Vinny's smart decisionWhen the worlds of reality TV and pop music collide, the results are never good. For example, when Kim Kardashian collaborated with The-Dream, or every Real Housewife that thinks they can sing. Earlier today, Vinny from 'Jersey Shore' tried his hand at hip-hop by posting a song called "Rack City Mix." (Was he jealous of DJ Pauly D's career?) Maybe it was the influx of disparaging comments, or maybe it was because Vinny pressed play and was embarrassed by what he sounds like rapping, but he immediately took down his debut track, but not before TMZ was able to transcribe some of the lyrics...
Vinny From ‘Jersey Shore’ Wisely Had Second Thoughts About His Rap Career
By Daniel Kreps | Amplifier – Wed, Nov 30, 2011 4:34 PM ESTThe Amp’s Dark Horse Grammy Nomination Wishlist
By Daniel Kreps | Amplifier – Wed, Nov 30, 2011 3:13 PM EST
Future Grammy nominee?Tonight marks the prologue to "Music's Biggest Night," the Grammy Nominations special, with artists like Adele, Kanye West, and Taylor Swift just hours away from receiving trophy nods aplenty. The National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences is so predictable, they might as well just call the February 12, 2012 Grammy ceremony "My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy About Yoü & I Rolling in the Deep," but there are always a few surprises and snubs along the way. For a breakdown of the favorites in each major category, check out Paul Grein's Grammy Crystal Ball.Here at The Amp, we're interested in those off-the-radar artists, albums, and songs that stand absolutely no shot of winning, let alone earning a nomination, even though they might deserve some Grammy consideration. These are five of our dark horse, in-a-perfect-world nominees:
Read More »from The Amp’s Dark Horse Grammy Nomination WishlistCharts: ‘Christmas’ Defeats Nickelback and Rihanna in Black Friday Battle
By Daniel Kreps | Amplifier – Wed, Nov 30, 2011 12:34 PM EST
Read More »from Charts: ‘Christmas’ Defeats Nickelback and Rihanna in Black Friday Battle
'Christmas'Who's Number One? 'Christmas' won an incredibly tight Black Friday sales race as Michael Bublé's seasonal disc barely edged the week's biggest debut, Nickelback's 'Here and Now'. In the days leading up to the Black Friday surge, the Canadian rockers were the favorites to take the top spot ahead of Rihanna's 'Talk That Talk', thanks in part to their Thanksgiving performance at the Detroit Lions game. However, when midnight struck on Friday, the holiday shoppers instead went stampeding toward Bublé and 'Christmas', which finally grabbed Number One after finishing second last week. But it wasn't easy for Bublé…
Watch Morrissey Perform New Track ‘People Are the Same Everywhere’ on ‘Conan’
By Daniel Kreps | Amplifier – Wed, Nov 30, 2011 11:01 AM ESTThe same day Morrissey was honored with a PETA "Famous Vegetarians" postage stamp, the former Smiths frontman and his same shirt-wearing backing band dropped by 'Conan' for a rare television performance. (O'Brien didn't interview Moz, which prevented the singer from saying something stupid again.) Morrissey performed his new track "People Are the Same Everywhere," one of those new tracks that debuted earlier this summer. For a fit guy on a strict veggie diet, Morrissey seems winded like two lines into the song, but he recovers nicely. He might be out of shape, but nearly 30 years of singing hasn't diminished his trademark voice.
"People Are the Same Everywhere" will appear on Morrissey's upcoming studio disc, which still doesn't have an album title, release date, or even a record label to distribute it. At this point in the game, you've either stuck with Morrissey through all the drama or you stopped caring after 1995's 'Southpaw Grammar'. If you've remained by the singer's side (as
Read More »from Watch Morrissey Perform New Track ‘People Are the Same Everywhere’ on ‘Conan’Stanley Hudson From ‘The Office’ Satirized LMFAO
By Daniel Kreps | Amplifier – Wed, Nov 30, 2011 9:22 AM ESTLeslie David Baker is well known as stoic sales rep and crossword junkie Stanley Hudson on 'The Office," but in addition to working at Dundler Mifflin, the actor also apparently has some pop music aspirations. Or maybe this is just a Funny or Die skit or an "Office" DVD exclusive. Despite looking and sounding like a more rotund version of Barry White, Baker plays "Black Hugh Hefner" -- seriously, that's what he's called in the credits -- in "2 Be Simple." He gallivants around his mansion, always surrounded by Playmates, as his many party guests enjoy the pool and play beer pong. Baker teamed up with something called N.U.M. for the video, and the results are YouTube gold.
Read More »from Stanley Hudson From ‘The Office’ Satirized LMFAO10 Years After George Harrison’s Death, Guitars Still Gently Weep
By Daniel Kreps | Amplifier – Tue, Nov 29, 2011 5:52 PM ESTIt was 10 years ago today, November 29, 2001, that George Harrison, the legendary Beatles guitarist, passed away after a battle with lung cancer. Harrison's impact on the music world is immeasurable, though Martin Scorsese's documentary 'Living in the Material World' did a great job of scratching the surface of George's legacy, both as a member of the Fab Four and as a solo artist. Tonight in Liverpool, Harrison's home town, a pair of concerts will honor the late guitarists, featuring two bands -- Brute Force and the Radha Krishna Temple -- that Harrison himself signed to the Beatles' Apple label. It was also revealed today that Harrison's 'Sgt. Pepper's' amp will hit the auction block on December 15th.
Read More »from 10 Years After George Harrison’s Death, Guitars Still Gently Weep
Bruno Mars Teaches Grover How to Roller Skate on ‘Sesame Street’
By Daniel Kreps | Amplifier – Tue, Nov 29, 2011 4:31 PM ESTThe overflow of cameo appearances from the new 'Muppets' movie has spilled over to its sister program 'Sesame Street', as daytime's most famous neighborhood invited crooner Bruno Mars to share a new song called "Don't Give Up." Mars, who co-wrote Cee Lo's "F--- You," leaves the f-bombs and grenades at home, opting instead to sing a bouncy tune about learning how to catch and keeping balance on roller skates (via Pop Dust). And unlike Katy Perry's controversial duet with Elmo, parents probably won't be e-mailing PBS to complain about Bruno's appearance.
Mars' inspirational "Don't Give Up" is so catchy and uplifting, it's easy to forget that the singer probably shouldn't be on a television show geared toward children in the first place. After all, it was just nine months ago that Mars pleaded guilty to cocaine possession after he was busted with the drug in the bathroom of Las Vegas' Hard Rock Hotel. Or maybe helping out on Sesame Street is just part of the 200 hours of community
Read More »from Bruno Mars Teaches Grover How to Roller Skate on ‘Sesame Street’Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg Reunite For ‘Next Episode’… In Singapore
By Daniel Kreps | Amplifier – Tue, Nov 29, 2011 3:16 PM ESTCompton and Long Beach together… in Singapore? Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg, the West Coast duo that shared the mic on some of hip-hop's greatest singles, reunited last night to perform "The Next Episode" together at the Mnet Asian Music Awards in Singapore. 'The Chronic' rapper might be too tired to finish working on his long-delayed album 'Detox', but that didn't prevent him from traveling halfway around the world to join the Doggfather on a dozen-year-old song (via Nah Right).
Alright, so the performance is just one long commercial for Beats By Dre headphones, with both Snoop and the drummer wearing the white noise-canceling models as they perform. Still, it's great to see these G-Funk icons still performing together almost two decades after Snoop first rapped, "Bow wow wow, yippee yo, yippee yay, Doggy Dogg in the m----- f------ house." However, this joyous occasion takes a somber turn at the end when we're reminded that Nate Dogg, who sang the closing portion of "Next Episode," is no
Read More »from Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg Reunite For ‘Next Episode’… In SingaporeSole Survivor: 15-Year-Old Mick Jagger Shows Off His Shoes on Children’s Show
By Joseph Brannigan Lynch | Amplifier – Tue, Nov 29, 2011 2:01 PM ESTA round of applause for the Internet! Someone uncovered a clip of a 15-year-old Mick Jagger modeling "a pair of ordinary gym shoes" on a British children's series in 1959. This clip may prove to be the most entertaining 23 seconds of your day.
Referred to as "Michael" (his birth name) and man-handled by the host of a TV show called 'Seeing Sport', Jagger looks incredibly young for 15 but his eyes already burn with that rock n' roll rakishness. With his eyes flicking back and forth between the host and his raised foot, Jagger rather looks like he's merely humoring the chap.
Read More »from Sole Survivor: 15-Year-Old Mick Jagger Shows Off His Shoes on Children’s ShowMichael Jackson’s Doctor Conrad Murray Sentenced to Four Years in Jail
By Daniel Kreps | Amplifier – Tue, Nov 29, 2011 12:57 PM ESTConrad Murray, the doctor convicted of involuntary manslaughter in the death of Michael Jackson, was sentenced to four years imprisonment, the maximum punishment the judge could deliver. The sentencing came nearly three weeks after a jury found Murray guilty of administering Jackson with a fatal dose of the powerful sedative Propofol on June 25, 2009. "Some may feel that this was a medical malpractice case. It wasn't. And this jury found that Conrad Murray, with criminal negligence, caused the death of Michael Jackson," Judge Michael Pastor said before revealing the sentence. "The fact is, Michael Jackson died because of the actions of, and the failures to perform legal duties on the part of, Conrad Murray."
The judge also admonished Murray for his "horrific violation of trust" in treating Jackson. The defense was seeking a sentence that included probation but no jail time, but given the severity of the crime and the world-famous victim, the judge sided with the prosecution in delivering Murray his punishment. In addition to the sentence, Murray was also ordered to pay Jackson's children a restitution estimated to be in the amount of $100 million, a sum that combines the cost of Michael's funeral arrangements, plus the lost wages and earnings the singer didn't collect because he died before his This Is It concerts began. The exact restitution, however, will be decided on a later court date.
Read More »from Michael Jackson’s Doctor Conrad Murray Sentenced to Four Years in Jail
News for You
- Germans blame euro zone crisis for Eurovision debacle
BERLIN (Reuters) - Germans lamented their unexpectedly poor showing at the Eurovision Song Contest, blaming Chancellor Angela Merkel's tough stance in the euro zone crisis for their failure to win any points from 34 of the 39 countries voting. Denmark's Emmelie de Forest won the event, watched by around 125 million people across Europe, with 281 points while German act Cascada was 21st out of 26 countries, getting just 18 points from Austria, Israel, Spain, Albania and Switzerland. ...
- OJ Simpson lawyers say he is closer to freedom
LAS VEGAS (AP) — The latest high-stakes court hearing for O.J. Simpson in the glitzy capital of big gambles has come to a close with the former football star's defense team feeling confident that their client is closer to getting out of prison.
- Dior presents cruise fashions amid stars in Monaco
MONACO (AP) — The glittering star power of Cannes migrated up the coast to Monaco for front-row seats at Dior's colorful, sexy cruise fashion show.
- 'Trek' does $70.6M but falls short of studio hopes
LOS ANGELES (AP) — "Star Trek: Into Darkness" has warped its way to a $70.6 million domestic launch from Friday to Sunday, though it's not setting any light-speed records with a debut that's lower than the studio's expectations.
- 'Star Trek' sequel tops weekend box office in North America
By Lisa Richwine and Andrea Burzynski (Reuters) - "Star Trek Into Darkness," the newest installment in the classic intergalactic franchise, blasted to the top of movie box office charts with $70.6 million in weekend ticket sales at theaters in the United States and Canada. The new 3D voyage for Captain Kirk and the crew of the Starship Enterprise knocked mighty "Iron Man 3" into second place, while the Marvel superhero sequel grabbed $35.2 million. Jazz Age drama "The Great Gatsby" finished third with $23.4 million, according to studio estimates. ...
- Denmark's de Forest wins Eurovision song contest
MALMO, Sweden (AP) — Denmark's Emmelie de Forest has won this year's Eurovision Song Contest with her ethno-inspired flute and drum tune "Only Teardrops," despite tough competition from spectacular stage shows by performers from Azerbaijan and Ukraine.
