Search Results for: decade

If you’ve always thought Britney Spears was ahead of her time, here’s your chance to take a backwards glance at the pop princess as she would have appeared at the height of the doo-wop explosion, the ’60s beach-blanket blitz and the psychedelic Flower Power era. Britney Spears will reprise her role as Pepsi pitchwoman in commercial breaks during Sunday’s Super Bowl, according to a spokesperson for the soft-drink company. Spears will perform her renditions of Pepsi jingles past and present in “Now and Then,” a 90-second spot that revisits the company’s ad themes of the past five decades, including the… Read more »

The Stone Pony, a mecca for fans of Jersey shore rock ‘n’ roll, appears to have survived a brush with destruction, officials said on Thursday. The dilapidated nightclub, a musical home to such legends as Bruce Springsteen and Patti Smith, will be incorporated into a tentative plan to help revitalize the decayed beachfront of Asbury Park, New Jersey, they said. Original plans called for the Stone Pony – the best-known place to catch an impromptu Springsteen appearance – to be demolished or moved, but a rollicking campaign by devoted patrons ensued to preserve the squat, grimy building now sitting amid… Read more »

XM Satellite Radio Holdings Inc. reported financial and operating results for the fourth quarter ended December 31, 2001, which marked the rollout of America’s first nationwide digital satellite radio service. In its first eight weeks of nationwide operation, XM signed up more than 30,000 customers, including 27,733 subscribers through December 31, 2001, making it the fastest-selling audio product in 20 years. XM was launched nationwide on November 12, 2001, with a lineup of 100 channels of music, news, sports and entertainment and has drawn acclaim from subscribers, listeners, retailers and the press, including being named “Product of the Year” by… Read more »

Pop diva Mariah Carey was axed by record company EMI on Wednesday with a $28 million pay-off, as the British music group decided it could not justify her huge contract after a dismal year for the company. EMI severed its ties with the Grammy-winning American vocalist after signing her to its Virgin Records label only last year in one of the most expensive recording contracts ever. Carey’s first album for Virgin, “Glitter,” fell well short of her previous hits, selling just two million copies worldwide. EMI’s shares fell 0.72 percent to 344 pence in early trade in London, as the… Read more »

Foo Fighters will be taking a break from the recording of their upcoming fourth album to play a special one-off benefit for MAP (Musicians’ Assistance Program). MAP is a nonprofit organization founded in 1992 by Buddy Arnold and his wife Carole Fields to provide treatment for musicians addicted to drugs and alcohol. The February 7th benefit is being organized at the behest of Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins, who has found MAP’s services invaluable in his recent struggle with substance abuse. “Plain and simple: I’m a recovering addict,” says Hawkins. “Buddy, Carole and MAP have helped me, friends of mine,… Read more »

Life is making rocker Steven Tyler pinch himself these days. With his band Aerosmith receiving four Grammy nominations, including best rock album, and his daughter, Liv, co-starring in the box-office hit “The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring,” Tyler is thrilled. “Am I surprised that things have turned out like this? I have to pinch myself every day,” the 53-year-old Tyler told the Los Angeles Times for Sunday’s editions. “Life is really beautiful.” Tyler said he’s also happy that for the first time in Aerosmith’s nearly three-decade career, the group had control over production of their latest… Read more »

A decade after the release of their most popular album, Dirty, dissonant art rockers Sonic Youth are reissuing the disc along with two of their other titles as double-CDs bloated with bonus material. Dirty, Goo (1990) and Daydream Nation (1988) will be issued before summer by Universal with all of the original tracks remastered, along with previously unheard demos, live cuts and B-sides, the band’s publicist said. Sonic Youth also plan to issue three of their video titles on DVD: “The Goo That Lives on in My Heart” (1991), “1991: The Year Punk Broke” (1992), which chronicles the group’s 1991… Read more »

Billy Joel and Elton John are back together in the new year for the continuation of the pair’s magical “Face To Face” performances kicking off on Sunday, January 13th in Washington, DC at the MCI Center. Billy and Elton first toured the successful “Face To Face” tour in the United States in 1995 and again in 1996. The tour was extended to Japan, Australia, New Zealand and Europe in 1998. The 31-date “Face To Face” 2001 tour grossed $59 million. Early sales for the Billy Joel/Elton John “Face To Face” 2002 tour of the American northeast immediately set box office… Read more »

Supporters of the famed Stone Pony music club, which has fostered the careers of rock ‘n’ roll greats like Bruce Springsteen and Patti Smith, vowed on Thursday to save the club from the wrecking ball. Developers are proposing to tear the Stone Pony down to make way for retail complexes and condominiums along the waterfront of Asbury Park, a century-old resort which has deteriorated in the last three decades under the weight of crime and unemployment. The developers will present their plan soon to the city council for approval. “Hell no, we won’t go,” said Domenic Santana, third owner of… Read more »

EMI Group Plc. on Monday threw cold water on reports that it had agreed to pay pop diva Mariah Carey a lump sum to end her multimillion-dollar recording contract after her latest album, “Glitter,” flopped. Recent reports suggested EMI had agreed to pay Carey off with as much as $50 million, just eight months after its Virgin label signed the star in one of the most expensive recording deals ever only to see “Glitter” sell a mere 2 million copies. “EMI wishes to make clear that it has made no such payment or agreement,” EMI said in a brief statement… Read more »