Search Results for: christmas

In early 1984, when Epic Records executives presented their slate of upcoming releases at the convention in Hawaii of parent company CBS Records they couldn’t resist playing up the success they were experiencing. So between the pitches for new albums, Epic inserted stock footage of semi trucks and a voice-over that thunderously announced, “There goes another load of Michael Jackson’s Thriller albums!” Trucks weren’t really leaving the warehouse every few minutes, but Thriller was still shattering expectations more than a year after its November 30, 1982, release. Epic was selling more than 1 million copies per month in the United… Read more »

Sting has confirmed plans to return this fall with a new solo album titled If On a Winter’s Night… The October 27th album, inspired by what Sting calls his favorite season, will feature two original compositions along with carols, lullabies and traditional songs from the British Isles. “The theme of winter is rich in inspiration and material,” Sting said. “By filtering all of these disparate styles into one album I hope we have created something refreshing and new.” The two Sting songs on the disc are called “Lullaby for an Anxious Child” and “The Hounds of Winter,” and both have… Read more »

Not much rattles Apple. Disciplined and focused, the company lavishes attention on its own elegant products and rarely deigns to discuss rivals. Yet here was Tim Cook, Apple’s chief operating officer and designated stand-in for ailing CEO Steve Jobs, erupting during an earnings call in late January at the mere mention of a pip-squeak competitor. The pest in question was Palm, the fallen pioneer of handheld digital organizers, which two weeks earlier had unveiled a new smartphone, the Palm Pre, to rave reviews. Not only did the Pre have features the iPhone couldn’t match – snazzy multitasking, universal search, a… Read more »

Las Vegas rock band the Killers, in the middle of a world tour to promote their third album, plan to release a live DVD later this year. “We’re working on some ideas for what will be our first DVD,” drummer Ronnie Vannucci said. “We’ve been kind of hounded about it for a while, and haven’t really thought we were due for it yet, but I think it’s time. I think we’re approaching the moment of DVD mass hysteria.” That’s not all the band is currently working on. In addition to tinkering around with songwriting ideas for its next Christmas single,… Read more »

The Flaming Lips will go from spending “Christmas on Mars“ to Earth Day in Washington, D.C. when they perform a free concert at the National Mall Apr. 19th. Additional bands will take the stage in 10 cities nationwide as part of this year’s Earth Day Network & Green Apple Festival Day. Joining the “Soft Bulletin”  band in the Nation’s Capitol will be moe., Los Lobos, DJ Spooky and emcee Chevy Chase. The 10-city festival, which “emphasizes environmental volunteerism in solidarity with the new administration’s ‘call to service,’” is jam band-packed this year, with artists like Galactic playing in Atlanta, Soulive… Read more »

LOS ANGELES — Britney Spears’ father testified for nearly 90 minutes Monday about why he felt a long-term restraining order should be issued against three people, including the singer’s former manager and an ex-boyfriend. Jamie Spears was the first witness to testify in the restraining order case, and it did little to establish direct contact between Osama “Sam” Lutfi and his daughter since a conservatorship was established a year ago. Calling Lutfi a “predator” and repeating an allegation that he ground medication into his daughter’s food, Jamie Spears said he thought his daughter’s one-time friend and manager was a danger… Read more »

Last month the music industry and Apple, long uneasy partners, seemed a picture of harmony when they agreed on new terms for pricing on iTunes, Apple’s online music store. Behind the scenes, however, the relationship remains as tense and antagonistic as ever. The announcement on Jan. 6 seemed to signal a rapprochement between the music industry and its biggest distributor: record companies gave up their demand for copyright protection (called digital rights management) and Apple allowed flexible pricing, so the labels could charge more for new or popular tracks. But according to one music industry executive involved in the negotiations,… Read more »

Fall Out Boy have become the latest rockers to take on the iconic Simpsons theme for an episode of the animated series. You can check out FOB’s metal-y version of the Simpsons theme on the FOX site now. “This is something we grew up with,” guitarist Joe Trohman said in an behind-the-scenes video (watch it above). “I know for me, my sense of humor and the way I perceive humor and the way I perceive a lot of things was based on growing up and watching The Simpsons, so to be a part of this for me is legendary.” Adds… Read more »

Smith who will become the eleventh, and youngest, incarnation of the Time Lord was unveiled during a special episode of Doctor Who Confidential on BBC One. Steven Moffat, the producer of the forthcoming fifth series of the sci-fi hit said Smith was perfect casting because he was someone who was old and young at the same time. The announcement, which was heavily trailed by the BBC in the run up to the broadcast, ends months of speculation sparked by Tennant’s announcement in October that he will step down as the Doctor. Of his casting, Smith said: “I’m flabbergasted. I haven’t… Read more »

A celebrity disc jockey who survived a fiery Learjet crash in South Carolina has sued several companies and the estates of the plane’s pilots. Adam Goldstein, known as DJ AM, filed his complaint for negligence and breach of contract Tuesday in Los Angeles Superior Court. Goldstein and punk rocker Travis Barker, who has also sued the companies, were the sole survivors of the Sept. 19 crash. Barker sued on behalf of the family of his bodyguard, Charles Still, and the widow of Barker’s assistant, Chris Baker, filed her own lawsuit earlier this month. Goldstein and Barker were seriously burned escaping… Read more »