Search Results for: Japanese

iRiver America announced today the US introduction of iMP-350 SlimX(TM), its top-of-the-line CD/WMA/ASF/MP3 player. As the world’s slimmest multi-CODEC and CD player (16.7 mm), the SlimX supports MP3, WMA (Windows Media Audio), ASF, optional AAC (Advanced Audio Coding), multiple CD formats, holds up to 650 MB (over 250 songs) on a single CD, and upgradeable firmware consumers can download via the Internet. “We are meeting the demands of increasingly sophisticated audio consumers,” said John Kim, President of iRiver America. “iRiver’s award- winning engineers have unveiled SlimX, which harnesses the latest technology to deliver top quality sound using less storage space… Read more »

EMI Group Plc., the record company whose roster includes the Beatles, Janet Jackson and the Rolling Stones, said Wednesday holiday music sales are looking healthy so far this season in Europe, although still remain sluggish in the U.S. and Japan. The music business has suffered this year particularly in the United States amid a weakening economy, exacerbated by the Sept. 11 attacks. The industry has also blamed part of the industry softness on piracy, both from illegal copies of compact discs and free download services like Napster. “My impression is that the season is a little subdued in the U.S.,”… Read more »

They came not to bury him, but to praise the man who pioneered television sketch comedy. Sid Caesar, whose “Your Show of Shows” was a household name during its run from 1950 to 1954, recalls being amazed and profoundly moved when he received a 15-minute standing ovation during his recent appearance on Drew Carey’s improvisational series “Whose Line Is It Anyway?” on ABC. The 79-year-old actor, who walks with a cane following recent surgery to both hips, told Reuters his biggest fear about returning to the small screen after an absence of more than 20 years was that no one… Read more »

“Scream” director Wes Craven and longtime producing partner Marianne Maddalena have signed with the William Morris Agency. The duo had been represented by Intl. Creative Management. Craven, whose “Scream” trilogy grossed more than $350 million at the domestic box office, and Maddalena have an overall deal at Miramax/Dimension. Craven’s credits include “Music of the Heart,” “A Nightmare on Elm Street” and “Vampire in Brooklyn.” The next picture Craven is likely to direct is “Pulse” for Dimension, based on a Japanese ghost story from which Craven will develop a script.

Fred Durst is currently in the midst of packing up once again, but this time he plans on leaving the country. The U.K. publication NME is reporting that the Limp Bizkit singer may soon to be a resident of London. The frontman told the paper he’s sick of the perception Americans have of him. “I want to move to England and I have already started looking,” said the controversial vocalist. “I am sick of the attitude towards me in America. I am always getting judged and there is no loyalty. Everyone is so great in Europe, and I am trying… Read more »

Sony Corp is expected to report weak results for the July-September quarter after a profit warninglate last month, with analysts looking for more aggressive restructuring moves to confront the slowing global economy. The world’s largest maker of audio and video equipment cut its consolidated operating profit forecast for the full year to next March by more than half to 120 billion yen ($980 million) and announced a handful of restructuring steps, including procurement cost cuts. “That’s not enough,” said Merrill Lynch analyst Hiroshi Kuriyama. “Of course it has made efforts in the past, but current business conditions are far worse… Read more »

As of Friday evening (October 12), four cases of anthrax had been reported in the United States since September 11, three in Florida and one in New York. In light of that disturbing news, you may be wondering what anthrax is exactly and what threat it poses to us? Anthrax is an infectious disease that has been around for centuries. It is found most commonly in farm animals but humans can contract it three ways: 1. ingesting the anthrax bacteria by eating bad food, such as tainted meat 2. handling infected material such as powder, soil, animal skins or hides… Read more »

Showing no signs of fatigue or question marks about making a show revolve around material from her last two albums, Madonna started her final stop on the Drowned World Tour Sunday with a mesmerizing and confident performance that puts to shame any singer who thinks she might have a shot at Ms. Ciccone’s pop throne. Madonna frames blocks of songs in various settings, using mix-and-match motifs that yield differing results. In the end, she emerges triumphant – a reminder of why her star has never dimmed. Hundred-minute show closes on “Holiday,” Madonna’s first top 40 single from way back in… Read more »

Courtney Love and Don Henley will lead a charge of pop artists at a hearing in the California state legislature on Wednesday to denounce what they claim are corrupt business practices by big recording companies. The hearing takes place against the backdrop of several bitter lawsuits against major labels by acts like Love and the Dixie Chicks, who allege “unconscionable” contracts and accounting practices by the recording conglomerates. The hearing at the Select Committee on the Entertainment Industry in Sacramento will focus specifically on California’s so-called “seven-year statute,” which restricts entertainers from being tied to any company for more than… Read more »

Country pop trio the Dixie Chicks are suing Sony Music Entertainment, seeking to terminate their contract and accusing the Japanese recording giant of cheating the singers out of more than $4 million. The lawsuit, filed Monday in U.S. District Court in New York and made public Tuesday, charges that Sony engaged in “systematic thievery” to underpay royalties owed the Grammy-winning act since 1998 for two multiplatinum albums released by Sony’s Monument imprint. The Dixie Chicks – Natalie Maines and sisters Martie Seidel and Emily Robison – are the latest in a growing list of recording stars to rebel against the… Read more »