Search Results for: plan b entertainment

From a chair that looked as if it belongs on the starship Enterprise, Hugh Panero flipped a switch Tuesday and formally launched XM, the first of the nationwide satellite radio services to go on the air. While the ceremony marked XM’s official start, it will not be a national service for some months because the signal is being beamed from the company’s two satellites – “Rock” and “Roll” – to San Diego and Dallas. The company plans to roll out service to the southern half of the United States within a month and to the rest of the nation in… Read more »

Rock troubadour Bruce Springsteen sang the prescient “My City of Ruins” and pop diva Mariah Carey gave a comeback performance of “Hero” during an internationally televised pledge drive on Friday benefiting victims of the Sept. 11 attacks on America. The unprecedented, commercial-free show, dubbed “America: A Tribute to Heroes” and simulcast live from candle-lit studios in Los Angeles and New York, was carried on at least 31 U.S. broadcast and cable networks and beamed to 156 countries around the globe. Dozens of stars from the movie, television and music industries took part in the emotional but subdued event, providing entertainment… Read more »

“Things are different now,” a news anchor commented last Tuesday while covering the terrorist attacks in New York and Washington, D.C. Those words continue to resonate a week later, with sports, travel and entertainment all vastly affected by the East Coast tragedies. In the music industry, the biggest changes are occurring on the air as radio stations around the country alter their playlists to reflect the radically different context in which pop music is now heard as compared to when the music was originally written and recorded. As Bob Buchmann, program director at WAXQ in New York, put it, “The… Read more »

As the scroll with the names of the dead from Tuesday’s terrorist outrage began to unfurl agonizingly slowly, America – and Hollywood – went into mourning for its victims of the attacks. The tight-knit entertainment community knew it could not escape the nightmare, particularly as three of the four doomed aircraft were bound for Los Angeles. And Wednesday, the full impact of the loss was beginning to be felt when the passenger manifests were released. One passenger was an Emmy-winning writer who died with his spouse, another a young cameraman who leaves behind his pregnant wife. Still another was a… Read more »

The nation’s entertainment capital shut down Tuesday as two major awards shows and a Madonna concert were canceled and most of Hollywood’s big studios closed their doors in response to horrific terrorist attacks in New York and Washington, D.C. It was the day the music died for the 2nd annual Latin Grammy Awards show, a glitzy music industry event which ironically had been moved to Los Angeles from Miami for security reasons last month. Organizers of the star-studded gala said the $4 million production, which was to have been broadcast Tuesday night in the United States and 120 other countries,… Read more »

In celebration of its new “Digital Wherehouse” section, national music and video retailer Wherehouse Music is re-launching its three Austin stores with a massive Grand Re-Opening, comprised of a series of special promotions and events starting September 20th through September 23rd. A “store-within-a-store,” Digital Wherehouse will carry top brand audio, video, TVs, phones, MP3 players, cameras and more, all at great prices. The addition of Digital Wherehouse makes Wherehouse Music a total entertainment shopping experience, where customers can purchase DVDs, CDs and home electronics all under one roof. While the 4-day party kicks off the opening of “Digital Wherehouse,” the… Read more »

The nation’s capital became a ghost town Tuesday as Hollywood lobbyists and media functionaries absorbed the impact that twin terrorist attacks on Washington and Gotham will have on politics, showbiz and everyday life. Schedules that were jam-packed with hearings and meetings early Tuesday were erased by the end of the day. In the wake of an official declaration of a state of emergency, most Hollywood lobbyists headed home early. Entertainment reps in Washington are a tight crowd, even if they don’t always see eye to eye, so there were numerous phone calls back and forth to ensure that colleagues were… Read more »

Fatboy Slim’s “Weapon of Choice” shot up the competition by bringing home six “Moon Man” trophies – including breakthrough video and best direction – Thursday night during the 2001 MTV Video Music Awards at the Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center. But “Weapon of Choice,” directed by Spike Jonze and featuring Christopher Walken dancing up a hotel’s walls, was shut out of the prestigious video of the year prize, which went to Christina Aguilera, Lil’ Kim, Mya and Pink for “Lady Marmalade.” Last year’s big winners ‘N Sync walked away with four trophies for “Pop,” including the coveted Viewer’s Choice… Read more »

XM Satellite Radio today announced that the first-ever AM/FM/XM satellite radio shipments began arriving in the United States in preparation for the company’s September 12 launch of its satellite radio service. The service features 100 digital- quality channels including 71 music channels, of which more than 30 are 100% commercial-free. In addition, XM will offer 29 news, talk, sports and entertainment channels. The company expects that in December of this year, there will be 100,000 XM radios available at more than 6,000 electronics retailers nationwide ready for the important holiday season. The launch will be supported by a national multimedia… Read more »

Courtney Love and Don Henley will lead a charge of pop artists at a hearing in the California state legislature on Wednesday to denounce what they claim are corrupt business practices by big recording companies. The hearing takes place against the backdrop of several bitter lawsuits against major labels by acts like Love and the Dixie Chicks, who allege “unconscionable” contracts and accounting practices by the recording conglomerates. The hearing at the Select Committee on the Entertainment Industry in Sacramento will focus specifically on California’s so-called “seven-year statute,” which restricts entertainers from being tied to any company for more than… Read more »