Search Results for: prince

At some point, Cobra Starship mastermind Gabe Saporta is really gonna have to decide if having a keytar player in his band is worth it. Sure, the keytar is totally awesome – name another instrument good enough for Donald Fagen, Prince and “Weird” Al Yankovic – but in getting to the bottom of the Starship’s split with ‘tar player Elisa Schwartz (a less-than-harmonious parting of ways involving stolen iPods, clandestine spa sessions and late-night Britney Spears-fueled dance parties) you start to wonder if perhaps Saporta would be better off having never hired a keytar player in the first place. “The… Read more »

In the career path of a rock star, playing in a cover band typically comes near the beginning, somewhere between discovering your parents’ vinyl and winning a battle of the bands at the county fair. Lately, however, some rock stars have been forming ironically named cover bands after making it big. In fact, what used to be considered somewhat lame has suddenly become chic, with Dave Navarro’s Camp Freddy leading the way. “Everyone’s jumpin’ that train, man,” said Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins, whose cover band Chevy Metal has been playing around Los Angeles for five years. So why the… Read more »

It’s pop star verses porn star in a name battle Mariah Carey has stepped up her bid to block adult film star Mary Cary trademarking her name – claiming people could become confused between the two names. U.S. porn star Mary – real name Mary Cook – has been performing in adult movies since 2002, and recently lodged papers with the U.S. Patent and Trademark office to secure the rights to her name and image. However, Mariah Carey’s company Automatic Princess Holdings claims Mary’s bid to trademark her name for use in the adult entertainment sector will have fans confused,… Read more »

Ruben Garay, the webmaster of World of Britney (worldofbritney.com) and arguably her biggest devotee, has announced plans to shut down the six-year-old site in the wake of the “Toxic” singer’s recent run of questionable behavior. “As Britney keeps losing her identity and credibility within fans and industry people, so is [World of Britney],” Garay writes. “I believe Britney is unfortunately done (for me at least). No matter what anyone thinks or how they may disagree, it’s very hard to maintain the respect needed to keep things going.” The Web shrine, which bears the motto “Dream, Create, Deliver, Inspire” and has… Read more »

In the career path of a rock star, playing in a cover band typically comes near the beginning, somewhere between discovering your parents’ vinyl and winning a battle of the bands at the county fair. Lately, however, some rock stars have been forming ironically named cover bands after making it big. In fact, what used to be considered somewhat lame has suddenly become chic, with Dave Navarro’s Camp Freddy leading the way. “Everyone’s jumpin’ that train, man,” said Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins, whose cover band Chevy Metal has been playing around Los Angeles for five years. So why the… Read more »

One sunny afternoon not long ago, Dick Copaken sat in a booth at Daniel, one of those hushed, exclusive restaurants on Manhattan’s Upper East Side where the waiters glide spectrally fro table to table. He was wearing a starched button-down shirt and a blue blazer. Every strand of his thinning hair was in place, and he spoke calmly and slowly, his large pink Charlie Brow head bobbing along evenly as he did. Copaken spent many years as a partner at the white-shoe Washington, D.C., firm Covington & Burling, and he has a lawyer’s gravitas. One of his bes friends calls… Read more »

In one of the most unusual summer-tour pairings in recent memory, the Ozzfest Web site announced Monday night that there will be one final act added to this year’s second-stage lineup: actress Jada Pinkett Smith’s rock group, Wicked Wisdom. The addition of the Christian-leaning rock-and-soul hybrid to a summer touring package that boasts ferocious metal merchants like Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden, Shadows Fall, Mudvayne, In Flames and the Black Dahlia Murder is unexpected, to say the least. Wicked Wisdom is an Evanescense-esque act that Pinkett Smith, the band’s frontperson and the wife of actor/rapper Will Smith, has said is influenced… Read more »

New York – Radio’s playlist liberation movement hatched in late 2001 at a birthday party in Winnipeg, Manitoba. A radio was blasting when Howard Kroeger, director of operations and programing for CHUM Broadcasting’s Winnipeg stations, arrived at his friend’s 40th-birthday bash. It was a competitor’s classic rock station, and Kroeger used the occasion to conduct an informal focus group among the partygoers, most in their mid- to late 30s. Whenever Boston, the Cars, Meatloaf, Supertramp or some other ’70s staple came on, it got an overwhelming thumbs-up from the Molson-enhanced crowd. But there was a noticeable lack of enthusiasm when… Read more »

At Juno 2005, the theme was pretty obvious – out with the old, in with the new. Gone from the winner’s circle were artists such as Shania Twain, Alanis Morissette, Barenaked Ladies and K.D. Lang. Instead, Avril Lavigne was queen bee and K-OS was crown prince at this weekend’s Juno Awards in Winnipeg. Both artists walked home with three trophies, tops for the event. Lavigne, who was in Singapore touring and did not attend the show, won Artist Of The Year, Pop Album and Juno Fan Choice, which she accepted via satellite. Toronto rapper K-OS took home Single Of The… Read more »

For months now Canadian pop princess Avril Lavigne and Sum 41 frontman Deryck Whibley have been sidestepping rumours that they’re snuggling up and making some sweet Can-Rock love. Well, deny all you want kids, but when a guy decides to move to Los Angeles, which just, by coincidence, happens to be the home of a certain lady friend, it usually means the dude wants to do more than just jam. According to the Globe And Mail, Whibley recently sold his Toronto home to move to the land of the fake and famous, high-tailing it to La La Land. If the… Read more »