Artist: News
Genre(s):
Pop: Japan
Discography:
Pacific
Year: 2007
Tracks: 15
Thursday 19 June 2008
Friday 13 June 2008
Don Cheadle gets indie honor
Antonio Banderas, Jada Pinkett Smith also get nods
Don Cheadle will be honored with the Spirit of Independence Award at the Los Angeles Film Festival's Awards Ceremony on June 29.
The fest also announced Tuesday that Antonio Banderas, Jada Pinkett Smith and Rob Reiner will serve as honorary co-chairs for this year's festival.
Created in 2005, the Spirit of Independence Award recognizies artistic independence in film and has previously been presented to George Clooney, Charlize Theron and Clint Eastwood.
"Don Cheadle has created extraordinary work in his career as an actor and producer. This honorary award is a gesture of our appreciation for his diligence and determination to produce consistently brilliant work for the film world," Dawn Hudson, executive director of Film Independent, the throws the annual fest, said.
Banderas will participate in a festival conversation entitled "Una Noche Con Antonio Banderas," taking place on June 24 at the Billy Wilder Theater in Westwood.
Pinkett Smith will host the festival's Filmmaker Reception on June 23 at the W Los Angeles hotel.
Reiner will participate in a festival conversation entitled an "Evening with Rob Reiner" and screening of his film "The American President" on June 26at the Billy Wilder Theater.
See Also
Friday 6 June 2008
Hogans Got Hang Ups on Phone Calls
TMZ has learned that lawyers for Nick Hogan, aka Nick Bollea, have asked a judge to stop Pinellas County, Fla. Sheriff Jim Coats from releasing any more recorded jail phone calls. Hung up on you!
Tapes of Hogan, currently serving time for a horrific car accident that gravely injured his friend, were released to the media by the Sheriff. Hogan and his family claim the release of these conversations violate their privacy -- even though you can even hear a recorded voice on the tapes telling you, what else, that the call is being recorded.
A Sheriff's Department spokesperson tells us they won't hand out any more tapes until a judge makes a final ruling.
Documents to follow ...
See Also
Tapes of Hogan, currently serving time for a horrific car accident that gravely injured his friend, were released to the media by the Sheriff. Hogan and his family claim the release of these conversations violate their privacy -- even though you can even hear a recorded voice on the tapes telling you, what else, that the call is being recorded.
A Sheriff's Department spokesperson tells us they won't hand out any more tapes until a judge makes a final ruling.
Documents to follow ...
See Also
Wednesday 4 June 2008
Kelsey Grammer suffers mild heart attack
Kelsey Grammer, best known from his long-running sitcom Frasier, suffered a mild heart attack during the weekend in Hawaii, three weeks after his latest show was canceled.
Kate Hudson - Wedding Rumours Quashed For Hudson And Wilson
Representatives for the actors Kate Hudson and Owen Wilson have denied media rumours that they are getting married.
Reports in the press said the on-off pair were set to tie the knot after Hudson was spotted wearing a large diamond ring on her engagement finger.
The couple were said to have agreed to marry after Wilson proposed to the How To Lose a Guy in Ten Days actress in Miami.
But a representative for Hudson told Us Magazine that she is "definitely not engaged" and a spokesperson for Wilson also denied the wedding rumours.
"[Kate's] shooting a movie called Bride Wars, which explains the ring," her representative added.
Hudson and Owen started dating in 2006 after they met while filming You, Me and Dupree and split last summer.
The couple reunited earlier this year, with Hudson calling Owen a "lovely person" who she loves "dearly" in January.
Hudson was previously married to rock musician Chris Robinson.
12/05/2008 13:00:24
See Also
Broadway aficionados give their warmest regards to David Yazbek
David Yazbek is trying to undo decades of damage.
Yazbek, who wrote the scores for the musical comedies “Dirty Rotten Scoundrels” and “The Full Monty,” wants to heal the great wound Andrew Lloyd Webber inflicted on Broadway fans’ psyche. It’s a Sisyphean task - two decades later fans still suffer from a “Phantom of the Opera” hangover - but a worthy one.
“There’s a reason an entire generation, maybe two generations of us, hates musicals,” Yazbek said while traveling from New York City to his home near Nyack, N.Y. “And the reason is that most of them are crap. The bar has been set pretty low on Broadway during the last few decades.
“When I’m doing a master class for people interested in musical theater, my big advice is to get musical theater off their iPods,” said Yazbek, who plays with his rock band Warmest Regards on Saturday at Cafe 939. “Then write some shows and I’ll listen to what you’ve been doing. Otherwise it’s the same old dumb (stuff).”
Yazbek likes to take his own advice. When writing “Scoundrels,” he listened to freak-rocker Captain Beefheart almost exclusively. He says it helped balance his mind between edgy art and the Cole Porter-ish stuff he was penning for the play.
It also kept him interested in writing strange pop songs that don’t fit the Broadway template, many of which show up on his new album, “Evil Monkey Man.”
Writing hit musicals is Yazbek’s day job. It’s a time-consuming one - right now he’s scoring “Bruce Lee: Journey to the West”; he’s also in discussions to put lyrics to Danny Elfman’s music for the forthcoming musical “Houdini” - but it was never his career plan. Instead Broadway producers attracted to his pop albums found him.
“My first reaction when I was asked to do the ‘The Full Monty’ was, ‘Oh, Christ, I don’t want to do ‘Footloose the Musical,’ ” he said. “I didn’t want to help someone make a little more money off their title. But then I realized I could write real songs for these characters and have it be really fun.”
Before Broadway called, Yazbek was making idiosyncratic records (he’s a big XTC fan) and writing for TV (he won an Emmy in the ’80s as part of David Letterman’s team). He eventually dropped TV, but he never gave up on pop.
“Writing a show for me is fun, but making my albums has to happen,” he said. “If I was a clerk in a store or office I’d be doing this music. It’s just what I have to do.”
Those expecting “Evil Monkey Man” to be a chip off the Great White Way will be seriously disappointed (or maybe pleasantly surprised). Musically, the album is a mix of Joe Jackson/Elvis Costello/Warren Zevon chord changes with Yazbek’s jumpy piano and madman guitar work by Erik Della Penna. Lyrically, it’s funny and dark with lines such as, “You can eat your beets/You can drink your piss/But you’ll never get out of this,” and songs about cruel experiments on monkeys: think Tom Waits rewritten by They Might Be Giants.
Not really what you’d expect from the next Andrew Lloyd Webber, but neither is a musical about the world’s greatest Kung Fu master.
David Yazbek and his Warmest Regards, at Cafe 939, Saturday. Tickets: $20; 617-358-7000.
Yazbek, who wrote the scores for the musical comedies “Dirty Rotten Scoundrels” and “The Full Monty,” wants to heal the great wound Andrew Lloyd Webber inflicted on Broadway fans’ psyche. It’s a Sisyphean task - two decades later fans still suffer from a “Phantom of the Opera” hangover - but a worthy one.
“There’s a reason an entire generation, maybe two generations of us, hates musicals,” Yazbek said while traveling from New York City to his home near Nyack, N.Y. “And the reason is that most of them are crap. The bar has been set pretty low on Broadway during the last few decades.
“When I’m doing a master class for people interested in musical theater, my big advice is to get musical theater off their iPods,” said Yazbek, who plays with his rock band Warmest Regards on Saturday at Cafe 939. “Then write some shows and I’ll listen to what you’ve been doing. Otherwise it’s the same old dumb (stuff).”
Yazbek likes to take his own advice. When writing “Scoundrels,” he listened to freak-rocker Captain Beefheart almost exclusively. He says it helped balance his mind between edgy art and the Cole Porter-ish stuff he was penning for the play.
It also kept him interested in writing strange pop songs that don’t fit the Broadway template, many of which show up on his new album, “Evil Monkey Man.”
Writing hit musicals is Yazbek’s day job. It’s a time-consuming one - right now he’s scoring “Bruce Lee: Journey to the West”; he’s also in discussions to put lyrics to Danny Elfman’s music for the forthcoming musical “Houdini” - but it was never his career plan. Instead Broadway producers attracted to his pop albums found him.
“My first reaction when I was asked to do the ‘The Full Monty’ was, ‘Oh, Christ, I don’t want to do ‘Footloose the Musical,’ ” he said. “I didn’t want to help someone make a little more money off their title. But then I realized I could write real songs for these characters and have it be really fun.”
Before Broadway called, Yazbek was making idiosyncratic records (he’s a big XTC fan) and writing for TV (he won an Emmy in the ’80s as part of David Letterman’s team). He eventually dropped TV, but he never gave up on pop.
“Writing a show for me is fun, but making my albums has to happen,” he said. “If I was a clerk in a store or office I’d be doing this music. It’s just what I have to do.”
Those expecting “Evil Monkey Man” to be a chip off the Great White Way will be seriously disappointed (or maybe pleasantly surprised). Musically, the album is a mix of Joe Jackson/Elvis Costello/Warren Zevon chord changes with Yazbek’s jumpy piano and madman guitar work by Erik Della Penna. Lyrically, it’s funny and dark with lines such as, “You can eat your beets/You can drink your piss/But you’ll never get out of this,” and songs about cruel experiments on monkeys: think Tom Waits rewritten by They Might Be Giants.
Not really what you’d expect from the next Andrew Lloyd Webber, but neither is a musical about the world’s greatest Kung Fu master.
David Yazbek and his Warmest Regards, at Cafe 939, Saturday. Tickets: $20; 617-358-7000.
Heather Mills spends $500,000 on Caribbean holiday
Heather Mills is planning a holiday for herself and 25 friends on Richard Branson’s Necker Island at a cost of $48,000 a night.
The former glamor model, 40, has told her pals it’s her way of saying thank you for their “unfaltering support” during her divorce battle with Sir Paul McCartney.
Heather, who won a $48.6m divorce settlement from the former Beatle, told friends she had to remortgage one of her homes to pay for the luxury seven-night holiday.
See Also
Girl Power is the Highlight of the April Ecast BarPulse
Pre-Launch Album Promotions Also Prove to Successfully Draw Listeners at
Nightclubs and Bars
NEW YORK, May 15 -- Ladies are indeed first (and second,
and third) on the Ecast BarPulse(TM) for April.
Last month, women dominated the Ecast BarPulse. Four female artists --
Mariah Carey, Madonna, Leona Lewis and Trina -- held eight of the top 10
spots. Meanwhile, James Otto -- an Ecast-featured country artist whose
album "Sunset Man" was pre-released on the Ecast network April first, one
week before it hit stores -- found his way to the number four slot,
illustrating the promotional power of Ecast as a launch vehicle for
emerging talent.
Ecast BarPulse ranks plays of new music on the Ecast broadband media
network, located in over 10,000 bars and nightclubs across the country.
Adding more than 1,000 songs each week, Ecast keeps its finger on the pulse
of U.S. nightlife and then issues a monthly ranking of the most popular new
song plays, nationwide.
April 2008 Ecast BarPulse
Courtesy: Ecast, Inc.
Rank Track Artist Album Label
1 Touch My Body Mariah Carey E=MC2 Island
2 4 Minutes
(ft. Justin Timberlake
And Timbaland) Madonna Hard Candy Warner Bros.
3 Bleeding Love Leona Lewis Spirit Syco Music/
J Records
4 Just Got Started
Lovin' You James Otto Sunset Man Warner Bros.
5 Single Again Trina Still Da
Baddest Slip and Slide
6 Lolli Lolli
(Pop That Body)
(ft. Project Pat,
Young D and
Superpower) Three 6 Mafia Lolli Lolli
(Pop That Body) Columbia
7 Candy Shop Madonna Hard Candy Warner Bros.
8 Beat Goes On
(Featuring Kanye West) Madonna Hard Candy Warner Bros.
9 Give It 2 Me Madonna Hard Candy Warner Bros.
10 Bye Bye Mariah Carey E=MC2 Island
"The standout among the top 10 is Lolli Lolli, which Ecast promoted in
one of our playlists. Fans responded, giving the song significant play
before it even had a chance to receive much exposure on the radio," said
Lisa Tiver, senior vice president business affairs, Ecast. "Alternative
listening vehicles like the Ecast network offer the choice and diversity
that today's listening audiences crave whether they are in home or out in a
social environment."
About Ecast
Ecast operates the largest broadband touchscreen media network in the
United States, providing digital music to over 10,000 bars and nightclubs
across the country. The unique touchscreen music service allows locations
to put the power of choice where it should be: with the consumer. Utilizing
the speed and scalability of broadband, Ecast delivers music, advertising
and other forms of entertainment to the young-adults most responsible for
affecting purchasing decisions and consumer trends. Ecast is changing the
way people listen to music in public places and revolutionizing out-of-home
advertising. Ecast's investment partners include Crosslink Capital, DCM, El
Dorado Ventures, Focus Ventures and Mobius Venture Capital. For more
information, please visit http://www.ecastnetwork.com.
BarPulse is a trademark of Ecast, Inc. All other trade names are the
property of their respective owners.
This release is available on the KCSA Strategic Communications site at
http://www.kcsa.com.
CONTACT INFO:
Rob Manfredo/Charlotte Maumus
KCSA Strategic Communications
(212) 896-1213 / (212) 896-1269
rmanfredo@kcsa.com / cmaumus@kcsa.com
See Also
Nightclubs and Bars
NEW YORK, May 15 -- Ladies are indeed first (and second,
and third) on the Ecast BarPulse(TM) for April.
Last month, women dominated the Ecast BarPulse. Four female artists --
Mariah Carey, Madonna, Leona Lewis and Trina -- held eight of the top 10
spots. Meanwhile, James Otto -- an Ecast-featured country artist whose
album "Sunset Man" was pre-released on the Ecast network April first, one
week before it hit stores -- found his way to the number four slot,
illustrating the promotional power of Ecast as a launch vehicle for
emerging talent.
Ecast BarPulse ranks plays of new music on the Ecast broadband media
network, located in over 10,000 bars and nightclubs across the country.
Adding more than 1,000 songs each week, Ecast keeps its finger on the pulse
of U.S. nightlife and then issues a monthly ranking of the most popular new
song plays, nationwide.
April 2008 Ecast BarPulse
Courtesy: Ecast, Inc.
Rank Track Artist Album Label
1 Touch My Body Mariah Carey E=MC2 Island
2 4 Minutes
(ft. Justin Timberlake
And Timbaland) Madonna Hard Candy Warner Bros.
3 Bleeding Love Leona Lewis Spirit Syco Music/
J Records
4 Just Got Started
Lovin' You James Otto Sunset Man Warner Bros.
5 Single Again Trina Still Da
Baddest Slip and Slide
6 Lolli Lolli
(Pop That Body)
(ft. Project Pat,
Young D and
Superpower) Three 6 Mafia Lolli Lolli
(Pop That Body) Columbia
7 Candy Shop Madonna Hard Candy Warner Bros.
8 Beat Goes On
(Featuring Kanye West) Madonna Hard Candy Warner Bros.
9 Give It 2 Me Madonna Hard Candy Warner Bros.
10 Bye Bye Mariah Carey E=MC2 Island
"The standout among the top 10 is Lolli Lolli, which Ecast promoted in
one of our playlists. Fans responded, giving the song significant play
before it even had a chance to receive much exposure on the radio," said
Lisa Tiver, senior vice president business affairs, Ecast. "Alternative
listening vehicles like the Ecast network offer the choice and diversity
that today's listening audiences crave whether they are in home or out in a
social environment."
About Ecast
Ecast operates the largest broadband touchscreen media network in the
United States, providing digital music to over 10,000 bars and nightclubs
across the country. The unique touchscreen music service allows locations
to put the power of choice where it should be: with the consumer. Utilizing
the speed and scalability of broadband, Ecast delivers music, advertising
and other forms of entertainment to the young-adults most responsible for
affecting purchasing decisions and consumer trends. Ecast is changing the
way people listen to music in public places and revolutionizing out-of-home
advertising. Ecast's investment partners include Crosslink Capital, DCM, El
Dorado Ventures, Focus Ventures and Mobius Venture Capital. For more
information, please visit http://www.ecastnetwork.com.
BarPulse is a trademark of Ecast, Inc. All other trade names are the
property of their respective owners.
This release is available on the KCSA Strategic Communications site at
http://www.kcsa.com.
CONTACT INFO:
Rob Manfredo/Charlotte Maumus
KCSA Strategic Communications
(212) 896-1213 / (212) 896-1269
rmanfredo@kcsa.com / cmaumus@kcsa.com
See Also
Paste
Artist: Paste
Genre(s):
House
Discography:
Something for your Mind (Dnox And Beckers Rmx) CDS
Year: 2006
Tracks: 1
Euro smash
Make all the fun you want of Eurovision because, despite its many wacky contestants, the music contest has helped kick off the careers of such artists as Celine Dion, ABBA, Cliff Richard and even Buck's Fizz.
Tonight, more than 120 million people across the globe are expected to tune in for the fifty-third Eurovision Song Contest finals which are being held in the Serbian capital, Belgrade.
A record 43 countries have entrants in this year's contest and, though a new star will be born tonight, we thought we'd
Cliff Richard's 1968 performance of Congratulations.
ABBA's 1974 performance at the Eurovision Song Contest
Celine Dion's 1989 performance at Eurovision
Buck's Fizz perform at Eurovision's London finals in
Visit the official Eurovision website
Tonight, more than 120 million people across the globe are expected to tune in for the fifty-third Eurovision Song Contest finals which are being held in the Serbian capital, Belgrade.
A record 43 countries have entrants in this year's contest and, though a new star will be born tonight, we thought we'd
Cliff Richard's 1968 performance of Congratulations.
ABBA's 1974 performance at the Eurovision Song Contest
Celine Dion's 1989 performance at Eurovision
Buck's Fizz perform at Eurovision's London finals in
Visit the official Eurovision website
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