Archive: January 2010 (21-30 of 109)

Jan 28 2010 06:37 PM ET

Quincy Jones plans 'We Are the World 25' for Haiti

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Categories: Charity

Quincy Jones is assembling an all-star sequel to 1985′s “We Are the World” to raise funds for earthquake relief in Haiti, EW has confirmed. A rep for Jones says the legendary producer will preside over a recording session for “We Are the World 25″ this Monday, Feb. 1, at Hollywood’s A&M Recording Studios, where the original charity single was recorded a quarter-century ago. Additionally, a rep for Paul Haggis confirms that the Crash director will film the proceedings. Initial word of the project first appeared in The Hollywood Reporter.

The lineup of performers for “We Are the World 25″ — the same song as “We Are the World,” sung by a new group of artists — has yet to be finalized. The original single, which raised money for famine victims in Africa, featured a stellar roster led by co-writers Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie and also including Stevie Wonder, Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan, Diana Ross, Ray Charles, Billy Joel, Cyndi Lauper, and many more. Watch it again below.

(Follow the Music Mix on Twitter: @EWMusicMix.)

More from EW.com’s Music Mix:
New Mariah Carey video, ‘Up Out My Face’: Finally, Mimi does it right!
Matt Morris: Justin Timberlake’s “Hallelujah” duet partner talks Haiti telethon, Justin’s next move
Kanye West: New album sooner than expected?
Ticketmaster/Live Nation merger: What’s in it for you?

Jan 28 2010 03:04 PM ET

The Who's Pete Townshend targeted by 'sex offender' flyers before Super Bowl

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Categories: The Who

A child advocacy group is distributing over a thousand “sex offender advisory” postcards to homes in Miami Gardens, Fla. this week to warn them of an allegedly dangerous man who is expected in the neighborhood soon (hat tip to Gawker). Their target: Pete Townshend, lead guitarist for the Who, the halftime band for Super Bowl XLIV at nearby Sun Life Stadium on Feb. 7. This comes a few weeks after similar groups asked the NFL to ban Townshend from performing at the Super Bowl, to no avail.

All this commotion stems from the guitarist’s 2003 arrest for accessing child pornography on the Web. Townshend admitted he had done so, but maintained that he was only conducting research for a memoir about his own history of abuse as a child; London police ultimately declined to file charges. It was an unfortunate episode, to be sure, but the idea that local residents need to worry about Townshend marauding their streets seems a little far-fetched, no?

We’ve reached out to the child advocacy group and the Who for comment. In the meantime, what do you think of this story?

(Follow the Music Mix on Twitter: @EWMusicMix.)

More from EW.com’s Music Mix:
New Mariah Carey video, ‘Up Out My Face’: Finally, Mimi does it right!
Matt Morris: Justin Timberlake’s “Hallelujah” duet partner talks Haiti telethon, Justin’s next move
Kanye West: New album sooner than expected?
Ticketmaster/Live Nation merger: What’s in it for you?

Jan 28 2010 01:43 PM ET

Iyaz' 'Solo': total Janet Jackson rip-off, or loving tribute?

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Categories: Janet Jackson, Let's Argue!, New Stuff

R&B upstart Iyaz has already scored a chart-topping smash with the sunny, Caribbean-flecked flashback ditty “Replay”; now he seems poised to do the same with new single “Solo,” a track that riffs on Janet Jackson’s 1993 no. 1 ballad “Again” without directly sampling either the main hook or re-upping the lyrics directly.

Instead, the song just lifts a substantial chunk of Janet’s lilting melody—stream it below:

Countless hooks in R&B and hip-hop are built, of course, on borrowing; you could say Iyaz is just aiming to compete a land of Jason Derulos (whose “Watcha Say” hinges entirely on Imogen Heap’s “Hide and Seek”) and Jay-Zs (his recent “Young Forever” transposes the title of the 1984 Alphaville song and recasts the hook with friend-of-Kanye Mr. Hudson). And maybe it feels unfair to call him out for not taking enough of the song to make it more than just naggingly familiar.

Iyaz’s publicity openly acknowledges the connection (though they say his song is “set against the backbeat” of “Again,” which isn’t strictly true), but it still feels a little squirrelly, especially considering many of the 22-year-old singer’s young fans probably aren’t familiar with Jackson’s nearly two-decade-old hit.

Undoubtedly, the song will put some residuals cash in Janet’s jumpsuit pocket, and also very likely save Iyaz from one-hit-wonderdom forever. So in the end, it mostly comes down to the listener: Are you bothered by the snake-eating-its-own-tail aspect of songs like these, or is this brand of recycling, as long as it acknowledges the source, just fair play?

(Follow the Music Mix on Twitter: @EWMusicMix.)

Jan 28 2010 01:01 PM ET

New Mariah Carey video, 'Up Out My Face': Finally! Mimi is emancipated by hot new video

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Categories: Mariah Carey, New Stuff, Things We Love, YouTube Delights

Sometimes, Mariah gets it wrong (“H.A.T.E. U”? H.A.T.E.D. those freakin swimsuits. “I Want to Know What Love Is”? I want to know why you’re in a baseball stadium full of sad people).

And then—she gets it so right.  In the new video for “Up Out My Face” from her upcoming duets remix album Angels Advocate, due March 30, there are so very many things to love: the color scheme (Target ad? White Stripes tribute?); the nonsensical (but sexical!) nurses’ outfits and Barbie boxes; rising Lil Wayne protege Nicki Minaj getting red, white, and saucypants all over; Nick Cannon (he also directs the clip) reprising his Drumline stomp in the outro. They wear silly outfits, they make silly faces; they have fun:

Wasn’t that delicious? Do you not want to put Minaj in your pocket? Are you fonder of Nick Cannon than you were five and half minutes ago? (He also directed his wife in another new video, the less-than-scintillating Ne-Yo collaboration “Angels Cry,” but we are letting that one slide; it is a forgiveness kind of day). Tell us what you think in the comments section below.

More from EW.com’s Music Mix:
Matt Morris: Justin Timberlake’s “Hallelujah” duet partner talks Haiti telethon, Justin’s next move
Kanye West: New album sooner than expected?
Broken Bells: Watch the first video from Danger Mouse and the Shins’ James Mercer
Ticketmaster/Live Nation merger: What’s in it for you?
New Leighton Meester, ‘Your Love is a Drug’: Stream it here
Lady Gaga at Radio City: Best. Concert. Ever.

Jan 27 2010 03:21 PM ET

Bruce Springsteen and Elvis Costello on Bob Dylan: Exclusive 'Spectacle' clip

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Categories: An EW Exclusive!, Bruce Springsteen, Elvis Costello, Video Exclusive

Last September, I was among the lucky few crowded into Harlem’s historic Apollo Theater for a taping of Elvis Costello’s Sundance Channel music/talk show, Spectacle. His guest that night was Bruce Springsteen. Elvis and the Boss proceeded to trade stories, joke around, and perform for nearly four hours, all told — enough to make two episodes of Spectacle where they’d only planned on recording one.

Part 1 of Springsteen’s Spectacle visit aired on the Sundance Channel last week. Part 2 is on tonight at 10 P.M., and we’ve got an exclusive clip from tonight’s episode right here on the Music Mix. As you’ll see, it’s a conversation between Springsteen and Costello on topics including the influence of Bob Dylan on both of their work. “He’s the father of the country that I recognize,” Springsteen says. “He’s the father of my country.” Albums like Highway 61 Revisited, he adds, “opened up your vision in a way that, for me at the time, school didn’t do.”

Check out the clip below. I’m not sure anything tonight can top the solo acoustic performance of “American Skin (41 Shots)” that Springsteen gave on last week’s episode — that was surely one of the most moving musical performances I’ve ever witnessed — but I’ll be tuning in at 10 anyway. How about you?

(Follow the Music Mix on Twitter: @EWMusicMix.)

More from EW.com’s Music Mix:
Matt Morris: Justin Timberlake's "Hallelujah" duet partner talks Haiti telethon, Justin's next move
Kanye West: New album sooner than expected?
Broken Bells: Watch the first video from Danger Mouse and the Shins’ James Mercer
Ticketmaster/Live Nation merger: What’s in it for you?

Jan 27 2010 02:40 PM ET

Matt Morris: Justin Timberlake's 'Hallelujah' duet partner talks Haiti telethon and Justin's next move

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Categories: Charity, Justin Timberlake, Matt Morris, Q&A

Justin Timberlake and Matt Morris’ slow, heartfelt cover of Leonard Cohen’s classic “Hallelujah” was a definite highlight of Jan. 22′s Hope for Haiti Now telethon. It was also the first time millions of TV viewers met Morris, an old friend of Timberlake’s who recently put out his debut, When Everything Breaks Open, on the pop star’s Tennman Records. We got Morris on the phone to talk about the telethon, his album — and when we can expect new music from his pal Justin.

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: How did your participation in the Hope for Haiti Now telethon come together?
MATT MORRIS: I was in Los Angeles, promoting When Everything Breaks Open, when everything was coming together for the telethon. Justin asked if I would like to sing with him. I said, “Of course, in a heartbeat.”

Had he already picked which song to sing?
No. We brainstormed. He suggested it as an idea. We chewed on that for a minute. I had shot a video of me singing “Help!”, a ballad version of the Beatles song, which I posted last year on my YouTube page. He called me a few days prior and said, “Maybe we should think about performing ‘Help!’” So we took both of those songs to the rehearsal space and played through them. “Hallelujah” just felt right. The arrangement came together quickly and naturally.

It’s a song that’s been memorably covered by many artists.
It is a much-covered song, indeed. It’s a great song for it. It has the classic melody. It cuts to the heart. There have been some epic covers, some simple covers. I’m honored to be on the list of people who got a chance to cover the song, you know?

READ FULL STORY »

Jan 27 2010 02:03 PM ET

Broken Bells, 'The High Road': Watch the first video from Danger Mouse and the Shins' James Mercer

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Categories: Buzzworthy, Indie Rock, Misc., New Stuff, Video Gaga

The chocolate-and-peanut-butter pair-up that is Broken Bells, the new collaboration between intrepid producer/50% Gnarls Barkler Danger Mouse (a.k.a. Brian Burton) and indie-rock archduke/Natalie Portman life-changer James Mercer, debuted its first video today, for the woozy midtempo rocker “The High Road.”

Renowned music-video director Sophie Muller (No Doubt, Coldplay, Shakira, the Killers) helms the clip, a Blue Velvet-y road trip adventure enhanced by a non-committal showgirl, a toy car, and an untethered white horse:

The duo’s self-titled debut (pre-order it here) is out March 9; will you be waiting with bells on, broken or otherwise?

More from EW.com’s Music Mix:
Susan Sarandon gets spanky, Solange covers Michael Jackson at Of Montreal show
Kanye West: New album sooner than expected?
Hope for Haiti Now tops the albums chart
Joanna Newsom announces triple album, Have One on Me
Ticketmaster/Live Nation merger: What’s in it for you?
Wilco gives away free concert MP3s, asks for Haiti donations

Jan 27 2010 01:53 PM ET

Susan Sarandon gets spanky, Solange covers Michael Jackson at Of Montreal show

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Categories: Indie Rock, Things That Are Strange, What the...?, YouTube Delights

Neo-psychedelic freak-pop outfit Of Montreal welcomed a few surprise guests at its New York City Highline Ballroom show last night—namely, Oscar-winning MILF Susan Sarandon and destiny’s less-appreciated child Solange Knowles, who, between her previous appearances with OM and excellent recent Dirty Projectors cover, has apparently become the Official Beyonce-Adjacent Ambassador of Alt.

Watch her take on the Jackson 5′s “I Want You Back” with Montreal frontman Kevin Barnes below:

To see Sarandon onstage spanking naughty pigs (not a euphemism), click through the jump: READ FULL STORY »

Jan 27 2010 01:21 PM ET

Kanye West: New album sooner than expected?

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Categories: Kanye West

Last we heard from Kanye West, he was “SO HAPPY TO BE BACK IN THE STUDIO MAKING NEW MUSIC,” name-dropping Maya Angelou, Gil Scott-Heron, and Nina Simone on his blog. That was only three weeks ago. But a recent Twitter post from Kanye’s cousin and collaborator Devo Springsteen suggests that Yeezy might be farther along on his next project than we’d thought. “Heard the new Kanye West album,” Springsteen tapped out on his cell phone yesterday. “Inspiring…” (Thanks to Nah Right for spotting this.)

Okay, so that’s not a whole lot to go on. Still — “the new Kanye West album”? So he has an entire new album already, finished or close enough to finished that it’s being listened to by his inner circle? And it’s inspiring, no less? Very exciting!

We haven’t been able to get an official update on the status of Mr. West’s next project from his label yet, but that’s no reason not to start anticipating wildly. What do you hope Kanye’s next album (assuming there is one) sounds like? Is this something you’re looking forward to?

(Follow the Music Mix on Twitter: @EWMusicMix.)

More from EW.com’s Music Mix:
Hope for Haiti Now tops the albums chart
Joanna Newsom announces triple album, Have One on Me
Ticketmaster/Live Nation merger: What’s in it for you?
Wilco gives away free concert MP3s, asks for Haiti donations
Lady Gaga at Radio City: Best. Concert. Ever.

Jan 27 2010 12:02 PM ET

'Hope for Haiti Now' tops the albums chart, outselling Susan Boyle

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Categories: Charts, Spoon, Susan Boyle

As projected, the all-star Hope for Haiti Now charity album is now officially the biggest album in the country. It tops the new Billboard 200 album sales chart with 171,000 copies sold, according to Nielsen SoundScan — a figure that’s even more impressive when you consider that it only covers two full days (Jan. 23 and 24) and that all those sales were digital, a first for a Billboard 200 winner.

Moving to No. 2, we find Susan Boyle, who sold another 86,000 copies of I Dreamed a Dream last week. That might have been enough to teach a lesson to those pesky Vampire Weekend kids for displacing her at No. 1 the previous week — their Contra is down at No. 6 now with 43,000 copies sold — but Hope for Haiti Now‘s strong sales ruled out a return to her onetime throne.

No. 4 goes to indie heroes Spoon, with 53,000 copies sold of their excellent Transference. Those aren’t exactly Vampire Weekend numbers — hey, we can’t all be those guys — but it’s still a career best for Spoon, beating the 46,000/No. 10 debut they scored for 2007′s Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga.

At No. 5, the 2010 Grammy Nominees compilation somehow found 49,000 people who were willing to pay good money for a bunch of 2009 hits by artists like the Black Eyed Peas, Taylor Swift, Lady Gaga, and Beyoncé that they certainly could have bought individually from iTunes or a similar service if they didn’t own them already. If you are one of the people who buys these Grammy nominee CDs, please explain yourself in the comments section, because I seriously don’t get it.

Pop-punk act Motion City Soundtrack sold 27,000 copies of their Mark Hoppus-produced My Dinosaur Life, earning them a No. 15 finish.

And that was it for Top 20 debuts this week. Did you buy any of these albums? Surprised by how low or high anyone placed? Make yourself known below.

(Follow the Music Mix on Twitter: @EWMusicMix.)

More from EW.com’s Music Mix:
Vampire Weekend tops the albums chart
Ticketmaster/Live Nation merger: What’s in it for you?
Wilco gives away free concert MP3s, asks for Haiti donations
Lady Gaga at Radio City: Best. Concert. Ever.

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