Michael Jackson, the enigmatic, legendary and irreplaceable King Of Pop, has died. He was 50 years old.
Jackson is reported to have died after suffering a cardiac arrest at his home. Los Angeles Fire Department Capt. Steve Ruda told the Los Angeles Times that paramedics responded to a 911 call at 12:26 p.m. He wasn't breathing when paramedics arrived, and was pronounced dead after being rushed to the UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles.
The star had been rehearsing for a massive comeback tour that was planned to kick off with a sold-out, 50-show stint at London's O2 Arena. Read more on the legend here.
Jonas Brothers have landed their second #1 album in less than a year, with Lines, Vines and Trying Times debuting atop the Billboard 200 with 247,000 copies sold. The brother trio's last studio effort, A Little Bit Longer, easily hit #1 last August, when it started with 525,000 sold at the height of Jonas Mania. Judging by the looks on the faces of all three, I'd have said this jig is just about up for the J3 (you like that?), but with this latest #1 I stand corrected.
The Black Eyed Peas' The E.N.D. moves down a notch to #2, selling 148,000 (down 51%). Dave Matthews Band's Big Whiskey and the GrooGrux King drops into the #3 spot with 88,000 (down 31%) while Eminem's Relapse is in fourth place with 72,000 (down 17%).
Incubus' terrific greatest hits collection Monuments and Melodies starts at #5 on the charts with 70,000. Check out our review here.
Charity Buzz is auctioning off the chance to have lunch with Smashing Pumpkins frontman Billy Corgan in either Los Angeles or Chicago. The winner of the auction will also pay for lunch, because that's just how awesome Billy Corgan is. Right? Right?
The meal is "Valid for 2 people at a mutually convenient time. Restaurant TBD." The auction ends on June 30th at 1:17 p.m. ET. The current high bid is $950, to pick at croutons and listen to the bald one whine nasally about how nobody appreciates his genius anymore.
Proceeds benefit the Songwriters Hall of Fame, which is raising money to build a museum in New York.
Pete Wentz tweeted this week that Fall Out Boy's last album, Folie a Deux, may be their "swan song". Wentz now says that, even though the band has no intention of splitting up, they'll be the ones deciding when they write new music - and that may mean never. Don't hold your breath for this humble writer to reach for the kleenex.
He said: "No, we're not calling it quits, but we've no future album plans right now. We can't quit, we're waiting to get fired. I think it's all in context. There aren't any new Fall Out Boy songs because we don't write for the sake of it. We will stop doing Fall Out Boy when it stops being fun."
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Marilyn Manson can't possibly understand the controversy around "Pretty As A Swastika", a track from his latest album The High End Of Low.
He said: "It's shocking to me that it's easier to buy a gun at Wal-Mart than it is to buy my record. And it's entertainment, it's music, but that doesn't mean it has no value. But it's just ironic that they can sell a CD in a store, and they won't put the title 'Pretty As a Swastika' on the cover, but at the same store they'll have Valkyrie, for example, which has a swastika on the cover. Now, I'm not even using the symbol, I'm using the word, so the record company sort of created a new curse word, by default, for me. "
He added: "The fact that the record company says that they can't put that song on the record. Crazy. So I say, 'Well OK, don't put the album out.' And they just don't know what to say. And it's great to be able to have that kind of attitude. When someone makes you a product and you're not in control of it anymore, you feel like a whore, like someone who's being beaten up and pushed around."
In other words, the world is sick of the tired spooky clown, and the clown isn't happy about it. End scene.
You may remember a recent ridiculous court ruling in which Jammie Thomas-Rasset was ordered to pay the RIAA $1.92 million for illegally downloading 24 songs.
Richard Marx, a sappy hitsmaster of the '90s, was one of the artists whose music was cited in the case. He's commented on the situation, saying he's "ashamed" to be associated with the fine.
"As a longtime professional songwriter, I have always objected to the practice of illegal downloading of music. I have also always, however, been sympathetic to the average music fan, who has been consistently financially abused by the greedy actions of major labels," Marx said. "These labels, until recently, were responsible for the distribution of the majority of recorded music, and instead of nurturing the industry and doing their best to provide the highest quality of music to the fans, they predominantly chose to ream the consumer and fill their pockets."
He continued, "So now we have a ‘judgment' in a case of illegal downloading, and it seems to me, especially in these extremely volatile economic times, that holding Ms. Thomas-Rasset accountable for the continuing daily actions of hundreds of thousands of people is, at best, misguided and at worst, farcical. Her accountability itself is not in question, but this show of force posing as judicial come-uppance is clearly abusive. Ms. Thomas Rasset, I think you got a raw deal, and I'm ashamed to have my name associated with this issue."
Moby has also spoken out against the ruling.
He said, "What utter nonsense. This is how the record companies want to protect themselves? Suing suburban moms for listening to music? Charging $80,000 per song? Punishing people for listening to music is exactly the wrong way to protect the music business...I'm so sorry that any music fan anywhere is ever made to feel bad for making the effort to listen to music. The RIAA needs to be disbanded."
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In a bizarre, Twilight-Zone style scene, Perez Hilton has filed suit against Black Eyed Peas road manager Polo Molina for battery and infliction of emotional distress. This, from a guy who's made his entire career off the emotional distress of hundreds of others. It's what he lives to do. Molina allegedly punched Hilton in the eye following the MuchMusic Video Awards Sunday. More on that (with pics!) here.
The official statement:
"Perez Hilton was assaulted by the Band's road manager because he would not agree to stop writing about the Black Eyed Peas on his website Perezhiton.com. Perez Hilton files this lawsuit to protect his freedom of speech and seeks legal redress against those who have physically assaulted him because they do not like his review of their album. Whether you love Perez or hate him, he is entitled to his freedom of speech without fear of physical violence. This lawsuit will make the statement that violence is never the answer. His First Amendment rights will be vigorously protected."
Linkin Park frontman Chester Bennington told NME.com that he considers Muse to be the best live band in the world. Let's stop there and call a hefty bag of bullshit. Ok, moving on, Bennington has claimed that Linkin Park will take over the title when they headline the Sonisphere festival on August 1st.
"They're one of the best - if not the best - live performing bands in the world at the moment," he said about Muse, adding "We need to fucking kick some ass."
The singer also singled out Metallica – who headline the second day of Sonisphere on August 2 – as popularity-contest rivals, saying: "I think those kind of bands elevate you as a player. You either need to shoot up and show up or you need to put your tail between your legs and hope you get through it." Did he just say shoot up?
Sonisphere will take place at Knebworth and also feature Nine Inch Nails, Bullet For My Valentine, Machine Head and Mastodon. Bennington said that the Knebworth's iconic status makes him feel that the gig is very important for Linkin Park.
"There are definitely shows that either make or break you. And I do think [Sonisphere] could be one of those shows," he revealed. "I know that it's [Knebworth] a legendary venue where legendary acts have played, from Zeppelin to Queen and many, many more. To perform there means you better show up with your kickass pants on."
Linkin Park is also currently recording a new album with producer Rick Rubin.
Brandon Flowers and Ronnie Vanucci of the Killers have revealed plans to record a covers album before the end of the year.
"It's something that we've always talked about doing and we're still talking about," Flowers told NME in a recent interveiw. "It's difficult for each of us to pick songs that represent us as individuals. I mean, I have a lot of personalities myself! I've gone through everything from Neil Diamond to The Cars."
Vanucci listed "Genesis, Tom Waits, a little Cyndi Lauper, Iggy Pop" as his preferred choices for the album, adding that he's also been "messing around with a couple of Fleet Foxes songs" recently.
The band plans to work on the new album while on their current tour, beause they have recording equipment with them.
Sunny Day Real Estate will reunite for two shows this fall, if only to show the massive fecal tidal wave of emo bands that rose in their wake how it's done. They'll play an October 13th show at San Francisco's Fillmore and October 16th at Seattle's Paramount.
"We got together in March and played," frontman Jeremy Enigk said a few weeks ago. The original lineup included guitarist Dan Hoerner, bassist Nate Mendel and drummer William Goldsmith, who formed in 1992 and later added Enigk as vocalist. They broke up in 1995 after only two albums. Both Mendel and Goldsmith went on to join Foo Fighters, but Goldsmith left not long later. The band reunited in 1998 (with Jeff Palmer replacing Mendel on bass) and released two more albums before breaking up again in 2001, citing financial and business reasons. Fans who buy tickets online to Flaming Lips' U.S. summer tour will be able to get a few goodies from their new album Embryonic, which doesn't hit stores until the fall. Ticket holders will get access to a digital EP with new songs "Convinced of the Hex," "The Impulse" and "Silver Trembling Hands", as well as three digital B-side tracks. They'll also receive an official digital bootleg of their show. With the all the digital music included, tickets purchased online will cost $4 more than those purchased at the box office.
Forbes Magazine has released its Top-Earning Musicians of the Year list. Madonna, Celine Dion and Beyoncé take the top three spots.
Madonna has made the most out of her Sticky & Sweet tour and new album Hard Candy - she made roughly $110 million from June 2008 to June 2009.
One thing not taken into account, though, was her $75 million divorce with Guy Ritchie.
Despite the recession, overall numbers were up considerably from last year. This year's top 10 made a combined $719 million, while 2008's top 10 only earned $500 million all together. Ten shows made over $10 million this year, led by Billy Joel's goodbye to Shea Stadium.
Forbes Top Earning Musicians list:
1. Madonna $110 million
2. Celine Dion $100 million
3. Beyonce Knowles $87 million
4. Bruce Springsteen $70 million
5. Kenny Chesney $65 million
6. (tie) Coldplay $60 million
6. (tie) Rascal Flatts $60 million
6. (tie) AC/DC $60 million
9. Eagles $55 million
10. Toby Keith $52 million
11. Bon Jovi $50 million
12. Dave Matthews Band $45 million
Bruce Springsteen has requested to play a three-hour set this weekend at the Glastonbury festival, where he headlines Saturday night.
The producer of the show said: "He wants to play for three hours actually. So we can give him two and a half by the sound of it or maybe two [hours] forty-five."
Springsteen joins Blur and Neil Young as the show's headliners. Glastonbury kicked off Thursday.
