Search Results for: grammy

Singing diva Celine Dion, who dropped a bombshell by taking a two-year break at the height of her career, is getting back to work with a new album, a multimillion-dollar Las Vegas performance contract and plans for a second baby. The French-Canadian star has clinched a three-year deal at Caesar’s Palace, starting in March 2003, to sing five nights a week in a specially-built 4,000-seat replica of the Roman Colosseum, her publicist said Friday. A new single, “A New Day Has Come,” followed by an album, hits radio stations later this month, and Dion, 33, revealed plans to use a… Read more »

Pop stars, led by Courtney Love and Don Henley, have been talking to members of the California state legislature about probing music industry accounting practices, lawmakers and artists said this week. Henley, frontman for veteran rock band the Eagles, has been leading a group of recording artists lobbying for repeal of a loophole in state labor law they claim gives record companies unfair commercial control over performers’ careers. More recently, Democratic members of both the California Assembly and Senate have spoken to Henley and his supporters about launching a legislative probe into the broader issues of record company accounting practices,… Read more »

No Doubt are taking their Rock Steady to the streets, beginning in mid-March. The ska-turned-reggae rock quartet will launch its first proper tour in support of its latest album, Rock Steady, with two offshore dates in Puerto Rico and Venezuela, on March 14 and 16, respectively, according to an Interscope Records spokesperson. The Venezuela show is part of the Caracas Pop Festival II. Twenty-one other dates have been confirmed at press time, ending with May 10 in Dallas. Additional shows are expected to be announced later. Twenty-one other dates have been confirmed at press time, ending with May 10 in… Read more »

Following its unprecedented 49 Grammy Award nominations, The Island Def Jam Music Group continues its winning momentum this week with four records in the Top 10 of the nation’s Top Albums chart (source: Soundscan). Propelling this success were the multiplatinum releases from Ludacris (Word of Mouf; no.4), Nickelback (Silver Side Up, no.5), Ja Rule (Pain Is Love; no.6) and the hit soundtrack to O Brother, Where Art Thou (no.10). The Island Def Jam Music Group also scored thirteen albums in the Top 100 with releases from seminal hip-hop artist JAY-Z (MTV Unplugged), alternative rockers Hoobastank (Hoobastank), country icon Willie Nelson… Read more »

After finding their first bit of cross-country exposure on the second stage of Ozzfest in the summer of 1998, System of a Down have officially graduated. The progressive metal outfit has been tapped to co-headline this year’s edition of the rambling rockfest. While dates and additional acts for the festival have yet to be lined up, System announced that they will hit the stage just prior to the tour’s namesake, Ozzy Osbourne, when the trek kicks off in July. Spokespeople for Ozzfest were unavailable for comment. After its coming-out party on the Ozzfest second stage in 1998, the band returned… Read more »

Beck, Deftones and Offspring singer Dexter Holland joined Recording Artists Coalition founders Don Henley and Sheryl Crow at California’s State Capitol on Wednesday to support new legislation that could change the relationship between recording artists and their labels. Rage Against the Machine’s Tom Morello, Matchbox Twenty’s Paul Doucette, Stevie Nicks, John Fogerty, Carole King, Ray Parker Jr. and Jonatha Brooke also appeared in Sacramento, California, calling on legislators to support Democratic Sen. Kevin Murray’s Senate Bill 1246, legislation that would allow artists to function more like free agents, according to a spokesperson for the Recording Artists Coalition. Murray’s bill aims… Read more »

Grant Hill usually bounces basketballs, but now he can bounce his baby daughter on his knee. The Orlando Magic star and his wife, Grammy-nominated singer Tamia, are celebrating the birth of Myla Grace Hill, who was born at 9:22 a.m. Wednesday, weighing 7 pounds, 6 ounces. Hill, who previously played for the Detroit Pistons, is in need of some good news. He’s missed most of the past two seasons with ankle problems and won’t return to action until next fall as he recovers from a third surgery. This is the first child for the couple, who were married in July… Read more »

‘N Sync will tour North American arenas in the coming months in support of its 2001 Jive album, “Celebrity.” A full itinerary has not yet been unveiled, but dates are so far confirmed for five shows, beginning March 3 at the Rose Garden in Portland, Ore. The group’s stadium run last year grossed more than $90 million, according to Billboard sister publication Amusement Business. Tickets for the Portland show go on sale Friday (Jan. 25) through Ticketmaster, while seats for a March 8 performance in San Jose, Calif., a March 10 gig in San Diego, and an April 2 concert… Read more »

Pop diva Mariah Carey was axed by record company EMI on Wednesday with a $28 million pay-off, as the British music group decided it could not justify her huge contract after a dismal year for the company. EMI severed its ties with the Grammy-winning American vocalist after signing her to its Virgin Records label only last year in one of the most expensive recording contracts ever. Carey’s first album for Virgin, “Glitter,” fell well short of her previous hits, selling just two million copies worldwide. EMI’s shares fell 0.72 percent to 344 pence in early trade in London, as the… Read more »

If you have Mary J. Blige’s album No More Drama, don’t think you’re buggin’ out if you can’t find her new single with Ja Rule, “Rainy Dayz,” on the LP. It’s not on there – at least not yet. Even though the album went platinum-plus, garnered critical acclaim and earned two Grammy nominations, M.J.B. apparently isn’t satisfied and wants to give a little more. A new version of Mary’s album is set to hit stores on January 29, according to MCA Records. Besides the Ja Rule duet, the new album will include remixes of her title track and “Dance for… Read more »