Search Results for: AVOID

Avril Lavigne is pissed about allegations that she stole a song from ’70s pop act the Rubinoos. So pissed, in fact, that she’s invoking lyrics by the Ramones.In a post on her MySpace page addressed to “My Dear Media [hey, that’s me!], Friends and Fans,” Lavigne ripped the Rubinoos’ claims – and subsequent lawsuit – that her tune “Girlfriend” rips off their 1979 semi-hit “I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend.” She wrote that she “had never heard this song in my life” and “all songs share similar lyrics and emotions. As humans we speak one language.” “You may have heard some… Read more »

With his ragged mane and heavily tattooed wiry frame, former Guns N’ Roses bass player Duff McKagan looks every bit the rock star. But the 43-year-old musician doubles as a savvy investor, overseeing a diverse portfolio ranging from property and stocks to vintage guitars. While he draws the line at donning a suit and tie, McKagan also runs the business affairs for his new band, Velvet Revolver, which just released its second album, “Libertad.” “I do everything I can do so this band doesn’t get ripped off,” said McKagan, who subscribes to the online edition of The Wall Street Journal,… Read more »

Appearing under the alias Sacred Fools, powerpop family band Hanson played a special ‘secret’ semi-acoustic concert last night (Friday, June 29) at Hollywood’s cozy, 200-capacity Hotel Cafe. Of course, it wasn't that well-kept a secret, judging by the gaggle of excited, camera-toting female fans at the gig, some of whom had to be told repeatedly by the Hotel Cafe staff to refrain from taking flash photos of their flaxen-haired idols. Hanson's concert was a decidedly intimate and low-key affair, with youngest brother Zac hauling and setting up his own drum kit before the show. And on a couple occasions during… Read more »

Recently, Maureen Callahan wrote a piece for the New York Post about Crush Management, the NYC cadre that shepherds the careers of Fall Out Boy, Panic! at the Disco, the Academy Is … , Boys Like Girls and Armor for Sleep (or, as Callahan puts it, “basically any band that a 13-year-old girl with a blog and a Hot Topic habit obsesses over”). Aside from providing readers with some genuinely bananas quotes from songwriter/ rock-and-roll vampire Butch Walker about credibility (especially considering this is on his résumé), the article is excellent primarily because it floats the hypothesis that the artists… Read more »

Paris Hilton’s “simple life” has just gotten a lot more complicated. On Friday (May 4), a judge sentenced the hotel heiress to 45 days in Los Angeles County jail for violating the terms of her probation, Los Angeles Superior Court confirmed to MTV News. Hilton must report to the Century Regional Detention Facility in suburban Lynwood on June 5 or face a 90-day sentence. She will not be allowed work release, leaves of absence or an electronic-monitoring device instead of jail, Superior Court Judge Michael T. Sauer ruled after a hearing, according to The 36-month probation stint stems from Hilton’s… Read more »

Young indie rockers Arctic Monkeys, who made history with Britain’s fastest-selling debut album in 2006, are out to prove they are no one-hit wonders with their second record released on Monday. Critics wonder if the weight of expectation will be too much for the musicians from the northern city of Sheffield, among the first to make it big by harnessing the power of the Internet. Alexis Petridis, music critic for the Guardian newspaper, called “Favourite Worst Nightmare” arguably the most anticipated second album in a decade. Judging by early reviews and the reaction of fans at gigs across the country,… Read more »

What’s up with all the different versions of Avril in her new video? Or, for that matter, Christina, Ciara and Beyoncé? Everywhere you look, it seems some pop diva has replicated herself so she’s the star of her clip several times over. Multiple versions are nothing new – Mariah and Madonna are old pros by now – but the idea has been spreading like a video virus, with Avril and others just the latest to be infected. It got us to thinking – are they copying themselves or someone else? Avril Lavigne’s “Girlfriend” Avril Lavigne gets to have it both… Read more »

AUSTIN, Texas – Every March, the music industry throws on a pair of shorts, slathers on the SPF 45 and heads on down to Austin for South by Southwest, a weeklong celebration of bands, BBQ and (sometimes free!) beer. It’s a brutal bacchanal and music marathon powered by thousands of acts playing in hundreds of venues – at all hours – plus an unreal number of open-bar tabs and fancy private parties. Sleep is not exactly a top priority, so MTV News has dispatched three of its most tireless reporters into the fray. They’ll be filing reports a few times… Read more »