Quick Hits: Cee Lo Green, Christina Aguilera, "Hologram Tupac," Jay-Z & Beyoncé, Gary Clark Jr., Bonnaroo, Geoff Tate, The Beatles
September 12, 2012
Cee Lo Green is preparing a soulful Christmas album that will come out on October 30. Dubbed Cee Lo's Magic Moment, the holiday album will feature "Silent Night," "The Christmas Song," "This Christmas," "You're a Mean One Mr. Grinch," "White Christmas" and more. Rod Stewart, B.o.B. and Straight No Chaser are among the featured guests, according to Billboard.com.
Christina Aguilera
On Twitter this afternoon, Christina Aguilera revealed that her upcoming album will be titled Lotus. The record is slated for a November release. She wrote, "Album title: Lotus. Representing an unbreakable flower that survives under the hardest conditions and still thrives. There will be a 'Lotus' intro to set the tone for the whole record. Conceptually I didn't target one particular sound/genre. Self expression and freedom [are album themes]. The album represents a rebirth for me." Her new single "Your Body" will get an official release this Friday, while the music video will premiere during The Voice on Monday night, according to MTV News.
Digital Domain Media Group, the special effects company that created the much-buzzed-about "Hologram Tupac" for Coachella, has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. According to CNN Money, the 20-year-old company had over $200 million in debt and just announced a major restructuring last week.
Jay-Z and Beyoncé will host a fundraiser for President Obama at the rapper’s 40/40 Club in New York City on September 18, according to the New York Post. The event will be intimate and capped at 100 guests, who will pay $40,000 per ticket. The President recently made a surprise appearance via video message at Jay-Z's Made In America festival in Philadelphia over Labor Day weekend.
Guitarist extraordinaire Gary Clark Jr. has revealed the title and tracklisting for his full-length debut album for Warner Bros. Records: Blak and Blu, which will be released on October 22. The album was produced by Mike Elizondo (Dr. Dre, Mastodon, Fiona Apple), Rob Cavallo (Green Day, My Chemical Romance) and Gary Clark Jr. Apart from Clark on guitar, vocals and trumpet, Blak and Blu features performances from drummer J.J. Johnson, keyboardist Zac Rae and Elizondo on bass on many of the tracks. The first track off the album, "Ain't Messin 'Round," will be available to purchase digitally on September 18.
Superfly Productions and A.C. Entertainment have announced that the 2013 Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival will take place from June 13-16 at its usual 700-acre farm in Manchester, Tennessee. Special, limited ticket pre-sale information will be announced in November.
Former Queensryche singer Geoff Tate will release his sophomore solo album on November 6. Titled Kings & Thieves, this will be Tate's first solo album in more than a decade and his debut release for InsideOut Music. He will begin touring on October 17 in Newton, NJ and Tate also will do a seven-date Canadian run with Alice Cooper in November.
On October 2, Cinema Libre Studio will release the documentary Beatles Stories, which captures cherished stories from famous fans – as well as those not so famous – about their unique encounters with the Fab Four. The DVD and digital release will include 30 minutes of additional interviews, an extended interview with Norman "Hurricane" Smith (The Beatles’ first recording engineer), and a director’s commentary track. The film will make its official theatrical premiere on Tuesday, October 2 at the Egyptian Theatre in Los Angeles, with future showings to be announced. It includes interviews with fans such as Smokey Robinson, Brian Wilson, Henry Winkler, Art Garfunkel, Davy Jones, Graham Nash and dozens of others.