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Justin Timberlake fans who would rather he have them “nekkid before the end of this song” than gallivant off to star in films may have their wishes granted – well, in part. According to the Hollywood Reporter, Timberlake will write the soundtrack for a new film, The Devil and the Deep Blue Sea, which stars his fiancee, Jessica Biel.
Timberlake’s involvement was part of the film’s announcement this week at Cannes, according to reports. The 31-year-old will compose the score for the feature, as well as working as music supervisor, choosing other artists’ songs for the soundtrack.
The Devil and the Deep Blue Sea, due to start shooting later this year, follows the story of a widower and a young girl who build a raft to sail across the Atlantic. Set in New Orleans and directed by Bill Purple, it will star Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Chloe Moretz and Jessica Biel, Timberlake’s partner for the last five years. The couple are expected to marry this summer.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2012/may/23/justin-timberlake-music
Jessie J has said that the public have become “addicted” to watching people get “destroyed” on talent shows.
The Voice UK coach told James Merritt for Free Radio that she has always wanted to celebrate talent and give constructive criticism to artists.
“I think there’s a misunderstanding in the public on what’s nasty and what’s constructive,” she said. “I have been constructive and every time I’m constructive I get booed.
“There needs to be an understanding of what the audience wants. If they want constructive, then all day.
“I definitely think that all coaches, myself included, could be more nitty gritty and how our people are with us.”
She added: “At the same time, if you’re nasty – not nasty – if you’re constructive then you get tarnished with the witch brush. You’ve got to get the balance right.”
“I do think sadly, that people have got addicted to talent shows where people get laughed at and destroyed on stage. I’m not someone that wants to do that. I want to celebrate talent.
Jessie J continued: “I don’t think that there was anyone that was put through an audition process [for The Voice] before they got on to the television audition process with myself and the other three coaches, that was boo-able.
“There was no comedy act. It was not for pure entertainment. It was about vocals and talent and that’s something that sometimes there isn’t anything to criticise.”
The spirits industry has invaded and profited from what we listen to on the way to work, as well as on our way out for good times. It’s an ingenious plan to invade lyrics with withy, catchy, marketing phrases describing what should fill your cups or glass. After all, it works with clothing, shoes, and even makeup right? On the flip side one has to wonder if the Hip- Hop community is well read, or just well versed from verses, when it comes to their drink choices.
Will you only sip on something because your favorite artist is, too?
Let’s look at Moscato, for instance. This sweet wine has made its way into upbeat hits, making it an instant hit with some who never would partake in wine before. A dessert wine with dinner, or at any time for that matter – that seems to be all that matters now. Just recently, Nelly’s crew, The St. Lunatics, announced their plans to market “Freaky Muscato.” Can Hip-Hop make anything cool, even if it’s out of its usual context? Some may the answer to that is a resounding YES.
Then, as we look at the various popular liquors, Diddy’s Ciroc, Luda’s Conjure, Grey Goose, and Patron, if they say drink it… millions are running to their local liquor stores and V.I.P. club sections to do just that. Maybe you just so happen to love vodka, tequila, or cognac, or maybe you believe in the celebrities’ brands so much you have to try whatever they put out. It could be a mix of both, just as you might mix Ciroc with orange juice, Grey Goose with pineapple, or Conjure with Coke, to get your favorite drink.
Making money in music is about marketing. How else doers a rapper end up with millions of fans, or millions of dollars in endorsements? Yet and still, some may not take the time to learn about what they hear about in their favorite songs. It’s not necessarily a bad thing, more so of an example of the power the music industry holds, even outside of music.
Blame It On The Alcohol: The Spirits Industry Benefits Greatly From Some Hip-Hop Greats
The 2012 Billboard Music Awards, which aired live for East Coasters from the MGM Grand Hotel in Las Vegas Sunday night, earned the right to be called the most awkwardly awesome three hours (yes, three?!) of music to hit TV so far this year.
Raucous pop jokers LMFAO stripped down to their undies in the opening, Whitney Houston was beautifully feted, Taylor Swift was shocked to get yet another trophy, Justin Bieber outperformed Usher and Chris Brown, and platinum-selling pop stars either played karaoke or mimed their way through performances of their own hits.
Like the American Music Awards and Video Music Awards, the statuettes that are handed out don’t quite matter here. Example: British powerhouse Adele collected 12 of the 46 statues handed out and didn’t even show up, making the telecast largely a performance spectacle (seriously, producers could easily have chopped an hour out of this show).
Whitney Houston’s touching tribute. The passing of pop titan Whitney Houston on the eve of the Grammys left producers reeling with how to appropriately address her death. They delivered a beautifully understated moment courtesy of Jennifer Hudson, and the Billboard awards followed suit when it tapped another “American Idol” alum, Jordin Sparks, to lead the segment honoring Houston.
Sparks, who plays Houston’s daughter in the singer’s final film, “Sparkle,” delivered an elegant take on Houston’s iconic torch song, “I Will Always Love You,” after John Legend’s reserved rendition of “The Greatest Love of All.” Houston’s family, including her daughter Bobbi Kristina, were on hand to accept the Millennium award on her behalf (their presence got headlines for more dramatic reasons). Hopefully, BET and MTV took notes for their upcoming award shows.
Just one request, now that Sparks and Hudson have deftly tackled that song: Let’s dig deeper into Houston’s catalog for more unexpected musical selections.
Gotta give it to Cee Lo Green. After his recent breakout year saw him cross over to the pop charts and become hotly in demand (“The Voice,” a Vegas residency, numerous endorsement deals), Green made good on his promise of returning to his roots as the front man of Southern hip-hop outfit Goodie Mob.
Their performance of “Flight to Win” was one of the night’s highlights due to Green’s keen eye for glitzy spectacle -– they tapped Jean Sok, a one-legged dancer from Cirque du Soleil’s Michael Jackson Immortal World Tour. Just when it couldn’t get better they launched into a glorious tribute to Adam “MCA” Yauch with the Beastie Boys’ “(You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (to Party).”
Donna Summer deserved better. Though Houston’s tribute left this writer sated, I was dumbfounded with what producers cobbled together for Donna Summer. Granted, they didn’t have much time to plan, as Summer passed away on Thursday. Major kudos to Natasha Bedingfield for stepping in to tackle Summer’s classic “Last Dance,” but for those of us at home (and not at the MGM) — running an ABC promo over Bedingfield’s vocals before that premature cut to commercial was cold and callous.
Thankfully, hosts Ty Burrell and Julie Bowen, stars of the sitcom “Modern Family,” were able to give Bee Gee Robin Gibb, who passed away earlier in the day, an uninterrupted moment of silence.
No love for Dick Clark? What gives? Sure, the man created the AMA’s, which gives the Billboard Awards a run for their money when it comes to award-shows-that-aren’t-really-about-the-awards. But the guy is too much an icon in music to be just overlooked. Unless, of course, I missed something during the opening LMFAO medley?
Cat got your tongue? Justin Bieber, Chris Brown and Taylor Swift have something in common besides being cute faces with more chart power than vets twice their age: None of them should be allowed to accept awards. Not that they shouldn’t win them, it’s just become painfully awkward to watch them accept.
Swift’s “Really? I won?” adorkable shtick has become a stale joke, and producers made it worse by having Zooey Deschanel, another “watch me be adorable and quirky” ingenue, present her with the woman of the year trophy. Despite Swift’s consistent surprise, she always manages to spit out an eloquent speech. We just aren’t sure why she hasn’t helped her peers -– namely Brown and Bieber.
Brown, as always, could barely form an actual sentence when he collected the R&B artist statue, while Bieber delivered the longest stream-of-consciousness ramble when he attempted to thank everyone and anyone for his social artist of the year trophy, an award that in no stretch of the imagination should actually be handed out during the telecast.
Shameless plugging. Promoting your upcoming project at an awards show is expected and welcomed, but for those not lucky enough to get a performance slot to premiere a single, we have to find craftier ways to promote your upcoming works than saying “my new album [insert title here] is in stores next week.” A few artists mistook presenting duties as personal commercials, and it was pitiful to watch. And, no, I won’t be buying your album, despite how great you said it was as you presented an award to someone else.
Please hire Pink to host next year. Our favorite anti-pop star has been on maternity leave for some time, but if you ever need a lesson in snark, follow her Twitter posts during any award show for her unfiltered comments. She really should consider hosting one of these things in the future, as music award shows have strayed from poking fun at the general craziness of those onstage.
Favorite quips? During Brown’s dance-heavy (and lazily mimed) performance of “Turn Up the Music,” she wrote on Twitter, “one day if i lipsync, i hope i do it as well as him….” The dig was even co-signed by her husband, Carey Hart, who remarked “Im pretty sure i saw my wife did that same performance, but she was 3 months pregnant and actually sang the song” in reference to Pink’s similarly BMX-themed AMA performance back in 2010.
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/music_blog/2012/05/billboard-music-awards-a-few-observations.html
Company Reaffirms Its Commitment to Entertainment Everywhere with the Release of Its Cloud-Based Music Service App in the App Store This Friday
May 22, 2012 – Sony Network Entertainment International today announced the pending release of the Music Unlimited service application (app) for iPhone® and iPod touch®1 this coming Friday, May 25. With the free app, subscribers can access the service’s global catalog of millions of tracks2 whenever and wherever they are.
“With the proliferation of connected devices, consumers expect complete access to their digital entertainment and demand a consistent experience regardless of the device,” said Tim Schaaff, President of Sony Network Entertainment International. “Bringing the Music Unlimited service to iPhone and iPod touch is one of the many ways we are able to reach more music lovers around the world while ensuring the same level of high-quality entertainment that is associated with the overall Sony Entertainment Network experience.”
The iPhone® and iPod touch® will be the newest additions to the Music Unlimited service’s existing ecosystem of Sony and other connected devices including PlayStation®3, PlayStation®Vita, BRAVIA® TVs, and AndroidTM tablets and smartphones including Sony XperiaTM. The new app allows consumers to listen to their music library3, playlists and channels, easily add songs to playlists, discover related artists and tracks, and browse by genre.
“We want to let users pick up their favorite device and crank up the Music Unlimited service at any time,” said Michael Aragon, Vice President and General Manager of Digital Video and Music Services, Sony Network Entertainment International. “With the addition of the new iPhone and iPod touch app, users with a Basic or Premium subscription can listen to their favorite songs across a number of the most popular connected devices – in and out of the home.”
The new Music Unlimited service iPhone ® and iPod touch® app can be downloaded for free from the App StoreTM beginning Friday, May 25, 2012.
About the Music Unlimited service
Music Unlimited is a cloud-based digital music service that hosts a global catalog of over 15 million licensed songs2 including all major labels, leading independent labels, and major publishers worldwide. Originally launched in December 2010, the Music Unlimited service now reaches 16 countries and is available on a wide range of Sony and non-Sony connected devices. With its breadth of available connected devices and regional reach, along with the depth of its music catalog, the Music Unlimited service is the ultimate music subscription service4 for users who want to play their music whenever and wherever.
For more information, please visit: http://sonyentertainmentnetwork.com/music-unlimited/.
About Sony Entertainment Network
Sony Entertainment Network is the ultimate destination for digital music, movies, games and more. All through the convenience of a single account, Sony Entertainment Network is a global comprehensive network platform that unifies Sony’s digital entertainment experience across a growing ecosystem of Sony and non-Sony devices.
Additional information about Sony Entertainment Network can be found by visiting: blog.sonyentertainmentnetwork.com,www.sonyentertainmentnetwork.com, http://www.facebook.com/sonyentertainment, and http://www.twitter.com/sonyentnet.
1 iPhone 3GS, 4, 4s, iPod touch third and fourth generation; iOS version 4.3 and above
2 Number of tracks available from this catalog varies by country and may be less.
3 Access to your personal library requires that music content exists in the catalog. Copy protected content is not supported.
4 Basic subscription is $3.99, £3.99, €3.99, AU$4.99, CAD$3.99, NZ$5.99, DK 49.00, FI 3.99, NO 49.00 and SE 49.00 per month; Premium subscription is $9.99, £9.99, €9.99, AU$12.99, CAD$9.99, NZ$13.99, DK 89.00, FI 9.99, NO 89.00 and SE 89.00 per month
Sony is a leading global innovator of audio, video, communications and information technology products for both the consumer and professional markets. Sony is renowned for its audio-visual products, such as the BRAVIATM LCD high-definition television, Cyber-shotTM digital camera, Handycam® camcorder, “α” (Alpha) digital SLR camera, and Walkman® MP3 player as well as its VAIOTM personal computers and high-definition (HD) professional broadcast equipment, highlighted by the XDCAM® HD. Offering a complete end-to-end HD value chain and with its electronics, music, pictures, game and online businesses, Sony is one of the world’s leading digital entertainment brands, employing approximately 170,000 people worldwide.
Through its long-term football partnerships as an official sponsor of the UEFA Champions League until 2012, Official FIFA Partner until 2014 and global sponsor of the FIFA World CupTM in 2010 and 2014, Sony is inspiring a sense of excitement for the millions of football fans around the world.
Ray J crashed and burned the morning after the Billboard Music Awards … and landed in the hospital … TMZ has learned.
We’re told Ray J was extremely upset after his confrontation with Whitney Houston’s family — notably Pat Houston — during the awards ceremony. On Monday morning, someone went into Ray J’s hotel room and realized the singer was “out of it” and couldn’t get out of bed.
We’re told Ray J was extremely disoriented and was immediately taken to the hospital by ambulance.
As for what happened … it’s looking like a combo of exhaustion and dehydration. Ray J had just returned from a quick, 32-hour round trip to China for business and when he landed he immediately drove 4 hours to Las Vegas for the awards show.
Ray J is still in the hospital. No word on when he’ll be released.
http://www.tmz.com/2012/05/22/ray-j-hospitalized-after-billboard-awards-exhaustion-stress/
As we reported, “Disco Queen” Donna Summer will be laid to rest Wednesday during a private ceremony at a church in Nashville, TN.
We’re told the church is expecting a capacity crowd — roughly 1,000 people — but the service is invitation only.
The family is adamant … they don’t want the ceremony to become a media spectacle and they’ve put together a strict guest list consisting of close friends and family members.
It’s unclear if any of Donna’s famous friends will attend — but we’re told people are flying in from all over the country.
TMZ broke the story … Donna passed away in Florida last week after battling lung cancer. She was 63.
http://www.tmz.com/2012/05/22/donna-summer-funeral-service-nashville/
themusicfront 