Search Results for: AVOID

After more than two decades as a pro, Tony Hawk is hanging up his board. The 35-year-old father of three announced his retirement from competition after winning the gold at X Games IX on Sunday in Los Angeles. Hawk placed first in the Vert Best Trick competition with his patented 900, a full two-and-a-half-rotation spin off the half-pipe. Fans of the skateboarding legend won’t be completely devoid of their idol, however. Hawk said he would still participate in his annual Boom Boom HuckJam skateboard/BMX/motocross tour, which begins its 30-date run October 2 in Vancouver, British Columbia, according to a tour… Read more »

Kevin Richardson hopes others won’t have to follow his path to superstardom. Richardson left his native Kentucky as a teenager for a job at Walt Disney World before auditioning for an Orlando, Fla.-based group that would eventually become the Backstreet Boys. Now Richardson, 31, and childhood friend and songwriter Keith McGuffey have opened a music academy in downtown Louisville. Called The Music Workshop, its a catchall for performers, songwriters and producers seeking a career in music. “When me and Keith were growing up in central Kentucky there wasn’t any real outlet for us. If we wanted to get information about… Read more »

While there was some doubt that The White Stripes would be able to reschedule their show at the Hershey Centre due to Jack White’s messed up finger, we can now put those uncertainties to rest. Jack’s hand is healing and the duo will be ready to hit the road once again. We already told you about Jack’s unfortunate incident, which forced the band to postpone a string of tour dates in U.S. and Canada. Now we can inform you about the details behind White’s hand surgery and the new dates for the Mississauga and Montreal shows. Originally scheduled for August… Read more »

Ashton Kutcher was the big winner at Saturday’s taping of the Teen Choice Awards, but even his five surfboard trophies couldn’t steal the spotlight from the plethora of unusual appearances at the show. There was Kobe Bryant, accepting the Choice Male Athlete award for the fourth time just four days before his first hearing on sexual assault charges. “I’m going through some dark clouds right now,” he said, thanking his wife and fans for support. There was 5 Cent, and no, that’s not a typo. It was Verne “Mini-Me” Troyer performing his own version of “In Da Club,” adding lines… Read more »

It was as if the tattooed hand of a punk rock god reached down and anointed Andrew W.K. The hard partying rocker was enthusiastically playing his anthem “I Get Wet” as the skies opened up and a torrential downpour put an early end to the eighth stop on this year’s Vans Warped Tour. He always sports a maniacal smirk and a dirty T-shirt, but even W.K., surrounded on the stage by a dozen head-banging fans, couldn’t help but laugh. Just one week into a grueling cross-country summer trek, the ninth edition of the punk and extreme-sports tour experienced both kinds… Read more »

When he belted out “Somewhere I Belong,” we’re guessing Linkin Park lead singer Chester Bennington didn’t mean that somewhere to be a hospital bed. But the alternametal band’s frontman has been confined to a Los Angeles-area hospital since Friday battling a mystery malady, the group’s label has announced. Bennington was admitted to an undisclosed hospital “after an attack of severe back and abdominal pains,” according to a statement from Warner Bros. Records released Tuesday on Linkin Park’s Website (www.linkinpark.com). “Bennington remains hospitalized as doctors are still trying to determine the cause of these ailments.” With Bennington idled in sick bay… Read more »

When her new album, Hotel Paper, hits stores June 24, Michelle Branch wants you to remember what Aaliyah said almost a decade ago: Age ain’t nothing but a number. “I just want [people] to actually listen to the record and, I guess, give me a chance,” the 19-year-old singer said recently. “I don’t know, younger artists, people kind of write us off as being this novelty kind of thing, and people forget that George Harrison was 17 when he was in the Beatles, U2 was my age… the Rolling Stones, everyone. It doesn’t matter how old you are, it shouldn’t… Read more »

A veritable who’s who of the pop music world are urging federal regulators to give the public and lawmakers a chance to review any changes made in the regulations that govern media ownership. In a letter to the Federal Communications Commission, 34 recording artists ranging from Jimmy Buffett to Michael Stipe said the changes should be fully vetted before they win final approval. “A refusal to allow Congress and the public to view and debate your specific proposal would be a tremendous disservice to the American public and the citizens who depend on these media structures for their livelihoods,” the… Read more »

Two companies behind services for sharing music and movies over the Internet are not to blame for any illegal copying conducted by the services’ users, a federal judge ruled Friday. The 34-page ruling by U.S. District Court Judge Stephen Wilson was a major blow to recording companies and movie studios, which have been aggressively filing lawsuits and pushing new laws to stem the illegal copying and distribution of their copyright works. The decision, if it survives appeal, essentially absolves Grokster Ltd. and StreamCast Networks Inc. of liability. Grokster distributes file-sharing software by that name, and StreamCast distributes Morpheus. “It’s a… Read more »

A federal judge rejected a constitutional challenge Thursday by Verizon Communications Inc., which is trying to avoid turning over the names of two of its Internet subscribers suspected of illegally offering free music for downloading. U.S. District Judge John D. Bates, who ruled against Verizon in January in the same case, determined that First Amendment protections concerning anonymous expression do not conflict with the 1998 Digital Millennium Copyright Act. The law permits music companies to force Internet providers to turn over the names of suspected music pirates upon subpoena from any U.S. District Court clerk’s office, without a judge’s signature… Read more »