Search Results for: the early november

Eminem has one-upped Michael Jackson. Spoofing the pop star’s infamous baby-dangling incident that took place last November in Germany, Slim Shady actually tossed his “baby” up in the air on Tuesday in Glasgow, Scotland. No, it wasn’t his daughter, Hailie – this baby was a life-size blonde-haired baby doll, seemingly masked, which a surgical-mask-wearing Em held above the crowd, tossed up, and caught by its head. Of course, he was on a first-floor balcony at the Arthouse Hotel, so the doll was in no danger. Just in case that stunt seemed a little nasty, Eminem practiced a little preemptive redemption… Read more »

Being nominated for a Grammy hasn’t changed the boys of Bowling for Soup. At all. The pop-punk foursome are up to their old tricks on a just reissued version of their 2002 breakthrough, Drunk Enough to Dance. The album, which spawned the Best Pop Performance Grammy-nominated single “Girl All the Bad Guys Want” and sold nearly 200,000 copies, has been augmented with a typically tongue-in-cheek take on A Flock of Seagulls’ new wave staple “I Ran (So Far Away)” as well as the new tracks “Punk Rock 101” and “Star Song.” “We thought we were working on the follow-up to… Read more »

After surviving the temper tantrums of their previous lead singer, three former members of rock band Guns N’ Roses won’t let a mere drugs bust derail their fledgling supergroup. As the new band, Velvet Revolver, generates early buzz with its first new song, the legal and health problems of frontman Scott Weiland have already cast doubt over its prospects. But bassist Duff McKagan told reporters Thursday, an hour before the band played its first public performance, that Weiland’s woes were a fact of life. “Rock ‘n’ roll is not a safe thing,” McKagan said. “It shouldn’t be a safe thing.… Read more »

The Osbournes are looking for a new home. No, rock’s first family aren’t packing up and moving out of their Beverly Hills abode. It’s the search for a new label home for Kelly and Ozzy that has the clan pounding the pavement. Both father and daughter are leaving Sony Music, according to an Osbournes spokesperson. Although Kelly has only been with Sony subsidiary Epic since releasing her debut, Shut Up!, in late November, Ozzy has had a home at Sony Music for decades, since first going solo in 1980 with Blizzard of Ozz, released by the now defunct Jet imprint.… Read more »

While the World Health Organization said that it believes the worst of severe acute respiratory syndrome is over in Canada, Singapore, Hong Kong and Vietnam – which got a clean bill of health on Monday for being the first nation to contain the virus – SARS is still affecting tour and promotional plans for many artists who were set to visit those regions. The Rolling Stones were the first to pull out of Asian concerts – their first-ever concerts in China – when news of the disease broke in March, though they did play two shows in Singapore. They also… Read more »

Look for the next Grammy Awards and the American Music Awards (AMAs) to move from their traditional annual calendar slots. For 2004, the Grammys are switching from their usual late-February date to Sunday, Feb. 8, sources tell Billboard. The move is taking place to avoid a head-on collision with the Academy Awards, which will be moved next year from their usual late-March perch to late February. Additionally, the 2004 Grammys are expected to return to L.A. after this year’s stint in New York. The Recording Academy declined to comment. Taking a bigger leap forward are the AMAs. That show is… Read more »

Beatles fans received a double treat Tuesday with announcements of a new world tour by Paul McCartney and the release of a DVD of a 1994 jam session by McCartney, Ringo Starr and George Harrison. McCartney said he plans to include several Beatles songs in his first British tour in a decade, scheduling 22 songs from his Fab Four days for each two-and-a-half hour arena concert. Seven dates in April have been announced for the “Back in the World” tour, including stops in London and Manchester, northern England. McCartney then plans to tour France, Spain, Germany and Scandinavia. The world… Read more »

In just eight months’ time, Justin Timberlake’s feelings toward former love Britney Spears have gone from hurt to hate. At least that’s what Us Weekly alleges in its current cover story, “Britney Vs. Justin: The War Is On.” The article, which surfaced on New York newsstands Wednesday and will be available nationwide Friday, suggests that pop music’s hottest couple are feuding like the Hatfields and the McCoys, singling out Timberlake’s video for “Cry Me a River” as the latest, and loudest, bomb dropped. The video, which premiered November 25, features 18-year-old model/actress Lauren Hastings playing what could only be construed… Read more »

Oasis has postponed two German concerts, following a brawl in a Munich hotel over the weekend. The English band has postponed its November 4 show in Dusselfdorf and a date in Bremen, Thursday December 5. The postponement of the shows came after the group had already postponed appearances in Munich Sunday and in Hamburg on Monday. The further postponement came about because the band’s singer, Liam Gallagher, required further medical attention after sustaining facial injuries and several broken teeth in the nightclub fight. A official statement on the band’s website (oasis.net) says: “Following the events of last weekend, Oasis have… Read more »

Tower Records, the storied 1960s music chain that launched the music megastore and became a cultural retailing icon, strolls into its 43rd holiday shopping season this weekend struggling with debt and on the ropes. The West Sacramento, Calif.-based Tower hopes four weeks of strong sales will reverse a new image as the tottering giant inside a stumbling music industry. Among the chain’s troubles: deep-discounting rivals, changing consumer habits, lack of hits and its own missteps in the 1990s as the music business began a dramatic shift. Tower exemplifies the even deeper woes in a recording industry beset by piracy, computer… Read more »