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Don Kirshner RIP, Destroyer, Social D, REM, Baby Armadillo |
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Wednesday, January 19, 2011 - 08:00 AM Posted by: Karl
DON KIRSHNER, who guided the course of Brill Building and bubblegum pop in the 1950s and '60s as a music publisher and promoter, and later served as an Ed Sullivan for 1970s artists like Bruce Springsteen, Pink Floyd, Kiss and the Ramones with his weekly TV program "Don Kirshner's Rock Concert," died on Monday in Boca Raton, FL. He was 76. The cause was heart failure. He was also impersonated brilliantly on SNL by the fabulous Paul Shaffer. The A.V. Club collects more from Rock Concert. DESTROYER is advance streaming Kaputt. Dan Bejar talks to Aquarium Drunkard about managing his various projects, influences on the Kaputt album and more... SOCIAL DISTORTION does three free songs for Daytrotter, including "Ring of Fire." R.E.M. drops "Mine Smell Like Honey" as an advance pop-rocker from Collapse Into Now. DRIVE-BY TRUCKERS drop "Used to Be a Cop" as a freebie from Go-Go Boots. NEW RELEASES REDUX: As I suspected, Spinner updated and is now streaming the Decemberists, Social D, Gregg Allman, Klaxons, Tennis & more... BEST COAST premiered the "Crazy For You" video at I Can Has Cheezburger, for obvious reasons. PAZZ & JOP 2010 is posted at the Village Voice. MOUNTAIN GOATS: Jim Darnielle talks to Pitchfork about the new album, how he hooked up with Rutan, maintaining an indie ethos in the age of Twitter, and the fan-generated Facebook campaign that's currently trying to help him nab a cameo on his favorite TV show, Law & Order: SVU. NILE RODGERS, best known for his work with Chic, is recovering from surgery to treat an aggressive form of cancer. DICK DALE is also in and out of the operating room. KRISTEN STEWART is profiled at length in -- and makes tortilla soup for -- Vogue. REGIS PHILBIN blindsided Kelly Ripa with his retirement announcement today ... telling her less than 15 minutes before they went on the air. CHARLIE SHEEN didn't use his charm to pick up a professional female companion during his Vegas bender last week. TMZ has the e-mail. ELTON JOHN shows off his son, Zachary Jackson Levon Furnish-John. LINDSAY LOHAN has passed up to 10 random drug and alcohol tests in the two weeks after she left the Betty Ford Center, according to RadarOnline. MELISSA ETHERIDGE's ex-wife made a series of new allegations against the singer on her blog, including one involving novelties. TOM CRUISE & NICOLE KIDMAN kept a safe distance from each other at CAA's Golden Globes afterparty. JAKE GYLLENHAAL, otoh, was not keeping his distance from Maria Menounos, Scarlett Johansson and Mila Kunis. RICKY GERVAIS says he didn't offend anyone at the Golden Globes... but he's "not gonna do it again anyway." IRAN: A team of UN weapons experts and observers has arrived in Nigeria to investigate a seized Iranian weapons shipment found at the oil-rich nation's busiest port. AFGHANISTAN: A US-backed plan to hire an additional 73000 Afghan soldiers and police officers has raised concern among diplomats in Kabul about the quality of recruits and the sustainability of an increasingly costly security apparatus financed almost entirely by international donors. IRAQ: Officially, the yearlong mission remaining for roughly 48000 US troops in Iraq is to "advise and assist" this country's security forces. Unofficially, it is to fight off boredom and to stay alert and safe in the long, empty stretches that dominate their days. A BABY ARMADILLO: Let's go to the video. DRUNKEN OWL picked up by German police. MARRIED COUPLE show off their 28 pet rats. DOG EATS MAN'S EAR after his girlfriend bites it off. Ruff. POLICE HORSE allegedly slapped in St. Petersburg, FL.
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New Releases, Horse Feathers, Peter Case, Maru the Box Cat |
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Tuesday, January 18, 2011 - 08:00 AM Posted by: Karl
METRIC covers Buffalo Springfield's "Expecting to Fly" (N. Young). NEW RELEASES: It's still Mew, British Sea Power, Tapes 'n' Tapes, etc. at Spinner, but they may update it now that MLK Jr. Day is over... HORSE FEATHERS play the Mountain Stage, finishing with hostess Julie Adams covering Peter Case's "Steel Strings." PETER CASE, coincidentally enough, stopped by the World Cafe for a chat and mini-set. S. CAREY stopped by The Current for a chat and mini-set. R.E.M., playing "Radio Free Europe" and "So. Central Rain (I'm Sorry)" for their network TV debut ... and Twofer Tuesday. THE DECEMBERISTS: The King is Dead drops today. Colin Meloy talks to NPR, while Jenny Conlee talks to MusicOMH. (Thx, LHB.) GANG OF FOUR: Andy Gill talks to Billboard about the new album, licensing, etc. DARYL HALL is profiled by New York magazine, but what you really want to read is the story about John Oates and Miles Davis. CHUCK PROPHET talks to the San Francisco Chronicle about covering the Clash's London Calling album live: "It's crazy. Figured if the Coen brothers can remake True Grit, why not?" PTICHFORK's TOP 50 ALBUMS: The sales figures. SANDRA BULLOCK personally denies that Ryan Reynolds is her "lovah." NICOLE KIDMAN & KEITH URBAN are the parents of a baby girl, born through a surrogate. HEIDI MONTAG was offered a spot on Dancing With The Stars, according to RadarOnline, but she was forced to turn it down due to contractual agreements she made when she signed up for The Hills. JOHNNY DEPP talks to Entertainment Weekly about his Keith Richards documentary. LEIGHTON MEESTER & GARRETT HEDLUND: The Country Strong costars may be making their onscreen romance a reality. RICKY GERVAIS is done as host of the Golden Globes. Shocka! After Tom Hanks and Robert Downey, Jr., went after Gervais on stage, the real question is whether he ever gets a project greenlit in Hollywood again. His only hope is that the big movers and shakers figure out that Gervais is less of a problem than the corruptdealings of the Hollywood Foreign Press Assoc. Speaking only for myself, I was highly amused as dumbfounded H'wood royalty was taken aback by the sort of barbs they regularly dish out to other public figures. ANNE HATHAWAY & JAMES FRANCO now must wrestle with how tame to be hosting the Oscars. (Prepare for that epic to be even more boring than usual.) KELLY OSBOURNE tearfully dumped fiancé Luke Worrall when she found out he was having a secret affair with a transsexual. TERROR in CANADA? The Royal Canadian Mounted Police are investigating a report that several Canadians are among Westerners training with al Qaeda in Pakistan's tribal areas. The report named eight of the 12 Canadians said to be in North Waziristan. LEBANON: The head of Hezbollah defended the decision to bring down Lebanon's government, arguing that the move was necessary to protect the country from the consequences of indictments expected soon from a controversial UN tribunal. IRAN's fuel blockade of western Afghanistan has caused diplomatic strains between the two countries. Iran's nuclear negotiator defended the country's nuclear program as foreign inspectors left. The Iranian military now claims to have shot down US, UK, and Israeli drones in the Persian Gulf. AFGHANISTAN: "Human mapping" deployed in the fight against the Taliban. MARU: The box cat tournament. IT'S MAN vs BEAVER at a Canadian ski resort. The eternal struggle, really. GOATS don't let friends drive drunk... this time in California. RACING DOGS at Daytona test positive for cocaine. SHEEP RUSTLING: As lamb prices skyrocket across the globe, thieves are stalking the puffy white gold of the British countryside.
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U2, Dion, Gang of Four, Wanda Jackson, Old 97s, Weightless Cats |
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Monday, January 17, 2011 - 08:00 AM Posted by: Karl
U2: "Pride" and "MLK." Crushingly obvious. Have a dream. GANG OF FOUR are advance streaming Content, the band's first LP in 15 years. WANDA JACKSON is advance streaming The Party Ain't Over, featuring 12 cover songs produced by Jack White and myriad cameos. THE OLD 97s stopped by the World Cafe for a chat and mini-set. MISTER HEAVENLY, the indie supergroup featuring Man Man's Honus Honus, Islands' Nick Thorburn, Modest Mouse's Joe Plummer, and (as a touring member) Superbad/Scott Pilgrim actor Michael Cera-- are giving away a free two-track single in exchange for an address. DION: A vintage (and this year, crackly) performance of "Abraham, Martin & John." JAYHAWKS: Gary Louris talks to Spinner about the runion tour and follow-up album. ARETHA FRANKLIN shot down reports that she had been stricken with pancreatic cancer, saying the surgery she just had is going to add 15 to 20 more years to her life. LIZ PHAIR talks to the Denver Post about playing Matador 21, composing for TV, and more... MYSPACE teeters on the brink; Digital Music News and Paid Content examine the impact on bands. WEEKEND BOX OFFICE: The Green Hornet rode Black Beauty to the top of the chart with 34 million (against a reported 90 million budget). After decades of development limbo, it's remarkable feat and major January debut, albeit inflated by 3-D receipts. Cameron Diaz and Jay Chou may make this one do decent business worldwide. The Dilemma opened in second with 17.4 million -- when Vice Vaughn and Kevin James usually open in the 30-40 million range. After EdTV, Ron Howard should have considered that comedy is not his genre. True Grit slides to third with 11.2 million, but has made 126.4 million against a 38 million budget. The Coens' latest seems leggy and hasn't even opened overseas yet. The expansion of The Kings Speech finds it leaping from ninth to fourth with 9 million and a 44.6 million total against a 15 million budget. Black Swan again rounds out the Top Five with 8.1 million and a 73 million total against a 13 million budget. Below the fold Season of the Witch tanks from third to tenth. CHARLIE SHEEN: CBS Entertainment president Nina Tassler told the nation's TV critics that "we have a high level of concern" about Charlie Sheen and the reported personal problems that he may or may not be wrestling with off-camera, but expressed confidence in his professionalism on the network's hit show, Two and a Half Men. Sheen's Vegas hotel room was an orgy of booze and women -- complete with "big booby blonde girls fighting for his attention" -- according to a source who viewed the debauchery with her own eyes. OWEN WILSON and his girlfriend, Jade Buell, have welcomed a son. LINDSAY LOHAN was rejected by Donald Trump for a Celebrity Apprenticeship. However, Li-Lo is close to off the hook for the alleged altercation at Betty Ford. ALICIA SILVERSTONE is expecting her first child with hubby Christopher Jarecki. ZSA ZSA GABOR's right leg was amputated Friday because of a large, deep lesion that proved resistant to antibiotics, her surgeon said. THE GOLDEN GLOBES went to these folks, after a night of heavy drinking an payola. On the plus side, host Ricky Gervais delivered a savage opening monologue. AL QAEDA in the Arabian Peninsula planned to add poison to a bomb that was used in an assassination attempt that targeted a deputy Saudi interior minister, according to Jaber al Faifi, a member of the terror group. IRAN's nuclear energy chief said the country's nuclear program has not been impacted by sanctions and enrichment of uranium was proceeding. Meanwhile, the New York Times carries a long report suggesting the Stuxnet computer virus was designed as an American-Israeli project to sabotage the Iranian program. PAKISTAN's minorities minister and an MP say they will defy death threats they have received for their efforts to reform blasphemy laws. WEIGHTLESS CATS: I Can Haz Gravity? JINX the CAT nurses Alfie the Piglet...Mass hysteria! OVER 100 BABY BATS riddled with maggots and fly eggs, scratching for survival on the Gold Coast, Australia, have been rescued and wrapped in cute blankies. A DEADLY PUFF ADDER SNAKE starts a long and winding road to the hospital. MASS COW DEATHS: An investigation is under way after 200 dead cows were found in a field in the Town of Stockton, Wisc. A STRANDED BABY DOLPHIN was rescued near Sanibel, FL.
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3005 Reads |
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Nuggets, Tapes 'n' Tapes, Jesca Hoop, Cutout Bin, Polar Bear |
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Friday, January 14, 2011 - 08:00 AM Posted by: Karl
THE WEEKEND STARTS HERE: ... with GARAGE ROCK! After surveying power-pop a couple of weeks ago, I found myself in the mood for a dozen Nuggets, like Music Machine - "Talk Talk"; Blues Magoos - "We Ain't Got Nothin' Yet"; The Knickerbockers - "Lies"; The Outsiders - "Time Won't Let Me"; Count Five - "Psychotic Reaction"; The Seeds - "Pushin' Too Hard"; 13th Floor Elevators - "You're Gonna Miss Me"; The Standells - "Dirty Water/ Why Pick On Me"; The Leaves - "Hey Joe"; Electric Prunes - "I Had Too Much To Dream Last Night," the Crazy World of Arthur Brown - "Fire" and The Nazz- "Open My Eyes." TAPES 'N' TAPES stopped by The Current for a chat and mini-set. JESCA HOOP stopped by Morning Becomes Eclectic for a session. MOONDOGGIES visited Oregon Public Broadcasting for a chat and mini-set in audio and video. SURF CITY drops "Crazy Rulers of the World" as a free track from Kudos. ARCTIC MONKEYS: "I Bet You Look Good On The Dance Floor." Their ferocious (Domino) debut. TENNIS: Patrick Riley, half of the up-and-coming duo, talks to Paste about how it all began, how their current adventure is faring and where the winds will blow them next. PJ HARVEY talks to MOKB about Let England Shake, the upcoming royal wedding, and more... DESTROYER: Dan Bejar talks to Beatroute about the making of Kaputt. (Thx, Chromewaves.) DIRE STRAITS: The Canadian Broadcast Standards Council has ruled that "Money for Nothing" is too offensive for Canadian radio. CUTOUT BIN: From Cheap Trick to Nilsson, from James Brown to Steely Dan, from Bob Dylan to the Smithereens, from Bruce Springsteen to Weezer, plus Mojo Nixon & Skid Roper, Quincy Jones, the Replacements, Redd Kross and more -- this Friday's fortuitous finds are now streaming from the Pate page at the ol' HM. NOW SHOWING: This weekend's wide releases are the comedic reboot of The Green Hornet, currently scoring 44 percent on the ol' Tomatometer; and The Dilemma, which is scoring 26 percent. PETER FONDA found the corpse of a sucide in a car on Sunset Blvd. RYAN REYNOLDS & SANDRA BULLOCK have become so close that the actress is letting her 'Proposal' co-star get closer to her son, Louis. JAKE GYLLENHAAL BLINDSIDED TAYLOR SWIFT, according to her pals. RYAN SEACREST is going to pop the question to Julianne Hough, according to RadarOnline. KEIRA KNIGHTLEY has officially split with Rupert Friend, after meeting on the set of 2005's Pride & Prejudice. STING & TRUDIE STYLER tell Harper's Bazaar of their fondness for tawdry sex. CHARLIE'S ANGELS got officially greenlit as a pilot at ABC. SPIDER-MAN: Your first look at the reboot. AFGHANISTAN's foreign minister said the US-led force in the country should "definitely" stay beyond the 2014 deadline set by Pres. Obama. IRAQ: Despite Iraqi leaders' insistence that the US meet its end-of-2011 deadline for withdrawing all troops, the contours of a large and lasting American presence there are starting to take shape. A POLAR BEAR dances for love. PET HOARDING: A fifth grade teacher and her husband face hoarding and child abuse charges in Denton, FL, after authorities found 71 cats and 12 dogs inside their filthy home. BONUS: Near Baltimore, authorities rescued 88 bunnies; video at the link. A MOOSE that attacked a skier accompanied by her dog in the British Columbia back country was probably only defending its calf, a conservation officer said. THE WOOLY MAMMOTH, extinct for thousands of years, could be brought back to life in as little as four years thanks to a breakthrough in cloning technology. What could go wrong? They've spared no expense...
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