Search Results for: super american

Reigning pop diva Britney Spears had a big year in 2001 – singing at the Super Bowl, landing a Pepsi endorsement deal, releasing her third solo album, Britney, touring the U.S., and turning twenty. Mention any of this to Britney and you’ll find her unfazed. Taking to Madonna’s school of reinvention, in 2002 Britney has already surprised and delighted fans with her American Music Awards performance of “Not a Girl, Not Yet a Woman,” in a simple evening gown, sans dancers and snakes. Fans now await the release of her first leading role in a movie, as Lucy in Crossroads,… Read more »

A week after paying Mariah Carey nearly $30 million to walk away from her contract, EMI Recorded Music CEO Alain Levy took the wraps off a massive restructuring at the top of the company’s North American unit, marking his most aggressive moves yet to yank the British music major out of a persistent financial slump. Levy’s plan infuses EMI’s U.S. executive suite with new blood: His longtime deputy David Munns becomes chairman and chief executive of EMI North America, overseeing the flagship Capitol Records and Virgin Records America imprints. Veteran producer Matt Serletic has been named chairman and CEO of… Read more »

No Doubt are taking their Rock Steady to the streets, beginning in mid-March. The ska-turned-reggae rock quartet will launch its first proper tour in support of its latest album, Rock Steady, with two offshore dates in Puerto Rico and Venezuela, on March 14 and 16, respectively, according to an Interscope Records spokesperson. The Venezuela show is part of the Caracas Pop Festival II. Twenty-one other dates have been confirmed at press time, ending with May 10 in Dallas. Additional shows are expected to be announced later. Twenty-one other dates have been confirmed at press time, ending with May 10 in… Read more »

Over the past week there were explosive developments concerning the fate of American Taliban member John Walker Lindh, imploding energy company Enron and president Bush’s problems with pretzels, but very little has been changing on the album chart. That means Creed’s Weathered will hang on to the #1 slot of next week’s Billboard 200, giving the band a solid two-month run as top dogs. Linkin Park will hold tight at #2 with Hybrid Theory as they embark on their last tour before working on new material, Ludacris will remain steady at #3 with Word of Mouf and Nickelback’s Silver Side… Read more »

Self-proclaimed “king of pop” Michael Jackson will dust off a 13-year-old hit song during the American Music Awards Wednesday night – even though it might jeopardize his chances of performing at the more prestigious Grammys seven weeks later. Grammys boss Michael Greene, who is being sued for $10 million by American Music Awards producer Dick Clark for allegedly blackballing acts who appear on the earlier show, said Tuesday he would see what the Gloved One does during the ceremony before deciding whether to send him an invite. “We have 980 nominees and only 14 performance slots. So who in their… Read more »

Veteran Irish rockers U2 and piano songstress Alicia Keys were among the favorites to claim Grammy nominations in a competition shaping up as far less inflammatory than last year’s event. U2’s “Beautiful Day” won record and song of the year honors as a single at last year’s Grammy awards. This year the song is part of the album “All That You Can’t Leave Behind,” making the latter a contender for album of the year. “All That You Can’t Leave Behind” was released too late to qualify last year, but the single did debut before the Sept. 30 cutoff date. Two… Read more »

As Epic Records commitment to artist development continued to flourish in 2001, Epic will bring an entirely new group of exciting artists to the stage in 2002. The Epic team will work as one cohesive unit towards our common goal: helping our artists rise to the top of the marketplace. EPIC RECORDS 2001 RECAP Flickerstick – Winners of the breakthrough VH1 series Bands on the Run released their major label debut Welcoming Home The Astronauts. The album was re-mixed by Tom Lord Alge (Weezer, Blink-182, Marilyn Manson) and includes two new songs, “Execution By X-mas Lights” and “Smile.” Flickerstick will… Read more »

Dick Clark says Michael Jackson would be on the American Music Awards, but Michael Greene won’t let him. The TV personality/producer filed a $10 million lawsuit on Wednesday (December 19) against Greene, president and CEO of the Recording Academy, claiming that Greene’s Grammy booking policy prevents top artists from appearing on Clark’s American Music Awards. Clark’s suit, filed in Los Angeles Superior Court, alleges that Greene’s policy of refusing to book artists who perform at the AMAs – which will take place seven weeks prior to the Grammy Awards – caused a breach of contract by forcing Jackson to back… Read more »

It was the year when “King of Pop” Michael Jackson cried at the Oxford Union, pop teen queen Britney Spears performed on stage with a snake and Icelandic singer Bjork turned up at the Oscars dressed as a swan. British showbiz writers searched for tittle-tattle on Robbie Williams’ love life and speculated endlessly about the demise of the hit girl band The Spice Girls. But the story that grabbed the most headlines in 2001 involved a Hollywood power couple who out of the blue announced they were ending what many considered was a rock-solid marriage. The divorce of Tom Cruise… Read more »

Earth, Wind & Fire (EWF) founder Maurice White celebrates his 60th birthday today (December 19). Although his battle with Parkinson’s disease has kept him off the road, White has never stopped working with his bandmates, and he continues to write and produce EWF recordings. In October of this year, White surprised fans and joined his former bandmates on stage at a concert in Los Angeles, performing “Keep Your Head To The Sky” as a tribute to Americans following the horrific events of September 11. White, a former session drummer for Chicago-based labels OKeh Records and Chess Records, founded the ’70s… Read more »