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Austin, Tx – There’s SXSW, the annual music biz spring break that’s been attracting talent from all over the world since 1987. Then, there’s the underground festival, not publicized as such, but the one where bands that didn’t achieve one of the chosen slots appear. This is the more interesting of the two. Merit certainly has nothing to do with who gets to appear at the more traditional festival. L.P., a NYC rocker with Marc Bolanesque curls and an amazing set of pipes is a glaring example of this. L.P.’s crafty manager Andrew Krents hustled a 3-night stand at the… Read more »

Admit it. You loved the hell out of “The Osbournes” when it first came on. Sure, it’s worn out it’s welcome mat over the years, but Monday marks the final, final, final episode. We called Sharon Osbourne to chat about the end of an era and why the heck Dr. Phil makes a cameo appearance on the finale. Here’s what the tart had to say: Ohmygosh. I can’t believe it’s really going to be over. (Laughs.) Can you believe it? No, can you? Yes, it’s time, you know? Why? You have to end on top. You can’t milk it. The… Read more »

Berlin – German media group Bertelsmann AG said Thursday its profit rose sharply in 2004 thanks to strong performances by its television, music and media services businesses and lower writeoffs due to changed accounting rules. Earnings rose to 1.03 billion euros ($1.28 billion) from 154 million euros in 2003, while revenue rose 1.2 percent to 17.02 billion euros ($21.17). A company statement did not include fourth-quarter figures. The Guetersloh-based company credited a good showing by subsidiary RTL, Europe’s largest television broadcaster, which boosted earnings to 668 million euros ($831 million) from 503 million euros, helped by the company’s acquisition of… Read more »

New York – Hours earlier, Hilly Kristal joined rock’s royalty inside a Waldorf-Astoria ballroom for the latest Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductions. By the morning, though, Kristal sips a cup of coffee and pops an antacid as he considers the future of his own piece of rock history: CBGB’s, the venerable birthplace of punk. After 32 years in business, the world-renowned club on the Bowery is in danger of losing its lease. “Even at this Hall of Fame thing, people were coming up and asking, ‘What can we do? What can we do?’” Kristal recalls, sitting at his… Read more »

Chris Cornell, prepare to get your transcendence on. Audioslave are hitting the road in support of their upcoming second album beginning April 14 in Las Vegas, and from sound of things, opening night can’t come soon enough for Cornell. “I can just go out onstage and get lost in the music and get lost in whatever it is I am doing and it becomes transcendent, and it is kind of addictive now,” the singer said Wednesday (March 16). “With Audioslave, I’ve really started to like the road a lot. There is a certain dedication and work ethic that the band… Read more »

It seems that everyone has something to say about “American Idol” and MTVNews.com is no different. Here’s the first edition of our new weekly performance-night roundup: March 16 Surprise performance : Singing a Motown classic (“You’ve Made Me So Very Happy”) rather than a rock song, Constantine delivered his best performance to date, showing versatility and vocal range. Fashion hits and misses : Teen firecracker Mikalah took the judges’ advice and looked her age, but her pants were so low-cut she couldn’t even sit down next to Ryan. There was too much chest from the usually classy Anwar. Leather pants… Read more »

Los Angeles – Fans will be able to build libraries of their favorite music videos because of deals set to be announced Wednesday (March 16) involving digital entertainment companies CinemaNow and MediaPass Network. CinemaNow announced agreements with Warner Music Group, Epitaph Records and TVT Records to sell music videos on a download-to-own basis. This marks the first time music videos will be made available specifically for Microsoft’s Windows Mobile-based secure devices, a category that includes Portable Media Centers, Pocket PCs and Smartphones from many different manufacturers. The videos also can be viewed on PCs and laptops. The company is set… Read more »

Los Angeles – Maybe Mario Vazquez suspected the “American Idol” judges would be in a foul mood this week. On Tuesday night’s show, Randy Jackson managed to be as dismissive as Simon Cowell, who remained true to form. And even Paula Abdul – yes, sweetie pie Paula – turned a bit sour. “That was very safe and boring,” she said of Carrie Underwood’s performance of “When Will I Be Loved,” inflicting serious wounds, or at least paper cuts. Jackson employed a scalpel. “That definitely sounded like I was in a bad hotel,” he said of Anthony Fedorov’s “Breaking Up is… Read more »

UNIVERSAL CITY, California – Chris Martin only forgot the words once. After taking more than a year off from performing, Coldplay returned to the stage over the weekend, headlining influential public radio station KCRW-FM’s annual A Sounds Eclectic Evening concert on Saturday at the Universal Amphitheatre and warming up the night before at the Troubadour in West Hollywood. And while Martin stumbled through the opening of “Politik” during the encore of the KCRW show, the singer more than made up for it by treating fans to five new tracks from X&Y, due June 7, and six old favorites. “When you… Read more »

Los Angeles – Mario Vazquez withdrew from “American Idol” over the weekend, but the 27-year-old singer is under contract with the show’s entertainment company until three months after the current season ends. In a press conference Tuesday (March 15) in the famous Coca-Cola Red Room where contestants wait to perform during tapings, co-executive producers Ken Warwick and Nigel Lythgoe confirmed Vazquez quit for personal reasons and squashed rumors surrounding his departure, including that he had been offered a better record deal than the winner receives.”He is not free to sign [with anyone]; he signed that contract two weeks ago,” Lythgoe… Read more »