'Godfather' singer Al Martino dies in Pa. at 82
SPRINGFIELD, Pa. – The singer who played the Frank Sinatra-type role of Johnny Fontane in "The Godfather" has died at his childhood home in suburban Philadelphia.
Publicist Sandy Friedman says Al Martino died Tuesday afternoon in Springfield, in Delaware County. He was 82.
Starting in 1952, Martino was known for hit songs including "Here in My Heart," "Spanish Eyes," "Can't Help Falling in Love" and "Volare."
Besides acting in the Marlon Brando classic "The Godfather," he sang the 1972 film's title score, "The Love Theme From The Godfather." His Fontane character is a singer and occasional actor.
Martino was born in South Philadelphia as Alfred Cini. He was a longtime resident of Beverly Hills, Calif.
His publicist didn't state the cause of his death.
New Releases, Oct. 13: Bob Dylan, The Flaming Lips, Sugarland, David Archuleta, Five for Fighting, and more
Bob Dylan "Christmas in the Heart" (Sony)
O' come all ye faithful and get an earful of Bob Dylan's 33rd studio set, the holiday offering "Christmas in the Heart." The album features the legendary singer/songwriter performing such Christmas staples as "Here Comes Santa Claus," "Do You Hear What I Hear?," "Winter Wonderland," "Hark The Herald Angels Sing" and "O' Come All Ye Faithful (Adeste Fideles)."
All royalties from the album will benefit Feeding America, which provides meals to the hungry during the holiday season. "It's a tragedy that more than 35 million people in this country alone--12 million of those children--often go to bed hungry and wake up each morning unsure of where their next meal is coming from," Dylan said in a message posted at his website. "I join the good people of Feeding America in the hope that our efforts can bring some food security to people in need during this holiday season."
"Christmas in the Heart" follows "Together Through Life," which surfaced in April and debuted at No. 1 on The Billboard 200, making it Dylan's fifth record to take the top spot. Dylan, one of the all-time great road warriors, is currently on tour, with dates scheduled into mid-November.
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The Flaming Lips "Embryonic" (Warner)
The influential alt-rock outfit, led by singer/songwriter/guitarist Wayne Coyne, returns to action with its 12th studio set. "Embryonic" follows 2006's "At War With the Mystics," which hit No. 11 on The Billboard 200.
The 18-song, 2-disc set was recorded at the home of the band's drummer/multi-instrumentalist Steven Drozd, and features contributions from MGMT and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs' Karen O.
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David Archuleta "Christmas From the Heart" (Jive)
The 18-year-old pop vocalist, the runner-up to David Cook during the seventh season of "American Idol" in 2008, rings the jingle bells with his sophomore release, "Christmas From the Heart." The holiday-music outing features such usual suspects as "First Noel," "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas," "Silent Night" and "I'll Be Home for Christmas."
"Christmas From the Heart" follows the singer's 2008 self-titled debut, which peaked at No. 2 on The Billboard 200 and produced the smash single "Crush."
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Sugarland "Green and Gold" (Roc-A-Fella)
The popular country music duo, consisting of singer/songwriters Jennifer Nettles and Kristian Bush, is set to release its first Christmas album, which follows 2008's chart-topping "Love on the Inside."
"Green and Gold" features five original songs penned by Bush and Nettles. The rest of the album is filled with holiday-music standards, including "Winter Wonderland," "Holly Jolly Christmas" and "Silent Night."
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Five for Fighting "Slice" (Sony)
Five for Fighting, the stage name for pianist/singer/songwriter John Ondrasik, is back with a follow-up to 2006's "Two Lights," which peaked at No. 8 on The Billboard 200. "Slice," Ondrasik's fifth studio set under the Five for Fighting moniker, features the single "Chances."
Ondrasik will support "Slice" during an acoustic run through North American clubs. The 14-city trek begins Oct. 18 in Toronto and stretches through a Nov. 11 date in Los Angeles.
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More new releases:
Bowling for Soup, "Sorry For Partyin'" (Jive)
Jack Bruce, "Seven Moons Live" (Ruf)
Dead by Sunrise, "Out of Ashes" (Warner)
Neil Diamond, "A Cherry Cherry Christmas" (Columbia)
Linda Eder, "Soundtrack" (Verve)
Hall & Oates, "Do What You Want, Be What You Are: The Music of Daryl Hall & John Oates" (Sony)
Vijay Iyer Trio, "Historicity" (ACT Music)
Leaves Eyes, "Njord" (Napalm)
Los Lonely Boys, "1969" (EP), (R.E.D.)
Mario, "D.N.A." (J-Records)
Nellie McKay, "Normal as Blueberry Pie: A Tribute to Doris Day" (Verve)
James McMurtry, "Live in Europe" (Lightning Rod)
Brian Setzer Orchestra, "Songs from Lonely Avenue" (Surfdog)
W.A.S.P., "Babylon" (Demolition)
Taylor Swift, Michael Jackson lead American Music Awards noms
Taylor Swift, Michael Jackson and Eminem top the list of nominees for the 37th annual American Music Awards announced today Tuesday.
Swift dominated the categories with a total of six nominations, followed closely by the late Michael Jackson, who garnered five nods. Eminem also made it to the top with four nominations, while Beyonce, Kings of Leon, Lady Gaga, T.I. and the Black Eyed Peas collected three apiece.
Nominations for the awards, which are divided into several categories--including Pop/Rock, Country, Rap/Hip-Hop, Soul/R&B, Alternative, Adult Contemporary, Latin and Contemporary Inspirational--were announced by Paula Abdul, Adam Lambert and Snoop Dogg at a press conference in Beverly Hills. The awards will be presented during a Nov. 22 live broadcast from the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles.
AMA nominations are based on sales data compiled by music-industry trade magazine Radio & Records and Nielsen SoundScan. For the third consecutive year, winners will be determined through an online vote open to the general public, beginning today (10/3). In previous years, winners were selected via a national sampling of about 20,000 people.
For the first time ever, fans will also vote via text message and online to determine the final four nominees for the T-Mobile Breakthrough Artist Award. Beginning Oct. 26 through the live awards show Nov. 22, voters will determine who among the final four will walk away with the trophy.
Nominees for the 2009 American Music Awards:
POP/ROCK MUSIC
Favorite Male Artist
Eminem
Michael Jackson
T.I.
Favorite Female Artist
Beyonce
Lady Gaga
Taylor Swift
Favorite Band, Duo or Group
Black Eyed Peas
Kings of Leon
Nickelback
Favorite Album
Lady Gaga, "Fame"
Michael Jackson, "Number Ones"
Taylor Swift, "Fearless"
COUNTRY MUSIC
Favorite Male Artist
Jason Aldean
Darius Rucker
Keith Urban
Favorite Female Artist
Reba McEntire
Taylor Swift
Carrie Underwood
Favorite Band, Duo or Group
Rascal Flatts
Sugarland
Zac Brown Band
Favorite Album
Rascal Flatts, "Unstoppable"
Taylor Swift, "Fearless"
Zac Brown Band, "The Foundation"
RAP/HIP-HOP MUSIC
Favorite Male Artist
Eminem
Jay-Z
T.I.
Favorite Album
Eminem, "Relapse"
Jay-Z, "Blueprint 3"
T.I., "Paper Trail"
SOUL/RHYTHM & BLUES MUSIC
Favorite Male Artist
Jamie Foxx
Michael Jackson
Maxwell
Favorite Female Artist
Beyonce
Keyshia Cole
Keri Hilson
Favorite Band, Duo or Group
Black Eyed Peas
Day26
Mary Mary
Favorite Album
Beyonce, "I Am...Sasha Fierce"
Black Eyed Peas, "The E.N.D."
Michael Jackson, "Number Ones"
SOUNDTRACKS
Favorite Album
"Hannah Montana: The Movie"
"Hannah Montana 3"
"Twilight"
ALTERNATIVE ROCK MUSIC
Favorite Artist
Green Day
Kings of Leon
Shinedown
ADULT CONTEMPORARY MUSIC
Favorite Artist
Daughtry
Jason Mraz
Taylor Swift
LATIN MUSIC
Favorite Artist
Aventura
Luis Fonsi
Wisin Y Yandel
CONTEMPORARY INSPIRATIONAL
Favorite Artist
Jeremy Camp
Brandon Heath
Mary Mary
ARTIST OF THE YEAR
Kings of Leon
Taylor Swift
Lady Gaga
Eminem
Michael Jackson
T-MOBILE BREAKTHROUGH ARTIST
Kings of Leon
Lady Gaga
Gloriana
Zac Brown Band
Keri Hilson
Jermiah
Drake
Kid Cudi
'Dollhouse' draws big DVR numbers
"Dollhouse" fans can breathe easier: Fox will air all 13 episodes.
On the heels of impressive DVR data for the "Dollhouse" premiere, network execs said they will run each produced hour of the show's current order despite the Friday drama's modest overall ratings.
"We're going to run all the episodes," Fox scheduling chief Preston Beckman said. "We're not saying we're happy with those numbers, or accept them, but we don't have to overreact."
Premiere-week DVR data released Monday showed that the second-season "Dollhouse" debut climbed 50% from its very modest base of a 1.0 rating in the adults 18-49 demo. Beckman said DVR results have played a role in the show's fate, though he wasn't surprised by the new numbers.
"It's one of the reasons that we brought 'Dollhouse' back; we knew it was DVR-friendly," Beckman said. "Hopefully we'll see the overnight ratings increase from week to week. With some shows, you have to look at the bigger picture."
As for ordering additional episodes, or a third season, Fox says it will make that decision after the current run.
The news represents a relief to "Dollhouse" fans that the current season won't be cut short but also suggests that a full-season order is unlikely. Waiting until all 13 episodes have aired before making a decision generally means allowing production on the show to shut down for the season.
"Dollhouse" creator Joss Whedon said he's writing the 13th hour to give fans a degree of closure.
"We'll definitely have closure but will leave some doors open," said Whedon, who's shooting the eighth episode.
"Dollhouse" stood in sharp contrast to its lead-in, Fox's freshman comedy "Brothers," which occupied the other extreme end of DVR data, and was flat.
The program with the largest overall rating increase based on raw gains -- not a percentage compared with its original number -- during premiere week was ABC's "Grey's Anatomy," which boosted its adult demo number from 6.7 to 8.2. That was followed by another Fox drama, "House" (6.8 to 8.2). Other top climbers based on sheer gains include "The Office" (3.9 to 4.9) and "The Mentalist" (3.6 to 4.6).
In addition to "Dollhouse," some other shows particularly aided by DVR gains include NBC's "Heroes" -- its Live+7 rating of 3.7 is greatly improved from its previous 2.7. Same with ABC's "Castle"; the difference between a 2.3 and 2.9 is significant in the eyes of a network. And heavy DVR gains for Fox's Thursday lineup of "Bones" and "Fringe" suggest that the shows are drawing the short straw in terms of live viewing on the intensely competitive night.
"All viewing matters," John Rash, senior vp at media agency Campbell Mithun, said of the gains. "The numbers particularly matter for relatively low-rated shows like 'Dollhouse' and 'Smallville,' which have an established fan base -- albeit one that time-shifts -- which may give a show longer life if this data wasn't accounted for."
Shifting back to percentage increases, after "Dollhouse" and "Smallville," which also gained 50%, the next-biggest DVR gainer is the CW's "90210," climbing 40%, followed by Fox's "Fringe" (39%) and the CW's "Melrose Place" (38%) and "Gossip Girl" (36%).
"A time-sifted show signifies engagement with the content because they've taken that extra step," said Shari Anne Brill, vp and director of programming at Carat. "A lack of time-shifting suggests, 'If I miss it, oh well.' "
NBC's "The Jay Leno Show" occupied many of the lower spots, generally gaining about a tenth of a rating point (or 5%). This was expected and was one of NBC's selling points of Leno's show ("DVR-proof").
"God didn't invent news to be time-shifted, nor Jay Leno," said NBC's research guru Alan Wurtzel. "The whole point of Leno is to be topical."
Wurtzel noted one aspect that was surprising was how quickly viewers have continued to adopt time-shifted viewing -- overall, broadcast shows gained an average of 14% for premiere week, compared with 9% last year. The CW gained the most (30%), followed by Fox (19%), CBS (13%), ABC (12%) and NBC (7%).
Carrie Underwood to host variety special on Fox
NEW YORK – The Fox network says Carrie Underwood will host a two-hour variety special tentatively titled, "Carrie Underwood: An All-Star Holiday Special," to air Dec. 7.
The network says Underwood will perform new music from her upcoming album, previous hits and holiday classics. Musical guests will include Dolly Parton, Brad Paisley and David Cook.
Underwood won season four of "American Idol." The 26-year-old country singer is a four-time Grammy winner.
Her new album will be released Nov. 3.