I’ve been on and off the road working for many different artists for the last ten years, and when work allows, I like to document my travels.
The 90s were the era of innovation. Change came quickly, and there were enough fads to fill three decades. The fashion of the day sometimes meant colorful, eccentric patterns, and at other times meant dark hues and oversized fits. Wherever you were, it never took long to come across somewhere wearing alarmingly thick makeup of the richest colors, in pursuit of being compared to Jennifer Anniston or Cindy Crawford. Leather became the fabric to beat. Music videos were in the process of killing the radio star with MTV rising to power. It almost seemed as if the visual trends of… Read more »
The stars of “Grey’s Anatomy” and “Pirates of the Caribbean” were among the fan favorites at the 34th annual People’s Choice Awards on Tuesday, as CBS scrapped its usual live broadcast of the show in favor of a strike-friendly, pre-taped program. The two-month-old Writers Guild of America strike has taken a toll on Hollywood’s awards season, leading to the cancellation of the Golden Globes and the scaling-down of People’s Choice. The fate of other shows, including the Oscars, remains in question. The People’s Choice Awards announced last month that it would replace its traditional live show with “a new format”… Read more »
They might not know much about running the ball at fourth and goal, but they’ve got it covered when it comes to runnin’ down a dream. Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers have been tapped to headline the Super Bowl XLII Halftime Show Feb. 3 at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. The “Free Fallin’ ” rockers join an illustrious lineup that, in the last five years, has included Prince, Paul McCartney, the Rolling Stones, Janet Jackson, Justin Timberlake, Diddy, Kid Rock, Jessica Simpson and Shania Twain. (Some shows being more memorable than others, of course.) Petty’s last album with… Read more »
With an emphasis on the visual over the audio, MTV from its inception has never been “about the music.” But after seeing interest in its signature trophy show wane in recent years, the network put the spotlight where it belongs for a music awards show: on the concert stage. The result of this brainstorm, and a few other format changes to its Video Music Awards? The most watchable show in many a Moon Man outing. Even if that isn’t saying much. And this despite opening with an onstage career suicide by Britney Spears. More on that later. The 2007 VMAs… Read more »
When it debuts Tuesday on the Web, My Damn Channel will become the latest attempt by Hollywood professionals to cash in on the huge popularity of online video. Comedian Harry Shearer, filmmaker David Wain and music producer Don Was, among others, also hope to find creative freedom seldom offered by traditional media companies. The site is the brainchild of former MTV and CBS Radio executive Rob Barnett, who believes Internet audiences want to see professionally produced shows other than network TV fare. “The old media companies don’t know how to program for this medium,” Barnett said. “There is a focus… Read more »
Even as Viacom sues YouTube for what it describes as “brazen” copyright infringement, some of Viacom’s own dirty copyright laundry is being aired. Ars searched one Viacom property–iFilm, which was acquired by Viacom in 2005–and found several instances of infringing video hosted by iFilm–content for which Viacom does not own the copyright. In its complaint against YouTube, Viacom bemoans the fact that it is required to file DMCA takedown notices for each copyrighted clip it spots on YouTube. With over 150,000 infringing clips of Viacom properties identified so far, the company believes that YouTube should be working harder to proactively… Read more »
LOS ANGELES – In the weeks leading up to the 49th Grammy Awards, many miles of verbiage were unspooled by slick-suited TV pundits and somewhat bitter music journalists to dissect, predict and pick apart music’s biggest night. But as the awards themselves actually unfolded, live from the Staples Center, it was the moments in which very little – if anything at all – was said that carried the most weight. Whether it was the Dixie Chicks’ Natalie Maines simply – and somewhat fittingly – quoting “The Simpsons” in a kiss-off to the group’s many critics; Chris Brown’s footstep-perfect rendition of… Read more »
New York – Ryan Cabrera may be better known as Ashlee Simpson’s ex-boyfriend, but now he’s making a name for himself. His major label debut album, “Take It All Away,” has sold more than 320,000 copies so far, and its first single, “On the Way Down,” hit No. 8 on the Billboard chart. After opening for Jewel and Jessica Simpson and performing on college campuses, Cabrera just kicked off his first headlining tour. But it was hard work – not connections – that brought the 22-year-old singer this far. He first picked up a guitar at age 15 and spent… Read more »
Ticket sales are down, and big tours are scaling back to smaller venues. It looks to be a long, hot summer for the touring industry. On the cusp of the industry’s peak period, a number of high-profile tours and festivals have already hit snags, among them highly touted outings from Mariah Carey, the Field Day Music Festival, Lollapalooza, and Beck and Dashboard Confessional. Faced with a crowded tour market combined with high ticket prices, permit hassles, a sluggish economy and poor buzz, these tours and a handful of others have either had to scale back the size of the venues… Read more »
