Search Results for: AVOID

Ashlee Simpson started having difficulty with her voice during a dress rehearsal for “Saturday Night Live,” backstage footage recorded for “60 Minutes” shows. A crew from the CBS newsmagazine was on hand for a story about the late-night comedy program’s creative process, and its cameras were rolling as producers expressed concern about the Simpson, who appeared flustered during rehearsals. Simpson rushed backstage following Saturday’s rehearsal, clutching her throat and appearing to be in tears. At that point, correspondent Lesley Stahl asked “SNL” creator and executive producer Lorne Michaels what the problem was. “We’re concerned about her voice,” he told her.… Read more »

The MTV Video Music Awards featured a lot of star power this year, but some fans were left wondering: Where were Britney and Justin? Britney Spears has practically made a tradition of not only appearing at the VMAs, but giving the ceremony some of its most talked about moments. She performed her schoolgirl hit “… Baby One More Time” in 1999, stripped to “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” and “Oops!… I Did It Again” in 2000, became a snake charmer for “I’m a Slave 4 U” in 2001, presented birthday cake to Michael Jackson (who mistook it for an award)… Read more »

Sum 41 have named their third album Chuck as a tribute to United Nations representative Chuck Pelletier, who the band members credit with saving their lives in the Democratic Republic of Congo back in May. The Canadian rockers were shooting a documentary in the war-torn African nation when fighting between a militia and the newly formed national army erupted on May 26th. The band hid in a hotel bathroom to avoid the gunfire. “Chuck Pelletier made an evacuation plan, putting us all in groups to get us into armored tanks,” Sum 41 frontman Deryck Whibley told Rolling Stone. “He was… Read more »

The board of selectmen in Foxboro has pulled the plug on the Warped Tour alternative rock fest at Gillette Stadium, even though tickets have already gone on sale for the two-day show. Citing noise, safety and other concerns, the Foxboro Board of Selectmen on Tuesday turned down a license request for the Aug. 19 and 20 concert proposed for a parking lot outside the stadium. The decision was the first time in more than 20 years that selectmen had turned down a license for a concert at the stadium, Town Administrator Andrew Gala told the Sun Chronicle of Attleboro. The… Read more »

Worried you won’t be able to land a ticket to your favorite concert this summer? Not to fear, the music industry has a club you can join. For a small fee. In a trend that started with the Grateful Dead and has taken off in recent years, artists are offering tickets to members of their fan clubs before sales open to the general public. Even some venues have exclusive – and pricey – clubs fans can join with the promise of premier seating. The artist fan clubs offer an increased chance – but no guarantee – of getting a concert… Read more »

Federal regulators opened a new front in their crackdown on offensive broadcasts Thursday, saying that almost any use of the F-word on over-the-air radio and television would be considered indecent. The Federal Communications Commission overruled its staff and said an expletive uttered by rock singer Bono on NBC was both indecent and profane. It marked the first time that the FCC cited a four-letter word as profane; the commission previously equated profanity with language challenging God’s divinity. The FCC on Thursday also proposed maximum fines for the broadcast of the Howard Stern radio show and for a program on two… Read more »

White Stripes lead singer Jack White pleaded guilty to assault and battery Tuesday for a fight with the lead singer of another band. White was accused of repeatedly punching Von Bondies lead singer Jason Stollsteimer and originally was charged with misdemeanor aggravated assault. He could have faced up to a year in jail, but will avoid jail time under the plea deal. White must pay a $500 fine, plus $250 in court fees, and Judge Paula G. Humphries ordered him to attend anger management classes. She also told him not to contact Stollsteimer. The Dec. 13 fight between White and… Read more »

The father of Michael Jackson’s young accuser appeared on the verge of tears Wednesday after a judge denied his request to see his children. Barred from contacting the boy and his brother and sister, the father had asked to visit his son because of rumors the boy is sick and because he hoped to determine if Jackson molested him. Although he denied the request, Superior Court Judge Richard E. Denner scheduled a Feb. 24 hearing to hear any additional evidence showing why the father should be allowed to have contact with the boy. Jackson has pleaded innocent to seven counts… Read more »

Youthful grunge-lite band the Calling call their new album Two for two reasons. First, it’s the group’s second record. More important, singer Alex Band and guitarist Aaron Kamin want fans to know the Calling are now, and always have been, a two-man band. That point was questioned in November, when former bassist Billy Mohler and drummer Nate Wood sued the group and its manager for fraud and mismanagement. The pair claimed they were owed significant song royalties and a merchandise percentage, and that they were only paid $26,000 each for two years’ touring, even though they’d been promised much more.… Read more »

A dispute over royalty rights on copy-protected CDs and other types of music discs is helping to stall the release of some new music technology, and could result in record labels owing tens of millions of dollars in back payments to music publishers. At issue are “double session” CDs that include two versions of each song on a disc, formatted for playback on different kinds of devices. The most widely distributed type are copy-protected discs that prevent CD tracks from being copied to a hard drive, but that also include a digital version of the songs, often in Microsoft’s Windows… Read more »