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Simon Cowell will soon get a taste of his own venom. The ruthless Brit is creating a new “American Idol”-like series called “The X Factor” in which he and two other judges will not only choose the finalists, they’ll work with them on the performances and together face the critiques of the other judges. “It’s too safe sometimes for me on this show, ‘Idol,’ because I have no responsibility,” Cowell said. “I just sit there smugly and pass on judgment. I wanted to actually create one show where I was held responsible, as well as the artist.” “The X Factor,”… Read more »

After tracking drum parts in Los Angeles, then shifting operations to their hometown of Toronto, Sum 41 have at least one more trip scheduled before they release the follow-up to 2002’s Does This Look Infected? And this one’s sure to give their frequent-flyer miles a boost. The pop-punk quartet will visit the Democratic Republic of the Congo in mid-May to film a documentary on the war-torn African country, according to an Island Def Jam spokesperson. “From the Front Lines,” produced by the Canadian charity organization War Child, will detail Sum 41’s two-week trip to the Congo, where they will examine… Read more »

Twenty years after he first appeared on the big screen in “Purple Rain,” Prince returns to movie theaters for one night only March 29. The Minnesota rock star plans to broadcast his concert in Los Angeles live via satellite to 32 Regal Cinema theaters around the country. Tickets are on sale at the theaters for $15 and online starting Tuesday at http://www.RegalCM.com. The Los Angeles concert is the first major show on Prince’s Musicology tour, on which he pledges to perform many of his old hits for the last time. He plans to hit at least 38 cities. Prince will… Read more »

For the humdrum New England Patriots and Carolina Panthers, putting on a show to match the glitz, glitter and star power of the rest of Super Bowl Sunday was no easy task. Typical of America’s biggest unofficial holiday, the game was only the icing on an over-the-top extravaganza. There was a gleaming new $450 million stadium to show off, a slew of pricey new ads, and Beyonce, Janet Jackson and P. Diddy to share the field. The biggest cliffhanger of the week wasn’t who would win, but whether Janet’s brother, Michael, would show up. He didn’t, but Justin Timberlake did,… Read more »

As Johnny Rotten once snarled, “Ever get the feeling you’ve been cheated?” To the dismay of aging punk fans, a British television company announced Monday that the former Sex Pistols singer and angry punk icon – now known by his real name, John Lydonhas agreed to appear in the reality show “I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!” “I’m gobsmacked,” said Tony Wilson, a British journalist and music entrepreneur who knows Lydon. “I’m shocked, but I have faith… I’m sure he’s doing it for the right reasons.” Other punk fans were appalled. “The announcement made me feel instantly old….… Read more »

Radio is awesome, isn’t it? It’s free, it’s on whenever you want it, and you can choose from among eight or 10 stations. About the only people who could possibly complain about it, in fact, are people who have to listen to it. They’ll tell you that the music you hear on the radio is mostly the same cloying pop junk, played over and over. That 20 minutes of every hour is ads, played over and over. And that as you drive, the signal comes and goes with the territory. Two years ago, two companies – XM and Sirius –… Read more »

XM Satellite Radio Holdings Inc. said Thursday its third-quarter loss widened, as cost increases swallowed up a fivefold increase in revenue. After dividends on preferred shares, the Washington-based satellite radio broadcaster reported a loss of $145 million, or $1.12 a share. It lost $114 million, or $1.26 a share, in the same period last year. A Thomson First Call survey of analysts produced a mean estimate of a loss of $1.17 a share for the latest quarter. XM’s revenue rose to $26.9 million from $5.6 million, as the number of subscribers climbed 34 percent during the quarter to 929,648 at… Read more »

Connecticut’s Hatebreed is getting ready to drop another album at the end of this month, following up on their highly successful 2002 album, Perseverance. The album will be titled The Rise Of Brutality and is scheduled to hit stores on October 28. The Rise Of Brutality will mark the band’s third full-length album (their debut record, Under The Knife, is technically an EP) and second release on Universal. The Rise Of Brutality will feature 12 new songs in total. There’s already a cute little four-song sampler of the album in the hands of radio radio and journalist types, which I… Read more »

Britney Spears laughs at the thought that she could’ve found time for a break recently. “[Only] if you call three weeks a hiatus,” she said. “I’ve been recording my booty off.” As her forthcoming In the Zone (formerly Get in the Zone) nears completion, the pop star is working her booty overtime, already mapping out plans for remixes galore of her first single, “Me Against the Music,” featuring Madonna. The RedZone-produced track has been sent to several producers, including Outkast and Madonna mixer Peter Rauhofer. “We’ve hooked up [again], but I’ve learned not to talk about my personal life,” Britney… Read more »