Search Results for: the early november

Former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein was executed in Baghdad at 6:05 a.m. Saturday morning (December 30), 10:05 p.m. ET, less than a week after a death sentence against him was upheld for his role in the ordering the execution of 148 Shiite Muslims in 1982, CNN has confirmed. The execution was not shown on live television, although it was videotaped, CNN reports. Images of atrocities wreaked by his regime were broadcast on state TV leading up to the hanging, according to A source told CNN that people danced around Hussein’s body and engaged in Shiite chants in the room where… Read more »

A film based on the UK rockers Johnny Depp could be in line to play famed performer Freddie Mercury, according to recent reports. The Hollywood star, who was also recently linked to a biopic about hard rocker Ozzie Osborne, is said to be the first choice to play Mercury in a biopic financed and produced by Robert de Niro’s film company Tribeca Productions. Queen guitarist Brian May revealed on his official website that the film was in early stages of production. “He would be a worthy counterpart for Freddie on screen,” May said of Depp. “I don’t think I can… Read more »

Burbank, CA – Since the April 26, 2005, release of “Trouble Is Real,” his debut album on Reprise Records, singer and songwriter Johnathan Rice has emerged as one of the most promising up-and-coming young vocalists and songwriters on the scene today. While building a loyal following here in the U.S., Rice’s popularity overseas is exploding at an alarming rate, especially in the UK: “‘Trouble Is Real’ is a tremendous debut,” enthused The Guardian. “Although indebted to Bob Dylan, Nick Drake and Jeff Buckley, it is a record of singular ambition.” The excitement surrounding Rice is certain to spike when he… Read more »

“SYNERGY AND OTHER LIES” would be a good first reading assignment for Sir Howard Stringer, Sony’s new chief executive, to be followed by “The Synergy Myth.” Then Sir Howard should recognize that the Sony he inherits is constitutionally incapable of making one (electronics) plus one (entertainment) equal three. Both books were written by Harold Geneen, the number cruncher who directed International Telephone and Telegraph during its heyday in the 1960’s. He engineered 350 mergers and acquisitions, which brought such names as Hartford, Avis, Sheraton and Madison Square Garden under one roof. Mr. Geneen, however, harbored no illusions that ITT’s individual… Read more »

Some videos dazzle, some are dramatic, some are sexy, and some just make you go, “Huh?” Interpol’s “Evil” might leave you feeling all of the above – but you may never get a good night’s sleep again. “Oh, I hope it’s creepy,” said first-time video director Charlie White. “I intended for it to be two things: spooky and not too hip.” If your ideas of those two things agree with a clip that shows the aftermath of a horrible car crash and its effects on a strangely lifelike, shell-shocked puppet who busts some moves on a gurney, “Evil” is for… Read more »

Rock recluse Axl Rose has signed a multimillion dollar publishing deal, and that isn’t sitting well with his former Guns N’ Roses bandmates. The deal with music powerhouse Sanctuary Group covers both the back catalogue, which includes hits such as “Sweet Child of Mine,” “Paradise City” and “November Rain,” as well as Rose’s future material, including dozens of new tracks he recently recorded for Universal Music. After burning up charts and selling out stadiums around the world in the late ’80s and early ’90s, Guns N’ Roses endured a bitter split, leaving only Rose and keyboard player Dizzy Reed to… Read more »

Denver – Carmelo Anthony finally has some good news about his personal life: He’s engaged to MTV veejay La La Vasquez. The Denver Nuggets star said Thursday he made his proposal, accompanied by a nine-carat ring, on Christmas Day. They haven’t set a wedding date. The engagement follows a series of unflattering off-the-court news about Anthony. He was charged with misdemeanor drug possession in October after airport inspectors found marijuana in his backpack. The charge was dropped after a friend said the marijuana was his. In November, three men were arrested on suspicion of trying to extort $3 million from… Read more »

Los Angeles – In a dismal year for the touring industry, with ticket prices soaring and seats going unsold, music fans in North America partied like it was 1989 as Prince and Madonna topped the concert box office. According to freshly tabulated estimates provided by concert trade publication Pollstar, Prince sold $87.4 million in tickets in 2004, while Madonna earned $79.5 million. Prince also worked a bit harder for his payday, playing 96 shows, compared with 39 for Madonna. Canadian pop singer Celine Dion actually topped Madonna by about $900,000, but her haul came exclusively from 154 dates performed at… Read more »

Los Angeles – Lil Jon & the East Side Boyz continued their reign on the year-end Top Independent Albums chart for the second year in a row. The self-proclaimed “Kings of Crunk” finish the year with two of the top five titles on the indie chart. After breaking through in 2003, the Atlanta-bred party-rap trio of Lil Jon, Big Sam and Lil Bo remained steady sellers throughout 2004. The act’s BME/TVT release “Kings of Crunk” has spent more than 100 weeks on the Top Independent Albums chart, and has now led the chart two years running. To date, the album… Read more »

They endured unpredictable weather on a Spanish plain for their “Vertigo” video and traffic on the streets of New York for “All Because of You,” so U2 thought they were keeping it simple by shooting their next clip in a Dublin, Ireland, theater. That is, until they were put at the mercy of the venue’s Christmas production of “Jack and the Beanstalk.” The group shot the video for the track “Sometimes You Can’t Make It on Your Own” on Monday at the Gaiety Theater, according to a band spokesperson. The theater, which is currently housing the children’s story production, gave… Read more »