Michael Jackson's Entire Back Catalog Stolen By Hackers

Posted 3/5/12 1:51 pm EST by in Michael Jackson


Michael Jackson

By Zachary Swickey

While the Internet is burning up with risqué leaked images allegedly of Olivia Munn and Christina Hendricks, it appears that some other computer hackers were after something much more lucrative – Michael Jackson’s entire back catalog.

Fox reports that more than 50,000 music were ripped from Sony Music in what is being called the "biggest ever cyberattack on a music company."

The hackers were able to steal a payload of MJ’s music, including unreleased material from his sessions for Bad, Off the Wall and Thriller, in addition to unreleased duets with will.i.am of the Black Eyed Peas and late Queen late singer Freddie Mercury.

Nine months after Jackson’s passing, Sony Music paid the late singer’s estate a whopping $253 million for the back catalog – all of which was compromised by the hackers. Sony released some of the music they purchased with the posthumous Jackson effort Michael. Read More...

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Skrillex Opens Up About Dating Ellie Goulding

Posted 3/5/12 12:43 pm EST by in dance


Skrillex

Zachary Swickey

We were admittedly a little shocked last month when we discovered that dubstep king Skrillex (aka Sonny Moore) is dating British songbird Ellie Goulding – who seemed a tad innocent for the rambunctious producer – but it appears that Moore is quite taken.

In a new interview with Rolling Stone, conducted just before he cleaned up at the Grammys with three wins, Skrillex talked about his budding relationship with the singer, which at the time wasn’t publicly unknown.
“She’s made me more secure,” he told the magazine. “It’s hard to explain, but I try to be less and do more.”

Well, that’s a pretty sweet thing to say about one’s new lady friend. When asked how long ago he met Goulding, he replied, “Months and months ago. I sent her an e-mail like, ‘I’m Skillex. I don’t know if you know who I am, but I love your s**t.’ We started texting and talking on the phone.”

“Just randomly, she was in New York, she flew out to Memphis for a couple days to see me," he continued. "We’re not a public thing, but I want to take her to the Grammys and have a seat for her.”

He even asked the interviewer, “What do you think about s**t like that? Is that cheesy?”

He eventually continued, “I love her. She’s my f**king girl. I definitely want to take her, but the red carpet can be weird.”

Moore seems to be quite taken with Goulding so it’s anyone’s guess why ended up not taking his new love to the awards show, but as Skrillex himself just pointed out, “The red carpet can be weird.”

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Jordan Knight On Kirk Cameron's Post Anti-Gay Comments: 'Seriously?'

Posted 3/5/12 11:39 am EST by in Gay Rights


Kirk Cameron is back in the headlines after he voiced his feelings about the gay community in an interview with CNN’s Piers Morgan, saying that being gay is "unnatural."

"I think that it's - it's - it's unnatural. I think that it's - it's detrimental, and ultimately destructive to so many of the foundations of civilization," he said. "Marriage is almost as old as dirt, and it was defined in the garden between Adam and Eve. One man, one woman for life till death do you part. So I would never attempt to try to redefine marriage. And I don't think anyone else should either. So do I support the idea of gay marriage? No, I don't."

His statements angered another heartthrob of the 1980s, New Kid On The Block Jordan Knight, who only had this to say on Twitter in response: "Seriously Kirk?"

Jordan, whose fellow New Kid and brother Jonathan Knight came out publicly last year, later added, "Get right with yourself on the inside... Ya won't have to take the fight to the world.. #justsayin."

And he isn't the only one standing up against Kirk and his anti-gay stance. GLAAD also quickly responded to Kirk’s comments. "In this interview, Kirk Cameron sounds even more dated than his 1980s TV character," Herndon Graddick, senior director of programs at GLAAD, said in a statement. "Cameron is out of step with a growing majority of Americans, particularly people of faith who believe that their gay and lesbian brothers and sisters should be loved and accepted based on their character and not condemned because of their sexual orientation."

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Jack White Makes Live Solo Debut On 'SNL'

Posted 3/5/12 10:39 am EST by in Music, Television


Everyone is still talking about Lindsay Lohan's performance on this weekend's "Saturday Night Live," but the show also marked Jack White's first live solo performance in support of his debut solo set Blunderbuss.

The rocker hit the famed stage at Rockefeller Center's Studio 8H to perform Blunderbuss's lead single "Love Interruption" and the new track "Sixteen Saltines" (above). White performed the "Interruption" with an all female band and switched it up for the later, bringing out a new group of musicians – this time all male.

We're definitely digging "Saltines." The track's rock-heavy vibe, which saw White trashing around the 'SNL' stage, feels like vintage white Stripes. White hits the road for his first set of live dates as a solo artist next week.

Check out White's performance of "Love Interruption" below and let us know in the comments if you are feeling the music Renaissance man's new material. Read More...

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Afrojack & Avicii To Headline Electric Daisy Carnival In New York

Posted 3/2/12 3:07 pm EST by in dance, Tour Dates


By Akshay Bhansali

Elation erupted late last week for EDM fans in the Northeast, when Pacha NY and Insomniac announced that the latest addition to the Electric Daisy Carnival event franchise, EDC New York, would be hitting the Big Apple May 19 and 20.

And with tickets going on sale today, we are happy to share with you that the pageantry, scope and epic performances Electric Daisy Carnival has become known for have found a home at the new Meadowlands, New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium.

The Phase 1 Lineup was just announced and includes some of the biggest names in EDM: Afrojack, Alesso, Steve Angello, An21 & Max Vangeli , Art Department, Avicii, Bassnectar, Calvin Harris, Chuckie, Danny Tenaglia , Erick Morillo, Fatboy Slim, John Digweed, R3hab, Thomas Gold and Hot Natured (Jamie Jones & Lee Foss)

Insomniac Events’ Electric Daisy Carnival has surged in popularity since beginning in Southern California in 1997. They estimate that 230,000 people attended their Electric Daisy Carnival last year at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, and additional EDC’s in Denver, Dallas, Orlando, and Puerto Rico found great success last year.

Tickets for Electric Daisy Carnival New York can be found here. Expect more line-up announcements in the coming week!

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Metallica May Release Next Album Without A Label

Posted 3/2/12 1:30 pm EST by in Metallica


Metallica

By Zachary Swickey

It takes a behemoth band to handle life without a music label – I’m looking at you Radiohead and Nine Inch Nails – but if anyone is up to the challenge it’s Metallica, so it's no surprise that Lars Ulrich is now hinting that may be the direction they are headed for the distribution of their next effort.

In a new interview with Spin Magazine, the notorious drummer confirmed that their recording contract with Warner Bros. had expired with the release of their last effort, ‘08’s Death Magnetic. Ulrich claims the iconic band is pondering different strategies for the release of their eventual tenth studio album.

“We’re free and clear of our record contract. The world’s our oyster. We can basically do whatever we want. And we’re going to start figuring that out,” Ulrich told Spin.

“We’re writing music and going to be recording very soon. At some point we're going to want to share that with people that are interested in listening to it," he added. "So we gotta figure out ways we want to do that, from giving it away in cereal boxes to getting people to do handstands for it. We could come up with something wacky."

However, Ulrich was quick to point out they wouldn’t be doing so for the novelty of the idea. "This whole thing about who can come up with the coolest [release strategy] so it can be written about on 12 different blogs for six hours – mean sure, that's all pretty cool and hip," he admitted. "But at the same time you have to remember we have a very global audience. We have fans in India and the U.A.E. and Russia. In a lot of these places there are still more conventional ways of getting music to people."

Metallica will be boasting the headline slot at this summer's Download Festival as well as many other large European shows – performing their most popular effort, The Black Album, in its entirety.

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Amy Winehouse Foundation To Fund Scholarship At Late Singer's School

Posted 3/2/12 12:30 pm EST by in Amy Winehouse


Amy Winehouse

By Zachary Swickey

The Amy Winehouse Foundation was established after the early passing of the late "Back to Black" singer and the institution has announced it will be funding a new performing arts scholarship. Partially run by Winehouse’s father, Mitch, the foundation will offer a paid scholarship to the Sylvia Young Theatre School, where the singer herself trained as a teenager.

“As most people would know, Amy was a pupil at the Sylvia Young Theatre School. This is where her talent was recognized and nurtured,” Mitch Winehouse said in a statement. “The Amy Winehouse Foundation would like to give a child, who otherwise couldn’t afford the same opportunity, the chance to realize their talents."

Mitch Winehouse suggested he was organizing a tribute concert earlier this year for his late daughter, which would be broadcasted on demand. Lily Allen, Mark Ronson and Florence and the Machine have all been rumored to perform at the tribute, but there has yet to be an official announcement on the planned concert.

Winehouse’s first (and likely only) posthumous release, Lioness: Hidden Treasures was released in December and includes her final studio performance – a duet with legend Tony Bennett, “Body and Soul.”

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Britney Spears Settles Sexual Harassment Suit

Posted 3/2/12 10:57 am EST by in Britney Spears


In September 2010, Britney Spears' former bodyguard Fernando Flores filed a sexual harassment lawsuit against the "Till The World Ends" singer, alleging, among other things, that during his brief, early 2010 employment by the singer she "made repeated unwanted sexual advances, summoning Plaintiff to her room at her residence for no other purpose or reason than to expose her naked or near naked body to Plaintiff" and "engaged in "numerous sexual acts in front of Plaintiff, including but not limited to having sexual intercourse."

Yikes!

At the time, Spears emphatically denied the allegations, addressing them in an official statement on her website. "This lawsuit is another unfortunate situation where someone is trying to take advantage of the Spears family and make a name for himself. The Department of Children and Family Services conducted a proper investigation surrounding Mr. Flores' accusations and have closed the case without any further action," the post reads. "Ms. Spears and her attorneys have every expectation that this matter will be dismissed by the courts."

Now, according to TMZ, a settlement has been reached in the case, though no details are being made public. Spears and her lawyers decided to pursue settlement through private mediator and not the courts. It is not known if Spears provided Flores with any financial compensation, as terms of the settlement will remain confidential.

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John Mayer Sets Release Date for Born and Raised

Posted 3/1/12 3:15 pm EST by in Music


John Mayer

With tour plans already set to kick off this April, after the trek ends on May 6, John Mayer will drop his highly-anticipated Born and Raised. He announced that the album will be released May 22.

The first single, the upbeat cowboy-influenced tune "Shadow Days," will hit radio on March 6, according to The Hollywood Reporter. In addition to a release date, the guitar-slinging singer released a track listing for the album, which includes some very, very interesting song titles.

The songs include “Queen of California,” “The Age of Worry,” “Shadow Days,” “Speak for Me,” “Something Like Olivia” (we must know who this Olivia is and how she managed to get John to write a song about her!), “Born & Raised,” “If I Ever Get Around To Living,” “Love is a Verb,” “Walt Grace's Submarine Test, January 1967” (a perplexing title, indeed!), “Whiskey, Whiskey, Whiskey, “A Face To Call Home” and “Born & Raised (Reprise).”

Previously, Mayer described the album as having "organic cowboy guitar sounds," adding that he had this very romantic thought when it came to the album's vibe: "What would it sound like if I wrote an album of cowboy songs on this guitar under the stars?"

"Every new record I start, a new aesthetic comes in. I can't help it," he said about the project. "I think it's gonna be more organic, more natural lyrics and chords and artful simplicity."

Born and Raised will feature production from Don Was, and Mayer will get some vocal and instrumental help from singers David Crosby and Graham Nash, keyboardist/pianist Chuck Leavell, bassist Sean Hurley and drummer Aaron Sterling.

We're pretty excited. There, we said it.

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Tenacious D Detail First Album In Six Years

Posted 3/1/12 1:45 pm EST by in comedy, Music


Tenacious D

By Zachary Swickey

Many a moon has passed since the last Tenacious D album – six years to be exact – but all that is about to change now that the duo has revealed details behind their newest effort: Rize Of The Fenix.

The D, who consist of quirky actor Jack Black and comedian Kyle Gass, have surprised us all by announcing their third album will be dropping in a few months, on May 15 – their first since ‘06’s The Pick of Destiny, which was actually a soundtrack for a film of the same name.

Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl will once again helm drums for the disc (he did the same for D’s two previous efforts). Grohl also notoriously played Satan himself in the group’s music video for “Tribute.”
The effort was produced by John Kimbrough, a long-time Tenacious D collaborator, at his home in Los Angeles. The album is expected to include 13 songs.

The only date Tenacious D has on their schedule is a summer appearance at the UK’s Download Festival, which is headlined by Metallica and the reunited Black Sabbath from June 8-10. However, more dates will surely crop up with the announcement of the D’s third release.

Check out the tracklisting for Rize Of The Fenix below. Read More...

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