Category: Artists (Page 206 of 262)

Hollywood Chamber of Commerce unleashes new round of strife

June 27, 2006 / Deb Medsker

Matt Damon is in; Ben Affleck’s still out. Tim McGraw will appear, but his lovely wife hasn’t made the grade. Always ripe for debate, next year’s list of new stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame is a doozy.

Okay, Michael Caine and Michelle Pfeiffer have clearly earned their stripes…but Erik Estrada? Barbara Walters, yes; Robert Altman, fine…LeAnn Rimes?! What the hell?!

And then there’s the whole issue of Puff Doofus. Never mind that the Walk of Fame is presumably designed to recognize creative contributions to the arts…and electronically sampling the creative musical contributions of others hardly seems to qualify…what name is Puff Dingle going to put on the star? Do they make stars big enough to hold all his nicknames?

Actually, what we think is going to happen is that they’ll address the invitation to “Puff Daddy,” but that’ll be scratched out and then replaced with “P Diddy,” and then that’ll get scribbled out and replaced with something illegible…so as far as we know, Prince is going to show up at the ceremony instead…which, frankly, will be a vast improvement.

Artists, News

Tom Petty: “Saving Grace”

June 27, 2006 / John Paulsen

By now, most people fall into one of three categories when it comes to Tom Petty’s music: 1) they like it 2) they hate it or 3) they’ve never heard it. Enter the first track, “Saving Grace,” from his forthcoming CD, Highway Companion. It’s carried by a bluesy guitar riff and Petty’s understated vocals. It sounds like it would be the first song Tom would play if he did a surprise gig at your favorite saloon.

Listen to the entire song here.

Artists, Rock, Songs

Pearl Jam: “Marker In The Sand”

June 26, 2006 / John Paulsen

With my upcoming Pearl Jam/Tom Petty show, I thought it wise to dig into Pearl Jam’s most recent effort (creatively titled Pearl Jam). It’s a pretty good record, but my favorite song is “Marker In The Sand,” which is reminiscent of the band’s Vs. days. (That’s a good thing.) I especially like the cascading chorus.

Listen to a song clip here.

Read Bullz-Eye’s review.

Alternative, Artists, CD Reviews, Deep Cuts, Rock, Songs

Although the headline is awful…

June 26, 2006 / Will Harris

…when you’ve done an interview with notoriously long-winded Dead Kennedys frontman Jello Biafra, you’re gonna be a little punchy, so it’s only to be expected that you’re gonna take the easy way out and go with a headline like, “Make Room For Jello.”

In an interview with PortFolio Weekly, the Hampton Roads, VA, alt-weekly, Biafra got decidedly political, but, on the music front, he spoke frankly (what a shock) about how there’s no lack of love between himself and his former DK bandmates.

PortFolio Weekly: I know your lyrics have always been political, but do you ever find it hard to flip-flop between music and spoken word?

Jello Biafra: It is kind of hard to concentrate fully on both at the same time. And, plus, there’s Alternative Tentacles [the label Biafra owns] and all kinds of other things going on, so there isn’t always as much time for music as I would like. Especially with unending harassment from greedy former band members and great, big, nasty corporate lawyers.

PFW: Well, I was going to hold off asking about that, but now you’ve given me the perfect segue.

JB: Yeah, it’s as ugly as it ever was. I mean, I’m not allowed any say in how the band is pimped any more…and I emphasize the word “pimped.” I’m not allowed to see all the books; they’ve never adequately explained how “Viva Las Vegas” got into American Idol or an ad for The O.C. overseas. And, now, I guess they’re in negotiations with some big, slick Hollywood manager whose website lists experience with sports stars and Britney Spears.

PFW: Oh, geez.

JB: And no matter what they try, I will not be forced into that. I mean, they’ve alternately tried to arm-twist and sweet-talk me into rejoining the band, but, y’know, I have no interest in dumbing down something that means as much to me as Dead Kennedys does. I actually care more about the quality and integrity of the songs than they ever did.

Read the rest of the interview here.

Alternative, Artists, Interviews, Rock

Christina promises to still be a hobag for the guys

June 26, 2006 / Captain Capm

Fear not, dude fans of Christina Aguilera. If you’ve been worried about her jazz turn as of late, the pop princess has promised to keep showing her skin for you.

She says, “It’s important to express myself and I think sexuality will always have a role in each record, but I will choose how it fits.”

“The Maxim cover shocked everyone. I like to try new things. The female body is beautiful and as long as it comes across as empowered it’s fine.”

Empowered? As far as I know, the straight group of guys like looking at boobies, butts, and all the rest regardless of any empowerment. But hey, if Christina needs to kid herself with all that talk to make it easier to take the money and run, so be it.

See, I knew guys never liked actually listening to this chick’s music. Then again, I can think of umpteen other women I’d rather look at, clothed or naked, as well.