Among the most notorious on-screen gaffes ever, Janet Jackson’s breast-baring “wardrobe malfunction” on CBS during the 2004 Super Bowl halftime show drew a $550,000 indecency fine from the Federal Communications Commission. Now a federal appeals court has thrown it out. A panel of the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Monday that the FCC “acted arbitrarily and capriciously” in issuing the fine for the fleeting image of nudity, which it noted lasted just over half a second. An estimated 90 million people watching the Super Bowl heard Justin Timberlake sing, “Gonna have you naked by the end of this… Read more »
Mötley Crüe has kick-started legal action against another former manager. The “Shout at the Devil” purveyors have filed a lawsuit against Burt Stein and his companies B Entertainment and Gold Mountain Entertainment, alleging the companies screwed the band out of large sums of money by putting the manager’s interests ahead of the Crüe. The suit, filed Wednesday in Los Angeles Superior Court, claims Stein, who also represents one of the individual bandmembers, “stalled and obstructed” talks Mötley Crüe had with various music-industry folk about recording a new album and hitting the road in 2008. Among the other allegations, Stein also… Read more »
As the recorded music business seemingly careens toward oblivion, John Hiatt is standing on the sidelines having a good laugh. It’s not as if the singer-songwriter has been unscathed by the industry’s decade-long capitulation to piracy. Each of his last three albums sold 30,000 copies less than the one before. His last release, 2005’s “Master of Disaster,” moved 78,000 copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan. But as he sagely pointed out during a recent breakfast, “I think I’m not the only one. I think we’re doing OK.” That very day his 18th album, “Same Old Man” (New… Read more »
It’s been more than 20 years since Rick Astley’s “Never Gonna Give You Up” topped the Billboard Hot 100, but it is once again infiltrating the public consciousness thanks to the phenomenon known as “RickRolling.” Around March 2007, bloggers and online social networkers started casually linking to the song’s nostalgically ’80s music video via YouTube. RickRolling was a psych-out for readers who would click on tantalizing hyperlinks, only to fall prey to a young Astley’s blonde bouffant and idiosyncratic dance moves. RickRolling has since taken on a life of its own, with YouTube users creating their own lip-synced routines and… Read more »
LOS ANGELES, CA – New Jersey artist, Socratic will release their sophomore full-length, Spread the Rumors on May 6th 2008. Produced by Mark Hoppus (Blink 182, +44), Spread the Rumors is the full-length follow-up to 2005’s Lunch For The Sky. Socratic envisioned recording an album with the same impact as blink 182’s Enema of the State, where every song is a single. Imagine their excitement when Mark Hoppus not only liked their demos, but also agreed to produce Spread the Rumors. Duane Okun, Socratic’s lead singer says, “Although we’re kind of at opposite ends of the musical spectrum from Blink… Read more »
Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger only survived an assassination attempt by Hells Angels members nearly 40 years ago because a boat carrying his would-be killers was swamped in a storm, according to a new BBC documentary. The details of a plot to kill the British rocker were revealed by an FBI agent as part of a series, “The FBI at 100,” which is to be aired on BBC Radio 4 on Monday. Tom Mangold, who presents the series, told Britain’s Sunday Telegraph newspaper that Jagger fell out with the Hells Angels after a member of the notorious gang killed a… Read more »
Hot teen pop trio the Jonas Brothers have vowed to stay virgins until they wed. The three brothers, Kevin, Joe and Nick Jonas, have revealed they’ve sworn a vow of purity. Joe, 18, says, “(We’ve made) promises to ourselves and to God that we’ll stay pure till marriage.” The trio all wear purity rings to remind them of their pledge. Nick, 15, who previously dated Miley Cyrus, tells Details magazine, “I got mine made at Disney World. It’s pretty awesome.” Ten thousand screaming superfans demonstrated Wednesday night at Target Center that, after a few months as openers on the “Hannah… Read more »
As By All Means continues to gain traction at commercial alternative and specialty radio (with recent adds at WEBX in Champagne IL, WSFM in Wilmington, NC and WHHZ in Gainesville, FL, plus spins on Detroit’s CIMX and more) National Product is busy loading up their tour bus for a string of dates starting Feb 7 with Just Surrender, Lorene Drive and Farewell. On March 1, National Product will open for a newly-reunited Slick Shoes at Anaheim, CA’s Chain Reaction, followed by dates with Ivoryline and Breathe Carolina . On March 14th the band will share the stage with Scary Kids… Read more »
Season 4 Finale. 6 countries, 2 guest, teas and crumpets, David goes Dexter on a turkey, and 1 pube mustache. Music from Hello Saferide, Kate Nash, Goldfinger, Jovanotti, Luke Brodie, NOFX.
People’s all-star, pre-Grammy concert with Timbaland ended with a resounding crash when the superproducer and rapper delivered a foul-mouthed tirade against the magazine because some of his friends were apparently left outside the venue. With a blinged-out cross dangling from his neck, a sweaty Timbaland addressed the crowd at the Avalon Club just after finishing a high energy set with longtime muse Missy Elliott, capping a night of performances from acts such as Chris Cornell, Grammy-nominated band Paramore and One Republic in front of a crowd that included Paris Hilton, Lindsay Lohan and Ludacris. “Next time I have one of… Read more »
