Gottahaverockandroll.comBeatles, they're just like us! They watch HBO, and worry about how much is left in the gas tank. To complete the trifecta of ridiculous John Lennon items up for auction -- following his toilet and his tooth — comes this handwritten to-do list that gives an insightful look at the day-to-day life of the "Imagine" singer. And who knew being John Lennon could be so mundane? Picking up marmalade, putting Sean Lennon's mattress back in its room (what was it doing out of Sean's room?), and arranging the photo book are among the activities John planned for himself on May 22nd (year unknown).
A Day in the Boring Life: John Lennon To-Do List Hits Auction Block
By Daniel Kreps | Amplifier – Tue, Nov 29, 2011 10:54 AM ESTWatch the 10 Short Films From Bon Iver’s Deluxe ‘Bon Iver’
By Daniel Kreps | Amplifier – Tue, Nov 29, 2011 9:20 AM ESTThere is probably a small contingent of music fans out there who felt that Bon Iver's 'Bon Iver' would be the best album of the year if only it came with short films about snowy, desolate highways and time-lapse plant life footage. Luckily, the deluxe version of the Wisconsin group's arrives on iTunes today, and it brings ten atmospheric music videos to accompany each of the 'Bon Iver' tracks. There's nothing as epic as the "November Rain" video here; it's just simple, soothing images by directors Isaac Gale and David Jensen, like an awesome iTunes Visualizer made expressly for the album.
Read More »from Watch the 10 Short Films From Bon Iver’s Deluxe ‘Bon Iver’Wyclef Jean’s Haiti Charity Under Scrutiny Again
By Daniel Kreps | Amplifier – Mon, Nov 28, 2011 5:52 PM EST
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James Devaney/WireImage.comWyclef Jean has already defended himself against accusations that his Yele Haiti charity was mismanaged, but a new report suggests that the foundation may have grossly misused the millions of dollars it raised following the 2010 Haiti earthquake. The New York Post reports that of the $16 million Yele Haiti raised in the weeks following the island nation's devastating earthquake, only a third of that went toward relief efforts.
This Thanksgiving, Lady Gaga Was Less Popular Than Charlie Brown and ‘Big Bang Theory’
By Daniel Kreps | Amplifier – Mon, Nov 28, 2011 4:24 PM EST
James Devaney/WireImage.comConsidering that Lady Gaga is probably the biggest artist on the planet, you'd think that her 'Very Gaga Thanksgiving' special would be the must-see television event this past Turkey Day. (Well, that and watching Nickelback get booed in Detroit.) Instead, the Fame Monster was beat by a round-headed buffoon and his black-and-white dog. According to MTV, holiday stalwart 'A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving' edged 'A Very Gaga Thanksgiving' by a few hundred thousand viewers. The Peanuts gang drew 5.8 million TV sets, while only 5.4 million people tuned in to watch Gaga cook Thanksgiving dinner and perform Christmas songs.Both shows aired on ABC, so execs there probably aren't too down about Gaga's defeat. Yet somehow, programs on the other major networks bested both ABC specials:
Read More »from This Thanksgiving, Lady Gaga Was Less Popular Than Charlie Brown and ‘Big Bang Theory’Listen to Scarlett Johansson’s ‘I’ll Be Home for Christmas’ Duet With Dean Martin
By Daniel Kreps | Amplifier – Mon, Nov 28, 2011 2:54 PM EST
Read More »from Listen to Scarlett Johansson’s ‘I’ll Be Home for Christmas’ Duet With Dean Martin
Venturelli/WireImage.comToday is Cyber Monday, which is just like Black Friday minus the long lines, midnight stampedes, and Christmas music blaring over the store's sound system. With everyone surfing from e-tailer to e-tailer today to cross off those last few holiday gifts, at least pretend you made the effort of going to an actual store by listening to Dean Martin's "I'll Be Home for Christmas," featuring actress Scarlett Johansson (via Rickey). This new duet appears on Dino's holiday collection 'My Kind of Christmas' (not to be confused with the Christina Aguilera album of the same name). Listen here.Elvis Costello Urges Fans to Avoid His New $200 Box Set
By Joseph Brannigan Lynch | Amplifier – Mon, Nov 28, 2011 1:59 PM EST
John Shearer/WireImageHis aim remains true, even if his own pocketbook becomes a target: Elvis Costello is throwing barbs at the record label releasing his upcoming live box set because of the inordinately hefty price tag it carries.A post on Costello's website appropriately entitled "Steal This Album" (perhaps he's also a System of a Down fan) advises fans to steer clear of a 3-disc, 1 DVD, 1 vinyl record collection of a live concert in L.A. from April 2011.
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This Isn’t It: Rare Michael Jackson Concert Film Goes Unsold at Auction
By Daniel Kreps | Amplifier – Mon, Nov 28, 2011 12:42 PM EST
Read More »from This Isn’t It: Rare Michael Jackson Concert Film Goes Unsold at Auction
Kevin Mazur/WireImage.comYou know the economy is in peril when no one has a spare $7.8 million to throw down on an unseen Michael Jackson concert film. This past Saturday, an unearthed King of Pop footage from Jackson's 1993 Dangerous tour was put up for auction with an insane "4-5 million pounds" price tag. And not surprisingly, no one bid that much for it. "At this stage it has not sold," a Fame Bureau spokesman told Reuters. "We are still talking to people, but online it did not sell." It didn't help that the brief preview clip Fame Bureau posted on YouTube to attract interest was pulled down because of a copyright claim. First, Michael Jackson's deathbed frame gets withdrawn from auction, then no one bids on this notable item.Watch Kate Bush’s Claymation Video for Her Snowman Love Song ‘Misty’
By Daniel Kreps | Amplifier – Mon, Nov 28, 2011 11:01 AM ESTIn the grand tradition of Christmas-themed claymation videos, Kate Bush has unveiled "Mistraldespair," a new video that captures the best 145 seconds of her 13-minute-long epic "Misty." The song, which describes a fleeting love affair between a woman and an actual snowman, is one of the many highlights on Bush's "stunning" and "beguiling" new album '50 Words for Snow'. Keeping true to the song's message, 'Mistraldespair' finds a clay lady and her carrot-nosed lover engaging in a one-night stand, because the passionate evening literally makes the snowman melt. It's part-claymation classic 'Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer', part-'Basic Instinct', and completely awesome.
Here's some more animation from Bush, an excerpt from her Yeti tale "Wild Man":
Read More »from Watch Kate Bush’s Claymation Video for Her Snowman Love Song ‘Misty’
Kevin Mazur/WireImage.comIt was revealed this weekend that David Bowie's music would get the 'Mamma Mia!' treatment for a new musical set to premiere next year in London. "Jukebox musicals" -- shows featuring an artists' music to tell an original story, like 'Jersey Boys' or 'American Idiot' -- are the current theater craze like music biopics is a Hollywood obsession, and 'Heroes: The Musical' was to feature roughly 20 of Bowie's best songs to tell the fictional story of Bowie famed protagonist Major Tom.Since Bowie has technically retired from performing, the musical would be the only opportunity to hear his music live and on stage. "We could not really believe it when they gave us permission," Deep Singh, the writer of the musical, told The Observer. "His people had warned us that it was very unlikely that he would be interested and that he had been asked many times before." Not so fast, Deep, there's a reason why you shouldn't believe that Bowie gave you permission: It's because he hasn't.
Read More »from David Bowie Grounds Major Tom MusicalKanye West Uses Nietzsche Defense in Music Theft Lawsuit
By Joseph Brannigan Lynch | Amplifier – Wed, Nov 23, 2011 2:34 PM EST
Kevin Kane/Getty ImagesThat which doesn't kill a lawsuit can only make it stronger, right? That's what Vincent Peters is hoping in his copyright infringement case against Kanye West, a previously dismissed claim which Peters is now appealing to a higher court.Alleging suspicious similarities between Kanye West's number one hit "Stronger" from 2007 and a 2006 song he submitted to West's business manager, Peters points out that the tunes share titles, Kate Moss references and choruses that revolve around Nietzsche's maxim, "What does not destroy me makes me stronger."
Copyright suits against wealthy hit makers are nothing new, but rarely does the musician in question have the pleasure of citing the infamous 19th century philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche as part of their defense.
Read More »from Kanye West Uses Nietzsche Defense in Music Theft Lawsuit
News for You
- Actress Bynes accused of bong toss out NYC window
NEW YORK (AP) — Actress Amanda Bynes appeared disheveled in a long blond wig and sweats Friday in a criminal court where she was charged with reckless endangerment after police said she heaved a marijuana bong out the window of her 36th-floor Manhattan apartment.
- Latest 'Bachelorette' won't say if she's engaged
NEW YORK (AP) — ABC's newest "Bachelorette," Desiree Hartsock, says it's not hard to keep the details of her experience on the show a secret from her friends.
- Debbie Reynolds: We all knew Liberace was gay
BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. (AP) — In the new film "Behind the Candelabra," veteran entertainer Debbie Reynolds has just three major scenes to flesh out one of the most complicated figures in piano-playing showman Liberace's life: his loving but sometimes manipulative mother Frances.
- Jersey shore reopens for 1st post-Sandy summer
SEASIDE HEIGHTS, N.J. (AP) — New Jersey rolled out some of its big guns Friday to proclaim that the shore is back following Superstorm Sandy, using Gov. Chris Christie and the cast of MTV's "Jersey Shore" to tell a national audience the state is ready for summer fun.
- Takei says Cho good choice for latest 'Star Trek'
SINGAPORE (AP) — Portraying USS Enterprise helmsman Hikaru Sulu in the latest "Star Trek" movie comes with big shoes to fill, but the man who played the part in the TV series and six films has given his blessing to the actor currently playing the role.
- Rare Superman comic found in house insulation
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — It's considered the Holy Grail of comic books: Action Comics No. 1 from 1938, featuring the debut of Superman. And David Gonzales found one mixed in with old newspapers insulating a house he was renovating in a small town in Minnesota.
