Search Results for: AVOID

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 »

Jack White of the White Stripes turned himself in to Detroit police Tuesday morning shortly after 8:30 a.m., the city’s police department said. He was arraigned on a charge of aggravated assault for beating up Von Bondies singer and guitarist Jason Stollsteimer in Detroit’s Magic Stick club on December 13, and given a court appearance date, which was not made public. White arrived at the back door of Detroit’s 13th police precinct, had his mug shot taken and faced a judge via teleconference. He was released shortly after on $100 bond and left through the back door, police said. On… Read more »

Radio is awesome, isn’t it? It’s free, it’s on whenever you want it, and you can choose from among eight or 10 stations. About the only people who could possibly complain about it, in fact, are people who have to listen to it. They’ll tell you that the music you hear on the radio is mostly the same cloying pop junk, played over and over. That 20 minutes of every hour is ads, played over and over. And that as you drive, the signal comes and goes with the territory. Two years ago, two companies – XM and Sirius –… Read more »

The members of Great White were spared Tuesday (December 9) when the band’s tour manager and the club owners were indicted for the fire that took 100 lives in Rhode Island earlier this year. Tour manager Dan Biechele and the owners of The Station, Jeffrey and Michael Derderian, were each charged with 200 counts of manslaughter for the February 20 blaze in West Warwick that also injured 200 other people. All three men pled innocent at the hearing and were released after posting bail. Their next hearing is February 9. Biechele and the Derderians were each charged with 100 counts… Read more »

The attorney for the father of Michael Jackson’s accuser said Tuesday that reports that the boy is seriously ill are unfounded. Attorney Russell Halpern said that someone who had spoken to the boy Monday night told him the boy was doing as well as he was six months ago, when he appeared healthy. The boy has been battling cancer. Comedy club owner Jamie Masada, who says he introduced Jackson and the boy, reported on Thanksgiving Day that he had seen the boy days earlier and that his remaining kidney was failing. Masada said the boy’s other kidney and spleen had… Read more »

Police armed with a search warrant are remaining at Michael Jackson’s Neverland Ranch in central California, and a broadcast report has said officers are also carrying an arrest warrant for the pop superstar. “The Jackson’s family attorney has confirmed that the Santa Barbara County Sheriff has issued an arrest warrant for Michael Jackson,” NBC Television reported on Wednesday. Police said without elaboration that they served “a search warrant as part of an ongoing criminal investigation.” Cable channel Court TV, which broke the story, quoted sources saying there had been a new allegation of sexual abuse brought by a 12-year-old boy… Read more »