Joe Cocker, Woodstock Icon Best Known for Singular Style, Dies
Joe Cocker, who went from and English pub singer to international fame after his moving performance at the Woodstock Music & Arts Festival in 1969, has died from lung cancer....
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Iggy Azalea Shakes Off Rap Beef With Hot Y100 Jingle Ball Show
Iggy Azalea has weathered a nasty rap beef and threats from hackers to expose her supposed sex tape, but it didn’t show in her knockout performance at the Y100 Jingle Ball in Florida on Sunday (Dec. 21), where she performed her top hits. Azalea, who is white and Australian, has been the target of a nasty Twitter feud with rapper Azealia Banks. Banks accused Iggy of not caring about black issues following the protests over Eric Garner and Michael Brown, both of whom were killed by police....
Rock ‘n Roll Hall of Fame Voting Process Needs Extreme Makeover
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is becoming known as much for its snubs as it is for it’s latest inductees, raising questions again about its decades-long string of baffling decisions by its quasi-secret voting members. The long list of snubs is infamous. How does Joan Jett get chosen over artists like The Pixies, The Cars, Depeche Mode, The Smiths, The Sex Pistols and Sonic Youth — to name but a few.
Let’s face it, The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has about as much credibility at the moment as Kim Jong Un.
If it were a person, The Rock Hall’s credit score would probably be in the low 600s (ng!). At this point, it might be a good idea to include a $100 Walmart gift card with each induction. At least then it would be worth something....
Joan Fontaine ‘Suspicion’ Oscar Auction Stymied by Academy
Joan Fontaine’s historic best actress Oscar for her role in Alfred Hitchcock’s classic “Suspicion,” won’t got to the auction block, because of a threatened lawsuit by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Fontaine, who died a year ago at age 96, specified in her will that her Oscar should be sold to raise funds for the Monterey, California SPCA. It was expected to fetch as much as $300,000, according to an estimate by Christie’s, which was handling the sale....
Ariana Grande’s New Christmas Video: Too Sexy for Santa? (see!)
Ariana Grande gets into the holiday spirit with a video for her new song “Santa Tell Me,” but she spends most of the clip rolling around in bed with four other people. What would Santa think? Naughty, or nice? Grande, 21, has made huge inroads this year with her music career after a successful teen television career. She’s highly sexualized her act on stage with trademark hotpants, thigh-high boots and kit-kat ears. For a Christmas video, however, she may have carried the sexual theme too far....
James Blake, London Grammar Among 2014’s Best Music Makers
Some of the most sumptuous music in quite some time was produced this year from some of my favorite singers and bands like London Grammar, James Blake, Cold Play and Maroon 5. The music industry may be dying, but not the music. Be it the continuing female-Brit influence (London Grammar; Ella Henderson) to more jam-bands like My Morning Jacket and Alabama Shakes, it’s been a very good year indeed for everything but album sales....
Bo-Noooo! The Boss Falls Flat Filling Bono’s U2 Shoes (video)
Watching Bruce Springsteen try to sing U2’s classic, “Where the Streets Have No Name’ last week in honor of World AIDs Day was a surreal experience–like being in a karaoke bar with actor John Pankow (look him up) doing a bad Bruce impression....
Taylor Swift Takes Victory Lap, Performs on ‘The Voice’ (watch!)
Taylor Swift took a victory lap on NBC’s reality music show “The Voice,” performing her hit song “Blank Space,” from her chart-topping fifth studio album, 1989. After serving as an adviser, she showed how it’s done. Swift released the only platinum-selling album this year as the music industry continues to struggle with declining sales. “Blank Space” is the follow-up single from the album to “Shake It Off,” which was No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart for four weeks....
Nicki Minaj Epitomizes Hip-Hop Hot; No More Self-Judgment (video)
Nicki Minaj says in a new interview she’s through with self-doubt and self-judgment and into taking pride in her work. “No more self-judgment,” she tells Complex magazine. “I’m not judging myself; I’m not dissing what I do. I’m proud of what I’ve done and I’m proud of what I’m working on,” she adds....
Ella Henderson Keeps the British Invasion Alive With Debut Album
Ella Henderson won a lot of sympathy if not the vote on the 9th season of UK show “X-Factor” in 2012. She was booted during week seven. But her career has been on an indomitable rise since then and she’s about to take America by storm. She’s already attracted such fan as Adele, Lily Allen, Nick Grimshaw and Cher, along with actress Chloë Grace Moretz....
Jimi Hendrix ‘Black Widow’ Guitar at Center of Ownership Fight
One of Jimi Hendrix’s lesser known musical instruments, a storied “Black Widow” acoustic guitar, is a the heart of a bitter legal fight between his estate and the former bassist for Earth, Wind and Fire, who was once married to Hendrix’s step-sister. Hendrix owned dozens of guitars during his brief career. Today, most are worth tens of thousands of dollars and are housed in museums. After Hendrix died, the guitar ended up in the hands of step-sister Janie Hendrix’s ex-husband Sheldon Reynolds, who is being sued by Hendrix’s estate, Experience Hendrix....
Taylor Swift Eyebrows Run Wild in New ’60s Inspired Look (photos!)
Taylor Swift gets a make over that takes her back to the golden era of country music in the 1960s in an arresting new photo spread in Wonderland magazine. Swift, 24, went with minimal makeup, naturally bushy eyebrows and swept up, slicked back hair for photographer Thomas Whiteside. Swift also trades her pale complexion for a tan....
Justin Bieber, Cody Simpson, Heartthrobs Beat as One in Duet
Justin Bieber and Cody Simpson finally sat down together to duet on a moody ballad called “Home to Mama,” that sent teen fans swooning and crashing servers. Simpson and Bieber have been working on music since the summer with an eye on releasing a joint album. It might be just what Bieber needs to jump-start his career, while the 17-year-old Simpson may finally get the recognition he craves as a teen idol....
Miley Cyrus Fires Up Flaming Lips Beatles Cover on Conan (watch!)
Miley Cyrus Miley Cyrus continues her odd collaboration with ’80s psychedelic rock band The Flaming Lips. On Conan O’Brien, Thursday, she emerged from beneath singer Mark Coyne’s gossamer robe for a chorus to Beatles song, “A Day In The Life.” The band, known for its elaborate stage production and lush, multi-layered sound is undergoing a resurgence thanks largely to Cyrus. The song is included on the Lips’ new album With a Little Help From My Fwends,...
Kelly Crigger Tries to Solve Riddle of Middle-Age Men in New Book
Kelly Crigger is standing up for middle-aged men who are having midlife crises in his new book, “Curmudgeonism: A Surly Man’s Guide To Midlife.” His prescription: “rediscover the world around you.” Midlife men know who they are. They’re struggling with their own impending mortality and legacy, especially those who change careers and lifestyles, says Crigger....