Search Results for: grammy

Pop star Rihanna is prepared to take the witness stand next month if called to testify against former boyfriend Chris Brown, the singer accused of beating her, her lawyer said on Thursday. Donald Etra said prosecutors told him they will formally request his client, Rihanna, to appear at the June 22nd hearing in Los Angeles Superior Court. “She has always agreed to do whatever the law requires her to do,” Etra said. “She is totally willing to testify if called to do so.” Jane Robison, a spokeswoman for the Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office, declined to comment. Brown, 20, the… Read more »

In the weeks leading up to the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, the recession was the tense undercurrent beneath the excitement over its 40th anniversary. The lineup was announced early this year to extend the ticket-buying season, and other festivals canceled or scaled down. Corporate sponsors Borders, AIG and Southern Comfort withdrew their support. But any concerns about Jazz Fest’s economic well-being evaporated Saturday when Bon Jovi delivered the second-largest audience in festival history. The hard rock band was this festival’s cause célèbre, evidence for festival veterans that Jazz Fest is losing its way, trading New Orleans music for… Read more »

A former drummer for Billy Joel claims the Grammy Award-winning singer of hits including “Uptown Girl ” and “Movin’ Out” has stiffed him out of royalties for years. Liberty DeVitto has filed a lawsuit in Manhattan’s state Supreme Court demanding Joel pay him overdue royalties. DeVitto, 58, says he was Joel’s drummer from 1975 to 2005 and helped the piano man craft some of his biggest albums. DeVitto’s lawyer says he doesn’t know how much his client is owed. He says Joel’s sales are subject to an audit. DeVitto says he is working as a studio musician and teaching to… Read more »

“As individuals, we’re misfits,” says Fergie, the sultry female singer of the Black Eyed Peas “Together, we’re like one big misfit. People are always questioning who the hell we are.” It is the day after the group’s May 6th performance, on ABC’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” Chilling out in a small, sparsely furnished room at Center Staging in Burbank, California, she and fellow members of the multiracial group resemble a live version of a United Colors of Benetton ad. Fergie is dressed in black-and-white capri-length leggings set off by a hot pink shirt and a sharp pair of black ankle-strapped heels… Read more »

Just when they thought she was in, they pulled her back out. In what is likely a surprise to no one, Amy Winehouse has canceled plans to perform in London next week in what would have been her first U.K. appearance of the year. The concert, scheduled to take place May 31st, was one of many gigs planned to celebrate the 50th anniversary of her label, Island Records. It was due to be the final show of the weeklong celebration. According to a statement issued by her representative, “Amy Winehouse’s management has regretfully announced that Amy and her band will… Read more »

Coldplay’s Chris Martin recently talked about what’s in his stereo, Viva la Vida’s next single and the “Viva”-related lawsuits the band is currently facing. First, guitarist Joe Satriani sued the band, claiming their Grammy-winning “Viva La Vida” ripped off his instrumental “If I Could Fly.” More recently, Cat Stevens, or Yusuf, has chimed in, claiming Coldplay stole the melody for the song from his own “Foreigner Suite.” Still, all the legal woes don’t have Martin down. “Yeah, some people are suing us at the moment and although it was initially a bit depressing, now it’s become really inspiring,” Martin said.… Read more »

Kanye West and his Caps Lock button were back in action on the rapper’s blog yesterday in a post about the role of celebrity photographers. Just days after pleading not guilty to charges of assaulting a TMZ photographer, West applauded the skills of one paparazzo and compared some of music’s biggest names with superstars of another era in an effort to prove a point. Kanye was inspired by a candid photo of Rihanna, the muse of his new 808s & Heartbreak video “Paranoid,” as she was stepping into a yellow cab in New York City. “ Yo why can’t all… Read more »

Green Day has the most popular CD in the country, but you won’t be able to find it at your local Wal-Mart. The band says the giant superstore chain refused to stock its latest CD “21st Century Breakdown” because Wal-Mart wanted the album edited for language and content, and they refused. “Wal-Mart has become the biggest retail outlet in the country, but they won’t carry our record because they wanted us to censor it,” frontman Billie Joe Armstrong said in a recent interview. While Wal-Mart sells CDs from acts known for raunchy content, they offer customers the “clean” version of… 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 »

Blink-182 has already written a number of new songs, but don’t expect the band to deliver a follow-up to its self-titled smash in 2003 before its big reunion tour this summer. “We started writing a few months ago and got well into the writing process, but now we’ve kind of put the recording of the next album on hold and are doing rehearsals for the upcoming tour,” said frontman Mark Hoppus. After a four-year hiatus, Hoppus, Travis Barker and Tom DeLonge appeared onstage at the 2009 Grammy Awards and announced their reformation as Blink-182. Hoppus also has been busy in… Read more »