Sales Up 119 At Hmv & other: June 2008

Thursday, 19 June 2008

Fistt

Artist: Fistt

   Genre(s):
Other

Discography:

Vendo As Coisas Como Voce

Year: 2004
Tracks: 13

Materia

Friday, 6 June 2008

The Little Mermaid - Bailey Recovering After Stage Fall

Broadway star ADRIAN BAILEY is recovering in hospital after falling through a trap door before a performance of THE LITTLE MERMAID.

The actor was rushed to Bellevue Hospital with two broken wrists just moments before the Saturday (10May08) matinee of the stage show at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre in New York.

The 51-year-old, who has several roles in the theatre version of the 1989 Disney movie, was forced to undergo surgery on his wrists and stayed in the hospital overnight.

Rehearsing for the show's first scene in which a boat is lowered to the stage, Bailey reportedly fell about 20 feet, according to the show's spokesman Chris Boneau.

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Thursday, 5 June 2008

Starsailor enlist Ronnie Wood

Starsailor are set to return with their fourth album, and this time they've got a Rolling Stone in tow. All they need now is a release date.

The album, tentatively titled All the Plans, was finished in May, but EMI still haven't decided on a release date, frontman James Walsh told Billboard. "It's definitely frustrating when you've got a finished record you want to get out and promote," he said.

The band gave up on Phil Spector, who produced their second effort, and indie-rocker Rob Schnapf, who produced their third, and returned to their debut album's producer, Steve Osborne. But while he may lack Phil Spector's reputation (and murder charges), Starsailor have upped the celebrity ante by enlisting the help of Rolling Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood.

"We kept asking him if he'd be up for playing some guitar on the record, and at the time he was busy promoting [the Rolling Stones documentary Shine a Light]," Walsh said. "So there were a couple of months where he just wasn't available to do it. Then I got a call about half past six one evening from his son Jesse saying, 'My dad really wants to do this now. Can you be at the studio [at] nine o'clock?' So from having given up the ghost it all came together out of the blue."

Wood contributes to a track called All the Plans We Made. "[He said] the song reminded him of Maggie May," Walsh raved.

All the Plans was recorded in four studios across England and is a "reaction [to the] darker and heavier" tone of 2005's On the Outside. "On this album, there's a lot more light, and we've reverted back to the more acoustic guitar- and piano-driven sound ... [It's] back to our roots in a lot of ways."

As Starsailor wait for EMI to give the album a release date, you can catch them on tour, albeit without Ronnie Wood. They are playing the European festival circuit and will also be opening for the Police on their UK dates this month.

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Dancing on Ice celebrities revealed

The celebrities due to take part in the new series of 'Dancing on Ice' have been revealed.
Those taking part in the ice-skating show this season include singer Samantha Mumba, 'Emmerdale' actress Linda Lusardi, 'Hollyoaks' actor Chris Fountain, pop singer Gareth Gates and television presenter Sarah Greene.
Also taking to the ice for the new series of the reality show are 'How Clean Is Your House' star Aggie Mackenzie, TV presenter Natalie Pinkham, tennis star Greg Rusedski, former Hear'Say star Suzanne Shaw, 'GMTV' reporter Michael Underwood, TV presenter Tim Vincent and javelin champion Steve Backley.
Former Olympic skating champions Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean will once again coach the stars during their time on the show.
Philip Schofield and Holly Willoughby will return as presenters of the series.

Kanye West Disappointed, But Lil Wayne, Alicia Keys, T-Pain, D-Block Steal The Show At Hot 97 Summer Jam

EAST RUTHERFORD, New Jersey — Fans living in the New York tristate area might as well swallow that sour pill and face facts. We probably will never see a Summer Jam concert with Jay-Z and 50 Cent both on the bill.

50 Cent is banned from Giants Stadium due to that infamous, onstage chair- (or shall we say chair-aaaairs?) throwing incident with Bang 'Em Smurf and some rivals from his neighborhood a few years back. Other than a brief cameo during Kanye West's set several years ago, Young Hov hasn't performed at SJ since he brought Michael Jackson out and dissed Nas and Mobb Deep way back in 2001.

That void is always going to be felt. You could hear it last night, as 40,000-plus were yelling "Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa" in unison when one of the stations threw on G-Unit's "Rider Part 2." Everyone was singing 50's lines as if to say, "We want the unit!" C'mon, somebody get Michael Strahan to work something out.

That's not to say Hot 97 couldn't pull off a quality show with a lineup that boasted hip-hop's MVP and the man just named the Hottest MC in the Game. Lil Wayne and Kanye West headed up the roster that also included T-Pain, Ray J and Yung Berg, D-Block, Alicia Keys and, surprisingly, Public Enemy.

The most energetic Summer Jam moments came in the first half of the show. If you were fashionably late, you missed out. Alicia Keys was onstage at 7:05 p.m., just 35 minutes after the official showtime and third in the lineup behind Ray J and The-Dream.

Keys started off with the reggae-tinged "Ghetto Story" and had the whole stadium going "Rah! Rah! Rah!" "Teenage Love Affair" followed, and then she started paying homage to Mary J. Blige, singing "Be Happy" a cappella. The beat for the remix to "Be Happy" kicked in, and out came Brooklyn's Maino. His current street thumper "Hi Hater" shamelessly jacks the beat from the Queen of R&B soul's classic.

Thousands waved their arms side to side with open palms. Imaginary foes were greeted with sarcastic adoration, "Hi, hata! Hi, hata. You see me. Hi, hata." Ms. Keys then pulled out her trump card with one of her favorite groups, the Wu-Tang Clan. First, Raekwon the Chef came out for "Incarcerated Scarfaces." Method Man and Ghostface Killah appeared a couple of minutes later and helped Rae on "Ice Cream." Method Man jumped in the crowd during "Method Man." Keys' set was showered with applause as she set the standard for the night early on.

If you weren't familiar with hip-hop, you would think D-Block had sold twice as many records as Keys in their career. They are just that big in New York. They always get that Diamond Awards-winning reception at Summer Jam. Styles P, Sheek Louch and DJ Kid Capri started out with a medley of their concreted embedded smashes, such as "F--- You" and "Wild Out." Jadakiss finally joined his troupe during the "Paper Touchin' " remix. D-Block brought out Red Cafe, Fabolous and Fat Joe, who all perform on Kiss' record. It was absolutely a SJ snapshot to go on the bulletin board of fame. The mics were dripping with NYC pride. The L.O.X. threw it way back to 1998 next. They brought out former Firm member Nature and the always-wild N.O.R.E. for "Banned From TV." The show-stealer of the Lox's set, though, was LL Cool J. Uncle was a major surprise, coming out to "Rock the Bells" and murdering the night with "Headsprung."

"A lot of people been sleepin'. Y'all gonna wake up this year," Cool J declared about his new projects before he walked off.

T-Pain's show was full of plain-old tom foolery, action and more guest spots. T-Pain started off doing more dancing than singing, popping and locking and doing the two-step with his two hypemen. Pain's first guest was Shawty Lo, who did "Dey Know." Almost immediately, the crowd started mimicking L.O.'s running-in-place dance. "Bankhead, still been pulling capers!" they all shouted during his song. Miami's DJ Khaled and Rick Ross came out for "I'm So Hood." Ross appeared wearing nothing but his tattoos from the waist up, but the Southern Don had so much swagger, you would think he was as chiseled as 50 Cent when he strolled on. Pain ended triumphantly with Akon, Ross and Fat Joe for "We Takin' Over."

When one of the station's DJs asked the crowd who they came to see, Lil Wayne got the loudest cheers. His entrance was "A Milli," an agitated gumbo of metaphors and Weezy's raw-dog presence. Wayne's set held the guests to a minimum. Playaz Circle's Tity Boi came out for the well-received "Duffle Bag Boy," and Kanye helped him close out on the remix to "Lollipop," a rousing Wayne highlight. The Birdman Jr. once again performed his naughty ode to oral sex, "Pu--- Monster."

When was the last time you heard Kanye West concede his show wasn't the best? Ever? Kanye got that coveted 9 p.m. Summer Jam spot, and he did bring a spectacle like we'd never seen on a stage with explosive lights, pyrotechnics and a multi-piece band. It felt like we were at a Kanye concert instead of a hodgepodge of who's hot and their random guests.

West started with "Diamonds," "Champion," "Get 'Em High" and "Jesus Walks."

"It took me a long time to get to this stage, to be able to close this," Kanye said. He shared recollections of seeing Jay-Z tear the show down years before. "I keep trying harder to raise this sh-- up a notch and do what I gotta do to be the best artist in the world. ... Y'all gonna see why I'm the number one f---in' artist in the world right now. Let's do our show."

"Homecoming," and "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" with Consequence followed, but it seemed to mellow out the crowd. "Can't Tell Me Nothing" and "Flashing Lights" brought the energy back up. Young Jeezy was Kanyeezy's big cameo. They did their new collaboration "Put On." "I put on for my city" Jeezy rapped, wearing a T-shirt that read "F--- Bush."

But the overall reaction to his set seemed to fall short of Kanye's expectations.

"I'll take this one on the chin," he said. "I seen ni--as catch it before closing out. I'll take this one on the chin."

He pledged to go in the studio and make new hits. Even after "Good Life," when everyone was singing "Throw your hands up in the sky," West was disappointed with his Summer Jam showing.

"NYC, thank y'all for this," he said. "I'm about to go back to the muthaf---in lab. [I'll] take it like a man."

Public Enemy brought knowledge, wisdom and understanding with them on the set. Even though most of the younger audience members seemed indifferent to P.E. classic such as "Welcome to the Terrordome" and "Can't Trust It," Flav and Chuck D left them with food for thought, speaking on racial injustice and the presidential race.

Though Rihanna had been advertised on the bill for weeks, she chose instead to attend the MTV Movie Awards with Chris Brown. Hot 97 failed to explain why she wasn't at the show, but they did have a fill-in: New York cult heroes, the Diplomats. Minus Cam'ron, Jim Jones and the crew ended the night with their underground breakthroughs like "Santana's Town" and "We Fly High."

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Hotline: Sigur Ros gives us 'Gobbledigook'

“Gobbledigook” may sound like something Quagmire from “Family Guy” would say before walking into a cathouse. But it’s actually the name of the new single from Sigur Ros, which is available for free download at sigurros.com.
Clocking in at a very un-Sigur Ros-like three minutes, the moderately uptempo track is a bit of a departure from the deliberate, ethereal whale-mating sound that has made the epic Icelandic sonic mavens the country’s biggest export since puffin meat. It’s even - dare we say - catchy.
Sigur Ros’ new album - titled “Med Sud I Eyrum Vid Spilum Endalaust,” which translates as “With a Buzz In Our Ears We Play Endlessly” - comes out June 23 in the United States. But fans can get an early listen on Monday when it’s streamed in its entirety at sigurros.com.

The album marks the first time vocalist Jon Thor Birgisson sings in English; “Hopelandic,” the made-up language from previous albums, has gone the way of the viking in favor of everyday Icelandic lyrics.
“Med Sud I Eyrum” was produced by Flood and recorded in New York, London and Reykjavik. One track, “Ara Batur,” was recorded live in a single take with the London Sinfonietta and London Oratory Boys Choir. The song features 90 people performing at one time: Only Sigur Ros could get away with such grandiosity.
Simpson cancels
Finally, we have a reason to appreciate Fall Out Boy’s Pete Wentz.
His impregnation of wifey Ashlee Simpson has forced the jig-dancing pop princess to cancel her June 27 show at the Cape Cod Melody Tent.
Guess it’s tough to lip-sync with a baby bump.
“After careful consideration, Ashlee Simpson has decided to cancel her summer 2008 tour,” said her unnamed publicist in a statement ripped right from PR 101. “She is committed to giving her fans the best show possible, and will be back better than ever and ready to rock in the future.”
That’s a relief. Ticket refunds are available at point of purchase. For more information, call the CCMT box office at 508-775-5630.
Crow flies north
Sheryl Crow’s latest album is called “Detours,” and now her tour is living up to the name.
The veteran pop star’s July 30 show at the Tweeter Center in Mansfield has flown the coop and moved to the Bank of America Pavilion. Tickets, $36-$66, go on sale Friday at 10 a.m. via Ticketmaster and Live Nation. James Blunt and Toots & the Maytals have been tapped as opening acts.

Superheroes go back to work

Comic-book-hero movie company Marvel Studios has reached an interim agreement with the Writers Guild of America, enabling striking Hollywood writers to go back to work on their projects.
For Marvel, it means that work can resume on 'Ant Man', 'Captain America', 'Thor' and 'The Avengers'.
'Hulk' and 'Iron Man' were already in production and were not affected by the strike; they are set for release later this year.
Film and television studio Lionsgate, Hollywood's biggest indie producers, has also reached an interim agreement with the guild.
Upcoming Lionsgate films include 'Rambo', 'The Eye' and 'Saw 5', while its television series include 'Weeds', 'Mad Men' and a new show, 'Fear Itself'.
"The writers' issue seems on its way to being solved, and Lionsgate felt it was an important time, particularly in view of our TV series, to have our writer partners get back to work," Lionsgate said in a statement.
"We look forward to a broad industry agreement soon," said a company representative.
Writers already have reached interim deals with studios including United Artists, the film production house backed by Tom Cruise and The Weinstein Co, run by media-mogul brothers Harvey and Bob Weinstein.
Writers and producers resumed talks this week, aimed at ending a nearly three-month strike that has stopped most prime-time television production and some hope smaller deals will put pressure on the big studios.

Former Idol star McPhee gets married

Singer and actress Katherine McPhee has married producer Nick Cokas in a ceremony in Beverly Hills.
According to People magazine, the former 'American Idol' star's representative confirmed the couple had married in a Presbyterian Church in Beverly Hills on Saturday afternoon.
The 23-year-old singer reportedly wore a strapless ivory Manuel Mota gown to the ceremony, which was attended by over 300 guests.
McPhee met 42-year-old Cokas in 2005 when they performed together in a Los Angeles production of 'The Ghost and Mrs Muir'.

Sales Up 119 At Hmv

Sales are up by 11.9 per cent at music and video retailer HMV and the group said profits for the year will be at the top end of expectations.

HMV posted like-for-like sales – sales from stores that were open a year ago – of 10.1 per cent for the 16 weeks to April 26th, 2008.

The retailer, which has been struggling to compete with supermarkets and online stores in selling DVDs and CDs, has focussed on the fast-growing games sector to boost sales.

The group said the positive response it has had to these "next generation stores", which give more space to consoles and games, means there will be a further roll-out of the format.

HMV has also set up its own website, which offers products at slightly cheaper rates than in its stores.

Chief executive Simon Fox said: "As we complete the first full year of our three-year turnaround plan, we are ahead of where we expected to be.

"We have made good progress driving forward our strategic initiatives to increase efficiency, revitalise our core business and establish new channels to market. We still have much to do, but I am confident that the group is well positioned for the next phase of our transformation."

For the next step, the company plans to develop its websites – hmv.com and waterstones.com – by integrating them into stores and increasing investment.

The retailer plans to provide customers with either a downloadable or physical format and will launch its own social networking site.

For the full year, HMV said it is confident that pre-tax profit will be at the top end of expectations, which is in the range of £46 million - £58 million. Preliminary results for the year will be released in July, HMV said.

At 08:33 BST, shares in HMV were up six per cent to 158.25p on the London Stock Exchange.

09/05/2008 09:17:17