music madness

Concert Planned to Honor Princess Diana

2006-11-27T15:45:00.000-05:00

photo courtesy of rumormillsnews.com

Princes William and Harry are planning a concert next summer for the 10th Anniversary of Princess Diana's Death. Her sons want to have the concert at Wembley Stadium and to have more than 90,000 people to "share in the "upbeat" celebration and benefit—in honor of the princess." All the proceeds from the concert will go to the various charities that Diana supported and to the new charity that William started called Tusk Trust which is an animal conservation project in Africa. The artists have not yet been formally announced but the people feel that Elton John is who the boys want the most. He was a good friend of Diana's and played a special song at her funeral. Other performers that may be invited are: Phil Collins, George Michael, Robbie Williams and Girls Aloud. Although this plan is not set in stone, the boys claim that because of how special music was in their mother's life, they think that this is a great way to honor her.

Elton John Sick at Concert

2006-11-27T12:37:00.000-05:00

photo courtesy of sawf.org

Elton John, the 59 year old pop star had to leave the stage during his concert in Brisbane over the weekend, because he felt ill. He walked off the stage without a word and and was gone for about 5 min. His guitarist played a impromptu solo for the five minutes he was gone. Once he returned he told the audience that ""I thought I'd better chunder in the toilet (rather) than all over the front row. " He started feeling better and successfully finished the show. His spokeswoman said that he suffering from a stomach upset. "He got it out and got on with it," she said." (quotes courtesy of smh.com)

Taylor Swift, A Newcomer to the Country Music Scene

2006-11-22T14:26:00.000-05:00

photo courtesy of gactv.com

Taylor Swift is a 16 year old girl who has become one of Country Music's newest stars. Although many don't think that she is old enough, she has just begun to prove them wrong. She released a self-titled album last month, and its hit single "Tim McGraw" hit # 14 on Billboard Charts. "It's a song about two people who fall in love to a McGraw song, break up and are reminded of each other whenever they hear the tune." (courtesy of yahoonews.com) She wrote or co-wrote all 11 songs on the album and has recently been selected to open for George Strait on his tour. She also has opened for Rascal Flatts in a crowd of over 10,000. She says that "Intimidated? "Not by any measure," she says. "I'm intimidated by the fear of being average. and says that 'If you have a calling for it and are ready for it, more power to you. For me, the time is right " (courtesy of yahoonews.com)

Jeremy Camp

2006-11-20T13:50:00.000-05:00

photo courtesy of ccauthority.com

Jeremy Camp is a popular contemporary Christian Artist who has taken the industry by storm. He is not yet 30, but has really become one of the Christian Music Industries favorites. His last three albums have all gone gold and he was named ASCAP's Christian songwriter of the year in both 2005 and 2006. He has won various music awards such as a bunch of Dove Awards. His first album "Stay" catapulted him into the spotlight. The heartbreaking story of his young wife dying of cancer at the age of 21 is very evident in a lot of the lyrics of that first album. His newest Cd "Beyond Measure" hit # 2 on Billboard Charts. " I think it's the whole personal aspect," Camp says, trying to explain what has propelled an Indiana preacher's kid into a successful music career. "I've always been real honest in my music and real honest when I play live," he says. "I've always just written my heart and allowed God to do what he wanted to do." (courtesy of yahoo.news.com)

Michael Jackson's Shameful Comeback

2006-11-19T16:49:00.000-05:00

photo courtesy of michael-jackson.com

Michael Jackson had his first comeback appearance since all of the court cases blaming him for child molestation last year. His concert was Wednesday, November 15th but critics are saying that it was a flop. He appeared in Britian at an awards ceremony for an award for "Thriller"but critics say that "he reached for the higher notes he appeared to struggle, and mid-song the sound was inexplicably cut" and "It was enough to make you cry. And not in a good way." (courtesy of yahoonews.com) Many had hoped for a good comeback but Jackson just hasn't pulled through. "However many times he told us he loved us (and there were many) -- and however much we yelled and screamed and pinched ourselves, his performance was a shambles." (courtesy of yahoonews.com)

Josh Gracin and Wife Welcome Their 3rd Child

2006-11-19T14:05:00.000-05:00

photo courtesy of countrymusic.about.com

Popular Country Music Star and American Idol Contestant, Josh Gracin and wife Ann Marie, welcomed their 3rd child into their home on Wednesday, November 15th. They named their new little girl Gabriella Ann Gracin who weighed 7 lbs and 12 ounces. The Gracins have two other children Briana 4 and Landon 15 months. Josh Gracin is expected to release his second album, "All About Ya'll" in a few months. The hit single from this Cd has already been released, it is called "I Keep Coming Back."

Chris Robinson and Kate Hudson to Divorce

2006-11-18T22:12:00.000-05:00

photo courtesy of side2.no.com

Chris Robinson, lead singer for the Black Crowes and Kate Hudson, a popular actress have announced their divorce due to "irreconciable differences." Robinson who is 39 and Hudson who is 27, have been married for six years. They have been separated since August, and Robinson who filed for the divorce is reportedly filing for custody of their son Ryder Russell Robinson who is almost 3. Hudson is then daughter of Goldie Hawn and has starred in hits such as "Almost Famous" "How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days" and "You, Me and Dupree."

Mandy Moore to Return to Music

2006-11-18T21:52:00.000-05:00

photo courtesy of e-officaldirect.com
Mandy Moore has announced that she will be returning to the music business after taking a leave of absence to pursue her acting career. She has starred in "Saved" and "American Dreamz." She also starred in the movies "Dedication" and "Because I Said So" which have to yet opened. She is beginning to record a new album which will be her first since 2003. She says "I`m so excited to be back and making music. It`s my first love, "I`ve been really concentrating on movies for the last couple of years and the opportunities keep coming in, but I kind of believe everything happens for a reason. It`s time to do this." (courtesy of music.monstersandcritics.com) She says that one of her goals is "to have a product that sounds just as good live as it does on record." (courtesy of music.monstersandcritics.com) She hopefully plans to release the album in April.

Brad Paisley Starting New Album

2006-11-13T15:41:00.000-05:00

*photo courtesy of rhapsody.com

Brad Paisley, a popular country singer has announced that he will start working on a new album this month. He says that "I've written some things for it, and I like them so far," he says. "That journey is always the one [that] shapes the tour. And then you can go out and find some cool lights, gadgets and explosions or whatever you need to make the show work." (courtesy of cmt.com) He recently won two awards at the CMA Awards and his wife is pregnant with their first child. He seems to be a pretty busy guy to be starting the new album but I am sure that it will be a huge success. He says "The thing that I think about daily -- and I never lose sight of this -- is it's about songs. It really is. And people can lose sight of that when they do these tours. They put all their money into production, but what I need is more hit records. The show evolves, thanks to hit records." He says that he is trying to keep in mind what the audience wants " I know what they want even better than I used to. I know what those folks in those first few rows are wanting to hear, if they haven't heard it. I feel that I'm more connected to these fans, and I'm able to write a little more personally and apply it to them." (courtesy of cmt.com)

Kelly Pickler Hits # 1

2006-11-12T19:38:00.000-05:00

photo courtesy of reviews.ebay.com

American Idol contestant Kelly Pickler but was voted off after reaching the final six. She is known for her southern drawl and bubbly personality. Most American Idol contestants that do not win, are not very successful in their music career's. Kelly Pickler however is among the few exceptions. "It was a little scary because it made me wonder, Am I going to fall into that same group because I wasn't first runner-up or the winner?"' Pickler wondered in her now-famous Southern drawl. (courtesy of newsday.com) She has signed a deal with Sony BMG in Nashville two weeks after she was voted off the show, and her debut album, "Small Town Girl," hit number one on the country Billboards this week.

Britney Spears and K-Fed File for Divorce

2006-11-10T13:30:00.000-05:00

photo courtesy of mp3.com

Britney Spears and husband Kevin Federline are gettting a divorce due to what they say are "irreconcilable differences." They have two young songs together, a one year-old Sean Preston and 2 month old Jayden James. Spears have filled for custody of the boys with Federline having reasonable visitation rights, but is not filing for child support. K-Fed is supposedly also trying to gain custody of the boys. This news came out right after Spears appeared on the Late Show and a week after Federline's album came out "Playing with Fire" on which Britney sings duets with him.

Faith Hill's Reaction at CMA Awards

2006-11-09T15:09:00.000-05:00

photo courtesy of http://msnbcmedia.msn.com

Faith Hill was nominated for Best Female Vocalist of the Year at this year's CMA Awards along with Carrie Underwood, Sara Evans, Gretchen Wilson, and Martina McBride. When Carrie Underwood was announced as the winner of this category Faith Hill had a less than nice way to show her frustration. Her outburst was caught on camera, and is the talk of my debate around the country. Hill claims that her outburst was a joke, a "playful" way to joke around. Her manager and The CMA Board both back her up saying "I've worked with Faith for many years now, and the idea that she would ever insult or undermine another artist, let alone another human being's success, is absolutely preposterous," Borman said. "Those who know her know that she's incapable of such actions. She was being playful while the nominations were being read and playful after." (courtesy of cmt.com) You can watch her reaction video courtesy of YouTube.

Diddy Wants To Be First Black James Bond

2006-11-06T22:17:00.000-05:00

photo courtesy of www.bejata.com

P Diddy announced at the MTV Europe Music Awards that he would love to star in a movie as the first black James Bond. He starred in Monster Ball five years ago, but that is the only acting experience he has had so far. He says "One day the time will come for a black Bond, and hopefully I can audition for it. It's a dream of mine to play a great role like that." He said that he should get the role in the future, but he said that "I love the Bond they have now. He's a great actor and I think they made a great choice." (courtesy of news.yahoo.com)

Green Day Sued Over "American Idiot"

2006-11-05T20:26:00.000-05:00

photo courtesy of greenday.com

Green Day's hit song, "American Idoit" has been called into copyright question by a grocery clerk, Paul McPike who says that he wrote the lyrics and the music back in 1992. He claims that he sang the song in a school talent show and that somehow the band got a tape of it. He wants some of the songs profits and claims "It was just disbelief every time I heard it on the radio." (courtesy of news.yahoo.com) The case for now might be dismissed because of lack of evidence but McPike is allowed to file an amended lawsuit, with any additional evidence. Green Day has a charity single coming out on Novemeber 6th called "The Saints are Coming"

Churches Playing U2 in Communion Services

2006-11-05T15:51:00.000-05:00

photo courtesy of rhapsody.com

Over 150 churches in 15 U.S. States have started playing songs by U2 with corresponding slides alongwith the other music played. The new trend called "U2Charist" named after the band and the Eucharist has become a popular trend in Episcopalian Churches. The first service in the United States was held on July 31, 2005 in York Harbor Maine at Reverend Blair's church. "She explained: "Bach and Handel were the popular music of their day, and they had trouble getting played in church. The Methodist hymn writers once wrote contemporary music. Are we worshiping Bono? Absolutely not. No more so than we worship Martin Luther when we sing 'A Mighty Fortress Is Our God.' 'The content of the U2Charist apparently varies from church to church, but a key part is an offering for Bono's campaign to eradicate extreme poverty and global AIDS. (courtesy of news.yahoo.com)" This is definitely a very different way to conduct a communion service.

CMA Awards

2006-11-04T18:06:00.000-05:00

photo courtesy of cmaawards.org

The 40th Annual CMA awards show, will appear on ABC Monday, November 6th at 8/7c. The award show will be hosted by Brooks and Dunn a popular country music band who is also nominated for "Entertainer of the Year." The categories in which awards are given range from songwriters, singers, songs, videos, directors, albums and radio stations. The first CMA awards were handed out in 1967. It is country music's biggest night and one of the industry's most prestigious honors for the artists, songwriters, producers and publishers to receive.

David Bowie to Appear on SpongeBob

2006-10-29T16:42:00.000-05:00

photo courtesy of artistdirect.com

David Bowie, a popular rock n' roll star is going to star on an episode of SpongeBob Squarepants. His character for his appearance will be named Lord Royal Highness and is supposed to air sometime next year. He says that he is "thrilled" to be guest starring on the show. "Bowie commented: "It's happened. At last. I've hit the Holy Grail of animation gigs" (courtesy of news.yahoo.com)
Bowie also appeared in the movie "The Prestige" released earlier this month which is still in theaters. It has become one of the most popular movies in theaters at the time.

Aiken Appearing on "Days of Our Lives"

2006-10-29T15:07:00.000-05:00

photo courtesy of photo.sing365.com

Clay Aiken, runner up in the second season of "American Idol," will be appearing on the hit soap opera "Days of Our Lives" and singing two songs on the show. The two songs are one from his new album "A Thousand Different Ways" and "O Holy Night" from his 2004 CD "Merry Christmas with Love" CD. The episode he will be on is scheduled to air December 22. Aiken is a native of Raleigh NC and the 27 year old has been having a very successful music career ever since debuting on the show, with his fans being called "claymates." His newest CD "A Thousand Different Ways" was released earlier this year.

Snoop Dogg Arrested Yet Again

2006-10-29T14:43:00.000-05:00

photo courtesy of music.msn.com

Snoop Dogg, aka Calvin Broadus, a popular rapper and movie star, was arrested last Thursday on " suspicion of being a felon in possession of a gun and of transporting marijuana." Officers approached him for an "unspecified vehicle code violation in the passenger loading and unloading zone, and then discovered a gun and marijuana in his vehicle." He has been released on 35,000 dollars bond, and is scheduled to go to court on December 12. His attorney says "There was no basis for this arrest, We believe that once this is cleared up, all charges will be dismissed." This is Snoop Dogg's second arrest in 2 months this , he was arrested earlier for trying to board a plane with a "collapsible 21-inch police baton". (all quotes courtesy of mtv.com)

Former Backstreet Boy and Boyfriend Receive Threats

2006-10-26T18:21:00.000-05:00

photo courtesy of chinadaily.com

Lance Bass, a former Backstreet Boy (who announced in July that he was gay) and his partner Reichen Lehmkuhl (winner of The Amazing Race season 4) have been receiving threats. Lehmkuhl,served in the Air Force and was released on honorable discharge five years ago. He also has debuted on soap operas and sitcoms over the years. He says "There was definitely an institutionalized acceptance of people being homophobic and telling gay jokes and making homophobic remarks - really, really mean homophobic remarks to the point of, 'Kill gay people," (courtesy of jam.canoe.ca) The pair has been receiving threats because of Lehmkuhl being gay and being in the military. "There are threats that come in from people who do not want me to be so public and expose what is going on in the military." (courtesy of jam.canoe.ca) The threats are forwarded to their security and the more serious threats are even given to the FBI. Lehmkuhl has also written a book entitled "Here's What We'll Say: Growing Up, Coming Out, and the U.S. Air Force Academy."

Inducted into the Hall of Fame

2006-10-25T19:50:00.000-05:00

Photo courtesy of cmt.com

Jimmy Buffet, Hugh Prestwood, and Jim Weatherly were all inducted on Sunday October 22, into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame. Buffet was inducted into the songwriter-artist category and honored by "Big and Rich" singing his own song "Margaritaville." Weatherly and Prestwood were both inducted into the songwriter category. Prestwood has written songs for big hits such as Trisha Yearwood, Randy Travis, and Shenandoah. Weatherly has written hit songs for Gladys Knight & the Pips and Bryan White. This award show is followed by the CMA's which take place on November 6.

Sara Evans and her divorce

2006-10-25T17:48:00.000-05:00

photo courtesy of accesshollywood.com

Sara Evans, a popular country music star and recent contest on "Dancing With the Stars", has filed for divorce from her husband, Craig Schelske. Evans quit the show Dancing With the Stars, because she feels she needs to deal with the divorce, but most importantly be with her kids. "Sara alleges in court documents that Craig is guilty of verbal abuse, harassment, excessive consumption of alcohol and adultery" (courtesy of insideronline.com) She also wants custody of their three kids. Evans has also claimed that her husband inappropriate pictures of himself with other women on his computer. Schelske however "has requested that his wife and her attorneys immediately reveal what factual basis they had to make such vicious and untrue allegations. Believing that they have no adequate factual basis for the outrageous claims, he has requested that sanctions be imposed under law and that the allegations be stricken from the record." (courtesy of insideronline.com)

Keith Urban in Rehab

2006-10-22T12:25:00.000-05:00

photo courtesy of msnbcmedia.msn.com

Keith Urban, the popular country music star checked himself into a rehab facility with wife Nicole Kidman by his side. He said that he is sorry for all the pain this has caused. "I deeply regret the hurt this has caused Nicole and the ones that love and support me,' said Keith. 'One can never let one's guard down on recovery, and I'm afraid that I have. With the strength and unwavering support I am blessed to have from my wife, family and friends, I am determined and resolved to a positive outcome."(courtesy of cmt.com) His most recent concerts have been cancelled. His new CD, "Love, Pain and the Whole Crazy Thing" is still scheduled to be released on November 7th nationwide and his hit single from that CD "Once in a Lifetime" is at #6 on the Billboard Charts. Hopefully, Urban will successfully overcome this addiction and will soon once again by gracing the stage and our ears for his fans.

Goo Goo Dolls

2006-10-19T15:21:00.000-05:00

photo courtesy of krltfm.com

The Goo Goo Dolls recently released their newest album called "Let Love In" which is the bands eighth album. They have been together as a band since 1986, and have had several multi-platinum albums and top songs. The bands lead singer, Rzeznik, went back to his hometown to write some of the songs. He says that "When you drive down the street and you see the park and the bleachers where you first kissed a girl, you drive passed the house you grew up in...you see the post office where your father worked...It gives you a lot of hope and perspective." There song "Better Days" on Let Love In, "was adopted by CNN as an anthem of sorts for the hurricane recovery efforts following Hurricane Katrina." (Courtesy of googoodolls.com)

Tim McGraw Starring in Flicka

2006-10-16T20:20:00.000-05:00

photo courtesy of filmweb.no

Tim McGraw, a popular country music star, is starring in another big screen movie. "Flicka," is a story about a teenage girl who finds a wild horse on her parent's ranch. Although he father (McGraw) forbids her to ride the horse, because he is so wild, she does anyway, and names him Flicka. The movie is the story of how his daughter wants to prove to her father that she is capable of one day taking over the family ranch. McGraw's song "My Little Girl" debuts in the movie. The soundtrack for the movie is also available. He has won numerous awards such as ACM Award- Single & Song of the Year, People's Choice Awards - Favorite Country Male Artist, Grammy's- Best Male Country Vocal Performance, CMT Awards- Most Inspiring Video- "Live Like You Were Dying") just in 2005 alone. He is also married to successful country artist Faith Hill.