Sting

Police Have Close Shave At Their Last-Ever Concert. By Kurt Loder

8 Aug 2008 08:28:00 EDT

Sting reduced to stubble in intermission ritual.

Sting performs at Madison Square Garden on Thursday
Photo: Kevin Mazur/ WireImage.com

NEW YORK — Sting marked the end of the year-and-a-half-long Police reunion tour Thursday night by shaving off his tour beard before the marveling eyes of a sold-out house at Madison Square Garden. I think that's what was going on anyway.

After an hour of vintage hits, the bassist and his accumulation of salt-and-pepper facial scrub left the stage — along with bandmates Andy Summers and Stewart Copeland, of course — to await the traditional audience demand for an encore. After a few minutes, the big video screen above the stage blinked back on, and we saw Sting, now fetchingly bare-chested, stretched out in a backstage makeup chair while two women with electric clippers set about buzzing off the famous beard. Out front, the crowd watched in something like wonder. You could feel their hopes rise after the women reduced the foliage to a modest stubble and snicked off their trimmers; and you could feel them subside again when one of the amateur barbers slopped a large handful of shaving cream onto Sting's face and the process continued, this time with razors. I thought to myself, "People will pay to see anything."

The whole ritual took less time than one might have feared, although more than one would have preferred, and when it was over, the band returned and played for another half hour. After 150 shows, they were in top form. (I would personally pay money to watch Copeland geniusing around on drums in an otherwise empty room.) The 18,000-some people on hand — who stayed on their feet through the whole concert — loved it loudly.

There was one other unusual moment. It had come earlier, when, in the middle of a song, three girls stepped out onto the side of the stage and began shimmying with abandon. These were not the sort of dancers one usually sees disporting themselves behind singers who aren't actually singing. No, these were clearly civilians. And when they were joined by two boys entering from the other side of the stage, it became clear that they were all offspring of the stars. It was very sweet. When the song ended and the kids scampered away, Sting stepped to the mike and said, "Between us we must have 21 children." Then he said — and this was the unusual part — "We've been on tour for 30 years." I don't know what anyone else made of this, but I wondered to myself, "What, uh, does he mean by that?"

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Amy Winehouse Stumbles Through EMA Performance; Plus Justin Timberlake, Avril Lavigne, Britney Spears, Lindsay Lohan & More, In For The Record

1 Nov 2007 08:57:00 EDT

Avril beats out JT at EMAs; Spears sued by former manager; Lohan doesn't want deposition videotaped.
By MTV News staff

Amy Winehouse at the 2007 MTV Europe Music Awards on Thursday
Photo: Dave Hogan/ Getty Images

Amy Winehouse stumbled through her performance at the MTV Europe Music Awards on Thursday (November 1) shortly after giving a very brief acceptance speech when she won the Artists' Choice honor. The singer — who was announced as a last-minute addition to the show when she canceled her planned performance at the mtvU Woodie Awards on November 8 — gave a brief "thanks" when she accepted the award, and later appeared to have difficulty remembering the words to her own song and danced unsteadily as she performed. And while this year's MTV Video Music Awards belonged to Justin Timberlake (and Rihanna), JT wasn't able to replicate his success abroad at the EMAs. While he was the most nominated artist, he left with no awards — and maybe even more stunningly, he was outdone by Avril Lavigne, who nabbed Most Addictive Track ("Girlfriend") and Solo Artist of 2007. Other winners included Nelly Furtado (Album of the Year), Linkin Park (Band of 2007) and 30 Seconds to Mars (Rock Out). Justice won the Video Star prize, which they also took home last year. ...

Britney Spears is being sued for $15,000 by a former manager who says she didn't keep up on her payments to him of commissions on her royalties for her first four albums — including on her $7 million advance in 2002 — movies, tours, books, etc. Johnny Wright, who was her manager through February 2003, filed a breach-of-contract suit in Orange County, Florida, claiming Spears didn't provide proper accounting of all her gross receipts. He is seeking compensatory damages, consequential damages, pre- and post-judgment interest and attorney's fees. ...

Like Britney before her, Lindsay Lohan is trying to make sure that her upcoming deposition — pertaining to a lawsuit filed over her 2005 car accident in West Hollywood, California — won't be videotaped, according to the Los Angeles Daily News. Her lawyers are reportedly requesting that the deposition — which Lohan is scheduled to give December 3 — be sealed instead if their request is denied. "The court should act to prevent such an unwarranted invasion of [Lohan's] privacy, especially where the nature of the allegations ... are so inflammatory," her court papers state, according to Daily News. Her lawyers are also requesting that deposition testimony and written responses from other witnesses be made unavailable to the public. Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Michael L. Stern denied a motion by her attorneys on Friday for an immediate ruling on whether the deposition will be videotaped, saying he will consider it November 28 instead. ...

Don Imus' radio comeback is now set in stone: The controversial shock jock will be back on the airwaves after a nine-month hiatus on December 3. Imus will return to New York's WABC-AM, which is home to another inflammatory jock, Rush Limbaugh. The Rev. Al Sharpton, a vocal Imus critic, issued a statement on the development through his National Action Network, saying they've "always maintained that wherever Don Imus goes back to work, the company should clearly outline to advertisers and trade organizations like the National Association of Black Journalists how they intend to safeguard against Mr. Imus returning to his former vile and biased behavior. One would think if they were sincere about his apologies and his new commitment they would enthusiastically meet with advertisers and the NABJ to voice these assurances. If they do not, then we exercise the right in the next 30 days to visit advertisers to ask what has changed since they withdrew their support to Mr. Imus's show six months ago. If there are no guarantees that the same conduct they withdrew support from will be duplicated upon his return, we will certainly act accordingly. Mr. Imus has the right to make a living, but we have the right to make sure he does not come back to disrupt our living. Particularly since these are the commitments he made personally." ...

Vanessa Hudgens isn't all smiles these days — the "High School Musical" star is battling with one of her managers over money she allegedly owes him, according to TMZ.com. Brian Schall claims Hudgens owes him $150,000 after he helped her earn more than $5 million by advancing the starlet's funds for her recording and songwriting career. But Hudgens argues that she was too young to sign her contract — when she did so in October 2005, she was 16 years old — and she subsequently disaffirmed it on October 9 of this year, according to the site. Papers filed in court by her lawyer say California's Family Code "provides that the contract of a minor is voidable and may be disaffirmed before (age 18) or within a reasonable time afterward." ... In related news, Aaron Carter has extricated himself from a contract he signed with Lou Pearlman, according to TMZ. The singer's attorney filed suit against the disgraced boy-band mogul in May 2006, requesting that Carter he released from the contract, which he signed as a minor. A bankruptcy judge ruled in Carter's favor and ordered that the contract with Pearlman and his label, the bankrupt TransContinental Records, is no longer in effect — but it's not yet known who orders Carter's recordings with the label. Carter is also seeking an accounting of royalties. ...

What do Justin Timberlake, Christina Aguilera, Prince, Genesis, Kenny Chesney, Maná and the Police have in common? Well, in case you're not on the concert-revenue tip, they've been drawing fleets of fans to their shows, making them finalists for the 2007 Billboard Touring Awards. JT and the Police are among the nominees for Top Tour and Top Draw, while Timberlake has also been noticed in the Breakthrough Artist category. Aguilera has a nod in the Top Package category for her tour with Pussycat Dolls and Danity Kane, and she's up for Breakthrough Artist as well. Prince's stretch of 21 shows at London's O2 arena earned him a spot in the Top Boxscore category, along with Bonnaroo and the U.K.'s Download Festival. The awards — based on the artists' box-office performance from January 1 through September 30, as reported by Billboard's Boxscore chart — will be presented 5 in New York as part of the 2007 Billboard Touring Conference. ...

Lance Bass' publicist is denying that the 'NSYNC star was ever married, despite what E! Online reports Bass said in a recent interview, according to The Associated Press. "People do stupid things in the heat of the moment," he had said, referring to a trip to Vegas he supposedly made with an ex-girlfriend. "I've been in Vegas where I've gotten married for, like, five minutes ... it was one of those crazy moments where you're with a friend and you're like, 'Hey, wouldn't it be fun if we did this?' And that's all that happened. It's the Vegas thing to do ... the only reason we did it is because we wanted to get free drinks all night. And we didn't get one. We're like, 'We just got married!' They're like, 'Ah. Whatever.' " But Bass' publicist Ken Sunshine subsequently told AP that, "He never really got married. That's why there's no record of it. ... By saying he was married in Vegas, it was a way to get free drinks." A clerk at the Clark County marriage license bureau said no license under Bass' name could be found in a search of records dating back more than 30 years, according to AP. Bass has been making the rounds to promote his new memoir, "Out of Sync" — which reveals why he kept his homosexuality hidden for as long as he did. ...

The Emmy Award-winning television program "Biography" will air a program on Guns N' Roses on November 29. The show will be part of a string of music documentaries that is also set to include Jennifer Lopez and Fleetwood Mac. ... Try this marketing scheme on for size: The Jonas Brothers are partnering with Gibson Guitars to record their next album while aboard one of the company's tour buses as they trek along the West Coast on the Miley Cyrus/ Hannah Montana Best of Both Worlds Tour. The group will also be playing additional gigs on the tour, and at special shows in Nashville and Memphis, Tennessee, fans will be able to enter a contest for a private meet-and-greet at Gibson Guitar Showrooms. ... Joel Madden has dismissed rumors of tension between he and girlfriend Nicole Richie, while the pregnant socialite has also denied a report that she has been smoking, according to People. "Having a baby is the most exciting thing that's ever happened to me, and to us," Madden said. His band Good Charlotte recently toured Australia, after which he and Richie spent "a great little getaway" in Thailand. "Now we're just getting home, getting settled in L.A. and getting ready," he said. Their baby is reportedly due in January. ...

Da Brat was reportedly involved in a serious physical altercation early Thursday morning at Jermaine Dupri's Atlanta nightclub, Studio 72. According to WSB-TV in Atlanta, police arrested Da Brat (real name: Shawntae Harris) on felony aggravated-assault charges after she got into a heated confrontation with a waitress. Da Brat is said to have struck the waitress in the face with a bottle of rum, causing cuts on her face. The waitress was taken to a local hospital for treatment; Da Brat is being held at DeKalb County jail, according to WSB. Spokespeople for Da Brat and her longtime mentor Dupri had not responded to MTV News' requests for comment at press time. ...

Jonathan Davis fans will be in for a surprise when they check out the Korn frontman's upcoming solo tour: He'll already have a concert CD/DVD package available for purchase, if everything goes according to plan. Billboard.com reports that Davis will film a small show for friends, family and the press on November 8 — the day before the tour kicks off in Hartford, Connecticut — and transform it into a limited-edition package that will be available, at least initially, only on his tour. The DVD will chronicle bandmember tryouts, rehearsals leading up to the recording and more. ... The Smashing Pumpkins have rescheduled five gigs they had been forced to postpone after Jimmy Chamberlin experienced chest pains, sending the drummer to the hospital. The Pumpkins will now play the Nashville gig on November 11 and the one in Austin, Texas, two days later, after which they'll hit Atlanta for a pair of shows November 15-16 and play the rescheduled Dallas show two days after that. Chamberlin was released from the hospital Wednesday after an angiogram revealed that he had a partially blocked artery. ...

Guess who was an OiNK user? None other than Nine Inch Nails boss Trent Reznor. In an interview with New York magazine about the new Saul Williams album, Reznor said, "I'll admit I had an account there and frequented it quite often," of the now-shuttered file-sharing site. "At the end of the day, what made OiNK a great place was that it was like the world's greatest record store. Pretty much anything you could ever imagine, it was there, and it was there in the format you wanted. If OiNK cost anything, I would certainly have paid, but there isn't the equivalent of that in the retail space right now. iTunes kind of feels like Sam Goody to me. I don't feel cool when I go there. I'm tired of seeing John Mayer's face pop up. I feel like I'm being hustled when I visit there, and I don't think their product is that great. DRM, low bit rate, etc. Amazon has potential, but none of them get around the issue of pre-release leaks. And that's what's such a difficult puzzle at the moment. If your favorite band in the world has a leaked record out, do you listen to it or do you not listen to it? People on those boards, they're grateful for the person that uploaded it — they're the hero. They're not stealing it because they're going to make money off of it; they're stealing it because they love the band. I'm not saying that I think OiNK is morally correct, but I do know that it existed because it filled a void of what people want." ...

Jacob "The Jeweler" Arabov pleaded guilty on Wednesday to falsifying records and giving false statements to investigators looking into a multistate drug ring, The Associated Press reports. Arabov, 42, the "King of Bling," who has made custom jewelry for everyone from Kanye West to Bono, agreed to a plea deal that will have him serve up to 46 months in prison and pay a $2 million penalty in exchange for prosecutors dropping money-laundering charges against him. Arabov was arrested at his New York jewelry store in June 2006 and accused of being part of a conspiracy to launder about $270 million in drug profits for the Black Mafia Family, a crime ring that operated out of the Detroit area beginning in the early 1990s. ... Linda Stein, 62, former co-manager of the Ramones and ex-wife of Sire Records founder Seymour Stein, was found dead on Monday in her apartment on New York's Upper East Side; she was killed by blunt-impact trauma to the head, police told New York's WCBS. Stein was also known as a real-estate agent to the stars, finding spots in New York for Sting, Billy Joel, Steven Spielberg, Calvin Klein and Bruce Willis. Police are treating the death as a homicide. ...

Black Lips — who took Brooklyn, New York, by storm with a circus parade in September — are bringing their maniacal ways to the big screen. The group will transform itself into a fictional late-'80s underground punk band for "Let It Be," a feature film due to begin production in May. The film will be directed by newcomer Roger Rawlings ("Neurotica"), and produced by Andrew Meyer ("The Breakfast Club") and Winn Coslick ("The Bottom"), and feature both original Lips music and key songs from the era. ... Swedish indie-rockers Peter Bjorn and John will try to make sure they're remembered as one of the year's most buzzed-about bands with an extra handful of 2007 U.S. shows. The "Young Folks" squad will play Houston (November 23); Dallas (November 24); Indianapolis (November 27); Cleveland (November 29); Louisville, Kentucky (November 30); Cincinnati (December 2); and Millvale, Pennsylvania (December 3). ... Touch and Go Records celebrated its 25th anniversary with a three-day bash last summer — now another prominent Chicago indie-rock label, Thrill Jockey, is getting ready to blow out 15 candles with a two-day shindig of its own. The Fiery Furnaces, the Sea and Cake, Eleventh Dream Day and many more artists who contributed to the label over the years will convene at the city's Logan Square Auditorium for the event, which will include two stages and be held December 14-15. ...

Talks between Hollywood screenwriters and studios hit an impasse on Wednesday, and with mere hours to go before their contract was set to expire, the writers were on the verge of the first major strike against the film and TV industry in 20 years. Reuters reports that talks broke off when the deadlock could not be broken between the writers and studios over writers' demands that they get an increased share of DVD revenues and Internet downloads of their work. Leaders of the Writers Guild of America ruled out declaring an immediate walkout when their contract, which covers 12,000 members, expired at 12:01 a.m. (3:01 a.m. EDT) on Thursday. According to the AP, the union instead said it would brief its rank and file at a meeting in Los Angeles on Thursday night. In the meantime, WGA members may continue to work under terms of the old three-year labor pact, though a spokesperson said, "They will technically be working without a contract." No further talks were scheduled, but an industry spokesperson said after Wednesday's eight-hour session that union negotiators had told studio officials they would contact them on Friday. If a walkout does take place, studios and TV networks have stockpiled scripts that could last into next year. ...

Believe it, "X Files" fans: A film sequel will start production in Vancouver, British Columbia, in December, according to Entertainment Weekly. Creator Chris Carter is slated to direct, and TV series stalwarts David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson will revive their respective roles for the project, which has been in the works since the release of "The X Files: Fight the Future" in 1998. "If we didn't do it now and the [writers'] strike was protracted, it would force the movie to come out several years from now," Carter told the magazine. "And that was too late. It was either now or never." ... The woman who was ordered to pay more than $220,000 in the first verdict in a music-downloading trial, Jammie Thomas, has raised more than $16,000 so far in donations on FreeJammie.com. Now she's begun offering a whole range of gear to help raise more for her defense fund, including "Free Jammie" dog T-shirts ($17.49), white thong underwear ($9.99) and women's tracksuits ($49.99), as well as mugs, beer steins, teddy bears, kid's clothes, hoodies and boxer shorts.

10.31.07

Lil Wayne made a brief appearance in an Atlanta courtroom on Wednesday (October 31) for an arraignment in connection with the year-old drug-possession charge that recently landed him in an Idaho jail on a fugitive warrant. According to Wayne's lawyer, William Head, the rapper was only in court for about 20 minutes during the nearly three-hour preliminary hearing and will return on November 20, when a judge could rule on defense motions questioning whether the hotel search that originally resulted in Wayne's arrest on drug charges was legal. The defense also filed a motion requesting to examine the evidence in the case in order to have a fingerprint analysis done on the objects, which Head said were found in a room that the rapper was not staying in. ...

Cynthia Reed, mother of the 14-year-old son of Game manager Jimmy "Henchman" Rosemond, spoke out Tuesday about Tony Yayo's pending trial, in which he is accused of having roughed up the boy. "I am looking forward to a trial, and it is important that justice be done," she said in a statement. "Trials bring out facts, and I know the facts will expose the cowardly act of G-Unit's member Yayo of assaulting my 14-year-old son." Leemon responded to Reed's statement by saying, "At trial, I am confident the evidence will show that Tony Yayo did not hit anyone. These baseless allegations against Yayo are nothing more than an attempt by a bitter business rival to disparage and embarrass him. Our investigation has uncovered more than one witness to the incident who will testify that Yayo did not hit 'Lil Henchmen.' This is nothing more than an attempt at legal extortion." The trial begins January 10. ...

In yet more legal-oriented rap news, Game went to court Wednesday for a brief pre-trial hearing, according to TMZ. The hearing pertained to allegations that the rapper (real name: Jayceon Taylor) threatened a person with a gun during a pickup basketball game at a park in Los Angeles earlier this year. Game's spirits were high, according to a TMZ video in which he rants about everything from dressing up like 50 Cent for Halloween to helping out Britney Spears — "I'll shampoo your hair, rub your feet, watch your kids and be your bodyguard," he said. He's due back in court November 14. ...

Britney Spears hasn't had much to say to the media lately — save some choice words for the paparazzi, that is — but she broke the brief silence by going on Ryan Seacrest's radio show Wednesday morning. When asked about the recent media coverage of her child-custody battle with ex-husband Kevin Federline, Spears replied, "People say what they want and do what they do. It's sad how people ... how cruel our world can be. But at the end of the day, you gotta know in your heart that you are doing the best that you can." When Seacrest asked Spears if she is in fact doing the best she can with her kids, she reassured him: "Oh God, yeah, yeah." Spears also talked about the Tuesday release of her new Blackout LP, saying she spent the day watching movies. Seacrest also asked her about her rumored romance with Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo. Spears, who was on a speakerphone with Alli Sims and Sam Lufti, replied, "Who?" ...

Ashley Tisdale, Good Charlotte, Jordin Sparks, Corbin Bleu, the Jonas Brothers and more will hop aboard the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade when it snakes its way through the streets of New York on November 22. Catch the show from 9 a.m. to noon in all time zones on NBC. ... The American Music Awards are shaping up to be a night for the ladies — Alicia Keys, Avril Lavigne and Nicole Scherzinger have joined previously announced performers Fergie, Rihanna, Celine Dion (and Daughtry) for the ceremony, which will air live November 18 at 8 p.m. ET on ABC. ...

The new season of "American Idol" is still a few months away, but that's not stopping the juggernaut's presence on TV. Former contestants Clay Aiken and Kellie Pickler will be celebrity contestants on "Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?" on Thursday and November 15, respectively, while judges Simon Cowell, Randy Jackson and Paula Abdul will crop up in animated form in the November 11 "Family Guy" episode, in which Stewie auditions for the judges. And in yet more TV news, the "Simpsons" episode featuring Jack Black — who voices the owner of a new comic book store — will air November 18. ...

The ink has dried on Radiohead's deal to distribute its In Rainbows album — well, outside North America, at least. Billboard.com reports that the band has finalized a deal with XL Recordings — which released Thom Yorke's solo album, The Eraser, last year — that would entail the international distribution of the album but allow the band to cut a different deal in North America. The New York Times previously reported that the band had been planning to sign with Coran Capshaw's Side One Recordings to distribute Rainbows domestically, although Radiohead's U.S. publicist, Steve Martin, later told MTV News he could "neither confirm nor deny" the story. The album doesn't have an international release date yet, but according to Billboard.com, it will likely coincide with the Radiohead.com deluxe Discbox release on December 3. Sales figures for the album — for which the band allowed fans to name their own price — have not been released, but Radiohead manager Bryce Edge recently said reports of 1.2 million being sold were "exaggerated," according to Billboard. ... Lupe Fiasco and industry heavyweight Steve Stoute were on hand at the Bowery Hotel in New York on Tuesday night as Bitter: Sweet performed as part of a T-Mobile Shadow launch party. ...

A Maryland couple have dropped their lawsuit alleging Wal-Mart deceived customers by selling copies of Evanescence's Anywhere but Home LP containing explicit lyrics without parental-advisory labels. Trevin and Melanie Skeens had sued the department-store chain back in 2004 after they purchased the album for their daughter's 13th birthday. The news comes nearly 22 months after a judge refused to certify the complaint as a class action, which would have allowed anyone who bought the record in Maryland to hop onboard and collect compensation. ... Van Halen have booked their first gig of 2008, which could be an indication of a second leg being added to the band's current reunion run. The only show that's confirmed for next year so far will go down March 30 in St. Louis. ...

Coldplay have been teasing fans in recent months with updates on their next studio album, and now, in a new post on their site, they say they're almost done with the effort. The band revealed that two new songs, "Famous Old Painters" and "Glass of Water," have come into play for the album, which was already poised to include "Cemeteries of London," "Poppy Fields," "42," "Yes!," "Lost," "Violet Hill," "Rainy Day" and "Leftrightleftrightleft." "It feels like a very dense record," read the post. "There are so many melodies and colors packed into a relatively short space (42 minutes)." Regarding the album's producer, the post continued: "As you'd expect with Brian Eno, there's experimentation and exploration. But the music still has integrity. It's real and honest. There's no posturing or bombast. When the deadline comes and the work is done, this will be the album I always dreamed we'd make." Coldplay were more specific about the yet-untitled 2008 album in a previous post, saying the effort would have a "Hispanic theme." ...

Want to party with Ozzy Osbourne? Want to get arrested? Approximately 40 of his fans in Fargo, North Dakota, got a very unpleasant surprise on Monday when they received invitations to a supposed pre-gig bash that turned out to be a police sting operation, according to The Associated Press. Fans — who happened to have outstanding warrants — were reportedly told about a party to be held at the Venue at Playmakers before the metal legend's show with Rob Zombie at the Fargodome. The bash was sponsored by PDL Productions, a fake company made by Cass County Sherriff Paul D. Laney as part of an effort to crack down on scofflaws who had ignored court summons and failed to pay fines. "It was more of a warrant party," Laney told AP. "Some actually thought it was pretty funny. I think they were upset with themselves for being had." The security staff, which wore PDL Productions shirts, turned out to be deputy sheriffs, North Dakota probation and parole agents, and members of the local drug-enforcement task force. Laney got even more creative with the sting by adding a subtle clue into the mix — each "security" T-shirt also featured a festive Halloween skull, and the image of a sheriff's-badge star could be seen in its right eye socket. ...

Lordi's manager was shot at following their Friday gig in Louisville, Kentucky, according to EscToday.com, Web site for Eurovision. (The monster-themed Finnish metal outfit created a stir when it won the broadcasting group's famed Eurovision Song Contest in 2006.) Rikk Scholvinck was reportedly with his bodyguard at the time of the incident, and although neither was struck by gunfire, one of the band's fans was robbed at gunpoint. According to Scholvinck, after the gig, a van appeared next to Lordi's bus, and four or five teens jumped out. "One of the men with a gun took a fan, a girl, put the gun to her head and forced her to lie down on the ground," said band frontman Mr. Lordi (real name: Tomi Putaansuu), according to the site. "Also, one of the boys froze on the spot while the others fled away, including Rikk and the bodyguard, while another man started shooting at them. Luckily, he missed and no one was hurt. Rikk ran to the bar and called the police, who arrived soon. In a moment we were surrounded by like five police cars, but the guys managed to escape. They were a group of drug addicts that had stolen the [van] earlier that night, and police were already looking for them but have still not managed to catch them." Lordi handed the assaulted fan a lifetime all-access pass to their shows worldwide. ...

Iron Maiden have announced a pair of shows in the U.S. as part of their Somewhere Back in Time world tour. The metal gods will play at the Forum in Los Angeles on February 19 and at the Izod Center in East Rutherford, New Jersey, on March 14. ... Speaking of Iron, Iron and Wine only played four shows in the U.S. after releasing their latest album, The Shepherd's Dog, in late September — but thirsty fans shouldn't worry, as more Stateside gigs are on the way. After finishing a two-week run of shows in the U.K. on Sunday, the band will return to America, rest a little, and then head out for another string starting November 27 in Tucson, Arizona. That tour will end December 11 in Austin, Texas, and will be followed by another European trek starting January 14. ...

According to a statement from Earache Records, two members of Polish death-metal band Decapitated were seriously injured in a car accident involving their tour bus and a truck carrying wood in Gomel — which is on the Russian-Belarus border. Frontman Adrian "Covan" Kowanek and drummer Witold "Vitek" Kieltyka sustained serious head injuries as a result of the accident and were taken to a hospital in Moscow for treatment. No additional information on the accident has been made public. ...

The Mars Volta-affiliated indie punk label Gold Standard Laboratories shut down this month, according to a letter founder Sonny Kay posted on the GSL site. Over its 14-year span, GSL released material by the Rapture, !!!, the Locust, Melt-Banana, the Faint and Mars Volta guitarist Omar Rodriguez-Lopez, who co-owned the label. The post reads: "We've experienced the onset of factors that have seriously limited our ability to maintain what we feel is the essence of the label; the experimental attitude and artistic freewheeling of times past are simply no longer sustainable. Rather than compromise our goals and beliefs, or allow our course to be charted by financial constraint and an industry in flux, we've decided the time has come for GSL to cease releasing new music, and to close this chapter of our story."

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Is The All-Star Charity Single Too 'Cheesy' To Make A Difference Today?

10 Jul 2007 07:55:00 EDT

Efforts by Michael Jackson, Sharon Osbourne haven't approached success of '80s famine-relief songs by Band Aid, USA for Africa.
By Gil Kaufman, with additional reporting by John Norris

Celebrities assemble for USA for Africa's "We Are the World"
Photo: Columbia Records

With events like Live 8 and Live Earth geared more toward raising consciousness than money, we got to wondering what had happened to that other staple of celebrity charity, the all-star single.

The 1984 Band Aid song "Do They Know It's Christmas?" — which featured U2, Boy George, Duran Duran, Sting and George Michael — raised millions for victims of famine in Ethiopia and spurred the first wave of charity singles. The U.S. version, "We Are the World," followed a year later, with USA for Africa enlisting Michael Jackson, Bob Dylan, Ray Charles and Bruce Springsteen for famine relief.

From there, it was a blur of songs, some great (Artists Against Apartheid's 1985 track "Sun City," which protested South Africa's racial segregation and included Dylan, Springsteen, Little Steven, Miles Davis, Joey Ramone and Ringo Starr); some forgettable (the 1985 heavy metal entry "Stars" by Hear 'n Aid, featuring members of Dio, Iron Maiden and yes, Spinal Tap); and some just plain weird (2005's indie "Do They Know It's Hallowe'en," a Band Aid satire by the North American Hallowe'en Prevention Initiative to raise money for UNICEF, featuring Beck, members of the Arcade Fire, Peaches, Feist and Karen O).

(Watch Kelly Clarkson, Alicia Keys and AFI weigh in on the charity single's near-disappearance.)

In the past two decades, there have been benefit songs for Nancy Reagan's antidrug campaign, rainforest preservation and West Coast gang truces. In 1986 there was even a mock Ramones Aid video, in which the godfathers of punk lampooned the whole business with their phony "Hands Across Your Face" charity.

With a few notable exceptions (Elton John's 1997 charity remake of "Candle in the Wind" in honor of Princess Diana), most of these tunes haven't come close to the funds raised by the Band Aid/ USA for Africa singles more than 20 years ago.

"When those songs came out, it was the height of MTV, before the Internet, before the multi-artist collaboration at every awards show, and it was something unique to see all these artists from different genres coming together to do something," said Silvio Pietroluongo, associate director of charts for Billboard magazine.

"I think overall, there is a general feeling of wanting to do something and not quite knowing what to do," Alicia Keys told MTV News on Saturday at Live Earth (see "Kanye West, Fall Out Boy, Alicia Keys Are Out Of This World At Live Earth"). "So when things like a big single, or something where people are all performing at one time or one place, you feel the momentum. ... But the reason why it doesn't quite happen so much anymore? I don't know. I'm not sure."

"We Are the World" received an incredible amount of attention and airplay, partly because of the gimmick factor of seeing such world-famous chart-toppers as Jackson and Springsteen rub elbows and the novelty of the "who is singing what?" aspect of the single, according to Chicago Tribune rock critic Greg Kot.

"People were talking about that song around the watercooler, but what's happened since is the novelty wore off," Kot said. "My theory is that hip-hop stole that thunder with all the cameos you see by artists on everyone's records. That has worn the luster off some of those all-star teams."

"It's kind of seen as corny to do that now," AFI's Jade Puget said.. " 'We Are the World' that was very now and happening. But to do that now, it's kind of like 'Oh that's kind of silly' to have Lionel Richie in there singing and stuff. ... It'd be kind of laughable even if it was supposed to be serious. I don't know if that's gonna work in 2007."

And while fund-raising by musicians remains a noble cause, the most notable thing about recent charity singles is that many have been announced with great fanfare and have either never happened or have fizzled out on delivery. Consider the following:

» Michael Jackson's 9/11 benefit "What More Can I Give" finally dropped with a thud as a digital file two years after the terror attacks with a little-heard track featuring Celine Dion, 'NSYNC, Mariah Carey and Destiny's Child. Jackson also claimed to be putting together a Hurricane Katrina benefit single called "From the Bottom of My Heart" with Snoop Dogg, R. Kelly and Ciara, but that song has yet to be released (see "Michael Jackson Working On Katrina Song — But With Whom?").

» Reports surfaced in 2004 that Timbaland was prepping an all-star single called "The World Is Ours" to benefit the YouthAIDS organization. The song was to feature Missy Elliott, Justin Timberlake, Bubba Sparxxx and Kiley Dean, but it was never released.

» Another 9/11 song, a remake of "We Are Family" with original members of Chic, Diana Ross, the Pointer Sisters and Patti LaBelle, also disappeared without a trace, as did the 2001 do-over of Marvin Gaye's "What's Going On," to benefit African AIDS charities, with 'NSYNC, Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera and Jennifer Lopez.

» Super-producer Rodney Jerkins was slated to release yet another "We Are Family" remake last year, with stars like Mariah Carey and Mary J. Blige, but the project to benefit victims of Hurricane Katrina never materialized.

» A tune that did come out, but to little fanfare, was the Katrina benefit "Come Together Now," a rap/pop tune that featured everyone from Celine Dion and the Game to Jesse McCartney, Nick and Aaron Carter, Ruben Studdard, Joss Stone, Chingy and Wyclef Jean; the video was introduced by a somber Sharon Stone. The song was also intended as a benefit for the victims of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami.

» Sharon Osbourne got in on the action in 2005 with a redo of Eric Clapton's "Tears in Heaven" to benefit the victims of the Southeast Asia disaster. The song featured Ozzy and Kelly, as well as Elton John, Pink, Mary J. Blige, Gwen Stefani, Velvet Revolver and actor Robert Downey Jr. Because of the delay in its release, that single also eventually benefited the victims of Hurricane Katrina as well.

Count Kelly Clarkson among those who would pitch in for a superstar charity single — "As long as it's making money and going to the right places and helping people, why the heck not?" — though she understands why the projects have a hard time getting off the ground. "I think people now are just so jaded and think everything is so cheesy," she told MTV News at Live Earth. "It's sad because, like, you're cooler than Diana Ross and all the other people who have done it? No, you're not. You're cooler than Aretha? I don't think so. People get so caught up in being cool and rock and roll. And they're lame. People, you're not that cool. No one's that cool."

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Fall Out Boy, Roots Can't Wait To See '25 Years Better' Police On Tour

12 Feb 2007 06:34:00 EST

Sting and company played four songs for industry insiders to announce summer jaunt.
By Corey Moss

Sting performs with The Police
Photo: MTV News

WEST HOLLYWOOD, California — When he was once asked, "Can you ever conceive of a circumstance in which the Police would do a reunion tour?," Sting replied, "I think that'd be a good cause to have me certified insane."

So ...

"Yes, I am certifiably insane," Sting joked Monday (February 12) at the Whiskey a Go Go after the above sound bite was played to begin a packed press conference announcing a Police reunion tour. "If anyone comes at me with white coats, just let them through."

More than 20 years after the Police last toured — behind 1983's massively successful Synchronicity — the rock trio are hitting the road once again, on a world tour that will launch in May and run at least through the rest of 2007.

And judging by Monday's event, which featured the band performing four pitch-perfect favorites and chatting loosely and often hilariously (after the first song, Sting said, "I'd like to introduce the band: Andy [Summers], this is Stewart [Copeland]"), fans are in for something special.

"If you asked me the day before I made this decision, I would have said, 'You're out of your mind, my head is somewhere else,' " Sting said of how the reunion came about. "I woke up one morning about three months ago, and this light bulb went off in my head. I went, 'I'm gonna call Andy and Stewart and say, "We should do a tour." ' I thought, 'Well, it'll surprise them, it'll surprise the world and it's surprising me too.' "

Sting said the Police are a part of his life that he ran from 25 years ago, but now he's wiser and enjoying developing those relationships again.

"The nature of the arguments were all about the music," he said. "And also hairstyles," he added, laughing.

"We never hated each other," drummer Copeland emphasized. "We always liked each other."

On the tour, the Police will strictly be playing songs from their five studio albums (no Sting solo material), with just the trio onstage. "There's no reason why we shouldn't be 25 years better than we were then, and we were good then," Sting said. "There are subtleties in the music that we're more willing to address now."

The Police dubbed Monday's performance a rehearsal, and Sting made no secrets about reading the "Can't Stand Losing You" lyrics from a prompter and telling the audience of music-industry insiders, "I have no idea how it ends or what happens in the middle."

The set also featured "Message in a Bottle," "Voices Inside My Head" and "Roxanne," which the band performed at Sunday's Grammys (see "Timberlake Rocks; Blige Weeps; Chicks, Chilis Clean Up At Grammys" and "The Police Bust Out World Tour Dates; Will Their Reunion Last?").

"When we were young, we had to conquer the world," said Copeland, whose wide smile never left his face. "We were three extremely ambitious young men. Now we're three happy fathers of many. And I'm just really enjoying playing my drums. ... We don't have an agenda."

The Police reunion is obviously big news to fans, including some famous faces who came Monday for the press conference.

"I've been waiting for this moment all my life, I wouldn't miss this for nothing," ?uestlove of the Roots told MTV News. "They are, to me, one of the greatest bands ever. They went out on top, and that's a very brilliant thing."

"It's one of those things that you definitely set the alarm for," added Fall Out Boy singer Patrick Stump. "They were a group of essentially jazz musicians who weren't snooty about pop music and I think that brought something amazing to pop music. Sort of like how Bad Brains invented hardcore on accident because they were too good."

DJ AM was also spotted in the crowd, singing along to every word, as was Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins, who posed as a reporter from the fictitious Topanga Canyon Tribune in order to ask a question during the press conference.

"So you got three months before the tour starts," Hawkins began. "Do you think there's time for the mullets to return?"

"Finally a serious question," guitarist Summers replied.

Preliminary Police reunion tour dates, according to the tour's Web site:

5/28 - Vancouver, BC @ GM Place
6/6 - Seattle, WA @ Key Arena
6/9 - Denver, CO @ Pepsi Center
6/15 - Las Vegas, NV @ MGM Grand Garden
6/16 - Manchester, TN @ Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival
6/18 - Phoenix, AZ @ U.S. Airways Center
6/26 - Dallas, TX @ American Airlines Center
6/30 - New Orleans, LA @ New Orleans Arena
7/2 - St. Louis, MO @ Scottrade Center
7/22 - Toronto, ON @ Air Canada Centre
7/25 - Montreal, QC @ Bell Centre
7/28 - Boston, MA @ Fenway Park
8/1 - New York, NY @ Madison Square Garden
8/3 - New York, NY @ Madison Square Garden

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The Police Bust Out World Tour Dates; Will Their Reunion Last?

12 Feb 2007 03:53:00 EST

Preliminary itinerary includes headlining gig at Bonnaroo, performance at Boston's Fenway Park.
By Gil Kaufman and Chris Harris

The Police backstage at the Grammy Awards
Photo: Kevin Winter/WireImage.com

With Sting's simple "Ladies and gentlemen, we are the Police," one of the most iconic bands of the last 30 years ended a long absence from live performing to launch the 49th annual Grammy Awards on Sunday night.

Blasting off with the unmistakable, reggae-fied "Roxanne" riff from guitarist Andy Summers and the hard jazz drumming of Stewart Copeland, the Police lived up to their top billing on the show, providing a spirited kickoff to one of the most anticipated reunions in a year full of get-backs.

With a buff-if-balding Sting in fine form and voice, the trio's homage to a woman of the night sounded as hypnotic as it did all those years ago, but in keeping with the bandmembers' jazzbo backgrounds, it also felt fresh (see "Timberlake Rocks; Blige Weeps; Chicks, Chilis Clean Up At Grammys").

The group lived up to its reputation for experimentation, dropping into a dubby, echo-laden live remix of the song during the second verse; Sting did a bit of scatting and mashed up the song's loping tempo, as if to suggest that this reunion won't be a rote sleepwalk through a 90-minute greatest-hits set.

In fact, it sounded like the group has hardly missed a beat during its two-decade timeout, and the performance was as good a start as any to the world tour the Police announced on Monday (February 12) in Los Angeles (see "The Reunion Epidemic: From Police To Rage, Why Are So Many Bands Re-Forming?").

Preliminary dates for the trek, which kicks off May 28 and wraps August 3, include a headlining performance at Bonnaroo, plus performances at Boston's historic Fenway Park and New York's Madison Square Garden (see below for the initial itinerary).

They may have started out tagged as punks, but there was never much particularly punky about the Police. The trio always sounded more pop than punk, and like the Clash, they injected a large dose of reggae into their sound. In fact, a major part of their legacy — in addition to five great albums and several classic singles — was their ability to bring reggae and other world-music strains into a rock/pop format, and thus introduce then-exotic sounds to mainstream audiences.

And although their career only spanned about eight years, the Police's looming reputation as one of rock's major acts remains, even if they've been gone almost three times as long as they were together. Thanks to their videos, a staple of the early days of MTV, and such signature hits as "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic," "Roxanne" and "Every Breath You Take" (the latter of which was co-opted, of course, by Diddy in 1997 for "I'll Be Missing You"), the group's reputation has continued to this day.

The Police were an unlikely marriage from the start. Copeland, the Lebanon-raised son of a CIA agent, joined after a stint in the progressive-rock band Curved Air. Sting (a.k.a. Gordon Sumner, who reportedly got his nickname because of a bee-like sweater he once wore to a gig by his jazz band the Phoenix Jazzmen) was a schoolteacher for a brief period in the mid-1970s before joining a series of jazzy rock groups with names like Last Exit.

Copeland and Sting met at a London jazz club and formed the Police with guitarist Henry Padovani — although he left soon after the release of the band's first single, the spiky "Fall Out." He was replaced by Summers, who had played with everyone from Eric Burdon's Animals to crooner Neil Sedaka over the preceding decade. Together the trio fashioned one of the most unique groups in rock history, propelled by the combination of Sting's literary lyrics and keening vocals; Copeland's crackling, snare-smacking rhythms; and Summers' snaky, tastefully restrained licks.

The group's 1978 debut, Outlandos d'Amour, was an explosive set of fairly straight-ahead rock tunes like "Truth Hits Everybody," although the reggae influence is prominent in songs like the slow-rolling "Hole in My Life" and the indelible "Roxanne." The next year's Reggatta de Blanc (which translates into "White Reggae") was the Police's big break, betraying more of their jazz roots while cranking up the pop hooks on such hits as "Message in a Bottle" and "Bring on the Night."

Oddly, although their next album, 1980's Zenyatta Mondatta, is arguably their weakest, it made them worldwide superstars. With new-wave anthems like "Don't Stand So Close to Me" and "De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da" rocking alongside songs like "Driven to Tears," which hinted at the political activism in Sting's future, the album reveals a band that was much deeper musically than its pop-leaning hits and pinup singer might have suggested.

The group's 1981 LP, Ghost in the Machine, found the intellect ramped up both musically and lyrically, with prominent keyboards and songs that address topics ranging from philosophy to the ongoing conflict in Northern Ireland. Singles such as "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic" and "Spirits in the Material World" set the stage for the band's commercial apex with 1983's Synchronicity, its final studio effort. The record — which spent 17 weeks at #1 in the U.S. — contained such hits as "Every Breath You Take" and "Wrapped Around Your Finger."

The long accompanying tour, which finally wrapped early in 1984, further cemented the band's popularity and was a box-office smash, but it also was the last straw for the bandmembers' interpersonal relations. They got together again briefly in 1986 for a tour in support of Amnesty International and tried to record a few new songs for a greatest-hits collection, but only managed a remake of "Don't Stand So Close to Me." They reunited to perform at Sting's 1992 wedding to Trudie Styler and again for their 2003 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony, but many figured that the momentum of Sting's solo career and the lingering animosities were too much to bear.

And apparently they were, until now (see "Reunited Police To Kick Off Grammy Awards"). Representatives for the group have said that the financial windfall the summer tour is likely to reap is just part of the reason for the reunion. Sting, of course, has enjoyed a two-decade solo career that has spawned seven multiplatinum albums, sold-out world tours and world celebrity status (although his most recent solo album, Songs From the Labyrinth, is a collection of 16th-century lute tunes).

While the others have kept a lower profile, they have remained active with low-key solo projects and film scores. Copeland also directed a well-received rockumentary about the Police titled "Everyone Stares: The Police Inside Out." It included home-movie footage the band shot while on tour in the early '80s that revealed some of the tensions that eventually drove the trio apart.

Quite how the reunion tour, technically in observation of the 30th anniversary of the release of the Police's first single, will play out is anyone's guess — and that's just one reason why it's interesting. When the group reunited to perform at Sting's wedding, the singer reported becoming vein-poppingly infuriated with Copeland within the first five seconds of the first song, because the latter was playing too fast. How long before those veins bulge again?

But to their credit, for a group that split up at its chart-dominating peak — before releasing any embarrassing late-period albums that might have marred its legacy (see the Clash, Jane's Addiction, Velvet Underground) — the Police are that rare rock animal: a band that went out on top and kept it that way.

And, judging from its tight sound at the Grammys, that's as sure a method as any of making sure you can pick up where you left off.

Preliminary Police reunion tour dates, according to the tour's Web site:

· 5/28 - Vancouver, BC @ GM Place
· 6/6 - Seattle, WA @ Key Arena
· 6/9 - Denver, CO @ Pepsi Center
· 6/15 - Las Vegas, NV @ MGM Grand Garden
· 6/16 - Manchester, TN @ Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival
· 6/18 - Phoenix, AZ @ U.S. Airways Center
· 6/26 - Dallas, TX @ American Airlines Center
· 6/30 - New Orleans, LA @ New Orleans Arena
· 7/2 - St. Louis, MO @ Scottrade Center
· 7/22 - Toronto, ON @ Air Canada Centre
· 7/25 - Montreal, QC @ Bell Centre
· 7/28 - Boston, MA @ Fenway Park
· 8/1 - New York, NY @ Madison Square Garden
· 8/3 - New York, NY @ Madison Square Garden

Fiction Plane, a pop-rock outfit featuring frontman — and son of Sting — Joe Sumner, have been tapped to open on all the dates, with additional supporting acts to be announced in the coming weeks. A portion of the ticket proceeds from the tour will benefit WaterAid, a nonprofit organization dedicated to fighting poverty and disease caused by living without safe water and sanitation.

This story was originally published on 02.12.07 at 02:18 00 ET.

The show's over but there's plenty of Grammy hotness here on MTVNews.com. Check out photos of the hottest red-carpet and onstage action; join our reporters as they hit all the Grammy week parties; and let us know what you think about the performers, winners and losers. Plus see videos of all the nominees on MTV.com and check out exclusive video footage from the big night right here.

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Mariah, Fantasia, Randy Jackson Set Out To Revive 'Soul Man' Sam Moore

11 Jul 2006 12:23:00 EDT

Long list of stars have signed on to collaborate with soul legend on August LP.
By Corey Moss

Sam Moore
Photo: Stephen Shugerman/Getty Images

Randy Jackson has brought in some of his dawgs for his new pet project.

The "American Idol" judge has enlisted Mariah Carey, Fantasia and Jon Bon Jovi, among many others, to collaborate on an album he hopes will revive the career of soul legend Sam Moore — of Sam & Dave's "Soul Man" fame — the way pairings with contemporary stars like Rob Thomas gave Carlos Santana new life on his 1999 LP, Supernatural.

Jackson is producing the album, which will also feature such heavyweights as Bruce Springsteen, Sting and Eric Clapton. Titled Overnight Sensational, Moore's first contemporary solo album is due August 29 on Rhino Records.

"[He's] the true original," Jackson said in a press release. "The phone has been ringing off the hook from artists wanting to get involved with this project; everyone wants to sing with Sam."

Moore and fellow southern gospel vocalist Dave Prater signed to Atlantic Records in 1965 as duo Sam & Dave and quickly moved over to the legendary Memphis-based label Stax, which was affiliated with Atlantic. With guidance from songwriting/producing partners Isaac Hayes and Dave Porter, the pair released hits including "Hold On! I'm Coming" and "Soul Man," which was popularized in the late 1970s by the Dan Aykroyd/ John Belushi "Saturday Night Live" sketch and film "The Blues Brothers." Moore and Prater had already split in 1970, however, due to irreconcilable tensions, and Prater died in a 1988 car accident.

Sam & Dave were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1992, the same year Moore appeared on Springsteen's Human Touch LP.

For Overnight Sensational, Mariah sings with country star Vince Gill on a song called "It's Only Make Believe," while Fantasia is featured on "Blame It On the Rain." Van Hunt and Nikka Costa, who are both managed by Jackson, perform with ZZ Top's Billy Gibbons on "If I Had No Loot" and Clapton is joined by pedal-steel guitarist Robert Randolph on "You Are So Beautiful." "Beautiful," as well as "I Can't Stand the Rain," also feature the final recordings from late keyboardist Billy Preston (see "Billy Preston, Legendary Soul Keyboardist And 'The Fifth Beatle,' Dies At 59").

Bad Company's Paul Rodgers, who most recently handled vocal duties for Queen, shares the mic on the Garth Brooks-penned "We Shall Be Free," and Sheila E. and Steve Winwood also appear on the album.

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MTV, VH1 To Air Live 8 Performances Uninterrupted

7 Jul 2005 08:34:00 EDT

Ten hours will be broadcast commercial-free on Saturday.
By MTV News staff report

Green Day's Billie Joe Armstrong performs at Berlin's Live 8 concert
Photo: JOHANNES EISELE/AFP/Getty Images

Your parents might not listen, your teachers might not listen, but MTV, apparently, listens.

Responding to viewers and critics, MTV Networks has announced that it will broadcast 10 hours of Live 8 performance footage — including sets from Jay-Z, U2, Paul McCartney and others — commercial-free on MTV and VH1.

MTV and VH1 will each offer five hours of uninterrupted performance footage with differing artist lineups on Saturday. VH1 will air its Live 8 highlights from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, while MTV's batch of highlights will roll out from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m.

"At MTV and VH1, we're in a constant and candid dialogue with our audience, and in the wake of the live events last Saturday, our viewers have resoundingly told us online they want to see full-set performances from their favorite artists," MTV Networks Music Group President Van Toffler said of the move. "As a result of viewer demand and thanks to the Live 8 organizers and performers, MTV and VH1 will air 10 consecutive hours from one of the most important musical events of our time."

MTV has also announced plans to roll out a half-hour special on the issues behind the Live 8 event on Friday at 9 p.m. "Live 8: Next Steps" will re-air at 8 p.m. on Saturday immediately following the Live 8 highlights.



	Live 8 London: Madonna, Snoop, U2, Coldplay
	Live 8 Philadelphia: Destiny's Child, Dave Matthews, Kanye West
	Live 8 Around The World: Shakira, Audioslave, Good Charlotte, Green Day

The complete MTV broadcast will include performances by: Paul McCartney & U2, U2, Coldplay, Black Eyed Peas, Destiny's Child, Green Day, Dido & Youssou N'Dour, Kanye West, Alicia Keys, R.E.M., Snoop Dogg, Orchestra Baobab, Madonna, Linkin Park, Linkin Park & Jay-Z, the Killers, Björk, Good Charlotte, Malaika, Audioslave, Mariah Carey, Robbie Williams, the Who, Pink Floyd and Paul McCartney.

The complete VH1 broadcast will include performances by: Paul McCartney & U2, U2, Coldplay, Bon Jovi, Elton John, Will Smith, Annie Lennox, Keane, Dave Matthews Band, Orchestra Baobab, Madonna, Maroon 5, Joss Stone, Velvet Revolver, Sting, Rob Thomas, Mariah Carey, Robbie Williams, the Who, Pink Floyd, Stevie Wonder and Paul McCartney.

Get involved: Learn about the poverty crisis in Africa, the proposed solutions, and how you can help. Plus find all of our coverage of the international Live 8 concerts and more at our thinkMTV Live 8 hub.

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Backstage At Live 8: Bono Works The Crowd, Jay-Z Keeps Cool

2 Jul 2005 12:41:00 EDT

The entertainment behind the scenes is almost as good as what you see onstage.
By Robert Mancini and Shaheem Reid

Bono performs at Live 8 London
Photo: MJ Kim

LONDON and PHILADELPHIA — Backstage at the Live 8 concerts in Philadelphia and London, the memorable moments came as fast as our correspondents could send them in. Here are some highlights:

Perhaps proof that no good deed goes unrewarded, artists playing the London Live 8 concert whiled away their time between sets in a secure backstage compound equipped with massage tables, a cafe area, dressing trailers, catering and a full bar. The true power nexus of the Hyde Park grounds was undoubtedly the area of the artist compound where the dressing trailers for Sir Bob Geldof, Sir Elton John, Coldplay, Annie Lennox and U2 converged in the shape of a large "U."
Bono worked the backstage crowd like a stumping politician (which one could argue he is) with a smile and handshake for anyone who might want one. Meanwhile, Live 8 (and Live Aid) organizer Geldof, rolling with a posse that would make Elvis proud, garnered cheers of "Thank you, Sir Bob!" as he made his way from the main stage to the media compound to greet the press.
Artists mingled early and often, even those not on the bill. Former Verve frontman Richard Ashcroft was spotted hanging out in Coldplay's trailer before that band took the stage (apparently hatching a plan for their collaboration during Coldplay's set on the Verve's 1997 hit "Bittersweet Symphony"). The guys from Keane were positively beaming in the artist compound before their performance, obviously thrilled to be part of the event. Sting and his wife, actress Trudi Styler, sauntered backstage like rock royalty, elegant and inseparable.

Pink Floyd guitarist David Gilmour may be a rock god to fans, but he looked every bit the family man backstage with lady and children in tow as he made his way to the stage to watch Elton John perform. After Elton's set, Gilmour chatted with long-estranged Floydmate Roger Waters, even warmly shaking hands — a display that shocked the Floyd fans in the vicinity.

"In The Crowds At Live 8: Music, Mud And A Shared Desire To Help"). Few seemed to mind and raised their hands in the air — but one woman sneered, "If I wanted a bath, I would take one."

Another timeless moment: Will Smith and DJ Jazzy Jeff dancing backstage while watching Kanye West perform "All Falls Down" and "Jesus Walks."

After Will Smith's performance (see "Jay-Z, U2, Madonna, Pink Floyd Deliver Live 8 Highlights"), his drumline wanted to keep the party going. So they kept drumming away as they walked through the trailer park.

Biding his time before his performance with Linkin Park, Jay-Z chilled in his white passenger van while bodyguards circled the vehicle.

Paris Hilton and Faye Dunaway were among those who made their way to the area in front of the Hyde Park stage during Velvet Revolver's set. Apparently everyone loves a man in a good top hat.

The backstage accessory of the day in London? Hands down, the cowboy hat. From Paris to dozens of hangers-on, it's the gear of choice. A close runner-up: cell phones with no connectivity.

With so much heat in Philly, people were bound to show some flesh. Among the many once-hidden tattoos put on display was on a picture of Biggie and Bob Marley sharing a smoke, which adorned a man's back.

Meanwhile, "American Idol" judge Paula Abdul, wearing a slinky black backless dress, was spotted posing for pictures with local police officers and fans before being whisked away to the ultra-exclusive VIP area. Afterward, one cop was heard telling his commanding officer, "Yo, chief, you just missed it. Paula Abdul was standing right there. Right there!" "Are you kidding me?" the chief responded, looking for Abdul. Seconds later another officer walked up and excitedly asked, "Hey, did you guys just see Paula Abdul?"

Elle MacPherson and members of the Killers were seen rushing from the backstage area toward the Hyde Park stage as the reunited Pink Floyd finally made their return.

Slash, Brittany Murphy and Travis' Fran Healy weaved through photographers to get a peek at the Who during that band's brief London set.

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Black Eyed Peas Team Up Again With Timberlake For New LP

12 Apr 2005 08:09:00 EDT

Due June 7, Monkey Business will also feature John Legend, Jack Johnson.
By Jennifer Vineyard

Black Eyed Peas (file)
Photo: MTV News

Hoping to recapture the lightning in a bottle that was "Where Is the Love," the Black Eyed Peas have re-teamed with Justin Timberlake, cutting a song together for their new album, Monkey Business.

The 'NSYNC breakout star guests on a funky Peas song called "My Style," which picks up where Timberlake's "Señorita" left off. It starts with the lyric "It seems like something's heating up" and includes a shout-out to the guest star: "JT, he rocking the beat with us."

"The song we did with Justin, that was a true collaboration," the group's Will.I.Am said. "Not that the other ones weren't, but that was done from scratch. We just had the beat [to start with]."

Other sessions held for Monkey Business involved James Brown, John Legend and Jack Johnson. For "Union," an interpretation of Sting's "Englishman in New York," the group ushered in the former Police man himself.

"Sting shows up at the studio, and he's like, 'What do you want me to do?' " Will said. "So we asked him, 'Do you want to write a verse?' [He said,] 'Oh, you don't know what you're doing yet?' So we said, 'We're collaborating — to one of your songs.' "

Conversely, "My Style," the last song the Peas recorded for Monkey Business, came together without much effort or explanation.

"Basically what happened was Timbaland popped the beat," Will said. "And then Justin was like, 'Yo, you trying to get down on another song?' [I said,] 'As a matter of fact, Timbaland gave me a beat, you want to write to it?' "

Timberlake then met up with the band at Will's private studio, the Stewchia, in the Los Feliz section of Los Angeles, and wrote the song immediately.

"We listened to it, we're all, 'This is hot, we'll write our verses later,' " Will said. "It was all boom-boom-boom, ba-da-ba, bit-da-bit, boom-boom-sk-ow."

Monkey Business is due June 7.

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Music World Unites For Tsunami Relief

6 Jan 2005 09:07:00 EST

Benefit concerts, donations and telethon are planned.
By James Montgomery

Jay-Z is just one of the artists who have donated money (file)
Photo: Roc-A-Fella

As the tsunami-ravaged countries of Southeast Asia gradually begin to recover from the disaster, the list of artists and celebrities pledging their support continues to grow.

Linkin Park's Music for Relief has only been up and running for a little more than a week, but the charity has already garnered the support of some major musical talent: Jay-Z, Hoobastank, Michelle Branch, Korn and Staind are among the acts who have donated money, and more are expected to be announced in the coming days.

Tsunami Relief: What You Can Do To Help

"We don't have a specific monetary goal, but we hope that anyone and everyone who can help will," Linkin Park guitarist Brad Delson said. "Celebrities and fans alike can help save lives."

And musicians are doing more than just contributing funds. Thursday night (January 6), DJ duo Deep Dish will perform at UNICEF's "Save the Children" benefit show in Washington, D.C. On January 12, the first lady of the Terror Squad, Remy Martin, will host a benefit concert at New York City venue Joe's Pub; M.O.P. are scheduled to perform at the event.

That same night, Taking Back Sunday, My Chemical Romance and Coheed and Cambria will take the stage at the Starland Ballroom in Sayreville, New Jersey, to raise funds. And on January 16, Senses Fail, the Starting Line and Midtown will play the second date in the Starland's Concerts for Tsunami Relief series (staged in association with New York's WXRK-FM).

Sting has announced that he will donate 100 percent of the proceeds from his February 10 show in Perth, Australia, to tsunami victims.

And the list of musicians and celebrities scheduled to appear on NBC's January 15 charity telethon continues to grow. Christina Aguilera, Sheryl Crow and Tim McGraw have been added to the lineup, which will also feature appearances from George Clooney, Sarah Jessica Parker, Clay Aiken and Téa Leoni.

Across the pond, the management of Millennium Stadium in Wales is inching closer to confirming a massive charity show to be held on the weekend of January 22 and 23 (see "Stars Pitch In To Aid Tsunami Victims; Live Aid-Style Concert A Possibility"). Rupert Moon, the stadium's business manager, said things were "falling into place," and that an announcement should be made regarding the show within the next 48 hours.

"We've been working very hard with band managers, agents and so on, and we're working on getting a cross-section of acts: British, European and international bands," Moon said. "What we need now is for one of them to step out of the shadows and say, 'OK, we'll put our names to this.' And that will sway a lot of people."

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