Music Blog

I really hate to harp on about this but those who know me know of my disgust that she even made the final four after forgetting lyrics to songs in the Beatles week of the competition. And I just realised that that was one long sentance without a single comma!

He's offensive. Flipping the bird is a way to show his offensiveness. Why does Eminem need to be offensive?

It was not the first time Eminem exposed himself that way: in 2001, he also appeared in the Cosmopolitan magazine, where he appeared completely naked except for a stick of dynamite strategically placed on the right place.

Why did Eminem chose nudity as a way of expressing himself?

Some of you may think: probably to attract lots of pretty girls. Maybe true, but you have to look further at Eminem�s way of expressing. He is never afraid to tell you what he likes and what he strongly dislikes. Since the release of the Marshall Mathers LP, Eminem has been mocking the sugarcoated bubblegum pop world represented by artists like Britney Spears.

So are they back together or is this just a case of two ships crashing, er, passing in the night? Lohan's rep is quick to dismiss the lip-lock talk, insisting to People, "They're just friends, but they're happy to see each other." Valderrama, who has recently been linked to Lohan's friend Ashlee Simpson (the singer's flack says there's "nothing romantic" going on), also denies the romance has been rekindled, adding that he's just too darn busy for a girlfriend right now.

GIMME SOME SLACK: In an interview with ESPN’s Sportsnation yesterday, Celts rookie Al Jefferson was asked if he was stranded on a desert island and could only have one food and be with one celebrity woman, what and who would he choose. His answer: Chicken and Ashanti. Sooooo, as a matter of principle, the section I answer all email Q&A’s will now be known as Chicken and Ashanti.

If you missed the American Idol IV Top Eleven Repeat last night, you didn't miss much. Ryan Seacrest did not apologize on behalf of the show's producers or the sub-contracted technician hired to put up the telephone numbers who made us all tune in for an hour on Wednesday night, as well as Tuesday's performances.

One thing is for certain: American Idol loves drama. It certainly has only helped their ratings.

More than 31 million votes were cast for this year's Top Eleven American Idol contestants.

For every scandal that has struck the show, it has attracted a bigger American Idol audience.

Fortunately, for American Idol, FOX, 19 Entertainment and the eleven AI IV finalists did not have CSI to go up against tonight.

Fortunately for FOX, the Oklahoma State vs. Arizona game ended moments before American Idol proclaimed their Top Ten contestants. (Congratulations to Lute Olson and his Arizona team for making it into this year's Elite Eight.)

But first ... here are the answers to the questions we asked in yesterday's post regarding American Idol's numbers snafu:

1) What will host Ryan Seacrest say by way of explanation to the 30 million viewers who dedicated their Tuesday night to American Idol, and now have to do it all over again?

American Idol's main message: "Oops!"

American Idol producers insist they had no intention of forcing a "re-vote."

There were no new performances last night. American Idol fans were simply presented with the tape of the previous night's performance.

My pal Randall from Hong Kong emails me:

"Hey Tian! Avril Lavigne was recently promoting in Hong Kong for an one-night show. She obviously had help from someone with a magic marker. Thought you'd be interested to see it. Cheers."

The phrase 日本最高 on Ms. Lavigne was correctly written, but for a WRONG country.

日本 = Japan
最 = most, extremely, exceedingly
高 = high, tall; lofty, elevated

It is translated as "Japan is the best".

I tell ya, this American Idol thing is really heating up. Last week’s first vote out show was pretty tough to watch, but I must say I’m pretty pumped up about tomorrow night’s version. My girl had a tough night, but she’ll be back. I don’t know what I’ll do if she sings a Shania song.

Well, with re-runs of the Ashlee Simpson Show occupying a large portion of time slots on MTV I thought I’d take a second to talk about the phenomena of public personality and redemption. We all remember the SNL and Orange Bowl incidents, but few know about the other incidents on her recent tour.

Singer Avril Lavigne will cross her home and native land this summer, performing in 15 cities from Victoria to Halifax.

Veteran pop star Boy George claims the Scissor Sisters' failure to attract a huge following in the band's native America is down to homophobic record buyers.

Though she's only 20 years old, Ashlee Simpson has garnered nearly as much fame and criticism as most singers twice her age.

One of the night's few surprises came with a short version of Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit," which turned into an a cappella call-and-response playtime with the audience. There also was a sense of genuine camaraderie when the band brought up vocalist Josh Fischel of support band Bargain Music for a song.

I found this great Beatles' album cover at Tony Fletcher's iJamming. There are two interesting details I should point out:

1. Notice all the band member's eyes? They have been changed to make them look more "Asianized" (and in John Lennon's case, more stoned).

2. The phonetic translation of the band name "beatles", actually means "diheveled hair" in Chinese.

There are different versions and volumes, depending on the console, but all of them use a microphone for a hilarious karaoke experience. You can either entertain (or punish) your friends by going straight karaoke, or play the game's challenge modes, which are amazingly well done. Sing well (meaning you've timed the words perfectly and haven't been too loud or too quiet), and you win over the crowd and unlock new levels. Sing poorly, and you'll get drowned with boos. Very American Idol-ish, and great fun for a party of kids or adults. You can even compete online with Xbox and download new songs, which, depending on the version, range from classics like New York, New York and Love Shack to more current faves from Avril Lavigne, Hoobastank and Michelle Branch.

I heard a rumor that the cover of Mariah Carey's new album was actually shot for less than $5K. Well sort of. Apparently, there was a previous photo shoot for the cover and the record label spent a fortune on it, hiring one of the best photographers money can buy! But after reviewing the results, they decided to sack the photos. Since they had blown the budget, they had to lure another photographer, but all they had was money for his expenses, i.e. airbrushing! Not surprisingly, the photographer they lured was the same guy who shot Beyonce's last LP. Hello.

Most of us remember her as the pop act who got caught lip-synching on "Saturday Night Live." Lip-synching is the dance pop equivalent of steroids and as such is not that big a deal for a pop act. The trouble is her Daddy manager positioned her, the "other sister," as a rock act. Although it was smart to contrast her newly dark Jan Brady with popular sister Jessica as Marcia, positioning Ashlee Simpson as a rock act was not. Unfortunately for Simpson, rock acts are still expected to have some integrity, especially live.

I've been watching "American Idol" since the days of Justin and Kelly. I fell in love with the show listening to Clay's voice, and yelled at the judges when Fantasia won.

Janet Jackson lost Horne's vote to play her when the pop superstar bared her breast at last year's (2004) Super Bowl, and now the Stormy Weather singer has given her blessing for troubled Houston to step into her shoes.

Four dates on Nelly's just under way U.S. tour have been postponed this weekend in the wake of his sister's death Thursday from complications from leukemia.

The lyrics on Ashlee Simpson's infectiously spunky, chart-topping "Autobiography," the singer says, "are exactly my story up until the point that I was at when I wrote the record. I wanted to say exactly who I was and what I was going through and kind of where I was at that point."

Following the latest round of American Idol, Bo Bice has been installed as favourite with bet365 to win the competition. Paddy Power aren�t as convinced with Bo joint favourite with Carrie Underwood at 7/4.

Meanwhile, Beck is back at the top of Billboard's Modern Rock Tracks list, where he ends Green Day's run at number one with Boulevard Of Broken Dreams. Beck's new tune E-Pro is his first number one on that chart for over a decade.

Jennifer Lopez and new husband Marc Anthony are said to be expecting, but like Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher, are waiting to be absolutely sure before making any announcement. Jennifer refuses to share any details of her private life with the public since the romantic debacle she suffered with Ben Affleck. PREDICTION: Say hello to two children by this marriage; say goodbye to the relationship within four years.

"It goes in cycles. Last year we were diva-fied. Of course, half of them didn't work because they hurt their knees or their voices," he said, referring to the last-minute loss of Marcus Amphitheater shows by both Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera in 2004 due to injury.

Ashlee Simpson will step up to the mike tonight at the Benedum.

Jennifer Lopez is selling her $11 million (GBP6 million) mansion on Miami Beach because it reminds her of former love Ben Affleck.

Singers often just dip a toe into the kiddie pool, like Avril Lavigne recording "The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie" theme. But there are rockers who dive in headfirst like the Giants, who have released two kids' albums.

Recent productions by Dylan Sellers include Warner Bros. Pictures' "A Cinderella Story" starring Hilary Duff; and "Agent Cody Banks" and its sequel "Agent Cody Banks 2: Destination London."

Elsewhere, Vasquez remixes Maroon5's "This Love," Peter Rauhofer updates Christina Aguilera's "Beautiful" and Victor Calderone revamps Beyonce's "Naughty Girl."

Jacqueline "Jackie" Donahue, 31, had been diagnosed with leukemia on March 29, 2001. The cancer was in remission for nearly two years before she suffered a relapse, prompting Nelly to arrange a number of bone marrow drives. A match was never found.

Favourite International Artist was awarded to Scissor Sisters and Girls Aloud picked up Favourite Pop Act statuette.

Conspiracy theories that ''American Idol" is rigged were stirred up again yesterday when the Fox network announced that it had displayed onscreen the wrong phone numbers to vote for three contestants during Tuesday night's show.

More details have emerged on Jennifer Lopez's upcoming film projects.

``I never had the experience of working with someone who wasn't exactly like me,'' said Jessica Simpson, 12. ``It was a great experience for Vernon, and it was great for me, too.''

Eight albums sold more than 5 million units in 2004, up from five in 2003. The big sellers were "Confessions" by Usher, Norah Jones' "Feels Like Home," "Encore" by Eminem, "How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb" by U2, "Under My Skin" by Avril Lavigne, "Destiny Fulfilled" by Destiny's Child and "Greatest Hits" albums from Robbie Williams and Shania Twain.

However, some notable outfits outside the night's skin fest included a brown bustier and see-through white peasant skirt, and a candy red punk-meets-posh stole. Rock and pop stars such as Lenny Kravitz, Christina Aguilera, Steven Tyler, Pink and Shania Twain have all worn designs by Junker.

The shake-up at "American Idol" began when the network displayed incorrect numbers for two call-in lines during the Tuesday's broadcast, Grogin said.

"Nirvana: Nevermind -- Classic Album DVD" (Eagle Rock Entertainment) explores the band, the Seattle music scene that would be dubbed "grunge" and the making of the band's classic album "Nevermind." Lead singer Kurt Cobain took his own life, leaving us with drummer Dave Grohl, bassist Krist Novoselic and an assortment of others to talk candidly about the band and how it gained traction.

Now credit card companies are rushing to capture that audience with prepaid cards, featuring celebrities such as rapper Usher and actress Hilary Duff, as well as cartoon characters like Hello Kitty.

Pop beauty Britney Spears has walked away victorious from a court battle with a clothing company over the name of her 2003 album IN THE ZONE.

Studio One, the world’s largest-purpose built recording studio, is equipped as a 350-seat cinema for the festival, which kicked off with a screening of the Beatles “A Hard Day’s Night” on Saturday.

Ashanti didn't have to look too far to find the right woman to play her fussy mother in new video DON'T LET THEM - she picked her own mum.

Overall sales were driven by new UK-signed artists such as Keane, Katie Melua and Scissor Sisters, whose debut album sold almost 1.6 million copies in the UK.

R+b superstar Usher is to follow in the footsteps of Jennifer Lopez and Britney Spears by releasing his own self-titled perfume.

Pop beauties Beyonce Knowles and Jennifer Lopez are both trying to persuade soccer hunk David Beckham to star in their next music videos.

Metallica fans have launched a new campaign, urging members of the band to ditch their longtime producer Bob Rock.

During the '60s, Short's audience began to shrink. The Beatles and the British Invasion dominated music; suburban flight and urban crime cut into the nightclub business.

An appeals court has upheld dismissal of an Irving man's claims that Fox stole his idea for the hit T-V show "American Idol."

JENNIFER LOPEZ defended her use of animal fur in her clothing line on Australian radio this weekend insisting she knows nothing about how fur is produced.

Amid the wine and revelry of that first evening, Godwin and Verlander wrote their first song, set to the tune of Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit. " They performed it at a benefit to build a park in neighboring Moss Beach. The lyrics went something like: This is Moss Beach/ Build a park here/ It's less dangerous/ Get your checkbook.

The same fate does not await the teen who can't afford a ticket to the Avril Lavigne concert, although she is likely to grimace, clutch her chest and gasp, much like a person in the throes of heart failure. Entertainment is a "want."

The campaign began in earnest on Monday night, when Alyssa Milano, Courteney Cox, David Arquette, Hilary Duff and her sister Haylie all attended a "PSP-a-porter" fashion show in Hollywood to kick off L.A. Fashion Week. The runway show featured PSP accessories specially designed by fashion world talents such as Diane von Furstenberg.

Britney Spears says forget about all that talk of pregnancy, "Because right now I want to get on with my career and I'm scared about what babies will do to my figure."

Now, for 16 days only, fans can see inside the studios in St John's Wood, north-west London, where the Beatles recorded most of their hits.

Pop star Christina Aguilera has lost a licensing agreement to launch a new clothing line, after publicly berating her peers who do just that.

R+B star Ashanti feared controversy surrounding her record company Murder Inc would jeopardise her career.

Bling-tastic St. Louis rapper Nelly shot for the moon last summer when he simultaneously released his third and fourth albums, "Sweat" and "Suit."

The Scissor Sisters are taking a half-year hiatus after a punishing 18-month tour.

A week or so has now passed since the news Mario Vasque has quit American Idol - originally the readaBet.com selection - and I have now had time to consider who is worthy of being the replacement contestant in the betting verdict.

Haynes, who is considering Beyonce Knowles and tennis star Venus Williams for the female role, explains, "I am setting out to explode the idea that anybody can be depicted in a single self."

Now, without Nirvana drummer ace Dave Grohl driving QOTSA's engine of aggression, this record often forgets to bang its head.

In a surreal piece of meta-television this week, the two, separate MTV reality shows by singing sisters Ashlee and Jessica Simpson overlapped.

Nearly 10 years later, Wish is the director of Little Kids Rock, a nonprofit organization that brings free music lessons and instruments to more than 4,000 students in low-income areas in four states. By next year, Little Kids Rock hopes to release a CD of songs written by students and recorded and performed by celebrity musicians such as Tom Waits, Norton Buffalo and members of Metallica, all of whom have appeared at schools and jammed with the kids.

Actor Jamie Foxx and singer Usher are hoping to add to their trophy cases at tonight's NAACP Image Award ceremony.

Other high-profile performers who have donated to the former South African president's cause include Missy Elliott and Beyonce Knowles, while actor Brad Pitt has become a special ambassador for Mandela's campaign.

Whatever bitchy mood George is in, I would suspect that it is jealousy, not political correctness, that motivates him. Whatever Eminem sings or raps about, he does so with a level of artistic honesty and imagination that simply outclasses both Elton and George. Elton at least recognizes that.

Jessica Simpson and Nick Lachey have been crowned among the stars most likely to take over Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston's defunct role as Hollywood's golden couple.

Foster crafts custom cars, too. His clientele is national and upscale. He's working on a 1936 Ford Coupe, for example, for Metallica guitarist Kirk Hammett.

After gettin into pissing matches with fellow pop divas Britney Spears and Hilary Duff, Avril Lavigne still can't find anything good to say about her musical contemporaries. Cosmopolitan magazine's April issue, now on newsstands, features Lavigne on the cover. Inside, she is asked the question, "Is there any singer your age whom you like or respect?" Lavigne has one simple response:

Britney Spears has slashed several hundred thousand dollars off the price of her New York apartment after it remained on the market unsold.

Kim, who scored a No1 alongside Christina Aguilera in 2001 with Lady Marmalade, denied she saw a street shoot-out.

Nelly is set for a busy 2005 after signing up to produce the soundtrack of his new American football film The Longest Yard.

On the surface -- or below the surface for that matter -- Jill Scott, Nelly and Ashlee Simpson don't have much in common. But in a rare cosmic occurrence, these stars have aligned this week and are all performing concerts at Detroit's Fox Theatre. Catch 'em while you can; like Halley's Comet, this may not happen again for another 76 years.

NEW YORK (AP) - Sports Entertainment Enterprises Inc., which owns most of the Elvis Presley estate, has agreed to acquire 19 Entertainment Ltd., the British company behind American Idol, for about $156 million US in cash and stock.

The channel has also launched a flashy new Web site at MTV2.com and has introduced a series of arty short clips ("interstitials," in TV-speak) that play between shows and videos. And as execs tweak MTV2's image, they are carefully choosing rock acts they think will connect with its target audience. "The Green Day model works for us," says MTV/MTV2 programming chief Tom Calderone, who also cites the Killers and My Chemical Romance as key MTV2 bands. "I want MTV2 to still be the Green Day channel when the next album comes out."

Janet Jackson obtained a restraining order Thursday against a man who the singer said has been harassing her for nine years.

MOBY is waging another war of words with BEYONCE KNOWLES after criticising the DESTINY'S CHILD star for teaming up with designer TOMMY HILFIGER to front a new cosmetic line.

The outspoken dance music star, who has been feuding with rapper EMINEM for years, accuses Knowles of "gratuitously" lending her name to Hilfiger's new fragrance TRUE STAR.

He rants, "I see so many public figures just gratuitously lending their names to products that I really don't understand.

"I just wonder why, like, Beyonce's doing this Tommy Hilfiger thing, and isn't it enough to have $50 million? Do you need $51 million?"

Jennifer Lopez has one chief problem with fame - it's hindered her love of clubbing and dancing into the small hours. The 'Shall We Dance?' beauty's leading passion in life is grooving and, before she was propelled to stardom, Lopez would always wow party-goers by showing off her moves on the dance floor. But with prying eyes now following her every action, she can no longer mingle with the public and enjoy a hassle-free night of partying. She tells Empire magazine, "Dancing makes you feel free. One of the things I miss most is being able to go out to a club with my combat boots, sweatpants, a hat and a T-shirt and just dance until four in the morning. "Now that people know me, it's different. I can't just be the crazy girl with the hat, dancing for four hours. People have their eye on me too much and it's not too much fun." (wenn)

Controversial rapper Eminem's Manhattan Federal Court case with The Source magazine neared its conclusion yesterday with both sides claiming victory.

Nelly has announced details of a UK tour.

It has been almost six months since the lip-synch that was heard around the world. And Ashlee Simpson, who was caught using a "guide vocal" during her Saturday Night Live appearance last October, addressed the situation early in her sold-out show last night at Massey Hall.

"American Idol" fill-in for dropout Mario Vazquez survived the show's elimination night Wednesday, but his return may not be for long.

Nikko Smith endured the Fox show's dwindling from 12 contestants to 11 by securing enough votes from TV viewers to continue another week. Son of baseball great Ozzie Smith, he had been cut from the competition but returned after Vazquez withdrew, citing personal reasons.

Smith's rendition of "I Want You Back" on Tuesday night, though, was deemed "horrible" by judge Simon Cowell.

R&B star Mario has urged music fans to stop inventing stories of rivalry between him and Usher. The singer is entirely focused on his music career and has no plans to waste time feuding with other artists. But he's flattered to be mentioned in the same breath as the Confessions megastar. He says, "People making out that Usher and me are rivals (annoys me). We're not! I don't mind if girls compare us, though. "I think it's a big compliment." (wenn)

Green Day had come to a crossroads. The pop punk trio from Berkeley, Calif., were not getting along, they hadn't released a studio album since 2000's Warning, and the music they had almost singlehandedly brought into the mainstream had become irrelevant.

So what did they do? Instead of packing it in, they went ahead and put out what was arguably the most important rock album of 2004, and one that will probably be the defining release of their career. Not only is the Grammy-winning American Idiot genre bending, cathartic, and fun, it also dares to be what most other U.S. releases have not--a criticism of U.S. President George W. Bush, the war on Iraq, and a media that so willingly went along with it.

Many artists have tackled the issue of post-9/11 America, but few have done so in such an honest and outspoken manner.

Actress JULIE DELPY has accused BEYONCE KNOWLES of offending her fellow French citizens - by "murdering" their language during her performance of VOIS SUR TON CHEMIN at last month's (27FEB05) OSCARs.

The BEFORE SUNRISE beauty was disgusted by Knowles' rendition of the Gallic song, from hit movie LES CHORISTES (THE CHORUS), because it sounded like she was singing in Chinese.

Delpy complains, "Beyonce singing in French - it sounds like she's crooning in strong Chinese

"I swear to God, to French people it was like being stabbed in the heart."

Slim sued The Source for copyright infringement after the publication distributed several of his old songs with its January 2004 issue. The CD featured a young Eminem spitting derogatory remarks about Black females and using the "N" word.

"In terms of showcasing the city, this is about as good as it gets," said Mayor Gavin Newsom, who will be meeting with the MTV reps.

"I won't say it's equivalent to the Super Bowl, but in terms of the energy, enthusiasm and particularly the demographics, it's a perfect fit for San Francisco," Newsom said.

Not to mention that the show airs internationally, and is replayed over and over on MTV.

From all indications, San Francisco is on a very short list of contenders that's rumored to include Atlanta, San Diego and New York.

It seems San Francisco's picturesque waterfront locations are the kind of setting the show's producers have had in mind since they took the awards ceremony to steamy Miami last year.

That event drew such stars as Beyonce, Jessica Simpson, Missy Elliott and Usher -- many of whom pulled up to the American Airlines Arena in luxury yachts as part of their red-carpet entrance.

But the band's influence is inestimable. Metallica, for one, was hugely influenced by Motorhead, and they repaid the favour by covering four Motorhead tunes on their 1998 album "Garage Inc." Motorhead, in turn, covered the song "Whiplash" for a Metallica tribute record, winning its first Grammy in the process last month.

While Beatallica considers its legal options, its site remains offline. But thousands of fans -- including Metallica's drummer Lars Ulrich -- are rallying behind the band.

yeah we say making changes starts
in the little things you do
revolution begins at home
but for most of us it ends there too

we're doing something
we're making changes
like changing the brand of crap we buy
we say it makes a difference
but that's just another lie

it used to be us and them
and you and me
and now we can't reach our potential
without a common enemy

a real war to fight against
instead of our petty disagreements
how can i rationalize
my life during wartime lie

a call to action
and a reaction
taking our lives in our own hands
instead of sitting around and talking bout
the same old shitty bands

the war's going on right now
and i'm not doing anything about it
without a crowd I'm not so loud
i can't do anything by myself
but that's just another lie

So I've been digging through this new Nirvana box set for the past couple weeks or so. It's cool because there really is a whole lot of shit on there that I would imagine hardly anybody has heard before. The thing about it though is that the vast majority of the new shit is poorly recorded solo acoustic demos made by Kurt in his bedroom or basement or whatever.

It’s never a good sign when the interludes/skits are sexier than the songs. On “Concrete Rose Intro,” Ashanti, responding to interview questions, explains her artistic goals for the CD (the gist: she thinks the new disc is deeper than her previous work), but from the interviewer’s mellow-as-shit probes to Ashanti’s mmmm-yummm answers, the Q&A session is as titillating as good porn. On “Message to the Fans,” a twenty-three second interlude, Ashanti offers up a sensual valentine for her listeners.

The band approached Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich, says Xeni Jardin on boing boing, going on:

Legendary group THE BEATLES are generating millions of dollars in royalties - even though they split 25 years ago.

BEYONCE KNOWLES and her mother TINA are planning to expand their clothing line to include coats.

Religious and other conservative groups have shown little love for Hollywood or the recording industry over the years, decrying everything from explicit rap lyrics to Janet Jackson's bared breast at the 2004 Super Bowl.

They will join Franz Ferdinand and the Scissor Sisters, who had already been named on the bill for the event in Chelmsford and Staffordshire in August.

CHRISTINA AGUILERA has upset bosses at British clothing company BASIC BOX by slamming celebrities who have their own fashion lines, despite being in the process of launching one herself.

Check out our Ashlee Simpson photo gallery here

With the music industry revenues exceeding over $30 Billion today, Musicrypt has worked closely with its customers to develop user-friendly technology that securely delivers broadcast quality music to its recipients. Musicrypt has completed over a quarter of a million secure deliveries to date with today's hottest music chart toppers such as U2, Usher, Norah Jones, Shania Twain, Britney Spears, 3 Doors Down, Avril Lavigne, Alicia Keys, Nickelback, Christina Aguilera, Coldplay, Dido, Evanescence, Green Day, Gwen Stefani, K-OS, Hoobastank, Jet, Jimmy Eat World, Maroon 5, Robbie Williams, Sarah McLachlan, R.Kelly, Seal, SUM 41, Sting, The White Stripes, Tim McGraw and hundreds of others.

One gets the sense from "Rebirth" that Lopez wants her music to be inoffensive and as easy to swallow as baby food, all the better to reach as wide a consumer base as possible. Too bad, since somewhere inside Jennifer Lopez Inc. is a dancing queen still waiting to break out, if only for tonight.

Even pop-singer Jessica Simpson uses their book, according to a recent interview of her featured in the magazine US Weekly.

Whereas goalies all seem to be a little crazy in their preparations and rituals, I'd imagine you have to be a little bonkers to want to be a goalie. I mean come on, what kind of person decides they want to have small frozen chunks of rubber shot at them with their job being strictly to be hit with them???? I think coach Jim Bermingham summed it up quite well earlier in the year when during a practice one of the guys had the puck hit a bump in the ice and accidentally hit Dunny in the head with the puck. Most of us laughed and Bermy said, "only in hockey does someone get hit in the head with a puck and have everyone laugh." Other interesting preparations and superstitions that are more team-oriented include us listening to Metallica's "Whiskey in the Jar" before warm-up and then Al Pacino's speech from the movie "Any Given Sunday" called "Inches" before we go out for the start of the game. Warm-Up also bring a lot of ritual and routine to the IceBears. The same drills, the same shots and the same players doing the exact same things will go on before every game. T-Mac will stand at center ice after our final drill and feed the pile of pucks out to the rest of us Daisy will stand in the corner after our half-circle shooting and feed the pucks back us in the slot. After warm-up and before we head onto the ice for period there is a specific order in which we go out; the same players in the same order and usually more times than not the same things being said in encouragement, like T-Mac saying " we ready boys?" just before we hit the ice. Routine and superstition take up a lot of athletes mental and physical game day preparations and this years team and it's players are no exception.

During the team's game Sunday, Usher crossed his arms over his head and curled his hands to form letter C's. Fans made the symbol as the Cavaliers downed the Indiana Pacers 98-86.

It's personal. That's what Mario Vazquez is insisting about his decision to drop out of Fox's "American Idol" talent search. Fans were buzzing Monday about why such a popular contender would forfeit "Idol" fame.

"My gut and intuition told me it wasn't time to do this," Vazquez told The Associated Press. "I had to focus on some personal areas in my life with the little bit of privacy that I have."

NEW YORK � People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals wants Jennifer Lopez to "Get Right" when it comes to fur.

He recently blasted Elton John for duetting with rapper Eminem, who has been widely criticised for his homophobic lyrics.

Mr. Haber is a certified public accountant and principal of Haber Corporation Certified Public Accountants, whose primary area of practice is financial management within the music and entertainment industry. Clients of Haber Corporation include, among others, Evanescence, Joe Cocker, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Peter Frampton, Randy Travis and Ryan Adams.

• Songstress Jessica Simpson never parts with her maltese mix Daisy.

Piccola has toured as a technician with musical acts such as The Rolling Stones, Dave Matthews Band and Metallica. He said his favorite gig was helping to unravel a giant American flag at Super Bowl XXXVI in January 2002.

Beatallica has been served with a cease-and-desist letter by Sony/ATV publishing, which owns the rights to the Beatles catalog. Since forming in 2001, the Milwaukee band has been playing mutations of Beatles songs in Metallica's imitable style and posting its Frankenstein creations such as "Got to Get You Trapped Under Ice" and "Everybody's Got a Ticket to Ride Except Me and My Lightning" on its Web site. One of the most popular MP3s was "Leper Madonna" ... San Francisco singer-songwriter Matt Nathanson has been tapped as the opening act on Tori Amos' monthlong Original Sinsuality tour, which opens April 1 in Clearwater, Fla. Nathanson sang the James song "Laid" in the opening credits of "American Wedding."

For those who don’t know, Gracenote aka CDDB returns track names for physical CDs (not MP3s) when they are played in something like Winamp or Windows Media Player. Gracenote record the number of requests they have for particular albums, and keep a Top 40 on their website. Eminem’s latest album ‘The Eminem Show’ moved into position 2 two days before it was due to be released. Find out what happened at News.com, cos it seems like it’s not just Napster they have to really worry about anymore.

Yeah, no kidding. Marshall Mathers. Eminem. That guy.

The link is probably slow as stoned molasses, but... here's the direct links to the QuickTime movies (Parental Advisory... especially if you support Bush...):

...Let us set aside our differences and assemble our own army to disarm this weapon of mass destruction that we call our president for the present, and march for the future of our next generation to speak and be heard.

Word on the street is that Britney has a subliminal message in her song "Baby One More Time."

Played forward she sings, "With you I lose my mind. Give me a sign."

Reversed, it sounds like, "Sleep with me, I'm not too young."

"After hitting rock bottom with a devastating emotional collapse, Britney Spears has become a born again Christian – thanks to an emergency intervention by her family. The startling about-face in the pop star's life came after her family took her 55-hour marriage disaster as a "wake-up call" and confronted Britney to stop her from spinning wildly out of control, say sources. With her dad hugging her tightly and tears streaming down her cheeks, the 22-year-old pop princess walked down the aisle at the Great Western Forum in Inglewood, Calif., on February 1 and rededicated herself to Christ..."

You can - maybe.

There are currently over two dozen pieces of used Britney gum up for bid on eBay.

The pieces sell for hundreds, sometimes thousands of dollars.

"Music and fashion have always gone hand in hand and we believe that this line will demonstrate once again that there is a significant audience for not only Beyonce's performances, but also her style," says Morris Goldfarb, G-III's Chief Executive Officer.

Carlito is still searching for the Undertaker, when Torrie Wilson startles him. Carlito has had enough, and goes to the ring to call him out.

"Please don't support Jennifer Lopez or her bloody business," according to a website that the animal rights group has devoted to the singer, actress and now fashion designer. "Many hot designers, including Stella McCartney, Vivienne Westwood, Todd Oldham, Marc Bouwer, and others have ... created synthetic alternatives that are hip, humane, and easily available and don't turn animals into fashion victims."

The radio heads want the outspoken former HOLE star to join their waveband of celebrity presenters, which include HOWARD STERN and EMINEM.

Everyone knows that Jessica Simpson is playing Daisy Duke in the up-coming "Dukes of Hazzard" movie right? Well if you didn't, you do now. Coinciding with the June 24 release date of the film Simpson hopes to also release her new album (why on Earth would she do that?!).

The company, whose artists include Madonna, Kid Rock, Green Day, Josh Groban and Metallica, is expected to disclose details on the planned IPO, including the number of shares to be sold and the estimated price per share, in future filings.

Willful ignorance served dumb, outsized rockers like "Wild Side" or "Kickstart My Heart," not to mention Lee's interminable high-wire percussion solo. But new single "If I Die Tomorrow" sounded like the heavy-handed ballads Metallica pushed during the '90s, equally awkward in its manufactured brooding.

Results at Warner Music's rivals have been mixed. Universal Music, whose artists include Eminem and 50 Cent, yesterday said quarterly sales rose 4 percent. Operating income at Universal Music, a unit of Paris-based Vivendi Universal SA, jumped almost three-fold after the division cut jobs.

Since the band formed in 1993, Papa Roach's mid-tempo rap metal has evolved into more melodic alternative rock, drifting farther away from influences such as Korn and closer to more current acts such as Evanescence.

But the singer, sister of reality TV star Jessica Simpson, insists she's true to one guy.

She said American music is very popular in Japan - specifically Avril Lavigne, who she thinks is "so-so."

At this rate, soon you won't be able to tell a Winnipeg sports fan from a Hilary Duff disciple.

Britney Spears is set to co-star with Cher in a new movie called "In The Pink", with co-stars Tim Allen and Bette Midler. Britney will star as a door-to-door makeup salesperson. Shooting is scheduled to begin next week. In other Britney news, the pop star appears on the cover of this month's Allure magazine, but Britney isn't too happy about the article. On her web site, Britney writes "I feel the article focused too much on my personal life…In the future, I will refrain from discussing my private life in interviews. It will be expressed solely through art."

They play classical music, true, but in the context of the bands they grew up listening to: The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix, Dave Brubeck, John Coltrane, etc.

Robbie Williams, it is said, likes nothing better than kicking back after a concert with a bag of lettered tiles. Likewise Christina Aguilera, Sting and Avril Lavigne, the Queen, Madonna and Guy Ritchie, Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston, Richard Branson, Coldplay's Chris Martin, Mel Gibson and Joan Collins count themselves fans.

Take the Tim McGraw-Nelly hit, Over and Over. The duo makes it almost impossible to tell who's singing what, yet somehow it remains a hit. This, for Free Sol, means light at the end of the tunnel, because they fail in much the same way.

ASHLEE SIMPSON — GREENSBORO AND CHARLOTTE — Ashlee Simpson, with special guests The Click Five, will perform April 1 at 7 p.m. at the War Memorial Auditorium in Greensboro and April 2 at 7 p.m. at Ovens Auditorium in Charlotte. Tickets for the Greensboro concert will be sold at tickets.com or charge by phone at (888) 397-3100. Tickets for the Charlotte concert will be sold at all Ticketmaster outlets and online at cc.com.

Washington, Mar 10 (ANI): R 'n' B singer Usher has announced his plans to make an action film with Hollywood heartthrob Tom Cruise.

Tina Knowles added, "Beyonce and I are so thrilled to add G-III to the House of Dereon team! My daughter and I are enjoying every moment as we put together what we hope will be a truly incredible collection for the young women's contemporary fashion market."

State prison officials plan to remove information on about 215,000 ex-convicts -- including rapper Eminem -- from their popular online database because they believe the system is being improperly used by employers and others to run criminal background checks, state officials said Wednesday.

While the album is highly influenced by rock music (what do you expect with Avril Lavigne and those boys from Evanescence writing some of the tracks?), there are also some nice pop ballads to listen to on lazy Sundays.

JESSICA SIMPSON & NICK LACHEY

During the first part of the '90s there was a period when heavy music redeemed itself in the public eye for the sins of cock-rock, as already well-established serious-metal bands, including Metallica, Megadeth and Anthrax had commercial breakthroughs. Suddenly a bunch of heavy bands from the '80s figured out how to combine hard and heavy with catchy and listenable, and even as Pearl Jam and Nirvana ascended, a handful of metal bands experienced their commercial peaks. But, except for those sneaky bastards Metallica, the remainder of the decade was a slide (back) toward obscurity.