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U.S. wants its MTV to get message out in Arab world


The architects of the government’s post-Sept. 11 propaganda war may well want their MTV on the frontlines in the Arab world. Rushing to shift perceptions of the United States in the Islamic world, Washington and Hollywood are now brainstorming about how the entertainment business might help convey a wider – and more positive – range of perceptions about America. And no demo is more crucial to the future of Islamic-Western relations than the 15-30 age group. That’s where MTV comes in. The potential to intersperse messages between programming segments – as with the “Rock the Vote” campaign, for example –… Read more »

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New Creed Songs Take On Deeper Meaning After September 11


Creed has always sought to take its audiences higher with deeper lyrics than the average hard rock band has, so it’s no surprise that the songs on the trio’s new album, Weathered, due out Tuesday (November 20), also resonate with meaning. In the wake of the September 11 terrorist attacks, however, those meanings might seem even more profound, and Creed frontman Scott Stapp said it’s something he and guitarist Mark Tremonti are ambivalent about. “I definitely think after the fact that people are gonna perceive some of these songs a lot different because of the events that happened on September… Read more »

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Britney Spears' 'Britney' First Week Sales Top 745,000 Units


Britney Spears’ third album, “Britney”, debuts at no. 1 on the album sales chart this week with 745,744 units sold, more than doubling last week’s top selling album. This gives Britney Spears the second best selling album of 2001 according to Soundscan (the no. 1 best selling album of 2001 goes to her label mates *NSYNC). Beyond all of this, Britney also becomes the first solo female performer in the history of The Billboard 200 to have her first three albums debut in the no. 1 spot. Britney demonstrates the artist’s global appeal with debuts at number one in Canada,… Read more »

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Beastie Boys Kick Off Benefits With Peaceful Sonic Assault


The Beastie Boys passed the mic on Sunday for the first time in two years while also passing along a message of worldwide peace and justice to their fans. Before a sold-out Hammerstein Ballroom crowd that had been jonesing for a B-Boys fix since 1999’s Tibetan Freedom Concert, their last public performance, MCA, Ad-Rock and Mike D performed tunes mostly from their last two albums – Hello Nasty (1998) and Ill Communication (1994) – at the first of two benefit shows raising money for those affected by September’s World Trade Center disaster. The aim of the New Yorkers Against Violence… Read more »

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MTV Networks to cut 9 percent of work force


Music video pioneer MTV Networks, owner of the popular cable TV stations MTV, VH1, and Nickelodeon, said Monday it would cut between 8 percent and 9 percent of its work force. Jeanine Smartt, a spokeswoman for MTV Networks, a unit of Viacom Inc., said she did not know the exact number of jobs that would be eliminated under the plan. According to an internal memo obtained by Reuters, the cuts entail absorbing MTV Networks’ online operations into its core business and moving out of separate downtown Manhattan offices. MTV Networks also will consolidate “Nick at Nite” and “TV Land” organizations,… Read more »

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XM Rig Tours NASCAR Winston Cup Circuit


Rounding out its programming lineup as it launches the nation’s first digital satellite radio service, XM Satellite Radio’s “NASCAR Rig” will tour the NASCAR Winston Cup circuit throughout the Southern United States this fall. XM launched its service Sept. 25 in its two lead markets and expanded throughout the entire Southwest and Southeast in mid-October. XM will complete its national rollout in November. “XM is proud to offer NASCAR fans the world’s first 24-hour radio channel devoted to America’s most popular spectator sport,” said XM President and CEO Hugh Panero. “Our XM rig will help spread the word as we… Read more »

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Two Days Left to Bid on U2 Pumpkin in Metromix.com Auction


There are only two days left to bid on a one-of-a-kind U2 collectible, an artificial pumpkin signed by all four members of the rock group, which is being auctioned online at metromix.com. The current bid stands at $1125 and has attracted interest from U2 fans as far away as Canada and France. The pumpkin, signed by the band during the Chicago stop of their Elevation tour, is carved and inked with an American flag and the U2 Elevation Tour logo by artist Hugh McMahon. One hundred percent of the winning bid benefits the Chicago Remembers Fund – established to help… Read more »

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Backstreet Boys Going 'Organic' On Next LP, But Won't Rule Out Sugar


Next week Backstreet Boys will release their first greatest-hits package, The Hits: Chapter One, which includes 14 songs from their three studio albums as well as the new single “Drowning,” which features Kevin Richardson on piano. On November 6 they’ll follow with the VHS and DVD release “The Video Hits: Chapter One.” While the obligatory “best-of” release, is often a signal of creative drought, that’s not the case for Backstreet Boys. The group worked on a batch of new songs on its last tour, which ended October 19 in Las Vegas. “We had a writing studio and we got five… Read more »

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Elton John – sounding vintage, looking forward – Feature


With a career spanning nearly 35 years, Elton John has a simple explanation for his longevity: “I tend not to look back. I look forward.” That said, John doesn’t disagree with the overwhelmingly favorable reviews that refer to his new album, “Songs From the West Coast,” as a vintage work hearkening back to the early 1970s hits that established him as a leading pop music figure. “I’m fine with that,” says John, 54, of comparisons to such early albums as “Tumbleweed Connection” and “Madman Across the Water.” “It’s the same kind of lineup as I had on the old albums,… Read more »

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TV Turns To Michelle Branch, P.O.D., Other Artists To Help Tell The Story


Nurse Abby Lockheart has just been dumped. She is in the middle of the rather painful process of moving her stuff out of her ex-boyfriend’s apartment. And to make matters worse, Cake’s “Short Skirt/Long Jacket,” a song about the things a man is looking for in a woman, is playing on the radio. On “ER,” popular music is becoming a bigger part of the story line with every episode. “It adds something to the show every time we use it,” “ER” supervising producer and writer Scott Gemmill said. “It’s amazing what music can bring to a scene.” There’s a new… Read more »

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