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As Internet reports suggested, Pearl Jam was indeed recording a Target commercial under the direction of Cameron Crowe last week at Seattle’s Showbox theater. But there is more to the story than an exclusive retail relationship. It has been known that Pearl Jam is no longer under contract after 18 years of recording for Sony-affiliated labels, and there has been a good deal of speculation about who would release the rock act’s next album. Kelly Curtis, who has managed Pearl Jam since its inception, conducted a wide-ranging interview Sunday night, confirming that the band’s next album — rumored to be… 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 »

MySpace, the popular social networking site, in partnership with MySpace Records and Toyota Motor Sales (TMS), USA, Inc., announced last week the official launch of Rock The Space, an exclusive competition that encourages unsigned bands or solo artists to submit an original song for the opportunity to score a recording contract with MySpace Records, the company’s full-service independent label. Through July 1st, 2009, aspiring artists across the country can enter the contest by visiting Toyota’s MySpace Music profile. Kim McCullough, corporate manager for marketing communications at TMS, said the idea for the competition grew out of the longstanding link between… Read more »

Green Day is continuing their march to an inevitable Number One album, setting up rock-opera shop at New York City’s Bowery Ballroom on May 18th for the East Coast live debut of 21st Century Breakdown. The band’s Bay Area guerilla gigs in April all featured the record in its entirety. But at the Bowery, Green Day played a pocket-jukebox edition of the album, starting with the opening title track and the first single, “Know Your Enemy.” Then the new six-piece band – with singer-guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong, bassist Mike Dirnt and drummer Tré Cool assisted on guitars, keyboards and extra… Read more »

California’s Supreme Court upheld the state’s gay marriage ban Tuesday but said the 18,000 same-sex weddings that took place before the prohibition passed are still valid – a ruling decried by gay rights activists as a hollow victory. Demonstrators outside the court booed, wept and yelled, “Shame on you!” Activists said they would go back to the voters as early as next year in a bid to repeal the ban. In a 6-1 decision written by Chief Justice Ron George, the court rejected arguments that the ban approved by the voters last fall was such a fundamental change in the… Read more »

Call him the “dark horse,” the “Come-From-Behind Kid,” the humble crooner. Call him whatever you like. But from now on you also need to call Kris Allen your “American Idol.” After a historic tally of nearly 100 million votes, the shy 23-year-old singer from Conway, Arkansas, pulled off one of the most surprising wins in the show’s nearly decade-long history by taking the crown from the theatrical season-long frontrunner, Adam Lambert. After nearly two hours of anticipation, when the time came for host Ryan Seacrest to announce the results, Allen and Lambert stood arm-in-arm, their friendship looking much more like… Read more »

After reuniting for its first show in more than four years, Blink-182 has announced its summer tour dates. The band’s official return comes when they play the The Late Show With Jay Leno on Tuesday, May 21st. Blink will be joined by Fall Out Boy on the road for two-thirds of their reunion jaunt, with Weezer picking up the remaining dates. Last Thursday evening, Blink-182 closed out their set with 2003’s “The Feeling” and Dude Ranch’s “Dammit.” Bassist Mark Hoppus was overjoyed following the performance, a hugely significant event for the band whose members had spent the last four years… Read more »

HOLLYWOOD – It had been four and a half years since Blink-182 performed together on a stage. A December 2004 gig in Dublin, Ireland was the last time, to be exact. Well, now it’s been not even a week. Last Thursday night, the reunited Blink returned to the stage at a T-Mobile party at the Paramount Studios, ripping through a surprise three-song set before an audience of stunned (and thoroughly hyperventilating) guests. Blink tore through “The Rock Show,” “Feeling This” and “Dammit,” showing no signs of rust or any ill effects of their sometimes contentious breakup as they laughed, struck… Read more »

On the first day of the Bamboozle only one group of unlikely special guest superstars could outshine much-adored headliners Fall Out Boy. Still riding a two-year wave of rediscovery, arena-rock diehards Journey appeared as the secret performers for a four-song set. Or “Journey” as it turned out – the group was really a stellar Long Island cover band called Evolution. Blasting out “Separate Ways,” “Faithfully,” “Any Way You Want It” and “Don’t Stop Believing,” Evolution cued a wildly mixed audience reaction, with some fans literally shrieking or running towards the stage and others angrily storming away en masse. But even… Read more »

No matter who is crowned the next American Idol on Wednesday night, season eight has already been one for the books. After a wild five months that has included emotional breakdowns from near-finalists, a comedian/singer who almost crashed the top 13 with his over-the-top shtick, the first top 13, a wild card round, a judges’ save and some serious bickering in the expanded judging panel, you’d think that whatever happens on the finale would be anticlimactic. But thanks to the surprise exit of early favorite Danny Gokey last week, tonight’s sing-off between Kris Allen and Adam Lambert has injected some… Read more »