Rapper Eve is struggling to get used to her alcohol monitoring ankle bracelet. The hip-hop star was ordered to wear the SCRAM (Secure Continuous Remote Alcohol Monitoring) after striking a plea agreement for her DUI arrest in April. But she admits it has not been easy. Yeah now she gets the thing, gulping down Heineken beer and more of alcohol beverages do not get you any awards just an ankle bracelet that is with in even when you go to bed. How irritating can that be, well I won’t like to have one for my self and that’s coz in do not drink alcohol as for Eve she’s made her choice her cannot leave the booze so she’s made friends with the ankle bracelet. Now what would be a nice thought for her is that she should be made to wear the bracelet in a position above her footwear so that we all can have a glimpse for that beautiful thing that she’s carrying with her right now.
Meet the Simon, Randy, Paula and Ryan of The Next Great American Band.
Goo Goo Dolls frontman John Rzeznik, percussionist Sheila E. and Australian TV personality Ian “Dicko” Dickson (yes, really) make up the judge’s panel for the new reality venture, while New Zealand Idol host Dominic Bowden serves as the host, Fox announced Monday.
Rzeznik got his start in the music business two decades ago and led the Goo Goo Dolls to commercial success in the ’90s, selling 10 million albums and notching more than a dozen top 10 hits.
Sheila E. is perhaps best known for being the progeny of Prince, who took the legendary drummer under his wing in the ’80s. She has also performed with Ringo Starr & His All-Starr Band, as well as Herbie Hancock, Marvin Gaye and Diana Ross, in addition to touring with her own band, C.O.E.D. (Chronicles of Every Diva).
Dickson began his career at Creation Records, where he worked with acts including Jesus and Mary Chain, My Bloody Valentine and Oasis. He later moved to Sony, where he represented LL Cool J and Midnight Oil.
Created by the producers of American Idol, American Band aims to incorporate many features of the hit talent show on the search to discover the next big act.
After the nationwide auditions, Rzeznik, Sheila E. and Dicko will be responsible for narrowing the hopefuls down to 10 semifinalist bands, who will perform each week before a live studio audience.
The judges will have the chance to offer their critiques after each performance, but, as with Idol, viewer voting will ultimately determine which acts stay and which act goes each week.
The bands will be forced to demonstrate a range of ability, as some weeks they will perform covers of songs by established artists and other weeks will be challenged to show off original tunes.
The battle of the bands will continue until only one act remains, with the winning group landing a record contract with 19 Recordings.
American Band premieres Oct. 19 on Fox and will air Fridays at 8 p.m.
Black Eyed Peas leader will.i.am says he’s “really excited and nervous at the same time” about becoming a solo artist with the September 25 release of “Songs About Girls.”
“I was like, ‘How and why should I put out a solo project?’ I could just do another Black Eyed Peas record,” he tells Billboard.com. The hook, he says, was making “Songs About Girls” a semi-autobiographical conceptual piece “where all the songs could tell a story of falling in love, falling out of love, trying to get back in love, destructing love and destroying love and then starting a new situation. That journey is what makes this unique.”
The album features only one guest star, Snoop Dogg, on the electroclash-styled track “Donque.”
Besides the album’s 12 songs, will.i.am shot videos for eight of the tracks and stitched them together into “a movie about making a movie” that will accompany the CD.
will.i.am plans to perform some of the “Songs About Girls” material live when Black Eyed Peas hit the road for a two-month international tour on September 4 in Israel. The group will play in Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia, South America and Mexico but not in North America. “There’s no Black Eyed Peas record out,” he explains, “and America’s weird like that. If you ain’t got nothing in the marketplace, (the fans) ain’t showing up.”
Jordin Sparks doesn’t have a name for her debut album yet, but she’s got a release date set in stone: November 20. In anticipation of the 19 Recordings/ Jive disc, the “American Idol” champ drew back the curtains on her first single on Friday (August 24), debuting “Tattoo”. she’s a bit nervous to be following in the wake of Clarkson and Carrie Underwood’s success. “They’ve risen the bar so high and I’m like, ‘I hope I can reach it,’ ” she said. “Hopefully [my LP will] sell well and people will like it.” …Firstly just stop trying to imitate the past winners, try being someone whose got some of her to talent that she wants to showcase or if she cannot do that then it will be easier becoming a mimckery artist and earn money copying others. And if she wants to make a name for herself then listen dear dare to be different and aim for the stars, and if you start daring then the star will fall at your feer. Yeah don’t start dreaming so fast and get to dizzy heights there a long away to go before you achieve the dizzy heights.
Former Savage Garden front man and still singer Darren Hayes was reportedly arrested in London last weekend. The really juicy part is that it was for a racially motivated verbal attack on a waiter at a Thai restaurant.
The manager at the Busaba Eathai restaurant in Soho confirmed what happened and that the matter was being investigated by the police.
While we all know that racism isn’t the best of things, is that really enough ground to get arrested in the UK?
In response to his arrest, Darren, via his solicitor, just posted a message on his blog saying that while he is cooperating fully, he is deeply upset with the allegation which he strongly denies.
Fans who’ve followed Lori McKenna since she was performing in small cafes, selling self-released CDs after a show, may have been a little nervous when the mainstream country establishment scooped her up.
In mere months, McKenna went from a critically acclaimed but under-the-radar singer-songwriter to a protege of country superduo Faith Hill and Tim McGraw. After McKenna penned Hill’s hit “Stealing Kisses,” she signed a record deal on McGraw’s label, opened for the pair on their huge nationwide tour and even sat next to Hill on “The Oprah Winfrey Show” as Winfrey gushed about McKenna’s talents.
But don’t worry about McKenna trying to Faith Hill-ify her music and sacrifice her intensely personal, emotional songwriting. With “Unglamorous,” released this month, the 38-year-old makes such a seamless transition even she jokes it has been too good to be true.
“I keep telling my kids, these things normally don’t happen … it’s usually not this easy,” laughs McKenna.
But McKenna’s path to Nashville hasn’t followed the typical major-label debut trajectory. First off, she’s 38 years old and not trying to hide it. She’s also the married mother of five children, ages 18 to 3.
And she still lives the life of a typical juggling mom, living outside of Boston and writing songs in between school dropoffs and cleaning up after kid mishaps.
McKenna wouldn’t have it any other way.
“I’m just one of those people, I’ve been so blessed to do what I do, and be able to have my focus still be on the things that I love, which are my kids, and my family and my husband and my songwriting.”
McKenna has maintained this artful balance since 1998, when she put out her first album, “Paper Wings & Halo.” Though McKenna, the youngest of six kids, had been playing guitar since she was a teen and always had a passion for music, she didn’t start her career until after she became a mom. When “Paper Wings” was released, she had to borrow money from family and friends to get it released.
“Music was always one of those things that I sort of did on the side. I remember at first it was considered like, ‘Oh, it’s like a hobby for mom,’ because it’s something that would take me away from home, and I wouldn’t really make money on it,” says McKenna, whose husband is a plumber. “Then the next year, it was like, ‘Well, she’s making a little money, she helps with the grocery bills.’”
Soon, it was her second job, after being a stay-at-home mom. McKenna would load up her minivan and play gigs across the Northeast, often making it back home before the kids got up for school the next morning.
Her stature grew, especially regarding her songwriting, which is filled with strong characters, rich storytelling and haunting melodies.
| Artist |
Country |
Period |
Genre |
| The Beatles |
U.K. |
60s-70s |
Rock/Pop |
| Elvis Presley |
U.S. |
50s-70s |
Rock & Roll |
| Frank Sinatra |
U.S. |
30s-90s |
Pop/Swing |
| Michael Jackson |
U.S. |
60s-00s |
R&B/Pop |