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Green Day's American Idiot! |
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Fifteen years and seven albums into their already amazing career, Green Day are releasing their most ambitious and important record yet:
American Idiot, a full-fledged "punk-rock opera"/concept album that grapples with such hot topics as politics, religion, and the universal
struggle between love and rage. And it rocks harder than anything they've ever done, too!Fifteen years and seven albums into their already
amazing career, Green Day are releasing their most ambitious and important record yet: American Idiot, a full-fledged "punk-rock opera"/concept
album that grapples with such hot topics as politics, religion, and the universal struggle between love and rage. And it rocks harder than
anything they've ever done, too!
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Fashion Rocks at Radio City Hall |
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Fashion rocks — and Beyonce put on shimmery hot-pants and Rod Stewart wore a three-piece suit with a pocket square to prove it.
Beyonce and Stewart, along with Avril Lavigne , Mary J. Blige, Alicia Keys, the Black Eyed Peas, Andre 3000, Usher and Hoobastank, performed Wednesday night at a special style-themed concert at Radio City Music Hall.
Held as part of New York Fashion Week, the event was sponsored by Conde Nast Media Group. It will air on Fox on Sept. 26.
Music is a mix of sound and style, said host Denis Leary . "Rock stars dress up like beautiful women. My first crush was David Bowie ," he said in one of his milder quips to the stylish crowd that included several front rows filled with professional models.
Shock rocker Marilyn Manson appeared in his signature gothic black when he introduced Lavigne, who, according to Manson, is someone who understands that style is about individuality since she wears ties with T-shirts.
Blige, strutting the stage in a white fedora and all-white outfit, knocked the socks off the audience while singing covers of Elton John 's "Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word" and Janis Joplin 's "Piece of My Heart." She added a little bling with a few shakes of a jewel-encrusted tambourine.
Meanwhile, Alicia Keys made the fringe of her ice-blue flapper-style dress dance when she performed "Heartburn."
Two musical highlights of the concert came when unannounced guests appeared on stage: John Rzeznik of the Goo Goo Dolls joined Lavigne for a duet of Rzeznik's "Iris," and guitarist Ron Wood of the Rolling Stones reunited with Rod Stewart, who changed into jeans, for "Maggie May."
(Associated Press)
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Eminem's "Encore" All Set |
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The rap superstar will release his long-awaited fourth album, Encore, on Nov. 16, Interscope Records has announced.
Eminem's last official studio effort was 2002's The Eminem Show, which debuted at number one on the Billboard charts and went on to sell
9.2 million copies in the U.S. and more than 19 million copies worldwide. It won two Grammys , including Best Rap Album, and spawned the
smash singles "Without Me" and "Cleaning Out My Closet."
He followed that up with the mega-selling soundtrack to his hit movie, 8 Mile, which moved 9 million copies worldwide and included his
hard-charging rap hit "Lose Yourself"--a track that spent 12 weeks atop Billboard's Hot 100 and garnered him the Oscar for Best Song and
two more Grammys, for Best Rap Song and Best Male Rap Performance.
More recently, he reteamed with his Detroit rap crew D12 for D12 World, which hit stores in April and has since racked up 3 million in
worldwide sales.
Interscope did not disclose details regarding the specific tracks for Encore--or vitually anything else (guest rappers, first single, etc.)
about the disc--in the five-sentence press release announcing the album.
But Billboard reports the disc will hit stores about the same time two other projects by Eminem come out--a compilation of unreleased Tupac
tracks that Slim Shady helped produce and a remix of the country song "Lean Back," on which he contributed a verse.
If recent history is any indication, the November date might not be be set in stone. Interscope and Eminem decided to move the drop date of
The Eminem Show up nine days--with the album debuting on a Sunday, instead of the typical Tuesday--after it was leaked to file-sharing sites.
To combat piracy, and potential lost revenue, the label would surely pull an encore if Encore wound up online.
Even then, industry analysts predict such leaks will hardly put a dent in the album's first-week sales.
"If there's ever an album that can break a million in the digital age, it's this guy," says David Adelson, editor of Hits magazine.
"Even with an Internet leak, I think the record's gong to be a smash."
For most of 2004, Eminem's avoided the spotlight, content to work on new songs in his Detroit studio and spending time with daughter Hailie Jade.
He did turn up at last June's MTV Movie Awards to perform with D12 and bare his butt for the camera--a shot the network subsequently edited out
the shot for broadcast in the wake of Boobgate.
Adelson says that by making himself scarce, Eminem only stokes more interest in what he's going to do next.
"He's smart. He plays it right and disappears for a long time," Adelson says. "The D12 thing was good for him. It was a one-off. He took care
of his band, made fun of himself, put out the single, and then went away."
But that doesn't mean Em's been slacking.
Eminem teamed up with Sirius Satellite Radio in July to launch an "uncut" 24-hour hip-hop music channel. The controversial rapper plans to emcee
some shows on the music station, plug acts from his Shady Records and offer some exclusive tracks of his own. The channel debuts in the fall.
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"Gloria" Singer Branigan Dies |
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Laura Branigan , the Grammy-nominated singer who shot to fame with her 1982 anthem "Gloria," died of a brain aneurysm Thursday at her home in
East Quogue, New York. She was 47.
Branigan's death was confirmed by her Website, LauraBraniganOnline, which said she died in her sleep.
Her brother Mark Branigan said that she had complained to a friend that she'd been suffering from a headache for about two weeks, but failed
to seek medical treatment before her death.
Her most recent album was the 2002 greatest-hits compilation, The Essentials. Earlier this year, a CD single featuring several remixes of
"Gloria" was released.
Branigan is survived by her mother, two brothers and a sister.
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Madonna Dedicates 'Imagine' to Russia |
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Madonna drew massive applause from a sold-out crowd at Paris' Bercy stadium when she dedicated a cover version of John Lennon's peace
ode "Imagine" to the Russian hostage crisis.
Addressing the audience midway through her Sunday-night show, Madonna spoke briefly about the hostage-taking at a school in the southern
city of Beslan that left at least 330 dead. Officials have blamed the deadly attack on Chechens and other Islamic militants.
As video images of war and children were broadcast behind her on giant screens, the 46-year-old pop diva urged fans to think about what
happened in Russia and about Lennon's lyrics.
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Jackson Acknowledges Settling Past Claims |
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Michael Jackson , facing child-molestation allegations, acknowledged he has reached financial settlements with people in the past to avoid
the embarrassment of going to court, but added he would never harm a child.
The six-paragraph statement was released hours before "Dateline NBC" broadcast a lengthy report alleging that the entertainer paid $2 million
to the son of an employee at his Neverland Ranch in 1990 to avoid a child-molestation accusation.
"I have spent my entire life helping millions of children across the world. I would never harm a child. It is unfortunate that some individuals
have seen fit to come forward and make a complaint that is completely false," Jackson said Friday.
Although he made no direct reference to the broadcast, Jackson said he felt the need to "respond to untruths and sensationalism" and questioned
"the timing and motive of this report."
The 46-year-old entertainer is fighting charges that he molested a boy in 2003. Jackson, who is free on $3 million bail, has pleaded not guilty
to committing a lewd act upon a child, administering an intoxicating agent, and conspiring to commit child abduction, false imprisonment and
extortion. He is scheduled to face trial beginning Jan. 31.
"Years ago, I settled with certain individuals because I was concerned about my family and the media scrutiny that would have ensued if I fought
the matter in court," he said. "These people wanted to exploit my concern for children by threatening to destroy what I believe in and what I do.
I have been a vulnerable target for those who want money."
Jackson was being investigated by Santa Barbara County authorities in 1993 when he reached a settlement with his accuser, paying him a sum
reported at $15 million to $20 million. He was never charged in that case.
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32nd Annual American Music Awards Nominations |
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R&B casanova Usher, whose album "Confessions" steamed up the charts with songs about sex, affairs and breakups, received a leading four nominations Tuesday for the American Music Awards.
Many categories included last year's winners — Toby Keith, Tim McGraw and Linkin Park — and previous nominees Beyonce, Avril Lavigne (news), Norah Jones (news) and R. Kelly.
Meanwhile, rapper-producer Kanye West, whose album "The College Dropout" combines gospel, rap and braggadocio, had three nominations, the second most after Usher.
Usher was nominated as favorite male artist in both the pop/rock and soul/R&B categories, and his "Confessions" also has best album bids in both groups.
In the hip-hop/rap class, West was up for favorite male artist, "The College Dropout" got a mention for best album, and his third bid came for the cross-genre award as best newcomer.
Two categories feature all of the same nominees as last year. The country male artist group again includes Kenny Chesney, Alan Jackson, Toby Keith, Tim McGraw (who won in 2003). It also was deja vu for contemporary inspirational music, as 2003 winner Steven Curtis Chapman competes once more against MercyMe and Third Day.
Meanwhile, OutKast — the big winner at February's Grammys — was nominated for best rap/hip-hop group, and its Grammy-winning "Speakerboxxx/The Love Below" got a bid for best rap album.
The awards will be presented during a Nov. 14 ceremony that will be shown live on ABC. Talk show host Jimmy Kimmel will host it.
The nominations are based on sales figures and radio play. Winners are selected by a survey of about 20,000 listeners.
Click Here for the List of Nominees
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NEWS [Round-Up]
Simon Fuller, Madonna, DreamWorks 'Shark Tale', U2, Jessica Simpson, Kitty Kelley, Sting...
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* The creator of U.K. talent show 'Pop Idol' and its U.S. spinoff 'American Idol' is suing his former collaborators, including Simon Cowell, claiming that their new project is a rip-off of the global 'Idol' format. Simon Fuller's production company 19 TV said in a statement it sued the makers of 'The X Factor,' Cowell and Fremantle Media, for copyright infringement and breach of contract.
* Pop star Madonna embarks on Sept. 15, 2004, on a spiritual pilgrimage to Israel to practice her newfound faith in the mystical Jewish Kabbalah.
* DreamWorks SKG defended its upcoming animated film 'Shark Tale' against mounting criticism from Italian-American groups who say the movie's gangster-like Shark characters foster ethnic stereotypes, Sept. 14, 2004. Studio spokesman Andy Spahn said the emphasis of the film's humor was on pop culture and Hollywood parodies.
* Irish rock band U2 on September 14, 2004 disclosed the title and set the release date for its next album, 'How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb,' which will hit shops on Nov. 23, 2004.
* Pop star Jessica Simpson has been cast as Daisy Duke in the big-screen remake of 'The Dukes of Hazzard,' a project that essentially marks her feature film debut.
* Celebrity biographer Kitty Kelley's new book about the Bush family 'The Family: The Real Story of the Bush Dynasty' is on sale now in bookstores in Washington, DC. Republican officials have already disputed accusations, including one of drug use by President George W. Bush, which appear in the book. Allegations that Bush snorted cocaine at Camp David while his father was in office have fuelled sales of the new, gossip-filled book about the Bush family.
* Unlike many of his fellow musicians, Sting is not becoming an activist for the upcoming Presidential election. According to Reuters, the British-born star says he commends the efforts of music artists who are taking part in the Vote For Change tour, but won't join them because he's not a U.S. citizen. Sting said he doesn't think it's his place to get involved since he's a "guest" in this country.
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