New CD Releases, June 3: Weezer, Disturbed, Jewel
Weezer "Weezer (The Red Album)"
These alt-rock champs finally return with their sixth studio album, which follows 2005's "Make Believe." The new disc was originally set to hit stores June 24, but the release date was pushed up, reportedly due to popular demand and the intense reaction to the album's first single, "Pork and Beans."
The CD is Weezer's third self-titled disc; the other two are from 1994 and 2001. To help distinguish this album from the previous pair, this release is being referenced as "The Red Album" due to the color of the cover. This strategy has worked in the past; 1994's "Weezer" is known as "The Blue Album" and 2001's disc is called "The Green Album."
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Disturbed "Indestructible"
The metal troupe returns with its fourth studio album. The self-produced "Indestructible" follows 2005's "Ten Thousand Fists."
Disturbed will support "Indestructible" by co-headlining the metal-oriented Rockstar Energy Mayhem Festival. Slipknot is the other headliner for the tour, which also features Dragonforce, Mastodon, Machine Head and several other acts on multiple stages. The trek is set to begin July 9 in Auburn, WA.
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Jewel "Perfectly Clear"
The singer/songwriter/guitarist, who was one of the best-selling female pop artists of the late '90s and early 2000s, is now ready to try her luck in the country game. To start, Jewel will release the country-tinged "Perfectly Clear," a work that was co-produced by John Rich (of Big & Rich).
She'll follow that release by joining Brad Paisley's blockbuster summer tour. The trek, which also features country singers Chuck Wicks and Julianne Hough, is set to kick off June 11 in Albuquerque, NM.
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Aimee Mann "@#%&*! Smilers"
The singer/songwriter is set to drop her seventh studio album, which is said to be a return to form following 2005's concept album, "The Forgotten Arm," and her 2006 holiday collection, "One More Drifter in the Snow." All of the new set's 13 tracks were penned by Mann, with the exception of "True Believer," which was co-written with fellow singer/songwriter Grant Lee Phillips.
Mann is currently supporting "@#%&*! Smilers" on the road. The trek will include stops at Manchester, TN's Bonnaroo (June 15) and Highland Park, IL's Ravinia Festival (Aug. 31).
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Bret Michaels "Rock My World"
Rock fans know Michaels primarily as the frontman for glam-metal act Poison, but millions of others now know him as the star of the popular VH1 TV series, "Rock of Love," during which women compete for his affection.
Capitalizing on his TV popularity, Michaels is now set to release his fourth solo album, "Rock My World," which follows 2005's "Freedom of Sound." Michael's most recent offering with Poison is last year's "Poison'd."
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More new releases:
Ashanti, "The Declaration" (Universal)
Chris Brown, "Exclusive: The Forever Edition" (Jive)
The Byrds, "Live at Royal Albert Hall 1971" (Sundazed)
Brendan James, "The Day is Brave" (Decca)
Ladytron, "Velocifero" (Nettwerk)
Opeth, "Watershed" (Roadrunner)
Sam Phillips, "Don't Do Anything" (Nonesuch)
Radiohead, "The Best of Radiohead" (Capitol)
Gavin Rossdale, "Wanderlust" (Interscope)
Various Artists, "Now That's What I Call Music, Vol. 28" (Capitol)
Amy Winehouse, "Frank: Deluxe Edition" (Universal)
Soundtracks and scores:
"Adding Machine: A Musical" (P.S. Classics)
"Annie: The 30th Anniversary Cast Recordings" (Time Life)
"In the Heights" (Ghostlight)
Guitar Hero: Metallica confirmed for early 2009
And justice for all... Activision quietly announces Guitar Hero: Metallica.
According to a recent SEC filing obtained by GameSpot, Activision said it plans "to publish Guitar Hero: On Tour for the NDS; Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, Guitar Hero: Metallica, and Guitar Hero IV across multiple platforms" in fiscal 2009, which ends March 31, 2009.
With Guitar Hero: On Tour (Jun 22), Guitar Hero: Areosmith (Jun 29), and Guitar Hero: World Tour (Oct. 27) already announced, the statement marks confirmation of an official Metallica version of the popular rhythm game, likely expected after the holidays in early 2009.
'Simpsons' Voices Earn More D'oh
The stars of FOX's endlessly running comedy "The Simpsons" have reached a new contract with 20th Century Fox TV.
While heated negotiations between the "Simpsons" voice cast and their home studio seem to be a near-annual event, this latest pact is a four-year agreement that will earn the actors nearly $400,000 per episode.
According to the industry trade papers, the voices will be back to work on Tuesday (June 3) doing a table read for the show's 20th season.
The 20th season is expected to only include 20 rather than the usual 22 episodes, but this latest set of negotiations could hardly be considered acrimonious. Talks in 2004 delayed the start of the following "Simpsons" season and it has been rumored that the 1998 impasse was so tense the studio contemplated hiring alternative vocal stars.
Key cast members Dan Castellaneta (Homer), Julie Kavner (Marge), Nancy Cartwright (Bart), Yeardley Smith (Lisa), Hank Azaria (Moe) and Harry Shearer (Mr. Burns) are all signed on. In addition, Castellaneta, whose job duties have also included writing in recent years, will add a consulting producer title come fall.
Fall Out Boy Focusing On 'Life Stuff' For Now
Fresh after attending bandmate Pete Wentz's wedding to Ashlee Simpson a few weekends ago, Fall Out Boy guitarist Patrick Stump tells Billboard.com a new album is on the horizon for the pop-punk/emo, act but he's unsure of its arrival date.
"It's one of those things music-wise where the band is really not talking about a record yet, but we're all itching to do one," Stump says. "Actually at the wedding we were like, 'We should do another record.' But I never want to mislead people."
He adds, "So it's weird, because there's been rumors of us doing our next record for a long time, but it kind of comes from a misunderstanding about how we work because we're always writing. We've had material since 'Infinity on High' dropped. So there is plenty just floating around, but it's basically like whenever you're ready to go in and do it again, that's when it happens."
Stump went on to say while the band has more material in the mix than ever before going into record an album, he doesn't know if that will help or hinder the act when it decides to finally enter a studio. What he does know in looking forward is that the project will be different from the band's first three albums, which were all interconnected musically and thematically.
"I don't want to be overly vague, but whenever we do another record, it'll be different from the last one, and it's going to be different from the last three," he says. "I think the new stuff will have a lot of freedom on it, and it's going to be our first just plain old record in a while."
Stump says he wouldn't be surprised if the band ends up playing a few gigs this year. "We always end up playing somewhere," Stump says. "I don't think we want to get rusty, and we're not going away for any length of time. It's weird because it seems like every band is going on indefinite hiatus, and I want to be one of the first bands to say there is nothing hiatus or indefinite about what's going on (with Fall Out Boy) right now."
For now, the members of Fall Out Boy are just doing "life stuff." While it was confirmed recently that Wentz and Simpson are expecting their first child, Stump has been using his time away from the band to produce (Gym Class Heroes, Tyga and the Cab) and dabble in filmmaking.
The 24-year-old Illinois native is currently three days into a five-day shoot for his short feature "The Moustachette," which as actor-writer-director-producer he hopes to have finished this summer. However, Stump isn't sure whether it'll just be a YouTube showing or something bigger.
"It's a satire about the arts," Stump says. "It pulls on a lot of my experiences as a musician, especially in this Perez Hilton blog culture, where there are so many more people who are more interested in the stuff you get out of arts -- the girls you can pick up at parties and the money you get, that type of stuff -- than they are about the actual arts."
Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain's ashes stolen
Kurt Cobain's ashes have apparently been stolen.
According to the News Of The World, the Nirvana frontman's remains – the location of which has previously been kept secret – were taken from the Los Angeles home of his widow Courtney Love.
The ashes were said to have been kept in a "pink teddy bear-shaped bag along with a lock of his hair" and were taken with some jewellery and clothes.
Love is quoted by the paper as saying: "I can't believe anyone would take Kurt's ashes from me. I find it disgusting and right now I'm suicidal. If I don't get them back I don't know what I'll do."
Some of the Nirvana frontman's ashes were previously scattered near his home in Washington State and some at a New York Buddhist temple, with his widow retaining the rest.
She added: "They were all I had left of my husband. I used to take them everywhere with me just so I could feel Kurt was still with me. Now it feels like I have lost him all over again."
'The Second City' founder Paul Sills dies at 80
CHICAGO - Paul Sills, founder of Chicago's famed improvisational comedy group "The Second City," has died at age 80. His wife, Carol Sills, told the Chicago Tribune that Sills died early Monday at his home in Baileys Harbor, Wis., from complications from pneumonia.
The comedy troupe says in a statement on its Web site that Sills' influence on American theater "cannot be exaggerated" and "his work will certainly live on forever."
Sills helped start Second City in 1959. The humor mecca has turned out some of America's best-known comedians, including John Belushi, Bill Murray and Gilda Radner.
Sills' play, "Story Theatre," was nominated for a Tony Award in 1971.
Spokesman: Kelsey Grammer had 'mild' heart attack
LOS ANGELES - A spokesman for Kelsey Grammer says the "Frasier" star is recovering in a Hawaii hospital after a mild heart attack this weekend. Stan Rosenfield says Grammer is "resting comfortably" in an undisclosed hospital after being stricken Saturday. Rosenfield says the 53-year-old actor will be released early this week.
Rosenfield says Grammer — the star of "Cheers," "Frasier" and the recently canceled Fox sitcom "Back to You" — was paddle-boarding with his wife, Camille, when he experienced symptoms.
The couple lives in Kona, on Hawaii's big island.
Rosenfield says Grammer was immediately taken to an area hospital where it was determined that he had suffered a "mild heart attack." The spokesman says he is unaware of any history of heart trouble for Grammer.
Rock pioneer Bo Diddley dies at age 79
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - Bo Diddley, a founding father of rock 'n' roll whose distinctive "shave and a haircut, two bits" rhythm and innovative guitar effects inspired legions of other musicians, died Monday after months of ill health. He was 79.
Diddley died of heart failure at his home in Archer, Fla., spokeswoman Susan Clary said. He had suffered a heart attack in August, three months after suffering a stroke while touring in Iowa. Doctors said the stroke affected his ability to speak, and he had returned to Florida to continue rehabilitation.
The legendary singer and performer, known for his homemade square guitar, dark glasses and black hat, was an inductee into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, had a star on Hollywood's Walk of Fame, and received a lifetime achievement award in 1999 at the Grammy Awards. In recent years he also played for the elder President Bush and President Clinton.
Diddley appreciated the honors he received, "but it didn't put no figures in my checkbook."
"If you ain't got no money, ain't nobody calls you honey," he quipped.
The name Bo Diddley came from other youngsters when he was growing up in Chicago, he said in a 1999 interview.
"I don't know where the kids got it, but the kids in grammar school gave me that name," he said, adding that he liked it so it became his stage name. Other times, he gave somewhat differing stories on where he got the name. Some experts believe a possible source for the name is a one-string instrument used in traditional blues music called a diddley bow.
His first single, "Bo Diddley," introduced record buyers in 1955 to his signature rhythm: bomp ba-bomp bomp, bomp bomp, often summarized as "shave and a haircut, two bits." The B side, "I'm a Man," with its slightly humorous take on macho pride, also became a rock standard.
The company that issued his early songs was Chess-Checkers records, the storied Chicago-based labels that also recorded Chuck Berry and other stars.
Howard Kramer, assistant curator of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, said in 2006 that Diddley's Chess recordings "stand among the best singular recordings of the 20th century."
Diddley's other major songs included, "Say Man," "You Can't Judge a Book by Its Cover," "Shave and a Haircut," "Uncle John," "Who Do You Love?" and "The Mule."
Diddley's influence was felt on both sides of the Atlantic. Buddy Holly borrowed the bomp ba-bomp bomp, bomp bomp rhythm for his song "Not Fade Away."
The Rolling Stones' bluesy remake of that Holly song gave them their first chart single in the United States, in 1964. The following year, another British band, the Yardbirds, had a Top 20 hit in the U.S. with their version of "I'm a Man."
Diddley was also one of the pioneers of the electric guitar, adding reverb and tremelo effects. He even rigged some of his guitars himself.
"He treats it like it was a drum, very rhythmic," E. Michael Harrington, professor of music theory and composition at Belmont University in Nashville, Tenn., said in 2006.
Many other artists, including the Who, Bruce Springsteen and Elvis Costello copied aspects of Diddley's style.
Growing up, Diddley said he had no musical idols, and he wasn't entirely pleased that others drew on his innovations.
"I don't like to copy anybody. Everybody tries to do what I do, update it," he said. "I don't have any idols I copied after."
"They copied everything I did, upgraded it, messed it up. It seems to me that nobody can come up with their own thing, they have to put a little bit of Bo Diddley there," he said.
Despite his success, Diddley claimed he only received a small portion of the money he made during his career. Partly as a result, he continued to tour and record music until his stroke. Between tours, he made his home near Gainesville in north Florida.
"Seventy ain't nothing but a damn number," he told The Associated Press in 1999. "I'm writing and creating new stuff and putting together new different things. Trying to stay out there and roll with the punches. I ain't quit yet."
Diddley, like other artists of his generations, was paid a flat fee for his recordings and said he received no royalty payments on record sales. He also said he was never paid for many of his performances.
"I am owed. I've never got paid," he said. "A dude with a pencil is worse than a cat with a machine gun."
In the early 1950s, Diddley said, disc jockeys called his type of music, "Jungle Music." It was Cleveland disc jockey Alan Freed who is credited with inventing the term "rock 'n' roll."
Diddley said Freed was talking about him, when he introduced him, saying, "Here is a man with an original sound, who is going to rock and roll you right out of your seat."
Diddley won attention from a new generation in 1989 when he took part in the "Bo Knows" ad campaign for Nike, built around football and baseball star Bo Jackson. Commenting on Jackson's guitar skills, Diddley turned to the camera and said, "He don't know Diddley."
"I never could figure out what it had to do with shoes, but it worked," Diddley said. "I got into a lot of new front rooms on the tube."
Born as Ellas Bates on Dec. 30, 1928, in McComb, Miss., Diddley was later adopted by his mother's cousin and took on the name Ellis McDaniel, which his wife always called him.
When he was 5, his family moved to Chicago, where he learned the violin at the Ebenezer Baptist Church. He learned guitar at 10 and entertained passers-by on street corners.
By his early teens, Diddley was playing Chicago's Maxwell Street.
"I came out of school and made something out of myself. I am known all over the globe, all over the world. There are guys who have done a lot of things that don't have the same impact that I had," he said.
Newhart mulls 'Corner Gas' cameo
Theoretically speaking, Bob Newhart is intrigued by the possibility of making a cameo appearance in the Corner Gas series-finale.
"I'd have to see the script, but I've heard of it, yeah," the legendary comedian said of Corner Gas, the creator of which, Brent Butt, jokingly broached the subject of using Newhart in an interview with Sun Media in April.
In a more recent interview with Sun Media, Newhart laughed quite hard -- in a good way, not a sarcastic way -- when told about the door to Corner Gas possibly being open. The series-finale for Newhart's self-titled sitcom Newhart, of course, is the most famous exit in TV history.
"Right now there's an illness in the family that is kind of my focus, unfortunately, so I'm trying to stay at home as much as I can," said Newhart, who is making a very quick trip to Canada this week for two shows at Casino Rama, north of Toronto. "So I don't know. It would depend on when it was, whether it would fit into the time."
But if it merely were a cameo appearance, Newhart might even be able to tape it at home, right?
"Yeah, that's true," said Newhart, 78.
The final moments of the Newhart finale featured Newhart waking up in bed with actress Suzanne Pleshette, who died earlier this year. Pleshette had played Newhart's wife in his earlier series, The Bob Newhart Show, so the joke was that the entire eight-year run of Newhart had been a dream.
Back in April, a day after announcing his decision to shut down Corner Gas, Butt fondly recalled the Newhart finale.
"I don't have a previous series to tap into," said Butt, who also stars in Corner Gas. "But maybe I'll end it with Bob Newhart."
Well, all kidding aside, Bob isn't against the idea.
Over-the-top MTV Movie Awards have smoke, no fire
UNIVERSAL CITY, Calif. - The "Transformers" have another chunk of metal to add to their collection.
The blockbuster about robots in disguise took home the golden popcorn trophy for best film at the MTV Movie Awards on Sunday night, and Johnny Depp won two buckets for best comedic performance and best villain.
Accepting the best film award with director Michael Bay, "Transformers" co-star Megan Fox trotted out some R-rated language to describe how good the film's sequel is going to be. Bay said the film would begin shooting the following day and take place two years after the first film.
And Rainn Wilson — who presented best kiss wearing nothing but a teddy bear — told The Associated Press on the gold carpet that he would play a college professor in "Transformers 2."
"I just love the idea of me being in a giant Michael Bay movie," Wilson said.
A couple of hundred yards downhill, the final remnants of a disastrous fire that ripped through Universal Studios was extinguished as the ceremony got under way.
While there was no mention of the fire, there was definitely smoke during the over-the-top ceremony: Presenters Seth Rogen and James Franco, stars of the upcoming stoner comedy "Pineapple Express," pretended to smoke marijuana before handing out the popcorn trophy for new category of best summer movie so far.
"Kids, don't really smoke fake weed like this," Rogen sarcastically told the crowd at the Gibson Amphitheatre.
As they pulled out the "contraband," the cameras pulled away to a wide angle, staying that way until Rogen and Franco left the stage. The awkward moment made some in the audience laugh, but left Robert Downey Jr. — who accepted the award on behalf of "Iron Man" — with a puzzled look.
"Thanks fellas," he said, "for that intoxicating introduction."
Franco later told the AP backstage that MTV put them up to the joke, but that someone from the network decided at the last minute that they couldn't go through with it. By then, it was too late to pull back.
"MTV wrote it! ... Then backstage there was this big commotion: 'You guys can't say that,'" Franco said. "It says right in the script: 'Lights fake joint.'"
The nearby studio fire broke out 4:30 a.m. on a soundstage featuring a New York brownstone facades at the 400-acre property. It was contained to the lot but burned for more than 12 hours before the final flames were extinguished.
"I actually came here early because I wanted to see it," Chris Brown said before the show. What did he see? "A whole lot of chaos."
Winners were threatened to keep their speeches short by a man resembling Javier Bardem's character from "No Country for Old Men" — complete with the bob hairdo and pneumatic cattle gun. Best female performance winner Ellen Page from "Juno" escaped unscathed, but best fight winners Sean Faris and Cam Gigandet were ushered off stage by the menacing lookalike.
Host Mike Myers and Dana Carvey resurrected their "Saturday Night Live" characters Wayne Campbell and Garth Algar, the cable access hosts of "Wayne's World." They acknowledged it's been awhile since they've been together ("1994. That's a while," said Wayne) and presented a risque top ten list of adult film titles (No. 8: "I Am Legend ... In Bed"; and No. 1 "Iron Man").
The mood backstage was calm as stars schmoozed during the show. Tom Cruise posed for photos with his arm around Ben Stiller while wife Katie Holmes stood a few steps away. She wasn't by herself for long: Sarah Jessica Parker chatted Holmes up, and Sandler and Will Smith both had their children with them behind the scenes.
Depp showed up to accept his trophies for best comedic performance for "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End" and best villain for "Sweeney Todd." While the crowd was visibly excited — including a nearly swooning Diablo Cody — "Superbad" actors Jonah Hill and Rogen shook their fists at Depp and gave him the thumbs down.
Depp kept his first acceptance speech short.
"You can ask anybody," he said quietly. "I'm not a very funny person. I'm not even remotely funny."
Cruise presented Adam Sandler with the Generation Award, the MTV Movie Awards' highest honor, for his various comedic and "stupid" performances over the years. Sandler sang a live version of "Nobody Does It Better" alongside a bevy of backup dancers clad in skintight gold outfits. Among them: Rob Schneider.
Sandler, who took a guitar solo on his gold Les Paul, changed the lyrics to "baby, I'm the best."
"That was probably the most arrogant thing I've ever done," Sandler said, moments after Cruise got on his knees to hand over the golden popcorn.
Coldplay performed "Viva la Vida" amid a flurry of confetti, which at one point found its way in lead singer Chris Martin's mouth. Later, the Pussycat Dolls danced in front of a giant lit-up sign broadcasting the group's name alongside "America's Best Dance Crew" winners JabbaWockeeZ to "When I Grow Up."
Other winners during the ceremony included Smith for best male performance for "I Am Legend"; Zac Efron for best breakthrough performance for "Hairspray"; and Briana Evigan and Robert Hoffman for best kiss in "Step Up 2: The Streets."