It’s been so long since we’ve heard a good Regina Spektor song — 2009 to be exact — but she’s finally back with “All the Rowboats” from her forthcoming album “What We Saw From The Cheap Seats.”
The song gives life to rowboats that are trapped in masterpiece oil paintings, trying to escape : “Masterpieces serving maximum sentences, It’s their own fault for being timeless.” Spektor wrote the song herself and the piano score gives me something else to look forward to. I was so obsessed with Regina Spektor’s songs in university I bought the piano sheet music so I could indulge in it myself. The song is slightly dark but thoughtful, nothing less than I’d expect from her.
In the meantime, you can buy the song online today and start a countdown for the album’s release date, May 12.
Looks like Lady Gaga’s crazy costumes are costing her more than just a lot of attention.
Gaga, who has gained millions with her multiple number one singles, went bankrupt after her 2009 Monster Ball Tour.
The tour, comprised of 200 shows over an 18-month period, ended in April 2011 and grossed nearly $200 million.
However, the show’s revenue was clearly not enough to cover the cost of Gaga’s extravagant costumes.
In an interview with the Financial Times, the pop star confessed her financial problems.
“I remember I called everybody and said, ‘Why is everyone saying I have no money?” she said.
“This is ridiculous, I have five No. 1 singles.’” Their reply? “Well, you’re $3 million in debt.”
Well, seeing with the recent release of Gaga’s new Born This Way album has outsold the UK top 10 charts, the flamboyant star probably won’t have a lot financial difficulties in the near future!
…That is of course if she goes even bigger on her costumes for her next tour!!
Bret Michaels is suing the Tony Awards over a head injury he received at the June 2009 awards, reports People Magazine. A lawsuit was filed by the musician on Friday in Los Angeles, according to documents obtained by People.
Michaels’s attorney, Alex Weingarten, issued the following statement: “The Tony Awards dropped a piece of the stage on Bret’s head, and then instead of doing the right thing, joked about it and played it off for ratings … Bret never wanted to file a lawsuit, but the Tony Awards have left us with no choice. They must be held accountable for almost killing Bret, and that is what we are going to do.”
The musician, who performed at the Tonys with his band Poison and the cast of Rock of Ages, fell down after being hit by a piece of scenery. He was knocked to the ground, and fractured his nose. The singer also required three stitches in his lip.
Michaels is suing CBS and the Tony Awards for unspecified damages, and claims that despite his asking producers for instructions on where to stand on the Radio City Music Hall stage during his performance, he was only told to “simply exit the stage from the rear.”
According to the suit, “Michaels was never told that the scenery piece would be descending or given any warning of the existence of the dangers it presented. Quite the opposite, Michaels specifically asked for instructions regarding how to exit after his performance and was just told to walk off the rear of the stage – in what was ultimately the danger zone.”
So far, there has been no comment from CBS or the Tony Awards.
This is a pretty big issue. I can’t believe the Tony people aren’t taking responsibility for this – just own up to it. I have a strong feeling that Michaels will win the case, because really, what can they counter with? Are they actually going to try and say its his fault for walking into the falling piece of scenery? I wish the best of luck to Michaels in this case, and am on his side. If a falling piece of equipment smashed me in the head, I would be pretty pissed too.
Big Tobacco wins again… but Fucked Up doesn’t seem too crushed about it. Their name was used without permission in a cigarette ad (see the scans at http://tinyurl.com/y5xf8hy ) and after a few years of legal battles, they have lost. But spirits still seem high. Ben and Sandy talked to me about the lawsuit, their Christmas single (listen at http://tinyurl.com/yz82dny ), and how they spent their hefty $20,000 Polaris Prize.
As far as ticket sales are concerned, U2 is the winner for 2009. Pollstar is reporting that the Dublin band had box office sales of $123 million throughout 2009. Next in line was Bruce Springsteen with about $90 million. This was then followed by:
- Elton John/Billy Joel
- Britney Spears
- AC/DC
- Kenny Chesney
- Jonas Brothers
- Dave Matthews Band
- Fleetwood Mac
- Metallica
Dan is always interviewing indie bands or underground acts, so we thought we would give him a change of scenery with the glitz and glamour of V-Fest Toronto. Dan had the pleasure of speaking with Sean Kingston, Mutemath, Plants and Animals, The Von Bondies and more!
Quite arguably one of the biggest events of the year, Virgin Fest again for 2009 was amazing. On Day 1 Jenn had a sit down with Thunderheist, Grizzly Bear and Paolo Nutini. She also found Waldo from “Where’s Waldo” and learned how to poll dance. Look out for Day 2 coming soon!
Full Winners List:
Outstanding Lead Actor In A Comedy Series – Alec Baldwin (30 Rock)
Outstanding Lead Actress In A Comedy Series – Toni Collette (United States Of Tara)
Outstanding Lead Actor In A Drama Series – Bryan Cranston (Breaking Bad)
Outstanding Lead Actor In A Mini-Series Or A Movie – Brendan Gleeson (Into The Storm)
Outstanding Lead Actress In A Mini-Series Or A Movie – Jessica Lange (Grey Gardens)
Outstanding Comedy Series – 30 Rock
Outstanding Drama Series – Mad Men
Outstanding Made For Television Movie – Grey Gardens
Outstanding Miniseries – Little Dorrit
Outstanding Reality – Competition Program – The Amazing Race
Outstanding Variety, Music, Or Comedy Series – The Daily Show With Jon Stewart
Kanye you are a talented guy but sometimes you push it too far. At tonight’s VMA awards, Taylor Swift was awarded the Best Female video. However during her acceptance speech an aggressive West stole the mic from Taylor, saying “Taylor, I’m really happy for you. I’ll let you finish.” “But Beyonce had one of the best videos of all time … one of the best videos of all time!” The camera then panned to Beyonce who continued to sit in the crowd obviously shocked and stunned. All we can say is poor Taylor, poor Beyonce, and Kanye you are a huge douche. See below to watch:
The stage adaptation scored by Elton John of the Oscar nominated movie “Billy Elliot” danced away with 15 Tony Award nominations, leading in nods.
John and Dolly Parton compete for Best Original Score for “Billy Elliot” and “9 to 5.” The ballet-themed play will also go up against “Shrek The Musical,” “Next to Normal” and “Rock of Ages” for the Best Musical category.
Nominated stars include James Gandolfini, Jeff Daniels, Allison Janney, Geoffrey Rush, Martha Plimpton, Angela Lansbury, Jane Fonda, Hope Davis, Raúl Esparza, former “American Idol” finalist Constantine Maroulis among other performers.
With memorable performances from Nickelback and Sam Roberts, to Lights and and Bryan Adams- last night’s 2009 JUNO awards left a packed audience in awe at Vancouver’s General Motors Place.
Here is the complete list of winners:
It’s possible that in the near future, maybe even as close as later this year, U2 will release another album, according to MTV News.
The band is said to have material they compiled in the original “No Line” recording with Rick Rubin nearly three years ago. However, after recording with Rubin in 2006, they decided to move into a new direction, leaving enough songs for another LP.
“Twilight” director Catherine Hardwicke, who recently broke the record for the largest opening by a female filmmaker, says that the first step for a ‘Twilight’ sequel is making sure everyone is on the same page.
“Well, right now we’re trying to figure out if the studio people, and me, and everyone’s on the same page,” Hardwicke told MTV News, “I want to do ['New Moon'] better than we did ‘Twilight,’ and do it really cool. I definitely don’t want to do it as something just tossed off, like a ‘Saw II’ or something like that.”
Hardwicke said “New Moon” could be finished by the end of 2009 or beginning of 2010. “Cameras could be rolling in about five moths,” Hardwicke explained to MTV News. “We spent about a year and three months getting ['Twilight'] ready, between writing the script and casting. We could probably do things a little bit faster this time, but who knows? It depends.”
The director also revealed to MTV News a draft has already been made by “Twilight” screenplay writer Melissa Rosenberg, “There’s a draft, but then of course, you do more than one version of the script. You work on it. You try to bring it to life”.
Linkin Park’s members are already planning a return to a studio. Though their summer tour, Projekt Revolution, just ended a few months ago, they’ve been writing new material for months, according to frontman Chester Bennington.
And the new material, following up 2007’s Minutes to Midnight, will have a slight twist – it will be the band’s first attempt at a concept album. As Bennington said to MTV News, “For me, you say the words ‘concept record,’ and the first thing I think of is theater or the opera or something. There’s a story, and everything has to relate to that story. It sounds a little daunting to me, so, I think my confidence level will drop, but when it was presented to us by this friend of ours, we liked the idea….It couldn’t have come strictly from us – an outside source brought it to us in a way that was exciting.”
He estimates that it will take about six weeks for the band to record the new album, which, in terms of the sound, he says, “it sounds like peanut butter and jelly. It’s sounding delicious.” Linkin Park plan to hit the studio before December, right around the time their live CD/DVD Road to Revolution: Live at Milton Keynes hits stores on Nov. 25.
Shout! There’s a Beatles music game coming from MTV.
MTV and Beatles license-holder Apple Corps will join forces to create the first-ever Beatles-themed video game, set for release in the 2009 holiday season.
It’s not a Rock Band or Guitar Hero-typed game, according to Harmonix CEO Alex Rigopulos, but users can still expect to “twist and shout”. It’s a “creative exploration of their music and a celebration of their legacy.” It will also be a music-making game, – so users can wear their “blue suede shoes” and “shake, rattle and roll” with interactive performance. The game will take users “across the universe” of the band’s career, from first album to last, but it wasn’t stated whether or not the game will include every Beatles song ever written.
Apparently, Sir Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Yoko Ono and Olivia Harrison all gave input and back the project. In a press release from MTV, McCartney said, “The project is a fun idea which broadens the appeal of the Beatles and their music. I like people having the opportunity to get to know the music from the inside out.” Yoko Ono commented that she hoped the game would appeal to “young blood”, saying “I love it and hope it will keep inspiring and encouraging the young generation or many decades.”
Not many details were revealed, but the game is already in development and will be compatible with Rock Band instruments. No word of whether or not the game will come with a Yellow Submarine, either.
