Hot Music Beat

The Strokes will be taking a year off from music and will not be releasing any material in 2007, the band have said.
Writing on their MySpace page, the group confirmed that after spending last year touring their third album First Impressions of Earth extensively, they will be taking some time off.
“The band are still enjoying some much needed ‘off time’. I wouldn’t expect anything to come out this year,” the message read.
“In the meantime, they are staying busy pursuing some other personal interests and are busy working/writing/rehearsing and all those things bands do in between albums. But, there are no immediate plans to release an album or tour for the time being.”
Strokes guitarist Albert Hammond Jr will not be enjoying some time off however as he is confirmed as headlining the Carling stage at this year’s Reading and Leeds festivals.
After working with his band during last year’s tour, Hammond released his first solo album “Yours to Keep” and has been on the road with his backing band ever since.
The band’s front man, Julian Casablancas, has also been busy lending his trademark vocals to Queens of the Stone Age and appearing on Hammond’s album.
The Strokes have achieved huge success in the UK and Europe and their third album has raised their profile in the US, although it is still a standing joke with the band that their homeland seems unwilling to embrace their music.

Amy Winehouse is having a second wedding to please her mom.
The singer, who secretly married Blake Fielder-Civil in Miami last week, has revealed she is planning another ceremony in London for all her family.
Speaking at Ivor Novello Awards (05.24.07), Amy said: “My dad was alright about it really – it was more my mom that wasn’t. I would have loved my family to have been there but it was something just for us. We just wanted to go away and do something with no fuss.”
“We’ve got to do something here now. I’ve got to go to Tiffany’s to get my engagement ring re-sized and we’ll pick out matching wedding bands.”
Amy plans to have a lavish wedding party near her North London home, but it is unclear if there will be a formal ceremony or just a blessing.
A source said: “After talking it through with Blake and her parents, Amy has agreed to hold a big family bash near their North London home. It has not been agreed yet whether it will be a formal civil ceremony or a more chilled-out blessing.”
Amy, 23, married music video assistant Blake, 24, at the Miami-Dade County marriage license bureau just two weeks after Blake proposed.
The couple splashed out $17,000 on their 48-hour honeymoon at Miami’s exclusive Shore Club hotel.
This wedding is going to be something big for Amy and her mother at first place. We’ll be waiting it to see what the final outcome would be and how Amy would surprise the public this time.

This one is incredible. Michael Jackson is set to receive 5 million pounds just for arriving at Prince Azim of Brunei’s 25^th birthday! In case you did not know but probably imagined it now, his father is one of the richest people in the world. Now let us see how this piece of news gets even more interesting.

M.J. will not be performing. He is actually paid this huge amount just to show up and mingle with Azim’s friends. Other guests include Pamela Anderson, Jerry Hall and Kate Moss. They will have fun and get paid for it. We still don’t know how much these three superstars will get but we are sure that they will not even come close to Michael Jackson’s payday. M.J. sure needs money and this amount is not to be neglected. It might even be a breath of fresh air for him.

Marijuana is not only dangerous when consumed but it can be when it is delivered to you as well. Latin music songwriter Fabio Alonso Salgado (also known as Estefano) was shot in the chest and in the back of the head. The wounds were near fatal but he was lucky and even managed to identify the shooter as Francisco Oliveira, a handyman that has been in the service of Salgado for a long time. This individual was delivering marijuana to him on a constant basis. No further news is known at the present time about this incident.
Estefano had a lot of success in his career and worked with many Latin music superstars like Shakira, Gloria Estefan, Enrique Iglesias, Ricky Martin, Jennifer Lopez and many others. It looks like he will be recovering but we do not know yet how long it will take. What is certain is that the Latin Music Industry will have to wait a while until one of the most successful producers comes back on the scene.

This summer will hold among many other tours one that will feature Alice in Chains and Velvet Revolver in Canada and USA. As an opening act fans will see Sparta, quite a new band on the scene. It seems that Velvet Revolver band members are big fans of Alice in Chains and this is a reason why the tour was arranged in the current formula. Front man Scott Weiland said:
“They’re good friends of ours, and obviously they have amazing songs, people have been saying the shows were amazing, and they were drawing some pretty big crowds, so we figured it would be kind of a cool gig. It would be fun to watch them play every night and listen to those songs.”
Fans should also expect new songs from Velvet Revolver as they just finished work on their new album called “Libertad”. Alice in Chains was re-formed in 2006 with a tour and this would be a pretty quick follow up. Maybe they will even launch something new!

Kanye West says he’s not taking any chances when it comes to the title of his next headlining adventure.

“My new tour is called the Glow in the Dark Tour — and I wanted to say it on MTV so no one would be able to take it, and it’s documented I said it”, West said. The outing will be in support of Kanye’s upcoming third LP, Graduation, which is due in September see “Kanye West Says He’s ‘Ready To Take Over The World Once Again’ “.

“I’m working with choreographer/director Jamie King”, he continued. “I saw the last Madonna concert — he did the last several Madonna concerts and so I’ve been sitting down vibing with him, ’cause I want to bring the level of entertainment up another level. At the end of the day, regardless of the ‘he said/she said,’ regardless of whatever sh– I talk, whatever sh– anybody else talks — come to the show and have a good time.”

In addition to his work with Madonna, King has also worked with Prince, Shakira, Britney Spears and Mariah Carey, and also served as director for Christina Aguilera’s “Back to Basics” Tour; his work has earned him three Emmy Award nominations and five MTV Video Music Award nominations.

A rep for Def Jam, West’s label, said no tour dates have been confirmed as of yet, but it’s no surprise to find Kanye planning ahead. “My whole project is set in the future”, he said. “Graduation — I’m graduating from a school called Universe City. You’ll feel the whole vibe of the album — you’ll see right when I drop the first single.”

Last week the Chicago native released the first song from the album, the aptly titled “Can’t Tell Me Nothing.” Using samples of Young Jeezy ad-libs in the background, West raps over a slow soul beat and drops a myriad of one-liners such as, “You can live through anything if magic made it.” Later, he references his knack for wearing standout attire.

In addition to Graduation, Kanye is also producing Common’s forthcoming LP, Finding Forever (see “Common, Kanye Kick It Old-School In Clip For ‘The Game’ “). And he’s working with Lil Wayne on tracks for his impending Tha Carter III LP .

Pau McCartney is making a buzz in cyberspace and in YouTube.com . As he debuted his “Dance Tonight” video. YouTube.com lovers is going to enjoy this video “Dance Tonight”. It looks like the this website is going Hollywood are more and more stars begin to use the site for promoting movies and whatever they can think of. The video includes Natalie Portman and was directed by Michel Gondry. When I saw the video the first scene makes me remember Postman Pat. I enjoyed watching the video. As Paul started singing I don’t know if they were ghost, start appearing from everywhere and they were dancing as Paul was singing. It also gives me feel of something retro. Paul McCartney fans should watch this video.

Amy Winehouse has reportedly spent almost $20,000 on a three-day honeymoon with new husband Blake Fielder-Civil.
The British singer forked out a small fortune at a luxury Miami hotel, where the newlyweds splashed out on vintage champagne and room service.
A source told Britain’s Daily Mirror newspaper: “Amy told Blake that she’d spare no expense” – she’s working so hard now that they tried to cram two weeks’ worth of fun into two days. They locked themselves in and wouldn’t even leave to let the chambermaids change the linen! Every few hours, they’d call and ask for bubbly and occasionally French fries.
The couple’s $5,000-a-night suite at the luxury Shore Club hotel boasts its own pool and private masseuse service. Amy’s room service bill for the three-night stay totaled $2,000.
Petite Amy, 23, tied the knot with 24-year-old Blake on Friday (May 18, 2007) at the Miami-Dada County marriage license bureau – just two weeks after he proposed.
Their whirlwind marriage stunned Amy’s friends and relatives, as she had recently broken-up with her chef lover Alex Claire.
The “Rehab” singer dated Blake in the past but the relationship ended bitterly after he allegedly cheated on her.
Heartbroken Amy, who has Blake’s name tattooed on her left breast, said the experience inspired the angst-ridden lyrics on her “Back To Black” album and contributed to her wild behavior and weight loss at the time.

New Reality Series from the Producers of American Idol Searches for the Ultimate Musical Group!
The producers behind mega-hit phenomenon American Idol take the musical reality genre to a whole new level when they embark on a quest to find the next American band sensation that will take the nation by storm. THE SEARCH FOR THE NEXT GREAT AMERICAN BAND (working title) will scour the country, seeking musical groups of all ages, styles and genres, with hundreds of bands auditioning for a shot at stardom.
After the auditions, judges will narrow down hopefuls from all walks of musical life – young and old, family and friends, garage bands and weekend warriors – to 10 semi-finalists who will perform in front of a live studio audience. Viewers will then get a chance to vote for their favorite bands via telephone and text messaging and determine who stays in the competition.
Each week, the bands will be challenged with varied musical themes, jazzing up each of the performance shows as their skills in a wide spectrum of musical styles are put to the test along with their personal and professional relationships.
This is the next big project of American Idol producers and it is expected to be as successful as the other version which is worldwide spread and the fans of such type of show are billions.
On the other hand this would give another chance for America’s talented singers to show their abilities and maybe to become one of America’s next big superstars. Who knows? Everything can be expected.
Finally, in a not-to-be-missed showdown, the final three bands will compete to secure a recording contract. If you think American Idol is intense, wait until you see what a band must go through for its shot at fame.

This guy is selling his own blood.  Yes, you heard it right. Peter will have a art exhibition painted in his own blood.  His “Bloodworks” collection will put on exhibit at London’s Bankrobber Gallery (my first time to here such a name for a gallery).  The exhibits include paintings made from his own blood.  What do you this kind of art? Bloody art? For the fans that are dying to get a piece of Pete then is their chance.   Memorabilia  signed with Pete’s blood will be up for grabs up to $5,000. Maybe I should do something like this and sell my creations for big bucks.  But my problem is I’m anemic.

Eminem’s recording home just got hit with a lawsuit by two former partners. It seems all is about digital royalty rates and Aftermath-Interscope is attacked because of them. Bass Brothers’ FBT Productions and Em2M are the two that first signed Slim Shady to their house, Web Entertainment, in 1995 and they say the amount received from Eminem’s Internet downloads and ringtone sales is not fair and they should receive more according to a contract signed in 1998.

We do not know how much they get from this deal at the moment as this was not mentioned at all but they claim 50% is what should come to them. Nobody from Interscope made an official statement but one is expected as soon as possible. It seems like lawsuits are starting to cover Internet sales as well and all is becoming a business with all wanting more money. This case might create a precedent.

What is considered by specialists as one of the best and biggest bands in UK, the Stereophonics, have just announced a major tour in the country. They will thus promote the new album (“Pull The Pin”) and mark their first tour since 2005. On May 25th tickets go on sale and all fans can get to see them in these locations in the month of November:

4th -BOURNEMOUTH, IC
5th – BRIGHTON, Centre
7th – MANCHESTER, MEN
9th – SHEFFIELD, Arena
11th – BIRMINGHAM, NEC
13th – NOTTINGHAM, Arena
15th – LONDON, Wembley Arena
18th – CARDIFF, Arena
22nd – NEWCASTLE, Arena
24th – ABERDEEN, ECC
25th – GLASGOW, SECC

The new album already seems like generating a big fuss. Stereophonics headlined the One Big Weekend event and one of the tracks from “Pull The Pin” is becoming very popular among fans. The piece is “Bank Holiday Monday” and bass guitarist Richard Jones declared about it that:

“We’ve only played a couple of shows and already the crowds are singing along to it”

The Arctic Monkeys have sure given fans an interesting surprise that hopefully will turn out positive in the end. While performing in Tokyo they were impressed by a local band called The Parrots. It seems they are actually a Beatles tribute act and have sung their songs on the local scene ever since 1995. They even seem to dress and sing very similarly to the famous band. As a return for being entertained by The Parrots, The Arctic Monkeys decided to make them a surprise act on their concerts on the 28th and 29th of July at Manchester’s Lancashire County Cricket Ground.
The Parrots will join other acts in the concert like Amy Winehouse, The Coral and Supergrass. Fans of Acrctic Monkeys are in their majority young and probably never really caught a glimpse of what the Beatles meant to the music industry. It will be interesting to see how they welcome The Parrots and if they enjoy their music.

My favorite material girl Madonna has a new single to offer, “Hey You”, yeah you. Its for the upcoming Live Earth concert on July 7 at London’s Wembley Stadium. Looks like she also has a green thumb. Good for you girl! Madonna also has a soft heart for mother earth as this song is for charity. The song is also available for download on the internet. I think it’s about time for her to give something back to the world. And this is her way of helping everyone to take action on the current situation of our planet. Live Earth concerts will be held around the world in places like London, New York, Sydney, Shanghai, Tokyo, Johannesburg, Rio de Janeiro and Hamburg.

We all know that Mel B. (former Spice Girls member) seemed devastated when she was dumped by Eddie Murphy. It all came at a bad time as the singer was pregnant with his baby (that is what she claims, there is still no proof of that). It seems that the sun is starting to shine again in her life. Mel B was seen enjoying a new romance with Stephen Belafonte (producer of “Thank You for Not Smoking”). The couple was seen in a Los Angeles park with a little girl by their side. It seems she was his daughter and they were also spotted partying at Hyde nightclub on Monday. While Heaven would be the right word to describe how she sees the relationship, the problems with Eddie Murphy might become hell. The “Beverly Hills” actor is refusing to take parental tests and this means Mel B will take him to court and we will surely find out if he is the father or not. I am curious because his reaction seems very strange. As far as it was reported it seems that he wanted the baby so it might turn out that Justin Timberlake’s “What goes around comes back around” lyrics might become a reality in this case.

It sure smells like teen spirit around Courtney Love or maybe she just really want to move on. It seems like the former wife of Kurt Cobain will sell his belongings after 13 years passed since the Nirvana lead singer died. It does look like a good move and maybe it is time to move on. All of Love’s friends support the idea and charity will also have a lot to gain from the auction that will sell Kurt’s stuff including original lyrics to “Teen Spirit”, sweaters, a guitar and more. The only thing that will probably not be sold is Cobain’s pajamas, which Courtney admitted she still wears when going to bed.

In another piece of news, she will also release a new album called “Nobody’s Daughter”. It seems it will be inspired by former relationships she had with superstars like Trent Reznor, Billy Corgan, Edward Norton and Kurt Cobain. Sadly whenever I hear of Kurt the only things that really come to mind are the lyrics to “Lake of Fire” (“Where the bad folks go when they die? – They don’t go to Heaven where the angels fly – They go to a lake of fire and fry – See them again till the fourth of July”) and keep wondering how music industry would have been if he had continued living. Courtney has all the right to move on and I am glad that she is finally going to do this or at least attempt it.

The Game was arrested in Los Angeles on Friday on suspicion of making criminal threats, according to the Los Angeles Times.
The arrest, which came after police searched the Game’s home for three hours Friday afternoon, is reportedly in connection with an incident that occurred in February. The Game is suspected of threatening a person with a gun during a pickup basketball game at a park in South Los Angeles, a Los Angeles Police Department source told the Times.
Game was booked on Friday and released early Saturday morning after posting $50,000 bail.
Local news crews captured the scene as police led Game from his home on Friday. The rapper maintained his innocence, telling onlookers, “I want to say that I’m not guilty, and that I love California.”
Game has been arrested several times in the last two years, on charges that include weapons possession, impersonating a police officer and disorderly conduct. He was also indirectly involved in an incident in March where G-Unit’s Tony Yayo allegedly slapped Game’s manager’s son. However, it was unclear at press time whether Friday’s incident was related to any of those.

Sly Stallone has plead guilty Tuesday to illegal importing of hormones into Australia. You remember this one, I wrote about it a while back. He’s fond of injecting human growth hormone into his body, and as disgusting as that sounds, it’s not illegal here in the US, but it is in Australia. Hence the law suit.

“It was just a minor misunderstanding,” Stallone told reporters “They were just doing their jobs. I just didn’t understand some of the rules here.” He’s expected to pay $22,000 in damages, but doesn’t seem exactly sorry for what he’s done. He sounds awfully smug for a guy that has to inject himself in order to get muscles. Ever heard of a gym?

Actor Mel Gibson got a thumbs up on Friday from a judge overseeing the alcohol rehab program he was ordered to take after a drunken anti-Semitic outburst at police last year.

“I truly believe the rehabilitation in this case is effective, and I don’t want to do anything to interrupt that,” said Malibu Superior Court Judge Lawrence J. Mira, explaining why the actor was not asked to appear for Friday’s progress hearing. I know his extensive participation in a self-help program — and I should note he has done extensive work, beyond which was required,” Mira added.

Gibson, 51, was arrested in Malibu, California, on suspicion of drunken driving last July, and he caused a furor by launching into a tirade against Jews, saying they were “responsible for all the wars in the world.”

The director of box-office hits “The Passion of the Christ” and “Braveheart” apologized repeatedly, pleaded no contest to drunken driving and was sentenced to three years probation and a one-year Alcoholics Anonymous program.

Gibson must appear in court in August for a final progress report.

Three years ago, Gibson fought off charges of anti-Semitism surrounding “The Passion of the Christ”, a blood-soaked portrait of Jesus’ crucifixion that Jewish leaders claimed would incite hatred and even violence toward Jews.

Jaime Pressly just gave birth to a son according to People magazine. The “My Name is Earl” actress now has a new leading man, and his name is Dezi James. He arrived on the scene at 7:31 am and weighed 6 pounds 4 ounces. Pressly, 29, told People the couple came up the name “Dezi” as a tribute to Cuban-born “I Love Lucy” star Desi Arnaz. Being Cuban-American herself Jaime wanted to honor one of her people’s comedy greats. I love the idea of naming a child after a great star like Desi Arnaz. I think people forget about the older generation of comedians, and it’s nice that the actors of this modern era can step up and appreciate their forfathers. It’s people like Desi that made comedy what it is today.