Search Results for: walk the moon

It’s a long way from the stage of Madison Square Garden to an HIV clinic in South Africa, or from the thunderous roar of an adoring audience to the buttoned-down halls of the U.S. Senate. For most people, perhaps, but not for Bono. Rock and politics have been strange bedfellows for decades, from folkie Pete Seeger’s civil rights work in the ’60s to Frank Zappa’s censorship battles in the ’80s and Rage Against the Machine’s anti-sweatshop agitation in the ’90s. But whether it’s peace in Ireland or restructuring third-world debt, few rock stars have been able to devote as much… Read more »

Rest assured, Will Smith will rid the world of aliens again, but first, he’ll perform for them. While the first single from the “Men in Black 2” soundtrack, “Black Suits Comin’ (Nod Ya Head),” is gaining popularity, Smith deliberately steered clear of the tried-and-true methods of creating a summer hit – heavy samples and big-name cameos – so as not to oversell the song, a Sony Pictures publicist said. But you know Smith, he can’t keep that simplicity up for long. Especially when there’s a video to be shot. The clip, directed by Francis Lawrence, features Smith, clad in the… Read more »

Few bands have a résumé as extensive as the one belonging to They Might Be Giants, so it’s no wonder their music should make perfect fodder for a documentary. In their 20 years together, the quirky duo of John Linnell and John Flansburgh have successfully telemarketed themselves into underground celebrity, composed scores and theme music for television and film, and won a Grammy (for “Boss of Me,” the theme to “Malcolm in the Middle”), while recording seven studio LPs and a slew of EPs, live albums and singles. Flansburgh even found time to moonlight as a video director, helming clips… Read more »

Sure, his much hyped comeback album Invincible proved anything but-that’s not stopping Michael Jackson from dusting off his moonwalking shoes and gearing up to launch what will be his first North American trek since 1993’s Dangerous tour. Jackson-who has done one-off shows in recent months, including a two-night tribute to himself at Madison Square Garden last fall and a September 11 benefit concert-apparently hopes the tour will goose his flagging album sales, according to the New York Post. The singer has not publicly announced any tour, although the music world has been abuzz for months with the prospect. In January,… Read more »

After all the chest-beating and back-and-forth over whether he would sing for the Grammys or the rival American Music Awards, pop star Michael Jackson will end up having performed on neither. A spokesman for the Grammy-sponsoring National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences said the “Gloved One” will not be performing on Wednesday night’s live CBS telecast of the music industry’s highest honors. Asked whether Jackson declined an offer to appear or whether he was never invited to begin with, the spokesman, Ron Roecker, said he did not know. Jackson’s manager referred queries to his label, Epic Records, but his… Read more »

“How do you get to Carnegie Hall?” Michael Stipe asked the crowd soon after R.E.M. took the stage Thursday night at the venerable venue. “Practice,” the crowd blurted in unison. “Well, we didn’t,” Stipe responded. “So if you hear a bum note or something that doesn’t sound right, I urge you to sing louder in your head.” The tour-shy Athens rockers and granola-pop folkie Jewel were among those on hand for an evening of spirited entertainment at “You Gotta Have Friends: Partners in the Fight Against AIDS,” a benefit for the Gay Men’s Health Crisis. ( from the event.) Judging… Read more »

Fatboy Slim’s “Weapon of Choice” shot up the competition by bringing home six “Moon Man” trophies – including breakthrough video and best direction – Thursday night during the 2001 MTV Video Music Awards at the Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center. But “Weapon of Choice,” directed by Spike Jonze and featuring Christopher Walken dancing up a hotel’s walls, was shut out of the prestigious video of the year prize, which went to Christina Aguilera, Lil’ Kim, Mya and Pink for “Lady Marmalade.” Last year’s big winners ‘N Sync walked away with four trophies for “Pop,” including the coveted Viewer’s Choice… Read more »

Bowing to a threatened recording industry lawsuit, a Princeton University computer scientist decided against revealing Thursday how he and other researchers thwarted security measures meant to protect copyright digital music. Edward Felten, an associate professor whose team included Rice University and Xerox-PARC researchers, had been silent for days on whether he would present his findings at the International Information Hiding Workshop in Pittsburgh. On Thursday, a frustrated Felten said he decided against releasing the information because of the potential for lawsuits against the researchers, their schools and conference organizers. He did not say what he would do next. “Litigation is… Read more »

‘NSync was the top musical act at the seventh annual Blockbuster Entertainment Awards Tuesday (April 10) night at L.A.’s Shrine Auditorium, winning Favorite CD (No Strings Attached), Favorite Single (“Bye, Bye, Bye”), and Favorite Pop Group. The major music categories were mostly split, however, with a poodle-haired Christina Aguilera snagging Favorite Female Artist, Eminem taking Favorite Male Artist, and Destiny’s Child walking off with Favorite Group of the Year. Pink and Nelly were the Favorite New Artists. The most movie-related wins were reaped by Charlie’s Angels with three (plus one for cast member Lucy Liu in Shanghai Noon). Kate Hudson’s… Read more »