Search Results for: GOLD

The tagline for “Still Not a Player,” a documentary on fallen rap star Big Pun, reads: “At 26 he became the first Latin solo hip-hop artist to go platinum. At 28 he was dead.” But as the movie shows, there was more to Pun than most ever knew. Family members, such as his wife, Liza Rios, and peers like Nas, Noreaga, Ice-T and his mentor, Fat Joe, all give firsthand accounts of their dealings with the lyricist, helping to paint his biography. “To hear other people talk about him, it helped me out,” Rios said. “It was therapy. [There were]… Read more »

After playing a “Foxy” detective and leading lady to Mike “Austin Powers” Myers, Beyoncé Knowles will return to familiar territory for her next role in “The Fighting Temptations.” The Destiny’s Child star will play a member of a gospel choir that a hip-hop producer – played by Academy Award-winner Cuba Gooding Jr. – must lead to success before he can collect a large inheritance. Along the way, Gooding’s character falls for Knowles’ character. Jonathan Lynn (“The Whole Nine Yards,” “My Cousin Vinny”) will direct the film, which is scheduled to begin shooting in mid-June, according to Mathew Knowles, Beyoncé’s manager… Read more »

Singer-songwriter Carole King will receive the prestigious Johnny Mercer Award during the 33rd annual Songwriters Hall Of Fame induction ceremony in June. Hall Of Fame inductees this year include Michael Jackson, Barry Manilow, Sting, Randy Newman, and Ashford & Simpson. Also, Garth Brooks will be presented the Hitmaker Award and Stevie Wonder will be given the Lifetime Achievement Award. Songwriter Hal David, the Hall’s chairman and CEO, said of King, “Carole King has been a tour de force in our industry ever since I can remember. She is a gifted songwriter and performer, who epitomized a wonderful era of music.… Read more »

Alice in Chains’ Layne Staley was found dead in his Seattle home on Friday evening. The King County Medical Examiner positively identified Staley’s body on Saturday (April 20), following an autopsy. Exact time and cause of death are pending, as laboratory results could take several weeks, a spokesperson said. Staley was 34. Police responded to a call to check on a person’s well-being at Staley’s address in Seattle’s University District at 5:41 p.m. PT on Friday, according to the police report. Upon discovering the body, which is presumed to have been there for several days, officers called investigators from the… Read more »

With nearly a decade of hits to their name and a command of large audiences that would put Tony Robbins to shame, Green Day are a hard act to follow. No wonder, then, that Blink-182 took a page from one of rock’s biggest bad boys Wednesday night in an attempt to avoid being overshadowed. Facing an opening-night Pop Disaster Tour crowd that had expended most of its energy during Green Day’s set, Mark, Tom and Travis found that even their onstage fireballs were no match for the ones their elder peers had singed the Centennial Garden with less than an… Read more »

Chart-topping modern rock act Nickelback and jazz pianist/vocalist Diana Krall snared three trophies each at Canada’s Juno Awards last night (April 14) in St. John’s, Newfoundland. Nickelback grabbed Junos for best group, best single for “How You Remind Me” and best rock album for “Silver Side Up” (Roadrunner). Krall picked up Junos for best album and best vocal jazz album for “The Look of Love” (Verve), and the best artist honor. The event was broadcast on the nationwide CTV network. In winning the best artist trophy, Krall beat out Leonard Cohen, Nelly Furtado, Amanda Marshall, and Garou, a one-time busker… Read more »

Even where she doesn’t speak the native tongue, Mary J. Blige still gets her point across. The queen of hip-hop soul didn’t cut back on her usual motivational speeches and minister-esque lectures during her concert Friday night at Columbiahalle, a converted gym in Berlin’s Tempelhof district. The crowd ate up every word, despite the likelihood that Blige’s rapid-fire chatter and sassy-sista slang baffled even the most advanced English students in the house. But M.J.B. communicates with everything she’s got. At the end of “Children of the Ghetto,” the singer – clad in a black D&G tank top, skintight pants and… Read more »

Heavy metal superstar Ozzy Osbourne, infamous for biting the head off a bat in his younger days, received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on Friday for his dark brand of showmanship. Wearing a black suit, a large gold cross and round, blue glasses, with bright red streaks in his brown hair, Osbourne accepted the star with humility. “To say that this is an honor is not enough,” he said. “This is just so overwhelming, with all of you turning out so early in the morning to see my old butt.” The 53-year-old is enjoying renewed popularity with… Read more »

Web music firm FullAudio on Tuesday said it licensed Warner Music, clinching its third licensing deal with a major record label for a subscription service it plans to launch this month through Clear Channel Communications Inc. radio stations. FullAudio plans to include Warner-controlled tracks, along with recordings from EMI Group Plc and Vivendi Universal’s Universal Music Group on its service through Clear Channel, which will be called MusicNow. Warner Music is a unit of AOL Time Warner Inc. The service, which enables users to download songs for a monthly fee, is currently being tested in Phoenix. FullAudio is providing the… Read more »

A new book about Jimi Hendrix says that in his early days Hendrix performed gigs with Jayne Mansfield. ‘Black Gold: The Lost Archives of Jimi Hendrix’ by Steven Roby says that Hendrix played bass and lead for Mansfield in 1965 – one ballad and a bump and grind number. The songs were never released. The two got together because they had the same manager. Mansfield did show up at one of Hendrix’s shows a few years later, but left with Englebert Humperdinck.