Search Results for: Disney

The recording industry and several high-tech groups battling over copyright laws declared a tentative truce on Tuesday and said they would try to hash out rules to govern how to protect digital movies and music from widespread bootlegging. The two sides hope to avoid a big lobbying battle this year in Congress over whether to enhance digital copyright protection or preserve the rights of users to make copies. They said they will try to settle their differences and devise rules to govern how movies and music may be used, instead of looking to Congress or the Federal Communications Commission. But… Read more »

A peace treaty announced Tuesday between the record business and Silicon Valley could reshape the debate over what role Capitol Hill should play in mandating antipiracy technology being sought by Hollywood, making it more difficult for the movie biz to pursue its legislative agenda. The landmark pact among the Recording Industry Assn. of America (RIAA), the Business Software Alliance (BSA) and the Computer Systems Policy Project (CSPP) launches a new chapter in the music industry’s fight to recover from devastating levels of computer piracy. For its part, Silicon Valley will actively help the RIAA, the lobbying arm of the major… Read more »

A federal judge considering an Internet copyright case said Monday he was inclined to allow U.S. record companies and movie studios to sue the Australia-based parent company of Kazaa, a popular online file-swapping service. Judge Stephen Wilson heard arguments on whether Sharman Networks, which is headquartered in Australia and incorporated in the Pacific Island nation of Vanuatu, is subject to U.S. copyright laws. “It is a difficult question, but it has to be resolved,” Wilson said. “The court will do its best to resolve it promptly.” Although Wilson did not indicate when he plans to issue a ruling, he appeared… Read more »

Call ’em the little ska-pop band that could, and did. The members of No Doubt will be given a ceremonial key to the city of Anaheim, California at Disneyland on Friday (November 22). Singer Gwen Stefani, guitarist Tom Dumont, bassist Tony Kanal, and drummer Adrian Young all grew up and went to school in the Orange County community. The group has often referenced the region in its albums-1995’s The Beacon Street Collection was named for a house on a street in Anaheim where several of the band members lived during that time; while the follow-up, Tragic Kingdom, is a play… Read more »

Just because the Goo Goo Dolls’ John Rzeznik has made the move into soundtrack songwriting-a genre popularized in recent years by such artists as Randy Newman, Elton John (news), and Phil Collins (news)-it doesn’t mean he changed his ways. Rzeznik says that he made that clear when he was first approached by producers to write what became “I’m Still Here (Jim’s Theme),” the key song from the soundtrack to Treasure Planet. “They called me and, you know, at first I was a little apprehensive about it because I was, like, ‘You know, I can’t write show tunes and I won’t.’… Read more »

After a career spanning 15 years and featuring several hit singles with the Goo Goo Dolls, frontman John Rzeznik has entered charts as a solo artist for the first time. Rzeznik’s song, “I’m Still Here (Jim’s Theme),” from the soundtrack to Treasure Planet, has made its debut on the Billboard Adult Top 40 chart at Number 36. That actually makes two songs currently on the chart for Rzeznik-the Goos’ current single, “Big Machine,” checks in at Number 21. The soundtrack to Treasure Planet arrives from Walt Disney Records on November 19. It also features the Rzeznik-penned “Always Know Where You… Read more »

Mickey Mouse’s days at Disney could be numbered and paying royalties for warbling George Gershwin tunes could become a thing of the past if the U.S. Supreme Court sides with an Internet publisher in a landmark copyright case this week. The high court will hear the case Wednesday that could plunge the earliest images of Disney’s mascot and other closely held creative property into the public domain as early as next year. If upheld, the precedent-setting challenge could cost movie studios and heirs of authors and composers millions of dollars in revenue as previously protected material becomes available free of… Read more »

Chicago rockers Disturbed have upset the Dixie Chicks’ three-week run as chart champs, selling more than 283,000 copies of their second album to debut atop the Billboard 200 albums chart, according to SoundScan figures released Wednesday. The riff-wielding quartet has come a long way in its short career. Disturbed’s 2000 debut, The Sickness, while eventually selling more than 2.6 million copies, took nearly two months to crack the chart after its release. What’s even more impressive is that Disturbed’s first-place showing came without an unavoidable, playlist-friendly video. The clip for the LP’s first single, “Prayer,” encountered restrictions because it was… Read more »

Kelly Osbourne is still dropping an album, but her Hollywood acting debut will have to wait. Ozzy’s youngest daughter has dropped out of a remake of the 1977 Disney teen classic “Freaky Friday,” currently in production. Starring a young Jodie Foster, the original movie was based on Mary Rodgers’ novel about a tomboy and her combative mother who magically switch bodies after wishing they could be someone else. Osbourne, who was set to play the young girl’s best friend, pulled out of the picture due to scheduling conflicts surrounding the promotion cycle of her debut album, her publicist said. The… Read more »

“Elvis is in your jeans.” “He’s in your cheeseburgers.” “Elvis is in Nutty Buddies!” “Elvis is in your mom!” Never has punk novelty act Mojo Nixon’s 1987 song “Elvis is Everywhere”* been more accurate than now. In the year of the 25th anniversary of Elvis Presley’s death, the King of rock ‘n’ roll topped the British charts. His songs grace Walt Disney’s “Lilo & Stitch” movie soundtrack. Hundreds of thousands of fans each year converge at Graceland, his home in Memphis, to pay homage to “The King.” Now, taking a page from the handbook of his most loyal subjects, The… Read more »