Month: February 2007 (Page 1 of 11)

Madonna: “Do as I say, not as I do”

In a recent interview, the Material Girl expressed concern about her daughter Lourdes’s tendency to wear jeans that are “so tight she can’t bend her knees,” and that are a bit too revealing in the rear whenever little Lola bends over.
That’s right: Madonna is worried about her daughter dressing a bit too much “Boy Toy” and not enough “Like a Virgin.”

Of course, whenever Madonna brings up issues of appropriate attire with her daughter, Lourdes simply laughs, hands her mother a copy of Madonna’s “Sex” photo book, and asks if she can borrow Mom’s cone-shaped bra.

American Idol: Them Dudes Are Scared

Last night on “American Idol” the 10 remaining guys performed, and you could tell that most of them were terrified of the fact that the ladies pretty much blew them away last week. They would have to step up their game or face elimination, if not in the next two weeks, then surely when it’s just six and six left.

It’s always refreshing when the contestants take the judges’ advice and try to improve. Last night several of these guys came out of the gate and tried to wow America the same way that Lakisha, Stephanie and Sabrina did last Wednesday. Did they succeed? Some did, some were way off the mark, but most were somewhere in the middle.

Here is how it went down…..

THE GOOD

Phil Stacy kicked things off with John Waite’s “Missing You” and showed everyone that he has one of the best voices out of the remaining guys. It wasn’t flashy, but in a singing competition it was a good vocal performance. Randy said it was hot, Paula said Phil had great tone, and Simon said it was unoriginal but that Phil would sail through because he’s popular. My take? I think Simon secretly wishes he could sport the chrome dome the same way Phil and Chris Daughtry do.

Chris Sligh sang Ray LaMontagne’s “Trouble” and for my money this kid is THE best male singer of the group. His awesome performance wasn’t a surprise, but the fact that dude has a cute wife probably threw America for a loop. Randy said Chris has a “big voice,” Paula said she liked it, and Simon said that Chris is a “very good singer.” This dude is going nowhere anytime soon.

Chris Richardson also came in prepared. He sang Jason Mraz’ “Geek in the Pink,” and quite honestly, he was better than Jason Mraz. Randy put it best, saying Chris was “in it to win it.” Simon even said it was the best performance of the night “by a mile.” Yeah, dude was entertaining, and did just enough vocally. Label this kid another dark horse.

THE IN-BETWEEN

AJ was off-key a bit and had this kind of feminine quality that I think just didn’t work. But again, this is a singing competition and dude did way better than last week. Randy admitted as much, and Simon said it was “nearly very good.” That’s about right.

Nick Pedro did a version of “Fever,” and it was more his style than what he sang last week. It was a little pitchy in spots, and Randy even said so, but it wasn’t too bad. Paula said she loves Nick’s tone, and Simon said it was a good vocal performance but that Nick lacked charisma.

Blake Lewis added his beat box/scat thing back into his performance this week, taking on Jamiroquai.
Randy said it was cool that Blake returned to his form, Paula said it was a good song choice, but Simon said it was off key in spots and not really original. He wasn’t bad, but Blake can do much better and everyone knows it.

Sundance Head brought down the house last night with his rendition of “Mustang Sally.” Dude showed why he made it this far, because he really does have a big voice. Randy and Paula said something to the effect of “Sundance is back,” but Simon admitted that he thinks Sundance can do even better. I don’t know what it is, but I can’t get on this guy’s bandwagon. Plus, that song is one of the most played out in wedding band/hotel lounge history.

THE BAD

Jared Cotter wasn’t the worst of the bunch, but two of these guys have to go home on Thursday. He sang Marvin Gaye and was slightly boring and really just okay. Paula said Jared is a good looking kid, and that might keep him around, but Simon summed it up by saying it was like a “Love Boat” performance.

Sunjaya dressed like Michael Jackson and sang “All Dressed Up.” I think it may have been one of the worst performances ever on this show, period. Randy said Sunjaya is a nice kid, but that this was like a bad high school talent show. Simon said it was “ghastly” and used the words “weak” and “weird.” If this kid doesn’t go home this week, then our great nation has a serious problem evaluating talent.

Brandon Rogers, I thought you would go far in this competition. But I can’t give you props for that very mediocre version of “Time After Time.” I mean, that song is almost as played out as “Mustang Sally” and it sure as hell didn’t show your vocal range. The judges said as much, and Simon said he needs to come out and “wow” everyone if he wants to stick around. I have a feeling he may not.

So that’s it, the ladies sing tonight and, surprisingly, Antonella is still in this competition even though all kinds of naughty photos of her are circulating around the Internet. She must have a good attorney.
But she won’t last long with that vocal ability or lack thereof anyway.

As for the guys, I’m going with Sunjaya and Brandon to exit on Thursday…I don’t think Brandon should go but he may have done just poorly enough last night. Other possibilities are Jared, AJ and Nick.

See you all tomorrow….

Road Warriors 3

A really cool lineup is shaping up for England’s Isle of Wight Festival from June 8-19. Among the partial confirmations are Snow Patrol, Keane, Paolo Nutini, James Morrison, and The Feeling.

And speaking of cool overseas festival lineups, the Oxegen music festival will take place July 7 and 8 at Punchestown Racecourse in Ireland and confirmed acts include Muse, Snow Patrol, My Chemical Romance, Arcade Fire, Scissor Sisters and Razorlight.

Aerosmith is working on yet another album, and between their days in the studio in June they will take a month-long “break” and head to Europe for a month of shows. This marks the first time Steven Tyler and the boys will have toured in Europe since 1999.

Is anyone surprised that The Police shows that have been announced are selling out in mere minutes? Sold out shows are Boston, New York, and some of the Canadian dates. Additional tickets will be going on sale this Monday for Giants Stadium in New Jersey, as sell as Seattle, Denver and Phoenix. As if this whole idea of a revival tour isn’t enough, the band is planning to write and record again soon. Hey fellas, let’s see how you all play together in the sandbox first.

The Fray continues to tour in support of their 2005 major label debut, How To Save a Life, and the band’s summer tour with Ok Go is already taking shape, kicking off June 11 in Minneapolis and running through August 5. Aside from Ok Go, other acts supporting the tour include Mae, Gomez, Eisley and Meese.

Pop mega-stars Maroon 5 are releasing the extremely anticipated follow up to their quadruple-platinum selling Songs About Jane this May. The new album will be called It Won’t Be Soon Before Long, and the band will then launch a full-scale tour in September.

Cobra Music recording artists and Chicago rock band Suffrajett has been described as raw, low-fi Afro-punk, garage glam, art punk, mental rock, garage rock and grunge hair metal. Man, that’s a mouthful. Anyway, the band and its label have announced two showcases at South By Southwest in Austin next month:

March 14: Austin, TX @ Gen Art Party at Beauty Bar
March 17: Austin, TX @ Cobra Music Showcase at The Jackalope

The Van Halen tour with David Lee Roth as the reinstated lead vocalist has been postponed indefinitely. Come on Mister Roth and Misters Van Halen, can’t you take a cue from the Police and put those gargantuan egos aside for one stinking tour?

Canadian electronic duo Junior Boys will be touring the US and Canada in support of their new Dead Horse EP. Dates are as follows:

3/22/07 Tallahassee, FL FSU – Club Downunder
3/23/07 Orlando, FL The Social
3/24/07 Miami Fl Post (Winter Music Conference)
3/25/07 Tampa, FL Crowbar
3/27/07 Monterey, Mexico McMullen’s
3/28/07 Napoles, Mexico Polyforum Siqueiros
4/6/07 Toronto, ON The Mod Club
4/7/07 Montreal, QC La Sala Rossa
4/8/07 Burlington VT Higher Ground
4/10/07 Cambridge, MA Middle East Underground
4/11/07 New York, NY Bowery Ballroom
4/12/07 Philadelphia, PA First Unitarian Church
4/13/07 Washington DC Black Cat
4/14/07 Carrboro, NC Cat’s Cradle
4/15/07 Atlanta, GA The EARL
4/16/07 Nashville, TN Exit/In
4/17/07 Kansas City, MO Record Bar
4/19/07 PARK CITY UT TBC
4/21/07 Seattle, WA Chop Suey
4/24/07 Portland, OR Doug Fur
4/25/07 San Francisco, CA Mezzanine
4/29/07 Indio CA Coachella
5/1/07 DENVER TBC
5/2/07 Omaha, NE The Waiting Room
5/3/07 Chicago, IL Empty Bottle

This Sunday’s 79th Academy Awards show will feature performances from Oscar nominated artists including Beyonce, Jennifer Hudson, Melissa Etheridge, Randy Newman, Keith Robinson, Anika Noni Rose and James Taylor. The show airs at 8pm ET.

Remember when Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera ruled the pop airwaves and tabloids together? Now they are both generating publicity for different reasons. While Britney is having her head shaved and enters drug rehab facilities weekly, Christina keeps on looking hot and making music. After her GRAMMY performance a few weeks ago, Christina landed on the cover of Maxim and kicked off her North American tour this past week in Dallas, supporting her new album, Back to Basics. Support acts on the tour include Danity Kane and Pussycat Dolls.

Ultra Music Festival 9 in Miami is set for March 23 and 24 as the official closing event to the Winter Music Conference. 60,000 fans are expected to see headliners The Cure and Paul Van Dyk, along with 150 of the world’s top electronic bands and DJs. The lineup so far is as follows:

March 23:
ULTRA LIVE! MAIN STAGE: The Cure, Tiësto, Miss Kittin, Shiny Toy Guns, Junkie XL, Brazilian Girls and Fedde Le Grand.

ONBEAT.COM ARENA: Deep Dish, Sander Kleinenberg (DVDJ set), Kruder & Dorfmeister, Digitalism and Boys Noize.

March 24:
ULTRA MAIN STAGE: Paul van Dyk, Erick Morillo, Sasha & John Digweed, Ferry Corsten, Rabbit In The Moon, Christopher Lawrence and Sander Van Doorn.

CARL COX & FRIENDS: Fat Boy Slim, Carl Cox, Danny Tenaglia, Josh Wink and Yousef.

AMNESIA IBIZA ELECTRO-TECHNO STAGE: Richie Hawtin, Mauro Picotto, Timo Maas, Tiga, DJ Hell, Tiefschwartz, Loco Dice, M.A.N.D.Y., Damian Lazarus, Marco Bailey, Mar T, Les Schmitz and Nate Campbell & Franco Munoz.

ULTRA RECORDS HOUSE ARENA: Roger Sanchez, Benny Benassi, David Guetta, DJ Dan, Bad Boy Bill, Seb Fontaine, Donald Glaude, Starkillers and King Britt.

GLOBAL VIZION BREAK BEAT hosted by MC FLIPSIDE: Hybrid (live), BT (live), Stanton Warriors, Uberzone (live), DJ Icey, Krafty Kuts, Meat Katie, Baby Anne, Storm, Johnny Dangerously, GITM (live), Rick West, Keith Mackenzie and Mark Sanchez.

CONTAGIOUS MUSIQ DRUM & BASS: Goldie, Andy C, Grooverider, Planet of the Drums (Dieselboy / Dara / AK 1200), Fabio, Ed Rush & Optical, DJ Craze, Photek, Shy FX, Bailey, SS, Teebee, Subfocus, Reid Speed, DB, Empress, The Engineer and Bass Nacho.

MC’s: Damian Pinto, GQ, Skibadee, Tali, Armanni, Sharpness, J-Messinian, Question Mark and Dre.

Singer/songwriter and media wiseass John Mayer has just announced his summer tour in support of the Continuum album. The tour kicks off June 1 and Ridgefield, Washington and runs through August 8 in West Palm Beach, Florida. No word on whether Mayer will be swapping spit with Jessica Simpson on this tour or at any time in the near future. Tour dates are:

June 1 – Ridgefield, Washington
June 2 – George, Washington
June 5 – San Jose, California
June 6 – Fresno, California
June 8 – Las Vegas, Nevada
June 9 – Los Angeles, California
June 12 – Chula Vista, California
June 13 – Glendale, Arizona
June 15 – Salt Lake City, Utah
June 16 – Denver, Colorado
June 17 – Denver, Colorado
June 19 – Bonner Springs, Kansas
June 20 – Maryland Heights, Missouri
June 22 – Dallas, Texas
June 23 – Houston, Texas
June 24 – San Antonio, Texas
June 26 – Indianapolis, Indiana
June 28 – Chicago, Illinois
June 30 – Cincinnati, Ohio
July 1 – Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio
July 5 – Auburn Hills, Michigan
July 14 – Hartford, Connecticut
July 15 – Saratoga Springs, New York
July 17 – Boston, Massachusetts
July 20 – Camden, New Jersey
July 21 – Hershey, Pennsylvania
July 24 – Holmdel, New Jersey
July 25 – Washington, D.C.
July 26 – Uniondale, New York
July 30 – Virginia Beach, Virginia
July 31 – Raleigh, North Carolina
August 1 – Charlotte, North Carolina
August 3 – Nashville, Tennessee
August 4 – Pelham, Alabama
August 5 – Atlanta, Georgia
August 7 – Tampa, Florida
August 8 – West Palm Beach, Florida

Boston based four-piece melodic punk/hardcore band Smoke or Fire is hitting the road in support of their new album, This Sinking Ship. Here are the confirmed dates:

March 8 Southgate, MI The Modern Exchange w/ Love Me Destroyer
March 9 Chicago, IL Ronny’s w/ Love Me Destroyer
March 10 Minneapolis, MN Triple Rock w/ Love Me Destroyer
March 11 Papillon, NE The Rock w/ Love Me Destroyer
March 13 Denver, CO Marquis Theater w/ Love Me Destroyer
March 14 Salt Lake City, UT Urban Lounge w/ Love Me Destroyer
March 17 Tacoma, WA Hells Kitchen (early show, doors at 6pm) w/ Love Equals Death, Shook Ones & Love Me Destroyer
March 18 Portland, OR Hawthorne Theater w/ Love Equals Death, Love Me Destroyer & Shook Ones
March 19 San Francisco, CA Bottom of the Hill w/ Love Equals Death, Love Me Destroyer & Shook Ones
March 22 Hollywood, CA Knitting Factory (front) w/ Love Me Destroyer & Love Equals Death
March 23 Fullerton, CA The Alley w/ Love Equals Death & Love Me Destroyer
March 24 Tempe, AZ Mad House w/ Love Equals Death & Love Me Destroyer
March 25 El Paso, TX House of Rock and Roll
March 26 San Antonio, TX The Sanctuary
March 27 Houston, TX Walter’s On Washington
March 29 Birmingham, AL Cave 9 w/ The Draft & Tim Barry
March 30 Atlanta, GA The Masquerade w/ The Draft & Tim Barry
March 31 Gainesville, FL Common Grounds w/ The Draft & Tim Barry
April 1 Jacksonville, FL Jackrabbits w/ Tim Barry & Fifth Hour Hero
April 3 Charlotte, NC The Casbah w/ Tim Barry & Fifth Hour Hero
April 4 Baltimore, MD Ottobar w/ Tim Barry & Fifth Hour Hero
April 5 Richmond, VA Alley Katz w/ Tim Barry & Fifth Hour Hero
April 6 New York, NY Rebel w/ Tim Barry & Fifth Hour Hero
April 7 Cambridge, MA The Middle East w/ Tim Barry & Fifth Hour Hero
April 14 Philadelphia, PA Circle of Hope w/ Tim Barry & Fifth Hour Hero

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