Search Results for: American Idiot

Since few people actually care about the winners of the Grammy Awards, the producers of the show always stack the program with top-notch performers to keep things interesting. Few people can remember who won the top award last year, but those images of Prince grinding with Beyonce during last year’s show opener will go down as one of the greatest musical moments in television history. This year, the Grammy people have drawn on 2004’s best-selling artists to make up their list of performers. Performers announced earlier today include Green Day, Alicia Keys, U2 and Tim McGraw. The Grammys will air… Read more »

The American Idiot version of Green Day has been garnering headlines (and Grammy noms) thanks to a newfound political bite and some musical risk-taking, but no one has really taken notice of the band’s sudden sartorial flair: skinny ties, mod suits and eyeliner – lots of it. All that eyeliner could be one reason why they’ve taken such a shine to New Jersey goth-punk quintet My Chemical Romance, with their dark suits and ringed eyes. The admiration is so intense that the guys from Green Day asked MCR to open for them on a leg of their next round of… Read more »

New York – Christmas sales came in the nick of time, saving the holiday selling season for most merchants at the last minute. After watching sales waver on an almost daily basis in the first half of December, most retailers say that because the weeks before and after Christmas were strong, stores could top last year’s numbers. “Christmas was late coming, but once it did, it came crushing in,” says Geoffrey Caruso, manager of the Amoeba store in Berkeley, Calif. “In the first part of December, it vacillated from day to day.” Indeed, Nielsen SoundScan numbers confirm that for the… Read more »

Los Angeles – Eminem was the top-seller among last-minute holiday shoppers as “Encore” returned to No. 1 on the U.S. album charts last week after a month-long absence. The rapper’s latest Shady/Aftermath/Interscope set jumped two places after selling 430,000 copies in the week ended Dec. 26, a 36% increase, according to Nielsen SoundScan data issued Wednesday. “Encore” now has three non-consecutive weeks atop the chart, including a two-week stay at No. 1 in November. It took over the top spot from 2Pac’s posthumous “Loyal to the Game” (Amaru/Interscope), which slid to No. 13 with 219,000 copies. Holiday shopping also saw… Read more »

Eminem apparently learned to be nice this holiday season because Santa gave the usually naughty rapper another number one. Previously ruling the charts for the last two weeks of November, the Shady One’s Encore encored at number one for the week ended Sunday, selling 430,000 copies, according to Nielsen SoundScan data. Em has a record of reentering the top slot, having done it with both The Eminem Show and the 8 Mile soundtrack. His is the fifth album to regain the number one position in 2004, joining discs by OutKast, Ashlee Simpson, Usher and Now That’s What I Call Music!… Read more »

Los Angeles – Chicago rapper Kanye West, who survived a near-fatal car crash to record a debut album that ranked among the year’s biggest sellers, led the field of Grammy Award contenders with 10 nominations, organizers said on Tuesday. R&B singers Alicia Keys and Usher picked up eight nominations each, followed by late “Genius of Soul” Ray Charles with seven, and punk rock band Green Day with six. Jazz pianist Norah Jones, country veteran Loretta Lynn, funk musician Prince and engineer Al Schmitt each earned five. “If I get any nominations, I’m good,” West told Reuters after a press conference… Read more »

Toronto – Perhaps it was best that Green Day were in Canada on the evening of the U.S. presidential election; after all, it’s here that they can share the almost unanimous anti-Bush sentiments in an almost-packed Air Canada Centre. “Well, hopefully tomorrow we’ll have a brand new President,” Billie Joe Armstrong said to a roar of cheers. “I fuckin’ hate him and I think he’s more of a threat to the world than Saddam Hussein.” And though the dads of pop-punk were away from home, the enthusiastic crowd – which included one fan with a “Fuck Bush” sign – made… Read more »

Green Day will toast the release of American Idiot on Tuesday, but perhaps an even bigger cause for celebration these days is the 10-year anniversary of their breakthrough LP, Dookie. The modern-day classic not only launched the Bay Area punk trio into the mainstream, it opened the door to a mid-’90s wave of popped-up punk and provided a launching pad for the current crop of melodic pop-punkers. “[Dookie] changed my life,” confessed Good Charlotte’s Joel Madden. “It made me want to start Good Charlotte…. Right after that record came out, we were like, ‘We have to start a band in… Read more »

Green Day leads the roster of rock and rap artists contributing music to Madden 2005, the latest in the series of football video games bearing the name of legendary announcer John Madden. The title track from Green Day’s forthcoming album, American Idiot, will appear on the game even before it reaches radio stations or record stores, while other artists contributing tracks from current albums include Franz Ferdinand, Hoobastank, the Hives, Chevelle and New Found Glory. Madden 2005 arrives on August 17. Green Day’s new album, American Idiot, is set for release on September 21. Hard rockers Earshot contribute their own… Read more »

In about six weeks, long-faced football fans jonesing for sacks, Hail Marys and outrageous end-zone celebrations can count on two things to turn their frowns upside down: the start of the preseason and the next installment of the John Madden video-game franchise. Madden 2005,” due August 12, promises all the bone-crushing hits, jaw-dropping jukes and gridiron grip of its predecessor, all to the tune of another star-packed soundtrack. Green Day lead the charge of artists unveiling new material in the game. Even before it goes to radio, the title track from the band’s forthcoming album, American Idiot, due September 21,… Read more »