entered during the brief hearing.
“In the strongest possible terms, George maintains his innocence,” Freeman said after the hearing. “He’s going to fight them all the way.”
George left the court without talking with reporters, stopping briefly to hug two female fans who waited outside the courthouse to show support. The singer, whose real name is George O’Dowd, is also charged with filing a false report with police.
Freeman said the singer does not know where the drugs came from or who owned them, and that he is a very social person who has many visitors to his home.
The felony complaint charges the singer with one count of criminal possession of a controlled substance and says the substances found weighed more than one-eighth of an ounce (3.5 grams).
technorati tags: Boy George, Drug charges
February 2nd, 2006
Contemporary urban stars Nelly, John Legend and Jamie Foxx will appear alongside a host of Motown legends at Motown Music Fest, to be held Feb. 4 at Detroit’s Masonic Temple, the day before the National Football League’s Super Bowl XL.
Among the Motown acts set to perform at the event are the Four Tops, the Miracles, the Contours, the Dramatics, the Former Ladies of the Supremes, Freda Payne, Brenda Holloway, Martha Reeves and the Vandellas, the Velvelettes and Paul Hill. The house band will feature members of Motown’s legendary Funk Brothers.
Two separate shows will be held on Feb. 4; tickets range from $93 to $1,000 and are available through Ticketmaster. A portion of the proceeds will benefit Detroit’s Kronk Recreation Center. The night before, Masonic Temple will host the Super Bowl Gospel Celebration, featuring Patti LaBelle, the Clark Sisters, Mary Mary and Hezekiah Walker.
As previously reported, a number of other high-profile music events are on tap in conjunction with the Super Bowl at Detroit’s Ford Field. As part of Bud Bowl, Snoop Dogg and 3 Doors Down will perform Feb. 3-4 at Club 1620, a specially created climate-controlled staging area inside the Motor City’s open-air Tiger Stadium.
On the day of the game, Aretha Franklin and Aaron Neville will perform the National Anthem, backed by pianist Dr. John. John Legend and Joss Stone will join Stevie Wonder on stage at the pre-game show, while the Rolling Stones will play at halftime.
“The network is worried what we’re going to do,” Stones frontman Mick Jagger said from the stage last night (Jan. 18) at New York’s Madison Square Garden. “[So] I’m going to show both my t*,” he added, referring to Janet Jackson’s infamous “wardrobe malfunction” during the 2004 halftime show.
January 20th, 2006
Ewan McGregor is up against stiff competition in the Olivier awards this year. His chief rivals are the three unknown teenagers who have danced their hearts out in the title role of Billy Elliot: the Musical. Billy Elliot, and Guys and Dolls, in which McGregor starred, tower over the musicals categories, with nine and eight nominations respectively in the awards that “seek to reward excellence on the London stage”.
The domination among the drama categories of Mary Stuart and Don Carlos emphasises the extraordinary resurgence of the plays of Friedrich Schiller, the 18th century German dramatist. Each received six nominations, with both leads in Mary Stuart - Harriet Walter and Janet McTeer - nominated for best actress. Michael Grandage for Don Carlos, and Phyllida Lloyd for Mary Stuart, were also nominated for best director. Champagne will already be in order at the beleaguered London Coliseum, since English National Opera has swept the board for lyric theatre, garnering all eight available nominations in the two opera categories. Anthony Minghella’s production of Madam Butterfly was twice nominated, as was Neil Armfield’s Billy Budd. David McVicar’s La Clemenza di Tito received three nominations.
The National Theatre dominated the new writing categories, with Coram Boy, its recent children’s play, Howard Brenton’s controversial drama Paul, and Simon Stephens’s On the Shore of the Wide Wild World receiving nominations.
Ducktastic, the show by Sean Foley and Hamish McColl, the pair behind The Play What I Wrote, received a nomination in the best entertainment category, even though the show was forced to close almost as soon as it opened last autumn.
The winners are announced at a ceremony on January 27.
Source: The Stage
January 18th, 2006
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