Jewel shines "Again & Again & Again"
NEW YORK (Billboard) - The last time we all saw Jewel, she was prancing in red vinyl shorts and a white tank top.
Her "I'm a naughty firefighter" look in the video for "Intuition," the hit from her last album, "0304," was a bit of a departure for Jewel, to say the least, and one that seemed to confuse her fans, who had come to associate the singer-songwriter with a more earthy-granola type of beauty.
In a career that her label, Atlantic Records, says has seen her sell more than 25 million albums worldwide, "0304" was her first release not to go platinum in the United States.
It's understandable, then, that fans, radio programmers, retailers and seemingly anyone else with an interest in Jewel's career are pleased to hear the first single from her new album, "Goodbye Alice in Wonderland," due May 2.
The song, "Again and Again," leaves behind the synth-driven dance-pop of "Intuition" in favor of the sincere ruminations and guitar licks that first put her on the map.
BACK TO BASICS
"Again and Again" is already climbing the charts on adult top 40 radio, where it is approaching the top 15. And the video is back-to-basics Jewel: a plain white shirt and a pretty, catchy, soul-searching tune.
But to really succeed -- to exceed expectations for this last album of her Atlantic contract -- she'll need more than a hit song. Every album Jewel has released since her debut, the seven-times platinum "Pieces of You," has sold roughly half as many copies as the one before it.
"Intuition" was a top five radio single, but it was a tough sell for fans.
"Once you're known as an authentic, earthy artist, the audience has a little bit of a lower threshold for reinvention," says Daniel Anstandig, vice president of adult formats at radio consultancy McVay Media. "A sudden change in character is a reinvention of a person (who) fans thought they knew."
To Jewel's credit, the "Intuition" video -- with made-up Jewel logos branding elaborately choreographed, everyday scenarios such as buying a hot dog or walking past some firemen -- was meant to mock the branding of pop stars. But when the single and video were launched simultaneously with a Jewel-branded Schick women's razor -- the product line was called "Intuition" and a commercial featured the song -- Jewel's "joke" became a little less funny.
"That probably threw the whole thing off," Jewel acknowledges. "But at the time, I didn't own the whole song and it was just beyond my control."
Not that she's apologizing: "S--- happens," she says of the whole affair. And "0304" remains one of her favorite recordings.
"Anyone that really listened heard a smart record with good storytelling," she says. "I didn't fluff out or compromise; if I was going, 'Ooh baby baby' or 'Come on, uh-huh, uh-huh,' we might all worry about me. But I was getting into electronic music and dance remixes. I can't believe people didn't get it."
'WILD JOURNEY'
The new album is a melodic goodbye -- to her 20s, to 10 years in the music business and to her first record label contract.
The 13 tracks chronologically survey the artist's journey from the plains of Alaska to the streets of Los Angeles and the complexities that have marked each step. Jewel says "Goodbye" is "the most autobiographical work I have made" since her first record.
"This record is a chronicle of my life, from being raised in isolation on a ranch to seeing Hollywood for the first time to the elixir of being signed to a label and going on a wild journey," she says. "Now, I'm looking at it full circle, living on a ranch in Stephenville, Texas." The singer says she spent a lot of time sequencing the album, "like a novel with a beginning, middle and end, so that it tells a story."
As always, her lyrics are awash with enough gray metaphors to question whether those life experiences have been largely pro or con. "People tell me it's either the happiest record I've ever made or the saddest," she says.
"I titled it 'Goodbye Alice in Wonderland' because a lot of the songs deal with letting go of fantasies or fairy tales and trying to see reality without becoming disillusioned or bitter," she explains. "The message is that I've been through some of my hardest times, but also some of the most rewarding."
As usual, Jewel didn't write on-demand for the album. She tapped into her catalog of some 500 songs to shape the direction of "Goodbye."
"I'm constantly writing, so I never have to actually sit down and write a record," she says. "If there is a tempo or a theme missing, I'll write to fill that spot, but generally, with all of my records, I go back to things I have written in the past."
AT THE CROSSROADS
Jewel seems to be taking the success of her new single and her career crossroads in stride. When she recorded "Pieces of You," she was just turning 20. Now, at 31, "there is an introspection taking place," she says. "These albums are like bookends."
So far, she has not signed another long-term record contract. And once her support of "Alice" is complete, she intends to apply gentle pressure to the brakes, and decide if the economics and necessary commitments make sense for her to sign another long-term contract.
"The game gets tiring for me," she says. "I am very committed to this record, but after that, I don't want to stay as visible. I'd like to put out some smaller records, maybe a jazz standard or a country record. I've been competitive my whole life, and now I'd like to work out of my house more. I might even start looking into having a family in a couple years."
Neil Young to Release "Living With War" as Digital Download Album on May 2nd; CD in Stores in Early May
BURBANK, CA--(MARKET WIRE)--Apr 24, 2006 -- On May 2nd, Neil Young will release "Living With War" -- a 10-song collection that the artist describes as a "metal folk protest" -- as a digital download album. The full release will be made available for streaming at Young's website -- www.neilyoung.com -- on April 28th. In addition, the lyrics to a different song are being posted each day on the website through April 27th.
In an unprecedented release pattern, the compact disc will be sent to retail outlets as soon as copies can be manufactured in early May. Young feels the best way for this music to be understood is to be heard in its entirety.
"This album is about exchanging ideas," Young told CNN in a live interview last week on the steps of Warner Bros./Reprise Records in Burbank. "It's about getting a message out. It's about empowering people by giving them a voice. I know not everyone believes what I say is what they think, but red and blue is not black and white. We're all together. It's a record about unification."
"Living With War" has already set fans and the media abuzz over the Internet due to its reflections on the Iraqi war and the turmoil in this country. It was written and recorded in two weeks with Young on electric guitar, vocals and harmonica, Chad Cromwell on drums, Rick Rosas on bass, and Tommy Bray on trumpet, along with a 100-member choir. One choir member, speaking to a British newspaper, said the recording session was "like being at a 12-hour peace rally."
It is not the first time the 60-year-old Canadian has touched on current events in his songwriting. In 2002, Young released "Let's Roll," a tribute to the passengers who died taking down the hijackers on United Flight 93 over Pennsylvania on September 11, and in 1970 wrote and recorded with Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young the song "Ohio," after four students were killed by the National Guard during a peace rally at Kent State University.
'NICE' GIRLS FINISH FIRST
The Dixie Chicks have their highest new entry on the Billboard Hot 100, thanks to the first-week availability of "Not Ready to Make Nice" (Columbia) as a paid digital download. The song bows on the big chart at No. 28, surpassing the No. 40 debut of "Goodbye Earl" in March 2000.
"Not Ready to Make Nice" is the first Dixie Chicks song to appear on the Hot 100 since "Travelin' Soldier" marched to No. 25 in March 2003. The trio first appeared on this chart in 1998 (with "I Can Love You Better") and has had 15 chart entries between 1998-2003, never missing a year until lead singer Natalie Maines made a comment about President Bush that offended many country music fans.
In its first week on the Hot 100, "Not Ready to Make Nice" already ranks as the sixth highest-ranked song of the group's 16 chart entries. The five Dixie Chicks songs that have achieved a higher rank are:
"Cowboy Take Me Away," No. 27 (2000)
"Goodbye Earl," No. 19 (2000)
"Long Time Gone," No. 7 (2002)
"Landslide," No. 7 (2003)
"Travelin' Soldier," No. 25 (2003)
Favreau brings 'Iron Man' to life on big screen
LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Actor-turned-director Jon Favreau ("Elf") will develop and direct a big-screen adaptation of "Iron Man," a Marvel Studios project based on the comic book about an armored hero with issues.
The project originally was set up at New Line with Nick Cassavetes directing.
In the comic, Iron Man's real identity is that of billionaire industrialist Tony Stark, who develops an armored suit that lets him fly and shoot "repulsor rays." The comic debuted in the 1960s, and Iron Man's origin involved Stark being a prisoner of the Viet Cong. The comic evolved into Stark fighting spies, both political and industrial, while also battling alcoholism.
Favreau, who appeared as "Foggy Nelson" in Marvel's 2003"Daredevil" movie, most recently directed the effects-heavy family adventure movie "Zathura: A Space Adventure." Notwithstanding that picture, his sensibilities have been to eschew computer-imaging in favor of an almost retro aesthetic, but "Iron Man" will see him changing his tune.
"I've always been very reticent to use CGI to the extent that it has been used by other filmmakers," Favreau said in an interview. "I think that now, through motion-capture and the integration of miniatures with CGI, like in 'King Kong,' I'm starting to be a lot more convinced by what the technology can do. But the idea of using CGI and relying solely on that to tell your story, those days are past. I think that integrating practical filmmaking and augmenting it with CGI is the key to making it an emotionally involved story."
"Iron Man" will be Favreau's next movie, and he hopes to go behind the camera early next year.
Williams set to drive "RV" to box office peak
LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - On the last weekend before the first big guns of May reach the silver screen, led by "Mission: Impossible III," four new wide releases hope to pull in some respectable numbers.
The Robin Williams family comedy "RV" is the front-runner to take the top spot from reigning champ "Silent Hill," but it could be pipped by the September 11 drama "United 93."
Sony's PG-rated "RV," the widest release among the weekend's new contenders with 3,639 venues, stars Williams as a father who takes his dysfunctional family on a two-week vacation to the Colorado Rockies in the titular vehicle. Barry Sonnenfeld directed; Jeff Daniels and Cheryl Hines co-star.
Universal Pictures' "United 93" debuts in 1,795 locations -- the fewest theaters among the weekend's new wide openings. Paul Greengrass directed the R-rated film, which centers on the fourth plane hijacked on September 11, 2001, which didn't reach its intended target because of the courage of the passengers.
"United 93" is moviegoers' first choice among the new films this weekend, according to industry observers, but it remains to be seen whether that will translate into ticket sales. Most observers have the film finishing second, but a few said there was an outside chance it could pull a surprise upset.
Reviews for "United 93" have been overwhelmingly positive, and the picture is skewing slightly older, which is to be expected considering its rating and subject matter.
Another wild card is Lionsgate's "Akeelah and the Bee," an inspirational drama starring Keke Palmer as a precocious 11-year-old girl from South Central Los Angeles who earns a spot in the Scripps National Spelling Bee. Angela Bassett and Laurence Fishburne also star. Early tracking has the film landing in the third slot.
The film also is the first out of the gate in Starbucks' national film promotion deal with Lionsgate. The coffee purveyor has been running an extensive marketing campaign in its 8,300 stores in North America, including sales of the film's soundtrack. "Akeelah" is bowing in 2,195 venues and carries a family-friendly PG rating. Doug Atchison wrote and directed the film.
Disney's "Stick It," starring Missy Peregrym as a troubled girl who imports the idea of rebellion into the regimented world of competitive gymnastics, is tracking poorly.
The PG-13 film, which is opening in 2,038 sites, is aimed primarily at young females. It was directed and written by Jessica Bendinger, who also wrote "Bring It On," the cheerleading comedy that turned into a sleeper hit with an opening of $17.4 million, finishing with $68.4 million.
Eastwood Finishing a Pair of War Films
TOKYO - As a kid, Clint Eastwood watched his share of war movies. Later on, he starred in them. But now, as he puts the finishing touches on a pair of films about the bloody World War II battle for Iwo Jima, he says he has a changed perspective.
"It was always one-sided. There were good guys on one side," the 75-year-old actor-director said in a news conference Friday. "Life isn't like that."
To get in both sides of the story, Eastwood has spent the past year working on two movies.
The first, "Flags of Our Fathers," follows the story of the U.S. troops famously photographed raising the flag at Iwo Jima. The second, in Japanese and with a predominantly Japanese cast, focuses on the general who lost the battle and the young soldiers who died following his orders.
"I think those soldiers deserve a certain amount of respect," Eastwood said. "I feel terrible for both sides in that war, and in all wars. A lot of innocent people get sacrificed."
"Flags of Our Fathers," based on the best-selling book by James Bradley, is set for release in August. "Red Sun, Black Sand," starring Ken Watanabe, comes out in December.
Eastwood traveled to the tiny, remote island last April to get a firsthand view of the former battle site. Sixty years after Japan's surrender, Iwo Jima remains uninhabited, except for a few scattered military bases.
Any activity on the island is potentially controversial because Iwo Jima is considered by many to be hallowed ground — nearly 7,000 American troops and more than 20,000 Japanese died in the battle from February to March 1945, and the bodies of thousands of soldiers remain unaccounted for.
But Eastwood's project got the blessing of veterans groups and the Tokyo government, which has jurisdiction of the island, located 700 miles south of Tokyo.
Eastwood stressed that his movies are about the people, not the battle.
"It's not about winning or losing, but mostly about the interrupted lives of young people, and losing their lives before their prime," he said. "These men deserve to be seen, and heard from."
Eastwood said he enjoyed working with the Japanese cast, who spoke virtually no English.
"It was a pleasure to do, even though I didn't understand a word they were saying," he said.
BNL, McLachlan, others form coalition
TORONTO (CP) - The Barenaked Ladies, Avril Lavigne, Sarah McLachlan, Billy Talent and Broken Social Scene are among musicians who have banded together to form a new politically minded coalition.
The Canadian Music Creators Coalition said it wants to have its own voice on any proposals for music-related laws such as copyright reform.
In a joint statement, the coalition said some musicians are tired of having multinational record labels speak on their behalf about "what Canadian artists need out of copyright."
"Record companies and music publishers are not our enemies, but let's be clear: lobbyists for major labels are looking out for their shareholders and seldom speak for Canadian artists," the coalition's statement said.
Groups like the Canadian Recording Industry Association, which represents labels such as Sony-BMG and Warner, have been lobbying the federal government for years to change laws in order to curb the amount of music downloaded for free online. Some of the proposed changes could lead to lawsuits against music fans who take songs for free from peer-to-peer networks or burn CDs from friends.
"The labels have been suing our fans against our will, and laws enabling these suits cannot be justified in our names," the group wrote. "We oppose any copyright reforms that would make it easier for record companies to do this."
The coalition also spoke out against digital locks on CDs and digital songs that prevent fans from easily transferring the music to a host of players such as iPods.
Other members of the coalition include Chantal Kreviazuk, Sum 41, Stars, Our Lady Peace's Raine Maida, the Rheostatics' Dave Bidini, Sloane and Blue Rodeo co-founder Bob Wiseman.
O'Donnell to Replace Vieira on 'The View'
NEW YORK - Rosie O'Donnell is expected to make a surprise return to daytime television by taking over exiting Meredith Vieira's slot on the talk show "The View."
O'Donnell's appointment was reported Thursday by the newsmagazine "Extra." It was confirmed by a person close to the show who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because "The View" wanted to make the announcement on Friday's show.
ABC officials declined comment on the report on Thursday.
Dubbed "The Queen of Nice" when her syndicated talk show went on the air in 1996 and became an instant hit, O'Donnell won six Daytime Emmy Awards in six years as best talk-show host. She left the show to help raise four children with her partner, Kelli Carpenter O'Donnell.
It's an important appointment for "The View," which was created by Barbara Walters. Vieira's news background helped make her the solid center of the program on the days Walters didn't appear on air.
But Vieira joined the game of musical anchor chairs that began when Katie Couric chose to move to the "CBS Evening News." NBC quickly named Vieira as her replacement on the "Today" show, where she will begin work in September.
Joy Behar and Star Jones Reynolds, who have been bickering at each other lately, are also members of "The View" round-table, along with Elisabeth Hasselbeck. They're nominated together in the best talk-show host category at Friday's Daytime Emmy Awards.
"I think every agent in America is calling," Walters told The Associated Press shortly after Vieira's departure was announced on April 6.
O'Donnell has acted in a variety of movie, TV and stage shows, including the films "A League of Their Own" and "Sleepless in Seattle," and "Grease" on Broadway.
She should have no problem holding her own with the other ladies on "The View." Since leaving daytime television, O'Donnell has become a strong advocate of gay and lesbian marriage and adoption. With her partner, she operates a cruise line for gay and lesbian families that was recently featured in an HBO movie.