David Bowie

David Bowie Denies Lady Gaga Collaboration

17 Aug 2010 09:27:12 EDT

Rock legend's official site calls document claiming that Bowie and Gaga would work together a 'hoax.'
By Gil Kaufman

Lady Gaga has often spoken about her love for chameleonic rock icon David Bowie and his gender-bending, glitter-splashed style. Last week, when rumors emerged on a Gaga fansite that the Thin White Duke would be working on Gaga's upcoming album, fans of both artists were understandably intrigued, excited and a bit skeptical.

But Bowie's official website has denied rumors that he would lend his legendary croon to a song reportedly titled "Vinyl." The statement, written by the site's news editor, read in part: "When this tall story first surfaced a few days ago it was denied as a hoax in an update to the same article, and we thought that would be the end of it. I guess some folk see what they want to see though."

The scanned document that popped up last Thursday, which bears the hoax-y title "confirmation of recorded music," also lists Gaga collaborator RedOne as one of the album's producers and engineers. Also named on the fake list are famed R&B producer Teddy Riley and his daughter Taja, as well as former Gaga collaborator Fernando Garibay (Pussycat Dolls, Britney Spears). Song titles cited include "Hooker on a Church Corner" and "Scream Loud."

"The rumor that David Bowie has been working with Lady Gaga seems to have taken off," continued the statement on Bowie's site. "The hoax was started by some bright spark or other with the above forgery ... However, in a nutshell, the suggestion that David Bowie is producing and participating in the production of Lady Gaga's next album is untrue and a hoax."

Gaga has kept a tight lid on the details about her second full-length studio effort. In an interview with i-D, she said, "The new album is my absolute greatest work I've ever done, and I'm so excited about it ... The message, the melodies, the direction, the meaning, what it will mean to my fans and what it will mean to me in my own life — it's utter liberation. I'm on the quest to create the anthem for my generation for the next decade, so that's what I've done."

Though she's had a close, hit-heavy relationship with RedOne, Gaga promised that she's updating her sound on the still-untitled album with a slate of new producers who she's declined to identify.

"I will never tell because as soon as I tell, everyone starts working with them," she said of her new album's production team. "So all I can say is that nobody knows who they are. They're all new."

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Coldplay, Led Zeppelin Album Covers Featured On New British Stamps

07 Jan 2010 13:49:00 EST

Album art from Pink Floyd, Blur and David Bowie also included.
By James Montgomery

On Thursday (January 7), the U.K.'s Royal Mail unveiled a series of 10 new stamps, honoring the most iconic album covers of the past 40 years.

The albums featured in the new series are the Rolling Stones' Let It Bleed, Led Zeppelin's IV, David Bowie's The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars, Mike Oldfield's Tubular Bells, The Clash's London Calling, New Order's Power, Corruption and Lies, Primal Scream's Screamadelica, Pink Floyd's The Division Bell, Blur's Parklife and — the most recent album on to make the cut — Coldplay's A Rush of Blood to the Head.

Meant to honor "the most potent graphic images of modern times, many of which have provided a visual soundtrack to people's lives," the series is the end result of a lengthy research process by the Royal Mail, who looked through thousands of album covers by British artists before deciding on the final list. And, during a Wednesday night BBC Radio broadcast, it was revealed that the queen herself actually approved each design.

Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page — who helped design the cover for IV — was on hand to celebrate the release of the stamps and recalled the mysterious nature of the album's iconic imagery.

"Almost 40 years after the album came out, nobody knows the old man who featured on the cover, nor the artist who painted him," he said. "That sort of sums up what we wanted to achieve with the album cover, which has remained both anonymous and enigmatic at the same time."

Of course, any great honor is befitting of an equally great contest, so, on the same day the stamps were made available to the general public, Coldplay decided to give one of their Rush of Blood stamps away. In a message on their official site, the band held a contest to send one lucky fan "a letter using a Coldplay stamp, postmarked with today's issue date."

"We visited our local post office earlier today and bought some of the Coldplay stamps," the message read. "Very nice they are too."

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'Inglourious Basterds' Director Quentin Tarantino Inspired By Britney Spears?

24 Aug 2009 14:26:00 EDT

Tarantino includes Britney Spears on his playlist for Little Steven's Underground Garage radio show.
By Jocelyn Vena

Quentin Tarantino is known for his amazing knowledge of and love for anything and everything pop-culture related. (After all, he's even appeared as a guest judge on "American Idol.") But when he stopped by Little Steven's Underground Garage show on Sirius radio, it was a bit surprising when he revealed that he found inspiration from a slew of eclectic artists — including Britney Spears — while making "Inglourious Basterds."

While he was compiling his playlist for the radio show, Tarantino revealed a surprising crew of musicians that he enjoyed while filming his latest flick. "[This list includes] some of the music I was listening to while making my movie 'Inglourious Basterds,' " he explained. "Now these songs don't necessarily have a damn thing to do with the movie. These were some of the ones I was listening to in my off time."

The list includes a mix of rock, pop and hip-hop, with "The Rulez" by Wu Tang Clan, KT Tunstall's "Hold On," Bob Dylan's "Political World," David Bowie's "Cat People" and Jay-Z's "S. Carter."

Along with those there was also Jason Mraz's mellow acoustic version of "I'm Yours," Maroon 5's "Wake Up Call" and Barbra Streisand's "Stony End," which may seem like pretty mellow tunes for such a famously hyperactive filmmaker to enjoy. But the most remarkable name on the list was Britney Spears — who kicks off the second leg of her Circus tour Monday — and her cover of Bobby Brown's "My Prerogative."

Check out everything we've got on "Inglourious Basterds."

For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more -- updated around the clock -- visit MTVMoviesBlog.com.

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'Hobbit' Casting Call: We Want Ryan Gosling, Orlando Bloom For Tolkien Tale

22 Dec 2007 07:12:00 EST

We cast the story's biggest roles, and wonder if Gerard Butler and David Bowie can also be lured to the set.
By Shawn Adler

With the recent news that Peter Jackson is finally returning to Middle-earth, it's not just fans of "The Hobbit" who are rejoicing. Just ask Ian McKellen or Andy Serkis. As Gandalf the Grey and Gollum, respectively, these two Tolkien titans are all but certain to return.

But what of the other characters up for grabs in "The Hobbit"? We took a look at some of the bigger roles available and picked our favorites. Following Jackson's casting decisions for "Lord of the Rings," we considered names that were known, but not necessarily big stars. Check out our choices below and then head over to the MTV movies blog where we tackle the big one.

Spoiler alert! Major plot points of the novel are revealed below.

Smaug

Book Says: The greatest dragon of his time, Smaug the Magnificent guarded over the stolen treasure of the Lonely Mountain. He is nearly invincible due to a belly covered in gems, and his numerous strengths include his immense size and barbed tail. He also possesses a penetrating gaze with the power to mesmerize. Haughty and hateful, he has but two weaknesses: his arrogance and a small, bare spot on his underbelly.

We Say: Smaug will clearly be a CG creation, either through motion capture or pure animation. But while his appearance will no doubt be spectacular, it's his voice that should impress the most — conveying his intelligence, his greed, his great disdain for Bilbo, his love of possessing wealth purely for the purpose of possessing wealth. He thinks himself better and more worthy than any other creature, making his conversations with Bilbo a terrifying game of cat and mouse. He should be played by Jeremy Irons.

Alternates: Nobody does the sort of haughty disdain we're looking for better than Irons ... but as Lucius Malfoy in "Harry Potter," Jason Isaacs comes pretty close. We'd like to see him out of the blond wig and into the red belly of the beast.

Thorin Oakenshield

Book Says: It is dwarf leader Thorin's great desire for his birthright that sets the action of "The Hobbit" in motion. Although old by the time the novel begins (even for a dwarf), Thorin is nevertheless a capable and cunning leader. Quick to anger, his great weakness is a fierce and legendary stubbornness. He refuses until the very last moment before his death to see the error of his ways.

We Say: Anybody willing to go through the makeup to become a dwarf is already a hero in our book. But while Jackson ultimately has to cast 13 of them, they all flow naturally from the decision he makes with Thorin, on whose moral authority rests, not just the honor of his fellows, but the integrity of the story itself. The role will not suffer the indignity of anything less than strength personified. The actor cast, then, should be someone who doesn't suffer indignities at all. Period. That actor should be Brian Cox. He's of the right age, physical proportion and temperament.

Alternates: If physical qualities weren't an issue (which is a kind way of saying, "If we weren't looking for a stocky actor"), Ben Kingsley would make an ideal Thorin for all the same reasons as Cox.

Bard the Bowman

Book Says: A skilled archer from the town of Dale, Bard fires the arrow that fells the mighty Smaug. Described as somewhat grim of face, Bard is nevertheless a fair and wise man, who takes leadership of the town after the departure of the Master, ultimately becoming the king of Dale. He is the closest we get in the story to "LOTR" characters like Aragorn or Faramir, an Anglo-Saxon hero in the mold of Beowulf.

We Say: The role of Bard is the easiest and most tempting way to shoehorn a huge star — a man's man like Russell Crowe or Christian Bale — into the production. Although he's more of a straightforward good guy, lacking the nuance of representative men from "LOTR," we'd nevertheless like to see Jackson cast an actor who could invest the character with the same type of soul that Viggo Mortensen and Sean Bean did with Aragorn and Boromir. We'd like to see Jackson mend fences with Ryan Gosling, who left the director's adaptation of "The Lovely Bones."

Alternates: We said we wanted to resist the temptation to cast a big star. Is it too late for Gerard Butler?

Thranduil

Book Says: King of the Silvans, Thranduil leads the Elves of Mirkwood. He imprisons the dwarves when they trespass through his forest, and then demands a share of Smaug's bounty once the dragon is defeated. He is described as having blond hair ... just like his son Legolas.

We Say: If Orlando Bloom doesn't come back for at least a background cameo, we give up. Naturally distrustful of dwarves, Thranduil can be spiteful and terse — but he still possesses the wisdom of his kin. Ideally, the actor cast would be somewhat regal, someone we believe capable of great power but also great benevolence. Ideally, that actor would be somewhat similar in speech and appearance to Orlando Bloom. Ideally, that actor would be David Bowie.

Alternates: Orlando Bloom's old man? Yeah, Stellan Skarsgård has done that pretty well before.

Beorn

Book Says: Of immense size and strength, Beorn is a shapeshifter, able to take on the form of a large bear. He has a thick black beard, large shoulders and brown hair. A skilled and dedicated woodsman, he is most highly regarded for his animal husbandry. He keeps many intelligent creatures, of which he is fiercely protective. Fearsome and fearless.

We Say: If he wasn't already known for similar work as Hagrid in the "Harry Potter" series, Robbie Coltrane would be a boffo choice. And yet, Beorn is so much more explosive, so much more kinetic than Hagrid, that he demands someone much more menacing. He demands someone possibly a little unhinged, who can go from gentle to ferocious at the drop of a hat. He demands Alfred Molina.

Alternates: The predominant rumor is that "Spider-Man" director Sam Raimi will helm "The Hobbit" franchise. If he directs — and right now it looks like he might — well, you know what that means. Given the circumstances, he has to appear somewhere on our list. Let's stick Bruce Campbell here.

Visit Movies on MTV.com for more from Hollywood, including news, reviews, interviews and more.

For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com.

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David Bowie

Mary J. Blige Deals With Growing Pains; Plus Kanye West, Amy Winehouse, Travis Barker, Paul Wall & More, In For The Record

27 Sep 2007 22:57:00 EDT

West's mom likens him to Jesus; Winehouse gets in 'Trouble'; Barker promises Wall's LP will be 'feel-good.'
By MTV News staff

Word to Mike Seaver and Boner: Mary J. Blige has some Growing Pains of her own. The singer has settled on that as the title for her new album — and has bumped its release by a week, from November 20 to November 27. The first single is called "Just Fine" and will be released to radio on Thursday (September 27). The track was produced by Jazze Pha and Tricky Stewart (Britney Spears, Mya), and is an uptempo party record with a dance/disco sound. On the track, Mary expresses the joy of having high self-esteem. "No time for moping around/ Are you kidding?" she sings. "And no time for negative vibes, 'cause I'm winning ... Got my head on straight, got my vibe right, ain't gonna let you kill it/ See, I wouldn't change, my life's just fine." ...

Is Kanye West the next MLK, Gandhi or Jesus? His mother, Donda West, didn't shy away from such comparisons in a recent interview with the Baltimore Sun — she was in town to promote her recent book, "Raising Kanye." "Kanye keeps it real," she said. "He touches the people. You never know how words can save a person's life, physically or otherwise. People like Martin Luther King or Mahatma Gandhi or, in my view, Barack Obama, or Jesus Christ — people whose job it is to tell the truth — I see that in Kanye. Now, people like you are gonna go, 'Oh, Kanye's mom said he's like Jesus!' but ... when you have a gift, you didn't get it by yourself. ... Your truth is your truth." ...

Amy Winehouse isn't one to hold back either — the troubled U.K. starlet has named her new DVD "I Told You I Was Trouble," according to Uncut magazine. Packed onto the disc is a documentary, a full concert she played in April at London's Shepherds Bush Empire, her "Rehab" performance from the Brit Awards, an early acoustic version of "There Is No Greater Love" and more. "I Told You I Was Trouble" will drop November 6, her publicist confirmed to MTV News. ...

Paul Wall's next album is going to have more of a rock edge, now that Travis Barker is producing it. "Paul usually stays around the same element," Barker told MTV News in Las Vegas while he was in town for the VMAs. "Most of the Houston stuff is slow and real feel-good. This has faster tempos. Still feel-good, but it'll be different for Paul." ... Before he took his wild imagination to the big screen with "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind," French director Michel Gondry was best known for his frequent collaborations with Björk, perhaps most memorably on the video for her song "Human Behaviour." Now the two are at it again. Gondry revealed to MTV News that a month from now, he will be directing the music video for "Declare Independence," from the Icelandic singer's latest album, Volta. ... Dave Grohl is getting axed — Gibson Guitar has come up with a new specialized model, the DG-335, for the Foo Fighters frontman. The instrument — which has a rare Pelham blue finish and looks like Grohl's signature guitar — will be available October 4. The price tag for the blue model is $4,468, while the ebony version is a bit cheaper at $3,880. ...

Evan Rachel Wood apparently isn't too afraid of boyfriend Marilyn Manson's fans. "I do feel [some of] his fans like me," she told People for its new issue, which streets Friday. But the actress revealed that she was a little more nervous about Manson seeing her sing onscreen in the new flick "Across the Universe." "I was shy because I didn't want to scare him off," she said. "I'm a singer too! Listen to me! But he's been really supportive, it's great. He's encouraged me about my singing more than anybody." The shock-rocker wasn't the only one who inspired Wood to sing, however — she also name-dropped David Bowie and let it be known that she has a tattoo of his Aladdin Sane lightning bolt. She also has matching tattoos with Manson. "We both got black hearts," she said. "It represents mad love." ...

The Smashing Pumpkins have issued a statement regarding the death of a man at their concert in Vancouver, British Columbia, Monday night, in what police believe was a crowd-surfing accident. "The Smashing Pumpkins were deeply saddened to learn about the passing of a young man who attended their Vancouver show Monday night," read the statement, which was posted on their Web site. "As they and everyone else await news from the investigation into the nature of his passing, the band wants to express their sincerest condolences to his family and friends." ... Vivica A. Fox pleaded not guilty to two misdemeanor counts of drunk driving on Thursday, The Associated Press reports. The actress, who was arrested after being caught speeding in March, could face up to six months in jail and a $1,000 fine if convicted. ...

Paris in Rwanda: Hilton is making good on her promise to engage in philanthropic efforts by traveling to the impoverished African country, according to "Access Hollywood." The heiress will travel with a member of Playing for Good, a group that connects celebrities with charity organizations, and she is expected to make a financial contribution as well. According to TMZ.com, Hilton will go to Rwanda in November after she finishes filming her horror rock opera "Repo! The Genetic Opera." ... Will Ferrell's charity auction has been won by a Dallas man, and his 10-year-old son will get the chance to play an extra in Ferrell's upcoming "Step Brothers" flick, People reports. The man, who has chosen to remain anonymous, put in a winning bid of $47,000, which will go to the Cancer for College foundation run by Ferrell's friend Craig Pollard. ...

Looks like it's almost Tool time again: The indefatigable heavy-rock band is putting together yet another stretch of dates in support of 10,000 Days, which came out way back in May 2006. Dates have yet to be confirmed, but according to Tool's site, they're stirring up a stretch across the West Coast that will begin in mid-November and last until Christmas. ... Lollapalooza founder Perry Farrell recently told MTV News' Tim Kash that he wants to see the fest travel across the world "before I die," but while those plans haven't come about yet, the dates are in place for next year's annual Chicago installment. Lolla will go down August 1-3, once again at Grant Park. ...

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band's Magic isn't happening until Tuesday, but they snuck out a vinyl version of the release on Wednesday that will allow it to be considered for the Grammys, according to the Los Angeles Times. ... The Wu-Tang Clan's Killah Priest has been added to several dates on Bury Your Dead's upcoming headlining run. Look for him to take the stage in Richmond, Virginia (October 17); Wilmington, North Carolina (October 18); Jacksonville, Florida (October 19); and Tampa, Florida (October 20). ... Bad news for fans of hardcore hip-hoppers Twiztid: The band's upcoming Toxic Terror Tour, featuring openers Mower, has been nixed following a recent car accident involving Twiztid's Monoxide. He suffered a torn ACL muscle in his knee, which will require he stays off it for the next month or so. ...

While System of a Down's members go off and do their own things — what with the band on hiatus — drummer John Dolmayan has firmed up plans for his new comic book site, TorpedoComics.com. The Internet retail shop goes live November 1 and will boast some 15 million items, including comics, toys, graphic novels, trade paperbacks, superhero action figures and other related memorabilia. Dolmayan has also teamed with guitarist Daron Malakian for a new project, Scars on Broadway. ... Former Mötley Crüe drummer Tommy Lee, former Anthrax frontman Joey Belladonna, ex-Megadeth bassist Dave Ellefson and Sevendust singer Lajon Witherspoon are among the celebrities who'll appear at the Morgan Rose Celebrity Golf Classic, scheduled for November 15-16 at the Heritage Golf Club in Tucker, Georgia. Proceeds from the event will help support the Atlanta Children's Shelter. ...

Mudvayne will release their latest LP, By the People, for the People, on November 27. The disc will boast several live recordings, rarities, demos and two new studio tracks, "Dull Boy" and a cover of the Police's "King of Pain." The album will be entirely fan-generated; the band is asking its fans to participate in creating the album's contents. Fans can visit the band's Web site and MySpace pageMySpace page to help pick the track list, submit fan-generated album artwork and participate in creating the video for "Dull Boy," the first single. ...

Al Gore's "An Inconvenient Truth," which has been shown in some college and high school classrooms, got blowback earlier this year when a Washington school put a moratorium on the global-warming movie. Now a British school governor is taking an even stronger measure by suing the British government for distributing the movie to more than 3,500 secondary schools, according to AP. Paul Downes, a lawyer for Stewart Dimmock, said, "Given the serious inaccuracies in the film and the misrepresentations it contains, the film

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Britney And Kevin Finalize Divorce; Plus Madonna, Christina Aguilera, Lindsay Lohan, Jermaine Dupri, Paul Wall & More, In For The Record

30 Jul 2007 20:51:00 EDT

Madge track may have been leaked; Aguilera scratches two Australia shows; Lohan is 'in a very good place,' mother says.
By MTV News staff

Britney Spears and Kevin Federline finalized their divorce Monday (July 30) in Los Angeles Superior Court, The Associated Press reports. "They are divorced. Everything is finalized," Spears' lawyer Laura Wasser said after the hearing. A court commissioner signed the orders for dissolution of marriage, child custody and an alimony agreement, the latter of which won't be made public unless an enforcement issue arises. The child-custody order — which details the former couple's timeshare schedule and transportation matters — was sealed for the time being for safety reasons, pending a hearing slated for August 14. ...

Could a 17-second snippet of a song called "Candy Shop" be a leak from Madonna's upcoming album? Fans speculate that it's of a track Madonna was working on with either Timbaland or Pharrell — but reps for none of the three camps would confirm. "I have no comment about the song 'Candy Shop,' " Madonna's longtime rep Liz Rosenberg told MTV News. "Madonna has studio time booked and is continuing to work on her new CD. The songs are not mixed, and until that time, we can't finalize the track list." The yet-untitled album is due later this year. ...

Christina Aguilera scratched two shows in Australia slated for Saturday and Monday due to the flu — more specifically, a viral upper-respiratory tract infection. "I want to personally apologize to all of my fans for having to cancel my last two shows here in Melbourne," the singer said in a statement. "Thank you for all of the continued love and support and I hope to perform for you all again next time." In the statement, the singer didn't address ongoing pregnancy rumors. ... Lindsay Lohan is "in a very good place right now," her mother Dina told reporters Monday outside a New York courthouse, where she was battling with Michael Lohan over custody of three of their children. Lindsay's exact whereabouts are still unknown. ...

According to Jermaine Dupri, fans will have to wait a while longer for new Janet Jackson music — she's not going to be featured on the "Rush Hour 3" soundtrack. The producer posted a message on his MySpace page saying, "To answer all questions about [the] 'Rush Hour 3' soundtrack, I ended up not doing it 'cause the movie takes place in Paris and a lot of the music didn't fit. So all of you looking for that Janet record, you gotta wait till she's finished with the new album. Sorry." ...

Desert gold: Paul Wall is shoving off to the Persian Gulf for his second USO tour. "Being a part of a USO tour and performing for the troops is amazing," Wall said. "It's so easy to get caught up in the day-to-day and to forget what's happening overseas," he said in a statement. "This is my way of letting them know I realize what they're sacrificing and am truly grateful." ... The Black Eyed Peas will headline the "Jerusalem Rocks!" festival, set to take place September 9 in Israel. The multi-culti act will be joined by Arrested Development and various local acts. ...

Korn's Jonathan Davis has one thing to say to Devo's Jerry Casale: no hard feelings. Responding to the flap that ensued over Korn's fake movie trailer that appeared to cop Devo's "de-evolution" concept, Davis said in a statement to Rolling Stone: "Korn never claimed to be the first to expose de-evolution, our hats are going off to Devo for that." He added, "They are pioneers for sure! However, we are glad to see that our efforts have them speaking up again! It's good to have them back." Davis closed with a requisite plug: "In the meantime, our researchers continue to uncover key evidence of de-evolution at the highest levels (EvolutionDevolution.com)." ...

Chamillionaire, Forest Whitaker and Babyface were among the attendees at Russell Simmons' eighth annual Art for Life event Saturday night. The charitable festivities took place in East Hampton, New York, and raised $1.4 million for underprivileged children in New York. ... Polow Da Don, Mark Ronson and Timbaland protégé Nate "Danjahandz" Hills were among those who made it on Vibe's 14th annual Juice list. Democratic presidential nominee Senator Barack Obama graces the cover. ... Damon Dash hobnobs with Ashton Kutcher, Sofia Coppola and Renée Zellweger on Vanity Fair's 68th Best-Dressed List, which appears in the magazine's September issue. George Clooney was named to the list's Hall of Fame, while Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie made it to the couples list — surprised? ...

Former Guns N' Roses guitarist Izzy Stradlin and bassist Duff McKagan joined ex-GN'R drummer Steven Adler and his Adler's Appetite for a couple of Appetite for Destruction songs during a concert at the Key Club in West Hollywood, California, on Saturday. Slash, who had made it to the venue earlier that evening, did not end up performing during the quasi-reunion. The gig was scheduled in commemoration of the 20th anniversary of the release of the band's 1987 debut, Appetite for Destruction. ... Peter Hook threatens offhandedly in a post on his MySpace page that he might take his former New Order bandmates to court, now that they've decided to continue performing as the band without him. He says Bernard Sumner and Stephen Morris shouldn't assume they "have the rights to do anything New Order-ey" because he has "still got a third." ...

Metric will swing through the States for a three-week trek starting September 19 in Philadelphia and winding down October 9 in Seattle, RollingStone.com reports. The indie-rockers will record their fourth album in November. ... Dashboard Confessional's Chris Carrabba will ship out for his first solo trek in five years on September 14 in Rochester, Michigan. With Augustana and John Ralston in tow, Carrabba will conclude the extensive trek November 14 in New York. ... The Offspring have parted ways with drummer Atom Willard and recruited Saves the Day's Pete Parada to take his place. Parada will make his debut with the Offspring next month when they perform at the Summer Sonic festival in Japan. Willard, in the meantime, has moved over fulltime to Angels & Airwaves. ...

It was a rough weekend for aging rock legends. First, Kiss singer/guitarist Paul Stanley had to sit out a show in San Jacinto, California, on Friday night after suffering a bout of tachycardia, which caused his heart to speed up to twice its normal rate. On his Web site, Stanley, 55, explained that during a rehearsal for the show, "my heart spontaneously jumped to 190-plus beats per minute, where it stayed for over an hour, necessitating paramedics to start an IV and give me a shot to momentarily stop my heart and get it into a normal pattern." The rest of the group played as a trio in Stanley's absence ...

The news was a bit better for Ozzy Osbourne, who was treated at and released by a Denver hospital over the weekend. Reuters reports that a statement from Osbourne's management on Sunday read: "Ozzy Osbourne had a minor outpatient procedure at Rose Medical Center late last night. He was released early this morning and is doing well." Osbourne, 58, is expected to perform at Monday's Ozzfest in Kansas City, Missouri. KUSA-TV in Denver reported that the surgery, which took place after Saturday's Ozzfest show, was for a blood clot in Osbourne's leg. He had complained of leg pain prior to the gig. ... Is Kelly Osbourne following in Ashlee Simpson's footsteps? Ozzy's daughter is joining the cast of "Chicago" at the Cambridge Theatre in London's West End for a seven-week run. She'll play Mama Morton, the matron of Cook County Jail. ...

Atlanta metallers Daath are stuck in Denver, meaning they'll miss some more Ozzfest dates. According to the bandmembers, they missed last week's stops in Phoenix and Oklahoma City because the airport shuttle bus they rented to get from city to city during the summer tour had broken down. Plans have been made to rent the band an RV, but complications with the vehicle haven't been resolved. There's no word yet on when Daath will return to the tour. ... DevilDriver have joined this summer's Ozzfest, taking over the second-stage slot abandoned last week by Mondo Generator. ... In the meantime, New York metal act Bloodsimple have been added to a competing fest: the Family Values Tour. They'll play the second stage. ...

Al Gore III, son of the the former vice president, pleaded guilty on Monday to two felony and three misdemeanor counts of drug possession stemming from his arrest while driving in Orange County, California, earlier this month. He agreed to enter a nine-month drug program, and the charges could be dropped if he finishes it. ... Visionary filmmaker Ingmar Bergman died Monday on an island off the coast of Sweden. He was 89. Woody Allen once called the director — three of whose films won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film — "probably the greatest film artist ... since the invention of the motion picture camera," according to The Associated Press.

07.27.07

As Kelly Clarkson fans know, the singer wrote or co-wrote every track on her new album My December — but they probably don't know just how quickly. "I've written every song in 15 to 20 minutes. It has to come out of me like that, or it won't at all," Clarkson told Self for its August issue cover story. "It's not even that hard a thought process for me." She revealed to the magazine that she has a microphone hooked up to her computer, which she keeps

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A.M. Surf Report: Jessica Simpson Joining The Marines; 'Hulk' Gets His Girl; Paper Breaks Down Busta's SUV

04 May 2007 08:58:00 EDT

Plus Twista blasts Bush's veto; Eve faces DUI charge; Maroon 5 break chart record and more.
By Jane O'Donnell

The news happens all the time, even while you're catching up on beauty sleep. Check out this brief rundown to bring you up to speed this morning — a quick heads up from your friends at MTV News.

Here's what we've got:

Usher and R. Kelly are sharing a girlfriend — in a song, at least. In "Same Girl," the singers realize that their respective dream girls are one woman who is clocking miles between Chicago and Atlanta. Kelly's label tells us that the song will be on his upcoming Double Up. ...

Reverend Al Sharpton led a demonstration that hit the offices of major record labels throughout New York on Thursday evening, calling for "decency" in hip-hop lyrics, and we were there. "It appears people are more enraged and outraged than even we thought," Sharpton said to the crowd of hundreds. While Don Imus' comments may have started this particular battle, the war on hip-hop lyrics is nothing new. Check out a video timeline of earlier controversies right here. ...

And Corey Taylor tells us that yes, there will be another Slipknot record. But he has a wake-up call for fans who expect more from the band. "Grow up!" he said. "I'm not saying it will be the last album from us ... I mean, we're at least doing one more. [Fans] are very pessimistic, and instead of looking at things in a pragmatic mindset, they go, 'Oh, I can't live.' Please."

Quote of the Day: "As long as it's not associated with hippie, mellow nonsense, we can deal with 'stoner rock.' It's better than a lot of the things we could be called." — Fu Manchu's Scott Hill

Here's what everyone else is talking about:

Jessica Simpson was scheduled to shoot the spy comedy "The Witness" in June, but now she'll be joining the Marines that month instead, People reports. "Major Movie Star," a comedy starring Simpson as an actress who enlists in the armed forces, will start filming in Louisiana next month. ...

Hulky's got a girlfriend ... Liv Tyler has signed on to play Betty Ross, the love interest of Edward Norton's Bruce Banner in "The Incredible Hulk," according to The Hollywood Reporter. ...

Busta Rhymes was pulled over and arrested on a DUI charge early Thursday — that you know. But were you wondering exactly how he'd customized the SUV he was driving? New York's Daily News to the rescue! A story in today's paper details the "$225,000 armored SUV more suitable for combat than the city streets," right down to the bullet-resistant tires ...

Twista is speaking out on President Bush's veto of a bill calling for troop withdrawal. "I feel like he was bogus for vetoing that bill," Twista writes in his "Twista's Turn" column in the Chicago Tribune "We need to say something effective to bring our troops back home. ... I wanna know what you all think we can do to help bring the troops home because something needs to be done." ...

Eve will be charged Friday with driving under the influence in connection with her car crash and subsequent arrest last week, Reuters reports.

What a comeback. Maroon 5's "Makes Me Wonder" jumps from #64 to #1 on the Hot 100, the biggest leap to the top in the history of the chart, Billboard reports. Carrie Underwood has her own special spot on the chart with the first iTunes exclusive to debut in the top 10. Her version of the Pretenders' "I'll Stand By You," featured on last week's "Idol Gives Back" special, comes in at #6. ...

And David Bowie, Lonelygirl15, Last.fm, Flickr and the developers of the Lollapalooza and "Pan's Labyrinth" Web sites are among the honorees for the Webby Awards. The prizes will be handed out June 3-5.

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A.M. Surf Report: Eminem Eyes A New Career; LL Heads To Broadway; De Niro Has Bowie Beef

25 Apr 2007 08:45:00 EDT

Plus MySpace launches political reality show; Spinal Tap reunite; George Lucas spoofs 'Star Wars.'
By Jane O'Donnell

The news happens all the time, even while you're catching up on your beauty sleep. Check out this brief rundown to bring you up to speed this morning — a quick heads up from your friends at MTV News.

Here's what we've got:

The trailer for "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" premiered Tuesday ( you can see it right here), and we talked to fans who said the preview has them looking forward to a more intense adventure — and an Umbridge who isn't as ugly as they expected. ...

Keith Richards is hitting the high seas, but not without a guitar. "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End" production designer Rick Heinrichs told us that the Rolling Stones legend will be playing a guitar in the film — but not a Telecaster. "We came up with a sea-turtle guitar, as well as a few other period guitars of that time," Heinrichs said. "They're very talented, these pirates." ...

And if you count on a blog-powered hype machine to let you know what's worth listening to, you're going to hear a whole lot of first records and not much follow up. James Montgomery looks at the "sorta sophomore slump" that bands such as Arctic Monkeys and Arcade Fire are experiencing now that their next-big-thing heat has cooled.

Quote of the Day: " 'This guy sucks. He should get hepatitis and die.' What does that have to do with movie reviews?" — Jamie Kennedy

Here's what everyone else is talking about

St. Andrew's Hall, the Detroit venue where Eminem got his start, may soon belong to the rapper, The Detroit Free Press reports. Em and his manager are in talks to take over operations at the place immortalized in "8 Mile." They could be running things as soon as next month. ...

The New York Post's "Page Six" reports that LL Cool J is considering a starring role in a Broadway revival of Tennessee Williams' "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof." According to the gossip column, the play — no, this one is not a musical — will be directed by Debbie Allen, with "Dreamgirls" star Anika Noni Rose in casting talks. LL's rep denies the report. ...

Fresh beef alert: David Bowie's High Line fest has Robert De Niro steaming thanks to its proximity to his own Tribeca Film Festival, New York magazine reports. An "unnamed observer" — smart move, given what's next — said De Niro is "a big old wrinkled thug next to these young guys" (that's 30-something High Line producers David Binder and Josh Wood, not Bowie). The Tribeca camp denies any battle-of-the-NYC-fests and says they'll attend the High Line events, while Binder and Wood want you to know that they're way too cool to see "Spider-Man 3." ...

MySpace and reality-TV mogul Mark Burnett are teaming up for "Independent," an Internet/TV show that Reuters describes as "American Idol" meets "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington." The competition, voted on by MySpace users, seeks a young community leader who will represent the concerns of young America. The winner will earn $1 million to help launch a new political party. ...

What would it take to get Spinal Tap to reunite? Nothing less than a mission to save the planet. The semifictional band — yes, they were created for a mockumentary, but they do really rock — will take the stage July 7 at Wembley Stadium for London's contribution to the worldwide event, BBC News reports. ...

Seth Green will parody "Star Wars" on an upcoming "Robot Chicken" special — with help from George Lucas himself, Ain't It Cool News reports. Lucas and Mark Hamill will lend their voices to the 30-minute animated project, which will also feature the talents of Hulk Hogan and Joey Fatone. ...

Think you can sing like Aretha Franklin? She'll be the judge of that. Auditions for actors to perform in a musical about Franklin's life will be held May 1-3 in suburban Detroit, The Associated Press reports, and Franklin will help choose the players. ... In other casting news, Variety reports that Julia Stiles has signed on to star in and produce a film adaptation of "The Bell Jar," based on the semiautobiographical classic written by the late Sylvia Plath. ...

And six alternate jurors have been selected, 12 regular jurors are in place and opening statements in Phil Spector's murder trial — for the February 2003 shooting of actress Lana Clarkson — are expected to begin Wednesday, according to a Reuters report.

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Always Second Place? David Bowie, Public Enemy, Kiss Never Topped Charts

03 Apr 2007 06:01:00 EDT

Unexpected Billboard success for Modest Mouse, Pretty Ricky has us looking at heavyweights with no #1 albums.
By James Montgomery

Landing the #1 spot on the Billboard albums chart is pretty easy — provided your name is Elvis, the Beatles or, uh, Now That's What I Call Music! For anyone else, it's a rather difficult thing to accomplish because, despite some of the "luminaries" who've occupied the top spot this year (Pretty Ricky, Daughtry), the #1 album club is a pretty exclusive one.

Up until this week, Johnny Marr — whose ringing guitar tones were first heard nearly 25 years ago on the Smiths' "Hand in Glove" — wasn't a member. Then We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank, the new album from Modest Mouse, debuted in the top spot, selling an impressive 128,000 copies (see " Modest Mouse Felt 'No Pressure' To Be #1 — But They Got There Anyway "). This gave Marr, who joined MM before this album, his first-ever Stateside #1.

And while it might have taken Marr a quarter-century to get his first Billboard chart-topper, at least he got there. Because there's a whole list of rock, pop and hip-hop heavyweights who haven't, and — unless they decide to record a duet with someone like Jay-Z — probably never will.

We've compiled some of them here, though it bears mentioning that we're only talking about #1 albums on the Billboard 200, mainly because it ranks the top-selling albums in the country, regardless of genre (plus it's been around — under various handles like the "Stereo Action Charts," "Top LPs" and "Top Pop Albums" — since 1945), but also because landing the #1 album on the Top Contemporary Jazz chart just doesn't seem like all that great of an accomplishment (unless, of course, you're Motörhead).

David Bowie: The Thin White Duke has accomplished much in a career that spans more than 40 years, including countless #1 albums in the U.K., yet the top spot on the Billboard albums chart has continued to elude him. He's come close in the past: 1976's Station to Station made it to #3, and '83's Let's Dance got to #4 based on the strength of the title track (which made it to #1 on the singles chart). The following year, his Tonight album peaked at #11 — and he hasn't made it higher since.

Tom Petty: Be it as a solo artist, along with the Heartbreakers or as a member of the Traveling Wilburys, Petty's never had the #1 album on the Billboard chart. Damn the Torpedoes got to #2 in early 1980, a position it would hold for seven straight weeks (Pink Floyd's The Wall, in the midst of a 15-week run at #1, kept it from taking the top spot). Full Moon Fever made it to #3, and Wildflowers got to #8. The Traveling Wilburys' Vol. 1 — which Petty recorded with George Harrison, Bob Dylan, Roy Orbison and Jeff Lynne — peaked at #3 in 1989. Last year, his third solo effort, Highway Companion debuted at #4.

Kiss: As the commanders of the Kiss Army — and the sheer purchasing power contained therein — it's rather shocking to learn that Gene Simmons and company have never made it to #1. Thanks to the crossover appeal of "Christine Sixteen," 1977's Love Gun got to #4 on the chart, and it wasn't until 1998's Psycho Circus that they made it higher: That album topped out at #3.

Public Enemy: Perhaps it was the political slant, the blaring production or the fact that Chuck D just scared the crap out of most of America, but PE have never had a #1 album on the Billboard 200. Fear of a Black Planet scraped the top 10 in 1990, and Apocalypse 91 ... The Enemy Strikes Black powered its way to #4 (Apocalypse did, however, go to #1 on the R&B/hip-hop chart). Since then, they've released a pair of albums that didn't dent the top 10, and 2002's Revolverlution peaked at #110.

Duran Duran: They ruled the '80s with pulsing synths and razor-sharp cheekbones, but the Durannies could never quite strut their way to the top of the albums chart. The decade-uniting Rio made it to #6 in 1983 (back when Michael Jackson's Thriller was the reigning chart champ) and stayed in the top 200 for 129 consecutive weeks. The live album Arena, recorded during their '83-'84 world tour, actually charted higher — it got to #4. The boys' self-titled 1993 comeback record made it to #7, but they haven't caressed the top 10 since.

The Who: They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as "prime contenders, in the minds of many, for the title of World's Greatest Rock Band," but the Who have not made it to #1 on the albums chart. They got close with 1973's Quadrophenia and 1978's Who Are You, both of which peaked at #2. Last year's Endless Wire — the band's first studio album in more than 20 years — debuted at #7.

Neil Diamond: He's written hit singles for everyone from Deep Purple to the Monkees and had his own fair share of singular success, but — somewhat inexplicably — Diamond's never had a #1 album in a career that's spanned nearly 50 years. His soundtracks to "Jonathan Livingston Seagull" and "The Jazz Singer" (the latter of which contained his ultra-schmaltzy hit "America") got to #2 and #3, respectively, and a host of his late-'70s efforts made the top 10. In 2005, his Rick Rubin-produced 12 Songs debuted at #4.

Ozzy Osbourne: Whether running solo or as a member of seminal metal act Black Sabbath, the Ozzman never managed to battle his way to the top of the Billboard albums chart. Sabbath's Master of Reality made it to #8, and a host of Osbourne's solo albums landed in the top 10 (most notably 1995's Ozzmosis, and his 2001 follow-up, Down to Earth, both of which debuted at #4).

The Cure: Robert Smith and his mascaraed marauders debuted at #2 with 1992's Wish, but that's as close as they ever came to the top spot. And we suspect they've been depressed about it ever since.

Motörhead: OK, while this one doesn't exactly fall into the "shocking" category, we'd like to state for the record that it's a crime of monumental proportions that Lemmy and his mates have not had a #1 album on the Billboard chart (though 1991's 1916 did reach #142). In fact, Mr. Kilminster's biggest chart success came in 2001, when WWF: The Music, Vol. 5 — featuring Motörhead's "The Game," which wrestler Triple H used as his entrance music — sold 176,000 copies and debuted at #2, proving once again that you should never doubt the broad cross-market appeal of Hunter Hearst Helmsley.

The Smiths/ Morrissey: Marr's former bandmates — and his former musical foil — must be hella jealous about his recent chart success, because none of them has ever gotten close to sniffing #1 on the top 200. The Smiths' final album, 1987's Strangeways, Here We Come, topped out at #55, and the Mozfather never got higher on the charts than he did with 2004's You Are the Quarry, which debuted at #11. Then again, all that could change if the Smiths would just go ahead and reunite already ... hint, hint.

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Alicia Keys, David Bowie Help Raise Money For AIDS Orphans At NYC Show

10 Nov 2006 06:01:00 EST

Damien Marley, Angelique Kidjo, Louis XIV also slated to perform at Thursday's Black Ball.
By Jennifer Vineyard

WEEHAWKEN, New Jersey — Alicia Keys' band has been practicing a bridge between David Bowie's "Let's Dance" and Keys' "Karma" for a half-hour to the point where they seem like one song.

Keys nods her head to the beat, giving her approval to the proposed medley for her performance at the Black Ball, Keep A Child Alive's annual fundraiser in New York on Thursday (November 9).

"David Bowie is in the show," Keys said, "so we're singing together. But the song you just heard, we may or may not do. I figured, while he's there, why not [do a duet]?"

Also joining Keys onstage will be Damien Marley, Angelique Kidjo and Louis XIV, who've all signed on to help Keys turn this annual event into a million-dollar fundraiser to help AIDS orphans in Africa. Interspersed between the performances will be film clips of the singer's recent trip to Africa, where she visited clinics in Durban, South Africa, and Kampala, Uganda.

"You go and you experience it, and you really feel what's happening and what we're doing, how you help by just being there. You feel a connection to it," Keys said. "And then musically, it's the bringing together of a whole world of people that you will probably never see on the same stage ever again."

Keys is trying to bridge worlds in more ways than one. Like Bono, Jay-Z and Madonna, she's on a mission to raise awareness about what's happening in Africa, particularly with the 12 million orphans left by the AIDS pandemic. "Awareness is power," she said. "Here I am, thousands and thousands of miles away, and most people will never see it and get to know with their own experience and feeling that this is what people are going through. But if I could show them, 'Here's what it looks like,' for those who can never be that close to it, it ignites a sense of insistency. You feel you have to do something.

"I don't think there can ever be too much awareness," she added. "From South America to Haiti to Africa, if you can say what's happening and someone can be moved by that, that's important. We're a global family. There are some people who live on 137th Street and will never leave 137th Street, and there's things happening on 137th Street that we should all know about. But where are we going if we don't care?"

The money raised by Thursday's fundraiser "goes directly to the people," Keys assured, to provide anti-retroviral medicine, staff clinics and to build orphanages. "If you donate just a dollar a day, a child could live on that for a year," she said. "It's the full package." One of the Black Ball honorees, Carol Dyantyl, who Keys calls "Mama Carol," looks after 900 children in an orphanage in Soweto, South Africa, called Ikageng Ministries. "There's a huge orphan problem," Keys said. "It's a reaction to what happens when you can't get the medicine to everyone. Families pass away.

"When I first went over there, I felt a huge, heavy weight on my shoulders," Keys added. "People looked at me like I came with all the answers, and I didn't have the answers. I sat down with tens of hundreds of kids, listening to their stories, their lives. They were infected, or their parents were infected or died. I just said, 'What do you need?' And they said, 'Medicine. We don't have access.' "

Moved by one particular child's story, Keys has written a new song in his honor. Sudi, whose family lives in the slums of Mombasa, Kenya, was 17 years old and infected with HIV but didn't receive any medication until he was 14. His growth was so stunted, he looked 9 years old, because he was less than 4 feet tall. "He passed away while I was in Africa," she said. "But he didn't die in vain. It makes you realize the later you start the medication, the harder it is, and that's why it's so important to get them the medicine very young so they can respond. If we can start other children much earlier, they can live a normal life."

She's not ready to share the song just yet — she feels like it's too close to her heart at the moment — but she did share her time with Sudi via footage she aired on "The Oprah Winfrey Show." In response, Oprah's Angel Network raised $250,000, and Key's fan club raised $4,000.

"We're just everyday people, but we can be heroes and make a huge change," Keys said. "I've gone back, and I saw buildings, whole pediatric wings, that now exist. Orphanages erected. Children who could eat, mothers who could live, families who could have a real life now. I saw kids happy and screaming and playing and alive. I saw 900 children who had some hope because we provided for them in some way. It's amazing to see what we can do with the money we raise, when it goes where it's needed."

So instead of the heavy pain she felt before, Keys said what she now feels is faith and hope. "I'm driven and excited and proud of what we've done, what we'll continue to do," Keys said. "My heart, it bleeds, because we have to be the voice for the voiceless. That's what I want to be."

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