Search Results for: cyndi lauper

In early 1984, when Epic Records executives presented their slate of upcoming releases at the convention in Hawaii of parent company CBS Records they couldn’t resist playing up the success they were experiencing. So between the pitches for new albums, Epic inserted stock footage of semi trucks and a voice-over that thunderously announced, “There goes another load of Michael Jackson’s Thriller albums!” Trucks weren’t really leaving the warehouse every few minutes, but Thriller was still shattering expectations more than a year after its November 30, 1982, release. Epic was selling more than 1 million copies per month in the United… Read more »

Call him the “dark horse,” the “Come-From-Behind Kid,” the humble crooner. Call him whatever you like. But from now on you also need to call Kris Allen your “American Idol.” After a historic tally of nearly 100 million votes, the shy 23-year-old singer from Conway, Arkansas, pulled off one of the most surprising wins in the show’s nearly decade-long history by taking the crown from the theatrical season-long frontrunner, Adam Lambert. After nearly two hours of anticipation, when the time came for host Ryan Seacrest to announce the results, Allen and Lambert stood arm-in-arm, their friendship looking much more like… Read more »

Las Vegas rock band the Killers, in the middle of a world tour to promote their third album, plan to release a live DVD later this year. “We’re working on some ideas for what will be our first DVD,” drummer Ronnie Vannucci said. “We’ve been kind of hounded about it for a while, and haven’t really thought we were due for it yet, but I think it’s time. I think we’re approaching the moment of DVD mass hysteria.” That’s not all the band is currently working on. In addition to tinkering around with songwriting ideas for its next Christmas single,… Read more »

He had one of the biggest opening sales weeks of 2008, and now, Lil Wayne is the year’s most-nominated Grammy contender. Wayne and his latest LP, “Tha Carter III,” lead the pack with a total of eight nominations, while one of the year’s other biggest sellers, Coldplay’s “Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends,” garnered seven nods. Jay-Z, Ne-Yo and Kanye West each earned six nods, while Alison Krauss, John Mayer, Robert Plant, Radiohead and Jazmine Sullivan received five each. Adele is up for four – including Best New Artist – as are Lupe Fiasco and T.I. The… Read more »

Wolf Blitzer is a John Legend fan. After CNN aired a live performance of Legend’s new song, “If You’re Out There,” from the floor of the Democratic National Convention, Blitzer promised to continue to interrupt the network’s reporting or analysis for musical acts as good as Legend. Legend was the most visible of the entertainers who flowed into Denver for the convention, which opened Monday. A choir backed him for the song that fits neatly with Barack Obama’s campaign themes. “We’ve been looking for the world to change,” Legend sang. “If you’re out there, sing along with me. Stand up… Read more »

The debut of Apple’s iTunes online music store was widely hailed as a turning point in the mostly sorry relationship between the record industry and consumers who want to download songs. Now comes another noteworthy symbolic step: a digital download chart in Billboard. The official debut is in the July 19 issue, although the trade journal ran a “preview” chart in its July 12 edition. In both cases the No. 1 song was “Crazy in Love,” by Beyoncé with Jay-Z-which also happened to be the No. 1 song on the general Hot 100 chart both weeks. (Nielsen SoundScan compiles the… Read more »

A combination of gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and straight artists “committed to openness and honesty” have contributed tracks to the benefit compilation “Being Out Rocks.” Featuring songs by Sarah McLachlan, k.d. lang, Rufus Wainwright, Bob Mould, and the B-52’s, among others, the 21-track album was produced by the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) Foundation and Centaur Entertainment and will be released Oct. 11, aka National Coming Out Day. “I am proud to be a part of this important effort to show that you can live an out, open and successful life,” lang said in a statement. “Coming out is an immensely… Read more »