Quick Hits: Rihanna, Britney Spears, Adam Lambert, Michael Jackson, Nirvana, R.E.M., Bonnaroo, Jerry Cantrell & Scott Ian, Juvenile, Slayer, Fergie, AFI, Tegan and Sara, Elvis Presley, Jerry Wexler, Al Martino
October 14, 2009
Rihanna
Rihanna has possibly revealed the title of her new album via her brand new Twitter account. A message on Twitter and on her official website merely says "The Wait Is Ova. Nov 23 09," which is likely the release date and title of her upcoming album. The Pop star has been working on new material for some time.
Britney Spears becomes the first artist in over three years to debut at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 with her new song, "3." The new track, from the upcoming hits set The Singles Collection (due November 24), shifted 255,000 downloads in its first week of release, also propelling it to #1 on the Digital Songs chart.
The video for Adam Lambert's debut single, "Time For Miracles," from the film 2010, will premiere in movie theaters. Rolling Stone reports the clip will be a part of a trailer for the film that will run before Michael Jackson's This Is It starting October 28.
And speaking of Michael Jackson's This Is It,iTunes reportedly will not be selling downloads from the This Is It CD, according to Digital Music News. The problem is that Sony Music Entertainment and the Jackson estate have opted to only offer downloads within a bundled album, whereas Apple insists on selling individual track downloads. The single "This Is It" is already at radio and it will be incuded on the double-disc soundtrack to the movie of the same name.
Nirvana will release the live CD/DVD Nirvana Live At Reading on November 17, capturing their legendary 1992 Reading Festival performance. Here is a clip from the DVD of the band playing "School":R.E.M.'s new documentary, This Is Not A Show, which will be released on DVD as part of the deluxe edition of their new Live At The Olympia live record, is being screened theatrically in theaters across the country. The screenings start tonight in Cambridge, MA, with dates announced into early November. The complete list of cities and showings can be found here.
The 2009 Bonnaroo DVD, titled Live From Bonnaroo 2009, will be released on December 15. The DVD includes performances from Bruce Springsteen, Beastie Boys, Snoop Dogg, Phish, Elvis Costello, Cage The Elephant and more.
Jerry Cantrell and Scott Ian have joined forces to create a new rock bar and performance space in Las Vegas. The two guitarists will launch the venue, Dead Man's Hand, in November. "We want this to be a place that we would want to hang out in," Ian says. "There's a huge segment of the music audience that likes to go out but doesn't want to go to places that only play Lil Wayne and Lady Gaga and charge $750 for a bottle of vodka. We want to be the opposite of that." In additon to having other bands come in and play, Cantrell and Ian will form their own outfit as well. "We're putting together the Dead Man's Band, which will be Jerry and I and probably some other sub-partners who are also in well-known bands," said Ian. "Obviously, we won't play once a week or anything because of our schedules, but when we're all around we'll get up and jam out a bunch of covers." The sub-partners for Dead Man's Hand will be announced in the weeks ahead.
Rapper Juvenile will release his first album in over three years, Cocky, on November 17. The lead single "Gotta Get It" is currently at Urban radio, with "Hands On You" featuring Pleasure P impacting now. It is his first release since 2006's Reality Check.
Metalocalypse director Mark Brooks has created a 20-minute DVD titled Playing With Dolls that will be included exclusively in Slayer's World Painted BloodDeluxe Edition, out November 3 in tandem with the World Painted Blood standard edition. Inspired by the songs on the album, the film blends elements of animation and still-photography into a visual style similar to that of a graphic novel. A trailer for the short has been posted at slayer.net, and the soundtrack for Playing With Dolls features clips from all 11 of the songs on World Painted Blood.
NFL owners have approved Fergie as a new minority investor of the Miami Dolphins, though she has not yet signed on the dotted line, according to the Sporting News. The Dolphins have a number of celebrity investors, including Venus and Serena Williams, Marc Anthony, and Gloria and Emilio Estefan.
AFI singer Davey Havok is partnering with Macbeth Footwear to design a limited-edition shoe for the company. Havok's design will be released in the spring.
Tegan And Sara will tour the U.S. extensively in support of their upcoming album, Sainthood. After playing two shows in L.A. and two in New York City later this month, their tour officially begins in Northampton, MA on February 12 and wraps up in Salt Lake City on April 6.
An Elvis Presley box set is on the way December 8. Billboard reports that the 100 song, four-CD set will honor the King's 75th birthday (which is coming up in January) and is titled Elvis 75: Good Rockin' Tonight.
A memorial concert event for Jerry Wexler, record producer and former co-owner of Atlantic Records, will be held in New York City on October 30. The invite-only event is organized by Atlantic and Rolling Stone's Jann Wenner and will include performances and contributions from Allen Toussaint, Sam Moore, Bettye Lavette, Lenny Kaye and many more.
Singer Al Martino, best known for his role in The Godfather, passed away yesterday at the age of 82. Martino had a series of #1 hit singles in the early '50s but was most famous for playing Johnny Fontane in the three Godfather films. He also sang "The Love Theme From The Godfather."
