New CD Releases, October 28: The Cure, John Legend, Pink, Toby Keith, and Snow Patrol
The Cure "4:13 Dream" (Geffen)
The legendary modern-rock troupe is set to release its 13th full-length album. The offering, "4:13 Dream," is The Cure's first collection of new music since 2004's "The Cure."
The band, which consists of iconic vocalist Robert Smith, guitarist Porl Thompson, bassist Simon Gallup and drummer Jason Cooper, has already given fans a healthy taste of the new album. Since May, The Cure has released four singles from "4:13 Dream": "The Only One," "Freakshow," "Sleep When I'm Dead" and "The Perfect Boy."
The group reportedly recorded 33 songs for "4:13 Dream" and originally intended to release it as a double album. As it turned out, the single-disc work due to hit record stores features only 13 tracks, which has led some to speculate that a companion piece to "4:13 Dream" might be in the cards.
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John Legend "Evolver" (Sony)
The Ohio-born R&B star drops the follow-up to 2006's "Once Again." The first single from "Evolver" is the track "Green Light," which hit radio waves in late July.
"Evolver" features guest appearances by OutKast's Andre 3000, hip-hop/soul singer Estelle, pop singer Brandy and rapper Kanye West, who also lends his skills on the production end, along with Will.I.Am and The Neptunes.
Hopefully, all of that will help "Evolver" meet, or exceed, the high expectations set with "Once Again." That earlier offering helped further establish Legend as one of soul's top vocalists; it sold more than 231,000 copies during its first week in stores, entered The Billboard 200 album chart at No. 3, peaked at No. 1 on the R&B Album chart and earned the singer a Grammy award for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance (for "Heaven").
Legend will support "Evolver" with a 14-city tour, which kicks off Nov. 19 in Minneapolis and continues through mid-December. The singer's Columbia Records labelmate, Raphael Saadiq, will provide opening support on all dates.
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Pink "Funhouse" (La Face)
The Grammy-winning pop vocalist returns with her fifth studio album, which follows 2006's platinum-certified "I'm Not Dead."
"Funhouse" features the blockbuster single "So What," which was released in August and has already topped the charts in the US and several other countries.
The next single is said to be the track "Sober," which was co-written by Pink and No Doubt's Tony Kanal.
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Toby Keith "That Don't Make Me a Bad Guy" (Show Dog)
The country mega-star, known for such hit singles as "Beer for My Horses" and "As Good as I Once Was," obviously likes to stay busy. His many activities include touring, making movies, playing for US troops and running a record label and a restaurant chain.
Now, Keith makes time to release his 13th studio album, "That Don't Make Me a Bad Guy," which follows the 2007 chart-topper "Big Dog Daddy." The first single from the album is the hit ballad "She Never Cried In Front of Me."
With "That Don't Make Me a Bad Guy," Keith adds a new feather to his cowboy cap: record producer. The effort marks the first time that Keith has produced an entire album himself.
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Snow Patrol "A Hundred Million Suns" (Geffen)
The Grammy-nominated alt-rock troupe from Scotland offers up its fifth studio album. "A Hundred Millions Suns," a follow-up to 2006's "Eyes Open," was recorded with producer Garret "Jacknife" Lee," who recently helmed R.E.M.'s "Accelerate."
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More new releases:
Ryan Adams and the Cardinals, "Cardinology" (Lost Highway)
Bloc Party, "Intimacy" (Atlantic)
Celtic Woman, "The Greatest Journey: Essential Collection" (Manhattan)
Cradle of Filth, "Godspeed on the Devil's Thunder" (Roadrunner)
Celine Dion, "My Love--Ultimate Essential Collection" (Sony)
Kaiser Chiefs, "Off With Their Heads" (Motown)
Loreena McKennitt, "A Midwinter Night's Dream" (Universal))
The Partridge Family, "Bulletin Board" (Collector's Choice)
Queen, "The Cosmos Rocks" (Hollywood)
Rascal Flatts, "Greatest Hits Volume 1" (Lyric Street)
Boz Scaggs, "Speak Low" (Decca0
Straight No Chaser, "Holiday Spirits" (Atlantic)
Susan Tedeschi, "Back to the River" (Verve)
Soundtracks and scores:
"Quantum of Solace" (J-Records)
"Wicked: 5th Anniversary Special Edition" (Decca)
The Beatles Onboard With 'Rock Band'
It looks like the Beatles are coming to top-selling video game "Rock Band."
The Beatles' Apple Corps Ltd. and MTV have scheduled a press teleconference tomorrow at 10:00 a.m. ET to announce "an exclusive agreement to develop a global music project."
Although the announcement does not offer details on the agreement, representatives for the Beatles have been talking to MTV's "Rock Band" team for months.
If a deal is signed, "Rock Band" will have secured two of the top-selling catalog bands of all time for versions of the game. AC/DC recently became the subject of a "Rock Band Track Pack," featuring 18 live versions of hits like "Thunderstruck and "Back in Black." The title, like the band's new album, "Black Ice," is a Wal-Mart exclusive.
Both AC/DC and the Beatles remain absent from digital music services,
including the iTunes Music Store, AmazonMP3 and others.
MTV declined to comment.
Official: David Tennant Leaving DW After TV Specials
David Tennant will be leaving Doctor Who at the conclusion of the 2009 specials currently in production, the actor announced live on stage this evening at the National Television Awards.
The Guardian newspaper this evening broke the story prematurely, reporting on their website (in a report subsequently pulled down) that Tennant is "vacating the TARDIS and leaving the BBC's Doctor Who series at the end of next year. Tennant's decision brings to an end his popular four-year tenure as the time lord." The article went on to say that the BBC had confirmed that the actor "would complete the filming of four special episodes to be screened this year and in early 2010, as well as 2009's Christmas special."
The BBC Doctor Who website has now posted the full news: "I've had the most brilliant, bewildering and life changing time working on Doctor Who. I have loved every day of it," the actor says. "It would be very easy to cling on to the TARDIS console forever and I fear that if I don't take a deep breath and make the decision to move on now, then I simply never will. ... I'm still the Doctor all next year but when the time finally comes I'll be honoured to hand on the best job in the world to the next lucky git - whoever that may be."
Tennant added that he "always thought the time to leave would be in conjunction with Russell T Davies and Julie Gardner who have been such a huge part of it all for me. Steven Moffat is the most brilliant and exciting writer, the only possible successor to Russell and it was sorely tempting to be part of his amazing new plans for the show. I will be there, glued to my TV when his stories begin in 2010." He furthermore says that he feels "very privileged to have been part of this incredible phenomenon, and whilst I'm looking forward to new challenges I know I'll always be very proud to be the Tenth Doctor." Says Russell T Davies, "I've been lucky and honoured to work with David over the past few years - and it's not over yet, the Tenth Doctor still has five spectacular hours left! After which, I might drop an anvil on his head. Or maybe a piano. A radioactive piano. But we're planning the most enormous and spectacular ending, so keep watching!"
Says the BBC News site, Tennant is quoted as saying, "I love this part, and I love this show so much that if I don't take a deep breath and move on now I never will, and you'll be wheeling me out of the Tardis in my bath chair." Tennant also says, "I think it's better to go when there's a chance that people might miss you, rather than to hang around and outstay your welcome," he said.
Tennant will appear in this year's Christmas special, as well as four specials being produced for 2009 and 2010 airdates by executive producers Russell T Davies and Julie Gardner. Tennant confirmed to BBC News that the four specials for 2009/2010 will be "the four last stories that I do." New incoming executive producer Steven Moffat will then take over the series with new leads as the show returns for a normal, fifth series of episodes in 2010.
More details as they come in...
Robert Downey Jr. Going the Distance With Iron Man
Los Angeles (E! Online) – Here's some Stark reality for you.
The rejuvenated Robert Downey Jr. has inked an extensive deal with Marvel Studios that will have him not only suiting up for two more Iron Man films but also reprising the role of Tony Stark and his heavy-metal alter ego in the upcoming superhero all-stars film The Avengers, reports Variety.
While planning for Iron Man 2 has been in full swing for some time, with the most recent announcement being that Don Cheadle will be playing Col. James Rhodes instead of Terrence Howard, Marvel had not confirmed that Downey and director Jon Favreau would be back.
Well, not only will Favreau be behind the camera again, but he will also serve as a producer on The Avengers, featuring the Marvel characters Iron Man, the Incredible Hulk, Captain America and Thor (and not to be confused with the laughable 1998 film of the same name starring Ralph Fiennes and Uma Thurman).
But really, why wouldn't he and Downey want to give it another go?
In addition to mainly positive reviews, Iron Man grossed nearly $580 million worldwide, and sequel talk began before the movie had earned even half as much.
Iron Man 2 is currently slated for a May 7, 2010, release, while The Avengers is tentatively set to unspool July 15, 2011.
Downey, who after Iron Man made a splash this summer in the raunchy Tropic Thunder, is currently in London shooting his role as the titular sleuth in Guy Ritchie's Sherlock Holmes, costarring Jude Law and Rachel McAdams.
BNL's frontman avoids jail time
FAYETTEVILLE, N.Y. - Barenaked Ladies frontman Steven Page apologized to his fans, friends and family Tuesday and expressed gratitude to those who secured a deal that will result in an acquittal on drug possession charges as long as he stays out of trouble for six months.
Extensive negotiations between the Onondaga County District Attorney's office and lawyers for Page, his girlfriend Christine Benedicto and her roommate Stephanie Ford resulted in a "very favourable" deal for the trio, said Judge Thomas Miller.
All three received a so-called "adjournment in contemplation of dismissal" ruling, which means the charges against them will be dismissed in six months time if they aren't arrested again, receive therapy and pass drug screening, Miller said.
Page, 38, Benedicto and Ford were charged with drug possession in July after police found cocaine at a Fayetteville apartment. Benedicto was 27 at the time of the arrests, while Ford was 25.
After the court hearing, a calm, stern-looking Page read a statement to the media and said he hopes to prove himself to be a productive and law-abiding member of society.
"The respect and responsibility I have earned over the course of my life and my career thus far are important to me and I am moving forward from this with gratitude and with hope," Page said.
"I also apologize to all of those I have hurt or embarrassed during this episode."
When asked what he learned from the experience, Page declined to answer any questions.
He also expressed thanks for the support he received in the difficulty times after his arrest went public and the media scrutinized every detail of his case.
Almost a dozen TV cameras from Canadian and American networks were in the small-town court to cover the case on Tuesday.
"It has meant a great deal to me to be shown the impact I have on others' lives," he said.
"From people on the street who've stopped me to share their support and encouragement, to those friends and loved ones closest to me who've opened their homes and their hearts, I am deeply moved and thankful. The greatest gift a person can know is to not go through their life alone and I am fortunate enough to have been afforded that gift."
Page's lawyer, Mark Mahoney, said the ruling the co-accuseds received is common in New York state and he's confident they will escape from the incident with an unblemished record.
"We are very appreciative of the fact the district attorney's office... was sensitive to the fact that this was simply a charge of possession, everyone has a clean record and the exemplary performance of all the accused since the time of the arrest," he said.
The deal also means Page will have no problems crossing the border into the United States and his case won't affect his band's future, Mahoney added.
Page's arrest came just months after Barenaked Ladies released an album of children's music called "Snacktime."
Police in Fayetteville said the arrests were made after they spotted a suspiciously parked car with its driver-side door open. They knocked on the door of the apartment where the car was parked and were invited inside by Page and Ford.
Ford said in a statement to police filed with the court that she and Page had snorted a white powder she assumed to be cocaine using a rolled-up Canadian bill.
A separate court document says Page told police: "Yeah, it's cocaine."
Page pleaded not guilty and on Tuesday, Mahoney said his charges had been reduced from felonies to misdemeanours after laboratory analysis of the white powder revealed it to be a low quantity and quality of cocaine.
After Page's arrest, Barenaked Ladies cancelled an appearance at a children's benefit concert organized by Disney in Long Island, N.Y.
Recently, the band announced two concerts for kids and three Christmas-themed shows in Toronto and Ottawa in December.
Born in Toronto, Page met Barenaked Ladies bandmate Ed Robertson in school. In the late 1980s, the pair began performing acoustic sets injected with humour at various university campuses.
They were eventually joined by other band members - including Tyler Stewart, Jim Creeggan and Kevin Hearn.
Their hits have included "If I Had A Million Dollars," "Brian Wilson" and "The Old Apartment."
Last year, Page reportedly separated from his wife of almost 15 years. The couple have three children.