Diddy and his Bad Boy South division has renewed its joint venture with Russell "Block" Spencer and his Block Enterprises. The team will put out new in-the-works albums by Yung Joc and Boyz N Da Hood, who previously released LPs through the partnership, as well as solo debuts from Boyz member Big Gee and Gorilla Zoe. ...
J. Lo is having a run-in with a gangbanger — but don't worry, they're keeping it professional. Lopez is helping produce a new Fox legal drama that is based on the life of Isaac Guillen, a criminal with multiple felonies who becomes an attorney after turning his life around. The show is tentatively titled "Brethren." ... Have no fear, No Doubt fans: Gwen Stefani has not forgotten you. "I can't predict anything, but I don't plan on making another one of these solo dance-project records," she told MTV Europe on Thursday. "I definitely feel myself going back to No Doubt after this to do a No Doubt record." And what are her plans for the tracks that didn't make The Sweet Escape? "There's probably about 10 leftovers. ... You can always use them for something at some point, or I could just listen to them myself and be greedy." ...
My Chemical Romance will play a free concert in Las Vegas on December 11 at the House of Blues in the Mandalay Bay hotel. For details on how to gain entry to the all-ages gig, visit FlashConcerts06.com. ... Bono and Pearl Jam hooked up Friday (November 17) in Melbourne, Australia, for a surprise duet on Neil Young's "Rockin' in the Free World" as part of an open-air protest concert outside the G20 summit calling for an end to world poverty, according to a Reuters report. "Politicians have to do what you tell them to do. We are gonna make poverty history," Bono said to 14,000 fans at the free Make Poverty History concert. The G20 meeting of international finance ministers and bankers has caused a police lockdown in parts of Australia's second biggest city, as protesters have announced plans to try and disrupt the summit. ...
The White Stripes hit a whole new stage Friday as the band's music makes its ballet debut at London's Royal Opera House. The Royal Ballet production of "Chroma," choreographed by Wayne McGregor and featuring avant-garde interpretations of White Stripes songs by composer Joby Talbot (Divine Comedy) will run for five performances, ending November 29. Talbot's take on the Stripes tracks are also featured on the album Aluminium, available at Alumiiinium.com. ... Pre-production on the sophomore LP from Velvet Revolver is underway, and the band has chosen Brendan O'Brien (Audioslave, Pearl Jam) to produce the record. "Rome was not built in a day, so I believe everyone will be very happy when [the album is] finished," drummer Matt Sorum wrote in an online post. ...
The Flaming Lips, Peaches, Cat Power and a variety of other indie luminaries are coming together to celebrate the works of Yoko Ono. For Yes, I'm a Witch, due February 6, the acts took parts of existing Ono songs and revitalized the tracks with their own contributions. The exhaustive list also includes the Polyphonic Spree, Spiritualized's Jason Pierce, Antony, the Apples in Stereo, DJ Spooky, the Sleepy Jackson and Le Tigre. ... Moby has collaborated with Tony Bennett for a new version of "I'll Be Home for Christmas." Proceeds from sales of the remix, available exclusively at Yahoo! Music, are going to the Institute for Music and Neurological Function. ... Peter Gabriel was named the Man of Peace 2006 at the annual summit of Nobel Peace Prize laureates in Rome, Agence France Presse reports. Gabriel is the founder of Witness, a nonprofit group that provides human-rights activists with video cameras to expose abuses. "Music is ubiquitous, like water," Gabriel said in his acceptance speech. "With music, we can reach out to human beings." ...
Angry Michael Jackson fans who paid over $200 for tickets to see the King of Pop at the World Music Awards are asking for refunds after the singer failed to deliver a promised rendition of his legendary "Thriller" at the Wednesday night ceremony. According to BBC News, some fans felt duped when Chris Brown performed the song instead and Jackson offered just a few off-key lines from "We Are the World." "I'm furious," said Katherine Kidd, who spent $377 to get into the show. "I feel like I've been ripped off." Organizers of the event said they had not yet been contacted by any fans with complaints and claimed that Jackson's performance was cut short because of the show running over and a noise curfew at the venue. Officials at the venue, Earls Court, denied the sound had been cut and said they'd obtained an extension to let the show run over. ...
The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, Scary Kids Scaring Kids, Emery and A Static Lullaby will gang up for next year's Take Action Tour. The nonprofit affair, which will kick off in early February, will again serve to raise awareness about suicide and depression. ... In other Scary Kids news, the band is contributing to A Santa Cause II, a holiday compilation due Tuesday exclusively through MySpace. The benefit album, for Cure Autism Now, also features Sugarcult, the Format and MC Lars, who contributes the original number "Gary the Green Nosed Reindeer." ...
Following closely on the heels of Darkel, the debut solo project from Air's Jean-Benoît Dunckel, the atmospheric French duo have reconvened to release Pocket Symphony, due March 6. Produced by longtime collaborator Nigel Godrich (Radiohead, Beck), Air's upcoming 12-track album features guest vocals by former Pulp frontman Jarvis Cocker and the Divine Comedy's Neil Hannon. ... The country's largest radio conglomerate, Clear Channel Communications Inc., agreed Thursday to an $18.7 billion buyout from a private-investment group, the fourth-biggest corporate buy-out in history. As part of the deal, Clear Channel announced plans to sell 448 of its 1,150 radio stations as well as 42 stations from its TV group.
11.16.2006
Hilary Duff has donated 200,000 meals to two Hurricane Katrina victim shelters in Houston. The singer made the donations through USA Harvest, through which she had already donated more than 2.5 million meals for Katrina relief. Duff also visited New Orleans in August on the one-year anniversary of the disaster. ...
The Game is the latest celebrity photographer for Playboy.com. The West Coast rapper snapped pics of one of the magazine's cyber models earlier this week. The amateur lensman told the site of his work: "If she doesn't become a Playmate after this, I'm gonna have to see someone." ... The Killers, Panic! at the Disco and Beck are among the acts announced Wednesday (November 16) for the second night of KROQ's annual Almost Acoustic Christmas, scheduled for December 10 in Universal City, California. Evanescence, Gnarls Barkley, Angels & Airwaves, the Raconteurs, Snow Patrol, She Wants Revenge and a second night of the Foo Fighters round out the bill. ...
Los Angeles' Hollywood Boulevard will shut down on Wednesday (November 22) for Jay-Z's "Jimmy Kimmel Live" performance. Jay will play at the American Music Awards the night before. ... Outkast rapper Big Boi has partnered with Russell Athletic to design commemorative uniforms to be worn by Louisiana's Grambling State and Southern Universities in their annual State Farm Bayou Classic face-off November 25. The game marks the return of the collegiate event to the Superdome for the first time since Hurricane Katrina. ... Just in time for the holiday season, Jim Jones and the rest of the Diplomats collective will release A Dipset X-Mas on December 5. The 10-track stocking stuffer will feature the remix to Jones' hit "We Fly High" as well as yuletide cheeriness like "Have a Happy Christmas," "Wish List" and "Ballin' on X-Mas." ...
Eagles of Death Metal will open for Guns N' Roses on their end-of-the-year trek. The outing begins November 24 in Cleveland and ends December 20 in Universal City, California. ... Triumph the Insult Comic Dog has been named an honorary member of the Las Vegas Police Department's K-9 unit, The Associated Press reports. "I will do my part to get all the drugs and hookers off the street and into my hotel room," Triumph said when accepting the honor. Police Sergeant Danny O'Connell reasoned Triumph would make an excellent addition to his unit. "He's a straight-shooter. He says what's on his mind, and peace officers always appreciate that." ... If Alicia Keys has her way, her next album is going to rock. "It's coming together crazy," the singer said of her in-the-works LP. "In fact, the people I am collaborating with are people I love. Their style isn't exactly my style, but a merging of those worlds." Does that mean she's teamed up with Queens of the Stone Age, the White Stripes, John Mayer or John Legend (all folks that she said she'd like to work with)? "About three of those names have already come together," she confirmed. Which three? "I'm not telling you!" she sang back as a taunt. Keys' album is due next spring. ...
British comedian Sacha Baron Cohen broke from his Borat persona to defend the character against charges of misogyny and anti-Semitism in an interview in the current issue of Rolling Stone. Cohen said he was surprised that "Borat" has caused such controversy and that people have misinterpreted the film's intent. "The joke is not on Kazakhstan," he said. "I think the joke is on people who can believe that the Kazakhstan that I describe can exist — who believe that there's a country where homosexuals wear blue hats and the women live in cages and they drink fermented horse urine and the age of consent has been raised to 9 years old." In some ways, Cohen said, the reaction disappointed him, because he had faith the audience would realize that "the mere purpose of it was to allow people to bring out their own prejudices. I think part of the movie shows the absurdity of holding any form of racial prejudice, whether it's hatred of African-Americans or of Jews." Want more proof? Cohen, a religiously observant Jew, points out that his parents love his Jewish humor and his grandmother, who lives in Israel, went to a midnight screening and called at 4 a.m. to compliment him. ...
Against Me!, the Bronx, the Riverboat Gamblers and a crew of other punks are joining forces for a good cause. All the proceeds from the 2006 Rock to Roll Holiday Bash, to be held December 14 at the Key Club in West Hollywood, California, will go to Wheels for Humanity, a nonprofit group that distributes wheelchairs to disabled people worldwide. The inexpensive benefit event (tickets cost less than $20) will also feature members of Flogging Molly, Bad Religion, Face to Face, Pennywise, the Living End, Social Distortion, Hot Water Music and Agent Orange. ... On December 5, Metallica will unleash "The Videos - 1989-2004," a career-spanning DVD that contains, well, all their videos from the 15 year-period between ... And Justice for All and St. Anger. In addition to the clips, the set also includes extras such as their 1989 VHS-only short film "2 of One," the 11-minute "theatrical" version of their landmark clip for "The Unforgiven," and the trailer for the 2004 documentary, "Some Kind of Monster." Metallica are currently writing material for a new record, tentatively due next year. ...
Part of Whitney Houston's New Jersey estate is slated to be sold at a January 4 sheriff's auction because she is more than $1 million behind on the mortgage and taxes have not yet been paid this year, according to the New Jersey Courier-Post. The office of Houston's publicist denied that the $900,000 property was in foreclosure. ... Snow Patrol have confirmed a 28-city North American tour that will kick off February 26 in Portland, Oregon. The trek is scheduled to run through April 10 in Edmonton, Alberta. OK Go and the Silversun Pickups will open on all dates. ... The Pickups are among the nominees for this year's Plug Awards, facing off with Cat Power, Neko Case, Belle and Sebastian, the Hold Steady, the Knife and J. Dilla for Album of the Year honors. New Artist nominees include the Arctic Monkeys, the Black Angels, Cold War Kids, Spank Rock and Tapes 'N Tapes. The 2007 awards will be held February 10 at Irving Plaza in New York and fans can vote for their favorites through January at PlugAwards.com.
