Search Results for: Refused

Ray Charles, the Grammy-winning crooner who blended gospel and blues in such crowd-pleasers as “What’d I Say” and ballads like “Georgia on My Mind,” died Thursday, a spokesman said. He was 73. Charles died at his Beverly Hills home surrounded by family and friends, said spokesman Jerry Digney. Charles’ last public appearance was alongside Clint Eastwood on April 30, when the city of Los Angeles designated the singer’s studios, built 40 years ago in central Los Angeles, as a historic landmark. Blind by age 7 and an orphan at 15, Charles spent his life shattering any notion of musical boundaries… Read more »

The board of selectmen in Foxboro has pulled the plug on the Warped Tour alternative rock fest at Gillette Stadium, even though tickets have already gone on sale for the two-day show. Citing noise, safety and other concerns, the Foxboro Board of Selectmen on Tuesday turned down a license request for the Aug. 19 and 20 concert proposed for a parking lot outside the stadium. The decision was the first time in more than 20 years that selectmen had turned down a license for a concert at the stadium, Town Administrator Andrew Gala told the Sun Chronicle of Attleboro. The… Read more »

Sony Chief Executive Nobuyuki Idei said Wednesday the Japanese electronics and entertainment giant was seriously considering the acquisition of U.S. film studio Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer but declined to say when a decision was expected. “We will not go into an unprofitable business,” he told reporters, adding that Sony has been thinking about movie deals since the 1990s. “We are confident we will make the right decision.” Earlier this month, MGM and Sony agreed to enter talks about a possible acquisition to weigh a $5 billion bid for the legendary studio, according to sources who spoke on condition of anonymity. But Idei and… Read more »

Two musicians who claim they’ve been cheated by rocker Ozzy Osbourne got no sympathy Monday from the Supreme Court. Justices refused to consider the appeal of bassist Robert Daisley and drummer Lee Kerslake, who sued in 1998 seeking royalties for their work on Osbourne albums “Blizzard of Ozz” and “Diary of a Madman.” Los Angeles attorney Nate Kraut said his musician clients have been denied credit for writing songs that are now used in television commercials and during NFL games. “Their music is literally everywhere,” he told justices in a filing. A California judge had dismissed the lawsuit that named… Read more »

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court on Thursday dismissed a libel lawsuit by a critic of violent rap lyrics who said two newspapers had mischaracterized her dispute with the estate of slain rapper Tupac Shakur and others. C. DeLores Tucker, who led a national campaign against rap music with violent lyrics in the 1990s, had sued over lyrics in which Shakur rhymed her name with an obscenity. Her 1997 lawsuit alleged, among other things, that her husband, William Tucker, had suffered loss of “consortium.” The Philadelphia Daily News and The Legal Intelligencer, a daily newspaper covering legal affairs in Philadelphia, were among… Read more »

A legal battle between The Beatles’ record label Apple Corps and Apple Computer, which is to be heard in the High Court in London, is the latest move in a trademark dispute spanning 24 years. Their claims to the “Apple” name and logo will be heard in an English court, rather than in the US as requested by the computer firm. The latest clash came after Apple Corps claimed Apple Computer’s iTunes music store – which enables users to download songs to a computer or portable player such as the iPod – breaches an agreement between the two firms. But… Read more »

“American Idol” fans who cringed when contestant Jon Peter Lewis appeared in a banana suit as part of a promotional segment for Ford during a recent episode can take comfort in knowing they are not alone. “I’ll be honest with you, on a personal basis, I hate the damn things,” Ken Warwick, co-executive producer of the show, admitted. “I come from a whole television system in England that absolutely forbids any interference within the program by any sponsor, by any advertising, or any product placement whatsoever. It’s just completely forbidden. So in truth, yes, I find a lot of them… Read more »

A warrant was issued Monday for the arrest of 3 Doors Down bassist Todd Harrell, who was charged with simple assault for allegedly beating up a 53-year-old newspaper deliveryman who accused him of stealing papers. The bassist is being accused of punching Ronnie Boulware three times in the face and kicking him in the groin. After the warrant was issued, Harrell turned himself in to police and was released on a $325 bond. A court date was set for March 30. The altercation occurred on Friday at a Cheap-O Deep-O in Moss Point, Mississippi, after Boulware and his wife accused… Read more »

Janet Jackson’s Super Bowl flash lasted less than three seconds, but the impact continues to ripple through Viacom, the media giant that broadcast the game. Congress, the Federal Communications Commission, right-wing radio commentators and outraged citizens are calling for stricter decency standards – and the artists and executives who make a living from edgy music, performances and videos are in retreat. MTV in particular, which produced the Super Bowl halftime show, is in the midst of a wide-scale re-evaluation of its musical, news and dramatic content. Within a week of the game, MTV – no stranger to criticism, most recently… Read more »

It was a breakthrough deal that would have put the Napster kitty on millions of Hewlett-Packard computers. But in the days leading up to Napster’s re-launch in late October, HP suddenly – and without explanation – returned Napster’s $250,000 check and canceled the agreement to install a link to Napster’s online music service on its computers. Worse, in January HP announced a surprise partnership with Napster rival Apple Computer to feature the iTunes Music store on HP computers and sell Hewlett-Packard branded iPod music players. Neither HP nor Napster’s parent company, Roxio, would comment on the soured deal, whose details… Read more »