Search Results for: funeral for a friend

We’re not even 20 seconds into the show, and Ryan Seacrest is already suggesting that we’re in for one helluva train wreck tonight. “We don’t havhe Paula! But we’ll find her, right?” This is “American Idol”? It’s the last round of semifinal performances, and nothing could be worse than Tuesday’s embarrassing men’s show . Well, I guess if they let Antonella sing for the entire episode I’d reconsider that statement. But with a group of girls this talented, even an off-night would be worth watching. And Paula’s top-of-the-show disappearing act certainly suggests that it may be chock full of potential… Read more »

Since Michael Jackson forsook his Neverland Ranch, the King of Pop has popped up in some very unexpected places. He’s taken up residence in the Gulf state of Bahrain, in France and even in a castle in Ireland. He showed up in Augusta, Ga., to give a eulogy at James Brown’s funeral, and materialized in London to accept an award for his contributions to the world of pop music. Lately he’s been spotted in Las Vegas on his famed shopping sprees. So where is he now? In a rare conference call, the singer emerged with his spokeswoman Friday to confirm… Read more »

Drummer Derrick Plourde – a founding member of Southern California punk band Lagwagon – and Hideaki Sekiguchi – who slapped the bass for Tokyo garage-punk band Guitar Wolf – both died Wednesday, news that sent shockwaves throughout the underground punk rock world. Plourde was 33, and Sekiguchi was 38. Fat Wreck Chords, which released Lagwagon’s earliest material, confirmed Plourde’s death in a statement posted to the indie label’s Web site, which read, in part, “March 30th was a sad day for the Fat Wreck Chords family, as we learned about the passing of Derrick Plourde. We consider him one of… Read more »

It’s a good day for pop-punk as Avril Lavigne, Simple Plan and Billy Talent are all up for a handful of Juno awards. This year’s Juno nominees were just announced and leading the charge is Lavigne, one of Canada’s biggest international exports. She’s up for five awards including Artist Of The Year. Toronto rapper K-OS, West Coast jazz star Diana Krall and 2003’s Juno host, Shania Twain, join Simple Plan and Billy Talent with three noms each. Single Of The Year: River Below, Billy Talent; One Thing, Finger Eleven; Crabbuckit, k-os; Not Ready To Go, The Trews; Party For Two,… Read more »

MARYSVILLE, Ohio – In a small town where people greet you by name at Maggie’s Restaurant and where the guy who runs the local pawn shop will do what he can with your wife’s wedding ring because he knows you need the cash for Christmas, Nathan Gale was a stranger in plain view. His apartment at 111 1/2 E. Fifth St., half a block from the downtown shopping district’s single stoplight, put him right in the heart of this close-knit community of 16,000 residents. But even though he spent hours every day hanging out at the restaurant and tattoo parlor… Read more »

Troubled rapper O.D.B., in a casket surrounded by red and white flowers, was remembered by family and friends Wednesday at a Harlem church where the focus was on the positives in his life. “I grew up in this man’s music,” said Jason Davis, 25, who traveled to New York from Camden, N.J., to bid farewell to the man born as Russell Jones. The wake, which was open to the public, will be followed Thursday by another wake and a funeral. Jones, who would have turned 36 Monday, complained of chest pains, collapsed and died Saturday inside a Manhattan recording studio.… Read more »

Sean McGrath, former bass player for Saves The Day, Hands Tied, Mouthpiece and The Alps has lost his battle with intestinal cancer after a 2-year struggle. He was 28. Sean played with the Saves The Day for two years, helping craft their debut Can’t Slow Down, departing during the development of Through Being Cool in early 1999. After leaving the band, Sean took a behind-the-scenes role in the music industry with a day job at a major music entertainment company. He also showed his comedic side at night with improvisational comedy training from the renowned troupe Chicago City Limits. McGrath… Read more »

If three singles can help sell in excess of 4 million records, why not roll out a fourth? This fall Nickelback will release “Woke Up This Morning” as the next offering from their breakthrough LP, Silver Side Up. The song, which was written in January 2000, addresses two emotional issues that affected frontman Chad Kroeger during the creation of the track. The first was the loss of his grandmother, who passed away a few days before he started writing the lyrics. “I was just really unimpressed with the way the whole funeral took place,” he said recently. “I felt it… Read more »

Timothy White, Billboard editor in chief since 1991, died suddenly of an apparent heart attack June 27, just as the magazine was going to press. He was 50. Timothy collapsed in an elevator in the Billboard offices at 770 Broadway in New York and was rushed to St. Vincent’s Hospital, where he succumbed. Timothy is survived by his wife Judy Garlan, his 10-year-old twins Christopher and Alexander, and seven siblings. Born on Jan. 25, 1952, in Paterson, N.J., to John Alexander and Gloria White, Timothy had a boundless passion for music and its creators that filled the pages of Billboard.… Read more »

The two surviving members of The Who decided Friday to resume their scheduled three-month U.S. tour despite the sudden death of bassist John Entwistle, their bandmate of nearly four decades. “The band decided to recommence the tour beginning at the Hollywood Bowl (a Monday night show),” according to a message posted on guitarist Pete Townshend’s Web site. The first show will serve as “a tribute to John Entwistle,” the band said in a separate statement. Pino Palladino, a British session player who has worked on Townshend’s solo projects, will fill in for Entwhistle, the Web site said. The band intends… Read more »