iTunes

Music News You Can Use: New Year, Same Ol’ Hype

Thursday, January 15th, 2009

Who’s performing at the Grammys? No surprise here… As if the ‘08 hype wasn’t enough for them, the headlining acts for this year’s Grammy Awards include the Jonas Brothers, Lil’ Wayne, Coldplay, and Kenny Chesney. The ceremony, which has been bitterly dissed in the past in Kanye-esque fashion, will be airing live from Los Angeles on CBS February 8th.

Speaking of which, West in the nude, anyone?… In an effort to pull another empty publicity stunt, Kanye wants to decrease his fan base by posing naked but only after working out for two months. West says in a Vibe interview that having less fans provides more “freedom,” and by revealing his all, he will be breaking “every rule and mentality of hip-hop, of black culture, of American culture.” Just like every (sampled) hit you’ve had, Kanye?

Your iTunes gift cards may be worth more, maybe… Apple Inc. has announced that most songs available on iTunes will go for 69 cents a track, 30 cents cheaper than years past. But the new price comes with more than one catch: songs that are deemed “popular” will be marked up for $1.29, while other songs will be bundled with exclusives and videos, resulted in a hiked price overall. Hmm, your mind games aren’t fooling us, Mr. Jobs (we still send you our best).

Something smells a little Phishy… After an accidental leakage through concert promoter Live Nation, popular jam band Phish have confirmed that they are reuniting for a summer tour, their first in five years. The tour starts June 4 at Wantagh, NY, and ends June 21 at East Troy, WI. Tickets go on sale to the public January 30 at 10 a.m. ET.

Daily News Roundup: And We All Fall Down!

Wednesday, January 7th, 2009

Now that’s what I call a snow bunny! Or a snow . . . Honey! Stop scaring the wildlife! One unlucky skier hopped on a chairlift at Colorado’s Vail Resort and fell overboard. His ski got caught in the lift, leaving him dangling with his pants down for seven excruciatingly cold and embarrassing minutes. (Psst . . . Be thorough. Click through all of the photos for the full story.)

Time-outs? In war? The fighting in Gaza is still underway (12 days later!) . . . minus a three hour ”time-out” period from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. this afternoon when Israel hit the sidelines so Gaza could catch its breath. Israel has agreed to cease fire every other day during the same three-hour time period to give humanitarian aid an opportunity to clean up the opposition. It’s all in the name of sportsmanlike conduct. You know.

Obama will address our economic woe, woe, woes! tomorrow. The president-elect will give a “major speech” tomorrow at 11 a.m. (EST) to call for quick action on his “American Recovery and Investment Plan,” which is anticipated to save or create over three million jobs. Obama announced today that he has appointed Nancy Killefer as his chief performance officer, which he claims is “one of the most important” appointments he’s made yet. Killefer will be responsible for kicking budgetary ass and taking names up in Washington—to which my inner Gwen Stefani says: “Get it, girl. Get it, get it, girl. To the front, to the side, to the back” and don’t let ‘em hide!

iTunes will no longer compete with the 99 cents store. Beginning in April, iTunes will begin pricing its music according to popularity. The latest and greatest songs will be priced at $1.29, and oldies but goodies will go on clearance at 69 cents a pop. In addition, Apple will remove anticopying restrictions from its music so listeners don’t have to use an iPod to move and groove to their fave downloads. Could this be an end to the iMonopoly?

Uh, the Wicked Witch ain’t dead. When NBC’s “Today Show” cut Ann Coulter out of its lineup yesterday, the woman hopped on her broom and had a hissy all over town. When she returned to get her mug on the show this morning, Matt Lauer explained that they shot her down yesterday because Tony Blair suddenly made himself available. “And I think that’s a good switch,” he added. And I think Matt Lauer is my new favorite person.

Kanye and Colbert: The Arrogance Challenge

Tuesday, December 2nd, 2008

On Monday’s “The Colbert Report,” Stephen Colbert called out Kanye West for his arrogance to think he was the voice of this generation in this decade. And to counter West’s superiority complex, Colbert showcased his own and challenged West to an iTunes download sell off. Check out the video.

Music News You Can Use: Detour Fest, Crazy Comebacks, and Mixtape Madness

Thursday, October 2nd, 2008

LA’s third annual Detour Festival is this Saturday, and the lineup looks delish! Come downtown to see a hodgepodge of over thirty indie and electro artists, including The Mars Volta, Gogol Bordello, Shiny Toy Guns and Cut Copy. The fest is from noon to midnight, best believe I’ll be there the whole time! For set times, a map, and tickets, go here. Also, check back with P+P Monday for my review of the all-day event.

Comebacks galore! Brit boys Oasis have issued new tour dates and are streaming their forthcoming album Dig Out Your Soul here. Also, Phish reunion rumors are confirmed; they have announced three shows in Hampton, Va. and will be announcing more shortly. Chris Cornell is collaborating with Timbaland for his upcoming album, Scream (bizaare, indeed). And finally, this one takes the cake: UK punk pioneers The Clash have a self-written biography coming out, which is less than a reunion, but more than I can ask for (yay!).

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